Page 107 of Wicked Dares
“No.” He points at me accusingly. “No, no. You don’t get to casually say that. What do you mean, she’sstayingwith you?”
I sigh. “Exactly what it sounds like.”
His eyes narrow slightly. “As in… living with you?”
“She needed somewhere safe to stay.”
“That’s not what I asked.” He folds his arms. “Are her clothes there?”
“Yes.”
“And she’s sleeping in a bed there?”
I hesitate a second too long.
Locke lets out a disbelieving laugh. “Holy shit.”
“It’s temporary.”
“She’s living with you.”
“She’sstayingwith me.”
“She has clothes there and sleeps there.” He points toward me again. “That means she lives there.”
“Whatever.” I shake my head and begin walking toward the jet. He falls in step beside me. “What’s going on with you?” I cast a sidelong glance at him.
The humor drains from his face immediately. “Do you remember that dickwad idiot from college? Anthony?”
I groan instantly. “Yeah. Who could forget him?”
Anthony Mercer.
Human garbage wrapped in a designer suit.
“Well,” Locke says dryly, “he stole my client.”
I stop walking. “What?”
“Pierre Montfaden pulled out this morning.”
“What do you mean, pulled out?” The deal with Pierre was as big for him as Lockwood is for me.
“I mean,” he says tightly, “the fucker emailed me at six in the fucking morning saying he’s decided to move in another direction.” His expression hardens further. “And apparently, that direction is Anthony Mercer.”
“What the hell?” I stare at him. “Something must have happened. Anthony can’t do anything for him.”
The Mercers don’t even come close to touching Vale Global.
“I don’t know.” Locke runs a hand through his hair roughly. “Everything was fine yesterday. Contracts were nearly finalized. Then suddenly, they’re signing with him.”
“That’s suspicious as hell.”
“Exactly.”
We reach the bottom of the stairs to the jet.
Locke looks genuinely furious now. “I don’t know what game he’s playing,” he says coldly, “but I’m getting to the bottom of it. Anthony used to steal my work all the time in college. Ideas. Contacts. Opportunities.” His mouth twists. “Not anymore.”
