Page 14 of The Perfect Lie
Taking slow deep breaths, my breathing started to even out. When it finally hit me that Axe was holding me, I felt my cheeks redden with embarrassment. As I looked up at him, I took in his features. I hadn’t been up close and personal with him, but even I had to admit, he was very handsome, in a rugged lumberjack way. His eyes weren’t as blue as Davian’s, but they were just as intense. Feeling a little uncomfortable, I tried to escape his hold. “I think I’m better. You can put me down.”
Sending me a smile that could comatose every breathing woman, he gently released me and helped me stand. “You had me worried there, little lady. If anything happened to you, Davian would have my hide.”
“Please, call me Reyna.”
“I think I like ‘little lady’ better.” Axe began to laugh, and I knew he was joking. Brushing a stray hair from my cheek, Axe slowly walked toward the door. “I think we better get back inside before someone finds out we broke protocol.”
He halted his steps, and once again, I ran into his hard body. “Axe, you have to quit stopping like that. I don’t think my face can stand another hit.”
“Sorry, little… I mean Reyna,” he began, showcasing another perfect smile. “I wanted to ask you something. Do you know if Kenzi is seeing anyone?”
I had never known Axe to be shy, but the way he was circling the dirt with his boot reminded me of a teenage kid asking a girl out on a date. Putting him out of his misery, I placed my hand on his bulky shoulder. “Not seriously. She was seeing a guy from college, but I think with everything that has happened over the past months, that relationship is over.”
I had first-hand knowledge that Kenzi and Kip decided to remain friends after their first week together as a couple. Kenzi said that it was bad timing, but it was more than that. If it hadn’t been for my abduction and all the crap that followed, she might have stayed with him to see where things would go. Maybe with Axe being interested in her, she could find the same happiness I shared with Davian. Who was I kidding? What Davian and I had would soon be over. He would resume his life with Gwen, and I’d be left with a broken heart.
Feeling the onset of another attack, I stepped past Axe and swung open the door. I couldn’t let him see me like this again. This was my breakdown, and the last thing I wanted was for it to get back to Davian.
~9~
Davian
The minute I ended the call with Reyna, guilt flooded my body for the way I treated her. I should have checked in with Calvin, but I couldn’t bring myself to answer the questions regarding Gwen. It didn’t surprise me when Calvin called, nor did Reyna’s line of questioning. She had every right to know the truth about her adoption. How could I tell her that having the McCalls adopt her meant that I had a way to draw Salko out of hiding? Once upon a time, Reyna was my ace in the hole, but the minute she needed my protection, that all changed. If I used her as bait, Salko would have to leave his hideout to save his only daughter. That plan was put to rest long before I found out that Salko wasn’t her father after all. I fell in love with her. Never could I risk her life to get my hands around Salko’s neck. If she ever found out the truth behind her adoption, I doubted she would ever forgive me.
Confronting her about the adoption was the least of my problems. Cross Enterprises’ future hung in the balance with the implication of being involved in the deaths of two innocent bystanders and Curtis Giles. Thankfully my father volunteered to stay behind to work with the officials to find the truth behind their deaths.
Speaking of my father… My phone vibrated against the glass coffee table with my father’s number on the screen. “Please tell me you have good news.”
“Better than good, son.” My father’s enthusiasm was enough to tell me Cross Enterprises might be in the clear. “The island officials have found additional evidence in the murders of those two joggers. Cross Enterprises is no longer a suspect.”
“What evidence?” Even though I couldn’t be happier, I was still curious about what they had found.
“Bullet casings. Salko’s men weren’t as careful as first thought. One casing was found near where the joggers were shot. It had a partial print on it, which belonged to a known associate of Salko’s. The bad part is that once the news is released, I’m afraid it is going to send Salko deeper into hiding.”
“Any word on Curtis and who might have killed him?”
“Not much, except the officials think his death and the two joggers' deaths may be related. Once they get the ballistics back on the bullet that pierced his heart, they will know more.”
After hanging up with my father, I reflected that although the news about Cross Enterprises was a long time coming, the news about Salko was troubling. He had a part in Curtis’s death. If I had learned one thing about Salko, it was that he cherished his freedom. Hiding away in luxury while his henchmen did his dirty work was his signature.
Pushing from the couch, there was a more pressing matter that needed addressing. It had been two days since I spoke with Gwen. I felt I gave her enough time to deal with everything that happened to her since returning to Atlanta. It was time to find the missing pieces without the interference of Crosby McCall.
Gwen’s room was on the same floor as the Presidential Suite. Other than having her share the suite with me, which would never happen whether it had two bedrooms or not, the only option was to reserve a room on the same floor. It took some doing, but with money talking, people are more than willing to do anything.
Stepping out into the hall, I spotted Sean, who I instructed to remain outside Gwen’s door, which was down the hall from mine. I wanted him to stand guard in the event she decided to take off or if Crosby McCall chose to show up. Greeting him with the tip of my head, I walked down the hall and asked, “Any problems?” as I pulled the spare key card to her room from my back pocket.
“No, sir.” Sean shuffled his feet, which indicated he needed a break.
“Grab yourself something to eat. I’ll watch over Ms. McCall until you get back.”
Nodding his head, he stepped away from the wall and proceeded down the hallway to the elevators. As I slipped the card in the slot, I couldn’t help but thank God for giving me such an amazing group of guys. I didn’t know where I would be without the men ofThe Society.
Pushing open the door, I scanned the room to find it much smaller than my suite, but still accommodating. It was sufficient for Gwen, with only a small sitting area and an en suite bedroom. My eyes fell to where she was seated on the couch, dressed in the hotel robe. She had her hair pulled to the side in a long braid, which fell over her right breast. It had been five years since I’d seen her, but she hadn’t changed a bit. She was still as gorgeous as I remembered. Unwelcome thoughts ran through my head, leading me to wonder if her skin was also as soft as I remembered.
Her eyes followed my movements as I took a seat next to her. When I peered into her beautiful green eyes, there was something inside them that made me realize just how much I missed us and what we shared. I didn’t want to go there, but damn if they didn’t swallow me in, hook, line and sinker. She must have felt uncomfortable because she lowered her head and stared down at her hands, which were knotted at her lap. “I’m sorry for everything I must have put you through. I can’t imagine what you went through dealing with my death.”
Taking her hand, if only to stop her from fidgeting, I knew she had to know the truth, no matter how painful. “There wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t think about you. I wanted Rui Salko to pay for your death. I thought for sure he was responsible.” She had no idea the pain I endured when I found out she was dead and Salko was to blame.
“Do you still think about me?” Her voice was small as a child’s. How was I ever going to be able to tell her the truth about Reyna and me?
