Billionaire's Tragedy (Standalone Book) (Billionaire Bad Boy Romance) (47 page)

I looked back at
the picture and noticed that there was an arrow on the bottom corner of the
picture pointing to the right edge. When I turned the page over, I saw the
hastily scrawled note and gasped as I read:
You're
next.

Suddenly, all of
the thoughts I'd had disappeared. I dropped the sheet of paper, grabbed my
phone, and quickly dialed Dax's number. When he answered, I simply said,
"I need to see you. Now. Please?"

"Where are
you?" he asked.

"Home,"
I said and then gave him the address. "Tell Fred to call me when you get
here, so I can verify it's you."

"Brooke,
what's going on?" he said in a voice that radiated concern.

"I can't tell
you over the phone, just get here, please?" I said as I looked over at the
table where the photos of Lydia lay spread out with the warning laying on top.

"I'm on my
way," he said without asking any more questions. "I'll be there in
ten minutes."

"Be careful,
Dax," I said softly as he disconnected.

CHAPTER
FIFTY-NINE

Dax

I
quickly drove to the address Brooke had given me and walked into the lobby.
"Are you Fred?" I asked the man behind the desk.

"Indeed, I
am," he said with a smile. "How may I help you?"

"Fred, I need
you to call up to Brooke Raines's apartment and tell her that Dax Malone is
here," I said as I pulled out my wallet and handed the man my ID. Brooke
had said she needed him to verify that it was me and, not knowing what was
going on, I simply followed her directions.

"Oh, I don't
need an ID to call and let a resident know they have a guest," he said as
he picked up the phone and punched in the number.

"She said she
wanted you to verify that it's actually me," I said seriously. Fred's
smile faded as he took my ID and studied it as he waited for Brooke to pick up
the phone.

"Ms. Raines?
I have a Mr. Malone down here for you," Fred said. "Yes, I have. Yes,
it's him. Okay, very well. I will." He set the phone down and looked at
me. "She said to send you up, but that you need to call her when you get
to her floor. Sir, is everything all right?"

"I hope so,
Fred." I took my ID back from the man and strode across the lobby to the
elevator, muttering under my breath, "I sure as hell hope so."

It didn't take
long to get to Brooke's floor and, as she requested, I dialed her number and
waited for her to pick up. When she didn't, I quickly walked down the hall to
her door and pounded on it.

"Brooke!
Brooke! Open up!" I demanded. "It's Dax!"

A few moments
later, I heard the lock click and the door cracked open a little before she
swung it all the way open and motioned me in.

"You know
that cracking the door is not the best way to protect yourself, don't
you?" I said with a wry grin.

"Shut up, I
knew it was you," she grumbled with a small smile.

"Why didn't
you answer your phone? I called like you asked," I said.

"I forgot to
take it with me when I went to change my clothes," she said. "And, I
couldn't grab it in time."

"Why change?
You look great."

"I wasn't
wearing any clothes, and I thought that might present a problem
considering..." she trailed off.

"Indeed,"
I grinned. "Not like I can't work past the layers and address the problem
now."

"Dax, be
serious," she said. "We have a problem. A real problem."

"Is that what
all this cloak and dagger stuff is about?" I asked as I looked around.
Brooke's apartment was warm and inviting, much like the woman herself.

"Yes, do you
want some coffee?" she offered.

"Nah, I'm
good for now," I replied. "Tell me what's going on."

"Dax, I got
an envelope full of pictures of Lydia today," she said as she walked over
to the table and grabbed the stack of papers off of it. "They were all
completely average, everyday shots of her doing average, everyday things."

"Then why the
freak out?"

"Because one
photo was not like the others," she said as she handed the photo to me.

