Page 49 of Hard Evidence
This was the absolute worst case of meeting the right man at the wrong time.If only we’d crossed paths a decade ago, perhaps I’d be leading a whole different life now.
“If we were in a better place, I’d be tempted to say ‘yes.’”
He managed a soft smile, and I took a sip of hot chocolate because I didn’t know what else to say.Ridge had always done the talking for the both of us.Why were my eyes prickling?Fear of the unknown?Or was I mourning what might have been?
“Do you want me to rent a house for you and the dog?”Justin asked.“Somewhere you can hunker down until this is over?”
One of those darn tears escaped, and I wiped it with a sleeve.
“You don’t want me here anymore?”
“That’s not it.I…” Justin fished a bandana out of his pocket and offered it to me.“It’s clean.”
“Thank you.”He was so freaking sweet.
“I do want you here, but I have a bad feeling about this.About Amie’s disappearance, and about the way the cops spoke to me earlier.”
“But I know you weren’t involved.Out of everyone, I know that best of all.”
“Yeah, and if fate hadn’t sent you my way that evening, I’d be waiting for theclickof handcuffs.If we ever find Tiffany or whatever her name is, I owe her a beer.”
At the time, losing so much money had left me feeling sick.Now?Now, I wished I had her real address so I could mail a thank-you card.She’d accidentally sent me into the arms of a decent man, one who’d stepped up to support me even though we barely knew each other.Okay, not into his arms, exactly, but having the run of his beautiful kitchen was almost as good.
“I’ll make her a cake to go with it.”Shiro was lying on his new bed by the balcony doors, alert but relaxed, and I settled into one of the tub chairs arranged to give a view over the yard in daylight.Justin understood the invitation I was too nervous to put into words and took the other.“Although I can’t help wondering how many other people she’s scammed out of their savings with fake room listings.Thanks to you, my mistake wasn’t a total disaster, but other women might have ended up homeless.”
“Once we’ve found Amie, I’ll ask Alexa to take a look.If anyone can track down a person on the internet, it’s her.”
“She makes me nervous,” I confessed.
“She makes all of us nervous.Her moral code is…interesting.”
“So I should steer clear of her?”
“No need for that.Just be aware that she doesn’t respect boundaries, and she’s undoubtedly run a background check on you already.”
A chill ran through me.“You think she knows about Ridge?That I left him behind in Maine?”
“By morning, she’ll probably know his work history, his golf handicap, his inside leg measurement, his bank balance, any indiscretions he committed in college, and the contents of his colon.But she’ll hold that information close unless she sees a way to use it in the future.”
His freaking colon?I put down the hot chocolate and poured a glass of wine instead.
“Like she might blackmail me?”
Justin shook his head.“More like she’ll fuck with him if she sees the opportunity.Think of it as a hobby.”
“No, no, no.If she messes with him, he’ll lose his everlovin’ mind and serve her with a lawsuit.”
“Good luck to him.The last guy who tried that ended up losing his house.But in all seriousness, she’s careful and she won’t get caught, but if you want me to warn her off, I will.”
The idea of Ridge losing the house… Hmm.Married or not, I knew damn well I’d never get a dime from it.Even if I eventually had the guts to divorce him, he’d hide our assets and plead poverty and make sure I walked away with nothing.I just freaking knew he would.But I wasn’t ready to face him, not yet.The wounds were still too fresh—quite literally; my bruise still showed in bright light—and I needed to find a permanent place to live.Make sure I had an income.A safety net.
My next fight with Ridge would draw blood.
“Maybe you could ask her to hold off for a while?”
Was I imagining it, or did Justin look slightly disappointed?
“I’ll do that.”
