Page 68 of When He Lies
Probably not.
“Or with the steak knife as his back-up attack option,” she added.
Again, probably not.
Their gazes held. “So…is it going to happen now?” Simone finally asked him after too many moments crawled past.
His hands had clenched into fists at his sides. “Is what going to happen?” He’d never been as confused by a person in his life as he was by her. He just could not predict her actions. When she’d come out of that hallway, throwing the lamp…
“Are you about to get down on one knee and propose to me?” Simone fluttered her lashes. “Because I’m waiting.” she told him with more than a hint of relish.
Fuck.
Chapter Fifteen
“You’re not going to just…waltz into the man’s hotel. Seriously, promise me that you’re not.”
Frederick’s body swayed. How many glasses of scotch had he actually downed? Things were sort of hazy after glass number four.
“It’s a trap,” Hugo told him.
Frederick slapped his hands down on his desk. Yes, the move looked dramatic and intense, but it was mostly so he would stay upright and not fall on his face. “It’s…not.” He’d intended to go to bed earlier, but he’d waited, wanting to hear about Edward’s attack. He’d hoped to discover that Simone had been eliminated.
But the woman had survived. Survived and was now…engaged to Ryan Quinn?
Hugo marched toward him. He’d shoved his phone back into the pocket of his coat. “It is. One hundred percent, it is a trap. Look, I know you ran a background check on Ryan Quinn…”
Well, Frederick hadn’t done it personally. He had people who did that sort of thing. Someone in HR? “He’s rich. And he’s pissed.” Frederick glared at Hugo. “You shouldn’t have told that waiter to attack Simone.”
“You gave that order,” Hugo gritted.
“Things are blurry.” The words sounded slurred to his own ears. He should sit down. Maybe eat something?
No. Sleep. Sleep would be best. Not like he wanted to storm Ryan Quinn’s hotel room right then and there. “Tomorrow.” That was the plan. “Tomorrow morning, I will meet Ryan for breakfast. We’ll settle this…unpleasantness. Put it behind us.”
Hugo sucked in a breath. “I get that you’re drunk off your arse.”
He was not.
“By the way, boss, murder isn’t ‘unpleasantness’ to most people. It’s a crime. And the fact that Ryan Quinn has casually committed murder should alarm you.”
Frederick shook his head. The whole room seemed to swirl around him. “He didn’t do it. It was her.”
“I disagree. I think it was him.”
Hugo could disagree all he damn well wanted. But Frederick knew what was happening. “You just have a soft spot for her.” A nod. “I get it. I wanted to fuck her, too.”
Hugo’s round face didn’t look quite so friendly.
“Women are dangerous. Traitorous.” Oh, how he knew that to be true. “She’s pulling the strings. Somehow, she’s got Ryan thinking they are going to get married.” That bombshell had blindsided him. “I can fix this.”
“It’s a trap,” Hugo repeated. “He’s setting you up. You would be an absolute fool to just walk into his hotel.”
Even drunk, Frederick did not like the man’s tone. “Watch it,” he snapped. “You forget who pays your salary.” He raised his hands off the desk. Slowly. Then he pulled out his own phone. He thought about calling Konstantin, to give the man a head’s up, but…
No, that would just be more problematic. Better to resolve this issue himself. Frederick tossed the phone onto his desk. “I’m getting some sleep.” Maybe the room would stop spinning once he’d slept for a few hours. “And tomorrow, I’ll meet with Ryan.” Good. Done. Excellent. “I’ll fix things.”
“I doubt that,” Hugo muttered.
