Page 124 of The Bronze Garza

Ten minutes later, when my body shows no signs of rejecting food crafted by the hands of the man that gave it so much mind-blowing pleasure, he picks me up and carries me off to the bedroom.

And as he makes love to my body, making me writhe and moan and claw at his skin, I know that he’d been right about all three.

I like him, and I crave him.

But most of all, I love him.

And that realization brings me nothing but an echoing wave of sadness.

ChapterThirty

“You’ll do it. For her.”

Torin

Henderson is seated at the conferencetable in the meeting room with True, Reuben, and Guy when I walk in.

“Henderson,” I greet, shaking his hand. “Sorry I’m late. Got a little caught up...”In your daughter.

“That’s fine, fine,” he says, waving me off. “I’m just happy that you have information. I knew you were the right man for the job.”

“Not gonna be so happy when you hear what we’ve found.”

Forehead creased, he shifts his gaze to the others in the room then back to me. “W-What do you mean?”

Settling in a chair across from him, I signal for True and Guy to get started.

Guy points the remote at the flat-screen on the wall ahead, and eight faces fill the screen.

“Meet the ‘Six-Six Hook’,” True begins.

“I don’t understand,” Henderson interrupts, frowning at the screen. “What’s my—”

“Just listen,” I tell him.

True continues, “This group of eight are the last of what used to be a ring of twenty, called the ‘Six-Six Hook’. They’re grifters. Con artists.”

“Oh my God,” Henderson whispers, slumping back in his seat.

“Two of which you know quite well: Eloise, whose real name is Irina Popov, and her nephew Patrick, whose real name is Yuri Popov. Both are Russians. Andyouare their current mark,” True goes on. “Eloise arranged Lyra’s abduction with a Mexicali gang. Why she did it is anyone’s guess.

“Ourguess is that you were taking too long to tie the knot. Maybe she thought if she got your only child out of the way you’d have no one to turn to but her and Patrick, probably even start a new family with her. Which—if our assumptions are correct—worked, to an extent; we dug around and found that you added both of them to your will five months after Lyra’s abduction.”

“My God,” Henderson repeats, ghostly pale.

“Obviously, Lyra’s return wasn’t supposed to happen. They panicked. Probably thought she knew something or would figure it out. So they paid to have her killed. Yet another failed attempt to get rid of her.”

On the screen, Guy clicks on one of the faces and zooms in.

True asks, “You ever seen this woman around?”

Henderson jerks a nod. “Yes, that’s Keri. Patrick’s on and off girlfriend. Or…sheisn’t?”

“Her name is Susan Creke.”

Guy clicks again and Derick Wilson, Holly’s father, comes up on the screen.

“She’s been working at your buddy Derick’s company for the past fifteen months. She’s his mistress.” True stands and starts pacing the room. Fucker never could sit still for more than two seconds.