Freedom (Billionaire Secrets 2)

“I stepped out,” he said quickly.

“Is something wrong?” He could practically hear her frowning. “I don’t see a meeting in your schedule for this hour and—”

“It’s a personal appointment,” he said. Not exactly forthcoming, but he couldn’t tell anyone at Dover that he was meeting with a financial investigator. Not even Heather could know. It was stupid, and it pained him to keep a secret from her, but he had to keep things professional. Still, it didn’t stop the guilt from surging inside him. The urge to tell her the truth was killing him.

“Oh.” She paused. “Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine. I’ll be back shortly.” He hung up and fought the guilt that was rising inside him. Lying to her had been almost painful, and he hoped he wouldn’t have to do it for much longer.

BY THE TIME HE PARKED his car and ducked into the Boathouse Restaurant, dark clouds had started to gather overhead.

He spotted Josh Bradley sitting in the corner and headed over to him.

Josh looked up from his newspaper. “Were you followed?”

“Hilarious.” Simon eased into the seat across from his old Stanford roommate.

“You’re the one who wanted us to meet in secret,” Josh pointed out. “I know we have to keep a low profile, but nobody at Dover is going to get suspicious if you bump into an old friend.”

Simon raised an eyebrow. “Old friends?”

Josh shrugged. “You know me. I know you. We exchange pleasantries occasionally.”

“If you consider twice a year occasionally,” Simon said.

“You cut me to the quick,” Josh said dramatically. “I thought we were pals.”

“Well, twice a year is more than anybody else, so I guess we are pals,” Simon said. “What’s good here?”

“I hear the stuffed seagulls are good,” Josh replied.

“Sometimes, I can’t tell when you’re joking,” Simon grumbled.

After ordering, Simon cleared his throat. “I need you to look in to something for me,” he said.

“Like last time?” Josh asked

Weeks ago, when Simon had suspected insider trading had been going on at Dover, he’d called up the one financial investigator he trusted. Josh wasn’t exactly a friend, but with a high-pressure job in such a tough environment it paid to have someone with his financial skills on call. It was Josh who had helped him discover that his former assistant, Xander, had been giving confidential information to an outside source. Josh’s expertise was valuable, and he needed it now.

“Not exactly,” Simon replied. “It might be something, or I might be paranoid.”

“What’s going on, Simon?” Josh pushed his sandy-blond hair out of his eyes. “What’s with all the subterfuge? Asking me to meet someplace nobody would recognize us?”

“I like my privacy.”

“Is someone robbing Dover?” Josh asked.

“I think someone is spying on me.”

Josh scoffed. “You’re paranoid.”

“Just hear me out,” Simon said.

“Fine.”

“There’s a story that’s about to break,” Simon began. “It’s about me and a relationship I’ve been having.”

“You? In a relationship?” Josh grinned. “Who is she?”

“It’s over.”

“Of course, it is.” Josh rolled his eyes. “Who is it? Someone famous?”

“Someone inconvenient,” he replied.

Josh’s eyebrows furrowed. “Inconvenient for whom?”

“Both of us.”

“Simon, I can’t kill the story,” Josh said. “I don’t do that kind of stuff.”

“Trust me, I tried killing it earlier today,” Simon said. “That’s not going to happen. I don’t need you to kill it. I need you to find out how it got out.”

“Well, maybe she talked,” Josh said. “You know how some people are. They go after you for a little money or attention.”

“I know that,” he said in exasperation. He knew that all too well. That was one of the reasons he was still single. It was impossible to know who to trust when he had so much money. When he had first struck it rich, almost everyone he came into contact with wanted a piece of him and his newfound wealth.