Page 113 of The Innovator

To keep Natalie safe, I had to break her heart. But I feared this sacrifice was taking too much from me. What if I could never have her back?

I didn’t want to think about it. Right now, I had to follow through with my plan.

Tomorrow, I’d be meeting the person who helped me locate Natalie when she’d been abducted. I needed to get home to continue my research on Club Diablo to prepare for an imperative meeting with my boys. We had to analyze every detail about our attack on this crime organization. Sending Natalie away was a huge sacrifice for me, and I had to ensure I survived to ask for her forgiveness.

The following week, I’d be entering Club Diablo in Cranston, Rhode Island, courtesy of Rafael. He’d gotten me tickets to the members-only club, where wealthy men came to gamble. To enter, a member had to refer you. Rafael’s referral, his statement to the FBI about Natalie’s aunt hiring him to deliver her to a buyer in Italy, and all the information he had about the crime organization earned him immunity from the authorities. They needed his cooperation to get more details about the secret society.

As long as he stayed out of my way and left Natalie alone, I’d make sure he could continue to breathe and enjoy his comfortable life.

CHAPTERSIXTY-THREE

NATALIE

I woke to sunlight blasting into the room and realized I was in my bedroom in Paris!

I bolted up on my bed, whipping my head around.Was I dreaming? I pinched my cheek, and pain bloomed. I glanced down at my matching pajama top and bottom. They hadn’t changed.

What the hell was going on? I flew off the bed and paced around my bedroom. My purse was on the armchair and my phone was on its charging station. I peeked out the window, and yes, I was in Paris. But how had I gotten here? Had I been sleepwalking?

Even if I had, how had I gotten through the security checkpoint? This was bizarre. The last thing I remembered was showering and feeling exhausted, which led me straight to bed. I didn’t want the sushi Grayson had brought over to go to waste, so I ate it. I was mad at him and not at the food or water bottles . . .

Was something in the food or in the water bottles? Had Grayson drugged me? The fucking asshole! Oh, my God, I could have killed him. I was so furious, my body shook. Was this some kind of joke? Did he think he could toss me out of Providence just like that? He didn’t own me.

I understood he didn’t want me there, but this interference in my life—my body—was beyond that. It was illegal.

Breathe, Natalie. Breathe.

Anxiety tightened my muscles, and I felt sick. Sick in my heart, sick in my mind. Just because he had money and power didn’t mean he could drug me and discard me like trash.

Noises erupted from the kitchen, and hope sparked in me. Was he here so I could kill him with my own two hands?

I strode out to see my mom preparing breakfast. “Morning, sunshine.”

It was stupid to think it was him. Grayson didn’t want me. Why would he be here?

Get over him. You don’t need him.

A numbness overcame my body, and for a moment, I couldn’t feel anything. No anger, no resentment, no love . . . just nothing. Was that worse? I didn’t know emptiness could make me so lost.

I didn’t reply to my mom. She walked over, grabbed my hand, and led me to the kitchen table. “Let’s eat.”

I sat down and stared at the scrambled eggs. “How did I get here? Why areyouhere?”

Mom sighed. “I brought you home from the airport last night. Grayson said you’re safer here in Paris.”

“And you believe him?” I stabbed the eggs with my fork, pretending they were him.

“With all that’s happened with your aunt and his uncle, I think it’s best you spend some time here. Let the dust settle.”

“Mom, Grayson and I broke up. It’ll take me a while to get over it, but what he just did was beyond that.” I placed down the fork. “Did you ask how he got me onto the plane?”

Mom didn’t say anything.

“He drugged me! That’s breaking all kinds of relationship rules, not to mention it’s illegal. He’s not a doctor. And even if he was, he can’t put sleeping medicine—or whatever it was—into my drink without my consent.” Anger rose in me. “Heviolatedme.”

Would I have gone to Paris willingly if he’d asked? Absolutely not. But that was my right and my decision to make. He couldn’t take my choices away from me. This emotional roller coaster was too much.

Tears streamed down my face.

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