Page 83 of Crimson Love

Patrick continues to spew demands. “Chrissie will get with you in the next hour. You’ll be provided a packet to familiarize yourself with in order to prepare. Chrissie and I took off thirty minutes ago. We should be there in about four hours. We will prep you both for the meeting. I’m not worried. I know what you did while you were in the Army. This is nothing in comparison.”

“Great,” Jett drawls sarcastically.

Patrick must not speak sarcasm. “Yes, it will be great. Read the packet, and we’ll talk tonight. See you soon.”

And with that, his father hangs up.

Jett tosses the cell to the bottom of the messy bed where we just had sex for the first time. Where I had sex for the first time.

I gather the covers at my breasts and sit up. “I assume these are the things you were going to tell me later?”

He leans in and presses his lips to mine. “You don’t know the half of it. I have four hours to explain, and I will. But I’m fucking pissed our day is ruined. I planned to keep you right here. Are you okay?”

A smile pulls at my lips. “I’m more than okay. Despite my father and Andrei and everything else your father is talking about, I can’t remember the last time I was this good.”

He leans into me and cups the side of my face in his hand. “Let’s channel that energy. I have a feeling shit’s going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better.”

Jett’s cell vibrates again. “See what I mean? It’s Harlow.”

He reaches for the cell to answer it but doesn’t get the chance to greet her.

Harlow Madison sounds like a different woman than the one who gave me enough dresses and accessories to last me the next decade. She’s irate, frazzled, and just on this side of hysterical. “Oh my God, Jett. The board is coming here! What the fuck?!”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

NATURAL CONSEQUENCES

Jett

I know how to work under pressure. There’s a pecking order. You chip away at a list of shit to do in an orderly fashion so the enemy doesn’t eat you alive before you have the chance to take them out.

Prioritize.

Deal with your most deadly threat first.

Always, and I mean every fucking time, strike while the iron is hot.

Since the woman in my bed and I both have a shit load of irons in the fire, I feel like I’m back in combat. But, you know, while living at a five-star resort, dealing with fathers, criminals, and conniving board members. All this at a time when I’ve found myself fucking dizzy over a woman for the first time in my life. Lennon Shaw is making my head spin in the best way possible.

Who knew the woman who bowled me over after my surgery would beg me to take her V-card when I was trying to be virtuous.

Taking her for the first time, and it being her first time, pushed me over the edge. I’m now the definition of a possessive man. The thoughts racing through my head are threatening my rationale, which says a fucking lot. I’m the most rational person I know.

After I led Lennon to the shower and washed every inch of her and made sure she was okay after her first time, we got ready and came straight to Harlow and Devon’s suite. Harlow ordered lunch for everyone. Devon filled us in on the latest with Reed and Petrov. And Harlow paced and fumed about the Stonebridge board of directors descending on the perfect, small-town utopia she’s determined to create for everyone in her life.

I look up from the tablet Devon handed me with the reports from Bella’s associate, Crew Vega. Apparently, he owns an entire satellite system which comes in handy for times like this. I’m not sure how many times like this Devon experiences, but I’m going to hope we’re not involved in future ones.

I study the map that followed the only cell left between Andrei and Lennon’s father. “Petrov’s phone is located at the motel off the highway. The manor really is the only game in town, huh?”

“I’ve cornered the market in the booming metropolis of Winslet. A feat in and of itself.” Devon sits in front of his laptop looking through the same reports I am. “Reed didn’t come back for his cell. I guess he’s cutting his losses, but it also means we have no idea where he is. We didn’t detect any other lines in the vicinity.”

“I had Reed’s cell plugged in and its contents uploaded for Ozzy to dig through before Reed had a chance to shut it down remotely.” Cole reclines in a club chair and turns his gaze on Lennon and softens his tone. “I’m sorry. We haven’t found any mention of Audrey Shaw on that cell history. We’re starting our own search for your mother.”

Lennon leans her head against my shoulder. “It’s okay. It was a shock last night for him to even mention my mom. She hasn’t been in my life since I was little.”

Bella walks into the family room from their bedroom talking on the phone. “Thank you, Oz. As always, I owe you. We’re on a flight out today. I’ll see you back at camp tomorrow.”

She settles herself on the arm of the chair next to Cole who wraps an arm around her. “Has Ozzy already gone through Reed’s cell?”