Chapter 15
Ace
I knew before I left her hotel room the other night that I wasn't going to be rid of Cora Preston.
I was alerted half an hour ago that she used a credit card to buy gas halfway between here and Columbia, South Carolina, telling me that she was on her way back here, despite me telling her to stay away.
At this point, I don't know if she can even help herself. She's a fixer, someone who wants to help solve problems, but this isn't something she can provide assistance on. This isn't a non-profit or a fucking dinner party.
This is the trenches, where incredibly bad shit happens at the drop of a dime just because someone had a bad day and they needed someone else to take it out on. She doesn't have the skill set nor the staying power to get involved here. I know I'm going to have to make sure she knows this time just how fucking dangerous this sort of shit can be. It's time the rose-colored glasses are pulled from the woman's face.
I knew she had no sense of self-preservation when she walked up and knocked on the door at Daydreamer's, but watching her stride into the hotel she stayed at last time without bothering to take in the area around her tells me she has no clue just how dangerous the world is.
It doesn't matter that her sister is missing. I'm sure she thinks Sadie's choices in life landed her wherever she may be, and by not making those unsafe decisions, she's safe. Her wholesome life keeps her out of danger, and the woman couldn't be further from the truth.
She had to have left Columbia mid-afternoon to put her here just after eleven in the evening, and I can see as she thanks the man behind the desk and heads toward the elevator that she's had a full day and is tired from her travels.
Does she not know that men skilled at taking women look for people exactly like her? They want the ones that are easy to pick off. The ones that are distracted and unaware of their surroundings. She's the perfect candidate for an abduction. She's rich, so it increases the chances of a ransom if they wanted to go that direction. Hell, they could make pretty good money off the amount of jewelry she's wearing and parting out that cute little sports car I have no doubt she drove here in. They wouldn't just let her go unscathed though, and I imagine her sheltered little life wouldn't even allow her to picture the horrific things that can happen to a woman in a couple of hours.
Disgust at such hypothetical situations makes my skin crawl as I follow her to the elevator, sliding my arm between the doors before they have a chance to close.
I step inside, my eyes locked on her face, my position so close I can see her cheeks as they start to turn pink.
The way she lifts her chin, as if her body's display of embarrassment isn't painted across her face, is something I find that I like. I enjoy the insolence a little. I like that she's willing to break some rules to find her sister. It tells me that she cares, that she still sees value in Sadie, while some in Sadie's life have already washed their hands of her.
Neither of us says a word on the elevator ride, but I don't count it as a win when she pulls her eyes from mine, staring at the side of the car until it stops on her floor.
I follow her to her room, and surprisingly, she doesn't try to slip inside and close the door in my face .
This is the same hotel she was in last time, making it more proof that she has no idea what she's doing with how easy it was to predict she'd come right back here.
I close the door, trying not to stare at her ass as she steps further into the room, wheeling a very large suitcase behind her. I can't help but wonder if she packed that devastating fucking robe of hers again this time.
"You are nothing but trouble," I mutter.
"Is that right?" she asks, spinning around so fast she catches my eyes lower on her body than they have any right to be. "How about a progress update?"
"I could've easily told you on the phone that we're no closer to finding Sadie than we were when you were here earlier in the week."
"Yet you didn't call."
"Kincaid is your contact. He'll call when we know something."
"I'm paying an awful lot of money for nothing to have been found yet."
"We can't just pull evidence out of thin air," I argue, annoyed at the implication in her tone.
I stalk toward her, irritated that I'm here once again rather than working the actual case.
"And if I pay more, would that make it easier to find my sister?"
My eyes narrow, hands forming fists at my sides. "Are you implying that we're crooks? That we only do this for the money?"
She lifts her chin a little higher, and that gives me the only answer I need.
"This is my fucking life's work," I snarl. "I do this every day. I've spent my life finding people, helping people, trying to shut down these evil bastards who think that life isn't valuable. I imagine that's more than you can say from way up there, judging those of us on the ground who put in the real work from your ivory fucking tower. "
She doesn't argue, but I know this isn't a victory either. If anything, I've just proven some unspoken opinion she had about me.
