48. Liam
LIAM
Clouds pile against the windows in dense layers. The jet slices through them without effort, but the minutes drag.
“How the fuck did I let him take her?” I say to Max.
“Nobody would see this coming.”
“I should’ve!” I slam my hand against the cabin wall.
“Liam. Easy.”
I drop back into the seat.
“We will get Helen back, then deal with that bastard later,” Max says. “We’re not alone. French police will find who’s behind D’Aboville’s murder.”
“It’ll take time,” I counter. “The guy just got out of prison. The will’s confidential and the private counsel is discreet. It will be hard to trace it to Victor.”
Truth is, it’s not Victor’s move that’s fucking with me right now. It’s this—Helena is pregnant, and instead of standing beside her, I’m chasing him across borders. And I don’t need proof. That child is mine.
“He doesn’t get to breathe near her,” I grit out, a finger jabbing at the table in front of me. “But know something, Max. Victor is at his best when he’s cornered.”
Max looks away. “This is on me. I shouldn’t have let you step in when MX was under attack.”
“Don’t.” I point at him. “Don’t ever say that again.”
He nods, but his eyes say something else. I let it go. We’re not doing the blame game right now.
“One thing works in our favor,” I say. “Victor needs her alive.”
Max’s head snaps up. “You think he’s trying to force a marriage?”
“Unlikely,” I say. “Marriage is messy. It’s public and contestable. Victor doesn’t want spectacle. He wants access.”
“So what’s the play?”
I think back. “Pierre said the will is for her eyes only.”
Max frowns. “Meaning?”
“Meaning Victor can’t touch it himself,” I say. “He needs her to open it.”
“Shit…”
“After that, he won’t need to steal,” I add. “He just needs to redirect the funds.”
“And you think Helen would give him access?”
“She wouldn’t care about the money,” I say. “Not if Olivia’s involved.”
That’s the part that scares me. Because once the documents are unlocked, Victor doesn’t need her anymore.
Helena is in Mexico with a man who’s run out of reasons to hold back.