Page 110 of The Mastermind

“Why didn’t you tell me the bracelet was a gadget?” she asked with a hint of hurt.

“I didn’t want to frighten you. You were dealing with a lot. You had a major family issue looming over you, and you were trying to overcome a phobia. I wanted to wait and tell you later. I wouldn’t have kept it from you, Agent Sexy Dot.” I smiled and tipped her face up to meet mine. “I knew you’d love it.”

She chewed on her bottom lip. “Thank you.”

“You scared the life out of me, Audri.”

Tears glistened in her eyes. “They poisoned your dad. Took me to get to you. I didn’t want them to hurt you. I was so frightened, Remi.” She sagged into me, energy dissipating.

“It’s over now.” I scooped her up and carried herthe rest of the way.

CHAPTERFIFTY-SIX

AUDRI

Hours later,the doctor and nurses cleared me of any major injuries. I’d only gained minor bruises, minor scratches, and fatigue. What they didn’t see was my bleeding heart.

Remi had gone out to speak with the two detectives, and I reveled in the solitude to gather myself.

Hearing a knock on the door, I glanced up to see Grayson and waved him in.

He entered, sat down on the armchair, and squeezed my arm. “You okay, Moy Moy?”

Grayson offered me a warm smile, but I knew he was hurting. Like me, he’d been deceived. I didn’t know how long this wound would take to heal, or if it could be healed at all.

“I’ll be okay. And so will you.” I placed my hand over his. “When did you get back? What happened to your projects in Europe?”

“No biggie.” Grayson shrugged. “They’re on hold for now. It’s just work. Family is more important. I rushed back as soon as I could. Mom is on her way to see you.”

“Does she know about Derek?”

“I told her everything because she asked. You know how persistent she is. Besides, she would have heard it on the news. We can talk to her again to make sure she’s okay.” He sighed. “The fire chief will now be investigated for tampering with evidence. Back then, no one told us the fire was arson. They claimed it had been an accident after you mentioned dropping the candle.” He shifted in his seat and looked at me. “That fire hadnothingto do with you. You’ve blamed yourself long enough. It became a disease in you, Audri. The fire wasneveryour fault.”

“I know,” I muttered.

The last ember of guilt floated away from me. It had started during the hypnosis session, and every time I remembered something, my wounds healed a little more. I still had work to do, but it wasn’t as daunting. Remi understood what I needed and had helped me take that first step. He had gone with me to that first session and supported me from there.

I didn’t know where my relationship with him would go from here, but I was grateful for what he’d done for me.

“I’ll be helping Mom take over Wu Real Estate Solutions for now. I’ll buy out Derek’s portion of the company. He’s going to want to sell it fast to pay for all the legal fees.”

“But you have your own company to run.”

“I’ll manage. With the right team, anything is possible. I won’t be taking on new architectural projects until I take care of the family.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “If I had helped Mom from the beginning, I might have seen something in Derek, right? I mean, he fooled all of us.” Disbelief strained his face. “I thought I was a smart guy, but damn, he made me feel like shit.”

“He was a good deceiver. I can’t believe he ran a sex trafficking ring. I remembered Lawrence making an off-hand comment about me being ‘Audri Wu.’ He wanted to pimp me out.” I shuddered.

“He’ll go to prison for life. I’ll make sure of that. He’ll get what he deserves.” Grayson craned his neck to the side, massaging it. “I need to check all the properties and comb through the paperwork with the lawyers. The warehouse where he held you belonged to Wu Real Estate and was used for furniture storage for staging showrooms and open houses.”

“Let me know if you need help with anything.”

“You want to help at the real estate firm? You used to hide whenever Mom and Dad asked if you wanted to hang out there after school.” His eyebrows rose so high that they almost disappeared into his hairline.

“I didn’t say that I’d enjoy it, but I can learn. I mean it. I’ll help you out.”

“I appreciate it, but I’ll be fine. I already know about properties and such, and I have a team of people I can call for help. You do your thing. How was the fashion show?”

I told him it was a success and I’d do it again next year.

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