Page 45 of The Maverick (WaterFyre Rising #7)

CHAPTER FORTY

ATTIKUS

Thoughts crammed my brain as I entered my home, wanting to see Vanessa. So much was happening around us, and I needed a moment to sit still and look at everything carefully.

Why were CIA agents killing people? Who had ordered this? It seemed like Paul had lost his mind and memory, but he was still alive.

I paid for a private hospital room and hired two security guards to watch over Paul, ensuring he was protected. No one was allowed in except an approved doctor or nurse. Detective Farmer didn’t object to my actions, which meant he understood my needs and the direction this investigation was taking.

I needed Paul to remember who had ordered him to kill Sam Thornton, the CIA agent who had killed Emmanuel.

Whoever was behind this was killing off potential witnesses to their crimes.

Before Detective Farmer left, he mentioned that the two thugs, Martin Brown and Pedro Lopez, also died in a car accident the day before Emmanuel.

He showed me pictures of the other two deceased people who were in the same car—Enzo and Becca.

At a glance, things seemed chaotic. The mastermind behind this shitshow was trying to create confusion, trying to distract me from seeing the truth. This meant I was getting close. If I zoomed out and ignored all the flying debris, two powerful entities rose to the surface: The Trogyn and the CIA.

How were they connected? What did they want to hide?

I texted my friends, asking them for a conference call tonight.

Arriving home, I walked around my house.

I needed to see Vanessa. I inhaled the delicious aroma, knowing she’d ordered dinner from Saigon Bistro.

That made me feel better. Before her, my place had been quiet, empty, and cold.

But now, warmth stirred in my home and my heart.

I’d never felt so anchored. Even though I had all the wealth in the world, I’d never felt fulfilled. Vengeance had propelled me forward, disregarding everything else. My house had been a place to sleep. Now it was a home.

My home with Vanessa.

I heard a noise in the studio and headed there.

I stood at the open door, watching her adjust the stool.

She stepped on it and stretched out her hand to paint a lovely peach color on the massive canvas, which was bigger than she was.

The beautiful colors reminded me of Hope in Bloom , a painting I’d bought in Boston.

Though she wore a baggy T-shirt, seeing her painting in my house was as hot as hell.

“Who’s the painting for?” I asked as I stepped into the studio.

She whirled around and beamed at me. Placing her brush and paint palette on the side table, she wiped her hands on her shirt and rushed over to me.

“Hi! I’d give you a hug, but I’ve got paint all over me.”

I wrapped my arms around her, inhaling her scent. “I don’t care. I’ve got plenty of shirts and jeans.”

“Are you hungry? I got us dinner.”

“I saw. Thank you. I want to see what you’re painting first.” I took her hand and walked over to the canvas. “The colors remind me of a painting I have.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you bought Hope in Bloom ?”

I smirked. “I didn’t want you to think I was a creepy art collector who was stalking you.”

“You were at the Brigham and Women’s art auction? I didn’t see you.”

“I saw you.”

At that time, we had already signed an agreement for her gallery.

“Why didn’t you say hello?”

“I was about to, but you left early. I hadn’t intended to be at the auction, but a clue sent me there.”

“A clue?” She furrowed her brow. “What do you mean?”

“Do you remember Joseph Gallo? He’s my curator, a longtime employee of mine.

He went missing two months ago. I found a handwritten note on his desk about the auction, so I went to check it out.

” I left out the part where I encountered two men planning to extort her.

Even though they were now dead, she didn’t need the extra anxiety.

“And you still haven’t found anything on him?”

I shook my head.

“I remember Joseph. He was friendly and thorough.”

“Agnes and Joseph were with me when the museum first opened. I have to find him, dead or alive. He and Agnes are family to me.”

“I know.” She touched my face. “Speaking of Agnes, I saw her at Saigon Bistro. I thought she was still on vacation in Maui.”

“She came back to help at the museum since Joseph is still missing. There’s a lot of administrative work that needs to be completed.”

“That’s a dedicated employee you have.” Vanessa elbowed me. “I also saw your mom and sister at the restaurant. Seems like that place is where I keep bumping into people.”

“Was she mean to you?”

“Not mean, more like irritated. I don’t blame her, though.” Vanessa looked at me. “She’s your mom. You need to soothe her anger. Did you tell her about us eloping?”

“Yes. She didn’t like it.”

“Does she know my real name?”

“Yes.”

Relief settled on her face. “Well, you need to figure out a way to make her happy again. She thinks I lured her son to the dark side.”

“No, she doesn’t.” I chuckled. “You lured me back to the light.”

Vanessa gave me the side eye. “Trust me, she does. She believes I’ve corrupted you beyond saving.”

I laughed. “I was corrupt when she took me in.”

“Seriously, I don’t want her to think ill of us whenever she sees us. What does she like? How can I warm her up?”

“Just be you. She likes plants, though,” I said, loving the idea that Vanessa wanted to win over my family. “Ellen is more understanding.”

