Page 38 of Culmination
Mr. Wentworth turns slightly then gestures towards us. “Folks, if you could follow me, we’ll have a bit of a chat while Vivian retrieves what you’re here for.”
Instead of taking us to the office from which he’d just emerged, he leads us down a set of stairs to a steel door. We wait as he enters a passcode. Then I hear the buzzing of the inner components allowing us entry.
Once the door is secured behind us, he gestures towards a table. I glance around, feeling like I’m in some secret government office, but when my eyes fall to Rafe, it’s clear this is par for the course for him.
“I’ve never known a lawyer to have a secured facility like this,” he comments, his gaze falling on Mr. Wentworth.
But when the man doesn’t respond, I see he’s solely watching me. I feel like I should say something, but what? Finally, I’m relieved when he breaks his lengthy silence. “I had hoped it wouldn’t come to this. That you become involved, but I should’ve known this day would eventually come.”
Rafe stiffens beside me. “Who are you and what do you know?”
He ignores Rafe. Gentle eyes bore into my mine and I squirm in my seat under such intense scrutiny.
Finally, he releases a breath. “First and foremost, you need to know, Gabriella, I am so terribly sorry for your loss. It was a tragedy the way your parents were taken from you.”
I swallow hard and nod. “Thank you, Mr. Wentworth. Umm…that means a lot.”
He beams with a warmth that reminds me of my dad. It’s unnerving, yet at the same time, it’s reassuring. There’s something about this man that makes me want to trust him.
“You should also know that your father never wanted you involved in any of this. He loved you very much and your safety was of the utmost importance to him.” His gaze darts to Rafe, the corners of his eyes turning down ever so slightly. “Of all people, you should know that.”
Rafe tenses at the stern tone of Mr. Wentworth’s voice, and when I glance to him, his jaw’s tight, his eyebrows are drawn together, and he is not at all pleased. He folds his hands and uses his forearms to lean across the table. “Who are you and what do you know?” he repeats.
“You knew my dad?” I ask, ignoring Rafe’s line of questioning.
Mr. Wentworth smiles, also ignoring the angry federal agent in the room. “Your father and I knew each other as kids. We eventually grew up and attended different colleges, set out on different paths, losing touch for many years. Until seven years ago. You see, he’d become uncomfortable with Theo Morningstar’s affairs. Unfortunately, he didn’t hide that fact in the beginning. He wanted a way out. I was helping provide that for him.” He glances at Rafe then back to me. “In a way he wasn’t sure the government would’ve been able.”
“How did we never meet?” I ask. “If you reconnected two years before they died?”
My parents held many dinner parties and I’ve never seen him or his wife before today.
“That was all part of the plan. If something ever happened to your father, they couldn’t know he was associated with a lawyer on the outside. I’d have been the first one they came to after they…” he trails off.
Rafe squeezes my hand.
I swallow hard. “I understand, Mr. Wentworth.”
Before I can ask any more questions, I hear the same buzzing from before and brace myself, unsure of what I’m about to face. I release my breath when Vivian walks through, a box in her hand. She sets it on the table, gives me a look I can only describe as full of pity, then pats her husband on the shoulder before departing.
I glance at the box, my eyebrows furrowing together. “A safety deposit box? Why did he give that to you and not leave it secured in a bank?
Mr. Wentworth clears his throat. “As I’m sure you know, Theo Morningstar is a perilous and powerful man. Your father couldn’t trust a bank to hold this. He did, however, trust me. And since you’re here, I assume it’s because you found the code.”
The code.
With everything that’s happened in the past forty-eight hours, I almost forgot about my father’s letter. The letter that set all this in motion. The whole reason we’re even here. I’m about to say as much when Rafe’s hand squeezes my thigh, which signals to let him take lead. I close my mouth and sit back in my chair, folding my hands in my lap and doing exactly what he wants, even though I’m now more eager than ever to find what exactly my father has sent me to do.
We’re one step closer to finding answers, to ending this, and even though the idea of facing that man terrifies me, I force myself to believe that this will all be worth it once we’re on the other side.
We just have to make it there first.
I’m cautiously optimistic this guy’s the real deal; that doesn’t mean I’m convinced just because he has a secure vault and claims to have known Andrew Latham. It’s just like Theo Morningstar to fake this, knowing Brie will do anything for a connection with her father. Before Brie can go spilling out the code, I place my hand on her thigh, squeezing gently. She settles, sits back, and I know my girl gets me.
I turn my gaze back to Mr. Wentworth. “How do we know you’re not working for Morningstar himself? You have the box; you need the code. You say Mr. Latham wouldn’t have wanted Brie involved, so why would you believe she has what you’re looking for?”
Wentworth’s eyes crinkle with amusement. He offers me a warm, reassuring smile then turns to Rafe. “Agent Phillips, I presume?”
I’m not caught off guard in the slightest. In fact, I’m relieved. Because if Mr. Wentworth were working with Theo Morningstar and the man knew I was an agent, I don’t think I’d still be breathing. However, I do nothing except watch him. Once again, a wry smile curves his lips, wrinkles spreading across his weathered face.
