Chapter 25
twenty-five
Killian
I’m sitting at the restaurant where Liam asked me to meet him, about halfway between the both of us in some town in Virginia, and my mind is a damn mess.
I have a killer headache.
I don’t remember half of last night, and I’m wondering if that’s for the best since when I woke in my bed, Tessa was beside me, on top of the covers, her head buried in the crook of my arm.
I rolled over, downed the water that she must’ve put there, and then saw I had three missed calls from Liam. Now I’m here, wanting to know what had him adamant we needed to meet immediately and in person.
The fact that I haven’t heard a word from Tessa has me on edge.
When I woke up this morning, I knew that no matter what, I was ready to fight for her.
Her entire life, people have let her walk away or walked away from her, I’m not doing that.
Not when I love her.
Yes, I love her.
No matter how hard I fought against it, I fucking love her. I would do anything for her and now I need to prove it.
I know I said I would let her go, but I can’t.
Not when I know the life we can have together.
Letting her go isn’t an option.
I let Gary know where I was going, and to inform her, so I just hope that happened and she isn’t packing her shit before we can talk about what we want. Not about what Meredith wants. Not about Tessa’s job, but about what we actually want.
We can sort out the issues later.
I want her to stay, or hell, I’ll sell the fucking ranch and move to New York if that’s what it takes.
I’m not letting her go. Not ever.
The door opens, and Liam spots me, walking toward the booth, a messenger bag slung over his shoulder. I get up, we shake hands, and he motions for me to sit.
“Thanks for meeting me here.”
“I’m not sure I had a choice,” I joke as we settle into the booth.
He shrugs. “I thought this was something better done in person and quickly.”
“Neither of those gives me a comforting feeling.”
“This won’t either. I’ll be honest. I’ve learned a lot, but I’m not sure what it all means, so I’m going to let you see the information and hopefully you can shed some light on possible explanations.
Then you can make some choices on what to do next.
” Liam pulls out a folder from his messenger bag and places it down on the table between us.
“I followed the one lead I thought was the most credible as to where Travis could be in the States. It was tricky at first because either he’s really smart or he has really smart people helping him.
But I did end up finding him after a little bit more digging. Open it and let me know if that’s him.”
I open the file and see a photo of Travis. His hair is grown out, and he’s attempting to grow a beard, but it looks a little ridiculous. However, it’s very clearly him in the photo. “It is.”
“He was last seen in Maryland at a casino.” Liam points to the second photo.
“I tracked him there two days ago. He behaved very…strangely. Most people don’t look over their shoulder every thirty seconds, but Travis did.
I sat next to him at the tables so I could observe him closely.
I’m usually able to get a pretty decent conversation out of most people.
He was so tight-lipped it was really remarkable. I won’t lie, I was half impressed.”
What does any of that have to do with me?
“You think he was worried someone was following him?” I ask.
“It would make sense. Did Travis steal money from you?”
“We haven’t been able to find a few payments, but two of the sellers said they never sent anything. The thing I lost mostly from Travis were the sales that were promised.”
Liam nods. “So he wasn’t worried about you coming after him?”
“He could be, but at this point, he’s been gone for weeks.
The damage to my ranch has already been done.
If it’s about money, maybe he stole it from someone else.
Maybe he crossed another rancher and is trying to win money so he can keep up with the debt.
I really don’t think he’d be worried about me finding him.
Even if I did, I just want to know what the fuck happened—not hurt him. ”
All I wanted were answers to why he forged my signature and where the fuck he went. We had a business together, and to just take off? It’s bullshit.
“People who don’t want anyone to be able to remember seeing them behave a certain way.
Short answers, nondescript clothing, looking around, and after about five minutes, he got up, went to a new game.
Again, he didn’t want me to be able to recognize him.
It’s what we’re trained to do. Hide in plain sight. ”
“Are you saying he’s undercover?” I ask.
Liam shakes his head. “No, but he’s hiding. I was able to get into his hotel room and look around. All of his belongings were packed in a bag, ready to grab. He used an alias as well. He’s running from something or someone.”
I can’t even begin to imagine he’d run from Owen. Sure, he’s a prick, but he’s not terrifying. Travis worked for me already and was making a ton of money. None of this adds up or makes sense.
