Page 15 of The Protégé

“Let me save you time. The answer will always be no. Don’t ask me again.” I hung up and leaned back in the seat.

A part of me felt guilty for wanting Elena. Though Kate was no longer with me, I still respected her. She was like me in so many ways. She could finish my sentences and knew me better than my family. There hadn’t been a serious relationship after her. Just temporary flings that had no strings attached.

Elena’s beautiful face flashed into my vision, like a rebel with her own agenda. She was the first woman who had intrigued me this much. The first woman to squeeze herself into my thoughts, anchoring herself there.

I couldn’t shove her away.

Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to have her working for me. The contract would be only four months at the most. Then she would be on her way and I’d return to Sweden.

Huffing out a breath, I exited the car and entered my home. The quiet welcomed me, but the sadness still clung like gloomy clouds. I walked over to the kitchen counter, poured myself two fingers of whiskey, and brought it into my office.

Working had always kept my mind focused. Right now, I needed to concentrate on the reason I was in Providence.

Who had killed my mentor? I owed everything to him. He’d made me into a man who followed his dreams despite what his environment demanded. A man who had stolen in order to right some wrong. Sometimes crimes were necessary to catch the criminals.

The Condor had given me a sense of purpose. Without purpose, a man had no direction.

I was born into a wealthy family with everything provided for me. I didn’t have to work hard or finish college to receive a privileged lifestyle. I was predestined for it. Despite having all of that, I felt so alone and vulnerable,especially after my mother died. She had been the person who knew how to ease my panic attacks.

Money couldn’t solve it. The best therapist in the world couldn’t help me. No one could.

The pills helped a little when life became too much, too dark. Over time they stopped working too. But I’d learned to recognize the life patterns that could trigger my anxiety. Most things were just phases that would soon pass.

That was how I’d been living my life.

People didn’t know what lay behind the glossy façade.

I finished my whiskey, letting the taste linger on my tongue before swallowing.

Then I turned my attention back to the investigation and opened The Condor’s file. It held everything I’d gathered about him and those he’d been in contact with. His routine, what shops he visited, where he went for coffee. People he saw regularly when he was in Providence.

The Condor was like a father to me when my father was too busy to even look at me. My mentor was a meticulous man who had his own wealth, but he lived a simple life. He didn’t drive expensive cars or dine lavishly. He blended in with everyday people.

Who wanted him dead? Why?

I browsed the list of names and businesses he’d visited over the years. Digging into my mentor’s personal life wassomething I didn’t want to do. I didn’t want to violate his privacy, but this had to be done.

Did he know an elite member of The Trogyn? He’d never mentioned them to me. But then again, maybe that was what he’d been waiting to tell me. I flipped back to the few times we’d met up. The Condor had seemed normal. He gave no indication that something was wrong.

The past few months had been chaotic, throwing my thoughts in many directions. I needed to see this investigation clearly, otherwise I’d miss an important detail that could lead to the killer.

Exhaustion pulledat me. Leaning back against the chair, I closed my eyes, and a memory flashed.

I sit on the couch in my father’s library, my cousins Jonah and Jasper sitting across from me. Jonah is reading a comic book, and Jasper is watching something on his phone, laughing like an idiot. Jonah has dark hair, while Jasper got his mom’s genes of dirty blonde hair.

“Look at her.” He elbows Jonah. “Remember her?”

“You still have that?” Jonah shakes his head.

“Yeah! She’s got a pretty face. I wish we had more time with her.”

Jasper is such a prick. He’s probably bullying someone and recording it.

I don’t want to be in the same room as him. I get up and walk toward the door.

“Where are you going?” Jasper rises from the couch and follows me, tugging at my backpack.

Uncle Ray is discussing something with my father in his office.

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