Page 45 of Savage Little Lies

I quietly grind my teeth together, shifting my eyes away from them as I rack my brain for an answer. I have my list of suspects, but we haven’t been able to tie any of the clues to them so far. We’re taking shots in the dark.

“We need to start talking to some of our greedier friends who keep their ears low to the ground,” I tell them as I sit up in my office chair. I grab a couple of sticky notes and write down a few names on each before handing them out to my men. “Talk to these people. Ask if they’ve heard word of an attack against us. Offer to pay them well for any information they provide.”

“Should I do this or stay with Ms. Reynolds today, sir?” Gabe asks me.

“I’ll keep an eye on her today,” I reply. “Go talk to those people. If you learn anything of interest, call me immediately. The more time we waste chasing this trail, the colder it gets.”

“Yes, sir,” Gabe replies with a firm nod.

We lost two good men that night. Men who devoted their lives to my family over years and years. Death is a possible consequence of the job, but if they work for us, their loved ones will never be hungry. They’ll never suffer from being without a roof over their head. They’ll have all the support they could ever need.

Those men will be avenged in the end, but we need names first.

“Alright, that’s⁠—”

Before I can finish my sentence, the doors to my office open, making all heads turn that way just as Cara steps inside. Every ounce of air in my lungs disappears as the smooth, bare skin of her lower thighs comes into view.

If I thought the skirt she had on yesterday was teasingly short, this one takes the whole damn cake.

It’s several inches above her knees. Gray. Tight. A little black belt to accentuate her waist.

Fuck.

I clench my jaw as she strides in with a cup of coffee in her hand and a half smile on her face that looks ridiculously sexy.

“Good morning, sir,” Cara greets me before nodding to my men. “Good morning, gentlemen.”

“Morning, Ms. Reynolds,” Gabe responds, while the other three dumbly nod without a word because they’ve probably forgotten how to speak.

“All of you, out,” I order. “Don’t come back until you have something of value to tell me. Expand the search area. I’m tired of you coming up empty-handed.”

All four men quickly leave the room, their eyes lingering on Cara as they pass by her.

When Isaak dares to sneak a look at her ass on his way out, I make a mental note to remind him who signs his paychecks.

“What an interesting choice of attire you’ve chosen today,” I comment as Cara comes closer. She has her auburn hair tied up into a ponytail, exposing the slope of her neck that I’ve been dying to move my lips over.

Instead of staying on her side of the desk like normal, she walks around it toward me, making me tighten my fingers around the arms of my chair in a death grip. She holds the large coffee cup out to me as her smile broadens.

“Do you like it?” Cara asks as her eyes lock with mine. “When I saw it, I thought of you.”

Heat moves throughout my entire body as every cell within me yearns for her. I love that little skirt on her, but all I want to do right now is rip it off. She knows exactly what it’s doing to me.

“It’s probably my favorite thing I’ve seen on you. Besides the red dress you wore to the gala,” I tell her honestly as I take my coffee from her, able to feel the heat of it through the cup.

“I like that one too,” Cara replies before perching on the edge of my desk, achingly close to me. She crosses her legs, making the skirt slide up her thighs even more.

My nails pierce the leather of my chair arms, my pulse thumping hard and fast. How the hell am I supposed to resist her?

I have a small window before the contract is signed. But what if we’re caught? Or Cara tells someone?

I can’t afford loose ends.

I want to trust her, but I can’t fully trust anyone in this world. I’ve been burned enough and have seen enough family members and friends get killed over “trust” to fall for that trick.

“We have a lot of work to do today,” I grit out, trying to focus on anything else but how enticing her soft thighs look.

Cara nods and reaches up to adjust her ponytail, making her nearly see-through white blouse tighten across her chest. “Tell me.”