Page 45 of Arranged Addiction

“Now I’m a prop?”

“An attractive prop.”

“No thanks. Anything else, sir?”

“You don’t get to turn me down. I’m giving you this order as your boss.”

Her lips quirk. “Then I quit.”

“Stop being petulant.”

“If you want me around, you’ll treat me as your wife, not as your secretary.”

“Here I was thinking our relationship wasn’t even real. What do you care if you’re some pretty prop?”

She bristles slightly at that, smoothing her skirt. “I guess you have a point.”

“Good. The next meeting, stick around.” I slump back down in my seat. I have an hour break, which means I get an hour to return calls and send messages while I eat. There’s no such thing as actual downtime.

But Casey hesitates before leaving. She looks back at me, and I can tell there’s something more on her mind. I wait her out, hoping she’ll just go, but she doesn’t.

“I’ve been thinking,” she says, which is a bad sign. “Something’s bothering me.”

“Yes, wife?”

She flinches and shakes her head. “Don’t call me that.” I only stare at her and wait for her to continue. “Fine, okay, you’re such a prick. But I’ve been thinking about my parents. Some of the story Sheila told me doesn’t totally add up. Like, why were they killed? And how is your family involved?”

“There’s not much else to tell you. I don’t know the full story.” Which is partially accurate. The problem is she’s flirting dangerously close to finding out truths I’d rather were kept hidden. Truths Sheila knows better than to ever reveal.

“But you were alive when it all happened, right?”

“I was in my twenties at the time.”

“Old enough to remember.”

“Your parents weren’t exactly running in my circle.”

“You seriously don’t have anything else to tell me?”

I shake my head slowly, holding her gaze. “Not a thing.”

I can tell that frustrates her. She lingers for a few seconds, glaring at me, before turning away. “I’ll have your lunch brought in when it shows up.”

“Thank you, Ms. Brennan.”

Casey leaves, and I sit alone in the conference room surrounded by papers, and I keep thinking about my name spray-painted over and over again, and what that’s supposed to mean.

Chapter 14

Casey

Sheila and Declan are definitely keeping something from me.

The problem is I have no idea what.

It’s just a vibe I’m getting. Like there are some gaps and holes in the story I was told. It’s a feeling more than anything else, but it’s bugging me.

I stew for another day. Declan drags me into a few of his family meetings, and I get a feel for his role in the business. It’s clear he’s deeply respected and even feared by most of the people who come to see him. He wields considerable power too, and at one point promises certain political outcomes will definitely happen, given enough money. Like he can bribe the entire New York legislature.