Page 19 of Hunted Vengeance

MERRICK

As the dayscontinue to pass, I realize that it’s been several months since I signed those annulment papers. It should be finalized soon, and then she’ll be married to whatever asshole snatched her up.

The thought of that pisses me off more than I realized it would when I actually put ink to paper. When I walk into Boden’s office, I don’t even bother knocking. My adrenaline is at an all-time high. I am ready to start demanding some goddamn answers.

“Yes?” Boden asks as I stomp into the room and slam the door closed behind me. I ignore the few picture frames on the wall that shake when I do. He leans back in his chair, his eyes on mine, and if I’m not mistaken, he’s wearing a fucking smirk on his lips.

“What the fuck have you found out?” I demand.

He doesn’t laugh, although I wouldn’t laugh if I were him, either, especially with the way I’m feeling. I could take out some serious self-anger on Boden right now. On anyone, really. I’m ready to end some shit right now.

“Have a seat,” he offers as he lifts his hand and extends his index finger toward the chair beside me.

Reluctantly, I sit down in the chair across from his desk. My eyes flick down to his desk, and I take in the flat surface… or what would be a flat surface if the fucker cleaned it off. He’s got stacks of papers all over the place. I have no idea what they are, and I inwardly wonder how he can get anything done in this fucking mess.

“Do you want to clean it?” Boden asks.

Shifting my attention to him, I jerk my chin. “You need a secretary,” I point out. “How do you get anything done?”

Boden shrugs a shoulder, his eyes flicking down to his desk before they shift back up to meet mine. “I know where everything is.”

“Until you don’t?” I ask.

“Basically,” he says with a laugh.

My anger dissipates immediately, and I find that I’m less agitated than I was when I walked in here, although I’m still anxious to know what the fuck is going on and if I’ve missed my opportunity to get my wife back.

“Her wedding is in three weeks,” he begins as he shuffles around paperwork on his desk. He reaches for a folder and flips it open. His eyes widen, and then his lips curve up into a grin before he flicks his gaze up to meet mine.

“So, good news, you’re not too late.”

“I don’t know what I’m going to do yet. I just wanted the information,” I say.

He snorts as if he knows me better than I know myself, which, to be fair, he probably does. “You wanted the information to bring your wife home, don’t fucking lie. You’re dragging your feet, and you need a push,” he states.

Shrugging my shoulder, I arch a brow and stare at him in silence. I refuse to accept or deny his claims, so I stay silent and wait for him to continue. Thankfully, he does. And when he does, I can’t help but wonder how the fuck Colette has stayed completely off the internet. Usually, you can at least find someone’s name, but I haven’t been able to find out a damn thing.

“She didn’t go to high school. She was homeschooled and passed all her tests. She’s smart, Merrick,” he says.

I never doubted that Colette was smart.

I thought she was more intelligent than she ever made out to be. She knew what she was doing at her father’s house. She also knew exactly how to act, what to say, and what not to say to me. She was the most controlled person I’ve ever encountered, more in control of herself than anyone I’ve ever met, even my brothers.

“What else did you find?” I ask.

He presses his lips together before he speaks. “She’s finished high school courses, never went to college. She has no credit cards in her name and no bank account either. Her mother was declared legally dead when she was eight years old.”

“Wait.” I hold my palm up. “Declared legally dead?” I ask.

“When Colette was five years old, she disappeared.”

I can only imagine.

“With Adriano as her husband, I’m sure she just vanished,” I say with a snort.

“Essentially,” he mutters.

“Other than that, there isn’t much about her. Adriano has kept her under lock and key, so it seems. The paperwork for your marriage was filed, and then the annulment, but that’s about it. I couldn’t even find any medical records.”

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