But that wouldn’t explain why she’d be involved with anything to do with Missy’s murder or Sadie’s disappearance.
Unless she was afraid her parents would disown her again because of his niece and money was that important to her. If she was willing to overlook a cheating husband to prove to her parents they weren’t right about him, who knew what all was going through her mind?
Her wealthy southern family didn’t like making waves. In fact, it looked like the parents had manufactured the perfect life and family. They’d been much prouder of their other two children until recently.
I let out a groan of frustration as my phone rang, shocking me out of my looping theories.
“Why did your phone show up in the city?” Jaxson asked urgently.
“How would you know where my phone is?”
“I asked my question first.”
“I borrowed your car so I could go back to my apartment.”
“Do you really think that’s a good idea? Considering?” Anger tipped his words. “I wanted you back at the house so you’d be safe.”
“I just needed some space. I’m already at my apartment and I’m fine.”
Jaxson sighed into the phone.
“And I’ve been thinking about things. Well, mainly Harner.” I looked around my apartment which was still in disarray from the cops’ foraging through it. They did not leave things the way they found them, that was for sure.
Silence sat heavy on the phone.
“What do you know, Jaxson?” My blood rushed through my body, giving me a dull, aching headache behind my eyes. “Am I right? Is it Harner?”
“We don’t know, and if I weren’t so busy worrying about you, I might be able to concentrate a little better.”
“It’s about my sister and Harner, isn’t it? What did you find out?”
“We’re getting closer.” His voice softened. “But I don’t know to what.”
“What do you mean?”
“We found the guy who’s been sending you the threats.”
“Well, what did he do with Sadie?” My heart was racing and my headache worsening.
“He doesn’t have her. He snatched her for someone, and he’s been hands-off since he turned her over.”
“Can you be sure?” I questioned in a state of near panic. “Is she in the city?”
“I’m just waiting for his questioning to finish, and then we might know more.”
I shook my head and woke up my laptop. “This morning, I started going through all the clippings and news articles on Harner. Do you realize he didn’t cancel one single event in light of his missing niece? Not one. Don’t you think that’s odd?”
“It is unusual.”
“In fact, from what I can tell, he actually added more to his schedule.”
As quiet as Jaxson had gotten, I could tell he was hiding something.
“What aren’t you telling me?”
“The guy mentioned that his boss was a woman.”
“His boss?”
“The one paying him to do the dirty deeds he’s been doing.”
My blood chilled.
“I was just about to tell you about Harner’s wife. Do you know her well?”
“No. I’ve actually only met her a few times, and it’s usually when she’s attempting to outbid me at some charity auction. What’s there to tell?”
“She has an interesting background. Her parents essentially disowned her for marrying Harner. It wasn’t until he started coming up in the world that she fell back into their good graces and received access to part of her trust fund.”
“That’s odd.”
“Harner also hasn’t been faithful over the years.”
“That I can attest to.”
“Maybe with word about the niece getting out, it was the last straw on top of the infidelity, and she was worried about the rest of her trust fund so she put a lid on the one thing she could?” I paused. “I don’t know though. Seems kind of ridiculous to murder one woman and kidnap another over a trust fund.”
“I’ve seen murder over less.”
I tensed, wondering exactly what he was referring to, in particular.
“It’s worth checking out.”
“Really?” I asked, somewhat surprised.
“Absolutely.” He let out a deep, tired sigh. “But do me a favor.”
“What’s that?”
“Stay in your apartment and don’t answer the door unless it’s me.”
“I can handle that.”
“I’m not sure that you can.” He laughed. “I’ll call you as soon as I know something.”
“Thank you, Jax.” I closed my eyes, thinking back to last night. “For everything.”
“I’ll see you soon.”
And just like that, he hung up.
I stared at my phone and wondered what else he knew about me. I had no idea he was tracking me, and since when?
I texted my mom a quick message, letting her know I was back in the city so she didn’t worry.
But for the first time since my sister vanished, I felt like I was helping to bring her home, and I needed that sense of doing something. I walked over to the window and stared out at the drizzly weather and wondered how close my sister was to where I stood now?
Was she alive?
Would I ever see her again?
I hugged myself and swung my hips gently back and forth as I thought about all the wonderful memories we’d shared and how many more I’d hoped to experience with her.
So much had changed since I met Jaxson. When I first stumbled into that bar, I wanted nothing more than to bring his family down, and now I was depending on him to help bring my sister back to us.
I wouldn’t lie to myself and say that he wasn’t a man with a dark side, but I was no longer sure that made him a bad man. For every instance where I’d seen him use force, there was a reason behind it. Right or wrong.
And I didn’t doubt for a minute that when he said the police couldn’t bring justice for his sister, his family did it instead. In fact, I knew they had done whatever was necessary to make things right.
My mind drifted back to Joey, and that was where things failed to make sense. He’d always been a good kid, which in turn made him a kind and caring adult. He delivered flowers for a living.
