Free Be Your Everything [All for Love] (BookStrand Publishing Romance) by Peri Elizabeth Scott Page B

that something was wrong, pretending to herself that the bottom of her world hadn’t fallen out. Last night didn’t bear thinking about. She had huddled on her couch in the dark, staring at nothing, the shell-pink roses stuffed into a garbage bag at her feet. He loves me, he loves me not. He used me, yes he did. She had eventually fallen asleep sitting up, and woke with a terrible crick in her neck, and a dull headache.
    For the first time in forever, Heather hadn’t showered that morning, merely washing her face before applying a considerable amount of makeup, dragging her hair up into a clip. She lacked the energy for anything else. Choosing her outfit without casting a glance at her bed, that piece of furniture far too poignant a reminder of her naivety, was an exercise in futility. She supposed she would have to sleep in it at some point and resolved to do so as soon as possible. Kind of like getting back on the horse…bad analogy.
    Heather had one goal in mind, made roughly ten minutes after she saw Matthew in the police station, one goal she fixated on with intensity. Get Matthew out of her life in as painless and efficient a manner as possible, and spare her further heartbreak. Funny how achieving that goal didn’t leave her with much sense of accomplishment.
     
    * * * *
     
    What the hell was that all about? Manny followed the walkway to ground transportation, hefting his carry-on. Grayson dropped him at the departure entrance, thanking him again for his input, asking him to stop by if ever in the area again. The other man effectively put paid to his planned conversation with Heather. Manny cursed inventively and muttered a quick apology to the two shocked faces of the women walking just in front of him. The drive to the airport had been fraught with tension and he tried to sort out if it was Heather’s sudden blow off resonating in his head, or if Grayson had caught wind of the something coming down. His final meeting with the man felt off, but Manny wasn’t at his best to judge and knew it.
    Stepping off to the side, he wrote Heather another text. She hadn’t replied to the one he’d covertly sent from her boss’s car, a brief request that she call him in ten minutes. This time he told her he’d changed his flight and was coming to talk to her. If she wasn’t in her office when he got there, then he’d know she was running. Running from him or from the investigation? Was she involved? Shit. Too many questions. Manny chose not to send it and didn’t examine his motives. Instead, he called Bryce and explained what happened.
    “Do you think Grayson’s in the wind?”
    “I don’t know. I think he’s spooked, but hopefully he’ll still want to wait until Monday. So even if he changed his mind, it’ll be tomorrow at the earliest. But you’d better move up the time, get in earlier tomorrow, be waiting for the staff to arrive. Put your own guard on the security station downstairs to keep a lid on it.”
    “You coming here?”
    “No. I need to go back and see Heather. I want to talk to her before it comes down.”
    “You can’t give her a heads up,” Bryce warned.
    “I know that. I do this for a living, remember? I need to tell her where I stand with her, today, and give her a heads up about how I feel about her. Because she won’t talk to me again otherwise, after tomorrow.” And she might not talk to me again regardless. Something had changed between them and he had no freaking idea what it was.
    “Oh, man. I knew you’d fallen deep.” Manny didn’t say anything and Bryce sighed audibly. “Shit, Manny. This is so off. Did you get with her? More than the dating deal?”
    “I did. And I’m not giving her up.” He didn’t want to tell Bryce about the conversation that morning. It would put Heather in the line of fire. “If she’ll forgive me after the raid, I’m pursuing this, Bryce.”
    His partner was silent for a long moment then chuckled. “Never thought I’d see the day, buddy.