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The guard took her away with her head down, shuffling as they went.
Ryker’s skin was still crawling as he waited to be escorted out.
The sky was dark and threatening by the time Wolf landed in Miami. He grabbed his luggage and caught an Uber, but the rain beat him home.
He walked in dripping water and was shedding his shoes and coat when his housekeeper came running to his aid.
“Mr. Wolf! I didn’t hear you come in! Welcome back,” she said. “I’ll take your luggage up to your room. Chef is wondering if you’ll want dinner here.”
“Yes, but nothing fancy. Whatever we have on hand is fine with me. I’m too tired to make the decision.”
“Yes, sir,” Dee said, and took off upstairs with hissuitcase, as Wolf hung up his coat and went to the library in his sock feet to pour himself a drink.
He poured a double shot of whiskey, then carried it to the French doors overlooking the back grounds, watching raindrops splashing on the veranda. He took a sip of his drink and then turned around, eyeing the ornate furnishings and elaborate woodwork, and knew in that moment he’d trade everything he had for the kind of family he’d just left.
Losing Shandy and their baby had burned him from ever wanting to be that close to a woman again. Finding Amalie had changed him. The pursuit of money had lost its spark, but his need for justice was turning into a burning rage. He downed the rest of his whiskey, went upstairs to shower and change, and then he was going to sit down and read the files from her caseworker. By the time he went to bed tonight, he would know what had happened to his child.
He sent Amalie a text to let her know he was home and sent his love. The miles between them now were long, but she was no longer lost to him.
Wolf put his phone on Mute and read files all the way through his dinner. He passed up dessert and took a coffee into the library and settled into his favorite chair to continue reading, making notes as he went. When he was finally through, two things completely shocked him.
The original note that had been found within her blanket was in the file.
Be forewarned. This child’s family has a long history of mental illness.
When Wolf recognized the writing and Carter Bullock’s favorite phrase,be forewarned,a chill ran through him. Suspecting a person of such malevolence was one thing. Seeing the proof of it was yet another.
“God is good,” Wolf muttered.
The Bullocks’ desire to destroy Wolf was about to blow up in their faces.
The next morning, he went to the safe-deposit box at his bank to get his and Shandy’s marriage license, her death certificate, and the death certificate they’d given him for the baby he thought was dead, and added them to the file. All he needed now were the DNA reports from their tests at the Jubilee hospital, and then he was headed to New Orleans.
Satisfied he was as prepared as he could possibly be, he turned his attention to the refinery disaster and Julio Ruiz and found an email waiting in his inbox from the investigator he’d sent to Sao Paulo.
Mr. Outen,
The refinery fire is out. The damage is vast. It is a total write-off. I’m including info I received from the Brazilian government about rebuilding or, if you so choose, cleaning up and selling off. I’m forwarding you their comments and the laws they cited.
As for your manager, Julio Ruiz, he is no longer in Sao Paulo. I don’t think you have other avenues to pursue there, unless you want us to track Ruiz down and question him ourselves to see if he knows more or will admit to any wrongdoing.
I await your decisions.
J. Langley
Wolf sighed. He could do nothing with what Amalie told him about Ruiz. Without actual proof of wrongdoing, Ruiz was gone, and so was the refinery. It was insured to the hilt, so Wolf wasn’t going to suffer a loss, but he was heartsick about the deaths, the job losses, and facing a huge on-site cleanup before he was done there.
He thought about it for a few minutes and then sent Langley a note.
Come home. I’ll send a site manager down to begin organizing and overseeing cleanup. I may have a way to smoke Ruiz out of hiding, but that’s for later.
Wolf
There was nothing left for Wolf to do but go back to his Miami office and get back to work. There was no way to know what hell had gone on at his other holdings after his reported death, but he was about to find out.
And since Special Agent Ramsey had already alertedthe media that Wolf would hold his own press conference when the time was right, and now was as right as it was going to get, he called his public relations office. The phone rang twice.
“Emily Sheets. Outen Public Relations. How can I help you?”
