But what about Livy...? Who's watching her? If you are enjoying the story, consider leaving a gem or two in appreciation. Thank you for your support.
[Hunter–just moments before the party]Looking up at my best friends I ask the next most obvious question. “Where is she now?” Now that we know the truth, we can't leave her unattended. We need to know where she is at all times. "We put a tracker on her vehicle when we started to suspect her," Katelyn explains, taking back the tablet for a moment to bring up a map and show it to us. "We didn't want to follow her too closely, not yet, not without proof," she adds, "According to our records, she's been at her modeling agency for about 3 hours."That doesn't seem unusual for her, considering she's a high-end model. Even so, I ask, "Does she have any gigs lined up that would require heavy makeup?" "I looked into that too," Kate smirks, proud of her own foresight. "She has nothing on the roster for tonight, although I did find something interesting," Katelyn pulls up another screen, this time of a work roster. "Do you recognize this name?" "Miss Bluebird," I shake my head. "Should I re
[Hunter–Earlier that evening, before the gala]I need try to play this off, to keep pretending, but Livy has already seen through it, and she’s calling me on it. She’s just as fierce as Vanessa and I can’t help but smile thinking about how similar they are becoming to one another. “Miss Grant,” I address her formally, “I know that you miss your uncle, and that you don’t like your auntie to be sad, but I can’t be the person you think I am.” Her eyes are quivering with tears and I feel like an even bigger jerk as she asks, “Why?”“Because bad guys would hurt you if your uncle were alive. They would try to hurt your Mama Addison too. I’m here to protect her because he can’t be here. Do you understand?” She nods, wiping her tear. “Okay. I understand. We need to keep playing pretend. I’ll keep your secret.”Livy then does something she hasn’t done for a very long time, not since Vanessa came into our lives and my sweet niece started speaking again. She drops her head, staring at her fee
[Hunter–Earlier that evening, before the gala]The world is spinning as I press myself against the wall and try to regain my breath. I messed up today, and I let too much slip. Vanessa knows who I am, there's no denying it. I should have realized she'd figure out the truth, she's far too clever. When did she figure it out? She's clearly mad, so it must have been recently. Where did we slip up? And if she knows...who else does too? This is already dangerous enough, but now it's going too far. She’s putting herself into danger and for what? To prove a point? Her health has been unstable and still she insists on pushing forward with this case. When I get back to base I’m going to give Carter a piece of my mind. She shouldn't have been put on this case to begin with--she's too important, too precious.“Sir,” Bruno, one of my newer guards hands me a towel as I exit the gym. “There’s a situation back at headquarters. I've been asked to take you back to Grant Tower.""Of course," I nod. "I'l
[Evelyn]How did I ever love and admire this man? The bastard has no shame. When he invited me to this gala, I assumed it was to be his date. Debrassy prefers to have a beautiful woman on his arm at all times. So when I arrived, I was expecting to find a gown lying waiting for me. But instead of something bejeweled and covered in gold cloth, I arrived to find a plain black gown edged in wife. "For tonight's gala," Desmond announces as I am escorted to his study "I want you to attend as my housekeeper. I need someone to direct my men and Miss Bluejay is busy tonight and you are the only other person I trust to make sure this is handled to my expectations." Miss Bluejay, again. She's the one who has been going out on missions with Adam. He claimed that in my "delicate condition" I was no longer able to handle "the rigors of the chase."Now he tries to make this little "assignment" sound like an honor when we both know what it is--the bastard is finding a way to replace me in every
[Vanessa] The handsome man brushes a long auburn strand of hair from his hazel eyes and laughs, “I’m your date, Addison, remember? Is it the mask?”The young gentleman blinks down at me, his hazel eyes framed by an elegant, golden mask. The gold looks perfect on him, matching his white jacket edged in gold. For this event he chose to not wear a shirt, and his beautifully chiselled model’s body is painted in gold, his large dragon tattoo ornamented with body jewels, including a large red ruby in the dragon’s claw, and amber decorating the dragon’s eyes. “I’m sorry, you just startled me,” I smile, moving my eyes away from his very exposed nipple which is peeking at me from around his lapel. The diamond studded bar piercing his nipple is startling as rainbows dance from its surface. As I look up from his surprisingly decorated chest, his dancing eyes glow with laughter as our gazes match. I was so lost thinking about Hunter that for a moment I had forgotten that Adam was my date for to
[Vanessa]“Me?” My face feels stiff as it twists in surprise, “How?”I didn't hurt him, not his body anyway. Maybe his pride a bit with some of the cruel jabs I hurled at him in my anger and frustration, but he's a big boy, he can handle an insult or two. He's just using this as an excuse because he doesn't want to face me tonight. Fine. Then he'll have to deal with the consequences of his actions. I won't cheat on him--I'm far too loyal for that. Even when Michael cheated on me, I didn't move on to Hunter until after our divorce was final, even though the attraction between me and my new employer was strong. It's not in my nature. When I give my heart, I give everything. But that doesn't mean I can't torture my big bully jerk fiance for thinking it was okay to decieve me. He wants to be sneaky, well I can be sneaky too. “He said he needed a bit of time to heal from a workout injury.” She smirks, trying to hide it behind a fake cough. "Something about a sparring exercise." I’d li