Bound for Me (Be for Me #4)(61)

He sent Savannah a quick glance. Her eyes widened at the sight of the younger man rising from one of the large armchairs. A bad feeling surged in Connor’s gut.

“How can I help you?” Connor asked the guy, but kept watching Savannah.

Had she gone pale?

“You okay Savannah?” He frowned.

“I’m fine. You deal with… your meeting.”

No thanks. He wanted to deal with her. But she was staring at the other man again and looking like she’d seen a ghost.

“You found who you were looking for,” she said.

“Looks like it.”

What did that mean? Connor turned to face the newcomer and flinched. He was the guy Savannah had served at the bar last night. The one she’d smiled at. “How can I help you?”

He heard Savannah close the door behind her and inwardly cursed.

But the man was looking at him with a curiously fixed expression. “My…” He cleared his throat. “My name’s Jack Gibbs. My mom was Mary-Jo Gibbs.”

Connor felt frozen to the spot. “Is that supposed to mean something to me?” He didn’t want to admit to the resemblance. But it was so there.

“Not to you. But it might to your father.” Jack’s gaze grew more intense. “Our father.”

For a moment Connor didn’t know what to say.

“I’ve been in town a few days,” Jack added. “Figuring out how to approach him.”

Rex. Who wasn’t here.

But here was another person looking for him. Looking for answers. Looking for—what, money? Payback?

“I spoke to one of your former employees.” Jack added.

“Oh?”

“She got a large severance package recently.”

Cynthia. And it hadn’t been a severance package. It had been a… a… he didn’t know what. Connor’s blood chilled. She’d been in the bar last night. With this guy. And with Savannah. Savannah who’d just told him she was leaving. Who wouldn’t look at him.

Who wouldn’t kiss him this morning.

Connor’s stomach churned. “So you’ve spoken with some people. What, you want money? Like Cynthia?”

Anger flashed on Jack’s face. “What?”

He couldn’t be feeling half as angry as Connor.

Had Savannah known? Is that why she’d been in such a hurry to leave? Was she part of an unholy trinity sent to bring him down?

Jeez, he’d been played. Beautifully.

His original plan had been to distract her He’d only distracted himself. He hadn’t even seen this coming. He’d been such a fool. Falling for her. Talking to her. Trusting her. Wanting more. But she’d betrayed him. Used him.

He’d screwed up by screwing around. Just like his father. Letting his lust blind him. Letting it become uncontrollable. Leaving him exposed and vulnerable.

What the hell did she think she could do—throw a grenade and run? Was she going to watch the avalanche from a distance?

Like hell.

He held up his hand. “I need a minute.” He turned and walked before the guy could reply.

But as he slammed the door, he heard the mutter. “You need more than a minute.”

Connor didn’t give a monkey’s. He needed to talk to Savannah. Now.

A lifetime of walking on iced-up, snow slippery paths gave him the advantage. Stubborn woman wouldn’t take a freaking hotel courtesy car home. No. She had to walk in her goddamn ride-him-hard boots. She wasn’t even halfway down the curved private road.

“Savannah!” he shouted.

She turned, so surprised she slipped. What? Had she thought he was going to be waylaid for a decent amount of time arguing over dollar amounts with his new found half brother?

“Where the f*ck are you going?” he yelled at her.

“Where the f*ck do you think?” she roared right back at him, straightening, spreading her feet to fight stance.

And of all the freaking things, that just turned his stupid cock hard again. And that made him angrier than he’d been in his entire life. “I thought it was going to be a media beat-up. But it was worse.”

“What do you mean?”

“You brought him here, didn’t you?” He stomped up to within a breath of her.

“Who?”

“Jack Whatever-the-f*ck his other name is. My father’s bastard.”

Her cheeks suddenly flushed, but he didn’t give her the chance to speak.

“You let me think you were over it,” he said. “But you’re not. You’ve set me up. You’re so warped it’s unbelievable.”

Her jaw dropped. “You think that guy has anything to do with me?”

Of course he did. She was the one walking away. Not talking to him. Not touching him. The one who’d come here wanting to make him and his father pay somehow… the one who’d gone pale at the sight of him moments before. And who’d gone guilty red now.

“How can you think that?” she demanded.

“He was with Cynthia last night. And he was talking to you at the bar. I can’t believe I’ve been so stupid.”

“I can’t believe it either. Paranoid, much?” She gaped at him. “Who the hell is Cynthia?”

“My father’s assistant.” Connor’s brain scrambled through the last few months of nightmares—of his father’s financial losses, his latest, most tortured indiscretion with his assistant. “She obviously wants more money—”