He shook his head. “I’m starting to have my doubts.”
“Why?”
“She won’t let me come for the scans. She won’t allow me to see the paperwork from the doctor. Basically, whenever I ask her, she changes the subject.”
“She’s using you?”
“There’s a high chance.”
“Leave it with me.”
Hawk frowned, bemused. “Britta Valentino, what do you have up your sleeve?”
I smiled back as I considered my ingenious plan.
“What about the other problem with this.... um... Rita?”
Hawk dragged a hand over his exhausted face. “I have no idea where this one has sprung from. I should have given more thought to all those appearances she made. People are turning on me, Britta. People I once considered friends. Those who saw us at the party are saying it had to be true because they saw us kissing. It’s almost like she...” he paused, “... staged everything, and made sure there were witnesses.”
A thought struck me. “What if she did?”
“For what benefit?”
“I don’t know what her motive would be. Maybe she has something to do with Roman or someone who wants something from you, or is holding a grudge?”
Hawks stood up and started to pace. “Plenty of those people.” I could understand his annoyance over it. Hawk Carnage was a wealthy man, and his fortune continued to grow every day.
“Anyone recently?”
He stopped pacing and faced me head on, his expression a mixture of revelation and fury.
“David Renshaw.”
We left Ricky’s under the promise we’d both return and face my brothers’ questioning over our relationship. Ricky still seemed bamboozled by it, Harry was irritated and Slate, my know-it-all brother, sat back with a smirk on his face and watched the drama unfold.
Once we arrived back at Hawk’s penthouse, we sat in his office eating the Chinese takeout we’d grabbed on the way here and drinking whiskey. It was Hawk who had introduced me to it, and the flavor had grown on me.
“Why are you helping me, Britta?” Hawk asked, watching me intently. “I hurt you so much, so why help me?”
“Someone handsome and intelligent once told me that we had each other’s back. Always. So here I am, watching his back.”
He wrapped his hand around my neck and pulled to his lips. “You’re fucking too good for me.”
“If we keep believing in each other, we can beat the people who are trying to destroy you. One by one, we’ll take them down.”
With only the light of the computer and desk lamp illuminating the otherwise dark room, we theorized a few possible scenarios until we narrowed it down to one.
Rita Waltsworth was connected to David Renshaw.
It made sense.
A few weeks ago, Hawk had been receiving a constant stream of emails and phone calls from the Renshaw’s propositioning him.
They wanted to buy Carnage Lingerie.
That was no secret.
Hawk, however, wasn’t interested in listening to any negotiations or takeovers. In response to the constant pestering, Hawk threatened to pull his line from the Renshaw department stores. This incensed David Renshaw who began retaliating with threats of his own unless Hawk attended a meeting in San Antonio.
Then Celeste happened.
Hawk got distracted and he sent me to be a buffer.
“I’m sorry that happened, Britta. There were a few reasons why I did what I did. To give you time away from me so you could see what kind of scumbag asshole I was for hurting you, and to show Renshaw I don’t give two fucks about his business proposition. Was he mad?”
“Livid.”
“Good.”
But Renshaw had obviously sent his hounds out to do his dirty work quite earlier on, in case negotiations fell flat on their face.
The biggest, most vicious hound of all? Rita Waltsworth.
What better way to ruin a lingerie magnate’s reputation than by filing sexual assault claims against him. Customers would retreat. They’d shy away from wearing intimate apparel seemingly marred by rape. It was perfect slander. And the worst.
“How do we prove she has anything to do with it?” I asked, feeling this was in a league of its own.
“Leave it with me,” Hawk said with a wink.
“Hawk Carnage... what tricks do you have up your sleeve?”
He leaned forward, gently kissing my lips. The fire within me reignited. Hawk lingered, dragging me back into his world. I was more than happy to go.
When he pulled away, he said, “Carnage, baby. I’m about to cause some carnage.”Chapter 23Britta“Is she here?” I asked Sara as I walked into Hawk Industries. I waited anxiously until she ended her call and she looked at me all smiles.
“She’s already down in the studio.”
“And the others?”
“All are there.” Her smile turned wicked. “Should I call for backup?”
I laughed, however, it wasn’t such a bad idea. Then I remembered she was pregnant.
“No, this shouldn’t take long.” I stepped back into the lift when I heard my name.
“Britta, I’m cheering for you. Good luck.”
The elevator doors closed, and I prayed the outcome of this experiment turned out in Hawk’s favor. I wouldn’t deny, some selfishness came into play.