جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 30

His smirk remained, and it was accompanied by a slight nod. “Quit while you’re ahead, Butcher. You know what happens to snitches…”They were mauled in the street, on the way to the car after a nice meal at their favorite restaurant, in broad daylight in the midst of afternoon traffic. Stabbed with knives from every direction, they would have thirty knife wounds before they hit the street—and the attackers would blend into the crowd. There were more codes than mine.“So, you do know him?”“If you wanted to play poker, you should have brought the cards.”I smirked slightly at the joke. “I’ll find him.”“Good luck with that.”“And there will be hell to pay when I do.”“I’m sure.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded manila envelope before he plopped it on the table. “Here’s everything you asked for.”I opened it and pulled out the contents, a full report with photos, phone records, and text messages. I’d barely glanced at it and was overwhelmed by the mound of evidence. “Th

I just sat there and stared at the broken glass. A piece had landed next to my shoe—and another clear across the room in the opposite corner.Linda picked up the large pieces and set them on her desk while Adrien swept with the broom, getting most of the shards into the pan. They worked together, neither seeming to care that I didn’t bother to get up and help.When Adrien was finished, he dumped the glass into the garbage can. “I think I got it all.”My eyes went to the piece in the corner and then the one right by my shoe.“I’m sorry about all of that,” Linda said. “Sometimes I forget I’m not as quick as I used to be.” She returned to her seat behind the desk.Adrien smoothed out the front of his shirt and retook his seat.The commotion died down, and it turned quiet once more.My eyes remained on the glass in the corner, the piece that wouldn’t be noticed for a while—until Linda stepped on it and heard it crunch under her shoe.“Now, where were we?” Linda said.My eyes finally left

“I don’t think I will.” It meant a lot to me to have that kind of respect, to be privy to information that a normal man would have concealed. “Adrien says there was no one else, but I don’t trust him. What I would give to hear his answer and know it’s the truth…”His smile faded and his eyes hardened, like I’d said the wrong thing.“What?”He gave a slight shake of his head. “Where do the two of you stand?”Marriage was sacred, and I didn’t blame anyone for wanting to fight for it until their dying breath. When I’d married Adrien, I assumed it would be forever. That we would have babies together, grow old together, and then be buried side by side in the cemetery. It was hard to accept defeat, but surrender felt like the right option for me. “It’s over.” It still made me sad to say that, to know that our relationship had been destroyed because he couldn’t keep his dick in his pants until he came home to me. “I said I would try…but then we met with the marriage counselor, and it just we

He gripped my ass cheek and squeezed before he gave it a gentle spank. “Oh yeah.”“Sounds like a fair trade to me.”His fingers gently grazed my thigh, exploring the soft skin to the back of my knee before he came back to my ass again. His blue eyes stared at me, locked on my gaze with more confidence than I’d ever felt, even on my best day. His aura was so still and so calm, like an undisturbed lake that didn’t have a single ripple, the surface dark so the contents beneath remained a mystery. “You’re a damn beautiful woman.”I felt the softness flood into my heart and pull at my eyes. Felt myself feel something at a line he probably said to all women—but of course, I believed he only said it to me.“And don’t you fucking forget it.”Chapter 10BastienI sat in the back of the SUV across the street, smoking my cigar with the window cracked, waiting for the show to start.A black Hummer came around the corner, going over sixty kilometers per hour, and crashed straight into the iron gat

When she saw what I did, a little smile moved over her face and she gave me this look…like she appreciated the small things.I wondered if Adrien was ever as thoughtful. Probably not.Fifteen minutes later, we entered the gates of my property and walked into the house.“Hungry?” I asked.“I don’t know.” She walked beside me as we headed to the stairs. “It’s late.”I texted my butler and asked him to prepare dinner. “It’s not late—at least not for me.” We entered my bedroom, the lights low on the dimmer, a fire roaring in the fireplace because I’d told my butler to prepare it before I arrived.She looked around the room, taking it in like she’d never seen it before, but she didn’t issue a comment. She seemed to be warm before she took off her coat and purse and set them over one of the armchairs in the sitting room. “You have a beautiful home. I don’t think I said that before.”“Thank you.” She hadn’t asked me about my wealth or mentioned it at all. She was either too classy or she rea