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Of course he was, which meant he had been well trained. “Where did he send them?”
“To every local newspaper and television station in New York for one. The other email address is no longer active. There are no names that mean shit. It was obviously a burner phone.”
“To be expected.” I knew it was only a matter of time before our relationship was exposed. While it would be worse for Stephanie and her career, the fact the fucking photos made it appear I was soft, romantic, wasn’t in my best interest for business either. Fuck. I slammed my hand on the steering wheel.
“There’s one more thing,” Cassian said.
“What?”
He sighed, which was never a good sign with the man. “I know you didn’t ask me to, but I did some digging into Ms. Morgan’s life as well as her bank accounts.”
Fury raced through me, his insubordination as surprising as the shit we were dealing with.
“Do not ever cross me like that again, Cassian. You follow the orders I provide. I’m not paying you to think.” My harsh words had nothing to do with what most men would have praised. I continued to feel as if I was behind the eight ball, the son of a bitch Sergei holding more cards inside the prison than I had the eight years being in control of a dynasty.
“I’m sorry, boss. I know you’ve been busy. That’s all.”
Busy. I’d been spending time fucking a woman when a goddamn monstrosity was planning a massacre. “That’s fine. What is it?”
“She has a padded Swiss bank account.”
Another moment of anger rolled into my system. “The amount?”
“Over five million dollars. And there was a recent deposit made. As you might imagine, the source of the deposit was carefully protected. Before you ask, she’s the only one who had authorization to make withdrawals.”
For a few seconds, a red haze formed around my eyes. My father’s warning regarding women and treachery returned, the ache in my system entirely different than it had been before. If what Cassian told me was the truth, then she’d purposely deceived me, including her acceptance of the mark in order to keep her safe. If that was the case, she would face harsh punishment. It was time to rein her in. Then she would learn what it truly felt like living in a gilded cage.
“One more thing,” he added. “The deposits were made with Russian currency.”
I broke out in a cold sweat, my mind going to very dark places. The possibility of betrayal was far too high, the coincidence not something I could take lightly.
“I want a full deep dive into Stephanie Morgan. Everything. I want to know where she grew up, where she went to school. I want to know the name of the boy she allowed to kiss her first. Every. Fucking. Thing. Do you understand?”
“That might take some time.”
“Do it! I’ll expect you at my house in fifteen minutes.”
Cassian exhaled. “Yes, sir. I’ll get started as soon as I get there.”
“First, I need to you to track someone down.”
“If you’re talking about the Ghost, I’m not sure that’s something we can do until we know he’s in town.”
“I have no doubt the fucker is in town. However, I’m talking about for Stephanie Morgan. I want her found. Send out as many soldiers as necessary. However, she belongs to me. No one else is to fucking touch her.”
“Understood.”
Now I’d spend the time determining if either Stephanie or Gregory had been involved in Sergei’s release. If either one of them had been… I hissed at the thought of what I might be forced to do. Unfortunately, no matter the outcome, maintaining the family’s reputation was vital and necessary.
There would be no second chances.
Not even for the woman I’d fallen in love with.
* * *
I stormed into the house, the hard slam of the door creating vibrations under my feet. There was no time to waste. Given the Ghost’s reputation, he had no more patience than I did, which meant he would finish his mission within hours. I had to determine what the fuck was going on quickly or we’d be blindsided by his methods.
That couldn’t happen.
