SWNOVELS Chapter 80
(Dionne)
The sound of shattering glass echoes through the room as I breathe heavily. When Liam called to tell me about what he had done, I threw my wine glass against my bedroom wall. All I can see is red as Liam continues to explain what he did wrong in his mission to scare Annora. The fool hired hospital security to help him gain access to hit office. The only saving grace in all of this is that Liam, my sweet naughty fool, has no criminal record so his prints are not in the system.
If Paulson had not been a victim of his own urges and gotten himself arrested, I could have just had Liam contact him. Jake would gladly help if it meant getting close to Annora. That man has it had for Htle Ms. Perfect. Maybe that will come in handy for me. He has been lying low at home since he was granted bail until his trial.
“Did the idiots you hired see your face?”
The silence on his end of the phone line makes me take a deep breath to calm myself. My God, why do I surround myself with ineptitude? The o***ms are fantastic but not mind blowing. I think it is the fact that Liam is extremely malleable. He does anything I ask of him without question like a loyal and devoted puppy.
“They did but it was in a dark bar. I wore sunglasses and a hat with a wig. If the guards speak to the police and do a composite sketch, they won’t have an accurate description of the real me. I am not as st***d as you think am, Dionne, Far from it.”
I can’t help the laugh that leaves my mouth before I can stop it. All men are st**d, weak, and toys to be used to get what I want out of life. Liam is not different.
“I know about the others,” he says.
My body straightens up on the bed when I hear this. “Excuse me?”
your other men.”
I swallow hard then put that sultry tone he loves into my voice. “Liam, darling, there is only you. Well, and Ethan, but he is my husband. There are no other men.”
“Keep that lie alive for Ethan. “I know the truth.” With that, he ends the call.
What the actual **k? There is no way he knows about the others. Every one of my lovers lives in different parts of California or other states. None of them have come into my office since we blurred the lines of doctor/patient. We always meet in hotel rooms when they come to San Francisco for business.
How the **k does he know about them?
No, Liam is just bluffing.
Even if he isn’t what does he plan to do with that information? For the first time in a long time a trickle of fear shivers down my spine. I am control and I don’t like it one bit. After frantically dialling Liam’s number, I listen to the call ring and ring before it is transferred to voicemail.
my phone onto the bed as I scream in rage. All my plans are falling apart. This is all Quinn’s fault.
ing
Quinn and his doctor b**h live together happily. Living the life that he and I should have had if it weren’t for that d**n nurse at the abortion clinic calling my home phone instead of my cellphone. That was the ending to our relationship that I didn’t see coming.
It ended on his terms and not mine. That was the first time in my life that I was unable to manipulate someone into doing what I wanted them to do. I thought I knew him better than anyone else. However, when he learned I had aborted our child, he was angry rather than relieved.
That took me by surprise. He never struck me as the type that wanted children. Military career with no intention of getting put. The topic of children was always brushed off when I brought it up. It made me believe he never wanted them
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Turns out his first love already give him a child.
Anger fills my veins as I think about his child with Annora. Did he always know about their child? Is that why he came in California after leaving New York? He left me and came running back to them!
Well, the little life they have built since then will all come crashing down soon, I am done playing games with Quinn. It is time to make him pay for his defiance. The price will be his daughter.
I pick up my phone and make a phone call. This call is to someone that I know will help me and get the job done correctly this time. I will deal with Liam later.
(Quinn)
A week has passed since the incident at the hospital. The fingerprints that were recovered came from an unknown assailant. The composite sketch that Gary helped the police with led them to the bat but that was a dead end since it is a cash only establishment. Kimble is in the wind but even if they find him there isn’t much that they can do to him. This is because all he did was look the other way when he was paid to
Annora stayed home every day this week as she and Lori worked diligently to get all the legal aspects of the newly established practice ironed out. She has been bouncing between excitement and fear all week. As a business owne I understand that feeling.
When Aaron and I first started G&C Enterprises, we went through similar emotions. We still do each time start a new projech so, because of that understanding, I have been giving Annora all the support I can. In addition, I have been giving her all the space she needs to get this new venture up and running.
It will take time, but she is on the right path. With everything she has already accomplished, it may not take as long as it could. She already -the staff she could hope for on board and waiting for her to tell them it is time.
That made me smile.
Shawna spent all day yesterday helping her make phone calls. Between them and Grace, our home was in chaos last night. While hiding in my office, L read over the contracts for the construction contractors, whoever they may be
1 am still hopeful that Max will take me up on my offer. Which if my luck holds, I will know today. He is on his way to my office now to discuss the deal and read over the contracts. While I wait for him to arrive, I call Annora to check in on her.
“Hey there,” her sweet voice says when she answers the phone.
I can imagine the smile on her face. “Hello, my love. How is your day so far?”
“Great so far. We put a bid on the building today. Lori thinks that we have a high chance of getting it. I am so excited, Quinn. My own building for my private practice.”
In my head I am picturing her doing that cute little boogle dance she does when she is excited. There is a huge smile on my face when I hear a knock on my office door. I glance over to see who it is.
“have to go, Annie. Max is here. We can celebrate when your bid on the building is accepted.”
“Say hello to Max for me I love you, Quinn.”
