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For high-profile clientele like the Graysons, their doors will open the same way the Red Sea parted for Moses.
Quickly, I text back:Okay.
But I wonder what will happen when I see Jericho tonight.
What will he expect from me for sixty thousand dollars?
ChapterNine
Jericho
Icertainly have a way of landing myself in trouble.
If I had any hopes of forgetting my gorgeous ex, then I shouldn’t have kissed her.
Better yet, I shouldn’t have claimed her as mine again by buying her in an auction.
If I were a better man, I would have just let her have the money and forget about the dates I’m supposed to get in return. The thought crossed my mind, but each time I contemplated leaving her alone, I kept remembering the taste of her kiss. Then I kept seeing her standing on that stage wearing next to nothing. Every man’s eyes in that room were on the girl who used to be mine.
I don’t know what the hell I plan to do, but the thought of having her for the next two days does something wicked to me. Something wicked that sent me down another rabbit hole.
As River was determined not to tell me anything, when I got home last night, I picked up where I left off in my search the other day. Had I done what I’m most skilled at, I would have known well before now that River wasn’tjusttaking care of a few bills. When she first told me that’s what she was doing, of course I knew she was downplaying how much money she needed, but I respected her privacy and space. That idea went out the door the moment I found out she was taking part in the auction.
Now I’m sitting in the office of my tattoo shop reading through the last piece of intel I was waiting about with Gina’s finances.
It’s her who’s in debt.Gina. River’s aunt. From what I’ve found so far, she’s in a ton of debt.
Although I know I’ve already crossed too many lines, I’m kicking myself for not digging deeper to find out what was going on with her days ago when I first had the thought to do so.
I did a background check on her father first. I felt if anybody needed money, it would be him. I’m surprised to discover it’s Gina, and now that I have all the information, I feel like there is something more I can’t see. Something else must have happened, and I’m looking at the repercussions.
From Gina’s medical reports, I know she suffered a stroke what seemed like a month after River returned to New York. But prior to that, she was receiving treatment for her heart and continues to. I’m aware River’s mother died of a heart attack, so I can imagine how worried she must be. Especially with the stroke on top, and the debt.
The details I found showed that Gina took out a loan from the bank and a known loan shark, then pulled all her savings and income from her business to pay half a million dollars to an offshore account in Kazakhstan. The date listed correlates with the time River returned to New York.
Piecing everything together has made me believe that something happened to River while she was in Russia.
I still have nothing on the fiancé, but I’ve seen enough darkness in my lifetime to connect the dots and conclude that he must have something to do with it. Something I want to find out.
There’s a guy from the underground who I use when I get stuck—as in situations when I risk my name being exposed. Usually, I can conceal myself with standard firewalls not many people know how to get around, but as this situation looks a little riskier than I’d like, I emailed him and asked him to find out River’s fiancé’s real name.
My shoulders slump, and I bring a weary hand to my head. I’ve asked myself the question of what I’m doing several times in the last twelve hours.
I’m doing it again now, and I’m coming up against that wall with no answers other than my guilt over my past mistakes.
I have no heart, yet here I am, allowing this girl to be my exception again.
I usually keep Saturdays reserved to hang out at my shop, but I’ve used the time to cross another line in River’s life.
Unknown to most, tattooing is what I do in my spare time. Knight sculpts like our mother does, but this is what I do. In our teens, Knight and I used to own this shop. We sold it just before college. I repurchased it five months ago, fixed it up, and decided to share the space with two other artists.
I was supposed to have a busy morning with clients who’d booked weeks in advance to see me, but I cancelled at the last minute when the email came through showing details of the account Gina paid the money to in Kazakhstan.
Now that I have this information, I don’t know what to do with it, or if I should leave well enough alone.
Once again, I have my own problems, and last night’s date with Celeste did not go well. She already messaged me twice asking about a second date, which won’t be happening.
That’s one down on the list with nine to go.
