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I made it to my room in a few breathless minutes, wondering what on earth I’d find there. At the foot of the bed sat bag after bag. All from different stores. I’d never seen so many at once. Designer names I recognised, and many I didn’t, emblazoned in a myriad of fonts. Peeking into them, I saw dresses, shoes, lingerie, trousers and blouses, coats and accessories. It must have cost him a fortune.
A little card sat on the bed, and I ripped open the thick envelope to read the inscription.
Cora, I’d drool over you in a paper bag. But I never want you to feel you don’t belong. I guessed your sizes from how you felt in my arms that night. Wear them. Burn them. Wear nothing. I don’t mind.
Sitting heavily on the edge of the bed, I smiled.
TWENTY-THREE
EWEN
‘What’s up with you?’ Maeve asked as I checked my watch for the millionth time.
‘Nothing,’ I responded as she handed me another pile of documents. My sister wasn’t going to let it go that easily, though. She’d always been like a scrappy little terrier if she felt someone was holding back. It’s what made her so great as the head of the McGowan organisation. By Cam’s side, she’d matured into the role she was never meant to have.
Cocking her head, she narrowed her eyes. ‘Oh really? Nothing has you checking the time every five seconds?’
‘Checking through a million documents to see if there’s any erroneous names is hardly thrilling work. Excuse me if I’m looking forward to getting home and kicking off my shoes.’
And feasting on Cora.
‘You know you’re the most analytical of us. You won’t miss things in the way the others will.’
‘Flattery won’t make the work any more fun,’ I said. Flipping through page after page to try to follow who was being paid sums of money they couldn’t possibly explain amongst our employees. Should we have been able to access their full bank details? No. But there was always someone who could be persuaded to hand over information with a shove in the right direction. Weeding out any more traitors was vital if we were going to haul Edwards out from whatever little rat hole he’d crawled into.
The easiest way to find an idiot was to follow the money.
‘So...’ Maeve said, sitting across from me and mirroring my page flipping with her own. ‘Who is she?’
Arching a brow, I looked up at her. ‘Who?’
‘The woman you have holed up in the private hospital?’
Clenching my jaw, I shook my head. Nothing was ever sacred. ‘Just one of my club workers.’
‘She’s been screaming bloody murder at the nurses for days. Why is she there against her will?’
‘Drugs will do that. I admitted Ruby to get her clean.’ I went back to reading, hoping she’d drop it.
No such luck.
‘Why don’t you just fire her? It’ll cost thousands to have her in there for weeks.’
‘I’m fronting the cost personally. It won’t affect the business.’ I kept my voice even, trying to keep it impersonal.
‘One of our lower ranks turned up dead this morning. Happens to be the boyfriend to your hospitalised friend. Just a coincidence?’ Maeve tapped her nails on the desk, her agitation with having to dance around the subject clearly infuriating her.
‘How’d he die?’ I asked.
‘Massive overdose would have been likely, had every bone in his body not been broken. One by one.’
‘Shame. He must have really pissed someone off.’
Maeve stood and slapped her hands down on the table. ‘So help me god, Ewen, tell me what the fuck is going on. I can’t be covering up dead body after dead body while we’re trying to find Edwards.’
Pain tinged as I drew in a breath.
‘Fine. I like her sister. Ruby’s sister, Cora. The guy was an asshole who tried to assault her. He was also pimping Ruby out to his friends while filling her full of drugs. He deserved to die. It’s not been so many years since you went after Cam’s dad for the same thing.’
