Page 221 of Soul So Dark

“You don’t say,” I deadpan, stepping past him and rounding the desk.

Without a word, I squeeze the back of her hair and slowly tip her head back to give her a long, lingering kiss.

“Aren’t you supposed to be on the West side?” I ask as I straighten up again.

The deflated look on his face suggests that I’ve made my point. I wasn’t going to mention our relationship to anyone until after Tulum, but I also wasn’t going to tolerate Gavin’s insolence for that long. Which is why I make my intentions even clearer as I accompany him on the remainder of his rounds.

“This hallway is mine for the rest of the summer, andsheis mine from now on.”

Three months and one wedding later, I’ve kept my promise.

“Alex!”Dallas spins around with excitement as soon as I walk into her office today. “I havethebest idea.”

“Oh?”

A grin plastered across her face, she rotates her monitor so I can see it. A networking profile is pulled up with the headshot of a woman with long, curly, strawberry blonde hair.

“This isher,” Dallas whispers emphatically.

Brett Sorensen—the woman for whom Colson is dying of a broken heart and my wife has been stalking since last spring.

“OK, what about her?”

Dallas flashes her eyes. “Look where she works.”

Brett’s profile indicates that she’s been a contractor since graduating from college. I peer at the name of the company beneath hers, a local consulting group that specializes in medical device research. She has no shortage of skills; a degree in biology, experience with proposal writing, safety, compliance, budgeting, emergency management, regulations…

“What if she came to work here?” Dallas asks, practically overflowing with excitement.

“What makes you think she’d come here?”

She shoots me a knowing look. “Because she’s been a contractor for two years andno onewants to be a contractor with no benefits and no job security. I mean,hello?”

She has a point.

“You want me to convince April to find something for her to do here?”

“Youhaveto, Alex. This is it. If I can get her here, I can learn more about her, maybe even become herfriend, and eventually show her that she belongs with Colson after all. If I cantalkto her, maybe she’ll believe me,and then maybe I can bring him back. Maybeshecan bring him back.”

It's actually not a bad idea.

“You’re going to manipulate her into giving Colson another chance?”

“Exactly.”

I glance back and forth between Dallas and Brett’s headshot.

“Let me think about it,” I nod.

Dallas beams as she rotates the monitor back around.

“You did mention you wanted a pet,” I wink at her as I head for the door.

Brett Sorensen—hunted by Colson Lutz and now his sister.That poor girl, I chuckle. But, in this case, my allegiance lies with the hunters and not the hunted. And Dallas is right. Patience and strategy are what pay off, and it’s the same reason I didn’t say no when she asked me to fuck her—Riley’s girlfriend—on camera for Bowen. You’ll do a lot of things when you can see the forest for the trees.

I’m nearly to the command center when I’m suddenly flanked on both sides by my boss, Eric, and Dave, the compliance manager.

“Garrett quit,” Eric blurts out with an irritated huff.