Page 1 of Sutton and the CEO's Baby

PROLOGUE

Amansion in the hillsof Southern California.

“What do you mean he’s dead?” Forrest Coswell’s voice was deceptively calm. A man would have to be three parts insane and a fourth part delusional to ever feel comfortable in his presence.

“In a regular way. Shot twice in the head in a seedy motel just inside a shithole town called Otterville Falls.”

Forrest, a man in his fifties, had enjoyed the finer things of life and it showed. His stomach was no longer flat, his face was ruddy from too much drink, and there was a cruelness to his lips that couldn’t be erased.

As he eyed the private investigator, Forrest demanded shortly, “Who did it?”

The other man wore all black. A private investigator with a military background, this man was the best of the best. Forrest hadn’t minded paying top dollar to retain him. He would finally find the answers to where his sniveling wife had disappeared to all of those years ago.

The PI shrugged nonchalantly. “That hasn’t been confirmed, sir. But the person skulking around has been identified.”

“Well, don’t keep me waiting, man!”

“His name is Justin Landry.”

The pencil in Forrest’s hand snapped in two. It had been a long time since he had anything to do with the Landry family. In a hoarse voice he asked, “Is she there?”

“Dead. She went by the name Jo Landry and gave birth to a daughter twenty-six years ago. There is a birth certificate on file that names Hollingsworth Sutton III as the father. It is as you suspected, she is the daughter of your wife. Ms. Landry is currently living in New York City. I am told there is a boyfriend, business mogul Mark Williams.”

“That fucking bitch,” Forrest spat.

The PI didn’t flinch. The more he learned about this man, the more he distrusted him. Everyone had their secrets, even a lowly PI. It was better to stay calm and gather all of the details rather than fly off the hook.

“How do we know that Sutton isn’t my child? Her whore of a mother was my wife, damn it!”

The PI shrugged. “We don’t know for certain. Tests would need to be performed.”

“Find out why Justin Landry is in Otterville Falls and get me a fucking DNA sample.”

The PI raised a brow. “I told you on the phone that our business was completed.”

“The hell it is,” Forrest shouted, getting to his feet.

The PI wasn’t afraid of the older man. He had dealt with far worse in the military. Besides, once he had learned that Mark was involved, he couldn’t—no, hewouldn’tbe a part of the investigation. He was a man of his word and did the job he had been hired to do. But that didn’t mean that he would sell out those that meant something to him.

His relationship with Mark? It was complicated.

Getting to his feet, the PI walked out during the middle of Forrest’s tirade. He walked down the opulent halls out the door into sunshine. Taking the steps two at a time, he pulled out his cell and called his informant.

“Is there anything new on the case?”

An elderly man replied, “It’s hot here, but they are no closer to finding a killer. No sign of Landry either. Does Forrest know?”

“He does now,” the PI responded.

The elderly man swore.

“Listen, if it wasn’t me, it would have been the next PI. The Landry name was too easily traced after Sutton claimed her inheritance. As long as she’s in New York she is safe.”

Ending the call, the PI wished that he had never heard the name Forrest Coswell.

**

EARL LOOKED AT THEcellphone in disgust. The PI had hung up on him. Creeping along the back alley behind Abberly’s, Earl made his way to the back entrance. Knocking three times, he sank back into the shadows and waited until the door slowly opened.

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