Aftershock by Sylvia Day

want me to know my family was being used to further a Rutledge agenda.”
    “If that’s the case, it probably won’t be the last time. How do you feel about that?”
    “Pissed. How can he say he loves me, and then do things that I have a problem with?”
    “That’s a question you have to ask him. Sooner rather than later.”
    Lei had just reaffirmed what I already knew, but it was still valuable to have my position confirmed.
    Now I just had to prepare myself for what I’d do once I got the answer.
    * * *
    When my lunch break rolled around, I checked my smartphone and saw I’d missed a callback from Deanna. I headed to one of Savor’s conference rooms for privacy, passing LaConnie, who was arranging a new display of branded spices and seasonings on the shelf behind her reception desk.
    She waved as I passed, and I complimented her on the kick-ass red pantsuit she was wearing.
    I was smiling when I entered the same conference room where I’d taken Jax when he visited Savor. That memory helped alleviate some of the nervous anticipation I felt when I dialed Deanna’s number.
    “Gianna,” she greeted me. “Glad we got past the game of phone tag.”
    “Me, too. How are you?”
    “Excellent. Hang on. Let me move somewhere more quiet.” A moment later, the background noise of multiple people talking at once disappeared. “So I looked into the Rutledges, focusing on Leslie Rutledge as you suggested. You’ve got great instincts—I hit a gold mine with that one.”
    “Oh?” A shiver of unease slid down my spine.
    “The family had her committed to a sanitarium for a few months. It was after she was released that she disappeared from public view. There were some rumors back then, nothing concrete, but now I’ve got a reliable source.”
    My gut twisted. I started pacing.
    “I can’t confirm what kind of mental illness she had,” Deanna went on, “but the real story here is that she was expendable. She had a problem and they packed her up, out of sight.”
    “You don’t know that!” I thought of the photos of Leslie in Jax’s living room. He hadn’t forgotten her.
    “Uh, yeah. I do. Just a minute.” The receiver was muffled, then, “Anyway. More details will emerge after the story breaks. They always do.”
    I straightened, panicked. “What do you mean ‘after the story breaks’?”
    “It’s news and about to be public knowledge.”
    “That wasn’t the deal!”
    “What deal?” Deanna shot back. “We didn’t have one beyond you paying me for my time, which I won’t be collecting on because this is going to pay off in other ways.”
    “You can’t run this story!” I hissed, circling the conference table with angry strides.
    “It’s already done, Gianna. Your name isn’t mentioned, so don’t worry about that. Listen, I’ve got to go. I just wanted to give you a head’s up and say thanks. Take care, all right?”
    She hung up and my smartphone disconnected before I’d even lowered the phone from my ear.
    * * *
    I left the conference room in a rage, so pissed I could hardly see straight. I was as furious with myself as I was with Deanna. How could I not have foreseen the possibility that she’d use the information she found?
    “Your man knows how to treat you right,” LaConnie said as I passed her again. “I just set another delivery on your desk.”
    Cringing inwardly, I felt the weight of guilt on my shoulders. The sight of pure white lilies next to my phone damn near closed off my throat.
    I plucked off the attached card.

    I’m waving the white flag of surrender.
    I love you, baby. We’ll talk tonight.

    Jax had signed the card, but his signature blurred amid my anxious tears.
    Worse than the violation of his privacy, I feared that such personal revelations about his mother would hurt him deeply. Her pictures in the living room of our home told me he had cared for her, but his reluctance to talk about her suggested the topic was painful.
    And now the world would know about her,