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And despite herself, she missed him. She’d been given a taste of what a real relationship was like with him, and she’d wanted it.
Her chest felt heavy, and her throat closed up. She blinked furiously and took a deep breath.
Enough was enough. She had to get over this. Her job was to heal and take care of herself. The time with Blane was what she’d thought it would be from the beginning, which was why she’d resisted.
But he’d proposed.
Anne pushed away the painful memory.
Maybe a woman had an intrinsic sense of a man that would cause her heartache. Next time, she’d listen to her gut.
If there was a next time.
* * *
Blane looked through the file Kade had given him while Kade poured them both drinks.
They were in Blane’s study. Daniel had served dinner and afterwards, they’d come in here to discuss business.
They’d been back only two days, but Blane was chomping at the bit to see Anne. Then he’d thought it would be better if they could find the real killer of her brother, prove the deepfake. He already had his brother’s evidence of being outside of the country, but he wanted more. He wanted to deliver the killer to her on a silver platter.
Kade was the best hacker he knew, and Blane trusted him to unravel the mystery and find the person behind the murder. Now he reviewed what Kade had dug up.
“Smithson wasn’t the one who ordered the hit on the plane,” Kade said, handing him a crystal glass with two fingers of amber liquid. “I’m convinced of it.”
“Then who did?”
“Someone with a vendetta for you. Someone close to Smithson, who’d he’d trust to know this information.”
Blane took a moment to contemplate this, scouring his memory for who it could be. Politics produced enemies and allies, but it wasn’t exactly typical to cross over into murder territory.
“I have no idea who it could be,” he admitted. “Any luck on uncovering who really killed her brother?”
Kade nodded, handing him a handful of black and white photos. “This is the guy. I’m still running his features through the recognition database. Nothing yet. Does he look familiar?”
Blane studied the photos. It looked like he was just a generic man, easily forgotten. Short haircut but not military style. Soft features and jaw. Nothing that would make him stand out. A perfect assassin.
“No. Never seen him before. Obvious, though, that he’s a professional and set up to make that video of you.” He met Kade’s gaze. “Someone has it out for the both of us. Someone we don’t know.”
He set aside the file and got down to what he really wanted to talk about. “Any news on Anne?” Blane knew she was at her parents’, but there’d been no sight of her at all.
“Nothing yet, but I’ve set tight security on the place.”
Blane’s jaw clenched. It was all he could do not to drive over there and demand to see her. He just needed answers first.
“What’s our next step?” he asked.
Kade sank into the matching leather armchair opposite Blane, taking a sip of his drink.
“I’m investigating all of Smithson’s close colleagues. They had to communicate with the pilot somehow. He killed himself, right?”
Blane nodded.
“Then there must have been a threat. If it had been me, I would’ve threatened his family if he didn’t do it. There will have to be some kind of text or message or something. I’ll find it,” he promised.
“Or I could just go ask Smithson.” Blane knew he wasn’t innocent in all of this. Hell, he could’ve deliberately leaked the plane information to someone he knew would take the next step.
Kade hesitated. “Inserting yourself into it that personally might jeopardize your career. If anyone sees you, you’re toast. In more ways than one.”
