All three of our voices chime in at the same time, drawing a smile from both women.
“Well then,” Quinn says with amusement. “You’re stuck with me. We need to map out how to get Fallon back to work at Helix. I can’t do any more investigating without some assistance and help with distraction.”
“Damnit, Quinn. I told you not to do anything yet.” Fallon turns on her friend who doesn’t back down.
“I hear you, but when they started shifting roles in some departments, like security, IT, and public relations, I decided to pay close attention. That's it, just observing the pieces moving on the board. But I need to know what you know so that I don’t step on a land mine while I search through old files.”
She has a point, but trusting someone outside of our trio feels foreign to me. Fallon seems to think she’s trustworthy, but I still find myself hesitating.
Of all people, it’s Declan who takes the decision out of my hands. Fucker. “We’ve created some files of confirmed players in all of this – like Clay for example. We have dug into their lives looking for crime history and trying to find any connection that seems relevant. We still need to uncover the rest of their legal connections that are helping them keep their operation under the radar. O'Brian couldn’t have been the only one. Ultimately, we’re after the head of the snake. Everything we’ve found so far points to this starting before any of us knew anything; before Sebastian Helix even took over.”
My teeth grind when he mentions the files. I can't do this, I can’t tell her.
“Great.” Quinn nods enthusiastically. “Let me see these files and we can go from there.”
“That's enough for today.” I stand and ignore the hostile looks being thrown my way. “I'm going to cook dinner and we will finish this tomorrow.” My tone allows for no argument, but my brothers follow me into the kitchen.
I’m lining ingredients for chicken parmesan on the counter when they start in on me.
“What the fuck, Teo? We agreed to tell her,” Akio hisses while glancing over his shoulder to make sure Quinn and Fallon are still distracted with their own conversation.
“Not in front of Quinn. This needs to be between us.” I know I’m grasping at straws for any excuse, and I know my brothers see it too.
“The longer we wait, the worse this is going to go. How can you not see that?” Declan stands opposite me with his arms braced on the breakfast bar. Tension radiates through his body.
“I know,I know. Fuck.” I shake my head, staring down at the counter. I have never felt this lost or uncertain about what to do next in a situation.
“One day,” I raise my head to meet Akio’s severe stare, his tone steely. “You have one day to sort your shit out and tell her, or we’re taking this out of your hands and telling her ourselves.”
I look back at the ingredients in front of me, but I am not really seeing them. I jerk my head in understanding, and their footsteps fade as they leave the kitchen to join the girls.
For the next hour, I try to lose myself to my process in the kitchen, but for once, that doesn’t work. My mind keeps wandering back to Fallon, what she means to all of us, and the risk that comes with the truth.
Chapter 28
Fallon
Isneak into Matteo’s office early the next morning when I hear him clattering around in the kitchen, preparing breakfast. My playful side is feeling a little risky today, so I’m wearing one of his button-up shirts, unbuttoned wide enough to see the matching black lace bra and panty set I have on underneath.
Leaving the door ajar, I make my way to his gothic style desk, not bothering to turn on any of the lights since there is enough light coming from the giant window that overlooks the estate.
Where should I sit when he comes in? The desk? The chair? The couch? My eyes dart around the room to find the best place to tempt him. I decide to go with my first instinct and perch on the desk, but when I move a penholder and a few files out of my way, I accidentally knock several of the files to the floor. Fuck.
I drop to my knees to pick them up, grateful that Matteo uses the kind of folders that clasp so that the papers inside didn't fall out and get mixed together.
My eyes skim over the file names, and I realize these must be what Declan was referring to last night. I flip through several of them, all labeled with names of people I know, including myself. Curiosity gets the best of me when I find one labeled,Jane Doe.
I cross my legs and flick open the folder, just to take a peek. When I see the name of my dad's driver in the first line my curiosity doubles.
Method of Discovery:Randy Peters’ trips to vacant property. Further search of the area led to discovery of a shallow grave.
Time of Discovery:2018. Evidence indicates that the body has been in this location for 10 to 15 years.
Body Condition:Skeletal remains
Autopsy Findings:Female between the ages of 35 and 45. Several fractures on the body indicative of defensive wounds. Several fully healed breaks in the bones indicative of trauma.Cause of death:Strangulation due to broken hyoid bone. Homicide.
As I read through the file, my heart pounds in my ears, the room growing fuzzy. Sweat breaks out on my skin. The listed time frame gives me an uneasy feeling, but what I read next freezes me in place.
