Page 23 of The Mastermind
He considered me family? My mouth opened slightly, wanting to say something, but nothing came out. I didn’t expect those words to come from Remington Starke, the enigma, the reserved man who hardly smiled. My anger subsided, but I couldn’t seem to break the tundra stare that froze me, making my body want him and hate him at the same time.
“She doesn’t know him, but she’s been receiving messages for a month,” Michelle said, turning to me. “Sorry, babe. Maybe he can help you. The creep could be dangerous. I’ve watched enough ofLaw & Orderto know that.”
The muscle on his jaw ticked as he took a screenshot of the message. “I’m sending this to myself. I’ll look into it for you. If you receive any new ones, let me know.” He got up from his seat and rounded the table to stand next to me. His energy embraced my body, and it almost tilted toward him. I shifted and glanced up at him. My heart went pit-a-pat at the stunning beast of a man looking down at me. “I mean it. I want a screenshot of every message you receive, okay?” He held out the phone to me.
Why couldn’t I say a damn thing? Where were the words?
I nodded and reached for my phone. Our fingers touched, and a spark zapped between us. His fingers curled as though he sensed it too. “Ladies, enjoy your lunch.” He walked back to the table with the white-haired man as though nothing had happened.
“What the hell was that?” I said, gripping my phone tighter.
“That was a man protecting what he considered his.” Kiera sipped her drink. “I knew it! How about we test out my theory? I was going to suggest this earlier but was interrupted.”
She looked over to me for confirmation.
Shaking my head, I stuffed some sweet potato fries in my mouth. I needed to calm my body from my powerful reaction to Remi.
“What theory?” Michelle stabbed her fork into her salad.
“That Remi has the hots for Audri.”
I swallowed and blinked. “No, he doesn’t. He sees me asfamily, remember?” I held up a sweet potato fry. “He sees me as asister.”
“He’s just saying that as a cover. Men do that when they’re unsure about stuff, but they can’t help being protective. Maybe he doesn’t even know he wants you,” Kiera said, taking a bite of her wrap.
“Don’t you want to know?” Michelle asked, her eyes wide with interest.
I pondered that for a moment. Did Remi have feelings for me? More importantly, did I have feelings for him? My “curiosity” about him couldn’t be categorized as “feelings.” My body responded to him, confusing me at times, like right now. Maybe this test would also reveal whatIwanted. There was an irresistible lure to the unknown, and if I could uncover what the “unknown” was, the truth would set me free. Right?
“Guys, we saw Remi reveal a powerful emotion just now.” Kiera looked at me. “There’s more to him than the stoic mask. Maybe next time, we can force a smile. I wonder what he’d look like with a smile.”
“Don’t you have a big photoshoot to prepare for?” I asked Kiera, then turned to Michelle. “And don’t you have to pack for your next trip somewhere?”
“And?” Kiera replied with a grin on her face. “This ismorefun.”
“I’m not his type. He dates wealthy women or supermodels. I’m neither.”
Is he your type?A quiet voice whispered in my ear. I didn’t have a clear answer—more reason for the experiment.
“I beg to differ.” Michelle held up a finger. “You have money, but you choose not to use it. Let me tell you something, honey bunny. You have brains, beauty, and a gorgeous body a supermodel would bejealousof. You don’t need to buy a chest or have mile-long legs to be stunning.”
My dad had set aside a fund for Grayson and me. Grayson used it to invest in his architectural company, making it even more successful, but I didn’t touch mine. The guilt still gnawed at me after all these years. My dad died because of me. I didn’t deserve that money.
“You want me to think of a plan or leave that up to you?” Kiera asked.
“You guys are driving me nuts!”
“Okay, I’ll plan then.”
“I’ll help,” Michelle added.
“Fine.” I wasn’t winning this battle. Laughing, I covered my face with both hands. “We can discuss some ideas.”
CHAPTERNINE
REMINGTON
I drovemy Maserati toward my old home in East Providence and left the Bugatti Chiron in a special garage, where I monitored it on my phone. I didn’t drive it often and only brought it up from New York so my boys could take a test drive as inspiration for vehicles in the video game.