by Dori Lavelle
“Wrong timing, I’m afraid, Mr. Brannon. Lordan Gales is coming in tomorrow. He’s looking to spend big for advertising in the next issue of Spear. We have to snatch him before someone else does.”
“Jason, I have pressing personal matters to attend to. Postpone the meeting.”
“Yes, sir. Should I call off the jet?”
“No,” Dustin said. “Make sure it’s waiting at the airport in ten minutes. I’m on my way there now. No pilot. I’m flying myself.”
There was a short pause on the other end. “Is everything okay?”
“It will be.” The car picked up speed.
“Where are you going? Just in case I need to reach you …”
“I’ll give you a call soon. Take care of everything else for me, Jason. See you in a few days. In case of an emergency, a real emergency, Jason, send me an email.”
“You got it, Sir. See you soon.” A click and then the car filled with silence.
I forced my eyes open an inch and turned my head to him. “You don’t have to put your business on hold for me.”
“I would do anything for you, Haley. It’s best you get used to it.”
I sighed and closed my eyes again. This time, sleep welcomed me into its depths.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Dustin held me firmly to his side as he led me down the tarmac to a white private jet with a TMT logo on its side. The logo was well-known, belonging to a magazine publishing empire with big name magazines under its belt. Could he be the owner? Dustin had always said he was going to make it big one day. I had never doubted him. He’d had the brains and the determination and he also had a heart.
“Looks like you made it,” I said and then coughed. “Good for you.”
“I guess I have,” he said, helping me up the steps as wind blew my hair from face and swirled it around my head. “I’m in the magazine business, just like I swore to you I would be one day. But we can talk about it later.” We got to the last step. He didn’t let me go until he had walked me into a room with Italian furnishing and a comfy bed that invited me to fall into it. “I’m going to fly you somewhere safe. I want you to get some rest. Then you can tell me everything.”
“Thank you, Dustin.” I still couldn’t believe he was standing in front of me, far from Jude’s mansion. Before he left, I had to ask him one burning question. “Why did you meet with Jude? You told Jason that you were not interested in doing business with him.”
He turned me to face him. “It’s not Jude I went to meet. I was hoping to see you. When I saw you last, I got the feeling something was off. You looked frightened. And then, before I left, you blinked at me three times in succession.” His lips curled into a heart-stopping smile. “Remember our little secret language back in high school? Three blinks meant I need you.”
I lifted a hand to my lips and smiled completely for the first time in a while.” I didn’t even realize I did that.” I had actually been blinking away tears, not trying to communicate with Dustin.
He paused. “I did a little research on your husband and found out he’s a ruthless businessman who doesn’t care who gets crushed in the process of acquiring his fortune. I just didn’t like the sound of the guy. I wanted to make sure you were alright.”
“I was far from alright,” I said, my sadness returning. “But now I am.” For how long, I had no idea.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
The gentle sound of the wheels hitting the tarmac woke me. I didn’t even remember falling asleep. My last memory was of myself sitting on the edge of the bed, wondering how and when Jude would eventually find me.
Dustin came to me five minutes later. Knowing that he cared enough about me to bring his life to a screeching halt in order to be there for me, wrapped me in a thick, warm cocoon. His eyes were more intense with faint wrinkles fanning out at the corners, but the way he looked at me made me feel the same way I had when he had looked at me the very first time in the school cafeteria.
“How’re you feeling?” He sat down on the edge of the bed.
“Truth is, I don’t know. Lost?” I looked around the room for my purse and almost laughed when I realized that I didn’t have it. I’d left Jude with only the clothes on my back. He took my left hand and traced the burn scar gently with his thumb.
“Tell me what happened.”
I swallowed the lump inside my throat. “It’s complicated. But I promise, I will tell you everything later.” I bit my lip. “The only thing I can tell you now is, I married a stranger and paid dearly for it.”
“Why didn’t you say something when we met? I would have taken you away from that bastard a long time ago.” He raked a hand through his hair.
“I didn’t have the chance to tell you. He watches my every move … or his people do.”
Dustin kissed the scar on my hand. “You never have to suffer alone again.”
“Dustin,” I said, “if you’re going to help me, there’s something else you should know.”
“Okay.” He turned his body toward me so our knees touched. I ignored the electricity that sparked between us. I was still a married woman, even if I was married to the wrong man.
“Dustin, Jude is dangerous … a heartless murderer. I think … I think he killed the woman they found in the lake. Her name was Diana Maliano. I think there are others… He said—”
Dustin shot to his feet. “What? I know he’s a son of a bitch, but a murderer? Why would he kill that woman?”
“She had been one of the people he hired to watch me. But she became useless to him when I managed to escape the first time.”
“You ran from him before?” Shock deepened his voice as he paced the room.
“Yes, I went home … to Serendipity. He found me the next day.” I paused and bit my lip. “He made me pay for deceiving him.”
“He beat you?” He halted in front of me and swiped his hand over his brow. “Did you ever go to the police?”
