Page 84 of Manhattan Secret
As predicted, he blows up with enough curse words to blister the walls, spitting out of his perfect lips, his eyes like two blazing rocks as he looks incredulously at the same email which has tormented me. “When did you get this?” I tell him “The fuck, Laney? You weren’t going to tell me?”
I let him know about the second one and he scrolls to it.
Swearing holy hell again.
“I’m a fucking hacker, Delaney. You should’ve brought this shit to me right away. For fucks sake. They have no idea how hard I’m about to bury them. They’ve got no idea what’s coming.”
I gulp.
“We can’t do anything, Lachlan.”
“Oh, yes, we fucking can and I will.” When he presses a few buttons on my phone, he tosses it on the table and stalks down the hallway with me rabbit-running after him, with my heart in my eyeballs.
What is he going to do?
Before he reaches the living room he stops in his long stride and turns, forcing me to stop quickly before my nose embeds in his armpit.
“That bullshit back there, breaking up. Because of this?”
The way my face colors is answer enough for him and his scowl is like thunder. “You have to understand…”
“Oh, I understand, Laney. So damn well.”
Phone pulled from his pocket; he hits buttons. “Ethan, I need you to get to Laney’s. Yes now, I don’t care who the fuck you’re banging. This is important, she’s fine, but I want you here in case I need bail money.”
Oh.
My.
God.
“You’re joking, right?” I ask when he hangs up.
His eyes pin me to the wall from under thick, black lashes.
“Lachie, don’t ignore me!”
He put another call through, pacing the length of my living room while my veins jangle under my skin. “Kian, you know Laney’s place? Yeah, need you there now.”
He’s a smart guy—boisterous, fun-loving and tenacious. What I’m watching, as I try to swallow, is vengeful Lachlan in full attack mode.
The stakes, I feel, are high and I can’t catch a breathe looking at him.
“Sit down, Laney.”
I sit. Not because he bosses me, but my legs are like jello. He crouches in front of me, hands on my knees, his eyes trained on my face. “I don’t want you to get into trouble.” I confess. “Can’t we just forget it?”
“No. Someone has messed with mine. With.Mine. I can’t let that go. I won’t let that go.” He kisses me lightly on the lips and I list forward, dying for his touch, that connection to ground me.
“Maybe…maybe we should pretend we’re not seeing each other. Whoever it is will move on.”
Wrong thing to say, Laney.
His face morphs into thunderous rage banked under his tanned skin. He climbs to his feet, a god of vengeance and stalks to his backpack he always brings with him with a change of clothes.
He yanks out his small notebook laptop and throws himself down on the couch.
I didn’t know he’d forwarded my email to himself until he started muttering under his breath. Typing furiously fast, his fingers like lightning over the keys.