It was a shot of
Lydia and I having lunch at LID, and I felt a jolt of pain as I looked at her
face. It was the day she had told me about landing a contract that was going to
make the firm solid. She'd told me that she'd been working on a deal for years
and that she'd finally secured the contracts necessary to make it happen. The
money she would earn from this deal would have given her small firm a solid
financial foundation, and she wouldn't have to do any more of the shady
hustling that she'd done to ensure her survival. She'd been trying to break the
news to me that she wouldn't be handling any more of my business, and while I'd
been pissed, I'd understood that she needed to move on in order to be
successful.

I'd hoped that
maybe this might have meant we could make a go of it personally, but Lydia had
quickly and kindly shot that idea down. She told me she'd met someone and that
they were moving in together. This picture was the moment she told me I'd
always be special to her, but that I needed to move forward and find someone
who could really care for me. She was scolding me about all the one-night
stands with the club dancers and laughing when I acted surprised that she knew.
I had thought I had kept it quiet.

"Yeah, I
remember that day," I nodded. "It was a tough one, that's for sure,
but I was happy for her."

"Oh
really?" Brooke said as she flipped the photo over and revealed the
message on the back.

"What the
fuck?" I shouted. "What does this mean?"

"I don't
know, that's why I'm asking you," she said stepping back.

"You can't
possibly think that I wrote this!" I said, trying to maintain my calm
outward appearance as I felt the heat of rage and anger boiling under the
surface. Someone had executed Lydia because I'd cared about her and now they
were after Brooke.

"I don't know
what to think anymore, Dax," she sighed. "This whole case has gotten
so messed up so fast. And you haven't been entirely honest with me about what's
gone on. So what am I supposed to think?"

"I'm not
lying to you, Brooke!" I shouted. She backed up a little and I immediately
checked myself and calmed down. "Look, I've told you the truth about my
business. I've told you the truth about Lydia. I don't know what more I can say
to get you to believe me."

"Dax, I do
believe you," she said. "I believe that you didn't kill Lydia, but
what I can't figure out is why she was targeted in the first place. Was it a
drug deal? Was it jealousy? Was it something else that I don't know about?
Every time we talk, something new comes out and I'm starting to get worried
that all of these little unknowns are going to be the thing that gets you
convicted of a murder you didn't commit!"

"Brooke,"
I said softly as I moved toward her and lifted a hand to stroke her cheek.
"I'm trying to tell you everything I know so that I can help you figure
this out. I'm not hiding anything from you."

She leaned into my
hand, closing her eyes and pressing her cheek against my fingers. I reached out
and wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her tightly against my chest.
She wrapped her arms around my waist and leaned against me as we stood there
just holding each other in silence.

"I'm not
going to let anything happen to you," I whispered.

"Don't say
things you can't guarantee," she said softly.

"Oh, I can
guarantee it," I said as I wrapped both arms around her tightly and kissed
the top of her head. "I can absolutely guarantee that I won't let anything
happen to you."

I stepped back
slightly and slipped my fingers under her chin so I could tip her face up to
look at me. Her blue eyes were full of fear and trepidation and all I wanted to
do was take it away. I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers and felt her
immediately respond. She was warm and soft, and what I needed right now was to
hold her in my arms and make all of this go away.

The kiss
intensified as our need for each other grew stronger, and she gripped my back
with her fingers as she tangled her tongue with mine. I could feel her desire
and I knew if we went any further, I wasn't going to be able to control my own.

"Brooke,"
I moaned into her lips. "Stop..."

"Shhh,"
she said as she grabbed the hem of my shirt and pulled it up, lifting my arms
away from her body as she pulled it over my head. Her lips traced a path of
fire across my chest as she tossed the shirt aside and ran her fingers down my
sides. I shivered at her touch and tried to stop her, but she was insistent as
she undid my pants and pulled them down.

"Brooke..."
I moaned as she brought her hand to her mouth and licked her palm before
wrapping her fingers around my rock hard erection and stroking it. I groaned,
unable to protest again.

"I need
to," she whispered. "Let me."

She sunk to her
knees and looked up at me as she pulled her shirt off and sat half naked at my
feet. The image of this powerful woman kneeling for me was almost more than I
could bear. I wanted to pull her up off of her knees and take her to the
bedroom, but she read my thoughts and shook her head.

