Strangely, Will doesn’t offer to ride with me. He merely tells me goodbye after making plans to meet up again tomorrow to go over him helping with the sale of Big Daddy’s property.
His driver is waiting with the back door of the SUV open, and I give him a little wave before climbing in.
Chapter 14
Spade
“What took you so long?” I snap in greeting when I answer my phone.
Silence fills the line, and I know it’s Max’s way of showing his disapproval of my tone.
“It’s bad isn’t it?” I say instead of apologizing.
“It’s nothing. That’s what took so long.”
“There has to be something, Max. The man is a fucking creep.”
“William Varon has lived in Telluride all his life. Started work as a handyman, but shortly after doing some work at a local real estate office began selling houses. He seems to have a knack for it. No brothers or sisters. Mother died when he was young. Father died four years ago in a car crash right outside of town. He’s squeaky fucking clean. The man doesn’t even have a speeding ticket. Pays his taxes on time. Donates to local charities.”
“There has to be something,” I argue.
“Maybe the fact that your woman knew him in her past?”
It’s my turn to be silent.
“Meaning maybe you’re jealous?”
“I know what you were implying,” I snap, my feet carrying me across the gravel parking lot at the bed-and-breakfast for the millionth time today.
“You wouldn’t be the first man to get upset that his woman—”
“She’s not my fucking woman.”
“That may be part of the problem then. Feeling a little regret for not locking that down?”
I know this is his way of payback because I was rude when I answered the phone, but the man would have a bloody nose if he was saying this shit to my face. Of course, that would mean taking on Tug who is one of three people in their triad throuple relationship. I haven’t yet decided whether it would be worth it.
“This isn’t about that. He gave off seriously bad vibes.”
“And she’s been alone with him for almost two hours. I get it, man. It wouldn’t sit right with me either, but I haven’t found anything.”
“I appreciate your help,” I snap before hanging up the phone.
The longer it takes Sylvie to come back, the more agitated I get. I drove around the first hour, looking for his SUV, but never saw it parked outside any of the restaurants in town, meaning he took her home for lunch. It makes me irate to think of what the man had for dessert.
Making my way back inside the bed-and-breakfast, I give the woman at the counter a simple nod before climbing the stairs to the room. I’ll give her one more hour before calling Max back and getting the man’s home address.
It doesn’t take an hour, however. Ten minutes after I started pacing in the room, Sylvie opens the door to our room.
I glare at her when she doesn’t say a word as she shrugs out of her jacket.
I know she can tell I’m irritated, but she doesn’t offer any explanation, and it only serves to annoy me further.
I’m aware enough to know she doesn’t owe me an explanation. Max was wrong. Sylvie isn’t my woman. I don’t have a say in where she goes, what she does, nor who she does it with, but I can’t seem to get my head to accept any of that.
I don’t say a word as she reaches for the hem of her sweater after discarding her jacket, but I can’t pull my eyes from her either.
The removal of item after item reveals soft skin, and I refuse to even blink as she strips in front of me.