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“Cash only.”
“With the way money is moved around these days, that’s disturbing, but not unheard of. Let me see this farmhouse.”
Bringing up the image on his iPad, Marco handed it to Max.
“They might have the girls there,” he remarked. “It’s remote, and there’s no possibility of escape.”
“You think I’m being paranoid?”
“Marco, dealing with these people you need to be paranoid, and you could be right. Do you know anything about Liam’s personal life? Does he have a sick spouse? Gambling debts? Anything like that?”
“Not that I know of, but I have my IT man running checks now.”
“There could also be blackmail involved.”
“That crossed my mind too, but aside from that, do you have any thoughts?”
“Ivan did you a big favor leaving that bug behind, and it wasn’t very smart.”
“That’s why I left it in place. I thought it would come in handy. The question is how do I use it?”
Max paused.
“Don’t you want to know how much my advice is going to cost?”
“Sure, though I suspect you’re expensive,” Marco remarked. “Go ahead, tell me the worst.”
“Steph.”
“Excuse me?”
“Don’t shut her out. Talk to her, listen to her ideas, and before you tell me I’m crazy, hear me out.”
“I’m listening,” Marco muttered, thinking he didn’t have a choice.
“She used to hide in her father’s office and listen to his meetings. If he knew he never let on, but I don’t think he did. When he’d contact me for advice, she’d stop by and tell me what she thought. I tried to discourage her, but even back then no one could tell her what to do. She was smart as a whip,” then taking a breath, Max added, “and she’s not the little woman type.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Forgive me if I’m overstepping, but it’s obvious you two have become close, and she won’t be happy just shopping and going to lunch with her friends. Marco, give her the opportunity to show you what she has to offer. You can trust her. In all those years, she never once told me anything she shouldn’t have. That’s my price. Bring Steph into this and listen to her ideas with an open mind.”
* * *
Unpacking the suitcase Max had brought, Steph was overjoyed to find a collection of her favorite clothes, including several pairs of shoes. Pulling on a pair of jeans and ankle boots, she grabbed a tee-shirt, covered it with a sweater, and planning a walk through the grounds, she unrolled the packable down jacket to carry with her.
Stepping into the backyard, the chilly air nipped at her face, and she immediately slipped it on. Shoving her hands into the deep pockets, she began ambling through the grounds, but her buoyant mood was fading.
Though logic told her she shouldn’t expect Marco to trust her with sensitive information so soon, she couldn’t bear the thought Marco might shut her out like her brothers and father had.
“I won’t live like an outsider,” she muttered, but as a sudden gust whipped around her, she suffered a flash of temper. “It’s so unfair!” she shouted, “and it’s wrong!”
Two security guards suddenly came running toward her.
She froze.
“Are you all right?” one of them asked.
“I’m fine, but you almost gave me a heart attack.”
