Page 6 of The Last Shadow

The guard nods, his fingers dancing across the screen. “I’ll expedite the process as much as I can, Mr. Wolfe. You’ll have the information as soon as possible.”

“Thank you. Is Dr. Atkins still around?”

“No sir, he left about ten minutes ago. He usually comes in at about seven.”

Shit. I wonder if he knows what Olivia means by,they know.

I head back to the office, wondering if I fucked up somewhere along the way. No, I couldn’t have. I’m too smart for that.

I stride into the office, noting how many of my employees are dedicated enough to remain at the office at this hour. They are part of the reason my company is so successful, and a small smile touches my lips as I make my way to my corner office.

“Mr. Wolfe.” Jess hops up from behind her desk with a professionally bland smile on her face. “Good evening. Is Francesca all right?”

“She’s fine,” I answer, dismissing her question.

“It’s such a terrible thing, losing everything the way she has. If there’s anything she needs?—”

I cut Jess off. “She’s fine.” I shut her down because it seems she’s forgotten who she works for and what our relationship is.

Jess huffs, undeterred. “I’m only asking because?—”

“I said she’s fine,” I say in a voice that tells her don’t fuck with me.

“Okay. My heart goes out to her.” Her tone is properly chastising which only pisses me off further.

I turned to Jess with an angry, narrow gaze. “I said she’s fine. Drop it.”

She wants to say more but Jess’ lips snap shut, she nods and leaves me in my office. I hear a whisper, “Jerk,” as she makes her way back to her desk.

I need time alone to process everything running through my mind at the moment. Olivia’s words sounded like a warning. The question I have is were the wordsthey knowwords of something she remembers from years ago, or is this a recent development?

I sit in my office, mulling over her words, piecing together who might’ve planted the idea that they know something they shouldn’t. I sift through the list of people who might know something and are still around to communicate it to my sister, but my options are limited.

So, what dotheyknow?

I ponder the question for far too fucking long but just when I’m ready to pack it in for the night, I get a phone call.

The Serenity House surveillance footage is ready for me to view.

I’ll have my answers soon enough.

CHAPTER FOUR

Damien

Francesca’s a mess, and the last thing she wants is for anyone to know. Sitting in my office, I watch her from my phone, still at the penthouse, probably wondering why I haven’t been home in two nights.

God, I’m an asshole. This beautiful woman has lost everything—her parents, her home, her precious belongings—and I sit here, watching her suffer.

It hurts me to see her like this.

Right now, she’s crying, letting out loud, body-quaking sobs that echo in the oversized living room. The sound is visceral, and it would be heartbreaking if I allowed myself to feel it that way.

But this is exactly what I wanted—Frankie isolated and alone, broken and wholly reliant on me. Yet, as I sit here on the leather sofa, watching her unleash all the feelings she hides from me, from Jay, from the whole fucking world, I find myself affected. By her. By watching her. Her tears stain her cheeks, marking herlike a messy art project, stirring emotions in me that feel foreign and unsettling.

Feelings I never thought I’d be capable of.

You’d think I’d be ecstatic. I have Frankie exactly where I want her, right where I need her to ensure that if that if any secrets come to light, they’ll never be exposed.

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