Page 86 of Vicious Intentions

And I couldn’t blame her in the least.

I moved around the suite, even checking in the small kitchenette. There was no smoking gun. There was also no evidence that she carried a weapon, and she certainly didn’t have a little black book full of names. I laughed to myself for even thinking she could have anything to do with the plan of attack.

Unless she was being used.

Just like she’d been ten years before.

I headed into the bedroom, eyeing the nightstand. As I walked towards it, Hunter ended a call.

“She flew out to San Diego.”

I’d been right. “To see her parents. Goddamn it.”

“Should we follow her?”

“If we’re right, Hunter, we’re the reason she has no accurate memory. She deserves the truth about her identity, which she should only hear from her parents. However, learning what happened that night should only come from us.”

“If she’ll listen.”

We stared at each other for a few seconds. Then I opened the nightstand. There were several folded pieces of paper similar to the ones I’d found near her laptop. As I pulled them into my hand, we both heard Cain returning.

I read through page one. Then the second one. Then the third. My cock ached, my balls tightening. I could feel my blood pressure rising, the need for her as all-consuming as it had been ten years before. Maybe more. We were kids then.

“What is it?” Hunter asked.

After I handed him the pages I’d read, a cold chill drifted down my spine. “A dark story that sounds very familiar.”

“Ah, shit,” Hunter said as he lifted his head. “There is no doubt any longer. Rose Sadler is Sage Winters.”

“Yes.” I barely got the word out before Cain came in the room, pushing Halo’s manager.

“Her assistant, Jillian, is gone. Checked out of the hotel,” Cain snarled. “What the hell do you know about this, Brett?”

“Even if I knew, I wouldn’t tell you, and get your filthy hands off me.” Brett tried to jerk away, but Cain had a firm hold on the man’s shoulder.

I walked closer, glaring Brett in the eyes. “What do you know? It will go much easier on you if you tell us everything you even think you know.”

“You can’t threaten me.”

“Brett. I think you know who I am and realize that all the stories about me are true,” Cain said quietly, more so than I would have expected.

Brett wiped his mouth, then nodded. “What do you want from me? First, I get some weird call from Rose demanding I tell her exactly why this resort was chosen.”

“What did you tell her?” Hunter asked. He nodded to Cain, handing off the story. Then he moved behind and in front of the bedroom door.

Brett craned his neck and shrugged. “That I wasn’t the one pushing. Jillian was. She discovered the opportunity and thought it was perfect. I couldn’t argue. For the money we were being paid, it was a no brainer.”

I took a deep breath. The shit was starting to come together. Unfortunately, the three of us had been played like a fiddle. “What else did Rose tell you? Think carefully.”

Obviously exasperated, Brett started to sweat. “It wasn’t a long phone call. She acted very strange. She said she was being used. I thought she meant by the other band members. They don’t always get along.”

“Anything else?” Hunter growled.

“No. Okay? What is this about?”

Cain lifted his head from reading the story, his face expressionless. “Mr. Rollins. You’re going to need to cancel the next few shows.”

“Wait. We have a contract. I’ll see your ass in court if you try and pull us now,” Brett snarled. “The crowds love us. The press loves us.”

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