Page 12 of Virtue & Vengeance

Was it a good idea?

Fuck no!

But the fact was, I wanted her where I could get to her at all times.

Fuck the addict in me.

I was done fighting him when it came to Eden.

“No. I’m leaving,” she said, leaning forward as if she were about to walk away from me.

Leaving?

Over my dead body.

I frowned, and it was my turn to glare down at her. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m leaving Vegas.”

“Because I fired you?” I snapped, anger surging through my body.

She scoffed. “Don’t flatter yourself. My leaving has nothing to do with you, Zander.”

“What about Kennedy? Are you just going to leave her? How do you think that’s going to make her feel?”

A hint of sorrow flashed in her eyes before she said, “You don’t get to question me or worry about what I’m doing. I’m no longer your employee. Not that I meant anything when I was.”

It wasn’t happening.

I would make sure she didn’t make it as far as the interstate if she tried to leave.

“You’re not leaving.”

I said it, and I meant it.

She wasn’t going any fucking where.

Her hands went to her hips, and she was practically hissing at me. “You’re out of your mind if you think you have any right to tell me what to do.”

“Unless you have a damn good reason, you’re not leaving until Kennedy returns. Maybe she can talk some sense into that beautiful, but dumb head of yours.”

Her face paled before turning red. “Asshole,” she hissed. “You’re an asshole, Zander.”

“I am, but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re not leaving.”

“You’re not going to stop me. You can’t.”

And then a thought occurred to me.

Was she running from someone?

Did she have a reason to run?

“Does this sudden departure have anything to do with the man that was here looking for you yesterday?”

She jerked as if I’d hit her and her eyes went wide with fear. “What? What man?”

She knew who I was talking about. I could see it in her expression and as panic flittered through her gaze. Her body was stiff; her shoulders squared as if she were ready to flee.

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