Chapter 2 - The Man Who Knew My Secret
The rear door of the second vehicle opened.
A man stepped out.
He wore a charcoal suit and carried no umbrella despite the rain.
Mateo immediately moved between him and me.
It was subtle.
Almost casual.
But I noticed.
The man stopped several feet away.
“Duca.”
“Salvatore.”
The stranger's eyes moved to me.
“Is this her?”
Mateo didn't answer.
That silence frightened me more than an answer would have.
I clutched the ultrasound.
Salvatore noticed.
His expression changed.
“Where did you get that?”
I stepped backward.
Mateo's voice became quiet.
“Don't ask her questions.”
Salvatore ignored him.
“Maeve Callahan?”
I stared at him.
“How does everyone know my name?”
Nobody answered.
Then Mateo took the ultrasound from my hand.
I almost protested.
He studied the paper.
“Gemma Rhodes.”
Salvatore swore under his breath.
Mateo folded the ultrasound carefully.
“Get the car.”
Salvatore nodded.
I looked at Mateo.
“Why?”
“You're coming with me.”
“No.”
His eyes met mine.
“I wasn't asking.”
That should have angered me.
Instead, I felt something stranger.
Relief.
I had spent the entire night watching my life collapse.
Now someone else seemed to understand that something much larger was happening.
“I don't even know you,” I said.
“You don't need to.”
“That's not reassuring.”
“It wasn't meant to be.”
The rain grew heavier.
I crossed my arms.
“What exactly is Brandon involved in?”
Mateo looked toward the street.
“Money.”
“That's vague.”
“Criminal money.”
My breath caught.
He continued.
“Brandon borrowed money through a company that officially has nothing to do with him.”
“What company?”
“Hayes Urban Development.”
I shook my head.
“That company belongs to Brandon's father.”
“Not anymore.”
I stared at him.
Mateo's expression remained unreadable.
“Three months ago, Brandon began moving money through it.”
“How much?”
“Eight million dollars.”
My knees weakened.
“I signed documents.”
“I know.”
“You know?”
He looked at me.
“You signed as a secondary guarantor.”
The alley seemed to tilt.
“No.”
“You did.”
“He told me they were insurance renewals.”
“They weren't.”
My hands began shaking again.
Mateo noticed.
“You didn't know.”
It wasn't a question.
I swallowed.
“No.”
For the first time, his expression softened.
Not much.
Just enough.
“Then Brandon used you.”
I closed my eyes.
The rain sounded distant.
Every dinner.
Every kiss.
Every time he had called me difficult for asking questions.
All of it rearranged itself.
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because tomorrow morning, Brandon was planning to make you responsible for the debt.”
I opened my eyes.
“What?”
“He intended to marry you first.”
My heart stopped.
“Why?”
“Because a spouse makes certain financial arrangements easier to hide.”
I stared at him.
“You're saying he was marrying me for money?”
“I'm saying he needed your signature.”
A horrible laugh escaped me.
I pressed a hand over my mouth.
Mateo watched me.
Then his phone rang again.
This time he answered.
“What?”
A pause.
His jaw tightened.
“Say that again.”
He listened.
Then looked at me.
“Gemma Rhodes is missing.”
My stomach dropped.
“What?”
Mateo ended the call.
“She left the hotel twenty minutes ago.”
“Where did she go?”
“We don't know.”
I stepped toward him.
“Maybe Brandon knows.”
“He's not answering.”
I suddenly remembered something.
A detail.
A tiny detail I had ignored.
“Wait.”
Mateo looked at me.
“When I found the ultrasound…”
“Yes?”
“There was something else inside the tuxedo pocket.”
“What?”
“A folded piece of paper.”
I reached into my coat.
I had taken it without thinking.
Mateo unfolded it.
There was only one line.
THE WEDDING MUST HAPPEN.
Beneath it was a date.
Tomorrow.
And a name I had never seen before.
Mateo read it.
His face changed.
“Where did you get this?”
“From Brandon's tuxedo.”
He looked at me for a long moment.
May you like
Then his phone rang again.
This time the caller was Brandon Hayes...