A shiver skated over me as I let out a sigh. There would be no good reason that Jax could come up with for murdering my cousin, and that was a fact I’d have to live with. Obviously, I was no longer going to run any story or try to get answers.
All I wanted was to get my sister back.
My phone rang, but I didn’t recognize the number. Now was not the time to miss a call.
“Hello?”
“You just don’t learn, do you? It’s a pity. I have your sister here with me, and I’ve been promising you were going to follow the rules.”
“What are you talking about? I have followed the rules. I stopped posting.”
“But your friends are going a little crazy around the city, don’t you think?”
“I wouldn’t know.”
I heard my sister scream in the background and my stomach sloshed my earlier coffee.
“Let me talk to my sister,” I hollered.
“Call off your dogs and you just might have a chance of seeing her again, but whether that’s dead or alive is up to you.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Jaxson
I knocked on Harner’s door, and it only took a few seconds for a housekeeper to answer.
“May I help you?”
“Is Mrs. Harner home?”
“Who’s asking?”
“Jaxson Volkov.”
She glanced behind me.
“They’re my brothers.”
She closed the door, and within a few minutes, Denise Harner stood in front of me, decked out as if she was headed to another gala.
And for all I knew, she was. This city certainly had enough of them to keep someone busy every night of the week.
“Jaxson, good to see you. Rick isn’t here.”
I nodded. “I actually came to see you.”
“Business or pleasure?” she cooed.
I smiled. “How has the family been holding up since Missy’s death?”
Her smile fell. “As well as can be expected. Her parents are in St. Croix right now with their other children, trying to comprehend what happened.”
“I can’t imagine.”
Her brown eyes darkened as she folded her arms. “Did you only come here to inquire about our wellbeing?”
“I’m sure you heard that Missy’s death wasn’t connected to the others after all.”
“I’d heard something to that effect. Yes.”
She was as icy as they come.
“I’m trying to find a woman named Sadie Egorov.”
Her eyes turned to slits. “Is my husband sleeping with her too?”
“Excuse me?”
She let out a sharp laugh. “Well, he sleeps with anyone who bats her lashes in his direction. I’m assuming she’s just another of his whores.”
So much for Denise’s southern manners.
“Not that I’m aware of. I was told that Rick wasn’t at the office today.”
“True.”
“Do you know where I’d find him?”
“Well, like I told you earlier, my husband has many extracurricular activities. I’d imagine since it’s the middle of the day, he’s with Carmella.”
The name shocked me. “His campaign manager?”
“His assistant campaign manager.” Her lip curled into a sardonic grin. “I suppose she assists him in many ways. The poor young thing. She doesn’t know he’s playing her like he plays the rest. She’ll do far more than I will to keep him councilman. At this point, I don’t even care.” She glanced at my brothers. “I guess you all got an earful today, didn’t you? Is there anything else you need, or can I get back to day drinking?”
“Thanks for your time.” I nodded as she shut the door, and I spun around to face my brothers.
“Well, that was interesting,” I said under my breath.
“I’d venture to say their marriage isn’t exactly in a happy place right now.” Devin grimaced as we walked back to the car. “But that being said, I don’t think she had anything to do with Missy or Sadie.”
I shook my head. “I don’t either, but Carmella suddenly sounds interesting.”
“Doesn’t she?” he agreed.
My brothers and I all climbed into the car.
It would make perfect sense that Carmella would do anything to keep Harner’s image untarnished, especially if she was sleeping with him and thinking she had a shot to become the new Mrs. Harner. The idea of power did some strange things to people.
“I’ve got her address.” Blake shoved his phone in front of me. “Shall we give it a go?”
My phone rang and I pulled it out of my pocket to see Elena calling.
“Everything okay?”
“I just got a call and was told to call off my dogs or my sister will be…” She couldn’t finish her sentence.
“When was that?” I looked back at Harner’s house.
Had Denise gone back inside and made the call?
“It was exactly six minutes ago.”
I shook my head. It wasn’t his wife.
“They had a voice modulator going, but I really think it was a woman or my mind is playing tricks on me. I don’t even know any longer.”
“I need you to stay focused. Can you do me a favor?” I asked calmly.
“Can you look up Carmella Townsend and text me any information you can find on her?”
“I’ll start right now. And I promise I won’t open the door.” She hung up and my chest tightened. She didn’t even wait for me to say goodbye.
A woman after my own heart.
“This is the deal,” Blake began. “We don’t know the first thing about Carmella other than that she’s knocking boots with the politician. It wouldn’t be the first story like that.”
“And it won’t be the last.”
“But we don’t know why that would make her a murderer.”
“I couldn’t agree more, but right now, we can only go where the crumbs take us. We know we’re looking for a woman. It’s not our job to figure out the motive.”
