Page 93 of Captivated By You

But talking with Mom and Dad, and having the space to think things through, I’d come to a decision.

Simon Barlow thought he’d won. That he’d broken me, destroyed my reputation, ruined my relationship. And at first, I’d thought he had, too. I’d crawled back to my childhood home to lick my wounds, curl up in my mom’s lap, and get my head straight.

As much as it had hurt to walk away from Ash, if I’d stayed, then he’d have wanted to fix everything for me. But this was something I had to do on my own, and when I was ready. Separating myself from him was the only way I could take back control of my life, to own the cleanup… and the retribution.

I had a hunch, one that was steeped in nothing more than my female instincts, but if I was right, then I might just save other women from going through what I’d gone through.

All I had to do was put my faith in someone who hadn’t earned it, someone I wouldn’t trust not to turn it to his advantage.

Oh, for Christ’s sake, Kiana, make the goddamn call.

I hit Dial and held the phone to my ear.

“Who’s this?”

Johannes’s curt tone almost made me hang up, but I pulled on my big-girl panties, sucked in a breath, and went for it.

“Johannes, it’s Kiana. I need your help.”

The pause lasted so long that I thought we’d been cut off, but then I heard him breathing. Slow and steady.

“Who?”

I ground my teeth, enamel on enamel. “Kiana. Ash’s girlfriend.” Given how I’d left things with Ash, I wasn’t sure I had an entitlement to that moniker, but once all this was over, I’d offer a groveling apology for the way I’d left things and hope he still loved me enough to understand why I’d handled things the way I’d chosen to.

“Ah. The unwitting porn star. My cousin Roman is in charge of the film studios, although porn movies are a little left field for him. I can put you in touch, though. If you want.”

A swell of fiery rage filled my chest, and I forced air into my lungs, holding on to it in the hope that the oxygen would help me manage my burgeoning anger. Johannes was trying to needle me, to get a rise out of me, a reaction that he could feast off. What was it Ash had said that time? That Johannes liked to play with his food. It was a good analogy for a man I barely knew but who’d left a lasting impression on me. An unfavorable impression, and yet he was the one I’d chosen to go to.

For one reason only.

I believed—possibly a naïve belief—that he would enjoy watching the kill. If I shared my suspicions with Ash, he’d charge in and take over. Johannes would stand on the sidelines and relish the carnage.

At least, that was the hope.

“I need you to find someone for me, and I don’t want Ash to know.”

Johannes tsked. “Keeping secrets from my brother. Dear oh dear, Kiana, that doesn’t bode well for a long and happy future.”

I flexed my jaw, glad we weren’t on video. The man was an ass, but he had the contacts to help me, and without him, I hadn’t a clue where to start.

“I have my reasons.”

“I’m sure you do. Care to share them with me? Y’know, seeing as you need my help and all.”

Swallowing the lump of pride that would love to reply with “Fuck you,” I told him what I suspected and how I’d decided to deal with a certain Simon Barlow if my hunch proved correct. Johannes listened in complete silence, and even when I stopped talking, he didn’t pick up the mantle.

For the second time, I checked to make sure we hadn’t been cut off. Nope. Just talking with the biggest douche canoe on the West Coast. Probably the biggest one in the whole of America.

“Well?” I prompted. “Am I doing the right thing?”

“You’re asking me that?”

“If I go through with this, it’ll touch you, too. And your parents, and Penn, and everyone else in your family. I already know Ash’s thoughts on this. He made it clear before I left that I had his support.”

“Then what does it matter what I think?”

“I guess I’m looking for someone who is… independent.”

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