I swallow again.“I’m sure Gwen is fine, Chef.But if he started giving her the creeps, he probably?—”
“Oh my God!”Chef says again.“I need to go home.I’m so sorry, Daniela.So sorry about everything.That monster will never be allowed in my home again.Certainly never anywhere near my daughter, or any child.”
I sniffle again.“Thanks for coming, Chef.If you hear anything about Belinda…”
“I’ll call you all right away.”
Vinnie walks Chef to the door and then returns to Raven and me.
Vinnie sits at the kitchen island, opens his laptop, and starts typing.“Let’s go through everything,” he says.“One more time.I want to get every detail down.”
So I do.Every detail.The dates, the card, the roses, the way Chef C’s friend matched the timeline perfectly.
When I’m finished, he sits back.“So, let’s assume this guy—whatever his real name is—was the one leaving the gifts.We already ruled out Reyes.He wouldn’t bother with this kind of theatrics.Vega’s still a wild card, but his style’s different too.He’s about intimidation, not obsession.”
“Exactly,” I say.“Whoever left those gifts knew me.Not just my name, butme.My past.He wanted to remind me that he could still touch my life whenever he wanted.”
Raven folds her arms.“Which means he’s been watching you for a while.”
The thought makes me shiver.“Maybe he never stopped.”
Vinnie types faster.“You said you don’t think ‘Gordon Brown’ is his real name?”
I shake my head.“It isn’t.It’s an alias.When I was in Colombia, he told me once that Gordon Ramsay was his culinary idol and Alton Brown was his teacher in another life.”
“So you never learned his actual name?”
I look down, ashamed.“No.I only ever called him Chef.That’s what everyone called him.My father.The kitchen staff.Just…Chef.”
Vinnie leans forward.“Don’t worry about that.I’ve still got all the old intel from the Agudelo files—the servants, the staff, the extended network.I’ll go through it and see if any chefs, sous chefs, or culinary consultants match the description.There can’t be many.”
Raven nods.“If he’s the one behind this, we’ll find him.We’ll make him regret ever stepping foot on U.S.soil.”
Vinnie scrolls through the old database he keeps locked behind several layers of encryption.My heart clinches as I recognize some of the names—drivers, guards, business partners.Every name a ghost from another life.
“Maybe he’s back in Colombia,” I say quietly.“Chef C swears he drove him to the airport.”
Vinnie grunts.“Doesn’t mean he got on a plane.Men like that know how to slip through security.Fake boarding passes.Ditch bags after check-in.They disappear before you’ve finished your coffee.”
Raven nods.“Or maybe he never even left Texas.”
That idea chills me even more than the others.
The clock on the stove blinks 3:47 a.m.My body feels heavy with exhaustion, but my mind won’t shut down.
Vinnie finally closes his laptop.“We’ll pick this up tomorrow.Or…later today.Whatever you want to call it.If I stare at this screen any longer, I’ll start seeing names that aren’t there.”
Raven stifles a yawn.“He’s right.We all need sleep.”
Sleep.The word feels foreign.
“I can’t,” I whisper.“Not while she’s still out there.”My lip trembles, and I wipe a tear from the corner of my eye.“She’s just a kid, Raven.She’s probably terrified.”
Raven’s eyes soften.“I know.But you’ll help her more when your head’s clear.You’ve done enough for tonight.”
Enough.The word lodges in my chest.When is anythingeverenough?
I nod anyway because I don’t have the strength to argue.
