Page 116 of Luck of the Devil

“In the past, I would’ve made you swear in blood you’d return it.”

“So now I just swear without the blood?” The question wasn’t lighthearted, making it obvious he was still furious.

“Malcom,” I countered in frustration. “You just threatened to keep me from meeting my father.”

We didn’t have time for this, but I didn’t want to bring the documents with me, and I needed reassurance. Sure, he could lie, but call me a fool, I trusted him to keep his word.

He took a deep breath, then let it out. Some of his anger faded, but he was obviously still unhappy about the location change. “When you ask for them, I’ll give them to you. Now put the damn papers inside so we can beat your father there and come up a goddamn plan.”

Instead of handing paperwork over, I walked over to the safe and put the paperwork in myself. I’d half expected to see thick stacks of hundred-dollar bills, but all I saw was a short stack of twenties.

James stood directly behind me, so close I could feel the heat radiating off him.

My breath caught. A single step back and I’d be pressed against him. Every nerve in my body begged me to do it.

I squeezed my eyes shut. Get it together, Harper.

Was the Lorazepam messing with my head? It would be so easy to dismiss that as the reason, but there was no denying I‘d felt this way before I’d started taking the pills. My feelings had been there, simmering below the carefully guarded surface of my heart.

His hand came to rest on my shoulder, warm and reassuring. He gave a gentle squeeze, and I nearly leaned into it, desperate for more.

Then the pressure disappeared, and he stepped back. I realized I was blocking the safe. He’d only meant to move me, not comfort me—or whatever my imagination had come up with.

My cheeks burned with humiliation. God, how many women threw themselves at him? Probably more than he could count. I was just another fool to add to the long list.

I stepped aside, and he closed the safe, locking it with practiced ease before swinging the painting into place.

“Let’s go,” he said, his tone clipped.

He walked out of the office and through the back door without looking at me, not bothering to wait. I trailed behind, shaking my head muttering a curse under my breath.

Once I climbed into the passenger seat of the car, I turned to face him. “What’s the big deal about changing locations? It’s not like there’ll be anyone at the park at this time of night. And even if there were, it could work in our favor.”

He pulled out of the parking lot and headed for the county road. “A whole host of reasons. Did you ever confront a dangerous criminal without a well-thought-out plan?”

“You’re right,” I admitted. “It’s not the best idea, but after talking to him, I don’t think he did. He seemed surprised my grandparents didn’t blame him for Andi’s death.”

“Harper…” he said, the first time I’d ever heard a shred of pity in his voice.

“I know you think I’m being delusional, but he seemed surprised. He also claims that woman’s not his mistress, and he seemed surprised to hear she was at the bank this morning.”

He shot me a look that made it clear he thought I’d just taken a trip to the Land of Delusion.

“Look,” I said. “I didn’t say I believed him, but right now, he thinks I’m open to hearing what he has to say. If I asked him to meet at the factory, he would have shown up on the defensive. The park is a neutral location, and he’ll be more likely to talk. Especially if it’s Mulberry Park.”

“What’s so fuckin’ special about Mulberry Park?”

“It was my sister’s favorite playground.” The burning lump in my throat caught me by surprise. “He took us there a couple of times a month when we were little.”

“You think some happy memories of pushin’ you on a swing are gonna keep him from killin’ you?” He grunted in disgust.

“I don’t know,” I said. “I’m the first to admit that I don’t know him as well as I wish I did, but this seemed like the way to go.”

He was quiet for a moment as though considering my words, then his shoulders stiffened again. “A million things could go wrong with this plan. In the first place, I’m not familiar with that location.” He got more worked up with each word. “I need be somewhere close enough to hear what’s going on but also stay hidden.”

“I told him to meet me by the playground,” I said. “There’s a section that has a playhouse with a slide. I figured you could hide up there.”

“What?” he barked. “You expect me to come down the goddamn slide with my gun blazin’? This isn’t some goddamn action movie!”