Faking Amends (BadLuckBrides series #2)

19

Ivan

"It's a fucking mess, Quinn. All of it," I tell her.

I just walked in the door, kicked my shoes off and reached for my phone. Hunched over, massaging my aching head as I come to terms with the fact that this case is going to be a long one, and its going to drain me even more than it already has.

"Well we already knew that going into it, didn't we?"

Yes, but fuck. "This woman is really trying her hardest to take him down. She's smart, she's literally fighting him with his own money. And now we're postponing the next hearing because she wants to make sure she has all her ducks in a row or some shit, I don't know."

"Hm, that could either be a good thing, or a very, very bad thing depending on what evidence she's waiting on."

I nod even though she can't see me, loosening my tie and flinging it off across the room.

"So when's the new hearing date?"

"The nineteenth."

"You're a busy man, Ivan Hartman."

"Fucking tell me about it, but the wedding's off as of right now. So I'm not nearly as busy as I was going to be."

"Wait, officially? I thought everything was going well."

"It was, until fucking Carly did what she does best. Well, really I did what I do best. It's not her fault. That's why she flew out. To get away from me for being an idiot."

"I told you you'd get enough of that one day."

"That you did, Q. That you did."

"Well, let me know how it all goes. You have a flight to catch in a few hours. Don't be late."

I definitely won't be. Something tells me this may be my last chance not to blow this.

If not, I can kiss my inheritance goodbye.

The money, the company. The house.

More than anything I want that house.

There was nothing spectacular about it, by any means. But I'd had my heart set on it for a long time. I was just waiting on the day.

That was the longest four hour flight I'd ever been on. And yes I did check my phone multiple times in case she had a change of heart.

Crazy, maybe it was me who had the change of heart.

She's not just a business venture. She's a great person, and if nothing else, even if this all falls through, I hope I can show her that I'm kind of a good person too.

A good person with a shit ton of vices. Problems with little solutions, and a whole lot of bad habits to unlearn.

But hey, I'm trying.

The summer heat out here is brutal. Sweltering, like there's a magnifying glass between me and the sun.

I take off my jacket, slinging it over my shoulder over my bag strap as I set out for a taxi. It didn't take much for Quinn to find an address. Not only is she a great PA, she sometimes doubles as a great PI. I've told her time and time again, private investigative work may be where she's headed.

But for now I just use her for small things, like sneaking in on my fake fianceé after she skips town due to my obvious fuck up.

What was I thinking? I mean, definitely not that she would pop up with lunch, even though that's so like her to do after having a great night together.