Page 28 of Cruel Fate

I knew this was coming when Ash all but forced me to go out to Temptations.

“I suppose we can’t put it off,” I say, shuffling into the kitchen. During our late meeting, we ordered in, but even that seemed like a long time ago.

“Lucille made spaghetti,” Zarah says, following me.

It sounds heavenly after such a tiresome day, and I wait impatiently as a large portion of the leftovers heat in the microwave.

Zarah sits at the island, where she and Stella sat the day they met. That too, seems so long ago, yet only the weekend has passed. It’s not the first time my life has felt out of control. Time is slipping away, six months since Mom and Dad left us forever, and I can still hear Mom laughing, see Dad chasing her around the penthouse. They loved each other right up until the end.

I want a love like that.

“We shouldn’t put it off for too much longer,” Zarah says, bringing me back to the present.

She’s right, and I know it. It would have happened a lot sooner if Dad had taken the company public. If I wouldn’t have taken over immediately after my father’s death, our shareswould have tanked. Maddox Industries would be worthless. As it is, I need to prove Maddox Industries is a company still worth doing business with, and I can only do that if I crawl out of my cave.

Making my first public appearance at Temptations wasn’t the smartest choice, but everyone wants to know who Stella is, and that lifts some of the pressure off me.

“Okay, then do what you need to do.” Zarah can handle a party. She’s been planning them with Mom since she could read.

“I asked Stella to help,” Zarah says as I slurp noodles covered in marinara sauce.

I reach behind me and grab a beer out of the fridge. “Good. She needs to make connections if she’s going to be my assistant. Did you call her?”

My sister tells me she’s spent more time with Stella today than I did, and my heart thuds despondently in my chest. I miss her. I didn’t tell her goodbye, and my stomach pitched when I came out of my meeting and saw her empty desk. Of course, I would have gotten angry if she would have stayed that late. As she learns her duties, we’ll have late nights.

I look forward to those.

Zarah chats about their dinner, and I wait for her to ask about the meeting I had with the FBI, but she doesn’t. Stella didn’t say anything, and I’m surprised but grateful. There’s nothing to report, and I’m getting pissed.

It’s time to bring in a private investigator who can travel and grease some wheels. I’m not in a position to fly around the country or overseas to France asking questions and flashing hundred dollar bills persuading people to spill their guts.

I have no idea how to go about hiring someone I can trust, but Ash or Ash’s father, Clayton, will have recommendations. I’ll ask them at the party. Zarah won’t waste time, and I won’t have to wait long. I should have done this a while ago. The trail growscolder every day, giving people opportunity to cover their tracks and destroy evidence.

Someone wanted that plane to go down, and I won’t stop until I find out who and why.

“Back to Black tomorrow?” I ask, cleaning up after myself.

Zarah grins, but she looks tired. “Yes. Ash wants me there bright and early to sit in on a meeting. I’ll text Stella and set up a time to get together.”

“Thanks. I guess a press conference, too, huh?”

I don’t like that, but me stepping up isn’t a secret. I just hate the thought of my parents’ deaths being dragged through the media over and over again. It’s a constant reminder they’re never coming back.

“The whole works,” Zarah agrees.

I kiss her cheek. “Are you okay?”

She slides off the stool and leans into me. “I miss them, Zane.”

Hugging her close, I murmur, “I know you do. Me, too.”

We stand in the middle of the kitchen, just the two of us against the world, but we’re not alone, and I need to remember that.

“Goodnight, Z. Thanks for keeping me company while I ate.”

I’m too tired to look at the paperwork I brought home, and all I can think about is Stella.

I grab my cell and crawl into bed.