Chapter 2 - The Woman Watching from the Shadows
I had kissed Adrian Moretti for five hundred dollars.
Apparently, another woman had been willing to kill for the same privilege.
"Victoria was at the bar?" I asked.
Adrian nodded.
"Private balcony. Upstairs."
"Then why didn't I see her?"
"Because she didn't want to be seen."
He moved toward his desk and opened a leather folder.
Inside were several photographs.
One showed a beautiful blonde woman standing beside a black SUV.
Another showed her speaking to a man outside my workplace.
I recognized him immediately.
"That's Daniel."
Adrian's eyes narrowed.
"You know him?"
"He's our assistant manager."
"How well?"
"Not very. He handles schedules and payroll. Why?"
Adrian slid another photograph toward me.
It showed Daniel accepting an envelope from Victoria.
"Because your assistant manager has been meeting with her for three weeks."
My mouth went dry.
"Are you saying the dare was planned?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying."
I thought about Brittany laughing.
The five hundred dollars.
The bartender trying to stop me.
The strange way the entire bar had gone quiet.
Suddenly, the pieces looked different.
"Why would Victoria want me to kiss you?"
Adrian folded his arms.
"She wanted photographs."
"Photographs?"
"Of me being kissed by a woman I'd never met. Something she could use to create a scandal before our families announced an engagement."
I stared at him.
"Then why offer me five thousand dollars?"
"Because I want to know what she's planning next."
I stood.
"No."
Adrian raised an eyebrow.
"No?"
"I'm broke, Mr. Moretti. I'm not stupid."
Something in his expression softened.
"Good."
"Good?"
"I need someone who knows the difference."
I grabbed my purse.
"I'm sorry, but I have a brother who depends on me. I can't get involved in whatever war you're fighting."
I reached the door.
Then Adrian spoke.
"His name is Ethan."
I stopped.
Slowly, I turned.
"What?"
"Your brother. Seventeen. Injured in a car accident eleven months ago. He needs additional rehabilitation."
Fear crawled up my spine.
"How do you know that?"
"My security team investigated after you left the bar."
"That's creepy."
"It is," he admitted. "And I apologize."
I stared at him.
He looked almost uncomfortable.
That surprised me more than anything else.
"I didn't ask you to investigate me."
"You're right."
He took a breath.
"Your brother's treatment won't be used as leverage. Whether you accept my offer or not, nobody from my organization will approach him."
I studied him.
For the first time, I noticed something beneath the expensive suit and intimidating reputation.
Exhaustion.
Loneliness.
And a strange, carefully hidden sadness.
"Why don't you just refuse to marry Victoria?" I asked.
He looked toward the window.
"Because my father made an agreement before he died."
"What agreement?"
Adrian's jaw tightened.
"An agreement involving my younger sister."
I hesitated.
"What's wrong with her?"
He turned back.
"She's been missing for six months."
My heart sank.
"And Victoria knows where she is?"
Adrian nodded.
Then he said something that changed my understanding of everything.
"Last night wasn't the first time Victoria tried to use you against me."
I frowned.
"What do you mean?"
He opened another file.
Inside was a photograph of me leaving the hospital with Ethan.
It had been taken four months earlier.
May you like
On the back, someone had written:
Find the Bellamy girl. She's the key to Isabella.
