Page 25 of Play With Me

Interesting.

“Lola, you need to stop being so hard on yourself, and you need to start living again. Give yourself a chance. Give him a chance. You deserve to be happy. You can’t be on your own for the rest of your life.”

“That’s why I’ve got you. I’m happy at work. I love my job. But he does feel special.” She paused, and I imaged her fidgeting. “He brings the old me back, and that hurts and feels good at the same time.”

“Maybe it’s time to take a break from work?” Emma suggested. “Get counse—”

“Don’t you dare say the C word to me, Emma. I’ll get through this. I don’t need anyone’s help. I’m well aware that my old life comes with memories and pain. It makes me vulnerable, and I can’t be vulnerable at this job. But he takes that pain away because when I’m with him, it’s just us. There is no past, there’s only the present. I don’t know how, but he makes it all better.”

I felt my mouth curve up. My feet twitched with a sudden urge to do some sort of a victory dance, and as guilty as I felt for eavesdropping, I couldn’t stop.

“He gets me, you know. Like, he knows how devoted I am to my job. He understands that I like my independence. I like my single life, and I’m just curious how long we can pull off this dating thing. I think you know Brook Madden?”

Through the thin slit in the door, I watched Emma coil back. Of course she knew me. Maddens had been working with Cross Enterprises for over ten years. We had a reputation. Yet there was something else in her expression I couldn’t understand.

“You’re afraid he won’t agree with your lifestyle?” Emma asked.

Lifestyle?

“Right, because you know… I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready.”

“You will be. You just need to find that little spark of happiness to light your heart. True and pure happiness, and you’ll be okay.”

“Don’t you see, Emma? I already had it, and I lost it. I will not put myself in a situation where I could lose it again. I don’t think I could live through that.”

My heart broke for her. Whatever Lola had lived through, whatever scarred her past, I hoped I could help her. “Besides, once Kate tells Cameron that she’s the one who blew up that warehouse, Brook will be done with me.”

Wait, what?

This couldn’t be. Lola wouldn’t have betrayed me like that, would she?

“He’d be a stupid man, then. You were doing your job. Just don’t give up, okay? And keep your eyes open. It looks like Cortez is on high alert for you all now.”

She did do it. She knew Kate was the woman I’d been looking for, and she hadn’t said anything. And how stupid was I not to figure it out? She blinded me. Lola made me question my instincts, and I failed.

“Thanks, Emma.”

“Keep me in the loop. Like I said, if it’s time to spill the beans that we’re following Xavier’s orders, then that’s what we’ll do. He’d understand.”

Xavier.

Not a popular name, and one I’d remember. Somehow I was sure I’d heard it before. Had he helped destroy my family as well? As the two women said their goodbyes, I rushed back to the reception area. My anger drummed in my ears, boiling in my veins and steaming out my nose. For the first time in a long time, I had to dig deep to try to calm down, and I wasn’t sure if I could.

I’d heard it myself. Lola had betrayed me, and now I wanted to hear it from her. I felt like such an idiot.

When Lola returned, we took the elevator down in silence. It wasn’t until at least half an hour of our drive had passed in Lola’s private limo, as I sat across from her, that I finally asked.

“Everything okay with Kate’s case?”

“Yup, all is good. You?”

“Good for me too,” I lied. Every tendon in my body was twisting in pain, muscles pulling apart and seizing. It wouldn’t take long until my rage blew.

“Lola, we knew we were working on the same case but work aside -- ?”

“There is no work aside. I don’t talk about work for a reason. Neither do you. Remember? It’s better this way, Madman.”

I leaned forward, resting my elbows on top of my knees. “Well, right now I want to talk about work. Please, tell me the truth. Why is Kate relevant to you? Who is she?”

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