Page 97 of Erik's Salvation
He turned and walked out, and it was while he was walking away that her gaze flicked to her safe. Suddenly, she remembered Angelo’s key had gone missing for a time. And the alarm code had been written on the key ring.
Had someone taken the key and used it to steal the painting before returning it?
Only Reuben and Taylor had the code to her safe. But itcouldn’tbe one of them…could it?
* * *
“Yes,there’s a Vincent who runs a drug operation out of Tacoma. Vincent White. Authorities have been trying to shut him down for years.”
Erik cursed under his breath as he watched Hannah’s office building.
“This guy’s dangerous, Hunter. You don’t want him anywhere near Hannah.”
No shit, he didn’t. He didn’t even want to leave her damn office. There were too many threats. “I want you to find everything you can on him.”
“You got it.”
“Also, before you go, I need another favor.”
“If it’s about Marco, I’m still working on his location. The guy’s good at staying hidden. And considering he’s starting his own business, he’s probably been planning his disappearance for months.”
“No. It’s something else. I need you to run a name for me.”
He knew he was pushing their friendship here. Chandler was only supposed to use his resources for Erik, but fuck, Hannah was like an extension of him.
Chandler huffed out a breath. “Okay. Give it to me.”
“Angelo Bonetti. Owns a property here in Redwood. Approximately mid-fifties. And he may drive a Jag.” Erik’s gaze skimmed over the expensive car outside the agency as he read the plate numbers to his friend.
“Give me a second.” The tapping of keys sounded. The couple minutes that passed felt like a fucking lifetime. “Got him.”
Erik straightened. “Is he clean?”
Chandler’s whistle had Erik’s chest tightening. “He owns and runs a casino, and the government has him flagged as possibly being involved in money laundering. They don’t have the evidence to do anything about it yet. There are photos in the system of him meeting with various criminals.”
“Fuck.”
Erik ended the call as he climbed out of his Corvette and strode back to the office. He reached the door just as it opened. When Angelo met his gaze, the guy’s eyes hardened, then he dipped his chin and walked around him, heading to his car.
Erik caught the door before it closed and went straight to Hannah’s office. She was sitting at her desk, her gaze flickering across the wood as if her mind was racing. And her face…fuck, it was so pale.
He was across the room in a second, spinning her chair to face him. He lowered to his haunches in front of her and cupped her cheeks. “Angel. Talk to me. Are you okay?”
Did he need to go and kill that fucker?
A beat passed while she just looked at him with worried eyes. She shook her head.
He cursed and ran his gaze down her body. When he found no injury, he looked at her again. “Tell me what he did.”
She swallowed. “Someone took the key to his house from my safe. A few days later, it was back, so I forgot all about it.”
“What did they do with the key?”
“They stole a painting from him. It’s worth over fifty thousand dollars, but he said it’s not about the money.” She sucked in a sharp breath. “He’s given me twenty-four hours to return it.”
The muscles in Erik’s forearm tightened as he tried to contain his anger. When footsteps sounded in the hall, they both looked up to see Taylor and Reuben walking in the direction of the office kitchen. Taylor noticed them first, then Reuben did. They both stopped.
“Hey,” Taylor said with a frown. “Are you okay?”
