Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 54589 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 273(@200wpm)___ 218(@250wpm)___ 182(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54589 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 273(@200wpm)___ 218(@250wpm)___ 182(@300wpm)
“Where is Gavin?” he demands, stepping inside and slamming the door shut. He motions toward Kent, who he’s met at several company events. “Do you have him in custody?”
“He left the building by the time Tyler called me,” he explains. “And that’s all I know.”
“Bella’s been taken,” I say, handing him my phone with the text message. “My private security contractor is checking the exterior cameras.”
Kent curses and scrubs his jaw. “Holy hell. I’ll have my team review the security footage to see if he followed Bella out of the building. Are we calling the police?”
I eye Dash who shakes his head. “Not yet. They’re like iron shackles, we can’t afford right now. Speed matters.”
“Agreed,” I say, and I motion to Kent. “Get us an update and let me and Dash talk.”
He gives a nod and walks away. The minute he’s gone and we’re alone, Dash steps in front of me. “I talked with your man, Dierk,” he says. “Whoever took her knew where to walk to avoid being caught on camera. He lost her about two blocks away. He has his men scouring the area for her and Gavin.”
“Does he even know what Gavin looks like?”
“He pulled up his driver’s license while we were on the phone. I have a couple friends from the agency at work, too.”
I can officially size him up as calm. A whole lot calmer than I expected and feel.
“Time is critical but so is knowledge,” he adds. “You have it. I do not. Tell me everything. Start with the Allen family, who Dierk tells me you both think is involved.”
If only it were so simple, I think. I feel as if I’m standing in quicksand and sinking fast. I rotate to sit on the edge of my desk, my jaw clenching. “I’m assuming it’s them,” I confirm. “But I don’t know.” I glance up at him. “That’s the problem. I don’t know, Dash.”
He’s directly in front of me again, his arms crossed in front of his chest. “If that’s where your head went, it’s a solid start. Talk to me. Leave out nothing. Start with what you think I know and tell me anyway.”
“I’ll start with what you don’t know. Bella is why no one else would do. The moment I met her, she was the only perfect woman walking this Earth.”
“I know, Tyler. I always had an idea, but I see what you have between you.”
“My father is between us. You know he was a bastard, always coming at me, and death didn’t end that obsession. He didn’t just dictate my wedding, and length of engagement. He stipulated the recourse should I fight his will in court. If I take action, his attorney will go public with a case I second-chaired that he said showed misconduct. In other words, my license could be revoked, every case the firm handled would be questioned, and we’d be sued by dozens of people.”
“That case related to the Allen family,” he assumes. “But isn’t that a non-issue considering you and Bella are in love and getting married?”
“That’s what Bella said. She thinks I got one over on my father because I fell in love and want to get married.”
His eyes narrow. “But you don’t?”
“I want to believe she’s right, but my gut says no. And my gut is solid. It’s telling me my father always had a gotcha puzzle. He expected me to figure it out as a way to prove myself worthy. I’m telling you, Dash. He didn’t bring up the Allen case for no reason.”
“And you started digging around?” He doesn’t wait for an answer. “Are you fucking crazy? They’re practically the mob, Tyler.”
“Dierk is ex-CIA. I used him for that reason, but ignorance is not a win.”
“Yeah, well, the Allen family is on the FBI’s radar and has been for years. That’s not comforting and while I lean toward you being right, that this is about them, tunnel vision is also dangerous. Very quickly, spit out at least one more option. If it’s not the Allen family, who did this?”
“An angry client, but no one comes to mind.”
“One more.”
A thought hits me and it’s not a good one. “My father could have hired the law firm to spook away anyone who agreed to marry me, thus the long engagement.”
“Would he hurt her?”
“I would have said no a year ago, but he killed Allison. If he paid enough, could he have her killed? Could he have hired a professional?”
“Do you really think he hated you that much?”
“Yes. For all I know it’s all connected. He claims he got the Allen family off by withholding evidence. Maybe they’re coming after her, not because I’m digging around, but because he paid them to do it. Or they owed him.”
“How far would he go to hurt you?”
“If you’re circling back to will they kill her? My father dated the same woman I dated and then killed her to shut her up. He was crazy enough to do just about anything. We need to find Bella and find her now.”