Page 61 of Broken Promises

“I was going through the submissions to our new platform when one of them got my attention,” Jo explains.

“It’s why I ran here shoeless,” Harlow adds.

“And said it wasn’t my dad,” Mav says.

“Listen first and then hopefully Harlow can explain because I don’t know how she jumped there either,” Jo says, clicking on an audio file.

“You got rid of the boy?”

The voice is muffled, but clear enough to understand the words. I can’t tell if it’s male or female, though.

“I told you I did.”

My heart stops. That’s Maverick’s dad.

“Then why is his brother trying so hard to find him?”

That’s the first voice again.

“It’s his brother. What the fuck were you expecting?”

Senator Wolfe.

“You could’ve left a fucking body.”

First voice.

“You told me to make sure no one could connect it to us!”

Senator Wolfe.

“Did you hear that?” Harlow asks. “Play it again, Jo,” she says before anyone can answer. Jo does as she asks.

“So my dad either thinks he killed Ezra, or he pretended to?” Maverick asks.

“Not that,” Harlow says and makes Jo play it again. She replays a noise after the muffled voice twice more.

“The scoff!” I yell, making Harlow jump next to me, but then she smiles.

“Exactly!”

“Harlow, you need to call your dad,” I tell her. “How the fuck did she get in here? Someone call the gate.”

“I’m going to need this explained,” Kai says, scratching the stubble on his jaw.

“Eva scoffs. It’s pretty much her favorite thing to do,” I explain. I watch as all the pieces click into place on Kai’s face.

“Fuck!” he shouts and runs his fingers through his hair.

“My mom. All this time, I thought she was just a puppet for my dad, but it’s the other way around, isn’t it?” Maverick sighs and leans back.

“I was still focusing on the senator since we had no evidence to point us anywhere else,” Harlow explains.

“A noise that might be a scoff or a million other things on a recording isn’t exactly evidence,” Belle says gently.

“I know, but Wolfe is clearly the other voice. Which means he either is terrible at murder or faked Ezra’s death. And who would he be answering to?” Harlow asks. “I need to call my dad.” She jumps up from the couch and makes the call while heading into the kitchen.

“It makes sense,” Maverick says.

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