Page 26 of Scarred Heart

After the door was fixed, I was satisfied leaving Rowan alone to pick up Hannah and try to salvage what was left of the weekend.“I have things I need to handle back home, but I’ll be around soon,” I’d promised.Whether or not it made a difference, I still didn’t know.It seemed she prided herself on getting through without me.Not that I blamed her.She’d had plenty of practice.

“Mr.Collins?Everything all right?”

I didn’t realize until my assistant called me out that the thought had made me growl.“Sorry, Viv,” I offered.“What was that you were saying?”

She gave me a wary look.“Only that the security specialist you’ve been working with called your direct line before you got in earlier.He said you can call him back anytime for an update.”

Security specialist.She was talking about Bruce Lewis, a former detective and current private investigator working with me on the Damian problem.It was he who’d tipped me off about the origins of the arsons in the Silicon Valley area and helped me tie them to the arson back in East Hampton.He always had an ear to the ground, reaching out to his vast network to track Damian and his thugs.

“Thank you,” I told Vivian as we wrapped our catch-up session.“I’ll call him right away.Remind me… when are my parents supposed to make it back from their trip?”

She frowned, squinting.For a woman old enough to be my mother, she had a hell of a sharp memory.“Next Thursday, I think?I can set a reminder in your calendar.”

“No need.I’ll remember.”Because now, nothing would stop me from visiting my father face-to-face once he got home from his Mediterranean tour.It was something I usually tried to avoid, but this was not a typical situation.

It wasn’t that I was surprised by what he did, exactly.I’d had more than a day to go over it from every angle.Of course, he would send that slimy lawyer to Rowan’s hospital room just as soon as they were able to draw up an agreement.Taking advantage of an injured, scared girl without a moment’s regret.

How did I know that?Because I knew the old man.I knew how ruthless he could be.I’d learned about more than just data analytics and algorithms in the two years I spent in China.Yet another reason I had no interest in working for him another minute once I came home.

It never crossed my mind that he would use that same ruthlessness against anyone I cared about.There I was, thinking I was beyond that level of naivete.He had proven me wrong, the bastard, and he was going to pay for it.

My first call of the day was to Bruce, who picked up on the second ring, sounding as gruff as ever.“How was Beverly Hills?”he asked, forgoing a greeting.

“Illuminating,” I replied since neither of us had the time to get into it.“What do you have for me?”

“I’ve heard our friend is pissed off that we got the jump on him when it came to the smear campaign against Miles Young.”

I did like starting the day with good news.“Is that why he gave up so easily?”I asked because, as far as I could tell after scouring social media, the whole thing had fizzled out without much fanfare.Yes, the information was out there, but so was a statement from the family of the guy Miles had drawn into a fight.They were adamant that they didn’t blame Milesand, in fact, thanked him for covering their son’s medical bills all these years.Miles came out of it looking like a hero, and I hope he knew it.I hoped he would lie on the beach with his bride and put it behind him for now.

“He doesn’t realize who he’s fucking with this time around,” I grunted out, imagining Damian’s rage after going so far out of his way to sabotage us.“Do you have anything on those two employees he poached?I would think they’ve been laying low.”

“You are correct,” he confirmed.“I have a theory about that if you’d like to hear it.”

“By all means.”

“It’s pretty simple.He paid them enough that they were able to disappear, both for his sake and for theirs.”

Shit, I’d assumed that from the beginning.“They’d better hope I never catch up to them, or they’re going to learn what happens to people who break an NDA.”

“I’m going to keep looking.There’s no way to really disappear in this day and age.There’s always a trail.Unless…”

“Unless what?”

“Unless he silenced them permanently.”

Right away, I wanted to dismiss the idea, but that would’ve been a mistake.I couldn’t afford to think like a normal person now.I had to think like Damian, the sort of sick fuck who would burn down a dress shop or an office out here just to send a message.Something told me he wasn’t too concerned about collateral damage if it meant getting what he wanted.

Bruce promised to keep me in the loop as we ended the call, leaving me staring out my office windows overlooking the bay.Normally, the sight of the sparkling water and the boats bobbing gracefully on it had a soothing effect.I’d always loved the water.

Even that didn’t have the power to silence the overturned beehive my brain had become.My daughter was an hour’s flight from where I sat, in school, by now.Who was she?Was she anything like me?Did she know anything about me?To think, a week ago at this time, I didn’t have the first idea she existed.

I didn’t have to care.That was the thing I’d spent most of Sunday reminding myself.Rowan hadn’t asked for help, just the opposite.She didn’t need me.Nobody was twisting my balls, forcing me to give a shit or acknowledge the kid as mine.

Did I want to acknowledge her?Did I want any of this?

What I wanted more than anything was a drink.Considering most people were just now sitting down at their desks for the first time all day, it would be best to wait until tonight.It occurred to me that my closest friends were in town at the same time, something that rarely happened.

I sent a text, inviting them out for drinks later on.It had been too long since the four of us had caught up, and I needed normalcy after days of anything but.

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