Page 84 of Nothing to Beat

The more she could do to take down the patriarch responsible for so much hurt, the better.And if she could hear their case, maybe she could garner some confidence in it, see how impossible it might be for her father to wriggle out of a lengthy sentence.

“My father is known for setting people against each other.Letting them do his work with just a few choice plays to detonate a conflict.Don’t let him have the same satisfaction here.He’s the enemy.”

“Ricardo Whey,” Breck said, stepping in to bring them back to the relevant point.“What exactly did he give you?”

A man not known for his scruples, Whey was notorious at looking out for himself.His own interest.Selfishly.No wonder he and her father got along.Still, there was a chance that by the end of this, she’d owe him a lot.Grievances aside, his aim matched hers.Did she really care if he got off scot-free?He was nothing to her and could deliver her the future she craved.

TWENTY-NINE

THEY SPENT MOST of the day secreted in that room with the prosecutors.Turned out her presence was useful, she educated them on the man, and maybe pressed a few of the lawyers’ buttons to reiterate allowing her father to win was not an option.

Breck’s fingers slid between hers after they left the conference room to descend to the elevator mezzanine.Her head was spinning and yet completely empty.Accepting that this was real, that the progress was considerable, would take some time.

A few feet from the elevators, Breck stopped to move in front of her.“How do you feel?”

Trust him to ask the only question she couldn’t answer in that second, not with any level of diligence.

“It’s like Christmas,” she said, trying her best to be articulate.“When you’re a kid, you know?There’s all this anticipation.You picture what it will be, the excitement…”

“And it never lives up to expectation.”

“It’s tough to take in.I suppose I don’t want to believe.”

“Because you fear being disappointed.”

“How often in life do the truly awful people get their comeuppance?Not often.”

With a feather’s touch, his fingers drifted across her cheek and over her hair.“It doesn’t matter how long this takes.We’ll keep going as long as necessary.”Even knowing it was a given, she still appreciated him verbalizing his support.“This is a massive move in the right direction.You can start to let yourself believe.”

“That we can be together.”Sinking against him, the muscles of her neck relaxed.“You know that’s the only reason I’m doing this, because I’m selfish, and I want you all to myself.”

Her smile preceded a whisper of a laugh passing his lips.“You’ve had me all to yourself for years.”

Because even when they weren’t together, nothing else stuck.She wasn’t sure he’d been intimate with anyone other than her for a long time.As much as she’d like to hear he hadn’t, asking meant being prepared for the opposite answer.And she wasn’t prepared, hence why she’d never ask.

“All this effort…” With a tilt of her head, her sassing eyes slunk to the right.“I do all of this for you and you blow it at the last hurdle.”

“Blow it, huh?”

“Sure.The father of my children can’t be a deadbeat.What do you take me for?”

“Ah, is that what I am?”His arms closed around her, yanking her tight to him.“You’re thinking I should secure employment before impregnating you?”

“Would be the polite thing to do.And…” Drawing out the word, her fingers ascended his chest.“I happen to know of an open position.”

“Do you?”

She might be teasing in one sense; in another, she was completely serious.Clearing her smile, she wanted to ensure he got that.

“Call your dad.”

“Breckenridge will always be there.”

“And you should always be with it.Your brothers need you.”

“So will my wife and children.”Discernment crossed his brows as he scrutinized her.“Are we talking about this?Planning our future?”

“If my father goes to jail…”

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