"I plan to go back to Daydreamer's to see if I can find anything out," she says.
"Like fuck you will."
"I see it didn't take long for those true colors of yours to show, Mr. Yarrow."
I hate the insufferable, indignant tone in her voice. I know if I get any closer to the woman, I'll end up trying to kiss her or some shit, so I keep my distance. The woman has the uncanny ability to drive me absolutely mad.
"You don't get to tell me what I can and cannot do," she snaps.
"If you go back, we'll have no other choice but to back out of the case. No refunds."
She's the one to step forward, inching closer to me.
"Do you think I care about the money? This is my sister we're talking about. I'd drain every account I had access to in order to bring her home."
I'm close enough to watch the anger drain from her face.
"I fully understand that," I say, my irritation seeping away. "I don't think Sadie's disappearance has anything to do with Daydreamer's."
Her eyes dart to mine, as if she's trying to determine if I'm lying just to keep her from going back to the spa.
"I don't understand."
I pull in a deep breath, taking a step back and pacing toward the other side of the suite, because inhaling the scent of her perfume will no doubt keep me fucked up.
"I think our time would be better spent focusing on William."
Her eyes widen. "What?"
I don't mention that we're already investigating her brother, who has several layers of protection around himself and his dealings. We haven't determined if that's because he's a politician or if it's because he's got some not-so-good irons in the fire, including the disappearance of their sister.
It's clear from the look on her pretty face that she hasn't once considered that her brother would be involved in something like this. That could be ignorance on her part or the fact that her brother is very good at hiding who he might possibly be. If anything, it's a mark in his good column that he has acted in a way his entire life that keeps her from considering such a possibility.
"William?" she asks when I don't confirm. "There's no way. He loves Sadie as much as I do."
"He didn't seem too keen on the idea of us getting involved."
"He's a very private person. He worries about the family. She has caused a lot of problems. Her misbehavior decreases his chance of having a long successful political career."
I stand there, watching her, knowing the longer I take to respond, the more she'll reveal. It's human nature, and most people aren't aware of the manipulation tactic.
"Our father's goal was to get him into the White House. He has plans for the country that will make it a better place."
"Plans big enough that he's willing to silence your sister because she threatens them?"
Her eyes grow even wider. "He would never!"
"And there's nothing that has ever made you suspicious about him?"
Her lips snap closed, and I see it there, the tiny little inkling of doubt.
"Tell me," I urge. "It may help. If not, then we can prove he isn't involved."
Her face flushes pink again as she turns away from me .
"Daydreamers," she says, after staring at the blackness on the other side of the massive window on the far side of the suite.
"What about it?"
"The woman there asked me if I wanted to add my membership to the family account."
"Okay, and you asked William about it?" My hands shake at the idea that he could've hurt her for knowing about that place and his possible connection to it, and I wouldn't have been there to help her.
"He confronted me. Apparently, he tracks my spending. He came to my office earlier today to ask me about it. He didn't seem like he knew about the membership, but he knew what the place was."
"And you think it's his membership?"
Her nose scrunched. "I don't want to think that it was my dad's."
"Is it possible?"
She shakes her head. "His entire platform was based on wholesome Christian views. He would never risk his career. Plus, he just wasn't the type of man that would pay someone for sex. He didn't live separate lives, one for the public and one for his private life."
"Men aren't ever who their children think they are, but you also havea younger brother."
"Chris?" she scoffs. "The boy can't even talk to a girl without stuttering."
"Makes it easier to get past the small talk when someone is being paid to—"
"Ack!" she screeches. "Enough! It would have to be William."
"It should be easy enough to find out about the membership status. Why didn't you mention it before?"
She shrugs, and I can tell by her reaction she didn't purposely keep it a secret. I can't imagine what was going through her head when I showed up the other night at her hotel room.
"If I leave, will you stay out of trouble so I can work this case?"
She dips her head in agreement, but I can tell by the look in her eyes that she has no intention of keeping her nose clean.
"Fine," I say, walking toward the sofa.
"What are you doing?"
"Looks like I'm on babysitting duty," I say as I reach for the remote to the television.