An Eye For Illusion: A Private Investigator Romantic Suspense: (Dunn Security Group Book 2)

Chapter 20

“So, did you find anything?” Bridge asks.

I put the phone on speaker as I lay it on the counter. I’m starving, and I think I still have some chicken piccata leftover from two nights ago.

I dig into the back of the fridge. I know it’s in here. Why the hell can’t I find it?

“He walked out with a man and with some papers in his hand. Colin took pictures and drove me back to my car. He said, and I quote, ‘Time to stop playing detective, Jade. I’ll handle it from here.’”

“So, you don’t know what happened? Or who the man is?”

“Nope.” I pop the p in frustration. I wanted to follow along with Colin, but when I protested, he pushed back.

“Do you want me to do my job or not? You can’t interfere with my investigation. If Elliott sees you or catches us, this is dead in the water.”

“He won’t catch me.”

He laughs, throwing his head back. “He almost caught you earlier. If I hadn’t stopped you when I did, he sure as hell would’ve figured out you were following him.”

My eyes narrow in anger. “No, he wouldn’t have. Even if he did, I could have played it off.”

His face turns serious. “What am I doing here if you don’t trust me to do my job?” I start to tell him off. So far, he’s done a whole lot of nothing, but before the words leave my mouth, he continues. “I promise you I’ll find a way out for you. You have my word.”

My eyes widen at the promise he just spoke and at the sincerity I find in his gaze. Can I trust him? Can I put all my hope in him? I’m still not sure, and I sure as hell don’t trust easily.

“I know you don’t believe me, and I know I haven’t earned it yet, but trust me when I say I’m working on it. I’m so fucking close.”

His words take me by surprise. They reinforce the fact that there is more that he isn’t telling me. But why?

“Why can’t you tell me?” I want to know why he won’t at least say something that helps put my mind at ease, just a little morsel of truth.

His eyes find mine and hold my stare, begging me to trust him, but everything in my body wants to revolt because I find myself leaning into him. Begging for an answer that will allow me to get out of this car and to trust him.

“Because the further away you stay from this, the safer you are.”

His answer leaves me breathless. Safer? Further away?

My eyebrows knit together.

“I know I’m not telling you what you want to hear, but I promise I will as soon as I can. I swear on my father’s grave.”

I inhale sharply. “No.”

His eyes go wide in confusion. “No?”

“Don’t do that. Don’t say things you don’t mean.” My heart is pounding in my chest because for the first time I realize how damn serious he is. How much he cares.

“I know you don’t know me that well, sweetheart, but I don’t make promises I can’t keep.”

He leans over, his chest coming dangerously close to mine as he reaches across my body. I inhale his cedar scent, and my eyes close on their own accord. Holy hell, why does it feel so good to have him so close?

Just when I think he’ll kiss me, he pulls the handle on the door and shoves it open. His breath skates across my cheek as he pulls back, and the night air suddenly feels chilled against my heated skin.

“Go home, Jade.”

His sentence effectively dowses the fire that was starting low in my belly because of his proximity.

I look at the street and realize Elliott has made it a significant distance. He’s about to turn a corner, and we’ll lose him. He’s almost back to his car that was parked four blocks up. It’s now or never. If I don’t get out, we could lose the one new lead we’ve had in weeks. It only takes me a moment to make my decision.

“Don’t fuck this up, Colin,” I say as I exit the car, slamming the door shut behind me.

He hesitates for a second, then two before taking off down the road after my fiancé.

“I don’t know who the man is or why Elliott was in that part of town to begin with. Colin alluded to knowing more than he’s telling me, but I still don’t have any fucking answers.”

“I’m sure he’ll come up with something soon.” She’s trying to reassure me, but nothing helps lessen this sickening feeling taking residence in my stomach.

“What if he doesn’t find it in time? What the hell am I supposed to do if I have to walk down the aisle and profess my love to a man I can’t stand?”

