Page 49 of Tangled Roses

The color on her cheeks tells me I’m not going to like it and she says with a huff, “Well, what was I supposed to do? You ruined my day by introducing me to my mother and, well, what the hell were you thinking, Arman? I wasn’t prepared for that and I’m still cross with you.”

“Cross?” I raise my eyes, pushing away the soft smile that threatens to betray my feelings.

“Anyway. Something she said didn’t add up, and so I did some digging.”

“Where?”

“The records office in Idaho.”

Her eyes shine as she says with animation, “She mentioned a car crash that killed two people. The story rang a bell, and I wondered if someone had lied to her and said it was my grandmother and me.”

“What did you discover?”

“It’s true, but we both know it wasn’t me or my grandmother, so it got me thinking. You see, in the article, the occupants are unidentified and it was reported that their dental records weren’t found. It’s filed as still open, so who told her it was me?”

“She mentioned the cops.”

“Or did she use the story to her advantage?”

“What are you thinking?”

I note the excitement in her expression and I experience a huge urge to kiss her right now. If I imagined she would be broken by what happened today, I was wrong. She is animated and says in her soft sweet voice, “That she doesn’t want my father to find me, which means he’s still around.”

I say nothing because despite our extensive investigations into her life, the identity of her father has never come up.

“Think about it, Arman.” She is so excited and whispers, “What if he is here now? In New York. Why was she so scared that he found me? Is it because she never told him I existed and what do you think he would do if he knew about me?”

I smile. “It’s a possibility. I will ask Luka to investigate.”

“You will?” She appears so grateful, and I’m surprised when she leans forward and kisses me softly on the cheek.

“Thank you. I had a good afternoon despite the devastating morning and I’ve realized something important.”

“What?”

“I want to help.”

Her eyes shine with hope. “I am your assistant and you need help in finding out who killed your father. I can help.”

“How?” It amuses me to think she can get any further with this than my own brother, not to mention my team and the rest of my family.

“Because I possess my grandmother’s diaries and there may be something in them that can help us.”

“Where are they?”

“At my apartment. There is a box of stuff that I can’t bear to open.”

Her eyes swim with tears and she brushes them away and sighs. “I miss her so much, Arman. I came to New York to escape the memories.”

I reach for her hand and link our fingers together.

“I understand. I came here for the same reason, telling my family business was my priority. It is to an extent, but being home with my family was too painful because our father wasn’t there. I hated it.”

She nods and whispers, “It hurts like hell losing someone important. Almost as if there’s a hole inside you where they used to be.”

I grasp her hand tighter and once again wonder what is happening to me because every minute I spend in this woman’s company is worth more than any hours, days or weeks spent with anyone else.

CHAPTER 29

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