Page 55 of Loving a Billionaire

Frowning, she shook her head. Talk about ruining someone’s life... and this one just happened to be a doozy. Not only had it ruined her trust with both men, but now she’d thought about putting in for a transfer. She wouldn’t be able to work with Kurt Hamill after this.

The buzzing of her phone brought her out of her thoughts. Before answering, she checked the caller ID. It was her brother, Rongo. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she cleared her throat. “Hello.” Inwardly, she grimaced. She still sounded like a frog with laryngitis.

“Talia? Is that you?”

“Yes.”

“Are you sick?”

She sighed. Only sick in her heart. “No.”

“Are you still coming to the family dinner tonight? Dad wanted me to call you and remind you that you can’t miss out on this one.”

She groaned. She had forgotten about it. Hopefully, she’d be able to get rid of her puffy eyes by tonight. “Yes, I’m coming.”

“Great. Dad will be happy to hear. Do you want me to pick you up?”

Out of her three brothers, she was closer to Rongo since he was only two years older than her. Her other brothers wouldn’t have even thought of picking her up. She smiled. “Sure. Sounds fun.”

“Okay, I’ll see you at six-forty-five tonight.”

“Okay, bye.”

She glanced at the clock on the DVD player. It was only ten o’clock in the morning? What was she going to do to pass the time? She couldn’t get a good night’s rest, because every time she closed her eyes, Austin’s face was there. He wouldn’t leave her memory. She’d recalled every moment they were together, and every word.

Why was his door opened that first day?

Curling on the couch, she hugged the large pillow. This was where she and Austin had cuddled and had a make-out session.

Had someone broken into his suite that morning?

She shook her head, trying to stop herself from thinking. She wasn’t on the case anymore. Feakes took her and Kurt off immediately after learning how close she’d become with Austin, and especially because of Kurt’s relationship with the suspect.

Austin hadn’t been surprised that she had entered his suite...

“Augh!” She took the pillow and placed it over her head. Perhaps she needed a shrink. She couldn’t get these voices out of her head. From now on, she didn’t want anything to do with Kalama Kane’s case.

The killer had returned the murder weapon to Austin’s house to make him look guilty.

Slowly, she lowered the pillow and stared at the ceiling. Her mind started working the way it did when she was a police detective, and suddenly, she had left her own pity party. Somebody had set Austin up that knew how to get in and out of his penthouse suite. But who?

She put aside her dislike for him, and the fact that he broke her heart, because now she was in detective mode. Why hadn’t she thought of this before? The reason Austin’s door was open that first day was because someone else had been in there to return the weapon. Austin hadn’t known why his door was opened, either. The doorknob hadn’t appeared as if someone forced the door open. Nothing in his penthouse suite appeared to have been taken, so it wasn’t a robbery.

Energy shot through her, and she jumped up to a sitting position. Whoever had returned the weapon must have a key. Could it be someone who worked in the hotel? For some reason, she didn’t think so. Was it his maid? Then again, the ancient artifact was heavy, so she doubted the maid would be able to carry it. Whoever carried it must have been spotted by someone...

Security cameras!

Talia grabbed her cell and started to punch in Kurt’s number, but then stalled. He wanted to see his stepbrother put behind bars. Even if the proof smacked him in the face, he wouldn’t believe it. No, she had to be the one to solve this puzzle. She would be the one who would find the real killer.

She hurried into the bathroom to check her appearance in the mirror.Ugh!She stuck out her tongue. Considering she hadn’t showered for two days – which meant she hadn’t washed her hair – was it any wonder she looked so terrible?

Without another thought, she turned on the shower, shucked her clothes, and quickly washed herself. A half hour later, she was out the door and on her way to see Austin. She’d pulled her hair back in a ponytail, and didn’t even bother to wear makeup. She wasn’t going to see Austin to impress him. For once since meeting him, she was going to do her job and act like a professional detective and not a love-struck schoolgirl.

When she arrived at the hotel, it surprised her that she didn’t have that giddy feeling that made her palms sweat and her heartbeat hammer like an out-of-control cheetah on steroids. Had her feelings for him disappeared so quickly? She hoped so. Being hung up on him would certainly put a damper on her life if she decided to start dating again.

She didn’t know if he’d be home, but she had to take the chance that he would. On the elevator ride up to the penthouse suite, she rehearsed the words she’d say. No matter what, she couldn’t allow him to sweet-talk her or charm her the way he’d done before.

When the elevator reached the floor and the door opened, right away she heard voices. As she cautiously stepped out into the hallway, she noticed a man talking with Austin. From what she could see, it appeared as if the man was just leaving.