I finally find the chicken piccata, but my stomach is too upset to eat, so I shove it back in the fridge and slam the door shut.

“It won’t come to that. We’ll make sure of it. I still think you could tell your father, and he would help you end this.”

I chew her words over in my mind. It isn’t like I haven’t thought of them myself, but I won’t risk him getting hurt because he tried to help me. I got us into this mess, and I’ll get us out.

“I can’t. I won’t.”

She sighs. “You still have time, Jade. We’ll figure this out, one way or another.”

Her promise does little to settle the churning in my stomach, that sticky tar that’s tainting everything around me. I spend the rest of the night tossing and turning in bed, unable to stop thinking about all the what ifs and the impending wedding.

But most of all, I can’t stop thinking about the fact that Colin never called.

“Ms. Foster,” Heather says, her tone a bit firmer than normal.

I turn to face her, realizing I’ve been daydreaming and staring out of my office window for far too long. I’m a little embarrassed, and my face heats.

I clear my throat. “Yes, Heather?” I square my shoulders.

This is the exact opposite of the persona I’m supposed to present to her. I’m supposed to be more likable and show her a softer side of myself. It goes against everything I’ve drilled into my own head for so many years.

I relax my posture, attempting to look more approachable. I force a welcoming smile.

“You caught me off guard, daydreaming.” I walk toward her. “What did you need?”

She looks at me like I’ve sprouted a unicorn horn. “Your father was expecting you in his office fifteen minutes ago,” she says with a hesitant smile.

I’ve been so consumed with picking apart every moment of the stake out with Colin, I’d completely forgotten the meeting with Dad.

“Please buzz him, let him know I’m heading up right now.” I slide my laptop into its case and give my desk a once over.

“Yes, ma’am,” she says before turning to leave my office.

“Heather,” I start, taking a deep breath just as she turns back to face me, “I really appreciate your work here…for the company…for me.”

Well, that wasn’t graceful at all.

There’s only a millisecond of awkward silence before Heather speaks. “Thank you, ma’am.”

“I mean it. You’re the best assistant I’ve had. If I’ve been difficult to work for…” I shake my head. “No, not if. I know I’ve been difficult to work for, and I apologize for that.”

She tries her best to remain professional, but her smile reaches her eyes. “Thank you, Ms. Foster. I really appreciate you telling me that.”

I feel my own smile mirroring hers. There, I did it. And her reaction was worth all the alarms going off in my mind to hide and protect myself. She deserves the recognition. She’s put up with me and my attitude without ever saying a snide word or sideways look.

“I should go,” I say, still smiling at the progress she and I made.

Heather holds her chin high and her smile steady as I pass by her, leaving my office to go up to the next floor to my father’s office.

I have a perma-smile as I wait for the elevator. I glance back at Heather’s desk. She’s taken her seat, and there’s still a smirk on her face as well. Who knows, maybe she’ll even like me once she knows I’m not a raging bitch.

My eyes meet the elevator door just as it dings, and the door opens. The face looking back at me is not one I expected or wanted to see.

Elliott.

“Elliott,” I say, surprised and confused.

“Babe,” he says with a grin. “I figured you’d already be in Dad’s office. I’m late.”

My eyes go wide at the word Dad. Why did he call him that? Why is here?

“Me, too,” I say, struggling to find words to string together to make a sentence.

“Well,” he says motioning for me to get into the elevator with him.

I mentally push myself forward, stepping into the elevator beside him. I try to calm myself and school my expression.

“I didn’t realize you’d be attending our meeting today.” I sound formal and stiff, but I can’t help myself.

My thoughts are running away thinking about why he’d be here. My thoughts go to how he threatened my father and me all those weeks ago, and my back straightens. He isn’t a partner…yet.

“I called the meeting, babe. Dad and I have been mulling over a deal I’m brokering. We’re both excited, and I wanted you to see what I’ll be bringing to the company.” His smile is meant to be charming, but it makes my stomach churn instead.

