“What are you doing here, Annabella? You are not welcome,” Mr. Fisher said coldly.
John shifted to my side as I spoke. “Well, I’m looking for signs of where my fiancé could be. And if something did happen to him, I have every right to be here.”
He barked out a laugh. “My son went off and got himself killed this time, and you are the prime suspect. No matter what that will says, you won’t get anything. Because you will be behind bars.”
“Dad, Nate probably just went off on one of his trips. He’s stressed about the upcoming wedding. Annabella will be your daughter in a matter of weeks.”
Mr. Fisher’s jaw clenched, and a bead of sweat trickled down his face. “If he would’ve done like I told him and grown up, we wouldn’t be in this predicament.” Before I could ask what he was talking about, the man turned on his heel and left.
Marta walked up and wrapped her arms around me. I pulled back after a moment. Marta sat in one of the guest chairs, and I took the one next to her. John leaned against the back wall. I didn’t know how one man could look so sexy just leaning against the wall. Marta cleared her throat, and John smirked, probably because he knew I was staring.
“Sorry,” I mumbled. “Do you know where Nate is? He can’t be dead.”
Marta leaned back in the chair. She had long blond hair and was dressed in a black suit with a crisp white shirt. Upon closer inspection, I found that her eyes were red and bloodshot. “I tried calling you last night, but your phone is going to voice mail.”
John walked over and snagged two bottles of water from Nate’s bar. Then he handed one to Marta and one to me. I would’ve rather had a sip of his expensive scotch.
“My phone is at the house, which is a crime scene,” I explained. “You have to give me something. Deep down, I don’t think he’s dead. Something is going on, and he wouldn’t tell me what. Lately, it seemed he was hiding more and more secrets from me. We used to tell each other everything.”
Marta looked back toward the door. “Things are going on at the firm. Nate didn’t want you tied up in it. Let’s just say Dad started doing business with the wrong crowd. Nate was working to clean it up.”
“Is that who broke his arm?”
Marta’s eyes widened. “No. Nate told me you were playing around and accidentally pushed him into the pool. He said he hit the side and broke his arm.”
I couldn’t help but grind my teeth. “Lie. He came home half dead, and I rushed him to the hospital. Does anyone know the truth? Have you met Pedro?” Nate’s sister knew Nate and I were marrying to fulfill the family obligation. She shook her head. John walked over and handed her the photo of Nate’s boyfriend.
Marta studied the picture for a moment. “I’ve seen them together a few times, but I didn’t know his name. Nate and I fought about the wedding yesterday. It’s bullshit you have to go through this for him. Don’t get me wrong. I love you like a sister, and that’s why I agreed to help him with the will.”
I shook my head. “I didn’t even know I was signing a will. I thought it was our prenup.”
Marta cocked her head to the side. “He wasn’t drawing up a prenup for you guys. I don’t know where he is or if he’s hurt. I just want my brother back. Father is getting anxious because Nate was working on something for a client that we’re worried about.”
John stepped forward. “Why not drop the client?”
“It’s more complicated than that. I’ve said too much already. Please find my brother. Like you, I believe he’s okay.”
I hugged Marta goodbye and watched as she left the office.
I glanced around Nate’s office, looking for any type of clues. John was looking through all the documents on his desk but found nothing of importance. We were about to leave with more questions than answers. John rested his hand on my lower back as we walked down the hall.
We entered the waiting elevator, and when it was about to close, two men stepped in. John pulled me closer and tightened his grip around my waist. The two men spoke Italian as the elevator went down. With each word they spoke, John pulled me closer to his side. It seemed as though he understood what they said. When the doors to the elevator opened, he held me back and let the men get a few feet ahead of us. One looked back over his shoulder at us.
John had his phone to his ear. “We have a problem.” He didn’t wait for the person on the other end to speak. “We went to Nate’s office, and when we left, Vito Costello and Dawood Bruno walked out and entered the elevator.”
That time, I heard Brock cuss on the phone.
John ignored him and continued. “I’m pretty sure they didn’t know I spoke Italian. For being the most feared mob boss, he didn’t even try to conceal his identity. He told the man next to him to get Carmine into town. You know who he is, right?”
“No,” I mumbled, not expecting John to answer me since he was talking to Brock.
But John turned to me. “Carmine is the top assassin for the mob. Nobody has seen him. They only hear about the number of people he kills.
6
John
Annabella looked out the window of my SUV. She’d become extra quiet since learning we might be dealing with the mob. I asked if she wanted to go back to Daisy’s and told her I would go to her house, but she stood firm and said she wanted to go to the house.
She’d seemed so untouchable when I’d watched her on TV and seen her doing charity work, but each minute I stayed around her, I learned more about her. She tried to put on a robust outer image, but she wanted someone to lean on.
I couldn’t help but groan as my phone rang in my pocket again. Addie hadn’t stopped trying to call.
Annabella tore her eyes away from the window and looked over at me. “Girlfriend?”
My lips twitched. It almost sounded like she was jealous. “Nope. Sister.”
