Chapter 15 Brady
brADY
I fall into step beside Elizabeth as we head downstairs.
She’s slow, with a hitch in her stride, and it kills me not to force the pills down her throat.
Every instinct screams to scoop her up and carry her, but I hold back, fighting the urge to hover.
Even though the temptation to piss her off a little is strong.
The lights from Finn’s multiple displays flood the cyber room, making it look like a spaceship.
He doesn’t glance up from his keyboard when we walk in.
Vincent stands behind him, legs planted wide, and dips his chin at us—his version of a polite greeting.
I introduce him to Elizabeth, and when his gaze drags unhurriedly over her, my spine goes tight, before I remind myself he’s just taking her measure. Sizing up a client.
Still, I don’t like it, and shift to block his view. Vincent’s lips twitch, but he stays silent. In front of her own display, Sera perches on the edge of a chair, posture rigid.
“You weren’t answering your phone.” She stares stonily at us.
I keep my voice even. “I was asleep.”
“What if there was an emergency?” she challenges.
My patience is wearing thin. “You could have come and gotten me.”
“Maybe I was afraid of what I might find.”
Irritation flashes through me, and I can feel my temper climb. She’s my sister, but we are at work, and I’m her boss.
Before I can answer, Elizabeth beats me to it, her voice light. “I get that. His snoring is a little unsettling.”
I blink.
Finn covers his mouth to hide his laugh, wisely keeping his gaze on the monitor. Vincent, standing behind him, makes a sound that in another human might be construed as humor.
Sera’s glare cuts to Elizabeth, but my sister decides not to take the bait.
I clear my throat. “What did you find?”
Finn rolls his chair back and swivels toward me. “We did a full sweep of Keith Gowan’s digital records—banking, burner phones, emails. Cross-checked it against the list you gave Sera.”
“And?” I prompt.
“Not much. While he was still married, Keith’s firm represented Carrow’s former wife, but she stayed with Ms. Gowan after the split.”
“Elizabeth.” She corrects quietly.
“Have the police connected him to his former wife’s murder? I don’t like the coincidence.”
“He was questioned, but he has an alibi. There’s no other connection between him and Gowan.”
Elizabeth fidgets next to me, and the movement is so unlike her it draws my attention.
“Um.” She bites her lip and looks at the ground for a second. Then raising her head, she tips her chin up. “It might be nothing, but Keith had an affair with Natalya.”
Finn’s brows shoot up at the same rate mine dive.
“When?” I don’t mean it to come out as sharp as it does.
She chews on her lip and then crinkles her nose. “I don’t know when it began or ended, but I saw them together the night of Natalya’s engagement party.”
Oh fuck.
“I didn’t want someone to see me.”
“Who?”
“My ex-husband.”
“Not still friends?”
“Hardly. And seeing as how he had his tongue down someone’s throat, I’m guessing he doesn’t want to see me either.”
“It was Natalya?” My shocked question is out before I think better of it, and now all eyes in the room are watching me.
She grimaces.
“That’s the connection.” I say, hoping to fend off the questions I know my team is going to have about my reaction. “Carrow found out.”
“Doesn’t explain what they are looking for though,” Sera points out. “The note said ‘GIVE IT BACK.’” She looks thoughtful. “But it could be something Natalya gave Gowan, of Carrow’s.”
“It’s been four years. Keith wasn’t in Atlanta the whole time. He definitely wasn’t the year after the divorce, because he was a no-show for the depositions involving the client lawsuits. He was in Bali,” Elizabeth says.
“Why do they only want it back now?” Vincent cocks his head thinking.
“I don’t know, but Carrow is our best lead.”
Detective Simpson doesn’t have the money to hire people to pull off the murders or attack Elizabeth. Carrow does. After everything I’ve learned about the man, I’m going to enjoy making him tell me what he knows.
And if he sent those men after Elizabeth…
“Anything else?” I force myself back to the conversation.
“Looks like Gowan’s been living in Monaco most recently. He bounced around the globe a lot in the last few years.”
Sera snorts. “Monaco. La-di-da.”
I level her with a warning look. She shrugs, but her mouth snaps shut.
