Page 131 of Beautiful Revenge

“I’ll check around. I’m sure we can find you something.”

“Thank you.” She glances around the conference room like she’s just taking in the place for the first time. “When can I start?”

I think about my calendar. “How soon can you be here?”

She pulls her lip between her teeth and hesitates. “I’m here, so the sooner the better. I’m staying ... nearby. I’llhave to find something more permanent—or ninety-days-permanent.”

“The sooner the better is good with me. I’ll have someone go over your paperwork and explain your benefits before you leave.”

She’s gone from anxious to relieved. “Thank you. I can’t believe I’m going to work here. I mean, it’s The Manor at Winslet. This is incredible.”

“It’s something, all right,” I mutter and wonder if she doesn’t watch the news. Maybe gunshots don’t faze her.

I have no idea where she’s staying, but now I need to check around town for a rental.

Maybe she’ll work out. I need this place to run like a well-oiled machine so I can cash in on my investment, sign checks, and focus on Harlow.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

BOUNDARIES AND CONSEQUENCES

Harlow

Adeep voice greets me on the other end of the line. “Hello?”

My stomach flips. “Is this Jett Cross?”

A silent pause hovers over the line so long, I begin to think we got disconnected or he changed his mind and wants nothing to do with me.

“Yeah, this is Jett.”

I shut my eyes and swallow over my emotions. Anxiety, dread, and hope swirl within me. “My name is Harlow Madison. We spoke over email. I’m your?—”

He cuts me off, and I can’t tell if he’s happy or pissed or surprised. “My sister.”

“Yes,” I whisper and force myself to clear my throat. Devon stands behind me offering support as we look out the floor-to-ceiling windows over the lake from his suite. “I got the letter this afternoon. But, yes, I’m your sister.”

“I got the same letter.” Unlike me, he doesn’t sound one bit emotional. “I’ve got to say, I’m a little surprised you got back with me instead of Patrick Madison. I guess that says a lot.”

“No.” I stop him right there as my defenses come up for my father—ourfather. “For reasons I don’t want to get into right now, Dad and I didn’t get your emails until recently.In fact, I responded as soon as I saw them. But Dad has been dealing with some health issues. He’s fine now, but he is still recovering. I made the decision to wait until we got the DNA results back to talk to him. In fact, we just got off the phone. He knows about you. He was...” I pull in a deep breath as I think back on the emotional conversation with Dad. “Surprised, obviously. But not in a bad way.” I internally groan at myself for tripping over my words. “I’m saying all the wrong things. I’m sorry, this is new.”

“Yeah, it’s not new for me,” he states, but he doesn’t sound angry. He sounds almost despondent. “It’s been a journey, that’s for sure.”

“I can’t express how sorry I am. Like I said, Dad and I weren’t receiving your emails. But we’re here now. I’d really like to meet you.” I don’t want to admit that I’ve had him checked out by people who are more connected than the CIA since they work under their own rules, which means no rules at all. “I’m in Winslet on the west coast right now. I’m closing on a house here next week and plan to live here fulltime.”

“Interesting. I read the magazine article.”

I wince. “I’m past all that, thank goodness. Come to Winslet. I’ll take care of transportation and a place for you to stay.”

“That’s not going to happen. Traveling isn’t easy. You know ... commitments.”

“Oh, of course.” I glance up at Devon and shrug. “Then I’ll come to you. Let me know when and where. When Dad is able to travel, he’ll visit as well. He’s going to reach out to you soon. I told him I wanted to talk to you first.”

“The sooner the better.”

It sounds like he’s more anxious than I am. “Okay then. Send me your address. I’ll make the arrangements as soon as possible.”

“Will do.” Another pause. “I can’t believe this is happening.”