Page 101 of Beautiful Revenge

“I know. He’s all that and more. Trust me, I just flew across the country with him.I know.”

Her eyes widen farther. “You joined the Mile High Club in your father’s plane, and I’m just now finding out about it?”

“Not technically.” I shift my weight thinking about it. “Parts of me might have ... I guess.”

“Again, what the fuck?”

“I’ll fill you in on that later. We have too much to go over right now. Let’s just say, I dodged more than one bullet by ditching Albert. I’m alive and I won’t have to endure boring sex.”

“Yeah,” Chrissie deadpans. “A real double whammy.”

“Let’s get back to my dad so I’m prepared when he wakes up. You’re sure he knows all?”

“Let’s see if I covered everything.” She puts her hand up and starts counting off the bullet points of my life on her fingers. “Albert wanting to off you. Janie trying to off your dad. Allen acting weird as shit. You cutting Allen off. You moving to Winslet. Me being in charge of your father’s emails, which has opened my eyes to the secret sauce of billionaires. Oh, and that you kidnapped him to save his life.” She takes a breath and drops both hands to her sides since she was about to run out of fingers. “I did not include the fact you have hooked up with a prior British Intelligence agent, or the fact you were shot at. I didn’t want to push him over the edge. I had to leave some of the fun for you.”

“Honestly, you’re worth double your weight in gold. I don’t know what I’d do without you. I’ll fill him in eventually about the shooting, and he’ll know about Devon soon enough.”

“Personally, I’d leave out the kinky shit you probably did on his plane.”

“Obviously.”

Chrissie rolls her eyes. “Though, you can tell me anytime.”

“Later.” I glance back to my father’s room. “I’m staying until he wakes up. Go back to the hotel and get a good night’s sleep. There’s no need to hurry back. I’ll handle things while I’m here. You deserve more of a break than this, but it’s the best I can do for now.”

That wipes the sarcasm right out of her, and she proves she’s more of a friend than an employee. “Are you sure? I can stay with you in case you need anything. This has to be emotional for you.”

“I’m fine. I promise.” I pull my friend in for a hug before holding her by the shoulders. “We won’t be able to stay long, and you need the break. Take it. Devon is here if I need anything.”

She contemplates me. “Why do I feel like I’ve been replaced by a hot Brit?”

“Never.” I give her a squeeze before letting go. “I’d never be able to survive without you. You’re stuck with me. And for the time being, my dad.”

“Yeah, working for you and working for your father are two very different worlds. It’s much easier to give money away than it is to make it.” She finally gives in. “Okay, I’ll take you up on the break, only because I need a shower and thirty-six hours of sleep.”

“Go. I’ll call you if there’s a turn of events.”

“You’d better. But, seriously, Harlow, kidnapping a billionaire might be the most satisfying thing I’ve ever done. I can’t wait for you to talk to him. I’m so happy for you.”

Emotion overwhelms me. “I can’t wait. Thank you for everything.”

She gives me one more hug before finally leaving me.

I can’t wait for Dad to wake up.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

WHO ARE YOU?

Devon

“Igo out of town for a work trip only to return and find out you’re tapping phones. And not just anyone’s phone, but Victor-fucking-Turner, who’s almost as smart as me. What the fuck are you thinking?”

I juggle bags of takeout from a neighborhood Greek restaurant. “You know my past, Ozzy. You think I don’t know who Turner is? I fucking do.”

Ozzy’s tone is as serious as the subject at hand. “And you think he doesn’t have the systems in place to alert him of a system breach let alone his cell phone? And not just any basic cell. He’s on his own system like we are. We’re talking Fusion Logic. He doesn’t own one satellite system like Crew Vega does—he owns many. This is major shit. When I gave you access, you said you were going to nose around. This is not that. You don’t do something like this without discussing it with me first.”

I walk through the sliding doors of the hospital that’s tucked away in the woods in upstate New York. I’ve got to give it to Harlow, she didn’t fuck around when she decided to kidnap her father. This place is private and secure. I’m surprised I found a restaurant anywhere close by.