Page 94 of Bared Betrayal
“Right here with your aspirin.” She struts in, putting two tablets on my desk.
“Where is Agent Evans now?”
“I don’t know, but I’m hoping she’s somewhere very unpleasant, like getting a colonoscopy or something.”
“See if you can find out where she is.”
I grab my phone and dial. “Davian, get your ass back here.” I throw my phone back down on the desk and start pacing. What the fuck is going on? How does Victoria know about Kallie? Is she following her? Is she following me?
“You need to work on your tone,” Davian says as he swings open the door.
I rotate my screen to show him Victoria’s face. “This woman. She’s the customs agent who’s been up my ass. But I don’t think she is who she says she is.”
He snaps a picture with his phone and starts typing. “What are you thinking?”
“I don’t know what her game is, but she’s the one who dropped off the envelope at the hotel.”
“The customs agent? Fuck. Do you think it has something to do with our shipments?” He’s no longer fucking around with jokes. This has the potential to be some serious shit, and he knows it.
“I don’t know,” I answer truthfully. “It doesn’t make sense, though, if it has to do with business, because why is she stalking and following Kallie? Plus, Victoria has been coming around my office for months now, and I only met Kallie at the engagement party.”Myth, actually. But who’s keeping tabs?
If Victoria is going around pretending to be someone she’s not, fingering through my business files, and knows about Kallie’s past, then this shit is bigger than I could have imagined.
Fuck. “Kallie. I need to check on her.” I grab my jacket and phone then point at Davian. “Find out who this bitch is, fast.”
Twenty-Six
KALLIE
The first thingI did when we left Gabriel at the hotel was order more paints. I have spent almost all of the last three days in the gallery, tucked away in the back. It used to be extra storage, but when we first got together, Sebastian cleared it out for me so I could have space to myself. The room reeks of paint and turpentine.
The color red has been my muse for so long. Yet, here I am, in a different place inside my head. The pieces that I make are no longer centered around the vibrant hue. Instead, this mysterious cobalt blue now wraps around every piece of art I attempt to create. It’s like this shade takes on a life of its own, and I’m merely the willing vessel it uses to express itself. I’m the canvas.
I close my eyes, letting the brush glide across the canvas, the blue paint oozing out of it like liquid velvet. This color captivates me in ways I can’t explain. My brushstrokes become more erratic, more passionate, as the deep color consumes me. As I continue to paint, I lose track of time, space. It’s just me, my art, and this mesmerizing shade of blue that pulls me into the memories of forbidden touches, passionate kisses, and intense desires laced with wild fantasies that came true.
My heart aches for him.
My body yearns for him.
I’ve been crying myself to sleep every night, wishing he was the one lying beside me. Sebastian tried to initiate sex once, but I couldn’t do it; I blamed it on a lingering stomach bug. But the truth is, I can’t stomach the idea of another man’s touch. I can’t even imagine being with Sebastian or anyone else without experiencing this intense agony inside my chest that won’t go away.
It’s like I stopped breathing when I walked away from Gabriel, that elevator door sealing the fracture of the most intense connection I’ve ever felt with anyone. And I haven’t been able to think straight since.
“Kallie.”
The world stops. It just fucking stops, and the brush slips out of my hand. I don’t move. I don’t dare turn around. “Gabriel,” I breathe, taking in his familiar scent—mixed spice and something distinctly him. It makes my heart pound against my ribcage like thunder inside an empty room. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m not here to cause trouble.”
I don’t want to turn around and look at him. I can’t. Instead, I remain frozen with my back turned toward him, trying my best not to break in front of him. “You shouldn’t have come here.”
“I tried calling you.”
“I left my phone at home.” On purpose because the urge to call him was just too much. “What do you want, Gabriel?”
“I came here to make sure you’re safe. Please turn around and look at me.”
“You need to leave.” I wipe my nose with the back of my hand, clenching my jaw as I fight the heartache.
