AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Oh, thank God,” Rowan said for the third time. “Wait, Finn’s too smart to not have covered his tracks.”
“He tried,” her mother said. “The video itself doesn’t implicate him in anything more than knowledge of the incident. However, a second video that Emily turned over to the FBI is one she took herself while standing outside his home office, where this conversation took place. It has the entire conversation and clearly shows that Finn was the one calling the shots.”
A slow smile spread across Rowan’s face. “I knew Emily was a smart lady.”
“That she is,” her mother said.
“A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Finn Murdoch.”
“You haven’t found him yet?”
“No.”
“If he came home and saw the safe empty and Emily gone, would he have run?”
“Maybe,” Agent Rowsh said. “He might have slipped out last night, but we’re searching. And we’ve involved Interpol. We’ll find him.”
Emersyn, who’d been quiet for most of the meeting, got up and hugged her, pulling her to her feet as she did. “It’s over, Rowan. None of this is your fault.”
“It never was.”
“I know that. I’ve known that all along. Now you can come back to Barrett.”
“I don’t think—”
“My brother won’t be an issue. Not now that we can prove it to Gerard.”
Proving her innocence wasn’t the issue. That he hadn’t given her the benefit of the doubt was. Especially after they’d gotten close, or so Rowan thought. That was what hurt the most. Still, she hadn’t come here just to prove her innocence.
“Where is your brother?” It hurt that he didn’t care enough about her to be here when the facts all jelled and suspicion was lifted from her shoulders. Apparently, that something special she’d felt had only been on her side.
Tears stung her eyes, and she swiped them away. Damn it. She would not cry in front of her mother and Emersyn. Instead of answering Rowan, Emersyn showed the FBI agents out. Rowan’s mother came around the table to hug her daughter. “I’m so glad this is all settled.”
She didn’t feel the least bit settled. In fact, her guts were churning acid that arced all the way to her heart. Damn you, Gerard Barrett, for making me fall in love with you.
“Now, come on. We have somewhere to be,” her mother said, as she grabbed her satchel.
“Where’s that?”
“Uh uh. It’s a surprise.” She glanced at her watch. “But we’ll have to hurry.” She hustled Rowan toward the elevators, and in minutes, they were in the back of Rose’s car, being chauffeured. It felt strange, all this being ferried around, and she had no idea where they were headed.
“Seriously, Mom. I’m not up for surprises. Just tell me where we’re going.”
“Oh, I think you’ll like this one. And, while we’re en route, I have another surprise for you.”
Rowan put a palm to her forehead. Her headache notched up with every word out of her mother’s mouth. “Mom—”
“You haven’t asked what’s going to happen to Murdoch Financial,” her mother interrupted.
Rowan threw up her arms. “I haven’t had time to process, well, anything, much less think about the ramifications.” Now that she’d mentioned it, curiosity was digging into Rowan’s brain. With Finn on the run or under arrest, would her father, who’d given over much of the day-to-day to his son step back into that role?
“I suppose Dad will step back up,” Rowan said. “That’s not much of an improvement.”
“I agree, and no, your father has…decided to retire.”
Something in her mother’s attitude told Rowan that decision hadn’t been a gracious or easy one. “Why?”
“Because I told him to.”
