Liza glanced at her watch. “Rosalie and Sabrina should still be working in the kitchens for another half hour before they leave to deliver the food for tonight’s function.” She pulled out her phone and dialed Rosalie, requesting her presence in my office. Minutes later, the petite redhead appeared in the doorway.
“Please, have a seat.” Dad gestured to an empty chair. Rosalie hesitantly sat next to Liza, her eyes flicking between us.
Dad smiled kindly at her. “Rosalie, I’m sorry to call you up here like a kid to a meeting with the principal. You’re not in any trouble, I swear. In fact, Liza has spoken highly of you. I really need to ask you a few questions, and I’m hoping you’ll be honest with us all. We need to know your thoughts about what happened earlier in the kitchen today with Liza.”
She glanced at Liza before answering, a hint of determination in her eyes. “I know what people in town are saying about Liza being magic, but I don’t care about any of that. Liza took a chance on me giving me this job. I wouldn’t tell a soul about anything I saw. I know I haven’t worked for Liza long, but shefeels more like my friend than my boss, and I would never betray her like that.”
I watched her closely, sensing the honesty in her words. My instincts told me she could be trusted, but it never hurt to remind people of the consequences of betrayal. “If you were to betray us, you’d be considered a traitor to the alpha of our pack and punished accordingly.”
Rosalie’s eyes widened slightly, and she nodded her understanding. “I promise, I won’t tell anyone.”
Good. One less issue to deal with, yet so many fucking questions left unanswered.
“Thanks, Rosalie. Can you and Sabrina finish up and take the food to the venue? Everything is set up, and Sabrina knows what to do. For what it’s worth, you feel more like a friend to me, too,” Liza said with a small smile.
Once she left, Liza stood up and stretched. “I’m exhausted. It’s been a day and a half. I think I’ll go take a hot bath.”
“Great idea.” I stood to follow her, but Dad shot me the same look I used to get when I was a kid sneaking a cookie from the kitchen.
Right. No pussy.
As soon as the door closed behind Liza, Dad turned to face me. “Ty, we’ve got some work to do. We need to find out more about this Liam Russell and his business dealings.”
I nodded in agreement and projected my laptop screen onto the flat screen against the wall. We scoured the internet for hours, but none of the information added up. Russell and Sons was a distribution center, dealing with third-party selling, like online auction sites.
“Sure, he might need a bigger facility for holding products,” I mused aloud, “but why would he want that factory?”
The company Liam wanted to purchase from us had been a pet project years ago when kids were obsessed with fidgettoys. Keller Enterprises had purchased a small building where we’d manufactured our own versions of the toys and enjoyed moderate success. As noted by Tim, the sales were still satisfactory but nowhere near their previous levels. We were willing to part ways with the company to shore up our bottom line for investors.
“I can’t imagine Liam wants the building to keep making fidget toys. They’re a dime a dozen now. There’s no future in them.”
“Look at this,” I muttered as Dad and I continued digging into Liam’s past. “Liam’s first business was a cosmetic brand that did fairly well.” He sold it and branched out into other ventures that have also been successful, making him a fortune.
Dad leaned in; his brow furrowed in concentration. “So, he’s got a history of building up businesses and making a damn killing from them. But it’s still not answering the question. Why our factory?”
“Exactly,” I growled. “None of this makes sense.”
“Maybe there’s more to it than just what’s on the surface,” Dad suggested. “Maybe there’s a reason we can’t see yet.”
“Let’s call Tim,” I decided, pulling out my phone and putting it on speaker. “He might have some insight.”
“Ty, what’s up?”
“Tell me, Tim,” I began, rubbing my temples. “What do you make of Russell and Sons LLC? We’re going over their business dealings, and something doesn’t add up.”
“Ah, yes. I noticed that, too. I’ve looked into it,” Tim said. “It’s strange how certain transactions they engage in don’t match the family’s wealth. It suggests the potential for shady dealings happening behind closed doors.”
“Shady dealings?” I echoed, my gut twisting with unease. “Keep me posted, Tim.” I hung up without saying goodbye.
Was there a possibility of Liza’s parents being involved in those dealings? There was that wire transaction from their account. But why pay them? For what? Something fishy was going on, and I planned to find out exactly what it was.
82
LIZA
The moon hung low in the sky, casting an ethereal glow on the forest floor. Suffocated by the secrets and chaos that had taken over my life, I’d needed to leave the house. So, I shifted into my wolf form and sprinted through the trees, relishing the release as my muscles stretched and contracted with every leap and bound.
Ty watched me leave the house, but he hadn’t followed me. Our mating bond ensured that he’d always know when to give me space. But now, as I sat under the canopy of leaves, staring up at the serene beauty of the night and alone with my thoughts, I didn’t want to be alone anymore. I wanted Ty to join me more than anything.
