Billionaire Misery by Lexy Timms Page A

last year. I didn’t lie.”
    “You never said he was your father.” Her words were bitter and angry.
    Katie moaned in the front seat. “Holy shit, Charlie! They...they always said you were dead.” She turned around in the seat and Craig tried to smile, but nothing came.
    He said, “I don’t remember my family . He said they moved me from place to place early on. I guess our mother...”
    “Your mother,” Katie shot back. “I was born to a surrogate.”
    Craig shook his head. “None of this is my fault, Katie. I mean being his kid. Not any more than it is that you’re his kid.”
    She said, “I’m not blaming you. I just...” she fell silent.
    Jessie moved away from him, squeezing her body into the corner the farthest from him. Hurt and anger welled up. Well, he had every right to be pissed as well. He moved to the far side of his seat and grimaced at his sore ribs. He had a feeling a couple of them might be broken, or at least bruised very badly.
    Morgan asked, “Where can we go?”
    “Hide in plain sight,” Jessie suggested. “A hotel.”
    Morgan nodded. “Good idea. But don’t you think that they’ll check—?”
    “I’ll check us in. I have other ID.” Her voice carried weariness.
    A fresh burst of anger welled up inside of Craig. Was she kidding? Who was she, really? He wanted to ask, and he would. But first they had to go somewhere that he could get her alone.

CHAPTER 9
    J essie stared out the window as the streets flashed past. She’d blown her cover, and there was no going back. Morgan was furious, and she had no idea how Craig felt about her being an agent. One moment he seemed furious, the next apologetic. And she’d shot him! The smartass had been wearing a bullet-proof vest; how had she not noticed that?
    Everything had gone from complicated to convolutedly explosive. She didn’t know how she felt about him either. Everything in her screamed that she had to leave, and now. Take the files and run like hell. Try to get to Fields.
    But the other part of her wanted, maybe even needed, to stay and find out why.
    Why he hadn’t told her.
    Why he hadn’t trusted her.
    That last was almost laughable, and she knew it.
    She hadn’t trusted him either.
    She could have told him she was a cop. They’d been working toward the same goals. Or at least she thought that they were. But she’d had no real idea what he was doing. Or who he was doing it for. Or who he was.
    Craig couldn’t be trusted, that was a fact. Neither could she. Her eyes squeezed shut and she tried to hold back the sobs rising in her chest. She’d come too far and she’d lost too much already to go back. It was too late for regrets, and too late to try to have something with Craig. Both of them were playing their own end game, and she had no idea how either of them would win at all.
    They stopped at a very expensive hotel. Jessie shrugged. “Well, at least I’m dressed for the place.” She managed a smile and climbed out of the car. For one heart-pounding moment she was positive that they’d drive off and leave her there, alone, but when she walked back out of the lobby they were still there.
    Then she’d heard Craig through the open window. “If they don’t let her in, she’ll probably just shoot them.
    She’d lost Craig. Even if he still wanted her after finding out she was an agent, she couldn’t be with him. He was a Wilkes. She couldn’t betray her family, or forget that his had taken hers.
    Jessie leaned in and said, “I rented the penthouse. Might as well go all out. It has a private elevator, security cameras everywhere, and a guard who’s a robot, literally. The elevator has a robotic guard and the only way to get in or out is to use the key, which, once keyed, can’t be changed without the person who rented the room physically returning the old key.”
    They trudged through the lobby. Their finery was bedraggled, and Craig had a hole in his shirt which he covered with his hand. It reminded Jessie that