Page 23 of Tempting Devil

Finally, I heard what sounded like the rustling of clothes, followed by faint footsteps. A few seconds later, James emerged from the funeral home.

Just the sight of him filled me with rage, my jaw ticking as I repeatedly clenched and unclenched my fists.

“Don’t.” Henry touched a hand to my forearm. “Not now. Not without a plan.”

But I couldn’t let it go. Not after everything I just learned. The betrayal. The deceit. The utter disregard for human life.

For my life.

I’d always planned on eliminating James after what he did to Jonah. I thought that was the extent of his involvement. Thought it was just bad luck that the man who found me had ill intentions.

I never could have imagined James not only hired him to clean up Liam’s mess but also conspired to sell me like I was merely a piece of property. Not a man he considered a friend.

All to increase his wealth.

I turned my fiery gaze upon the Victorian house. When Brian McGuire appeared in the second-floor window, my blood boiled, my anger growing with every passing second.

“There’s someone else I need to add to my list,” I ground out.

Henry gave a resigned nod. “I had a feeling you were going to say that.”

Chapter Ten

Imogene

Artificial light shone brightly overhead as I made my way through the bustling crowd of Atlanta airport on Sunday morning after a restless red-eye flight. When I finally emerged from the secure area, my tired body was instantly enveloped in a sense of peace, and I couldn’t deny the relief of being back in a familiar place.

I could only hope this break would give me the clarity I needed.

Or that my mother would talk some sense into me. She was always good at that.

As I pulled up the rideshare app on my phone, a few excited voices sounded from behind me.

“Is that Lachlan Hale?”

I snapped my head up, coming to an abrupt stop when I saw my step-father signing autographs for eager fans a few feet away. Even though it had been years since he’d played professional baseball, people still recognized him, especially in Atlanta. He was a legend around here.

As he handed a hat back to a little boy who couldn’t have been more than six, he caught sight of me. He politely excused himself, offering his apologies, then headed in my direction.

“Hey, kid,” he greeted in his familiar Australian accent.

While it was much more Americanized than when I first met him fifteen years ago, it was still there. I hoped it always would be. It reminded me of home. Of family.

“You didn’t have to come get me,” I told him as he pulled me into his chest, kissing the top of my head. “I would have taken an Uber.”

“Your mother worries about you enough as it is. Letting you get in the car with a stranger you book on the internet?”

I rolled my eyes at his overprotective nature, especially considering I was now in my thirties. In his eyes, I’d always be the awkward teenager he once bribed with pancakes in order to win me over and let him date my mother.

“I’d rather stay on her good side.” With a wink and a smile, he reached for the handle of my roll-aboard. “Let me get that for you.”

“Thanks.”

“Anytime, kid.” With a playful nudge, he steered me toward the airport exit, waving at a few people who recognized him as we passed.

The second we stepped through the sliding glass doors, a wall of humidity assaulted me, even at nine in the morning. I could already feel my hair curling despite straightening it yesterday.

“I bet you don’t miss this weather, do you?”