“Hang you too, Annie.”
After hanging up the phone-gesture for Max to take a seat. He is shaking his head as he walks to a chair. Aaron comes into the office behind him and **s in one of the two chairs in front of my desk.
“The two of you are disgustingly cute. I say that with love for my sister. Did she find a building for her practice?”
ned my head and give him a brief run-down of what she found then slide a the folder across my desk. Aaron had his own copy of the contract in his hands, and I opened mine. Everything is exactly as we discussed when I offered Max the job
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“Read those over and tell me if there is anything you would like changed or added.”
Max opens the folder but looks up at me before he starts reading. “Are you really willing to fly my crew out here, put them all up in temporary housing, and pay for their needs while they are here?
I nod my head. “In the contracts we have laid out monthly expense amounts for each person who joins you that will cover the cost of their food and any other necessities they will need. Their housing is covered by us. We will draw up individual contracts for each person who takes the offer. It is all legal and binding just like we talked about.”
“Do you do this for all your contractors?”
“We do this for every crew that comes from another city or state. If they are local like our last crew, then they have a base pay.” Aaron tells him.
Max looks down at the file in his hand then begins to read the contract. I share a look with Aaron. We both know that we could easily hire the same crew that is currently working on our other project once it is done. However, we both agreed that this would be an excellent opportunity for Max. He is relocating to California, and it will be significant for his business.
I want to help him get back on his feet after the devastating blow he is dealing with. He uprooted his life after he found his wife cheating on him. With his business on hold in New York, this is a great chance for him to start fresh here in California.
Twenty minutes later Max looked back at me.
“I think all of this looks okay. Do you mind if I take this copy with me to New York when I go back in a few days? It would be helpful to have a solid contract for my crew to read.”
“Yes, that is your copy.”
Max closes the file and stares at me. “Are you doing this for my sister or is it because you genuinely want to help me?”
“I need a competent, reputable contractor with a solid crew. You are moving to California to restart your life, even if the reasons are not ideal. What better way to get your business off the ground here than to take on the building of this community center?”
I am on board with this, and I will let you know in a few days how many of my men are willing to fly out here to join me.”
1 stand up from my seat and hold out my hand for him to shake. He stands up and shakes my hand in a firm grip and smiles at me. For the first time since his life exploded, a smile reaches his eyes. I can tell this is what he needs and will give him purpose.
“Thank you both for this opportunity and I hope we will have a successful partnership on this project.”
He shakes Aaron’s hand before he leaves my office. Aaron walks out with him then returns a few minutes later. He looks amused as he sits down on
the sofa.
“What?” I ask him.
“I think I will enjoy getting to know Max. It always struck me as funny that I had never met them until that summer. They came every grandparents moved into that house, but I had never actually talked to them before.”
after their
That reminds me that there were a few years that I lived out of town with my grandmother. Years that Aaron and I were not as close as we are now. I find that funny sometimes too since we have been like brothers for so long.
“Life is silly sometimes. Max is a good guy. I look forward to getting to know him better too. After all, I am going to be marrying his sister.”
* have noticed that the best things in life can be attributed to timing. It was time for you two back then, but it is now.”
“Does that hold true for you, and Rylan? Is the timing just off?”
Defore he can answer my question my personal cellphone rings. It is a number that I don’t recognize and my annoyance flares instantly,
- I have
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changed my phone number since the court case. Only those who need it have
“Who is it?” Aaron asks.
“Unknown number.”
After the third ring I answer. “Hello, Dionne, How the f**k do you keep getting my phone number?”
There is a soft male chuckle from the other side. “Not Dianne.”
“Who is this and how did you get my number?”
“Who and why don’t matter. I do however have a question for you.”
Out of the corner of my eye I see Aaron sitting up. I pull the phone away from my ear to put it on speakerphone then hit the record key. I have had enough of playing games.
“What do you want?
“Have you talked to your daughter today, Greyson? She looked happy while she was playing outside this afternoon.”
Fear s**s through my entire body fast. Grace is at school. I signal Aaron with one hand, and he leaves the room silently.
“What do you want?”
“You will find out soon enough. By the way send my regards to her bodyguard’s family. He was more difficult to deal with than I expected, and it got Little messy.”
With that the line goes dead.
“Aaron!”
He comes racing back into the room with his phone in his hand. “I tried to call Lucas but there was no answer. What time does Grace get out of school?”
I look at my watch to see what time it is. “She gets out of school at three thirty. It is three now.”
“Let’s leave right now. We can call the police and Annora when we get there if she is missing.”
After grabbing my keys, I follow him out of the office. There is no way that we will make it by three thirty. Her school is at least forty minutes away. So, I call the school as we ride down the elevator.
The principal assured me that he would call Grace’s final period and have her escorted to his office. I asked him to go there personally and escort her and he agreed. I didn’t tell him about the possibility of there being a dead man in a car near the school.
That didn’t seem like something he needed to know. Aaron also has a point. As much as I want to call Annie right now, this could be another scare tactic just like the call she got a few months ago. I will call her if we get to the school if it turns out that Lucas is dead, and Grace is not there.
Please let this be a scare tactic.
Please let my daughter be safe.