Dirty Sexy Saint (Dirty Sexy #1)(55)

Clay’s worst nightmare had just come true, the one thing he’d fought like hell to help her prevent. She was going back to her parents and, ultimately, back to Harrison. She was going to marry a man she didn’t love for the sake of her father’s business—and give up her own identity in the process. That revelation had the worst kind of agony clawing through his stomach. But as much as he wanted to beg her to stay, he didn’t have the right. He never had.

Just as she finished packing, a knock sounded on the apartment door, and Clay’s heart slammed hard in his chest because he knew this was it. In another few minutes, she’d be gone, as if she’d never turned his life and emotions upside down and inside out.

She turned and met his gaze, her eyes filled with moisture and the same kind of dread that sat in his gut, holding him hostage.

“I have to go,” she whispered in an aching voice.

“I know,” he said, and did the only thing he could. He walked her to the door and delivered her to the man who’d come to take her home.





Chapter Fourteen




IT HAD ONLY been one day without Samantha, but it already felt like a lifetime to Clay. Nothing was the same without her. Not his apartment. Not the bar. And especially not his empty bed. He’d gotten so used to having her around and in his life—seeing her smile, hearing her laugh, and smelling the sweet scent of whatever she’d decided to bake for the day. For the rest of his life, he knew that nothing would ever fill the cavernous hole inside of him that losing Samantha had left behind.


He loved her, and his main regret was that he’d never told her. But keeping that declaration buried deep inside of him had been the right thing to do. She was back home and safe from Wyatt, though Clay tried not to think about the fact that she’d most likely give in to her father’s demands to marry Harrison. Fuck. That thought alone, and knowing that any other man had the right to touch her, made him crazy.

“Jesus Christ, Clay,” Levi said, frowning at him from his seat across the bar, a hint of compassion in his brother’s gaze. “I know that Samantha leaving has thrown you for a loop, but I need you to pay attention to what I’m about to tell you.”

Thrown him for a loop? Hell, he’d been walking around in a fog, like a Goddamn lost puppy, emotionally shredded and lost without her. And everyone was treating him with kid gloves, including both of his brothers. There was nothing he could do to change the decision that Samantha had made, and in fairness to her, he hadn’t even tried. So he forced his mind to clear so he could concentrate on the important information that Levi was here to share with him.

“I’m good,” he said assured Levi gruffly, bracing his arms on the surface of the bar. “What did you find on Wyatt?” Clay wanted the prick out of their lives as quickly as possible, and hopefully for good this time.

“A lot of expected shit,” Levi told him. “His criminal history is long and quite notable, with a few convictions, but his time served has been minimal.”

Clay swore beneath his breath. “Is there no f*cking justice in this world?”

“Actually, there is.” A triumphant smile curved Levi’s lips, as if he’d been holding back the best part. “While running his prints through the system, there was a match. He has a warrant out for his arrest.”

Clay couldn’t deny the anticipation that surged through him. “For?”

“First-degree murder.”

A sick feeling of triumph shot through Clay, knowing that just maybe the monster would finally get what he deserved. “What did he do?”

“It was about a year ago. He was living with a woman who’d been arrested numerous times for drug possession and solicitation,” Levi said, bringing back memories of their own mother’s addictions and how Wyatt had taken advantage of her weakness, which was apparently the *’s MO. “According to the files and records, his DNA was all over the crime scene, but they couldn’t find him. He must have been lying low all this time. Like, underground low, because he’s managed to avoid being caught and arrested.”

“Yet he’s surfaced now, asking for money. He must owe someone he’s more afraid of than prison time,” Clay mused. “So where does that leave us?”

“I talked to the detective on the case, told him the situation, and they’re already in the process of setting up a sting to take him into custody whenever and wherever he tells you to meet him.”

“What about the exchange of money?” First thing this morning, Clay had called his banker to set the withdrawal of cash in motion, but since it was such a large amount, he wouldn’t be able to pick it up until the end of the day.

Levi shook his head. “The chief of police doesn’t want a civilian involved in the takedown. They obviously want to keep any casualties to a minimum. Trust me, we don’t need the blackmail and extortion charges to put this guy away. There is more than enough evidence to convict Wyatt, and murder is a capital charge, which means life without parole. He’s going to rot in prison.”

Clay exhaled a deep breath, releasing it slowly. He couldn’t deny the relief he felt at knowing that finally justice would be served. But he wouldn’t truly be able to relax until the f*cker was behind bars, where he belonged.

“All you need to do is let me know the time and place as soon as you hear from Wyatt, and the PD will take care of everything else.”