“You haven’t even begun to see crazy.” Ryan puffed up his chest in front of Chloe. Even if I wanted to take him down a peg, kicking Ryan’s ass wouldn’t win me points with Chloe and maybe I’d lose some with Molly if her friend saw me as some sort of bully.
“We’re not finished, Ryan,” I said, warning that he wouldn’t always have a woman to protect him. “And if you hurt Chloe, I’ll make sure you pay.”
Ryan laughed as I played the better man and walked away.
Fuck, I thought as I got into my car. That couldn’t have gone any worse. I had no idea what Molly would say or do if she talked to Chloe.
By the time I got home, I was prepared for a shitstorm. Instead, Molly was in the kitchen.
“What’s this?” I asked.
She turned around with the biggest grin. “I just thought, why not start our truce with a homecooked meal? I hope you like it. Sit.” She ushered me to a chair.
The woman couldn’t be any sexier to me when she put a plate worthy of restaurant dining in front of me. I wanted to tell her about Chloe as it appeared she hadn’t talked to her yet but decided not to ruin dinner with bad news.
The meal was great. Roasted chicken and potatoes hit the spot. The green things on the plate weren’t bad either.
When I finished, she waited expectantly. “That was wonderful,” I said. “I could get used to it.”
Her grin was huge. “Play your cards right…”
“Hopefully, you’ll feel that way after I tell you about my day,” I said. Though her smile dimmed, she waited patiently. “I went to see Chloe. It didn’t go too well.”
“Oh, man. What happened?”
“I tried to apologize, and I bungled it. Before I could fix things, Ryan showed up.” I waited for her expression to change, but apparently, she didn’t know who Ryan was.
“Ryan?”
“Yeah, I think she’s dating a guy named Ryan. You don’t know him?”
“It’s news to me. I think you’re mistaken.”
Was I wrong? Maybe he hadn’t been there to win the inheritance. I could be totally wrong. Before I explained who Ryan was, Molly came over with a seductive smile on her face.
“Time for dessert,” she said, and we ended up in my bedroom.
The next morning, I got an early call from Ben, my finance guy.
“There is some chatter about someone trying to buy into your business,” he said.
I had a bad feeling Ryan was trying to steal my company from underneath me. But that wasn’t even the worst thing to happen. Arthur called me to come into his office. Already in a bad mood when I arrived, I wasn’t all smiles.
“Don’t look so pissed off,” Arthur said. “I have some good news. But we should wait for Molly.”
“Wait, Molly? You know her?”
“After I looked into her father’s arrest, her name came up. Turns out she works here,” Arthur said. Dread filled me. “Also, James McNeill is here to explain the details.”
Arthur introduced me to the criminal attorney who was in the conference room with us. When Molly walked in and saw all of us, I knew she was going to eat my balls for lunch. She was pissed.
Eleven
Molly
The word ‘anger’ didn’t touch what coursed through me. My insides were an inferno, ready to erupt in flames. How could he? How could he go behind my back and involve the company I worked for? No one here knew of my past or the sordid details behind my father’s unfortunate incarceration. Yes, I believed he was innocent, but everything was stacked against him. I loved my father dearly, but he’d done some stupid things to help my mom and was now paying the price. My plans involved an attorney from my hometown to clear his name, not one from the company I worked for—thank you, Hugh.
“Molly, please take a seat,” my boss said. Ironically, he was one of the partners in the firm who I’d never even met. “You obviously know Hugh, but I’d like to introduce you to James McNeill, one of the city’s brightest and best criminal defense attorneys. He’s looking into your father’s case.”
“Hello, Molly.” Mr. McNeill stuck out his hand and I shook it.
Then my feet froze to the floor as I glanced around the room and noticed Hugh was there. Mr. McNeill looked at me expectantly, but someone had poured concrete on my shoes and no matter how hard I tried to move, it was impossible.
Hugh stood and came around to my side. “Are you okay?”
I blinked rapidly in succession, and then an urge to punch his teeth out came over me. When his hand gripped my elbow, the concrete on my shoes disappeared.
“I’m fine.” I smiled through gritted teeth and finally sat.
Mr. Lattimore smiled. “Great, then shall we begin? I’ll let James explain since he’s the expert.”