Page 9 of Bradford

"I'm good. The suite has a good view, but it's plain and boring. The hotel beneath has potential. There are lots of places to eat. I can't complain." I sigh. "I'm actually grateful to Wyatt for this."

"Make the most of it." He snickers. "I noticed you didn't tell me much about yourself." He raises an eyebrow and waits, the drawback of a video call. "And why are you in bed?"

"Okay,Mom!The sofa is more for show than for sitting on. It makes me uncomfortable just looking at it. I thought the bed would be better, so here I am. My side aches from trekking up here. I miss you guys, but honestly, I'm doing okay." I smile.

"What about your meds?"

"I have them. The guy who picked me up from the hospital stopped at a drugstore to fill the prescription." I sigh heavily. "You're a good friend, Madden. I appreciate your concern, but please don't worry about me."

My friend clears his throat and runs a hand through his hair. "It's weird not being in the same city." He chuckles. "Not in a weird way. I'm just used to us being in each other's business."

"I miss you, too, bro!" I blow him a kiss. "I'm going to take a painkiller and take a nap before dinner. Give Tessa a kiss from me."

"I'm not kissing my wife for you!"

I snicker. "I'll kiss her myself when I get home." Grinning, I hang up. I'm still smiling when I let my phone drop onto the bed.

I'm too comfortable to move, but I know I'll regret it later if I don't go find the painkillers.

The hotelwhere I’m staying has many options for dinner, but as an athlete, I’m careful about what I eat, so I choose from the healthy menu. As I read the menu at the front of the restaurant, my mouth waters. The burgers sound good, but I like their steak options. My thoughts turn to Florence once more. Would she like to eat here? Is it her type of place? As I step over thethreshold, the hairs on the back of my neck prickle. I scan the area, but I don't see anyone paying attention to me.

My instincts tell me that something is wrong. I don't see anything or anyone out of place. Not that I’ll really know; this is my first time here. The prickles of awareness are never wrong. My hands twitch to rub my neck, but I don't do it. Sighing heavily, I go into the restaurant because I'm hungry. I should have ordered room service. But I’ve had enough of being confined.

As I pay too much attention to what is going on outside the restaurant, I only see the man as he pulls out a chair and sits across from me. I haven't seen him before. I watch him as intently as he watches me. The server approaches, but I wave her away. This man isn't staying.

I'm not saying anything. He tracked me down for a reason. I have questions, but for now, I want to see what he's up to.

"I didn't think you'd make this easy for me."

"What does that even mean?" I sit back and let him think I'm relaxed. I'm not fit to fight, but if my life depended on it, I would.

The man before me is well-dressed in an expensive suit. His hair is cropped close to his head, almost too long for a military cut. He looks like an average businessman, but something dark slithers beneath the surface.

"I figured I'd have to bribe someone to get up to your room with all the security your boss has put in place." He searches my gaze, but I keep steady eye contact, not letting him see how rattled I am to be singled out. "You're a difficult man to reach, Bradford Winchester."

My heart stutters and drops to my fucking toes. "What the fuck do you want?"

He grins, pleased to have rattled me. "I knew that would get your attention."

"The gunman! Was he one of yours?"

His face changes to an angry expression. "That wasn't supposed to happen. It was supposed to be a warning to your father. To show that we could reach you anywhere. The man I hired went too far."

I clench my jaw. "Then why the hell did he go after the nurse?"

"I don't know. If you can find him, you can ask him.”

"I'm hungry. Why are you here?"

“Do you know what your father has been doing lately?”

"I haven't spoken to him in a while. So, no. He has his finger in a lot of pies. I'm not interested."

"I've heard that about you. You don't like your father's business ethics." He sits forward. "I don't like all of his business dealings, but there's one I'm interested in. That's where you come in, my friend."

"I'm not your friend.”

"I can see you're not going to cooperate." He stands. "You will. The pretty nurse might need to keep me company until you come around."

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