Page 72 of Billionaire’s Heartbreak

She nodded slightly. “Ask yourself again. Properly this time.”

The silence felt heavier.

“No,” I admitted.

Her expression didn't change. She wasn't surprised. She already knew. “Exactly.”

She didn't need to say anything else because she was right. I would never have let her do what she'd done, knowing she was being watched and someone could use her to get to Dannie. I wasn't sure whether that made me protective or controlling anymore.

Probably both.

“And Mack?” I changed the subject before I had to explain just how afraid I'd been of losing her.

Squirrel glanced back. “You know Mack?”

“Yes.”

“We'll tell you everything later,” June said quickly. “For now, just tell us what you know.”

Squirrel nodded. “Mack and Tony were both kicked out years ago. Dannie found out they were involved in drug smuggling, bringing product into Hong Kong. Boss wanted to clean things up and go legitimate. He wouldn't tolerate that kind of business anymore.”

“And then?”

“They disappeared for a while.” Squirrel looked through the windshield. “Tony came back about two years ago.”

“With Roger?” June asked.

He nodded. “Working with Roger.”

That explained enough. And not nearly enough at the same time. I leaned back and let the information settle, only then noticing how close Squirrel was sitting. Up close, he smelled of stale smoke, sweat, and exhaustion. Unpleasant. Distracting. But useful.

Right now, he was the only person in the car who knew things we didn't.

And that made him valuable.

13

June

* * *

The car moved quickly, but inside, everything felt strangely still. Rain clung to the streets, turning the pavement into dark mirrors that caught the city lights.

I turned toward Squirrel in the front passenger seat. Up close, he looked worse than I remembered. He was still wearing the same grey shirt from the shop, now wrinkled and stained, the collar warped from too many days of wear. A faint smell of smoke, sweat and exhaustion clung to him. He looked like someone who hadn't had a proper shower or a proper night's sleep in far too long.

“Where have you been?”

He didn't turn around. “Moving.” He paused. “In case they find me.”

“Roger?”

“Yes.”

The answer was so simple that it made my stomach tighten. Of course. Things had escalated much faster than I'd realised. The funeral hadn't even been that long ago, yet it already felt as though we'd been thrown into an entirely different world—a world where people disappeared, loyalties changed overnight, and a man could hide in the back room of an old bakery while the people hunting him stood outside.

“Do you have any spare clothes in the car?” I asked, glancing toward Kai.

He shook his head.