Troublemaker (The Men of Matiz 2)

She knows. Damaris was by my side when I set out on the search to find my birth mother. She was there when I did. "I don't give a shit how that went."

She clasps her hands together on her lap. "I know, Crew. He told me he hopes all of his kids miss him when he's gone."

Of course he does. He wants the reassurance that we'll be in pain because of his death. I lie to myself that I won't, but grief is born in honesty. There will be a void. It won't be because he's not there anymore, but the chance; the might have been, will be gone.

"He remembered you?" I ask to avoid addressing what she just said. "It's been almost five years."

Her face softens. "He told me that he thought I was wrong for you. Not that I was too good, mind you, but wrong. He said you need a woman who can tame you. I told him she doesn't exist."

She does and I'm in love with her.

"He's lived the life he wanted to live." I deflect. "We've made our peace."

She moves to stand, I don't follow. "Do you ever miss us, Crew?"

"No," I respond without any hesitation. I won't ask her the same question because I can see the answer in her eyes.

"I'll keep in touch with Kade. He'll know how I'm doing if you're ever interested."

He won't stay in touch.

Getting her out of New York is a move meant to keep her out of my life, and Kade's. I stopped by his office at the Benton tower yesterday. There wasn't a complaint when I told him I was sending Damaris abroad. His only request was that he wanted to be the one to tell her.

I ran through his expense reports before I signed my shares over to Lark. He's been paying the lease on Damaris's apartment in Tribeca for years, supplying her with credit cards, sending her on trips.

Either she's holding something over his head, or she's been in his bed. Either way, he's not torn up about her move.

She's a special kind of evil. One with a pretty face and a cold, empty heart. Once she steps on that plane this afternoon, I'll rest easy knowing that she's a continent away with her sights set on someone else.

Chapter 43

Adley

I see her as soon as she walks through the door of Premier Pet Care. She looks out of place in her tailored white suit, her red-bottomed heels and the small hat perched on the top of her head. Damaris looks like royalty. I look like I rolled in a pool of blood.

Another day, another blood sample from a dog who is scared of needles.

"Adley." She waves to me like we're old friends. "It's good to see you."

I can't say the same. I'm still trying to calm down after my encounter with the man who recognized me from Club Skyn.

When Donovan came to check on me in the lunchroom, he assumed it was low blood sugar that caused all the color to drain from my face and my limbs to shake.

I didn't correct him because I can't. I can't tell anyone here about what happened to me in that club or that I was even there.

"Damaris." I approach her knowing that Tilly's eyes are glued to the side of my head. "What a surprise."

I don’t attach a smile to the words because I'm not happy to see her. I can only imagine that she's here to rub some sordid detail about her relationship with Crew in my face. She picked the worst possible day to drop by.

"Can we talk in private?" She bends at the knees to look me square in the face like I'm a child.

"I'm very busy." I point at the waiting room. "We're booked up solid today, so maybe another time?"

I can pencil her in at noon on the day hell freezes over.

"I have something that belongs to you." She pats her oversized purse. "If we step outside I can give it to you. You can spare two minutes for a friend of Crew's, can't you?"

"You're due for a break, Ad," Tilly calls from where she's standing. "I'll cover for you."