Chapter 8 - THE MAN WHO CONTROLLED MY PAYCHECK
Gregory Hale had spent eleven months treating me like dirt.
He'd grabbed my arm.
Threatened my job.
Forced me to smile at men who made me uncomfortable.
And all that time, he knew who my mother was.
I stared at Samuel.
"Greg killed my mother?"
Samuel shook his head.
"We don't know whether he personally caused the accident. But Adrian's evidence suggests Gregory helped arrange the events surrounding it."
My stomach twisted.
"Then why was he working at the Velvet Lounge?"
Dante's expression darkened.
"Because someone placed him there."
I turned.
"What?"
Dante looked at Samuel.
"My club doesn't employ Gregory. The Velvet Lounge operates independently."
Samuel nodded.
"Exactly."
I felt cold.
"Someone knew I worked there."
"And wanted Gregory close enough to monitor you," Dante said.
I remembered the way Greg checked my schedule.
How he always seemed to know when Toby had appointments.
How he mocked me whenever I asked for time off.
My hands began trembling.
"He knew about Toby's surgery."
Samuel looked devastated.
"Elena, I'm sorry."
I stood.
"I need to go."
Dante rose.
"Where?"
"To the club."
He shook his head.
"Not alone."
I glared at him.
"Don't tell me what to do."
He held up his hands.
"I'm not. But Gregory may be dangerous, and investigators are already reviewing the evidence."
I stopped.
He was right.
I hated that he was right.
Detective Mitchell contacted us that afternoon.
After reviewing Samuel's documents and the forged medical assistance applications, investigators obtained warrants for several offices connected to Gregory Hale.
But when officers arrived at the Velvet Lounge, Greg was gone.
His apartment was empty.
His phone was disconnected.
And his bank accounts had been drained.
I sat beside Dante in his office while Marcus delivered the news.
"He left three hours ago."
Dante's jaw tightened.
"Did anyone see him?"
"A bartender says he carried a black suitcase through the service entrance."
I felt sick.
"He's escaping."
Marcus nodded.
"Possibly."
Then he placed another document on Dante's desk.
"There's something else."
It was a photograph from a security camera.
Greg stood beside a dark-haired woman near the nightclub's rear entrance.
The woman wore an expensive white coat.
I recognized her from magazine photographs.
"That's Vanessa Vancel."
Dante went perfectly still.
Vanessa was his younger half-sister.
The daughter of his father's second marriage.
Dante stared at the image.
"Why is Vanessa meeting Gregory Hale?"
Marcus hesitated.
"Boss, the financial records suggest she's been transferring money to him."
I looked at Dante.
His face had turned pale.
May you like
Then Marcus added the final detail.
"Vanessa authorized the application that stole Toby's surgery funds."
