Page 214 of The Re-Proposal

“Not Clarissa. She knows I didn’t mean a word of it.”

His eyebrows hike.

I lick my lips and shuffle nervously. “How often is Ris talking to Island?”

“It’s more like how often is Island talking to her. You know those ladies aren’t going to let one of their own disappear without an explanation.”

I run my hands through my hair. There’s a hole in my heart where Clarissa should be and it’s throbbing like mad.

“Good. That’s good,” I murmur.

My brother’s gaze spears into my face.

I start walking away.

He follows. “Cody, you’re killing yourself slowly. And I know because I was there. You’re not doing anything noble here. The longer you stay away from her, the more it seems like you don’t care. Why don’t you—”

“We need to find Winifred. I’m worried he’ll do something to Ris. And she’s so far away with only one tail…”

It’s my fault. She refused to accept my security detail when we were together. I knew for sure she wouldn’t accept it if Doberman and his giant buddies suddenly showed up around her.

Clay side-eyes me for cutting him off, but he allows the interruption. “If it makes you feel any better, I can track her cell phone if you ever need me to.”

“That does make me feel better.” Arching a brow, I ask, “Do you have a tracker on Island?”

He doesn’t respond, but his slight eye twitch tells me everything I need to know.

“Well, don’t you guys sound like a pair of romantic stalkers.” Vargas joins us. He stops in front of Clay. “You both left so early you missed the most interesting part of our guy’s confession.”

“He got us something we can use?” I ask.

“I think so. Apparently, Winifred told him he was funneling money from the company for a ‘good reason’.”

“Criminals always have a reason,” Clay grumbles.

“What was the reason?” I bite off, my eyes narrowed.

“A while back, Winifred claimed his family member died, leaving behind a boy about sixteen. With a heart condition.”

My whole face sours, lips twisting as the pieces click together.

“Apparently, the money he embezzled was supposed to buy this kid a heart. Unfortunately, Winifred tripped and fell and suddenly found himself at a casino, but he didn’t share that part.”

“Very common problem,” Clay says dryly. “Forgetting the pertinent parts of a sob story.”

“Doesn’t that description of the kid sound like someone familiar?” Vargas nudges my shoulder with his own.

“It might not be him,” Clay growls, watching me. “We have to question the source.”

I turn over all the evidence in my mind.

Joel’s sudden outburst the night of the gala. The harsh words he threw at me. The hatred in his eyes.

Liar. User. You only care about money.

Looking back, there was something off about his terminology. It didn’t feel like a mere sixteen year old having a meltdown against a parental figure. It felt like words had been planted in his mouth.

My mind traces back to every interaction with Joel, every bit of information I learned about his medical emergency.

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