Page 45 of The Enemy's Daughter

Chapter Ten

“What are you going to do?” Rex asked.

Alaric sat at the bar in the exclusive nightclub. He sipped at his brandy, and glanced around at the other men, sitting around. The weekend away with Bella had been the best days he could ever recall. Being with her was the best experience of his life.

“I’ve got to tell her the truth. Don’t I? This revenge shit, it was wrong from the start.”

“I did try to tell you,” Rex said.

“I know. You know, I’ve been watching Reed for some time in the past couple of weeks, and I don’t even think he’s aware of the competition we’ve been in.”

“What do you mean?”

Alaric sipped at his brandy, and tried to make sense of it. “I always thought Jackson was an asshole. He was there, fighting for what I wanted, building his company, trying to tear mine down.”

“And now?”

“If he was going to do that, wouldn’t he have said something? Business is cutthroat. You see the challenge right away, and you take it from your competition.” Alaric paused. “I don’t see him doing that for some reason.”

“Where does Bella come into this?” Rex asked.

“She’s opened up to me about everything,” he said. “She’s told me about his recent acquisition of the Macalister stock, why he wanted it. I told her I worked at Patterson’s and nothing. She didn’t show any sign of recognizing the name.” He had fucked up. “I read everything wrong.”

“You wanted the Macalister deal. You’ve been wanting part of Macalister’s line for the past ten years.”

“Yeah, and it has fucking blinded me to the truth, and now it could ruin my future.”

“It can’t be that bad.”

“No? I’ve lied to her. When we have sex she cries out for Blue, not for me.”

“Ouch. Well, Blue is your middle name.”

“It’s not right. I’ve not been straight with her, and Buster was just a means to an end. I’m no different from all those assholes that have used her in the past.”

“This is really affecting you,” Rex said.

“Well, yeah, wouldn’t it you? I’ve finally found a woman I can see a future with.”

“She’s twenty-three years younger than you.”

“I don’t care. It’s all the more reason to not wait around. I’m old, Rex. I’m old, and the woman I love I’ve probably just hurt more than anything.” He downed the last of his brandy, and demanded a refill.

“Why don’t you go and see her tonight?” he asked.

“I can’t. She’s having dinner with her father.”

“Won’t she give you away?”

“If she does, and I find out about it, at least I know my first instincts were right, and that I was wrong to doubt myself. Still, I shouldn’t have brought her into this. She is an innocent.”

“I did warn you.”

“Why aren’t you riding me some more?” Alaric glanced at his friend, and saw the slump to his shoulders, and the dejected look on his face. “What?”

“Am I a monster?” Rex asked.

“What do you mean?”

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