"No,
don't," she whispered as she leaned forward and ran her tongue up the
length of my now aching shaft. The sensation forced a groan from my lips and I
reached down and buried my fingers in her hair, pulling it up away from her
face as she sat before me, making my cock wet and slippery.

When she'd teased
me enough to satisfy her, she leaned forward and took just the tip between her lips
and began sucking and licking in a way that drove one continuous moan from deep
inside me out of my mouth. She moved lower as she took more and more into her
mouth and I fought to maintain control.

When she turned
her eyes upward and looked at me, I groaned and felt the blood surging away
from my brain. I was afraid I was going to pass out if she continued her
ministrations.

"Brooke,
Brooke, Brooke," I exhaled, trying not to lose control. Her eyes had a
questioning look in them as she continued sliding lower and lower until I felt
the tip hit the back of her throat and then I let out a low deep growl as I
gripped her hair tightly and began pumping my hips slowly. I couldn't stop. The
feeling of her lips wrapped tightly around my shaft drove me to the edge, but
it was the knowing grin and one raised eyebrow that drove me over the edge. For
a moment, I lost control and thrust my hips forward as I felt the surge of
release rush through my body. She held me in her mouth as I let go and felt the
orgasm overtake me.

I felt the heat of
desire leaving my body as I came back to her, and I looked down to see her
still kneeling in front of me. She had pulled back and was gently cradling the
tip of my shaft between her lips as she watched me return to earth. She pulled
back and let it go as she smiled up at me.

"Better
now?" she asked.

"What the
hell was that?" I exhaled.

"I don't
know," she shrugged. "I've never done that before, but something made
me want to try."

"You've never
done that before?" I said. "I don't believe it."

"Nope,
never," she shook her head as I reached down and lifted her off of the
floor, electing a grimace as she tried to stand on legs that had fallen asleep.

"Lady, you're
a natural born talent," I said as I pulled her to me and kissed her deeply.
I knew in that moment that there wasn't anything I wouldn't do to keep this
woman safe.

"Well,
thanks," she grinned. "I'm glad to know I can do something right, for
a change."

"Brooke,"
I said seriously as I looked down into her beautiful blue eyes. "You do a
lot of things right. Don't ever doubt that for a minute."

She nodded and
then rested her cheek against my chest as she wrapped her arms around my waist.
I held her for a moment before she said, "Uh oh, isn't this what got us in
trouble in the first place?"

I laughed lightly
as I kissed her head.

#

Once
we were dressed
again, we sat down at the table and talked about what we needed to do to flush
out Lydia's killer. Brooke said she wanted to do a little investigating, but I
nixed that immediately. I didn't want her out there alone, looking for a killer
who had threatened to make her his next victim.

"Don't be
such a worrier," she told me as she sipped her coffee. "I mean, bad
things happen all the time. You can't put me in a box and wrap me in tissue
paper."

"That's a
dumb analogy," I said as I chewed the last of the bread and cheese that
Brooke had brought out as part of an afternoon spread. "You're not china,
I know that, but then, no one goes out looking to actively destroy china. It
generally sits in a box until it's needed."

"My point
exactly," she said. "I'm not going to be packed away in a box until
I'm needed. I want to be working on this case and figuring out how to get this
killer behind bars!"

"Brooke, need
I remind you that you are a lawyer, not a super detective?" I asked.

"No, you do
not, Mr. Malone," she said as she got up and began to clear away the
dishes.

"Then, let
the police do the detective work and you do the legal work when we're ready to
go to court," I said.

"Dax, does it
make any sense to you why someone would threaten me?" she turned the
conversation back toward the case.

"Not really,
why?"

"It just
seems weird that someone would specifically target your lawyers, doesn't
it?" she asked.

"Maybe,"
I shrugged.

"It seems
pretty personal," she mused as she put the plates in the sink. "They
killed Lydia and now they're saying I'm next."