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I narrowed my eyes as I regarded her wide brown eyes. “How do I trust what you’re saying is true? How do you even know that Timothy Walters is planning something?” I asked out of curiosity as to how she figured it all out.

Aside from the thin line that formed between her brows, her face gave nothing away. “Because I remember him from that night,” she replied in a low tone. “I wouldn’t have killed Harvey Walters if I didn’t get anything out of him.”

I raised a baffled brow. “From all those years ago?” First, she had no clue who the five men were, and now she easily recognized one of them?

“Yes.”

I studied her face, dropping my hands into my pockets. She still had that cool, collected look, like she was stating mere facts rather than twisting lies, and I didn’t know what to make of it. “Far reach,” I replied, my eyes narrowing further. “I don’t believe you.” How slight a chance would it be that she actually recognized him from all those years ago? Either she had an incredible memory and connected the dots, or she already knew that Timothy Walters was involved.

“Then don’t.” She shrugged. “But it’s him—I wouldn’t tell you otherwise.”

“You can’t assume things, Bellrose. I don’t want to be wasting my time chasing worthless leads. I’ve bigger things to worry about,” I said, lifting myself off her table as I walked over to the arched windows, drawn to the stained glass mural that reminded me of my mother’s painting. I leaned back and watched her.

Bella’s eyes darted to the open book on her table as she absentmindedly ran her finger along the rugged edges. “Timothy Walters is also a big spokesperson for the Red Reedman Foundation, a foundation dedicated to people suffering from speech impairment; he does too. I only had to hear him speak to know it’s him, Stormhold. You don’t have to believe me, but it’s him. I still don’t know the why, though.” Her voice echoed with the kind of desolate gentleness. It was moments like this that made me lose all my inhibitions when it came to her. I needed to remind myself that this was just a job, nothing more, nothing less. But still, I found myself straying off course when it came to her.

“Let’s just say what you’re saying is the truth,” I voiced out. “What are you going to do next?”

“He’s coming to the Twins for a reason. I want to find out why.” She twisted her chair toward me. “I have taken the next couple of days off work. I’ll be trailing him. Just let your men know I’m not a threat.”

“It’s better not to let them know anything,” I said instead. “Best if you cover your tracks.” I knew she was capable of going under the radar from the men I had stationed around the city, but it would be a particularly difficult task since I had doubled the security, especially for my family. If she wasn’t careful, someone would figure out she was onto Timothy Walters, and in turn, they would either cower or eliminate her, and I couldn’t afford a mistake in the trap that I was laying for them.

Lucien, Karl, Jon, Marcus, and Grayson all knew I was working with her, and I didn’t want them to know I was onto them. For now, at least.

Maybe Timothy Walters could be the advantage I wanted.

Her brows knotted as she leaned back, folding her arms. The motion made the silk of her dress bunch around her waist, gliding smoothly over her curves. “Are you worried it might flag the person on the inside?”

I nodded. Clever and beautiful.

She folded her bottom lip between her teeth as she thought for a moment. “Stormhold Tech HQ would be difficult.”

It was on the Uppers and was owned by our family. Knowing Marcus would be there for the deal negotiations, the security would be in full force, and she was right—it would be difficult.

“I’ll help you with that,” I replied, stepping forward. “The rest is up to you.” I leaned forward, bringing our eyes to the same level, and it didn’t slip my attention how her breath caught, and her eyes widened a fraction at our vicinity. “Remember, if you don’t have anything by the end of this, I’d say it’s best that we part ways.”

A slight swallow worked through her throat before she nodded firmly. “You have my word.”

CHAPTER 12

BELLE

Timothy Walters wasn’t an ugly man, but if one were to choose an example of an ugly man, they would point to someone like him. With all the money in the world, his crooked teeth lopsidedly protruding his lips couldn’t be fixed. The sight of it was so bizarre that it made his jaw angle to the right, making his eyes bulge out of his small head, and his cheekbones jut out. Even then, the rest of his body couldn’t save him. He was only thirty-two but looked decades older with his thinning hair and frail body.

He was also a man of routine, which made my job easier, but easy wasn’t what I wanted now. I wanted something, just something to latch onto till I found the man I was looking for.

I wasn’t desperate or impatient, but Arkane’s low warning rang through the back of my mind now and then. I also knew he was a man of his word, and if I couldn’t bring anything out of this, he was dropping me hard and fast. I’d never been this close to uncovering the truth of my past, and I wasn’t going anywhere till I tried everything I could.

A tired yawn slipped out of my mouth as I watched Timothy Walters slide out of bed in a stiff, robotic movement and make the sheets that looked barely slept in. He wasn’t just a man of routine in the simplest terms. He was adamant about it. Perfectly so. He expected his bed to have military corners, preferred every piece of clothing he wore to be perfectly pressed, and even timed his meals.

I recalled him being the most timid of the five men. He even wore gloves the whole time he attacked us and flinched from blood like it contained some cursed infection. Like the act of killing itself didn’t bother him, but the blood did.

But other than knowing his pointless routine, I had nothing relevant. If he was going to slip, he would do so unassumingly. Even if the traitor was from the Stormhold family, they wouldn’t risk it with all eyes on them.

Stormhold Tech’s staff had Timothy situated in a nice, modest bungalow on the Uppers, surrounded by lush lawn and tall trees, where I had taken residence for the past two days with a pair of high-spec binoculars, thankful for the several glass windows on the property.

I couldn’t bug the house because Stormholds’ security already had the entire home tapped like they were filming a high-quality movie, and there was no chance that I could get in without flagging someone. It was already hard enough for me to find the perfect blind spot to hide, and I needed to be extra careful if I were to make it out.

The whirring sound of the gates opening caught my attention. I frowned when I spotted an unfamiliar car, a black Mercedes, that had swerved through and parked in front of the main door. But no one got out. It simply idled.