Before I get the chance to ask what the fuck he’s talking about, the doors open again into the long hallway leading to Dad’s office.

Elliott places his hand on the small of my back, leading me off the elevator. I try to pace just a step ahead of him to pull away from his touch, but he matches my steps. I’m starting to think he knows how uncomfortable I am with him, and he makes it worse intentionally.

As we approach, Dad’s assistant crosses our path to open the office door for us to enter. “He’s expecting you,” she says with a kind smile.

I nod, too nervous about what’s about to happen in this meeting to let my guard down now. Doing that with Heather was enough for one day.

“There you two are,” Dad says, standing from his chair behind his desk. He rounds his desk and pulls me into a hug, kissing each of my cheeks softly. Elliott reaches out his hand to shake Dad’s, but Dad pulls him into a hug as well.

My heart sinks when I see the way my dad interacts with Elliott, knowing I’ll have to break his heart once I shatter the image Elliott has so carefully crafted. I wish I could’ve gotten some sort of information last night. I wish we could’ve found some evidence to end this sooner.

“Elliott has been working on an investment deal for us.” Dad beams with pride.

I shake my head in confusion. We aren’t investors. We buy out floundering businesses, revive them, and sell them at a profit.

Elliott holds up his hand. “Let me pitch it first, babe. Historically speaking, I know this isn’t the direction the company has gone, but I think it’s worth considering, and so does Dad.”

My eyes bounce back and forth between Elliott and my father. He already seems to have him on board with whatever he’s up to. I’m filled with panic, but I’m doing a damn good job at keeping a poker face.

“I’ve been negotiating a deal that could take Foster Global to the next level.” Elliott’s smile makes my skin crawl, but I haven’t protested just yet. I need to hear him out for appearances.

He continues, “We’d be investors initially, and once we prove to be valuable to the business, we can renegotiate the terms and become partners.”

That’s it? That’s the pitch? He seems awfully proud of himself. I look at my father, who is still smiling. He must have told my dad more than that to get him so excited about this deal. My dad is an intelligent businessman; not some schmuck anyone can easily fool into just anything.

“Again, we aren’t investors. Is he looking to sell his business?” I ask less than politely.

My father and I have worked tirelessly to build this company and its reputation into what everyone sees today. I’ll be damned if Elliott comes in and blows it all up.

“No, but we have the potential to become partners. It would mean expanding Foster Global’s reach. We could start an investing branch if you want to call it that.”

I stand, frustrated with even the suggestion. “No, I don’t want to call it anything.” I take a deep breath, trying to remain calm. “Elliott, this isn’t what Foster Global is. This isn’t what we do.”

“Jade, darling, hear him out.” Dad approaches me, placing his hands on either shoulder. “This could be growth for us, and a way to give Elliott a strong stake in the company. His own branch, so to speak.”

No, no, no. This isn’t fucking happening. I need to talk Dad out of this. I regain composure and decide to take another approach. I take a seat and position myself looking Elliott full on.

“This individual has connections across the country and some even south of the border that could benefit us as a company.”

I try not to raise my eyebrows, but they nearly disappear into my hairline.

“What type of business is this exactly?” I ask, not sounding the least bit sold on this idea.

“It’s a transport company,” he says flatly.

“Transport… Transporting what?” His posture changes, his shoulders going tight and rigid.

“Transporting goods from state to state.” Again, an extremely vague answer.

“What type of goods do they transport? Is this like a trucking company?” My voice rises to a pitch I’m not even sure I’ve hit before. Now Dad and Elliott’s eyes are wide.

Elliott blows out an exasperated breath. “Essentially, yes.” Conveniently he answered only the last thing I asked.

“So, we’re blowing up our reputation as the biggest, most profitable and successful acquisition company on the west coast to become Foster Trucking? Is that what you two are telling me?”

I’ve completely lost any control I had. This cannot be real.