Elizabeth shakes her head. “I have no idea how he could afford that. Even with the money he stole from me and our clients…”
“There’s an apartment in Savannah,” Finn adds. “The lease is still active. Signed under one of the aliases he used at hotels—Michael Renton. From the pictures of an old listing, it looks sort of like a garage apartment. Utilities are auto-paid. I almost missed it, because he’s had it so long.”
Anticipation flares in my chest. “He could have hidden whatever it is there.”
“Maybe.” Finn pulls off his glasses to clean the lenses absently.
“That’s not the part you’ll be interested in.
Someone else is looking. I haven’t identified them yet, but I will.
They are still trying to backdoor the same files I’ve already accessed.
” He smiles. “I left them some road blocks to play with. They’re not as good as me, obviously. ”
“Obviously.” Sera rolls her eyes.
“Government?”
“Doubt it. Too messy. Not street-level or Belarussian-warehouse-full-of-hackers level either. Probably a hired gun, and with their skills, must have been hired by someone with money.”
The Lapidarists.
Elizabeth is silent, and when I glance at her, I see the creases in her forehead. Her eyes shift to Finn’s screen where the lease is clearly visible on the screen. The alias is in bold at the top of the form.
Her throat bobs, and pink tinges her cheeks. “During the divorce, I found out Michael Renton was the name he used on dating sites. The apartment was probably where he took the women he picked up,” she says it evenly, but I hear the catch in her voice.
Finn hesitates but adds, “He’s had the lease for ten years.”
Her head jerks. “Not long after we got married.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Sera shift. Her crossed arms loosen, and she looks away, her jaw softening a fraction. Even she isn’t immune to the hurt suffusing Elizabeth’s face.
“He kept the lease active even when he was overseas. It’s possible that’s where he crashed when he was back in the States.”
“I’ll check it out. If nothing else, he might have left something that will give us an idea what he’s been up to.”
“I’m going with you,” Elizabeth says immediately.
I knew she would. Her shoulders are bunched like she expects me to argue, and is ready to fight. I get an inappropriate amount of pleasure in surprising her.
“Road trip,” I say, with a calm smile that hides the fury I feel at the piece of shit she’d been married to.
“We can head down in the morning,” Sera says, shutting down her computer.
“Only the two of us are going.” I avoid looking in Sera’s direction. “It will be easier to maneuver with two people.”
Sera hops to her feet, hands on her hips. “Then I’ll go with you.” She points a finger at Elizabeth. “She can stay locked up safe and sound in her tower.”
I silently will Elizabeth to keep her mouth closed. “Elizabeth was married to Keith. She’ll know what to look for. What seems out of place.”
“He’s right,” Vincent interjects gruffly. “Safer for just two. Elizabeth’s the best choice.”
Sera’s head swings in his direction. “Not if she has another tantrum, and ignores instructions.”
Damn it, Finn. We need to have a conversation about discretion.
Before I can remind Sera who is in charge, Elizabeth says in a soft voice, “It won’t happen again. I know what happened last night was my fault, and I know how lucky we are that Brady wasn’t hurt.” She stares at my sister, even while I try to decipher her choice of words.
Lucky we are…
What the fuck does that mean?
Is she grouping herself with my sister? As if Elizabeth would be equally upset if I were injured? And why does that make me feel so fucking happy?
“I won’t do anything to put anyone on this team at risk again. I’m sorry.”
The sincerity in her voice is undeniable, and I’m pretty sure I’m the only one in the room not stunned. But I’ve met this Elizabeth before. The one underneath the armor.
“Okay,” I clap my hands to break the awkward tension in the room. “It’s settled. We’ll leave early, daybreak. With any luck, we can do it in a day.”
“There’s one more thing.” I turn to see Elizabeth with her hand half raised in the air, her cheeks pink.
“I need more clothes. As much as I appreciate the loan, I can’t wear this every day.
And I only grabbed a couple of work outfits when Luke took me from my house. I need to go back to get more clothes.”
I don’t like the idea of her returning to her house. The Lapidarists could be watching, in the hope that she’ll return so they can get another shot at her. But what’s the alternative? We can’t exactly go to the mall. Retrieving her belongings is the most efficient way.
“I want everyone ready to roll out in twenty minutes,” I bark.
I hope this isn’t a mistake.