Page 33 of Merciless Heir

“You’re making me jump through hoops.”

“The tiara is gone, Kingston. No hoops anywhere.”

“Did you take it?”

Silence, sharp and heavy, comes down for a handful of seconds and she presses her lips together. “I’ll pretend you didn’t say that.”

“Did you?” This is not the way to speak to her, and I know it, but I don’t give a shit. What I want is answers.

What I want is to end this sooner rather than later, because sooner removes the disturbing presence of Sadie from my life. So I wait.

My mother sighs heavily. “I’m not out to sabotage you, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“I’m thinking there’s more to this than I’m seeing.”

“There is. And that’s for you to work out, Kingston. But I’m not trying to sabotage you or anyone. Find the tiara. That’s all I can say.” She pauses. “All I know.”

But I’m not finished. “You had her name.”

She doesn’t bother hiding it. “Sadie Hess is the best out there. You seem to have found her on your own. Now, I’m running late.”

With a sigh, I step away. I know that tone and I’ve pushed things further than I should have. And as much as I don’t care, she’s not going to give me anything else. At least not now. If she knows anything. Which I’m fucking convinced she does. “Come on, I’ll walk you to your car.”

My mother gives me a tight-lipped look that morphs into a small smile. And takes my offered arm.

Back at my place, I’m not exactly happy. A caged lion paces within, throwing off my equilibrium. I’ve been trying to find things from the other people I have out there. And on my way home, I contacted my PI, the one Sadie told me to fire.

I stop and sip my bourbon.

Jenson.

That’s who I asked him to look into, along with Misty.

The woman’s at the house, so it seems like a good place to start, but there are others. My father’s divorce settlement gave her everything she asked for, everything she could in the confines of their pre nup. But he was generous by his standards, and Misty has been seen with some top surgeon in White Plains, so that explains a lot. She’s always struck me as someone who defines herself by having a partner, and I don’t think she has it in her to know the value of the tiara and to steal it. Then again…

Stranger things have happened.

But I just got a call.

Nothing on Misty.

Jenson on the other hand…

He has debt.

A lot.

And he’s a man who can cover that with his firm until he can’t.

Jenson is also in the perfect position to set it up. To steal.

Question is, how desperate is he?

I’m going to need to find out.

Chapter Ten

Sadie

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