“No, just calm down.” Dad stands again, trying to help Elliott explain this shit show.

Elliott rakes his hand through his hair, seeing I’m going to be a much harder sell than my father was. I can’t believe Dad is even considering this.

“Elliott wants to expand Foster into investing as well as acquisition. He would head up the investing side; finding start-ups to invest in. This transport company would just be the first of many. We’d start as a silent investor, and as the company grows and becomes successful, we’ll become an equal partner in the business.” Dad is always so sure of himself.

“And if it isn’t a success?” I ask, unwilling to back down.

“We pull out. That’s why we start as a silent investor and not an equal partner,” Elliott adds. I guess he found his balls instead of letting my dad sell this deal to me.

This isn’t working. Dad is still all in.

“What do we know about the business?” I need to change tactics. I need to find something wrong with the numbers or the owner or something because, if Elliott has anything to do with it, this company is not on the up and up.

Elliott pulls some papers from his briefcase, laying them out one by one on my father’s desk. “He met with me late last night to bring me these documents. He’s very interested in working with us and eventually partnering. Here are the numbers from the last few months of operations,” he says confidentially.

They met late last night. Alarm bells go off in my mind. That’s who Elliott met last night! The stop wasn’t on his schedule, so I know it’s not related to the company he works for.

I squeeze my eyes closed, trying to pull the image of the man Elliott met with from my mind. Unfortunately, it’s no use. I’m too stressed for my mind to work.

“It looks like he’s doing well enough on his own.” I scan the documents for the owner’s name. “Why exactly does Vincent Maggio need an investor?”

I say the name over and over again in my mind. I’ll call Colin as soon as we finish here and give him that name. That has to be the man from last night.

“He wants to expand the business. He wants more trucks on the road and more drivers for the trucks. He wants to have products delivered to every state, maybe even Mexico and Canada eventually. Foster Global invests the money for those things and reaps the rewards.”

Elliott slides his hands into his pockets and rocks back on his heels. I really don’t like the smug bastard standing in front of me.

My heart pounds in my ears. This is the break I need to put an end to this sham of an engagement and get Elliott out of our lives for good. But I need to get all these fucking dots to connect. I need to talk to Colin now.

“Jade, you’re pale. Are you okay?” Dad is at my side in an instant. His voice is filled with familiar concern.

I place my hand over my pounding heart, willing it to calm. “Yes, I’m fine. I think I’m just a little tired,” I lie. I’m having a full-on panic attack.

“Maybe we should finish this another time then.” Dad’s words are music to my ears.

“Well, if we all agree to move forward, I can take it from here with Vinn…Mr. Maggio.”

Elliott wants to push this deal through here and now. That only drives my suspicion about whatever the hell this is even more. His lack of concern for me doesn’t go unnoticed either. And by the look on Dad’s face, he notices too.

“Another time, Elliott,” Dad says sternly before turning his attention back to me.

“Should I call for a medic, sweetheart? Are you sure you’re okay?” Dad’s eyes are locked on mine.

“No, that’s not necessary. I’ll go to my office and rest for a bit,” I say, hoping it’ll be enough to get me out of here so I can call Colin.

Elliott collects the papers from dad’s desk and shoves them hastily back into his briefcase. “I’ll go back down with you and make sure you’re alright.” He stands, waiting for me to rise from the chair and go with him.

Dad holds my hands to ensure I’m steady as I stand. He gives me a gentle squeeze before Elliott and I walk out of his office toward the elevator.

I make it a point to not break the silence between us, not on the walk to the elevator or the ride down to my floor.

When the door opens, I step out onto my floor. Elliott moves to walk with me, but I stop him.

“I have a busy day,” I say as I turn back to face him, hoping he doesn’t want to come to my office.

He nods. “I see.” He steps back, allowing the door to close. I heard him mutter something about a “miraculous recovery” just before the door closed completely.

I turn and make a beeline to my office. I have to call Colin.