“Regardless, I don’t think we should go to Carmella’s home. If she’s the one orchestrating all of this, she wouldn’t be keeping Sadie in her basement,” Devin said.
“He’s got a point.” Blake nodded in agreement. “But we should at least drive by.”
Drake had pulled away from the councilman’s home just as my phone rang again.
“It’s Elena,” I said, somewhat surprised that she’d call back so soon.
“Jaxson. I think I know where my sister is.”
“What? How?”
She let out a slow and steady breath.
“If it’s Carmella, she knows more about me than you do.”
Doubtful.
“Listen, I’ll explain everything to you later—I promise—but you’ve just got to trust me on this and go to the warehouse.”
“What warehouse?” I asked, knowing the answer.
“Yours. The one my sister and I were at. Just try. I might be wrong, but Carmella’s the one who’s been on me from the beginning. She’s looked me up and knows exactly what she’s doing.”
I covered the phone and instructed Drake where to take us.
“There’s a lot I haven’t told you.” I heard the strain in her voice.
“More than the blog?” I questioned, knowing the answer.
“Much more, but there hasn’t been a time to tell you, and things have changed.”
Drake drove us in the direction of the highway.
“One step at a time,” I told her, trying not to let her know just how much I already knew.
“As soon as we get there, I’ll let you know what I find.”
“Thank you.” She sniffled. “And I’m sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry for.” I hung up and quickly called Luke to fill him in.
If Elena’s hunch was right and Carmella was orchestrating how Sadie would be found, we’d need as much backup as possible.
“She doesn’t realize you know about her cousin, does she?” Blake asked, and I glanced at him in the backseat.
“Not a clue.”
“When this is all over, what are you going to tell her?” he asked.
“Whatever she wants to know.”
“Are you sure about that?” Drake asked.
“Yes.”
“I don’t know if you should go down that road.” Drake tapped the steering wheel.
“You’re one to talk, the man who was played by the—”
“Now, now.” Blake laughed. “Now’s not the time to get testy. We’ve all kind of made odd choices in women.”
My shoulders relaxed. I hoped for the Egorovs’ sake that Sadie was at the warehouse, alive.
The rest of the stuff, Elena would work out later.
Or not.
“What did Mom say about Elena last night?” Blake asked.
“You knew about that discussion?”
“She told us she was going to bring it up to you.”
I nodded. “Well, she did, and I’m sure you can imagine what she said, but let’s focus on what we’re about to do.”
I got a text that Luke had already arrived at the warehouse. We were only a few minutes out. There were signs of some kind of activity, and my fingers tingled with anticipation.
When we pulled on the road the warehouse sat on, we spotted Luke’s vehicle parked on the side of the road, far enough away that no one would notice it. We pulled behind him and he walked up to Drake’s window.
“There’s definitely been recent activity, and a lot of it. When Zack was looking around the property, a car drove away.”
“Did they see him?” I asked.
“Doubtful. They were headed in the other direction.”
<
br /> I nodded. “You take care of everything else in case we’re right on this.”
“Absolutely.” Luke smiled and glanced in the direction of the warehouse. “Let’s get this done.”
My hand rested briefly on the door handle, and I drew in a breath. I really hoped Sadie was inside, unharmed.
The men followed my lead as we snuck through some tall grass and up along the chain link fence. The smell of salty sea air invigorated me as we made our way toward the building. We snuck through the small hole in the fence and darted across the gravel portion of the parking lot before hitting the pavement.
The hope I was feeling to find Sadie alive inside was indescribable. Every thought I had went to that poor girl. I prayed we weren’t too late.
We ducked underneath the windows and slid quickly along the building until we reached the same entrance I’d used with Elena. Luke covered the other side of the door while Zach and Ian knelt with their pistols drawn.
Mitch and Alex were behind my brothers, facing the opposite direction to avoid any surprises.
I signaled to Luke and on the count of the three, threw open the door.
A muffled scream shot through the air, and I immediately spotted Sadie tied to one of the support beams. She looked extremely weak and could barely keep her eyes open.
Zack nearly flew in her direction as the rest of us canvassed the inside of the empty building. There was no sign of Carmella or anyone else. Zack took out the fabric balled in Sadie’s mouth.
She coughed so hard that she needed Zack’s support to stay somewhat upright, but she quickly closed her eyes, falling into him.
“Is she going to be okay?” he mouthed.
I nodded, hoping I was right.
The sound of clapping filled the warehouse, and my eyes darted to Carmella standing at one of the rear exits.
“Bravo. I didn’t expect you to find us,” she drawled. “Do you like how I looped all of your security cameras so you couldn’t see her?”
“Congratulations.” I had planned on finding out why none of this was caught on our security footage. Now I knew.
Zack was kneeling next to Sadie, cutting the rope away from the leaning beam.
Jaxson: A Romantic Suspense (V Mafia Series Book 3) Page 19
