Broken by His Hand - Piper Stone Page 0,82
eyes flared. “She’s not to blame here. She followed my orders as well as yours to the letter. She even stayed at BridgePoint for the majority of the time. And yeah, I found out you involved her in covering up your supposed injuries.”
I opened my eyes, my thoughts drifting to the conversation I’d had with Sophia. “You used the same fucking hospital?” I could tell how angry my brother was, but I had to use every resource available.
“Yeah, why?”
The knock on the door was jarring and I immediately reached for my gun until Gregory held out his hand, giving me a harsh look.
“Yes?”
When the door opened, one of the line cooks walking inside, all three of us bristled. In his hands was a plain brown box.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but this was outside when I came in,” he said.
Christopher jerked it out of his hand. “Thanks, Joe. Now, if you can leave us alone.”
“Will do.”
After Joe closed the door, the three of us looked at each other. Then I grabbed the list from the desk, barely able to get the drink on the edge, my gut churning. “Open the damn box.” I flipped through page after page, every nerve standing on end. “Open it!”
“Jesus. Fine.” Christopher ripped at the flap. “Fuck me.”
“What is it?” I snapped, not bothering to look in his direction. When I noticed the name I was looking for, highlighted as well as with an asterisk placed beside it, I could barely breathe.
“You’re not going to believe this,” Christopher growled.
I lifted my head as he carefully pulled a bear trap from the interior, the attached note falling to the floor. Dropping the other pages, I yanked it off the floor, my heart thudding.
“What the fuck does it say?” Gregory insisted.
“In case pets don’t respond to kindness, you must go to extreme measures.” I could barely say the words.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Gregory huffed.
Christopher moved closer, grabbing the list out of my hand and staring at the name. “Oh, fuck me.”
“I think we know who released the information,” I said absently. “He’s going after Sophia. He’s going to take her from me.” No. No. No!
* * *
Sophia
As soon as Michael had left, I’d escaped to the shower, unable to stop the tears from falling. All the years I’d found it difficult to cry, bottling up every emotion, and I stood under the water and sobbed like a baby. I wasn’t entirely certain why, other than I’d found the man of my dreams and I couldn’t determine a scenario where we’d survive. All his amazing words, the fact he’d told me he loved me seemed surreal.
After a few minutes I turned around, trying to catch my breath. I should end the relationship right now, but that’s the last thing I wanted to do. He’d become... my everything.
A sudden smile crossed my face as I remembered the night before. The passion. The unveiling of the man inside. The angst. At least he’d allowed me into his world, if even for a short period of time. Maybe I would enjoy spending time at his house—his estate. I could only imagine the gothic representation of his home. Red velvet drapes blocking out all the light. Oriental carpets adorning every room. High ceilings and dark wood covering the walls. In my mind, I imagined it as a castle built to keep a beast caged in his lair.
Laughing, I continued my shower, refusing to kowtow to my own fears. Whatever was about to happen between us I would fight for.
As I stepped onto the tile floor, grabbing a towel, I could swear I heard my phone ringing. If I had to guess, Michael was determined to keep watch over me. Racing into the bedroom, I caught it on the third ring, noticing the charge was only at two percent. “Hello.”
“Where in God’s name have you been?”
“Clarissa? I was... I went out of town for a couple of days. Why?”
“Why? Because I have some information you need to hear.”
“What are you talking about?” I shifted closer to my dresser, yanking out a drawer. The tone of her voice was disturbing, enough so a sliver of anxiety trickled down my spine.
“I think I have an idea of who might be targeting Michael.”
The towel almost dropping to the floor, I hissed and gathered the ends in my fingers. “Tell me.”
“You’re not going to believe this. I’m not certain, but I know you should hear this.”
Even as the phone began to die, I heard a portion