Page 104 of The Bad Husband

“I don’t know. Everything looked a bit phony just now. Her coming down here and pretending to have just woken up.”

“Uh-huh. And where are you getting with all this?”

She drinks wine before setting her glass down, and then sighs.

“There’s a little over a month left,” she says. “Once she goes back, she’s out of my hair. If you think it’s a good idea to fuck with her now and then break her heart, and possibly make her leave so she can lose her inheritance, so I can get it, so you can get it, you’re out of your mind.”

“Interesting,” I say, smiling. “You’re suddenly interested in what happens to her? I thought you wanted all the money her father left the two of you.”

“That was before you showed up,” she says bluntly. “It’s no longer my money, isn’t it?” she adds, prickly.

“It never was. A crook will always be a crook. Can’t possibly understand that.”

She dismisses me with a gesture, her brow creased into a frown.

I continue.

“No one’s fucking with anyone. I have no interest in fucking with her.”

“You want to cover your loss.”

“Finally, we’re getting somewhere. If only it didn’t take you so long to understand.”

My dark humor dissipates under her harsh stare.

“My part of the inheritance only covers half of what I owe you.”

“That’s what I just said. See, we’re finally on the same page.”

“Yes, we are. But I know you, Damon. Obviously, better than she does. If she knew what was going on between us, she’d be out the door in a second.”

“I doubt it.”

She searches my eyes.

“You made sure of that, I suppose.”

And that’s a trap.

“I didn’t have to. She doesn’t like you, Henrietta. She never did. If you think she’s dumb enough to lose her inheritance because we have an understanding, you must’ve lost your flair entirely.”

“She won’t like that little detail about you,” she presses on.

“You don’t know what she likes or doesn’t like about me. This shouldn’t even be a conversation to be had.”

“I disagree,” she says before taking another sip of wine. “We made a deal, so no matter how much I inherit, you should only get what we agreed upon.”

“Listen to me,” I say quietly, gripping her arm harshly. “There are other ways of coming up with the money that you need to give back. I agreed upon only half of what you owe me and sparing your life because we have some history together. Don’t push it, Henrietta. Any man from your past would put a bullet in your head for less than what you did to me. I can’t just let you get away with it. I gave you a fair deal. You don’t need to spin scenarios in your head and become an advocate for Lila Skye.”

I pause, and she yanks her arm away, visibly upset.

I try to sweeten my tone.

“Have you even looked at her? I’d barely gotten in the house when the power went out. She must’ve been asleep upstairs. I’m good at making a woman fall to her knees, but I’m not that good,” I say with humor. “Besides, she’d look different if I messed with her. Your concern with her has no place in this story.”

Henrietta used to play poker for the house to entertain the patrons. She’s notorious for not letting anything out.

Her expression is now blank.