Page 49 of The Heiress

“Takes a lot more to bring me down, Sam. Remember?”

The Red Right Hand. He looked so natural with that gun in his hands, like he knew exactly what to do the entire time. He was good at this.

Even though all I wanted to do was hold him, I collected myself and pulled away. He ran a thumb over my cheek. “You’ve got to answer a few questions and then this is all over, okay?” He nodded behind me. “Talk to Georgia first.” He locked his gaze with mine, conveying a deeper meaning.

There was a story I needed to stick to.

I went to Georgia. She sat with Dombrowski in the corner. Her eyes followed me every step of the way, taking in everything from the clothes I’d thrown on to the way my emotions controlled me. It felt like being on display.

“I’m so sorry about all this,” she said.

I used the long sleeve of my shirt to wipe away a tear that had gotten loose. “Is everyone okay?”

She smiled tightly and didn’t answer. “You’re a family friend who is staying for the weekend. Nothing more.”

I glanced around the room. Everyone who met me this weekend worked for Georgia. They were handpicked for their discretion and signed non-disclosure agreements. But not the men and women here now. They needed me to be careful or someone with a curious mind might start digging around and find the truth.

“Got it.”

Dombrowski stood. “Then let’s get this over with.” He led me over to the man who seemed to be in charge. “And here’s our last guest. Sorry for the delay.”

“Not a problem.” His badge said Carter. “And you’re Samantha Rossi?” I nodded. “And why are you here?”

I acted my ass off. “I’m family friends with Georgia. She offered us a place to stay for the weekend while we’re in town.”

He glanced down at his notes. “You and Mr. Malone? Down from Calusa Key?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

He rattled off a series of basic questions. No, I wasn’t hurt. No, I hadn’t seen anything. Yes, I heard gunshots. He seemed completely uninterested in me, which was good. After he was done they all began packing up and leaving. At some point Jace must have left because he now had a shirt on.

Dombrowski closed the door and it was just the four of us. Jace, Me, Georgia, and Dombrowski. “They’re gone.”

Georgia threw a pen across the table. “Well that was a fucking disaster. How the hell did they find out?”

Dombrowski didn’t look directly at her. “We don’t know it was them and we don’t know that’s why.”

“Don’t put lipstick on a pig and tell me she’s pretty. We both fucking know full well that was a Feyereisen crew.”

I have to admit, Georgia’s profanity and candor caught me a little off guard. Maybe this was the real her and I was finally getting to see her unfiltered.

“Yes,” Dombrowski’s head bobbed as he spoke, “I’m pretty sure it was them, but until I have all the facts—”

“Check the fucking body. I’ll bet my lunar orbital program you’ll find a goddamned fire tattoo on his goddamned shoulder.” Her eyes darted to Jace and back to Dombrowski, almost like she was apologizing to him.

“Feyereisen? Like your business partners? They have a crew?” Jace crossed his arms again and widened his stance.

I felt like an outsider watching.

“That’s exactly what I mean,” Georgia said. “Why do you think you’re so useful to Samantha? Why do you think I had Dombrowski give you so much access to our security? You need to keep her safe.”

“Probably would have been helpful to let me know that.” Jace didn’t sound angry or put off. In fact he said it all as casually as he would if he were talking about the weather.

“Well now you fucking know.” She turned her glare back to Dombrowski.

He huffed. “Still doesn’t mean this is about Samantha.”

“Stop giving me that bullshit. Why else would they take a shot at my house right now? We have a mole on our team who ratted us out and they wanted to confirm it.”

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