Page 52 of Never Lost

Pulling that off would be tricky. Anyway, right now, my father held the floor.

“And what’s worse, the whole time, he was using him tospyon me.”

No. That wasn’t the explanation, I reminded myself. Iknewthe explanation.

“I think he even told the boy to go through my file cabinets at one point.” He looked at the female agent. “I should have known they were plotting something the second they started talking to each other inGerman, of all languages. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were somehow doing itbeforeI bought the boy. I’ll tell you what youshouldbe investigating, is that slave dealership. Who knows what kinds of other scams they’re running over there? That’s what I get for trusting the Europeans. They’re all a pack of lying, cheating, thieving?—”

“He was trying to help you!” Against my best judgment, I burst into the living room.

“Loulou!” My dad rushed toward me, and I shrank away from his embrace, not only to avoid yelping in pain as my charred skin flared in protest.

“Where in God’s name have you been? And why are you dressed like?—”

“Sir, I told her not to come in, but?—”

He held up a hand, uninterested in hearing the housekeeper’s explanation. He sighed and rubbed his temples. He looked like he’d aged ten years in a day.

“Loulou, I was worried sick and I’m hugely relieved you’re back, but whatever you have to say, I’m afraid I don’t have time for it right now, as you can plainly see.” He waved at the housekeeper, all imperious and dismissive, even with his entire life and fortune under threat. “Take her upstairs. We’ll discuss everything later.”

“No.” My teeth clenched. I could only imagine the wild expression flashing in my eyes. The housekeeper wouldn’tdare. “Agent Wheatley?”

Wheatley turned suddenly, and I jumped at my chance.

“He—he has a plan,” I began. Somehow, that line had sounded much more convincing in my head.

“Oh, he has a plan all right,” my father broke in with contempt. “Hada plan this whole time. To rob me blind.”

The female agent looked more irritated by the second. “Miss, you’re interfering with a law enforcement operation here. I’ll have to ask you to sit down, be quiet, or leave the room.”

But Wheatley said nothing, so I forged ahead, hoping I wasn’t giving too much away.

“Langer had nothing to do with it. And if you’d just give him time—givemetime—” Frantically, I looked from my father to the agent, then to the other agent. Three completely different expressions, all fixed on me. Hot tears were forming in the corners of my swollen eyes. Shit, I was failing at this already.

“Miss, we don’t conduct our investigations based on fanciful teenage notions,” the female agent snapped. “Now, for the last time, I’ll have to ask you to?—”

Gripped by desperation, I ripped off my hood and threw my sunglasses on the sofa behind me, tugging the long-sleeved shirtover my head to reveal the skimpy tank top underneath, and, well?—

I’d at least had a night to get used to the way my body looked. No one else in the room had.

“Good heavens,” whispered the housekeeper.

“Loulou, whathappenedto you?” my dad exclaimed. “We need to get you to a hospital.” Without waiting for a response, he reached for his phone from where it sat on the ponderous mahogany coffee table.

“Daddy, no. I’ve—I’vebeento a hospital.”

“And they let you out likethat? No, Loulou. You need proper—” He was already dialing.

“Daddy,no.” This was exactly what I’d been afraid of. But what other choice did I have?

This time it was Wheatley who quickly interrupted. “Sir, I’m a trained EMT, and it’s clear to me these burns have already been treated.”

Ironically, the pain, which I had been valiantly ignoring, seemed to swell up all at once. The housekeeper had already sprung into action, reappearing instantly with some cold compresses, which I accepted for some temporary relief. Enough to finish this, anyway.

“Miss Wainwright-Phillips,” Wheatley was saying, having finally turned directly to me. “I completely get that you think there’s more to this story. I think there is, too, and I have for some time.” He flashed his partner a pointed look. She remained unsmiling. “But I’m afraid that what you were about to say is probably not going to be as helpful as you’d hoped.”

Blood rushed into my ears. “Why not?”

“Because as Agent Labrecque here informed me a few minutes ago, Mr. Langer is gone.”