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“Your father keeps his family close. Both your brothers and their wives work in the business.” He catalogued the facts he’d unearthed. “Not you?”

“I wanted to find my own way.”

And slip under the radar. Her presence, the little there was, on social media was professional, not social, except for her rare appearances in her niece’s feed. Little Miss Slip-Under-the-Radar intrigued him in a way the banker never could. His instincts insisted she was key to bringing Sophie home.

“Your skills would be an asset to Vella Enterprises.”

“A few moments ago you described me as greedy. Now I’m skilful.” She flashed her full-wattage smile at him, one that coaxed a response from him. “What do you want from me, MacGregor?”

“Your cooperation would make my job a whole lot easier.”

“What’s the name of your investigator?” Her smile lingered, but now her attention was focused on his answer.

“Martin Azzopardi.”

She recognised the name. Hamish wasn’t sure how he knew, but she’d heard the name before. Her father didn’t know it, and there wasn’t anything in the public domain broadcasting Marty’s special skills.

* * *

HAMISH BEAUREGARD MACGREGORwas suspect by association. However, Lela had done her research before she’d left the hotel this morning and chased down her elusive memory through the internet. The website listed his middle name—Beauregard. It meant respected or highly regarded. Had his parents planned his trajectory at his birth? MacGregor was a prominent player in international law, working to ensure that children couldn’t be spirited across borders and hidden from family members after marriage and relationship breakups.

The director of the youth charity Lela had spoken to before meeting Hamish this morning had promised to send out word through their contacts on the street to see if anyone had news of an Australian girl travelling with a Maltese boyfriend.

“Peter Debrincat,” Lela had given Sophie’s boyfriend’s name.

The director’s eyebrows had risen, and she’d hesitated. “Debrincat is a common surname, but one branch carries a lot of power in Malta.”

“Is Peter from that branch?”

“We’ll check, but studying in Australia doesn’t come cheaply. That kind of wealth can make things harder or easier. You might also want to hire a detective.”

“Is there anyone you’d recommend?”

“Martin Azzopardi. A good man, motivated by more than money. He’s hard to get.”

Now MacGregor had him. A fact Lela couldn’t ignore. Any more than she could ignore the patient way he waited for her answer. He was too smart, and had too good a reputation, not to do his own research.

“I’ll come, I’ll listen, but I’ll make no promises.”

“I’ve asked for cooperation, not promises,” he answered mildly.

“I don’t know what we’ll find.” She gave him the honest truth.

“We’ll find a vulnerable young woman.”

Lela couldn’t dispute his point, but her father had hired this man. Hauling a reluctant young woman back to Australia and dumping her on her grandfather’s doorstep could blow up in their faces. Lela had needed weeks to re-establish trust with Sophie after Papa’s last investigator had put his ego ahead of Sophie’s well-being. The unity of her family was too important for Lela to trust MacGregor yet. His history and employment of Azzopardi scored points in his favour, while perversely fuelling her hesitance. An honourable man would stick to the contract he’d made with her father.

“Finding is not understanding,” she stressed. “Finding may be the beginning, not the end.”

“You expect me to fall in line with however you want to handle this?”

Alongside his international work, his practice was a powerhouse in investigative child custody cases. She’d seen his name in a feature article a few months ago. He’d emphasised the importance of protecting children whose lives were torn apart by their parents’ anger or the desire for revenge. Lela had started her foundation to support vulnerable teenagers. She respected and understood his kind of passion.

It made no sense for someone with his expertise to be involved in a simple story of an almost-adult runaway.

“I don’t know how I’ll handle this yet. I don’t even know whatthisis.”

“But you’re open-minded?” He was still talking to her, listening to her. That was another positive on his side of the ledger.