Page 55 of Finding Lexie
“You’re welcome,” she said softly. She deserved this. Deserved to be happy. And she most definitely was.
Midas kissed her temple, then sat back. She squeezed the arm he had around her waist and turned her attention back to the rainbows, which were now dissipating. She prayed that their connection would be more substantial than the fleeting beauty of the sun meeting the rain.
* * *
Magnus ignored the phone that was ringing on the desk in front of him. He knew he should answer it. It was probably his assistant, who would beg him to look at some spreadsheet or email. But how could he concentrate on work when all he felt was a huge gaping hole in his chest?
He physically felt the severed connection from Dagmar. Doctors would scoff at him. His friends wouldn’t understand. But Magnus knew what he felt. Part of himself was gone forever, had died in that hospital along with his brother.
He’d felt Dagmar die. Had felt his terror, his pain, his anger.
And it was the anger that was beginning to fester within Magnus now. He knew why his brother had been angry in those last moments. He was outraged that he was about to die when he should’ve been safely back home in Denmark.
It wasn’t a secret that Magnus had personally collected the money the kidnappers wanted. Dagmar would have known, would’ve expected it of him. But when they’d unexpectedly doubled it, demanding five million for each hostage, that had been Dagmar’s death sentence.
It should’ve been that bitch! The woman no one was willing to pay for.
She should’ve been the one to die, not his smart, talented, outgoing brother.
And as Magnus read the email in front of him, he was even more sure of that fact.
Magnus,
Your brother wasn’t happy when we learned that we wouldn’t be set free. We’d heard our kidnappers talking about the ransom. They said that since the five million had been raised so quickly, it wouldn’t be a big deal for five million more to be raised. Dagmar tried to tell them it would be a good-will gesture for them to release one of us, but they just laughed.
He knew you’d done all you could for him. He loved you so much. Talked about how the two of you could always feel each other. More than once, he said he was worried about you, that you weren’t doing well. But he also knew you were doing all you could to free him. Even when he had a stroke, he said you’d know and would do what you could to help him.
You were lucky to have him as a brother.
~Lexie
Yeah, he was lucky all right. And if it wasn’t for her, he’d still have his brother.
Magnus never understood his brother’s charitable streak. He was much happier staying at home in Denmark and enjoying life’s little pleasures. He wasn’t married, preferring to pay for a woman’s company when he wanted it, then kicking her ass out in the morning. He liked his expensive cigars, quality cognac, and silk sheets. Beggars annoyed him. As did those who tried to convince him they didn’t deserve their shitty situations. If they were smarter, had fewer fucking babies, and worked a little harder, they wouldn’t be homeless and needing a handout from him.
But Dagmar had been easier to sucker. He’d gone to a charity dinner one night, held by Food For All, and they’d convinced him to invest a shit ton of money in their organization.
Since Dagmar had never married either, Magnus was his only heir. And even though his net worth had doubled with his brother’s death, the only thing Magnus cared about was learning as much as he could about the organization that had contributed to his brother’s death.
He wanted to know how it operated, who was in charge, who decided where their employees worked and lived, and how much everyone was paid.
Magnus clicked on a folder on his computer labeled Elizabeth Lexie Greene. He needed to know everything about his enemy…and a good starting place was her employment file with Food For All.
He’d already contacted the organization and let them know he wanted to take over where his brother had left off. That he wanted to be an auditor like Dagmar had been. He knew they’d say yes; they wanted the money he’d dangled in front of them like a carrot too much to deny him.
He smiled for what seemed like the first time in a month.
Yes, Ms. Greene would pay for Dagmar’s death if it was the last thing she did. But first, he wanted to make her suffer. Wanted her to be stressed out. Worried. Scared. Just like his brother was before taking his last breath. She’d experience everything Dagmar had felt before she died. That would be his final gift to his brother.
Chapter Ten
Lexie was excited about today. Yes, she wanted to experience the famous Waikiki Beach, but she was also looking forward to spending more time with Midas. The longer she spent talking to him and hanging out, the harder she fell.
She knew she was already a goner, and it had only been a few days. But everything she learned about the man made her respect and like him all the more. Sure, he was a Navy SEAL, and that alone would garner her admiration, but he was so much more than that. He was generous, and polite, and obviously a great friend to his teammates. Elodie had told her that he was super protective of her—as was the rest of the team—simply because she was Mustang’s wife. He wasn’t afraid to make fun of himself, and he was obviously a hard worker.
He ran every morning, then worked on the Naval base, but still found time to chat and message her throughout the day. He seemed genuinely interested in her work and how her day was going. They always found something to talk about, and she never felt as if he was asking about her job just because he thought it was expected.
Yes, it was safe to say Pierce Cagle was a good man. And that scared the shit out of Lexie. She didn’t want to let him down. Wanted to be worthy of him, and that was one thing she’d had a hard time with all her life. Her dad certainly hadn’t made her feel as if she was worthy of his, or anyone’s, attention.
