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“I’m not jealous of her. If anything, I’m sad. They might’ve had a good life.”
“You think his heart turned to stone when she died?”
I nod. “Is that a silly fantasy?”
“It could be dangerous. You might empathize with him when you need to fear him.”
Whoa. I did empathize with Roman. I remember when loving you wasn’t a chore.
I’m romanticizing his life and softening toward him when he’s most likely trying to kill me. “Noted.”
“Come into my office.”
“You’re going to show me?”
“You’re an adult, swan. You’ve been pretty levelheaded and reasonable so far.”
The compliment makes my trek to his office less painful.
I’ve seen this room, but I haven’t been inside it yet. There’s a recliner in the corner with a standing lamp. Does he read there? A large monitor on a flat desk. The wood of the desk is the same grain as the house. Either it came with the space or Cannon had it custom ordered.
How much money did he make overseas?
He turns the gaming chair for me to sit in while he stands. Then he punches a few buttons on the keyboard and a video pulls up.
Raina’s pretty. Her eyes are a mix of green and brown, both colors so distinct that her irises naturally sparkle. Her smile could power a nuclear sub, but it’s not full of overbleached, perfectly even teeth. Her top front teeth turn slightly in toward each other, and her bottom teeth aren’t all the same height, but they’re symmetrical. The incisors match, the canines, and whatever the other teeth are called. That’s a lot to think about with teeth, but the effect makes her human. Approachable. Her brown curls are a shade lighter than her skin, like she grew up on the beach and the sun lightened her strands.
“She’s gorgeous.” I’ve seen pictures of a young Roman. Without harsh lines, he’s less intimidating, but I still think there’s an iciness in his pictures. Maybe she melted him?
Or maybe he had no issues exploiting her.
Her rich voice filters through the room, and I think about her. She’s real, not just a tragic backstory. Why did you die, Raina? Was he responsible?
The thought is sobering. Maybe he wasn’t soul deep in love. Did he use her too?
She’s in the cold ground that I’m trying to stay out of.
The clip finishes, and Cannon hits a couple more buttons. A picture of a newspaper clipping appears on the screen.
Raina Gale Hughes. Beloved daughter, sister, wife.
“That’s awful,” I murmur.
“Kase is going to check out the family and see what he can learn.”
“They’re willing to talk to him?”
Cannon looks at me from the corner of his eye like he isn’t sure how to answer. Like they plan to get information without talking.
“Oh.” I read over her name. Both of her parents are still alive, and her brother lives in Yorba Linda. “What does Kase do for a living? All London says is that it’s better I don’t know.”
“He’s the guy you send when you need to pass a strong message.”
“He’s like hired muscle?” Kase is a little shorter than Cannon and Jacobi, but still six feet tall. He doesn’t have a bodybuilder’s frame, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t strong. I don’t think he is a fighter.
“No, he has more finesse than that.” Cannon leans across his desk to close the clip and the pictures.
I recline in the surprisingly comfortable chair. I wish I could afford something like this for my studio office. “I guess it’s better they don’t know we’re digging into their daughter’s past.”
