“My decision is final. End the pre-agreement with both of them.”
“And should I continue searching?”
I stare at the open laptop in front of me.
“No.”
The next day
“It’s not enough,” Kaled says on the other end of the line. “There has to be something more we can do against that son of a bitch. He’s a damn rapist, Rodrick. Do you have any idea what could’ve happened to Jazmina if that girl, Josephine, hadn’t been with her?”
“You know me. Do you really think I’m stopping? The trafficking charge was just the tip of the iceberg. I won’t be satisfied until I find one of the victims and convince her to testify. As for what they did to Jazmina, there’s no proof. The bottle was thrown out, and there’s no witness who saw them spiking her drink.”
“Either way, I don’t want my sister’s name involved in a scandal, especially now that she’s finally making friends and doing things with people her own age.”
A warning bell goes off inside me. “What are you talking about?”
“She didn’t tell you she’s going on a boat trip this Saturday? I think with some people from university, from what she told Adeela.”
“We haven’t talked since the party in Livorno. I’ve been busy.”
I’ve been busy trying to get your sister out of my head.
That night on the boat, after she ran off, I kept thinking about what could’ve made her act that way. I never believed what she said about not being able to be alone with me. She wasn’t worried about rules. I’m an experienced man—I know when a woman is dying to be touched. My princess was all in. Everything we did, she wanted very much.
I thought about those moments from earlier in the evening, how she seemed fine, then vanished right after Athol arrived and mentioned Davina and Elizabeth. That had to be what made her pull away.
She felt deceived when she realized I was looking for a bride.
“Rodrick, did you hear me?”
“Yes.” I have no fucking idea what he said.
“I want you to investigate the group she’s going with.”
“I’d do that anyway. Her guards should already have the information.”
Truth is, ever since Livorno, Jazmina has barely gone out except for university.
“Tell me what you find.”
“I’m not good at giving reports. I’ll tell you what I find relevant. Jazmina isn’t irresponsible, just inexperienced. We used to be just like her.”
Thirty minutes later, the head of her security walks into my office.
As soon as I hung up with Kaled, I ordered a full report on the trip. Like a good girl, Jazmina gave the details of both the friend who was supposedly going with her and the owner of the boat. But it wasn’t just a casual boat outing. They were flying to Marseille and from there taking the boat.
Contrary to what Kaled thought, it wouldn’t be a group outing, just Jazmina and the boat owner’s sister, according to what the security team found.
That alone put me on alert, but not majorly. Until I learned Linda Smith was the same girl who’d arranged to meet Jazmina at that fraternity party and never shown up. My instincts screamed.
It took minutes to turn the man’s life inside out.
A bankrupt CEO. Drowning in debt. Even the boat is about to be repossessed.
Dated older women, who apparently supported him financially and paid part of his debts.
What are the chances a guy like that—with a noose around his neck—invites a wealthy princess on a boat trip with no ulterior motive?