Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 78364 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78364 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
I was around the pool when Davis stepped in front of me.
“Haven’t you done enough damage?”
He was furious; I could see it all over his face. And I understood, I did. If someone hurt Bodhi, I’d kill them. “Listen, I’m sorry for how everything—”
“Fuck you, Jed. You should have just let them be happy.”
It was exactly what I’d wrestled with for so long, but I’d made my choice, and now I realized it was the best one for Bodhi as well. Because really, for better or worse, no one loved him as much as I did.
Taking a step back because I didn’t want him to try and hurt me and then I would have to defend myself, I tried to go around him, but he put out a hand that came dangerously close to grazing my bad shoulder. “The hell are you—”
“You’ve got Bodhi so turned around that I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s delaying the wedding until later in the fall. What the hell were you thinking?”
I was going to say there wasn’t going to be a wedding, but it wasn’t my place. “Listen, Bodhi and I have been called back to Chicago, so I don’t have time to—”
“Oh, I’m sure. That’s very convenient, isn’t it?”
“No, it’s not, it’s an emergency and—”
“Jed,” Hank began, coming up beside me, taking firm hold of my bicep like I was one of his kids. “While I appreciate everything you’ve done for my family, this is actually a very important party to introduce my son to donors who—”
“Hayden is going to run for a Senate seat here in Washington in two years,” Emily railed at me, her voice a harsh whisper. I hadn’t seen her a moment ago, but she was there, suddenly at Hank’s elbow. “I know Bodhi must have told you, so I can only conclude that you’re trying to sabotage his—”
“I’m taking care of this,” Hank informed his wife coldly. “Please let—”
“Wait,” Davis ordered them through clenched teeth. “Hayden hasn’t had time to tell Bodhi about his plans to—”
“It’s Redeker, right?”
All conversation stopped, and Davis, Hank, Emily, and other people I didn’t know all turned to look at the man who had asked me a question. I did too, and though he seemed familiar, I couldn’t place him.
“Yes, it is,” I answered, and when I did, he smiled and offered me his hand.
“I’m Duncan Stiel, Commander of the Eighteenth District in Chicago.”
“Oh, yessir, you’re friends with my boss.”
“And you and Ian Doyle got sent out on some shady missions to help find Sam Kage’s son a place to live.”
I exhaled, calming, and it was strange because Stiel and I weren’t friends, but he was like a safe port in the storm, and I was very thankful. I didn’t want to get loud or mean, and I was saved from having to be that guy who made a scene. “Not shady, but yeah. Some of the places we looked at—in our off time, I might add—were a bit sketchy.”
He chuckled, and I had the real urge to hug him.
“This is my husband,” he announced as the real estate mogul and philanthropist Aaron Sutter joined us. “Aaron, this is Josiah Redeker. He works for Sam.”
Sutter’s expression, which had been flat, devoid of emotion, cold even, was suddenly bright, and I was treated to the smile that was all over the internet and graced magazine covers like Barron's and Forbes. His whole face came to life, and the man was stunning. “Pleasure to meet you, Deputy US Marshal,” he said, extending his hand.
I took it and found his grip firm and warm. “The pleasure’s mine, sir.”
“Whatever are you doing so far from home?”
“My partner and I were—oh, here he is,” I said as Bodhi reached me, his hand going immediately to my back. “Mr. Sutter, this is my partner, Bodhi Callahan.”
“Marshal Callahan,” he greeted Bodhi, taking his hand next. “I was just asking your partner what brings you to Seattle.”
“We were visiting, sir. But we’ve been recalled, and our boss wants us at the airport right this second, so we have to—”
“Oh, well, please, let us be of assistance,” Mr. Sutter rushed out. “If you’re going back to Chicago, you can hitch a ride with us, as we’re leaving shortly.”
Bodhi cleared his throat. “Sir, we don’t want to impose on—”
“No, no, no, it’s not an imposition in the least,” Mr. Sutter insisted.
“It’s not. Really,” Stiel stressed, and I got the feeling that us needing to leave was the best news he’d heard all night. I had to wonder what a career cop from Chicago—and I was aware, as was everyone, that he’d come up through the ranks; not to mention, people everywhere were enraptured with the story of the cop and the billionaire—was doing at whatever high-class function was happening at the Burdine home? “We don’t want to make Sam Kage wait.”