Page 5 of The Marriage Auction 2: Part 4

I stared into Maia’s soulful eyes, shimmering with unshed tears. Her bottom lip trembled. “You don’t understand,” she croaked and clung to my shirt. “She left a note. I had them read it to me.”

Misery filled the air around us as we stood pressed together on the balcony of Alana’s country estate. The cool wind across my arms and face sent a shiver down my spine.

“And what did the note say?”

“She told me things were worse than before… And to never come home,” Maia whispered and then face-planted against my chest.

I tucked my face into the crook of her neck. “We’re going to figure this out. All of it. Your family and mine. But first, I have to get Emily back home. It’s what she needs to feel safe.”

Maia nodded against my chest. “I agree, but my time to help my mom and siblings is running out. What if he’s done something worse to them than what I experienced? What if Derrik is touching Maisie? What if my stepfather is physically abusing all of them? For my mother to make such a harsh demand that I never return…” Her knees buckled as a sob tore through her body, muffled against my chest. I kept her upright, a sturdy support she could lean on no matter what.

“While we’re on the plane, I’m going to make some calls. Have a tech expert I know do some digging into the family. I’ll have them pull bank records, medical records, school records, anything we can in order to secure more information. Then we’ll head to Colorado for your grandmother’s funeral once we get Emily settled.”

Maia straightened. “But Emily…”

I cupped her cheeks and wiped away her tears. “Emily will be safe and protected in California. Besides, that’s where Marisol is.”

“Marisol?”

It suddenly dawned on me that I’d never mentioned Marisol, the other member of my household.

“Her nanny. My house manager. The woman behind the man.” I chuckled, remembering how Marisol and I had met under the strangest circumstances. I’d taken a leap of faith in hiring her all those years ago, but now she was part of my family.

“Emily’s going to be fourteen. She still has a nanny?” And there was the leeriness I had come to expect from my skeptical fiancée.

“It will all make sense when you meet her. Now come on. Emily is waiting for us in the kitchen, stuffing her face full of more—”

“Let me guess…crepes!” Maia snickered, her drying tears leaving a glimmer of a smile in their wake.

“Bingo,” I murmured as I put my arm around her shoulders and led her inside.

When we entered the kitchen, we were greeted by Emily, Christophe, and Alana at the table. Much to my surprise, Inspector Antoine Moreau, was also there, merrily sipping a cappuccino, with a freshly made crepe on the table before him.

Emily was stuffing her mouth full of her favorite breakfast, her head down to avoid making eye contact with the inspector.

“I sure hope you’re not interviewing my daughter without her parent present?” I asked with enough venom the man put his cup down and shook his head anxiously.

“Not at all. Just enjoying the kindness offered by the Toussaints. However, if you’d like to get the interview underway, I’m amenable. I’ve gotten most of what I needed from Mrs. Toussaint. Still, I’d like to go over everything Emily remembers. The slightest detail might help us catch Angus Sokolov more quickly,” he shared.

I grunted and stood behind my daughter, resting my hands on her shoulders. I bent and whispered in Emily’s ear. “You ready to talk about all this with the detective so we can go home?”

She nodded.

“I’m right here, Em. Nothing bad is gonna happen to you again,” I reminded her.

Maia slipped into the chair next to my daughter and reached for her hand. Emily grasped the support, holding onto Maia while edging closer. Maia took the hint and scooted her chair right next to Emily’s so the two were hip to hip, as close as possible. Then Maia glared at the inspector, ready to jump between him and Emily at the slightest provocation.

Pride in Maia’s actions and Emily’s bravery filled my chest to almost bursting. We were a family of three. A pyramid, each holding the other up. Stronger together.

“I’m ready. Ask me anything,” Emily said, directing her question to the inspector.

Four hours later, the three of us had said our goodbyes to Alana and Christophe and were on the private jet I’d chartered, headed back home to Los Angeles, California.

* * * *

On the plane, I’d called Joel Castellanos’ cousin, Bruno. Unfortunately, he didn’t answer personally. My call had been rerouted to a man named Jonas, who introduced himself as Bruno’s second-in-command. I explained my connection to Joel, which he already seemed to know. Since time was of the essence, I didn’t mince words and told Jonas the entire story about Maia, how we met the same way Joel and Faith had, and that her family situation was dire. He cataloged all the information, names, places, and even the grittier details about Maia’s abuse at the hand of her stepbrother, which seemed to not only anger Jonas, but set a fire under his fingers as I could hear the rapid-fire clicking of keys on a keyboard.

Once done, he simply told me they would look into it and that I’d have preliminary information by the time the flight landed in California. He also explained their services were not cheap. I responded that I had money but not the resources to get what I needed. Which was sensitive information about Maia’s family members.

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