Page 101 of Wicked Sinner

"Your wife is a liability." Tristan's green eyes are cold. "And the fact that you can't see that proves my point."

"The only liability here is you." I lean forward. "If anything happens to Bridget?—"

"You'll what? Kill me?" Tristan laughs. "Get in line, Caesar. There are a lot of people who want me dead, but most of them are smart enough to know the consequences of trying."

My phone buzzes against my chest. I ignore it at first, too focused on the man across from me. But when it buzzes again, and then a third time in rapid succession, I pull it out.

Three missed calls from my head of security. Four text messages, each more urgent than the last.

Mrs. Genovese’ssecurity is not answering.

Tracker on SUV is in the wrong location.

Heading out now. Need advisement.

Caesar. Something is wrong.

The bloodin my veins turns to ice. I'm already standing, my chair scraping against the floor, when my phone rings. It’s my new head of security, Marco’s replacement.

“Sir, we have a problem.”

“Where is she?” My heart is pounding in my chest. “How many men did she take to her appointment?”

“Four. They’re not answering. Her SUV’s GPS tracker is in the wrong location, nowhere near the doctor’s office now, as if someone moved the car. And Mrs. Genovese isn’t answering her phone.”

“Find someone who can hack into the street cameras. Parking garage cameras, anything. Look for witnesses. I need answersnow.” My voice is a low, furious growl, and I’m already walking away when Tristan's voice stops me.

"Caesar."

I turn back to see him standing as well, his expression serious. "This wasn't me."

"Bullshit." My jaw clenches. “Why should I believe that? You were just telling me what a fuckingliabilityshe is.”

"Because it’s true. But I would never do this. I swear to you, on my family's name, this wasn't me." He pulls out his own phone. "Let me prove it. I'll come with you."

"Why would you?—"

"Because if someone is moving against you, they're moving against all of us." His jaw is tight. "And because I don't use hurting women to get what I need done."

I stare at him for a moment, trying to read if he’s telling me the truth. Finally, I nod. "Let's go."

The drive to the penthouse is a nightmare of traffic and red lights that seem to last forever. Tristan follows in his own car, and I can see him making phone calls, mobilizing his own resources. If he’s truly trying to help, it could be useful.

My head of security and four others meet me in the parking garage as we pull in. I’m out of the car in an instant, my heart hammering in my chest.

“What do you have?” I snap.

“Nothing yet,” one of the men, Ken, speaks up. “We’ve got a hacker looking into it. Should have something within the hour.”

It doesn’t feel soon enough. I draw in a breath, struggling to remain calm. I know recklessness will only make this worse, but the thought of anything happening to Bridget makes me feel as if I’m coming out of my skin.

“It could be Slakov,” Tristan says quietly from behind me. “It’s not for certain, but it could be.”

“You think he could pull something like this off?” I turn around, eyeing Tristan. If he’s at fault, he could be trying to throw me off his trail. But it’s a possibility. Slakov has motive. And if he’s gotten allies in the time since his father died?—

“Possibly.” Tristan draws in a breath. “We need to talk to Konstantin. Make a plan?—”

“We need to find my wife,” I growl, and Tristan holds his hands up.