“A mother would take something like this to heart, whereas a sister is more forgiving. Let me get a plant so you can give it to her. Say you’re sorry.”

“I’ll comply with my wife’s demands if she fulfills her obligations.”

“What obligations?”

“You don’t remember, love?” I placed a hand on her shoulders. “If you breach your contract, I get to ask you for anything.”

She sobered, and her mouth twisted. “I’m sorry I broke?—”

I pressed a finger to her lips. “Don’t be sorry. I wanted you to breach the contract.”

“What?” She gaped at me.

I smirked. “What can I say? I’m a greedy man. I wanted to see where this relationship could go without the contract. Don’t tell me you haven’t been thinking about it.”

“What are you saying?”

“Let’s date. Forget the contract. People will assume we’re married, and that’s fine. But I don’t want you to think I’m pretending to want you. There was no pretense in Maui, and there’s no pretense here.”

She smiled, but then fear squashed it. “Is that going to complicate things even more?”

“Lily Pad, it’s going to make things easier for me. A contract makes this relationship too fake, you know? I want us to be real. I wanted it from the beginning.”

She narrowed her eyes at me. “What do you mean?”

“I had a fine print added to the contract. You were so focused on your requirements that you didn’t read it.”

“You’re so sneaky! What did it say?”

“That the contract is voided from the moment you kiss me.” I grinned. “That happened during the ceremony.”

Vanessa stared at me for a while as a small smile slid onto her lips. “What am I going to do with you?”

“Kiss me.” I pursed my lips. “Do all the things you want to me. But seriously, you don’t have to give me an answer right now about us dating. Think about it.”

She chewed on her bottom lip. “So you want to be my official boyfriend instead of my fake husband?”

“I don’t want anything fake with you.” I smiled. “We’ll let our friends know the fake marriage has dissolved and we’re dating. Emmanuel is dead, but the people behind his death are extremely dangerous. For now, we’ll let the world believe you’re still married to me until the chaos settles, okay?”

I feared The Trogyn or the CIA would hurt Vanessa regardless of whether she was married to me or not. The game had become more perilous. I knew my enemies would target her first to get to me, so the closer she stayed to me, the safer I could keep her.

Her eyes sparkled. “What do you want for the contract breach?”

“For you to paint me in the nude.”

She grinned. “How did you know I’d thought of that?”

Oh, she had no idea what I was referring to .

I ran a finger down her cheek. “I want you to paint me while you’re naked.”

Her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open.

Before she could say anything, I kissed her.

“You’ve got a weird kink, Whistler.”

“It all started because of you, Lily Pad.” I returned my attention to the painting. “Who’s the customer for this one?”

“Promise not to tell anyone?” she asked with pride in her eyes.

“I promise.”

“The First Lady, Madeline Claude-Collins.”

“Wow. That’s fantastic. They tried to steal Hope in Bloom from me, but I outbid them by one million dollars. That painting is mine. Just like you’re mine.”

When she threw her arms around me and squeezed, I knew her answer was yes.

She grinned when my stomach growled. “Let’s go eat.”

“How’s Sam? Were you able to question him?”

“He’s dead.”

“Oh, my god. What happened?”

I briefed her on the situation as we ate. “I don’t want you to worry about anything, okay? I need to talk to the boys, so it’s going to be a long night.”

She nodded. “I’ll work on my painting.”

“Can you give me more details about your mom’s case? I’ll have a team review it.”

She looked at me for a moment, debating over something.

I frowned. “You don’t trust me?”

“No. It’s not that.” Her lips twisted. “I did something bad. You might not like it.”

“That’s impossible.” I placed down my chopsticks. “What is it?”

“I hired some people to help my mom escape from prison.”

“Who?”

She told me about the plan, Leo Rossi, and his restaurant in Boston. I’d add him to my to-do list.

I couldn’t believe my woman had the courage to hire criminals to extract her mother.

“Don’t go through with it. Give me their names.”

“I paid them a lot of money.”

“Lily Pad, this extraction spells trouble. There are cameras everywhere that can spot these men. If they’re caught, they’ll point the finger at you.

Your mom will get additional time for escaping, and you’ll also be convicted.

” Based on what Vanessahad told me, these men hadn’t given her a detailed, minute-by-minute plan.

But she wouldn’t have known to ask for that.

“Not to mention, if something goes wrong, she could die.”

Dread overcame her face. “She shouldn’t be in there. She’s been waiting for her freedom for years.”

“Let me handle this. I need you to trust me, okay?”

She looked at me with so much trust and nodded. “Would you listen to me if I said no?”

“Not if I know you’ll be in danger.”

“Your mom is wrong.”

“About what?”

“That your wife is calling the shots.”

The definitions of a girlfriend and a wife were blurring into one another. I didn’t mind at all. Right now, they were the same.

“She’s not wrong.” I smiled. “My wife can do whatever she wants as long as she’s not in danger.” I tapped her nose. “I’ve been dwelling in this dark world for a long time. The plan has holes. I care about you, and I don’t want anything to happen to you or your mother.”

“Okay.”