Page 31 of Before Broken Vows

One hour until I get some answers.

I go to turn on the radio, and my touch screen flashes. Dio's number pops up—my phone must have connected to Bluetooth.

I press the green button. "Damn. That was fast."

"Sir, sir—we have a problem." Dio's voice comes blaring out of my car speakers. He's out of breath and I can tell he's running.

"Shit. Is everyone okay?" I ask, pulling over because I can tell I'm not going to like this.

"Yes," he says, then yells out to others with him, "Just go, go."

"Dio, what the hell is going on?"

"Sorry, sorry. Yes, so we followed the plan. When we entered, he saw us and…" his voice trails off.

"Dio, you cut out. What?"

"He shot himself before we could get to him," Dio says, still breathing heavily.

I take a deep breath as anger, frustration, and rage rise in me. I hit the steering wheel. "FUCK!"

"Tell me exactly what happened," I say after composing myself, my yell doing nothing to contain the redness I see.

"When we came in, he was still on his couch with the laptop. When he saw me, he reached in between the cushions and pulled out a gun," Dio says and takes a breath. "He then said he was sorry, put the barrel in his mouth, and pulled the trigger."

I rub my face, trying to uncoil the tight pressure running through me.

"And then you guys left?"

"Yes, boss. I did grab the laptop that was on his lap, but we couldn't search his place. The gun was loud, neighbors were already popping their heads out. That's too fancy of an area for people to not be nosy. We already heard sirens when we fled."

I stare out of the windshield down the road at a stop sign. I focus on it so hard that it blurs as I think of what to do now.

"Okay, okay. I'm going to send you an address of a guy in Athens. Bring him the computer. He'll know what to do. After that, wait to hear from me."

"Okay, boss. We'll be waiting," Dio says.

I don't respond. I hit the red button ending the call and sink into my seat, covering my face with my hands.

This lawyer was the only real lead we had and he just fucking blew his brains out.

After a few moments to allow my mind to process the news, I sit up.

Wait.

You don't eat a bullet unless you're terrified of whoever's pulling the strings.

So, then, what the hell are we dealing with? Who the fuck are we chasing?

I think back to my conversation with George Zervas. Maybe he's right. With the accounts secured and inaccessible, and now this lawyer killing himself…

Could this lead back to a government official? But why target us after all these years?

I pull back out onto the road, more questions than answers swirling in my head. I can't go home, not with her there. Maybe I could go… no. Maybe I should call… Fuck, who am I kidding? With Stassi back, other women have turned to black and white,and I can only see her in color. Shit, I need to get a grip. Who knows how long she'll be there. Days? Weeks?

The gym. I'll go there. Then I can swing by our boutique hotel here to check on things, maybe have dinner there. Anything to keep me out and my mind preoccupied.

I don't know how, but I manage to keep myself away. It's almost 9 p.m. when I pull into my driveway. Just like before, her light's on, and I wonder what she's doing.