Page 71 of The Protégé

Records showed he was a lawyer working for a New York law firm and often traveled to Europe.

My legal team didn’t work with him or his firm. Aaron owned two boats, but they were docked in Newburyport, Massachusetts. It was possible he was on a boat with friends and drowned. But his family and friends should have looked for him.

Did Aaron Turner know my mentor? Though I’d been close to The Condor, he’d never been to this island.

This private sanctuary wasn’t a tourist attraction. Several signs had been posted around the shore to alert people it was private property and cameras were in use. How had Aaron been on the island without the cameras catching him?

Was I being paranoid? Or had someone known where the cameras were positioned and avoided them successfully?

I strode to an area that had been sectioned off for solar panels that my energy company had developed. These advanced panels hadn’t reached the market yet. I wanted to test them first. This island ran onsolar energy, of which I had enough for the entire year.

The speed with which these panels collected and replicated solar energy excited me. I had so many projects going on that made me proud. I thrived on innovation and inspiration. But it required me to divide my energy in so many different directions.So many areas to manage, which meant I could’ve gone wrong somewhere.

I had a feeling I was missing something important. But I couldn’t pinpoint it.

I’d called off the construction team for the week. The Swedish authorities would visit me tomorrow. I had to make sure everything was squared away before I returned to the States.

Elena’s face popped into my vision. I missed her. She’d become more important to me than she realized.

That kiss.

The kiss we’d shared touched me to the core. It was like I remembered something deep within me. The closer I got to her, the more I remembered things about myself—what made me happy.

But then Elena had hesitated, and I knew why. She wanted to know about the ring on my necklace. I’d want to know too if she wore a ring that had belonged to another man.

I walked through the woods back toward my house and stepped on something. As I bent down to pick up a gold button with a mandala in the center, my necklace fell to the ground.

I stood there for a moment, staring at the gold chain and gold ring on the dry leaves. Was the universe helping me? Now I had to put it back or tuck it away in my pants pocket.

Picking up the necklace, I noticed the clasp had broken after so many years of having no issues.

I hadn’t met a woman who touched me the way Elena had. My chest constricted as though it knew what I was about to do.

“I’m moving on, Kate. I hope you’re happy for me.” The necklace and ring warmed in my hand. I imagined the warmth as confirmation from the universe. My body felt lighter as I tucked the necklace into my pocket.

Then I turned my attention to the button. I’d never seen the gold mandala before. It could belong to one of the construction workers or one of my men monitoring the island while I was away.

I’d send itto the DNA lab for them to analyze. In half an hour I’d be meeting with two members of my team. Urgent meetings had come up, requiring me to go to Sweden. I had to call Elena to let her know I wouldn’t be back for another week.

What was she doing now? Was she missing me?

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

ELENA

We all gatheredin Vivian’s lounge area with comfy couches located beside her massive gym. Her fiancé, Arrow, had renovated his home to suit her needs. I could see the love and joy oozing from her. All the girls here tonight exuded that bliss. All except me.

“Look at these fresh spring rolls. Viv taught me how to make them.” Kiera placed a platter down on the coffee table. “There’s shrimp and chicken teriyaki.” She had gorgeous brown hair, a little darker than mine.

We all dove in, filling our plates with spring rolls and dipping sauce.

I shouldn’t compare myself to these girls who had become my friends. But it was hard not to yearn for the same. Would I ever meet a man who put me as his top priority?

My thoughts wandered to Orion. He showed interest in me and we had fantastic chemistry. But he had baggage.

We all do.

He had one foot in the past and one in the present. Would a man like him drop everything to be with me? In romance booksthat always happened, and it sounded wonderful. But this was reality.

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