Page 72 of The Millionaire's Mechanic

He cleared his throat, but it was like someone was squeezing it shut from the outside, strangling his words. “I am not going there. Not yet.”

“Well, let’s hope Ms. Hines wakes up in a talkative mood,” Powell added. “In the meantime, I’ll find out where Mr. Mackenzie has been this past year.”

Powell’s deliberate use of George’s last name wasn’t lost on him. Rainer grabbed his phone, gripping it so tight he was surprised he didn’t crack the glass screen.

“While you’re at it, find out who else Mack was close to at Elite. There’s a reason those second-class gangsters went there to hash out the details of their plot. Someone else is involved.”

Kolesnik and the unidentified man—who couldn’t have been Mack, else he would have given away the fact he was still alive—had been there to meet another conspirator. They had to identify that person ASAP.

And no matter what Powell implied, Rainer knew that the other accomplice wasn’t Georgia.It couldn’t be.

Ignoring the sinking feeling in his stomach, he stood and poured himself an exceptionally large glass of bourbon.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-FIVE

Georgia didn’t know if she’d slept at all. It felt as if she’d been lying awake in this bed for hours, her eyes so dry they ached.

When the sky behind the blinds began to lighten with the promise of dawn, she struggled to sit up. It felt as if her body had turned to stone. Her limbs were so heavy that each of her movements was sluggish and painful.

Panic rose, quick and sharp. Her head spun as she swung her legs over the side of the bed. Grabbing fistfuls of the comforter, she sucked in big lungful of air to try to calm her racing heart. Oxygen returned to her starved muscles with a stinging force.

It had taken her most of the night, but she had figured out why Mack might have faked his death.

Somehow, Mack had teamed up with Kolesnik. They had probably met at Elite. Mack had been a gregarious mechanic—he’d been far more politic and popular than Mitchell. Many of the customers had liked shooting the breeze with him. Charming and self-possessed, he’d been a particular favorite with the dealership’s few female clients as well, although he had always maintained a strict line between business and pleasure, even when they weren’t together.

Somehow, Georgia doubted that a criminal like Kolesnik would team up with a mechanic to kidnap a millionaire. Why would he? Unless he wasn’t the mastermind.

Which could only mean one thing. Mack had been the one to come up with the idea to kidnap Rainer. Somehow, he’d talked Kolesnik and his henchman into carrying it out and then had faked his death. Which didn’t make any sense until she realized that professional criminals likely wouldn’t share the ransom with a mechanic.

Georgia had never thought of her brother as cunning, but he had always been very smart.

So, Mack had pretended to die so they could conduct the crime on their own. He must have had some plan in place to get a cut after the fact. How exactly Mack had thought he was going to pull that off, she had no clue.

Her brain was too exhausted to figure it out. She could feel it in her skull—sensitive and raw from lack of sleep and too much guilt.

No matter how much she wanted to absolve herself of responsibility for Mack’s actions, she couldn’t. He was her family. And he was going to hurt Rainer.

Pushing off the bed, she took a few shaky steps toward the pile of boxes she hadn’t gotten around to unpacking. She couldn’t go into the master bedroom without waking Rainer, and she needed clothes. With luck, she’d find something suitable to wear in one of these boxes.

It was tearing her apart, but she had to stop Mack. She could only hope the police would listen and take her seriously.

* * *

Rainer woke up with a headache. Downing a cold bottle of water from the mini-fridge, he showered and dressed in his sharpest Etro suit before going to check on Georgia.

She’s going to tell me everything this morning.

It might take a little prodding, but she was obviously crushed by what her brother had done.

Georgia won’t protect him. She loves you.No, she hadn’t said the words, but he knew she did. A woman like Georgia couldn’t fake that emotion, give herself so totally and without boundaries the way she did unless she was in love.

She will choose me.

But then Rainer found the spare bedroom empty. He threw out an arm as he lost his balance, his knees cut out from under him. Catching himself against the doorframe, he braced himself until the wave of dizziness and pain passed over him.

Layer by layer, he rebuilt his composure. The bathroom was empty, but he was ready for the blow this time. Methodically clearing the rooms, he made his way to the living room. He didn’t have to check the kitchen to know it would also be empty. Rainer could feel the solitude of the other rooms, a whispery visceral knowledge.

For a second, he considered going upstairs. After all, hadn’t Eileen been after his office records? Perhaps Georgia was rifling through his desk right now. But he dismissed the snide thought as soon as he had it.

---