“I couldn’t. He said I’d end up being the one behind bars. He has money, influence, power.” I dropped my head and relived the pain he had caused me.
“Why would you end up in jail? He’s the bloody criminal. He was just messing with your head. If he really killed that poor woman, we should call the police.” He pulled his cell phone from his pocket. “I’ll do that right now. You’ll be safer with him behind bars.”
“Don’t … please.” I reached for his hand and clutched it. “He was right. If the police get involved, I will end up in jail. I killed someone, too.”
The phone slipped from Dustin’s hands and fell to the floor between his perfectly shined shoes. “No, you … You what?”
I licked my dry lips. “I killed a man. Jude covered it up. The man,” I dropped my gaze so he wouldn’t see the shame mirrored in my eyes. “He was my client.” I paused. “Dustin, I used to be a prostitute.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Jude pulled on a black cap and stepped out of the car into the cool night.
He wanted to rage inside, but from business and personal experience, he had learned that emotions drove people to make stupid mistakes. He didn’t make mistakes.
Haley flashed in his mind and a small grin spread across his face. “Game over,” he said and climbed out of his Rolls Royce. The bitch had dug her grave. Now she would have to lie in it.
He would not go after her this time. She would come back to him willingly. He just had to send a few clear messages. The longer he stayed away, the clearer those messages would be.
He walked into Allure, just another man out for a good time. He pressed a wad of cash into the sweaty hands of the owner, and he nodded and disappeared through a door behind the bar. Jude had called him an hour ago to tell him exactly what he wanted. And he paid the man more than he could ever make in a single night.
Jude slipped into a seat at one of the small tables and was served vodka on the rocks. He had never been one to drink much, but in the past months, his tongue was starting to like the taste of alcohol. After a
single swig, twenty-something-year-old woman appeared before him. Waist-length hair, ample breasts, and green eyes. Just like Haley.
Haley could run, but he had found a way to still keep fucking her, even from a distance. Until he got her back.
He eyed the whore’s breasts, thinking of Haley. Desire yawned inside him, and his pants grew tighter.
He didn’t talk, just placed a bill next to the glass and took her hand. He led her to his car and drove away.
“Hi,” she said once he had started the engine. “I’m Rosemary.”
“Good,” Jude said and kept his eyes on the road. Making conversation was not in his plans. He was definitely not going to tell her his name.
“You don’t talk much, do you?”
“And you talk too much. That’s not what I paid for.”
That made the bitch shut up, and she turned to gaze out the window. He pressed a button and classical music filled the car.
Twenty minutes later, he led her into a secluded cottage by the river, into a room that was lit by a single shaded lamp.
He slid a finger into the front of her tight top and pulled her to him. Then he yanked at her hair until her face was upturned and her neck exposed. As she groaned with a mixture of pleasure and pain from being handled roughly, he ran his tongue from the hollow of her neck along her throat to her chin. Then he let go of the hair and turned her around. He pushed her onto the king-sized bed.
“Undress,” he said quietly but firmly. She did as she was told.
As he watched the pieces of clothing falling to the floor and her milky skin becoming more exposed, he unzipped his pants, pulled out his hard cock and ran a hand up and down the shaft.
When she was completely naked, he approached the bed, pushed her down with one hand, and used the other to push himself into her. Unlike Haley, she moaned instead of yelping. He didn’t like it. He stilled and then thrust deep into her. She gasped and he smiled. He did it again, this time pressing her harder into the mattress.
“You’re hurting me,” she said as he drove into her.
“I thought your kind likes it rough. I paid for you. I can do whatever I want.”
He heard her whimper softly, but it only made him hornier. He drove into her several more times, yanking at her hair, slapping her butt until it turned red, pinching her nipples until she cried out, and he groaned with pleasure and exploded inside her.
Done, he got off the bed and found his favorite pen knife inside his jeans.
She didn’t look up, just lay there whimpering like an inexperienced whore. If she couldn’t deal with the heat, she should have stayed out of this business.
He sat on the edge of the bed waiting for her to look at him. He wanted her to know exactly what he was doing. When she finally rolled onto her back, eyes red and nose running, he sneered and climbed up on top of her. He took a deep breath and encircled her neck with his hands.
Like all the rest, she thought she was strong enough to fight him, but like the others, she failed. Pressing his forehead to hers, he dug his fingers into her throat.
It took her a while to loosen her grip on life, but she eventually surrendered to him, and then to death.
Jude reached for his knife and carefully carved his infinity symbol into her skin. But this time he added something else just below it. A number.
END OF BOOK 1
Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed this book please consider writing a review, and recommend it to friends and family. If you want to follow Haley’s story, click here to pre-order a copy of Dangerous Intentions (His Agenda 2).
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BOOKS BY DORI LAVELLE
Entangled Moments (Moments in Time #1)
Rekindled Moments (Moments in Time #2)
Bittersweet Moments (Moments in Time #3)
Defining Moments (Moments in Time 4)
To Live Again (Learning to Live Again 1)
To Love Again (Learning to Live Again 2)
To Breathe Again (Learning to Live Again 3)
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