Chapter 14
Fiona POV
I laugh and take a sip of my drink. Why would Nolan be here? He’s probably still at the office, working late like usual. Not that he would be out drinking. I’m pretty sure it was a fluke that he was out the night we met.
As I finish off my glass of wine, a man dressed in a maroon suit and shiny black tie comes up beside me. The outfit is unlike anything I’ve seen with gold and black accents. Usually men wear black, blue, or gray suits, but this guy is dressed to stand out.
“Hey, beautiful.”
I turn back to the front, motioning for a third glass of wine.
“How are you tonight?” The man asks.
“Are you alone?”
“What’s a beautiful woman like you doing here by yourself?”
Sighing, I tip my glass back. I didn’t expect him to talk to me, or to continually ask questions. A buzz develops in my head as I turn to look at the man.
“Sorry. I’m not in the mood to socialize right now,” I say, channeling the cold tone Nolan always uses. Maybe this man will leave me alone if I give him the cold shoulder. But, of course, he doesn’t. Instead, he leans on the bar and turns fully toward me.
“So, she does speak,” he says with a grin. I pretend not to see or hear him, sipping on my wine again. Maybe he’ll get the hint this
time.
Again, he leans in and asks, “Are you here with anyone?”
Annoyed, I glance at him and finally answer, “No, and I’d like to drink my wine in peace.”
He ignores my cold glare and smiles because he clearly has no ability to read the room. If I wanted to be bothered by men who think they have the right to push women around, I would have stayed at the office.
“My name is Billy Robinson, and I can tell you’ve got something on your mind. I’d like to help you if you’ll let me,” he introduces, holding his hand out and cocking his head to the side with an interested quirk of his eyebrows.
“Why would I speak to you?” I have to wonder if he’s just digging into my life to get me talking.
The smile I receive tells me exactly that. He wants to talk for some reason, but I don’t know this man. Does he think just because I’ve been drinking that I’d open up and tell him anything? The thought has me wondering, is this how he flirts?
“I’m not like the other men who come to bars to pick up women,” Billy says, and I take another drink of wine. “Actually, I didn’t come here to find a date, but when I saw you, I knew you needed some help.”
“And how could you tell that?” I ask, narrowing my eyes. I try to ignore the buzzing in my ears and the loud music to hear his
Chapter 14
response.
“I’m a detective, so I—”
+40 Bonus
“A detective? I’ve been looking for a detective because I–I…” I shake my head. I just met this man. I don’t know if I can trust him. Though, my interest is piqued. Every detective I spoke with today turned me down, but maybe Billy could help in a way the others couldn’t.
I try not to get my hopes up as I throw back the rest of my wine and turn to Billy.
“Can you help with anything?” I ask, and Billy nods. “What if I have a problem with the King’s son–in–law?”
Billy’s eyebrows jump up before his eyes shift to the side in thought. He stays silent for a moment, a frown tugging the corner of his lips down before he looks at me again and says, “You know murder is illegal, right?”
“Murder? No, I don’t want him murdered, but I do want to know if you can help me dig into something,” I say, waving my hands in front of my face. I may hate Andy, but I don’t want him murdered.
“I can help with that. Do you want me to dig into his past or something else?”
“He stole my research, and I want to know if he’s done it to anyone else,” I explain while fiddling with the empty glass in front of me. I shouldn’t drink anymore.
The blur in my gaze and the buzz in my ears tells me I’ve had a bit too much to drink, so I push the glass away. It wouldn’t do me any good to become drunk. The last time I got drunk, I slept with a stranger, which I probably shouldn’t do again.
“Can you find evidence of other instances of plagiarism? Andy stole research years ago, and I think he’s still doing it now,” I inform him, thinking about the patent he plagiarized. I went to jail for that, but I won’t let him get away with it anymore.
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