Page 9

There’s someone else. There’salwayssomeone else, but this time, it’s a middleman.
Leaving my chair, with my fingers spanning the curve of my desk, I stop in front of him. “Who?”
“Nobody,” he replies hastily. “Nobody. It was only me. And I promise you, it was just the one time. I was going to tell yourfather, but he threatened that he’d have me killed if I did. Then I thought I could replace the money, but I-I?—”
My fist snaps out, hitting his face. His head jerks to the side, a soft gasp escaping his lips. I step back, my breath controlled, my eyes narrowing as I watch the shock still rattling him.
“Don’t lie to me, Alex,” I growl. “Who else was involved?”
“I swear,” he begs. “There’s nobody else. Please forgive me. Please.”
I’m certain of one thing now. Whoever the middleman was, he’s still working for this company. He’s still around, living and breathing. Also—Alex is scared of him, so I’m dealing with someone who was high on the list of the people my father confided in.
But he won’t remain hidden forever.
I grab my phone. “Marge, hold my calls and postpone my meetings, will you?” My eyes dart to the door briefly, and then back to Alex so he knows there’s no escape. “It looks like we’ll be here for a while.”
Leo showsup to the sight of a broken chair and a security guard exiting my office. My sleeves are rolled up and I’m wiping my hands on a napkin when he walks in.
He shakes his head. “I don’t want to know, and I’m sure he deserved it. I came back with a status report.”
“What do we have?” I ask as I toss the napkin to the trash can in the corner, untucking my sleeves before I sit.
“Nothing.” He clicks his tongue. “Nothing at all. If he told anyone about his plans, it couldn’t have been more than one or two. And neither of them are anywhere to be found.”
I’m not surprised. It’s the only reason I haven’t found him.
“Do you thinksheknows?” he asks with a subtle chin tilt.
Isabella.
“She’s his daughter,” Leo continues. “If he trusted her enough that he had plans to hand over his business, he must’ve told her something. Or she knows where he could be hiding. Ask her,” he suggests.
I arch a brow.
He’s unbothered by my lack of response. “You took her. She’s your intended bride. And she lives in your house. That makes you the most qualified person to ask her where Ricci is. The sooner we get to him, the faster we learn how many people were involved in the incident.”
She’d probably spit on my face, or take a vow of silence just to spite me.
“She might also be in communication with him,” Leo throws in. It’s an afterthought for him, but…why didn’t I think about that?Isabella didn’t have any belongings on her when I carried her out of the church, but I didn’t bother finding out if she had her phone stored anywhere.
Dresses have pockets, don’t they?
“Call Sergei,” I say, but then I change my mind. “No.” I shake my head. “Don’t. Let it go.”
“Even if I might be right?”
Even so.
I made an error—a terrible oversight on my part. If Isabella has been fooling me all along, pulling an act with moments of fear and forced defiance, then I intend to find out.
But I won’t give her time to cover up her tracks. I intend to find out exactly what she’s been up to.
Hours later,I walk into a quiet house, my footsteps echoing through the foyer. Sergei approaches as I step through the archway, his head dipping in a curt nod.
“Boss.”
“Where’s Isabella?” I ask.