Page 31 of Victorious Vice

Then my jaw drops.

The EPA. My contact there. How when I called her, she was already working on keeping the Bellamys from excavating that particular parcel of property.

Oh my God.

Bellamy never had any intention of excavating that property. Because he knows. Heknowswhat’s under there.

What ifheis the one who started the process at the EPA?

But if that’s the case… Why would he tell his boys that he was getting ready to excavate that area of his land?

If he knows what’s there, he knows that would freak them out.

Is that what he wants? His sons in a state of panic?

His sons having no choice but to come to me for help?

None of this makes any sense at all.

I’d like to talk to Elmo, but he’s my bodyguard and my translator. He’s not my friend. Not even my colleague.

But he knows everything that I know for this trip at least. He has to, in order to interpret.

When we return to the Agudelo mansion, our driver hands us each a pamphlet on points of interest in Bogotá.

“For when Agudelo asks you what we did on our sightseeing tour,” Elmo says.

I nod. “Of course.”

When we get into the mansion, Morehouse greets us. “Mr. Agudelo had to make a quick overnight trip,” he says, “but he’ll be back for your lunch meeting tomorrow.”

An overnight trip? Where? And why?

I know better than to pose these questions to Morehouse. He won’t betray his employer.

“Good enough,” I say.

“Dinner will be served for you at eight p.m.,” Morehouse says. “In the dining room.”

I nod. “That will be fine. Thank you.”

“We will have another dinner guest as well,” he says. “Señor Agudelo’s daughter, Daniela.”

“All right.”

Daniela. Right, Agudelo has a daughter. I learned that when I researched him in preparation for this trip. She’s eleven. The same age as Belinda McAllister.

Fuck. Belinda.

She reached out to Raven and to me. Her nanny is trying to help her, but she has limited resources. And she probably needs her job.

The thought of what Declan McAllister is doing to his daughter…

I can’t go there.

I will rescue Belinda, somehow. At least I know her life isn’t in danger. McAllister may hurt her, but he would never take her life. She’s a pawn. Chattel. And she’s already been promised to me.

I hate the fact that she has to live for another couple of weeks in those horrid circumstances, but I can’t help her right now. I have to finish this current project.

---