Page 106 of The Daredevil

Michelle:Miss you too.

Things appeared fine outside, but why did I feel so sad?

* * *

Valentine’s Day came, and I received a gorgeous bouquet. I had expected Royce to be home by then, but he’d called me a few days ago, saying something came up and he’d be coming home a few days later.

I felt like a dark cloud had appeared above my head, sending drizzles of sadness over me.

I placed the stunning bouquet of roses and peonies on my kitchen table and opened the card with a message.Trust me. Miss you.

Annoyed, I tossed the card aside. What the hell did that mean? The more he kept repeating those words about trust, the more my brain spiraled out of control. Why did he want me to trust him? Did he do something wrong that needed my forgiveness?

Feeling irritated, I needed air and wanted something sweet to eat. A big piece of chocolate cake or a gooey brownie would satisfy me right now.

The temperature was warmer than usual today, and I wore a light coat with a hat on. Driving to the nearby bakery, I picked up some apple tarts, a slice of chocolate cake, a decadent brownie, and a latte. I drove to a park overlooking the ocean, sat in my car, and sipped the caffeinated life force. The warmth traveled down my throat and into my stomach.

Perhaps I’d overreacted with Royce. He was working on recovering his business and also trying to get proof of who had sabotaged my website. He told me the IP address was linked to a property owned by Brittany Parker. The police still hadn’t been able to locate her.

A silver BMW pulled into a spot a few down from me and parked. The door opened, and Fiona got out of her car and strode to a bench facing the shore. I blinked at her sudden emergence. I didn’t know why, but anger surged when she intruded into my vision, distracting my pretty view. She and Brittany had given me too much grief. I had tried to be a responsible adult, dealing with the matter patiently. But these past few weeks, my patience had run thin.

Fiona needed a taste of her own medicine. I’d always refrained from telling her how I felt because I had to maintain a professional appearance since we worked at NewYou Beauty together. But right now, I didn’t give a shit. The world already had the worst ideas about me after that image had been posted on my website. If I had learned anything from the past several months with Royce, it was taking charge of my life.

I had no monsters in my closet.I’m now the fucking monster.

Exiting my car, I slammed the door and strode to stand in front of her. I pasted a fake smile on my face, glaring at her.

She blinked, smiled, pressed something on her phone, and lowered it to her lap, smiling at me with her red lips. “Fancy meeting you here. What can I do for you, Michelle?”

“Stay away from me.”

“You’re the one who came up to me.”

“I know what you and your friend Brittany did. You hired a thief to steal from me, placed a bomb in my apartment, and now tried to smear me through my business. What the fuck?”

Fiona’s face turned serious, a look I hadn’t seen before. “Look, I’m sorry those things happened to you. I had nothing to do with them. Brittany had a tiff with you, and my jealousy got the best of me. The smashed window was a mistake, but I wasn’t involved with any of the other crimes.” Guilt stirred in her eyes. “I just gave Brittany information on you, that’s all.”

How could I believe a fox when she’d never shown me an ounce of kindness?

“I’m trying to make things right.”

The statement shocked me. Why was she being so nice? Suspicion sparked in me.

“How?”

“By apologizing?” She lifted a shoulder.

I rolled my eyes. That made me think there was something else going on.

What was she trying to do? This was not the Fiona I knew. What tricks did she have up her sleeve? Did she still want Royce back?

I crossed my arms. “You’re not getting Royce back.” I sounded like a jealous girlfriend, protecting what belonged to me.

She let out a laugh, and amusement glittered in her eyes. “What if I want him?”

“Then you’ll have to deal with my wrath. Just because I’ve held back doesn’t mean I don’t know how to play dirty.”

Fiona’s lips twisted into a sly smile. “What exactly can you do?”

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