Billionaire's Second Chance At Love

Chapter Seventy-Three

Eric stormed into the office of his uncle, James Logan, and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.

"How dare you?" he growled in his face, seething with blinding rage. "I told you not to even look in her direction, and you went behind my back and called for an attack on her? What the hell is wrong with you?"

A look of shock passed over James' face before he realized what it was about, and he couldn't help but roll his eyes. He dropped his hands from Eric's wrists and yanked himself away from the young man's grip.

"Damn, you're smitten," he scoffed, shaking his head and tugging at his shirt to brush off any wrinkles this little inconvenience might have caused. He backed away and moved behind his desk once more. "There's no need to be so mad, however. I didn't order a hit on her. I just wanted to scare her a little. That..." He looked back up at Eric and grinned way too sweetly for it to be genuine. "You never said I couldn't. Besides, let me remind you that you're not the one calling the shots; I am. If I think someone is becoming a problem, I will take whatever action I deem necessary. You don't have a say in this."

"I don't have a say?" Eric growled, pounding the desk with his fist. "I'm the only one standing between you and the cops. If I didn't do what I do to keep all your illegal activities out of anyone's sight, you would be behind bars by now."

"Oh, come on," James rolled his eyes. "You think you're doing me a favor? You're saving your own ass. Let's not forget that if I go down, you'll go down with me. You're too deep into this damn mess, Eric. Way too deep."

"I can't believe you're making this about me," Eric grimaced, his anger unabated. "I've been protecting you, but don't ever think I won't walk away if you push me too far."

James leaned back in his chair, a sly grin on his face. "You won't, Eric. You're in this as deep as I am. Besides, we're family, aren't we?"

"Family or not, there are limits, James. I can't keep cleaning up your messes if you're going to make reckless decisions like this."

* * *

Molly was sitting at her home, her palms pressed against her eyes.

"I can't believe it's been a week and there's no sign of her," her voice held a sadness that tugged at the strings of Jasper's heart, tearing it apart.

He moved away from the window in her sitting room and sat down next to her on the couch. He weaved his fingers through her hair, unsure of the rules for comforting a woman but also desperately wanting to say something to make her feel better. He couldn't believe he had never felt anything like this for anyone in his entire playboy life. It was like being born again, feeling again, and getting hurt every time worry crossed her face.

So exhausting, but so damn worth it.

"The cops are doing everything they can to find her. I'm sure we'll hear something very soon. Don't lose hope, please. It's all going to be okay."

Molly lifted her head, and for the first time, Jasper saw the tears reddening her eyes. If he thought his heart had been torn apart before, now it felt like it had been dropped into a paper shredder.

"I'm just so worried about her. The way that car was found," her voice broke, and she shook her head. "What if... what if something happened—"

Jasper tightened his grip on Molly's hand, trying to offer as much comfort as he could. He knew that there were no words that could erase her fears, but he needed to be there for her.

"I get it. It's natural to be concerned, but we can't jump to conclusions. The police will do their best to find out what happened. Besides, they never found the bodies, dead or alive. That means we can't lose hope. Maybe she was taken somewhere else after the accident. Perhaps she's in some hospital, unconscious. What if she hit her head and went into a coma? It's possible, right? She's alive; she just can't contact us right now. That has to count—"