Page 100 of Miss Trust

Chance

It had been only two days since I’d seen Tory, yet it felt like weeks. My eyes drank her in as she played in the water at the beach. From the smile on her beautiful face, I could tell how much she was enjoying herself. I had to hold my breath when she swam out into the waves on the surfboard, but I couldn’t help grinning when she popped up and rode it like a boss.

Jesus, she was a fucking goddess in the water.

Although I had every intention of keeping my distance from Reid and letting him enjoy his trip, it was imperative I have some words with my brother to warn him about the FBI.

“You wanted to talk with me?” came the voice from my left side. I turned to see Reid approaching from the beach trail.

“Yeah, I did. Thanks for meeting me.” He looked good. Happy. Although definitely not to see me.

“What do you want?”

Cold wouldn’t be a word I’d have ever used to describe my younger brother, but given what I’d done to him, I couldn’t blame him. “The FBI is sniffing around. They may want to talk to you and Teagan.”

His brow furrowed. “About what?”

“About the Scarlett Letter and Teagan’s work there.”

“Because of your investment in it. Terrific.”

There was only so much blame I’d shoulder. “Whether I was an investor or not, your girlfriend did work at an illegal strip club in Dubai. I had no part in getting her the job there.” If anything, could I get some credit for the fact she longer had to work there?

At least he had the courtesy not to argue. “What do they want?”

“They’re looking for an American woman who may have been trafficked into prostitution in Dubai.”

“You’re involved?”

It stung he could even ask the question. “Of course not. I’ve never had any part of the prostitution side.” Except when I’d helped out Aiden with a certain auction of his girlfriend, but even then she’d entered the situation voluntarily. For all the shit I took, my position at the Scarlett Letter had ended up helping both Reid and his best friend, Aiden. Yet I absolutely stayed the villain. Fine. Evidently, it was a part I was good at playing.

“Sorry for asking.”

I wouldn’t hold my breath thinking his apology was progress in the repair of our relationship. The sound of Tory laughing drew my gaze like a moth to a flame. I schooled my features a breath too late because when I turned back to Reid, he was frowning.

“You’re sleeping with her, aren’t you?”

I wouldn’t deny it. “She’s a grown woman who can make her own decisions.”

He was already shaking his head. “Until it ends in disaster and then what? We end up never speaking again?”

Guess I should focus in on his implication there might come a day we were regularly talking again. “Why does it need to end in disaster?”

“Because you’re you, and a healthy relationship isn’t something you do. You’re selfish and always have been. You’ll choose your egocentric lifestyle over her and her feelings every time. Then not only will Tory hate you, but Teagan will too. Then by default, I’ll hate you for fucking things up once again.”

I had no defense. I could very well fuck things up in this unknown terrain. “It’s her choice.”

“Until you’re an asshole and take the choices away from her. Something else you’re really good at doing. If ever you need proof, look at what you did to me. I should’ve known better than to trust you to help her.”

He walked off without giving me an opportunity to respond. Not that I had something to say. He wasn’t wrong. I was selfish, I was an asshole, and I had ridden roughshod already over Tory’s feelings. There was a high probability I’d do it again because it’s what I did. When I thought I was right, I never thought things through first before acting.

My eyes burned as I watched her scoop up Penny and hug her close. What did I have to offer to them? Tory didn’t want me for my wealth or power. So what did I have left to give if those two things were stripped away?

Later that evening, I felt like a thief as I slipped undetected into my own house. I could hear the sounds of a movie coming from the living room as I snuck into my master bedroom. I wasn’t much of a joiner, but it hurt to feel so left out of an obvious family night. This picture very clearly didn’t include me.

I waited in my bedroom behind the closed doors until I heard silence from the living room. People were retiring for the night. Only then did I text Tory.

“Hi. What are you doing?”