Page 123 of See You There

Luke shook his head, his mind reeling. “Why wouldn’t they report his death?”

The answer came to him even as Brady said the words. “Because if he’s dead, then your girl would be free. She wouldn’t have to pay him anymore. My guess is the mom and the widow—girlfriend, whatever you want to call her—are the ones cashing those checks.”

Anger simmered through his blood. “Her agent had to know. He told her he’d hired a private investigator and couldn’t find anything. You found him in days.”

“I’m the best, though,” Brady said, smugly.

“That might be true.” Normally, Luke would never let Brady get away with a comment like that, but he was too distracted by what Brady had revealed. “A decent investigator would have been able to track down the mom, and she would have led eventually to this woman.”

“True.”

“Why wouldn’t Victor tell her? Is he keeping a cut for himself?”

“I don’t think so,” Brady said. “From what I can tell, this woman lives well. More than her job should be able to pay for. Plus, she is living with Scott’s mom, which implies they are close. I think they’re using the money for the kid.”

“They’re not completely disgusting monsters. Is that what you’re saying? They are still stealing from Dahlia and keeping her trapped. She worries this guy could pop up at any time. Dahlia hasn’t been able to have a life because she thought she was still married.”

“How do you want to handle it?”

Luke shoved his hand into his hair.Fuck!“I need to tell her right away before she puts out any more press releases. Dahlia’s agent is threatening to sell her story to the tabloids, but if she can say she’s no longer married…”

“So, what’s the problem?”

“Dahlia told me not to look into it.”

“What? You didn’t tell me that part.”

“I didn’t think it was important, but now… She’s so proud of taking control of her life… Making her own decisions… Last night she asked for my help, but she’s going to know I was already looking.” Luke groaned. “I think I fucked up. She’ll understand why I did it, right? I was only trying to help.”

Brady barked out a laugh. “Yeah, because women love to hear you did something they told you not to do because you thought it was for the best.”

Luke’s stomach sank. Brady was right. Dahlia was going to be furious.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Once Dahlia had collectedthe items they needed for the lake, she scrolled through emails while she waited for Luke. There were twenty-five calls and several texts and emails from Victor. Dahlia quickly typed an email to Elizabeth, asking her what she should do. Through the glass doors, she saw Luke end his call.

“Ready to go?” She smiled. The morning was already hot, and she was looking forward to the lake. But when Luke pivoted to face her, her antennae went up. Something was wrong. “Is there a problem with the security?”

“Does this woman look familiar?” Luke held out his phone, his expression blank.

Dahlia gasped. “That’s Scott’s mom. How did you…” She squinted at the picture of a social media profile. “But that’s not her name.” Dahlia’s eyes searched Luke's. “Why is she using a different name?”

Foreboding formed an icy knot in her stomach. Something wasn’t right, but she couldn’t put her finger on what it was. Luke’s muscles were tight, his eyes wary.

“What’s going on, Luke?”

Luke inhaled a deep breath, making her even more nervous.

“Luke?”

“Brady found Scott’s mother in New Mexico. She’s living with a young widow and a five-year-old boy.”

Dahlia’s mouth went dry, and she swallowed hard. “Brady found Scott.” Part of her was elated. She could finally put that part of her life behind her. She was free to be with Luke, but…

Her brain froze, and a loud buzzing sounded in her ears. If Brady had already found Scott, that meant Luke must have asked him before.

“You already asked Brady, didn’t you? I told you I would handle it.” Her voice was barely more than a whisper as betrayal sliced through her. A voice in her brain told her not to be irrational, but not only had he ignored her wishes, he’dlied!