Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 58253 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 291(@200wpm)___ 233(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58253 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 291(@200wpm)___ 233(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
She opened her mouth to argue but he interrupted. “Sounds fair since I’d do the same with my sister.” He winked at Samantha, who despite being weak, worn out, and recovering, was still beautiful to him. “He’s given us his approval, sweetheart. Take it as a win.”
“Not that we need it,” they said at the same time and burst out laughing.
Ian rolled his eyes. “You’re lucky I love you, Sammy Bean. I’m going to find my wife.”
“Sammy Bean?” Dex turned to the woman he loved and who he’d all but decided had one nickname.
Beautiful. That’s what he called her and how he thought of her.
Mine, came next.
Her cheeks were bright red. “Come over here and kiss me,” she said, clearly wanting to change the subject.
Good thing he was on board.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Samantha had been home for three days… at Dex’s home, she amended. He’d been insistent she come to his apartment so he could take care of her in a place where she had no memories of Jeremy. Put like that, how could she refuse? She had no desire to return to the unit she’d shared with her ex. And she wanted to be with Dex.
She lay beneath a blanket on the sofa in the living room, frustrated by her inability to move without pain. She still needed to take the narcotics they’d sent her home with from the hospital and warned her she might need them for a short while. Not to overdo it. She was grateful to have Dex taking care of her but over being immobile and in pain when she moved.
After she’d settled in with Dex, her mother, Ian, and Riley had gone home but not until they’d brought over a suitcase of her comfiest clothes, and courtesy of the women, her toiletries. The rest of her siblings had been FaceTiming her nonstop and with so many of them, she’d had to limit how long she could talk to each between naps. Even Dex’s siblings, his father, and girlfriend, Lizzie, had stopped by for short visits, which she appreciated, as it gave her time to get to know them better.
The doorbell rang and she remained where she was.
“I’ve got it,” Dex called out and walked out from the office where he’d been on a long business call. They hadn’t discussed his situation with the network since their last conversation and she didn’t know what he planned to do, but he’d been tied up on the phone for a while.
He strode to the entry and she heard the sound of mumbled male voices before Dex finally returned with Remy and the NYC detective who’d interviewed her.
“Are you up to talking?” Dex asked.
She nodded and carefully shifted to a more upright position, working with the discomfort. “Yes. What can I do for you, Detective?”
“I’m glad to see you’ve been released from the hospital. May I sit?”
She nodded, noting that Dex had settled in by her stretched-out feet, and Remy stood by his side.
The detective cleared his throat and leaned forward. “We started by checking the CCTV cameras outside your building during the shooting. Jeremy ducked into the nearest subway station, which necessitated watching footage of each stop to see if he exited somewhere with a working camera.”
He said the last word with disgust, indicating his frustration with technology. She knew from watching the news about the lack of funding to pay for repairs and updated videos cams, and didn’t blame him for his reaction.
“Any luck?” she asked, though she already sensed the answer.
He shook his head. “No. We’d also been working the family angle, interviewing those close to Jeremy Rollins. Mother, father, sister, friends, and his ex-girlfriend.”
“Marley?” Samantha had no idea whether or not those two were still together. She hadn’t given it any thought.
“Yes. Marley Simmons.”
She made a face of distaste the detective ignored.
“His family closed ranks,” he went on.
No surprise there, Samantha thought.
“But Marley was happy to cooperate—after being reminded she was Mr. Rollins’s personal assistant since the business opened… and until recently, there was every likelihood we could make a case against her as an accessory.”
Shocked, Samantha sat forward and immediately regretted the motion, moaning. “Ouch. Dammit.”
Dex squeezed her foot. “Careful,” he said in a concerned voice.
Marley being involved was something she’d never considered, but she hadn’t had much time to think between discovering her ex had been embezzling and the shooting.
“Can you make a case against Marley?” Samantha asked.
“We are investigating every angle,” the detective said, sidestepping the question and being cagey with his answer. “But she did mention a cabin Rollins purchased that never came up during our questioning of the family or records search. Apparently, the two of them spent time together there,” he said, shooting Samantha an apologetic glance.
She shook her head, well past caring about what Jeremy had done to her. If she was going to be all in with Dex, her romantic past no longer mattered.