Page 21 of Secret Revenge

Control yourself, Travis. This could get awkward if you can’t.

I mentally cursed at the thought of having to keep a professional distance between us. But it would be better than never seeing her again.

10

EMILY

My adrenaline shot through the roof as I walked into the grand foyer of the massive Ross building.

I stared up at the tall glass and metal arcs of the entryway that rose several meters into the sky. None of the pictures had done justice to the towering glass structure that glimmered like a stretch of ocean in the sunlight. But the space also felt wasteful and horribly intimidating. I could count the number of times I’d felt so small in my whole life on the fingers of one hand.

The interior screamed ‘wealth.’ The foyer was massive and ornately furnished with powerful works of art that I was sure had cost a fortune. It was obvious that billions of dollars had gone into creating this place.

I cleared security and was met by a lady dressed in one of the sharpest suits I’d ever seen. It made me self-conscious of my own outfit, a simple dress. I thanked my stars I didn’t show up in my jeans and top as I had originally considered doing.

“Good morning. I’m Jessica,” the elegant lady said. “You’re one of the journalists?”

“I am, good morning.” I returned her smile uneasily and she handed me a name tag.

“Please, right this way.” She gestured to a group of people standing in a corner of the massive room. The other invited journalists.

Watching Jessica walk in front of me, I wished I had stepped it up a bit. Fortunately, several of the other journalists seemed to feel the same way. A couple of them actuallyhadshown up in T-shirts and jeans.

I recognized several of the journalists from their byline pictures, and had met a few previously. I said polite hellos, but avoided any heavy mingling with the group.

While we waited, I prayed silently that I wouldn’t bump into Travis. I didn’t think it was likely, seeing how he was the CEO and would have more important business to attend to. I hoped we were met by one of his brothers, neither of whom knew me personally.

The worst thing was, a part of mewantedto see him. That was the part of me that, at this point, could get me and Michael killed if it blew my cover.

I hadn’t been able to get him out of my mind. That wasn’t wholly unusual: I was working on a case about him, after all, and had been low-key obsessed with what his family had done to mine my entire life.

But this was different. My thoughts of Travis would start with burning anger, then change tone as I found the wicked smirk he wore in my headsexy. And then I’d feel his hands on me, and his mouth, and hear that low growl in his throat…

I shook my head, desperate to clear it. From him saving me from Kyle to us ending up in bed together in the craziest one-night stand I ever had in my entire life.

That’s all it was, I told myself. Adrenaline. That was why our one night together had felt so intense. I just had to push through my hormonal urges and do my job.

I gritted my teeth and tried not to imagine how he might have reacted to my disappearing. Probably he had a different girl every night, at least one of them, and was grateful that I hadn’t stuck around to make things complicated.

Probably. But what if. What if he missed me?

Don’t even think about it, Emily. There is no world where you can live happily ever after with him.

I sat up straight in my chair at the conference room table, smiled brightly, and was immensely grateful that nobody in the room could read my thoughts.

Jessica, who had stepped away from the group at some point, returned smiling broadly. “Alright then! Shall we start the tour? Please stay attached to this main group at all times and keep your visitors’ tag on. Thank you.”

Jessica led us away from the foyer on a tour of the company, pointing out floors and rooms she thought were important. She gave an account of the company’s history so far that was so whitewashed it made my skin crawl.She skillfully introduced our group to various key figures, steering us through the corridors with practiced ease

I could barely pay any attention to Jessica as I hung behind the crowd, making a mental map of everything I saw. I fought off the pressing panic and excitement as we moved deeper into the employees-only areas of the building.

Get the information and get out. The sooner you’re out, the less likely you are to be arrested or murdered.

Then the elevator opened onto a floor even grander than the others.

“We are on the executive floor,” Jessica informed us, “and you will have the opportunity to meet with all of the company’sexecutives personally during the duration of this exercise. They want you to get to know who they really are.”

My stomach did a backflip.