Page 81 of Played
I shake my head. “That could be anyone’s motive.”
“No. Not everyone is motivated by money.”
“And what makes you think Hayden is?”
“Have you seen the guy?” King says. “He drives a Lamborghini. Around Manhattan. The gas alone is astronomical, and I can’t imagine what he pays to park it. Everything he wears has a designer label. Including his underwear.”
“How the fuck do you know what underwear he wears?”
He smirks and cups my jaw again. “Oh, baby, I love it when you’re jealous.”
I bat his hand away. “I’m not.”
“He keeps a change of clothes in his office.”
I’m still not convinced. “I’m not sure that’s enough to accuse him of espionage. I wear designer clothes and drive an expensive car around Manhattan.”
He rolls his eyes. “Yeah, and you’re a fucking billionaire, baby. Not a head of HR.”
“He makes over half a million a year.”
“Yeah, I know. There’s some unusual activity in his banking too. Look, I’m going to do a full investigation. I won’t come to you unless I have absolute proof, but these are the two people who work for you that stand out. And I’ve learned to trust my gut.”
“What do you mean people who work for me?” It’s odd that he used that choice of words.
He runs his tongue over his top teeth. “You’re going to like this even less.”
I can already tell I will. “Go on.”
“What if it’s someone not in the company?”
My hackles rise. “Like who?”
“Like someone who has a lot of unrestricted access to you and Elijah. To your family home. To your penthouse.”
“The only person who currently fits that description is you.”
He scowls.
“Obviously it’s not you. But who the hell are you talking about? Not one of my sisters-in-law?” The thought of him accusing them makes me feel sick.
He licks his lips. “No, of course not. But what about Tyler?”
His words are a punch to the gut. “Tyler? My best friend? Melanie’s cousin? The guy who doesn’t have the faintest interest in tech?”
“He could easily get access to your and Elijah’s computers. All he would need is a?—”
“No,” I snarl. “Tyler would never fucking do that. He wouldneverfucking betray me like that.”
King grinds his jaw. “People betray us. That’s a fact of life.”
I push my chair back, needing to get away from him. “No. That might be a fact of your life, but most people don’t fuck over the people they claim to love.”
This is no longer just about me and Tyler, and it probably never was. King growls. “You’re telling me he loves you?”
I take a deep breath, desperately trying to get a hold on my anger, but it doesn’t work. “Yes, he fucking does. And more than me, he loves his cousin Melanie. You know, Nathan’s wife?”
“And do you love him?” he says, ignoring everything but my first sentence.
