Page 68 of Papers Don't Lie

The memories of last night are still faded in the back of my head, but one thing is certain—I drank until I lay flat in bed and slept like a baby after weeks without sleeping, which is also the reason my head throbs so hard that I have to ask Dalton to repeat himself.

The man in my office sighs, readjusting his expensive suit and his sleek hair. “Do you need me to deliver everything to your email? I don’t have time for this, Graves.”

My blood fires in my veins, and I try to hold my breath, not wanting to release the storm inside me. “Dalton,” I start and get to my feet. “Last time I checked,I’mpayingyou. But rest assured, you’ll get every cent on any second lost in my office.” I size him down with my eyes, supporting myself on the edge of the desk next to him.

He’s not the only one who doesn’t have time for this. I should be in a meeting with the wedding planner, making sure everything is ready for tomorrow like I told Esmeray I was going to do. Instead, I couldn’t help myself and called Dalton to come over when he announced that he had news.

I know this could’ve waited until after the wedding, but if I didn’t know things that could’ve been known, I would’ve spentthe entire day thinking about what Dalton would’ve told me if he had the chance.

“Repeat,” I instruct carefully. We might be friends, but I’m also his boss.

“Cielle is having the time of her life in Costa Rica, and Raven is constantly volunteering at the Youth Center and visiting a doctor while her husband is out of the country for the week.”

Great news so far, but I have a feeling it won’t remain that way. Dalton lifts his hand and twists his wrist to take a look at his watch, where a tattoo hides, continuing the path to the back of his ear. He sighs, and I lock my fingers into a fist.

He’s good at his job but also infuriating as fuck.

“If you don’t have time to lose, then don’t drag it. Carter. Tell me what’s new about him.”

Dalton pushes his hands into the chair and stands up, taking his briefcase from the ground. He reaches my height before he speaks. “My advice for you, Graves? Stay the fuck away from Carter. The only way you can escape him is by killing the entire mafia or putting them behind bars—and I’m not sure even that would do the job.”

Fuck.

What kind of parents are Davina and Theo Hamilton to marry their daughter to the head of the mafia? Security because he has that kind of influence? I don’t think so. By marrying someone like Carter, you’re instantly a target.

“What did he do?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest.

“He blew up an entire hospital just because Fabio Rosselli was in there with his wife to give birth,” he says, the same indifference I got used to carving on his face, then walks out of my office through the back door.

Fabio Rosselli was the only one who had the maternal rights to take Carter’s place. Over the years, he had numerous attemptsto kill him and clearly, he didn’t hesitate when he saw an opportunity when he was vulnerable.

Dalton told me that Fabio had no interest in joining his world but was forced to so he could be prepared for Carter’s attack. He lived his entire life watching his back.

I take my phone out and google the information Dalton just gave me. The hospital was in Italy, and there were only sixty-two survivors. Carter paid for all of the funerals and said in an interview that his old friend was there, and he was heartbroken to find out about what people had to go through that night.

Motherfucker.

He caused this and still acted like an innocent who only wanted to help. This guy is beyond psycho.

There’s a knock on my door, and I hide my phone and the documents on my desk before I talk. “Come in.”

Kendrick steps inside the room, closing the door after him. “Mr. Graves.”

A sigh falls past my lips.“What else now?”

He nods like he was expecting me to read him. “Mrs. Graves asked me something strange today.”

“And what’s that?” I ask, dropping on my chair.

“She asked if I know anything about yourcondition,” he says, as if the word is an anomaly to his ears.

My body turns to stone, but I try as much as possible to keep my body language minimal and not give myself away with my breathing. “And what did you say?”

“That as far as I know, you don’t have any condition.”

“Good. Now please leave me alone,” I tell him.

“Mrs. Graves asked you to go to your room,” he informs me before he turns around and leaves.

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