Disappointed, she hung up the phone. “Was that long enough?” she asked.“No.” Alaric made a face. “I just needed a few more seconds. However, I’m going to let Paul know he called you again. See if he can do more digging from his end.”She nodded. “Can’t he get in touch with my carrier and find out the caller’s number?”“They could. But most likely he either used a burner phone—one that’s untraceable—or blocked his number. What showed up on your caller ID?”“Unknown Caller.” She tried not to be too glum. “Which means he blocked his number, right?”“Probably.” Alaric didn’t appear too concerned. “Don’t worry, we’ll figure it out. He’s actually not the one I’m concerned with.”“What do you mean?”“He even admitted he’s not the one trying to hurt you, though he claims to know who is. I’m more worried about the guy who took out your window and tried messed up your things.”Put that way… “I agree.” She sounded worried now and all Alaric wanted to do was cheer her up. “You don’t have to wor

Vanessa looked down. When she raised her head, her expression was stubborn. “I’m not letting anyone keep chasing me out of my own home,” she said. “I'm tired of it. I’ve done nothing wrong or illegal, and if my husband stole money, I didn’t know anything about it.”Paul sighed. “I know. But even if you are totally innocent in all this, do you really think that makes a difference to the bad guys?”Vanessa's proud expression fell. For a moment, she appeared shattered, devastated by the horrible possibility Paul outlined. Alaric had to suppress a surge of anger at Paul. While he understood—and even respected—the man’s reasoning, he hated seeing Vanessa hurt. Even for her own good.“Nothing will happen to me,” she declared, her voice steady and strong. “Alaric will make sure of that.”Alaric felt like he’d been punched in the gut. Paul's gaze swung to him before landing back on Vanessa. “What if they kill Alaric?” Paul asked, the coldness in his voice giving the words extra impact. “Do yo

Left panting and scattered, she watched him stalk toward her door. Was he leaving? Nope. He shut the door and locked it, then faced her. The hunger in the tight line of his full, expressive lips and the heavily hooded look to his eyes stole her breath.She stood, her legs weak. “Alaric, what are you doing?”“No talking,” he growled, prowling around the corner of her desk.Her eyes widened as he pulled her chair back. “Excuse me? No talking? Who in the fuck—?” she began. His mouth was on hers once more, but this kiss… Good God, she’d never been kissed like this before. Thoughts of random roses vanished in an instant. It was like he was staking a claim, marking her as his with his mouth and tongue. She had no idea how that was possible, but she felt claimed. Knew that she was. There was no fighting it, not when his tongue rolled over hers as he pulled her against him. She could feel his erection burning hot against her belly, pushing through layers of clothing.Alaric broke off the int

“Drug cartels? Money laundering?” Chloe shook her head, her voice full of simmering anger. “How could you possibly believe Christopher was capable of such awful, illegal things? He was an upstanding business leader with political aspirations. He would never have done anything that might jeopardize his chance of becoming governor! He believed in what he was doing and wanted to make a difference.”Vanessa couldn’t tell if the other woman truly believed her words or had become a damn fine actress. “Whether you like it or not, it would appear Christopher was involved in all this,” Vanessa began. Their catfish arrived just then, and she had to wait until the waitress left before continuing. “I have someone making threats and demanding this missing money. Christopher cleaned out our joint bank account before he was killed. Someone shot out my back window and ruined my car and apartment. So don’t sit there and try to make me believe you’re completely in the dark. You were Christopher's assis

“Apparently. Which explains a lot.” She didn’t elaborate, but he got the idea. “His parents are super religious, so I’m guessing that’s why he felt he had to keep it a secret.”“I get that,” he mused. “Plus, with his political aspirations…” They both fell silent. When Vanessa spoke again, a tinge of sadness colored her voice. “I had no idea he wasn’t living an authentic life. He always seemed so confident, so self-assured, as if he knew exactly what he wanted, where he was going, and how to get there. I wish he had told me the truth.”“Would knowing have made any difference in how you felt about him?” he asked, not sure he really wanted to know.“Yes, it would.” She took a deep breath. “I’m not sure if you realized this, but Christopher and I were never close. I would have understood his complete and utter rejection of me much better if I’d known he was in love with someone else.”His heart squeezed. He hated to think of Vanessa being rejected, especially by the man she’d married. “