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“Done,” he said as he rubbed a thumb against her cheek. “Why you don’t you relax, and I’ll build a fire and grab us a snack?”
Julia sucked in a breath, nodding as she pulled away from him. She skirted the couch and dropped onto it, working to keep her eyes off the mantel clock, afraid of ruining their perfect plan.
As the flames roared to life, Kyle stood and dusted off his hands. “I’ll be right back.”
She followed his departure from the room, sinking her teeth into her lower lip again. The cabin, with its rustic charm, felt a world away from her reality. The fire’s crackling put her more on edge than relaxed her.
The pressure of the situation built inside of her. Lydia would use the photos they just created against her. Hopefully, she could explain them to Grant. And hopefully, this would help their investigation.
She shifted on the couch, drumming her fingers against it until Kyle’s voice startled her. “Hey, Julia?” he called from the kitchen.
She leapt from her seat, happy to leave the camera behind, though her mind wondered how many other eyes were on her. She stepped into the kitchen, her eyes questioning as she glanced at him.
He used the smart home hub to turn on music and set the volume at a high enough level that it sounded almost annoying. He grabbed her hand and tugged her closer to him, keeping his voice low. “Looks like we earned our Oscars for that performance.”
She was tempted to ask him how much of his was fake and how much was real, but she thought better of it, not wanting to wade into those weeds.
“Lydia called. She was pretty pleased with what the camera picked up.”
A chill ran down Julia’s spine as Kyle confirmed Lydia’s satisfaction with their performance. What had they just unleashed? Would Grant understand, or had they just crossed a line from which there was no return?
“Now what?” She asked.
He sighed as he flicked his gaze across the room. “Now, we wait.”
Julia swallowed hard as the words sank in. She hated waiting, and she hated it even more when she knew Lydia was scheming at this very moment. But for now, she was stuck. And she’d have to wait it out.
CHAPTER 13
GRANT
Grant stared down at the folder, a mix of anxiety and anger burned a hole through his chest. Whatever was in this file had certainly been designed to upset him. He knew Lydia. And now that he knew she was DG Industries, this little charade made him even madder.
He could have lunged at her and wrapped his hands around her throat until she told him every last detail about what she’d been trying to do to him.
“What kind of game is this, Lydia?” Grant asked, the terseness in his voice betraying his annoyance.
Lydia tugged her chin back to her chest, frowning. “I’m not the one playing games, Grant. Open the folder, and you’ll see.”
“See what? You found proof of who is behind the efforts to destroy me, my family, and my company?”
She lifted a shoulder, her eyebrows arching. “Call it whatever you’d like, I think it’s pretty obvious what’s in that folder. At the very least, it’s something to think about.”
Grant shoved it away. “So, it’s not proof. It’s more of your nonsense. Just get out of here, Lydia. I’m busy.”
Lydia clicked her tongue, a huff escaping her as she set a hand on her hip. “It’s hardly nonsense, Grant. If you’d look at it, you’d see that.”
Grant settled his gaze on her, desperately trying to keep his emotions in check when all he wanted to do was throw the woman out of his office, house, and life. He had no desire to open that folder. Not when Lydia was around, anyway. Though he was curious to know who Lydia planned to pin this on.
He leaned back in his chair, trying to portray a sense of calm, though he felt a storm raging inside him. “You want me to believe you’ve been investigating DG Industries?”
“Is that so hard to believe?”
Grant drew his eyebrows together as he shifted his gaze to the side. “Uh, yeah.”
Lydia’s shoulders slumped, and she narrowed her eyes at him. “Really, Grant? It’s that hard to believe that I have been working tirelessly trying to protect my family?”
His jaw tightened as he tried to cover his response. She’d been working tirelessly to destroy his family, not protect it. He could barely stand the sight of her, especially when the worry of Julia’s whereabouts weighed on him.
