Page 88 of Preying Heart
“We can’t just barge in there and kidnap her!”
“That’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
ChapterThirty-Three
Gavin
My mom calls me as I’m driving to the office. I consider not picking it up, but ever since Dad died, she’s been dependent on me, clingy and indecisive. I had to take care of the funeral arrangements and dealing with the lawyers, as well as Operation Persephone business. Not to mention mislead the police and the investigation into my father’s death. I cannot afford even a whiff of scandal, and the most convenient story is he died a hero because he took down a notorious human trafficking ring.
The Eastern European connection is a ruse to divert media attention. It always works. Journalists, or the copycats calling themselves journalists, are so stupid. It’s like throwing steak at the guard dogs.
I answer the call using my car’s Bluetooth connection. “Mom, everything okay?”
“How can anything be okay?” Mom’s thready voice whines like a hungry mosquito.
“What’s up?”
“Oh, Gavin. Everything’s so confusing. I’m sitting with Mr. Littlejohn going over the foundation finances. There are some suspicious payments that the board didn’t authorize.”
“There are always payments under the table. Did Dad sign off on them?”
“That’s the problem. Your father paid a bounty hunter using Bitcoin.”
“There’s no problem. Why’s Littlejohn making a big deal about it? We use crypto if the hunter prefers.”
“Littlejohn ran a trace on the blockchain and says he paid the cop who busted Claudia’s dad. It was right around the time Remi went missing and we put out that ten-thousand-dollar reward.”
I have zero patience with my mom and all her meanderings. Besides, I can’t afford for her to talk and speculate. Loose lips sink futures. I’d hate to have to shut hers up, but if I must …
“Look, I’m almost at the office,” I placate her. “If you think of something else, let me know.”
“I’m thinking someone killed your dad because he hired that cop to find Remi. You know how Claudia’s dad hates that cop. Why would your father risk it?”
“Dad was killed by Eastern European traffickers.” I pull into the underground parking garage, hoping I’d lose the signal soon. I need to put a stop to her digging. “Why would you think it has anything to do with Remi?”
“You don’t get it, Gavin. Your dad wanted to run away with her. I found his journal. He says Remi’s pregnant. I hate to speak ill of the dead, but he got Remi pregnant and wants to keep her hidden. He didn’t pay the cop to find Remi. He paid him to keep Remi safe until he could elope with her.”
Damn, Dad kept a journal? I knew he had the hots for Remi. What I couldn’t figure out was why he wanted to claim the baby as his own. How did he even find out about her pregnancy?
“Gavin? Did you hear what I said? Your dad wanted to run away with her.”
“That’s the craziest—”Smash. Pow. Crunch.
The airbag explodes, punching me in the face and sending the phone flying.
I swat it back and pound the steering wheel.
Mom is always five steps behind. You can’t even shove a clue down her throat.
No one gets to keep Remi from me.
No one.
Not even Dad.
I step out of my Porsche and survey the damage to the front end. Another shitshow. I don’t have time for this. The airbags have deflated, and I find my phone. I call my assistant to take care of the car and cancel my meetings. Dad’s journal is a smoking gun, and I need to get it away from Mom before she goes too far. I hope he didn’t record that last argument we had.
I call for a rideshare and direct the driver to my parents’ Windermere mansion. I have to get my hands on that journal and scare my mother into silence.
