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They were after me before the Panda thing, which means they knowingly broke the contract, and if I had to bet on it, I’d say they were just hoping I was blissfully ignorant.
My stomach churns at the thought of what it is they could possibly want from me. What would possibly make them risk the terms of my dad’s agreement? I wasn’t joking earlier, there is no way Harrison wants to hand over his place as Regent, so risking it must mean that whatever they want is huge.
I bite my lip, running over the possibilities, knowing that it’s unlikely I’m going to work it out.
All I can do is hope that whatever it is doesn’t come at a cost I’m not willing to pay.
* * *
After spending most of the day spiraling, a text from Bentley—the PI I hired to look into Mom—was out of the blue, but welcome. I’m definitely not pacing in my foyer while I wait for him to arrive.
Nope.
Definitely not.
I jump when the buzzer interrupts my thoughts and find Bentley looking through the camera at the gate. I buzz him in and open the front door.
Not even impatient.
“Miss Royal, it’s good to see you,” Bentley says politely as he climbs the steps to the house. His casual look is the same as he had when I saw him last time, with his black hair looking like he’s mussed his hands through it all day, and his dark, almond-shaped eyes warm as he smiles at me. “Shall we?”
I nod, trying to shut up the butterflies that are hurricaning in my stomach, and step back to let him into the house. His smile might’ve been to try and help set me at ease, but there’s no chance of that happening right now. I lead him through to the kitchen, feeling super awkward. “Drink?”
“Coffee would be great.” He smiles warmly before pulling a folder out of the bag in his hand. I pour us both a mug, handing him his, grabbing the sugar and creamer should he want them and putting them on the island before sitting at the counter. “Shall I begin?”
“Sure, why not? That’s what I’m paying you for, right?” I laugh nervously. It’s not that I’d forgotten about the task I gave him, I’ve just had a lot of other stuff occupying my mind. My mom hasn’t exactly been a major blip on my radar for years. She left us and never looked back. As far as I know anyway. If it wasn’t for everything happening with the Knights, I probably never would have searched for her.
But what Panda said about her niggles in the back of my mind, though I’m not sure how trustworthy he truly was at that stage.
“So, I found quite a bit,” he starts, opening the folder, and laying out a ton of photos and documents. “In the early years after her separation from your father, she left a frivolous trail. There was no party too exclusive, no shop too expensive.”
He hands me credit card records, photos, and clippings from newspapers and magazines.
How have I never seen any of these photos?
Something to focus on later.
“But then, around your thirteenth birthday, she seems to have fallen off the face of the earth. I can see where she started trying to wipe her digital print, which isn’t easy these days, but if you’re good with technology, it’s not impossible.” He pauses, watching me closely. “But then it all just goes dark. No more parties. No more shopping. No fancy vacations. She fell off the grid entirely, and I have yet to find even a whisper of where she went after that.”
I gulp, bringing my coffee cup to my lips even though I don’t take a sip. The movement is almost automatic.
“Now I can keep searching, and I’m happy to, but I’ve spent the last two weeks digging into where she could have gone, and I’ve come up empty. Unless you have any more details, I’m not sure what luck I’m going to have. I wouldn’t want to waste your time or your money.”
“I appreciate that,” I say quietly. “There’s no record of her death either, I assume?”
He shakes his head. “No, nothing at all.”
I blow out a deep breath, running a hand through my hair. “Okay, thank you. I don’t think continuing to search is going to be of any use if you’ve already tried and come up empty. You don’t seem like the sort of man who chases his tail.”
He grins at me and I catch a glimpse of ruthlessness. “I’m not, but I’m also not one to give up so easy either.”
I nod, he doesn’t seem the type to just quit. “Thank you, I appreciate all of your help.”
“If you need anything else at all, you have my number.” I stand and shake his offered hand before walking him out.
Once I’m alone, I take everything he brought to me and lay it out over the coffee table, poring over it to see if I can see anything that he hadn’t. Any faces that might raise suspicion. Either to confirm or deny what Panda implied.
But there is nothing. I don’t recognize any of these people.
