Page 26 of Romeo

“I want to talk to her.”

“Then I’ll have her call you.”

“No.Now.Hand her the phone.You said she’s close, so hand it over.”

I climb into my truck.“I’ll have her call you back,” I say again, this time hardening my tone so he understands he won’t be ordering me around.I try to have understanding, to look at it from his point of view—a worried brother who just wants to know his sister’s safe.“I’m not with her at the moment, but she is being protected,” I assure him.“As soon as I get back to her, I’ll have her call you, okay?”

He sighs.“I just want to make sure she’s safe.”

“I can understand that.I promise you that she is.”

“When is this going to just be over?”he asks into the phone.“Have her call me, please.I know she can be stubborn, too, so do what you can to make her call.Please?”

“You have my word, Mr.Landers.”

“Thank you.”

I turn on the truck, and a few seconds later, it switches the call to Bluetooth.“Did you check your grandfather’s emails?”I ask as I pull out of the drive.

“I did.There was no mention of an Ian Fletcher.But I did find some emails to his publisher that were concerning.”

“How so?”I turn down the road that will take me back to my house.

“He was trying to buy out his publishing contract.”

“Why would he do that?”I park in front of my house but don’t turn off the engine.

“I have no clue.Being published was a goalpost for him, but he’d been trying to terminate the contract, and they were requesting he repay the advance plus ten percent for damages.”

“How much was the advance?”

“Two million dollars.”

“Two million dollars?”I repeat.Surely I heard him wrong.Granted, I don’t know what a typical book deal goes for, but that seems insanely high.

He sighs.“It’s a lot of money, and it makes absolutely no sense why he was trying to get out of it.”

“Will you send me those emails?As well as a copy of the contract.”

“Don’t you think that’s something the police should handle?”

“Do you want to find out what happened to your grandfather soon or wait until all the red tape is cut through?”

“I’ll send it over as soon as we’re off the call.”

“Great.I’ll talk to Jules and have her call you back.”

“Thank you, Mr.Hunt.”

“Yeah.Talk soon.”I end the call and take a deep breath as I prepare for the fight I’m likely about to walk into.She’s going to befuriousthat he knows she was found and that he wants her to call him back.

And speaking of—I tap on Jesper’s contact information.“What can I do for you?”he asks when he answers on the second ring.

“Someone saw us on that tarmac and identified the woman who was with me.I want to know who it was.”

“I’ll figure it out.”He ends the call, so I climb out of the truck and head inside.

The moment I step into my house, I feel a shift.A delicate floral scent clings to the air, and the bathroom door is open.The place already smells like her, and it’s only been a few hours.