Page 119 of The Protégé

“Is that why his body was floating in the Providence River?”

I turned on my phone, clicked on the saved video, and slid it over to the coffee table.

“Isn’t that you and Sam discussing the scheme? You were part of it.”

Shock splashed onto his face. “What do you know?”

“I know you and Sam killed many people. You used their vulnerability and made money from their deaths, which you coerced. Who else is part of this scheme? I want all the names.”

I left the meeting feeling satisfied because Carlos agreed to give me the names. In an exchange, I’d help him leave this country anonymously.

I gave him forty-eighthours to provide the names of those he’d worked with, including the names of his victims. He’d be paying them all back with interest.

At first, he’d hesitated, but what was the point in having all this money if he were going to be killed by The Trogyn? Who was the elite member inside the Reimann Corporation?

When I’d alerted my father about the life insurance scam, he said he’d look into it. I hadn’t heard from him yet.

Anxiety increased in me, but I thought about Elena and it subsided. I couldn’t wait to tell her that she owed nothing to Carlos. She’d be getting all her money back with interest.

On the drive home, I pressed the button on my car to call her.

“I’m heading home. Do you need me to pick up anything for dinner?”

“Nope, I’m good. I’ve made dinner for you, so hurry and get home.”

“What did you make?”

“A Peruvian dish calledlomo saltado.”

It had been a long time since I had a home-cooked meal. I’dnever driven home so fast in my life.

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

ORION

After finishingmy second plate oflomo saltado, I felt like the luckiest man alive. “You should cook for me every day.”

She smiled. “It’s gonna cost you.”

“Name your price.”

“Well, if you consider lunch and dinner, that’s two meals a day, five days a week.” She ticked off each finger. “Weekends, we order out. So the cost of the food plus my labor. If you add love to it, it’ll be around a hundred thousand dollars a week.”

I choked on my tea. “Wow, you’re some negotiator, Sunshine. That’s a hefty price.”

“I forgot to add in the dandelion tea with my special ingredient. That’s gonna be an additional twenty thousand dollars.” She lifted a shoulder. “I guess I learned from experience—how to inflate money to benefit me.”

I sensed a tinge of sarcasm and sadness in her voice.

“For you, I’ll allow the scam. Know that I intend to get my money’s worth. These meals must come with happy endings.” Smiling, I wiggled my eyebrows, which earned me a sexy eye roll.

I reached for her hand. “I have good news to tell you, but let’s clean up first.”

“There should be more good news in the world. I’ve got some ideas lined up for Musepaper. Wanna hear about them?”

“Absolutely.” I brought the plates over to the sink, loving this casual dinner with her.

I could do this every day with Elena—coming home to her after a long day of work. Her presence was like a calming bath after a strenuous workout, or the gentle breath the body takes during a peaceful sleep. But she was also a powerful jolt that invigorated me. When I lost all hope or energy, I just had to think of her.

---