Chapter 23 Brady
brADY
“I’ve seen it, too. Or necklaces identical to it, anyway.
” A memory snaps into my head. “Twice. Two different women at two different parties I attended while I was undercover.” I pause, thinking it through, trying to remember the details.
“It’s distinctive. I figured one woman had borrowed it from the other, but if Natalya had it too… That’s a pattern.”
Elizabeth tips her head, eyes narrowing. “So, they all have the same distinctive necklace. Maybe it’s like a mark—like a membership badge of whatever their sicko club is.”
“And Carrow gave it to Natalya because…”
She shrugs, brow wrinkling. “Because he viewed her as a possession? A prize to show off? But… why kill to get it back? To most people, it’s just an exquisite piece of jewelry.
No one would know what it means.” Elizabeth leans forward, tension in her posture.
“And how the hell did Keith get it? He couldn’t have stolen it outright. She’d have reported it stolen.”
Elizabeth makes an excited squeak. “Can Finn get her divorce files? And the lawyer’s notes.
Her divorce lawyer is a friend of mine, but he won’t hand over privileged information.
If Finn hacks in, we can check the asset inventory.
Find out if the necklace was listed at the time of the divorce. It’ll help with the timeframe”
I shake my head, laughing under my breath. “Hacking another lawyer, huh? You’ve come a long way in just a few days.”
Her lips curve in a smug smile. “Hey, I wholeheartedly believe in using all tools available.”
“I think you’re secretly a devious little thing. I love it.”
She smiles archly back. “I have no problem admitting you have better tools. Besides, it’s for a good cause.”
“Uh huh.”
When she sticks her tongue out at me, I laugh harder, but dial Finn back.
By the time we merge with the Atlanta traffic, Finn is calling with his results.
“For a lawyer, this guy’s security is garbage.
Took me less than an hour to breach his email.
And since he emailed the divorce docs to Natalya…
” I can hear the smile in his voice. “They’re sitting on our server waiting for you. ”
“Good work, Finn,” I praise. I’m about to disconnect when he continues.
“I’m almost into Elizabeth’s phone company. Had to run a Trojan horse to trigger a security sweep, which means they had to—”
I cut him off, holding up a hand even though he can’t see it. “How about I just say I appreciate your genius and leave it at that? Just tell me when it’s done.”
“Well, as long as you actually say I’m a—”
I disconnect the call.
Parking in Elite’s underground lot, I grab an extra laptop on the way up to my office and set it on the opposite side of my desk. I pull up a chair and quickly log Elizabeth into our internal secure network.
I’d much rather pull her into my lap and scroll through the files together, but I can’t.
Not here. Not yet.
We haven’t had the conversation, but we are way past client and bodyguard now.
Last night hadn’t been just about the mind-blowing sex.
Which was incredible in its own right. Things are different with her.
Easy. And after the conversation in the car, I know I don’t need to hide any of my dark parts from her.
My lips twitch. After her excited request for Finn to hack into her friend’s files, I think part of the reckless spirit she said she’d left behind is starting to shine through again. A brilliant, fiery woman with a body like hers… Yeah, I’m done.
But that doesn’t mean I’m ready for everyone else to know how I feel.
Elizabeth pulls her chair closer to the desk, fingers already moving quickly over the keyboard as she navigates the files. Her eyes narrow as she opens one legal document PDF after another, her concentration complete.
I need to stop watching her and go over my assigned section of the emails, but the little furrow between her brows and the way her lips move just slightly when she’s reading is adorable.
“God, what a dick,” Elizabeth mutters without looking up from her screen.
I can’t help but smirk. “Which dick are we talking about?”
She waves vaguely at the monitor. “Carrow. He didn’t want the divorce.”
I turn in my chair. “How can you tell?”
Her brows pinch, eyes still scanning as she talks. “There’s too much stalling. Refusing to produce discovery. Filing for continuances right before court dates. All delaying tactics. He was dragging it out.”
“Trying to wear her down?”
“Or win her back. Or punish her for leaving.” Her tone is even, but there’s something underneath it. Something that sounds a lot like pain. “Maybe all three.”
I know Elizabeth well enough not to push, but the thought is emblazoned on my brain. How many of the same tactics did Keith use on her?
My body is thrumming with frustrated anger. I can’t exactly beat the shit out of a dead man. Instead, I open the inventory list and start clicking through it. Every item has an accompanying photo and written description.
“Jesus,” I mutter thirty minutes later. “They own a lot of useless, expensive shit.”
