Page 37 of Relinquish

Truman cocks his head and taps a pen on the surface of his desk. “Ponzi scheme?”

Lola’s eyes widen. “That’s what I was thinking. What if these investments are a sham? What if he needs quick cash for payments when investors don’t want to re-invest?” She smiles. “It’s perfect. He steals from the rich, they get reimbursed, and he hawks the jewels and pays the original investors.”

“Do you think it’s Maitland?” Truman asks.

“I don’t know. It makes sense, and the other suspects have no motive. Not one I can find–anyway.”

“You can’t let her do this.”

“Cade, calm down. Lola might not be trained at the level you’ve been, but she’s capable of taking care of herself. I’m sure she’ll be cautious. When’s the benefit?”

A fat lot of good you are. I fight the urge to junk-punch him. How can he not see the potential danger? What if Maitland finds out she doesn’t have money to back up her claim? Even worse, what if he catches her at some juvenile attempt to snoop in his house? People have disappeared over a lot less. Or any of these people she’s investigating, for that matter. Whoever it is isn’t going to apologize, hand the jewels over, and march to prison.

“It’s this weekend. I was thinking about getting him out of the room by spilling something or breaking something.”

I gnash my teeth together. “This is ridiculous. You aren’t going to get him out of the room because you made a mess. I’m sure all he has to do is ring for his maid, and she’ll come running.”

She frowns. “You’re right. Someone did answer the phone when I rang. Darn it. That won’t work.”

Truman rises from his seat. “Cade, go with her.”

Her eyes widen, and her face pales. “That’s not a good idea. That would screw everything up. I can do this on my own. If Randall gets suspicious, he might investigate Cade and figure out where he works. If he discovers we work at the same place, he’s going to put two and two together. I don’t think the man is stupid.”

Is that the real reason? Or is she afraid to introduce me to her family? Now that really pisses me off.

Shit. I can’t let her go alone. It’s too dangerous. There are things I can do to lessen the suspicion. It’s what I’m trained in. But am I ready to go into undercover work? Not that covering a high-society event is as dangerous as sitting behind enemy lines waiting for my commanding officer’s signal to complete a mission. The intense heat of the desert would be replaced by the haughtiness of rich people. I’m not exactly comfortable with that either.

Fuck. What if I fail. I can’t risk Lola’s safety like I did my team. I can’t do this. I can’t be responsible for letting someone else down.

“True.” Truman paces behind his desk.

“If I can’t get him out of the room to rummage through things, maybe I could sneak back in at night.”

“Seriously, have you lost your mind?” I turn to Truman. “You can’t have Lola breaking into someone’s house.”

She crosses her arms and glares at me like she wants me dead. “I’ve broken into many home security systems. Besides, I’ve already researched his building permit, and his system is the same as my father’s, which I can circumvent in under sixty seconds.”

Truman clears his throat. “Lola, while I appreciate your enthusiasm, I’m not going to support that idea. I’m running a credible business here. Any other thoughts on how to distract him, Cade? You’re the best at planning covert operations.”

I run a hand through my hair and dig my fingertips into my skull. “This is ludicrous. I’m out of here.” I swing my arm down with my palm out. “You two figure out a brilliant plan on your own. I’m not going to be responsible for Lola getting injured, jailed, or worse.”

I stomp to the door as they continue to discuss the upcoming weekend. Visions of Lola getting arrested or bleeding to death dance in my head, making me queasy. When I reach the door, I can’t stop trying one last time to talk some sense into the two of them. “How is he not going to suspect something? Just because you and your father are fighting doesn’t mean Maitland would believe he won’t protect his only daughter from a potentially bad investment.”

She turns toward me. “I’ve explained to him that we aren’t speaking, and we’re not. As soon as I convinced him I depend on fortune cookies, psychics, and tarot cards to make decisions, he completely discounted my intelligence. That combined with being forced to work and my tabloid reputation, he isn’t going to dig too deeply.”

“Why would he think you have money if you’re working and not talking to your father?”

“I explained to him I’m due an inheritance from my maternal grandparent’s estate that’s to be released to me in January. At that point, I’ll no longer have to report to my father on how to invest my assets. I’m a spoiled, rich girl with too much money and not enough brains for business. I don’t think he’ll suspect a thing.”

“It looks like you have it all figured out.” I yank the door open.

“Thanks.” She returns her attention to Truman.

Seriously? She’s going to take that as a compliment. I’ve got to up my sarcasm game.

I slam the door shut, and Natalie’s eyes widen, causing heat to flood my face. “Sorry.” I wave and rush out of the office.

Chapter Twenty

---