Fiance Next Door

“Let’s just say that he didn’t like the fact that I turned him down.”

My brother’s eyes grow wide. “You turned him down?”

He doesn’t sound pleased.

“I thought you didn’t want me to work with him.”

He frowns. “But isn’t it more dangerous to turn him down?”

“So you do want me to work with him?”

What exactly does he want?

Leander doesn’t answer.

I stand up. “What did you come here to tell me, Leander? What do you want me to do?”

“Just be careful,” Leander tells me. “Remember that the game you’re playing is a dangerous one.”

“I know that.”

Owens hasn’t been the first man to try to get in my way.

“And do everything you can to be safe.”

I nod. “You don’t have to tell me that.”

I wait for Leander to say more, but he seems to have said all he came to say because he turns and makes his way to the door.

“Leander,” I call after him.

He glances at me.

“Thanks.”

He gives me a nod before stepping out. I sit down and rest my elbows on my desk. I clasp my hands in front of my face.

What Leander said just confirms what I already knew. Owens is a man not to be messed with. But he was the one who messed with me first. I’m not going to let him get away with it.

I’m going to find a weapon against Owens. And I suddenly have an idea where to look.

~

When I get back to my apartment, I go straight to my office there. I take out the box that Noah gave me from the drawer of my desk and open it. Inside are countless photos, just like he said. Photos he himself took when he was still working for newspapers. Photos of important people, most crystal clear, many stolen.

Noah offered me this box when he first came to me two years ago. He said that since I was becoming successful, I was bound to make enemies and need allies, and that the photos he had taken might be able to help. I merely took a peek inside, then I closed it and gave it back to him. I wanted to accept it, to make him feel that his photos meant something. I wanted to help him that way at least. But I couldn’t, not when I knew what he was expecting in exchange.

I still couldn’t the second time he offered it just weeks ago. He was more insistent, though. He practically shoved the box into my arms, telling me I should take it even if I couldn’t do what he asked. I ended up doing it anyway.

Still, I had no intentions of using it. Not until now.

Let’s see what you’ve got.

I recognize a lot of the people from the photos – mostly politicians, actors, athletes. There aren’t too many businessmen, though, and I’m starting to think I won’t see any of Owens when I do. He’s younger, of course, but I recognize his features. He’s in the background but I still see him. And as I take a closer look at the photo, I see the woman who’s planting a kiss on his cheek. I recognize her as the daughter of a general in the Army, one who went missing a few years ago.

I set the photo aside. It may not mean anything. It may not help me stop Owens. But my instinct tells me I’ve stumbled on something valuable.

And my instinct is usually right.

“Mason?”

Aster suddenly appears in the doorway.

“Hey.” I give her a tentative smile as I quickly put the box back in the drawer.

I was able to keep her curiosity at bay before. This time, I might not be able to, and that could ruin everything. I can’t have that, not now that Aster and I have just reached a new level of intimacy.

“Is everything okay?” she asks as she approaches my desk. “You’re home early and you look a little worried.”

“I’m fine,” I tell her as I close the drawer.

I can’t tell her about Owens either. I don’t see why I should make her worry about him or me. It’s bad enough Leander’s worried.

“Really?” Aster leans on my desk. “You look like you were hiding something just now.”

Shit. She noticed.

“It’s nothing,” I tell her. “Just some papers. Work-related papers.”

She touches her chin. “Hm. Are you sure?”

I meet her gaze squarely. “And what exactly do you think I’m hiding?”

Aster shrugs. “Porn magazines?”

I snort. What am I? Twelve? Besides, men don’t own porn magazines anymore. They watch videos online.

“Mementos of your former lovers?” Aster suggests. “Like Renee’s bra, maybe?”

I frown at the mention of the name. “How do you know about Renee?”

“Oh, so you’re not denying that you knew her.” Aster taps her fingers on the desk. “To answer your question, Renee dropped by today.”

“She did?”

“To return her keycard and to get her favorite bra back, though she wasn’t able to find it.”