She arched her eyebrows, opening up her pretty green eyes even more. They reminded me of a green flower field in the spring, rich and full of wonder. “She’s a little upset with me. I promised I would FaceTime her when you went to Daisy’s event. Then everything happened. She’s been blowing up my phone since the second I escorted you out of the sheriff’s office.
Annabella held out her hand. “Give me your phone.”
“You don’t have to talk to my sister. You have enough on your mind.”
She rolled those pretty green eyes. All I wanted to do was reach across the seat, lay her across my lap, and redden her ass. The image made my dick instantly hard and uncomfortable. I shifted in my seat and handed her my phone just when it started to ring again.
When Annabella swiped to answer, my sister’s voice came across the speakers in the car.
“About time you answer your phone, big brother. I could have been abducted or needed food.” Addie was always a little on the dramatic side.
“Sis, an abductor wouldn’t call that many times. Also, I know you don’t need food. I had food delivered to your house yesterday.”
She huffed on the other end of the line. “You don’t need to keep doing that. I can have my food delivered. And don’t think I didn’t notice it’s the same man each time. How much extra do you pay him to check on me?”
Now I shifted in my seat uncomfortably, not because my dick hurt, but because Addie knew I had someone checking on her. “Hey, sis, I have someone in the car who would like to say hi.”
“Hi, Ad—” Annabella didn’t even get out my sister’s name before Addie let out a shriek so loud, it made my ears ring. Annabella’s face lit up with the biggest smile. It was the first time I had seen her smile in the past twenty-four hours, and I wanted to see her smile like that again.
“Oh my God!” Addie exclaimed. “I’ve seen every movie you’ve made—Running from Justice, Mistaken Love, Cops on the Run, Affairs, Kept, and I watch you when you’re on TV for awards.”
I laughed. “Breathe, Addie.”
My sister ignored me. “And your charity work with agoraphobia is amazing. Not many people put time into that
charity. You know how amazing you are for that? When does your next movie come out? What is it like working with Aaron Ross and Jake Mansfield?”
“Sis, let her answer your questions, and you’ve met Aaron Ross before.”
She didn’t stop. “Are you going to work with Jake again? I like it when you two work together.” She took a deep breath. “Also, I don’t think you killed your fiancé since it’s a marriage of convenience, not love. And wow, that will!”
Annabella looked at me with a raised brow.
“You need to stop hacking,” I mumbled to my sister, even though I knew she wouldn’t listen to me.
Addie huffed out a breath. “Like Neal and Brock didn’t hack to see what they could find to help out.”
“Well, you asked a lot of questions, so let’s see if I can answer all of this,” Annabella said kindly. “You are correct—I didn’t kill Nate. Yes, I like working with Jake and Aaron. They’re both charming.”
“Aww,” Addie cooed.
“I’m glad you like all of my movies. I’m shooting Last Love at the moment.” Annabella paused for a second before she continued. “Agoraphobia is close to my heart. My mother had a severe case of agoraphobia and never left the house. She got really sick from cancer when I was eighteen and wouldn’t go to the hospital, so she ended up dying.”
I reached over, grabbed Annabella’s hand, and squeezed it.
My sister was quiet for a moment. “Don’t worry, John,” Addie finally said. “I still go to the doctor.”
Annabella’s head swung in my direction. I mouthed, “She has agoraphobia.”
Annabella’s eyes flickered with something I didn’t understand, and she squeezed my hand. “Where do you live, Addie?”
“Boston. I own a PI firm out here.”
“Next time I’m in Boston, I will bring you a cup of coffee, and we can sit down and talk about all the movies I’ve been in.”
Addie squealed. “I can’t wait for that. John will give you my number. Bye, big brother.”
“Bye, pip-squeak.” Before she could answer, I clicked off the phone.
“How old is your sister?”
“Thirty-five. We’re the same age—she’s my twin.”
Annabella twisted her hands in her lap. I could tell she wanted to ask more questions.
“Our mother also had agoraphobia. I didn’t notice the signs in Addie until it was too late. Our mom disappeared when we were young, and I spent so much time trying to make sure we had a house and food, I forgot to make sure my sister spent more time out. She isn’t as bad as our mom. She will leave the house when she has to, but she prefers not to leave at all.”
“How does she run a PI firm?”
I couldn’t hold back my smile. “Never wanting to leave the house, Addie spent hours on the computer. She codes and learned to hack. Brock uses her sometimes when we have too many cases. All of her employees do the fieldwork and report back to her.”
“I’m glad she can make it work. Do you mind me asking how your mother disappeared when she has agoraphobia?”
I parked the SUV in Annabella’s front yard, behind a squad car. “That’s the reason Addie opened her firm. She doesn’t think my mom wandered off. She thinks someone took her. I don’t know why they would’ve. She never left the house. But Addie won’t drop the case. She continues to look for our mom.”
“I hope she finds your mom.” Annabella’s eyes shifted from me to the squad car. “Why are the cops still here?”
“They’re probably still collecting evidence.”
Annabella let out a frustrated sigh next to me. Her hands were clenched into fists. “I just want to get things out of my house.” She threw the passenger door open and stomped up the driveway to her house.
