Page 33 of Tempting My Billionaire Master

Susan opened her mouth to reply but Elisabeth took the initiative. “Enough about that, Chloe, come join us!” she trilled, patting the empty chair beside her. Her blonde wig was slightly askew, and the pink feather boa around her neck had seen better days, but her smile radiated warmth.

I started toward them, but then Jess popped up from behind a bookshelf and waved me over. I hesitated for a moment and Mary picked up her cards and smiled. “Go do your business, girl, we are not going anywhere. And let her make you a nice warm cup of tea, you look like you could use it.”

Jess gave me a warm smile when I approached, but she looked tired, her shoulders slumped and movements slow. “You must be here for the phone again,” she teased. “But I’ll only let you use it if you promise to drink some tea first. Doctor’s orders. You look half-frozen!”

I smiled back, warmth flooding my chilled body. “Well, the doctor’s orders seem to match Mary’s, so I guess I have no choice!”

As Jess busied herself preparing a cup of chamomile tea, curiosity got the better of me, “So, how’s your mission to sabotage the evil candidate going?”

Jess snorted. “He’s not evil, just… very rich and accustomed to getting his way. And that’s not what Pinegrove needs.” She handed me the tea, her fingers brushing mine.

So, billionaires’ interests do intersect with small-town life after all. “I think I know someone like that… but I never thought people of this caliber could be interested in a place like Pinegrove,” I admitted.

“Neither did we,” Jess said with a sigh. “But sometimes, money and power find their way into even the smallest corners of the world. I just hope it won’t come to anything serious.”

“Hey, if you need any help, just let me know,” I offered. “I’m an investigative journalist. Maybe I can dig up something on him.”

“Thank you, Chloe,” Jess replied, her eyes filled with gratitude. “Hopefully it won’t come to that, but it’s good to know that we have a friend in our corner. Now that you drank your tea like a good girl, I’ll let you have some privacy.”

With that, she gestured towards the phone and disappeared behind the shelves.

I set down my empty teacup and reached for the phone. It was time to call Damon. My pulse raced with equal parts anticipation and dread—what had he uncovered, and what did it mean for me and Ethan?

“Hey, Chloe! I was hoping you’d call,” this time Damon answered on the first ring, sounding almost as excited as I felt. “I’ve been on this case all day, and I think I found something.”

“What is it?” I gripped the phone tighter, my knuckles turning white.

“So among other things I started looking into the bodyguards who worked for Ethan, and I found two of them openly mentioning it on their social media… and both of them posted about some fancy stuff they bought last week, right before you met with Ethan. One guy actually bought a custom muscle car—so I called up the shop pretending to be his bookkeeper, and they forwarded me the invoice. Turns out it was paid for by Baura Incorporated, a shell company owned by Gradia International—which is one of Ethan’s main competitors in regards to the government contract PharmaB is involved in.”

“Gradia?” My eyes widened. “As in, the biggest medical equipment manufacturer in the country?”

“The very same,” Damon confirmed grimly. “It looks like they may have been involved in the attempt on your lives.”

“This is huge, Damon. We’ve got them. Okay, here’s what we’ll do,” I slumped into the nearest armchair, my legs turning to jelly. “I’ll make a public statement on camera, telling everyone about the attempt on our lives at Ethan’s home and how the police were involved. Mention Gradia’s involvement, and they won’t dare come after us again—it would only implicate them further.”

“Sounds like a solid plan to me,” Damon agreed. “And then we can proceed with a proper investigation. Are you still in Pinegrove?”

“Yes, I’m here.”

“I’ll come pick you up, and we can film your statement at the office. I’ve got everything ready to go. It should take me about four hours to get to Pinegrove, so just sit tight until then.”

“Thank you, Damon,” I smiled, feeling a surge of affection for my friend and partner in crime. Or rather, fighting crime. “I’m at the public library, right in the center of town. See you soon.”

“See you soon, Chloe,” he replied before hanging up.

As I set the phone down, a wave of relief washed over me, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I allowed myself to close my eyes and rest—if only for a moment.

I woke to a scratchy blanket tucked around my shoulders and the Insomniacs’ voices drifting over from their table. Blinking, I sat up straighter and scrubbed a hand over my face, dismayed to find I’d fallen asleep. I glanced around. It was still dark and the Insomniacs were still engrossed in their card game at the far end of the reading area.

“Sleeping Beauty awakens!” Mary trilled, her eyes twinkling as I approached them.

“What time is it?” I asked blearily. How long had I been out? Damon would be here any minute, and I still needed to—

“In the land of dreams, time has no meaning,” Elisabeth intoned in her theatric contralto.

“Two hours and fifteen minutes, to be precise,” Susan interjected grumpily, rolling her eyes at Elisabeth.

Two hours? I shook my head to clear the remaining fogginess. “Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

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