I pinch the bridge of my nose, my head still pounding. “Is there something else that has you questioning all of this?”
“Maybe. Does the name Antonio Gibrelli mean anything to you?”
I think about it for a second, but it’s not ringing any bells. “No.”
“Do you know this man?”
He flips the page again, and I see someone I recognize. He was one of the first people to pull out of the deal we had with his horse we were boarding and training. He also had two more thoroughbreds he was purchasing—canceled both of those contracts as well. “Yes, that’s James Gardiner.”
“What about this guy?” He shows me another photo of a man, dressed in a suit, his black hair pushed to the side. It honestly could be anyone, but I don’t recognize him.
I shake my head. “No, I don’t think so.”
I also have a raging hangover and this is causing the ache to become a throb in my skull. This might not have been the best time to make really bad decisions.
I chug the glass of water in front of me and point to the photo. “Who is that?”
“That’s Gibrelli’s son. He’s the second in command of their organization.”
“Okay, what the fuck are we talking about?” I ask, frustration at not understanding why I’m having to look at all these people’s photos starting to take hold.
Liam turns to the next page, and there’s a photo of three guys and Travis standing between them.
“Do you think Travis is mixed up with them?”
“Yes, and I think there’s a lot more to this. Gibrelli’s son also purchased a horse from you, only he did it under one of his dummy holdings, which happens to be the name Andrew Bennett.”
That name I recognize. “He bought six horses, two canceled contracts.”
“He also had three horses boarded and being trained by Travis.”
“That aren’t at my ranch anymore,” I finish.
Liam goes to the next page. “This guy is Pete McMahon, he’s one of their enforcers.”
“Enforcers for what?”
“Organized crime.”
My eyes widen as understanding hits me. He was at the ranch yesterday for the rodeo.
I remember him. There are certain people who just have a presence and he was one of them.
Strolled right up to me, extended his hand, asked a bunch of questions about Travis, ironically.
Told me how he was hoping to finally meet the illustrious trainer who has done so much good for the racing world and asked where he was.
It seemed strange to me because everyone pretty much is aware Travis left, and the rumors surrounding his disappearance. When he asked me, I was taken aback and thankfully got pulled away by Tessa when another buyer came around. Still, I remember thinking it was strange.
I glance up at Liam, trying to put the pieces together. “This guy was at my ranch yesterday.”
“You’re sure?”
“Absolutely.” I explain the entire meeting with the guy and all that he said. Liam listens and takes a few notes. We discuss the entire rodeo, the people who were there, anything I remembered that maybe felt a little strange.
There really wasn’t anything that stood out other than him fishing about Travis.
Liam rubs his chin. “I think we have a bigger problem than your trainer taking off out of the blue. There’s a connection with a pretty big crime ring here. There are a hundred possibilities, but…something is off.”
This is a nightmare.
Here I was, thinking this was about a doping scandal that didn’t exist and now we’re talking about a fucking crime ring?
I can’t believe this.
All I want to do right now is rush home, pack, grab Tessa, and let the damn ranch fall apart.
However, that’s not going to make the situation go away, so I need help dealing with all this.
“What’s the next step?” I ask. If there’s an issue, I want it found before anything else happens.
I was just getting the ranch back on track. The sales yesterday, two new boarding clients, and Tessa booking six more parties. All of those were movement in the right direction. The last thing I need is something else to derail it.
Liam stands, throwing a twenty down. “For the next step, I’m going to collect Travis and we’re going to figure out what exactly he’s been up to. Keep your phone close—I’ll call as soon as I have him.”
I pull up to the house. Tessa’s car isn’t here, and panic sets in that she left, for good.
Fuck. She’s probably halfway back to New York by now.
Not that I’d blame her. I was a fucking mess last night, and God only knows what I said or how the hell she ended up in bed beside me.
I really only remember talking to Hazel at the bar, then Everett coming and taking me home. After getting in the car, my memory is very fuzzy.
I have no desire to walk in this house. I don’t want to face an empty bedroom, a slept-in bed, and no Tessa.
I need her. Hell, I miss her already. As soon as I hear from Liam, I’ll be in the car on my way getting her back, to proving I’m the right man for her.