I held back the smile I wanted to release. Annabella was a spitfire and had a temper. I jogged the couple of steps to catch up to her. We didn’t need her getting arrested for yelling or assaulting a cop.
An officer stood at the doorway with his arms crossed.
“I want to go into my house,” she said firmly.
“We’re still processing the home, ma’am.”
Annabella rolled her eyes. “Really? Ma’am? You know who I am. I don’t care if you follow me to make sure I don’t touch anything I’m not allowed to. But I want into my house to get clothes.”
An older officer walked over. “Let her in.” When the younger man started to protest, the older gentleman held up a hand. “We’re packing up to leave. The house is no longer a crime scene.”
Annabella pushed past the younger officer and walked toward the stairs. I followed her as she passed a bedroom with crime tape and headed farther down the hall.
“Where are you going?”
She glanced over her shoulder. “My room.” I must have looked confused because she explained. “We don’t sleep in the same room. I told you last night I was his beard. Nate is gay. We never shared a bed and never will share a bed.” She shrugged. “I may need money for my defense since Brock told me mine and Nate’s accounts are frozen. I plan to take what money we have here in the safe.”
Even though the police said they were leaving, an officer followed us into the bedroom. I wanted to tell him to go, but that might make it look like we were hiding something. Annabella grabbed a pink roller bag from the closet and started throwing clothes into the bag.
The officer standing in the doorway cleared his throat. “Why do you need a bag if we cleared the house?”
Annabella stopped packing and looked at me. “He’s right. I can stay here.”
I shook my head fervently. “You are not staying here. We don’t know if someone tried to kill Nate. What happens if they come back for you? It’s not safe.” I turned toward the officer. “And you should know that more than anyone. Do you have any leads?”
He didn’t say anything but just continued to write as Annabella packed her bag. Her eyes were trained on the suitcase.
I walked over to her. “Keep packing, and we will get back to Daisy’s.”
“Am I putting them in danger? I don’t want anything to happen to Daisy. She’s already been through so much.”
I reached up and wiped a tear from Annabella’s cheek. “Nothing is going to happen to you or Daisy, but staying here is not safe. We don’t know what happened, and we need to talk about everything with Brock.”
Annabella nodded and continued to pack. She went into the bathroom to grab a couple more items. Once she had her clothes packed, I picked up the bag and followed her down the hall. She stopped at the doorway to Nate’s room and took a deep breath before walking in. I noticed bloody footprints on the white carpet.
Annabella walked toward the closet and moved the small dresser next to it to reveal a floor safe. She spun the dials on it a couple times before I heard the safe click open. She opened it with no problem, which should’ve helped ease the mind of the officer. He stood at the door, watching everything she did. We all leaned over the floor safe, and Annabella frowned.
“The money is essentially gone.” She shook her head and pulled out one single stack. Nate had left a note on it for her. “Emergency money, darling. You know, like you just have to have that Prada purse.” He’d signed it with a winky face.
Annabella put the money in her purse.
“You can’t take that,” the officer said.
I stood up and blocked his path. “I’ve let you follow us around like a lost dog, but the officer downstairs said the house had been cleared. I don’t know why you’re here. She hasn’t been charged with anything, and this is her house.”
The officer stepped back and crossed his arms. He looked like he wanted to say something. Instead, he nodded and left the room.
I reached out my hand and helped Annabella get up off the floor.
“Why do the cops seem to have an issue with me?” she asked.
“That’s a good question. You did say earlier that Nate’s dad is friends with the sheriff. Let’s get your stuff and go. Do you have everythin
g?”
“Almost. I want to grab my scripts and jewelry out of the study safe.”
I followed her down the stairs and looked out the window. The police were gone.
“I have some scripts in there. I’m supposed to be reading them.” She swallowed hard. “In case anyone still wants to work with me.”
I followed her into the study and stopped at the desk to look through some paperwork. Anything would help with the case. I grabbed the laptop off the desk. I would bring it back to the house for Neal to look at.
“There should also be more money in this safe along with my jewelry.” Annabella took a Monet off the wall and opened the safe behind it. Her jewelry wasn’t there either. She frowned. “I bought that jewelry. Could Nate have been having money issues?”
“We’ll have Neal look into his financials, but I assume he would have already found that yesterday when he was looking into Nate.”
The more we looked into Nate’s life, the more I thought he was on the run, especially with two house safes empty except for one stack of bills.
A loud crashing sound came from the kitchen. We weren’t alone in the house.
7
Annabella
John shoved me behind him and grabbed his gun. I didn’t even know he had a gun on him. “Stay,” he barked as he walked out the door of the study.
I had never been good at listening to orders, which was probably why I was marrying a man as a favor instead of dealing with men that I might be able to have a relationship with. I grabbed the scissors off of Nate’s desk and went through the door John had just walked through.
The moment my heel clicked against the hardwood floor, John looked over his shoulder and glared at me. Damn, that man was even sexy when he was mad. I slipped out of my heels and padded behind him. When he entered the kitchen, I heard a loud scream. Rounding the corner, I ran into a hard body. John had stopped a few feet into the chef’s kitchen.
Hacker Salvation: White Hat Security, Book 7 Page 5