A small sound escapes her. A kind of half-laugh, half-sigh.
“Who the hell needs a six-foot-tall crystal horse?”
“Art,” she says dryly, not looking up.
I make a face.
She snorts. “Keep going.”
And then I see it.
Item #123.
The necklace.
“Bingo.”
Her chair scrapes back as she comes to her feet and rounds the desk to my side.
She leans over my shoulder to see the screen, the scent of her skin filling my nose.
I give in to the urge that’s been simmering for the last hour and pull her down on my lap.
She smiles and brushes a quick kiss over my lips before pivoting to peer at the monitor.
Her ass rubs against me, causing my blood to heat.
“Look at the date,” she whispers.
I force my gaze to follow where her finger taps, and not the elegant length of neck that I want to bite.
She jabs the screen again. “This inventory was done only a little over a year ago. The email chain Finn found goes back almost that far.”
I nod. “Your ex was in Monaco by then. Maybe she gave it to him to sell?”
To my regret, Elizabeth slides off my lap and goes back to her chair. Her eyes are bright with excitement as she types again. She’s so fucking sexy. I adjust myself discreetly beneath my desk.
“I need to find the final settlement,” she mutters. A few minutes later, she freezes, her gaze lifting to mine. “Normally, a gift during marriage would have stayed with the recipient. But Carrow put a clause in the prenup specifically about the necklace.”
I sit up straighter. “There’s no way Keith stole it from Carrow’s house or safe. He wouldn’t have the necessary skills.” I glance at the inventory photo still centered on my screen. “Which means this necklace,” I gesture at the screen, “isn’t the original necklace, and Carrow found out.”
Deep grooves form across her forehead. “If Keith took the original, and tried to sell it…” She shakes her head. “He probably thought he was being clever. Maybe he figured no one would notice if he sold it overseas.”
“Someone noticed,” I say grimly. “And told Carrow.”
Her expression shifts, the excitement draining.
“The most important question is—why do they think you have the real necklace?”
The color leaves her face. “Carrow assumed Natalya was in on it at first,” Elizabeth says, a slight tremor in her voice. “That’s why he had her tortured and killed. To find out how Keith had it.”
My jaw locks, anger sharp in my chest at the fear in her eyes.
“So, I’m not the first woman he screwed over in this mess.” Elizabeth tries for lightness, and fails. I see her hand shake when she tucks a piece of hair behind her ear
Surging to my feet, I pull her out of her chair and wrap my arms around her. “It’s not going to happen to you,” I promise, ducking my head until my lips are at her ear. “There’s a big difference between the two of you.”
Elizabeth buries her face in my shirt, her voice muffled. “Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah,” I growl. “She didn’t have me. I’ll take care of Carrow.”
She stiffens and moves like she’s going to pull back but then just stops and nods against me.
It’s petty, and I know I shouldn’t feel this way, but pride roars through me at her acceptance. At her trust in me.
I walk Elizabeth back to her room, and make sure she’s settled before going in search of Vincent.
I find him in the kitchen, pouring hot water over a Barry’s tea bag.
For a split second, I consider giving him a hard time about the popular Irish brand and the affair he is doing a terrible job of hiding with Siobhan Riordan, Declan Bloom’s mother.
But my body is vibrating with tension, and I let it go.
“When’s Callum back?” I ask without prelude.
The only sign of surprise is a quirked eyebrow. There’s only one reason I would call for Callum when Rhodes and Finn are available.
“Who do you need to interrogate?”
“Jonathan Carrow.”
Vincent sets his mug down with a clink. “Callum’s still on that soccer player out in L.A., but Rhodes is just as proficient.”
“You’re right.” I lean a hip against the counter. “But it gets under Rhodes’s skin more than it used to. Nothing fazes Callum.”
His eyes narrow. “When?”
“I’ll need at least twenty-four hours for surveillance, assuming he’s in town.” My jaw works. That fucker better hope he’s in town. If I have to go looking for him… My anger ticks up at the prospect of a delay.
Vincent studies me for a long beat. “You sure you’re the best person for this? You can’t go in there all guns blazing because your cock and heart are involved.”
The glare I give him promises pain, but I don’t bother denying it. “Maybe you should worry about your own love life. Declan will rip your heart out if you fuck over his mother.”
He picks up his mug and blows on it unbothered. “You’ve clearly never met Siobhan. She’s ten times scarier than her son.”
Knowing the woman’s past and connections to the Irish mob, I don’t argue.