Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
MASSIO
“Here he is! About fucking time!” Zane declares as I walk into his office. I glance down at my watch, furrowing my brow.
“I’m fifteen minutes early.”
“What-the-fuck-ever. You haven’t been here for over a year; therefore, you’re late,” he announces before leaning back in his chair.
I take a seat on the couch, and Miko turns to face me. “I managed to gather some intel.”
“Good. I thought you’d have called before now.”
He grinds his jaw.
“I thought you’d have called on the twins’ birthday. You didn’t,” Zane states.
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “It’s not like I didn’t want to. I was working.”
“So were we,” he bites out.
Jesus, I can’t wait for Jensen to arrive. At least they might take their snide comments out on him instead. I mean, the man dumped his daughter, Imogen, on his newly wed wife and left again. Surely, that’s worse than forgetting to send a fucking birthday card.
“Even Jensen sent a birthday card to them,” Zane adds, as if reading my thoughts.
No, he fucking didn’t. He’s pretty much been undercover for a year and absent from trips home for well over a year. Any birthday cards would have come from Imogen remembering to send them.
Miko’s lip twitches. Yeah, the crafty fucker realizes the same as me but doesn’t voice it.
I grit my teeth. “You sound like a nagging woman. No wonder Hermione took a gun to her head, to escape your bitching.” I tap the side of my head.
Miko snorts.
Zane huffs, completely unperturbed.
Miko tilts his head to the side to survey our brother. “You need to get laid. I have this new app.”
“No,” Zane snaps. “I’ve told you before. I’m not into the twisted shit you’re into.” He drags a hand through his hair. “If I want pussy, I can get it myself.”
“It’s not all twisted. This new app is—” Miko tries to explain.
“Shut the fuck up and tell Massio what you were telling me.”
Miko shakes his head and turns back to face me.
“He was definitely her stalker.” The hairs on the back of my neck rise as fury builds inside me.
I should have made him pay more, ripped him apart; stabbing him was too easy.
“There’s been payments into his account. Once a month for the past six years.”
My attention is piqued. “Six years? Why six years?”
Miko taps on his tablet. Nothing has changed in our family dynamic, and while that should make me happy, I’m actually sad I’ve missed so much.
Maybe next time I’m offered a role within the family, I should consider staying closer to home, especially with Thea in my life, and possibly a baby too. I’d miss them far too much to be away from them. No, I won’t be able to stand it. They might need me; hell, who am I kidding, I need them.
“I don’t know yet. It’s from an offshore account. I need to break into the accounts and make some connection to whatever fake name it’s going to be under to the real name.”
“Who would want to hurt her?” I mumble.
“Was she promised to someone?” Zane asks, and I realize I spoke my words louder than I intended.
“I don’t know,” I admit, hating myself for not pushing for more details from her father when I had the opportunity. The bastard couldn’t wait to dump her on me.
“Did you ask her father for a full breakdown?” Miko asks, and I shake my head, hating how I allowed my quest for vengeance to tarnish the job I was given.
I let her down before I even started.
“Don’t worry. The security we have in place for her now is the best. No harm will come to her.”
“Anything else?” I ask, and Miko clears his throat, but not before averting his eyes.
I’m not going to like whatever he says next, I know it.
“I broke into his apartment. It was empty, all but one room.”
I nod for him to continue on.
“He had a shrine to her, Massio.”
Fury erupts from me. “What?!”
“Photos of her taped to a wall. Small items scattered around the wall.”
I grimace. “What kind of fucking items?” What kind of sicko was he?
Miko’s nose scrunches. “It looked like trash. But there was some of Thea’s hair there surrounding a candle.”
My eyes widen to saucers. I was expecting panties or something, but her hair? “Seriously?”
“I know. Odd. The entire thing was odd.”
“Why was he in an empty apartment if he had money being sent to him?” Zane asks.
Miko shrugs. “I’m guessing he’s too much of a weirdo to care about the money.”
Zane’s eyebrows pinch together. “That doesn’t make sense.”
It does to me. “He was only interested in Thea, not the money.” Sickness rolls in my stomach.
“Exactly,” Miko confirms, and while I’m pleased he’s been dealt with, something in my gut tells me it’s far from over.
There’s a knock on the door.
“Yes?” Zane barks, and the door opens.
One of the maids opens the door. “Sir, dinner is ready.” Zane gives her a swift nod, and she closes the door behind her.
“Go and fetch Sal and the girls. I’ll round up the twins,” Zane tells me.
“Miko, work double time on getting some answers. Thea clearly means something to Massio, I don’t want her being put at risk.
” My brother’s words soften something inside of me, and when he squeezes my shoulder, the guilt of my absence rears its ugly head.
“You do realize I have work to finish on my app before launch day, right?” Miko glares back at him.
Zane jerks his head to the side, a deadly gleam in his eyes.
“You realize the pool of blood you left behind after your last hunt was enough for the authorities to believe there was a double homicide, right?” The veins on his neck protrude.
“I had to clean that mess up. Grease the fucking commissioner’s pockets because you can’t keep your kink under control.
” He spits out the latter like it disgusts him.
Miko frowns. “I was very controlled.”
Zane’s eyes bulge, and he shakes his head then straightens and tugs on the cuffs of his shirt. “Just, dig deeper,” he demands, spinning on the balls of his perfectly polished shoes before throwing open the office door and marching through it.
“Dig deeper,” Miko mimics. “I’ll dig him a fucking early grave,” he snipes out before getting to his feet and pointing his finger at me. “Just knock her the fuck up and stick around, will you.”
“I intend on doing just that.” I smirk.