"Maybe we can—" Scarlett stopped, arrested by the papers in her hand. Her alert green eyes scanned the lines of text. Hurriedly, she swapped the page she was reading for the one beneath, then the one beneath that. With a quick intake of breath, she shoved the stack at me. "Is this what I think it is?"
It took me a minute to absorb what I was seeing. Hot damn, this wasn't the Vitellius, but it might be part of what we were looking for, buried in a stack of grocery bills and outdated legal documents.
"It looks like this is a contract to put an oil painting up for auction." I shuffled to another piece of paper, this one thin, the writing uniformly grey as if it were a part of a duplicate pad. "And this looks like a receipt for a cashier's check with the same account number as the contract with the auction house."
I set the two papers aside and looked through the rest, quickly matching a second contract with a different auction house and a handwritten receipt for another cashier's check. We dug through the rest of the pile, matching five more works of art with five more receipts.
When we were done, Scarlett gave a low whistle through her teeth. "This adds up to almost half a million dollars. Didn't Griffen say he had a forensic accountant looking for the money?"
"Wherever this cash went, it wasn't into any of the accounts she was able to find. No way she would have missed this much money. Griffen said she's the best."
"Do you think he stashed the money somewhere?" Scarlett gazed around the attic with renewed interest.
"Maybe," I said slowly, digging beneath an old newspaper to pull out a manila envelope, the flap tucked inside to keep the contents in place. Pulling it open, three handwritten notes slid out.
My heart stopped in my chest. I knew that handwriting.
I shot to my feet, heart pounding in my ears, my own voice tinny and far away. "Grab those papers. We need to bring this to Griffen."
Chapter Forty-One
TENN
"What is it? What did you find?" Scarlett kept pace behind me as I jogged down the narrow staircase from the attic to the second level.
Scarlett had been working in the attic above the family wing. The stairs let out beside the linen closet, the stairwell door designed to blend in with the wall itself. When it was fully closed, it was almost invisible. I'd shut it behind me when I went up to see how Scarlett was doing.
Despite my haste, the sound of angry voices on the other side had me stopping short at the closed door. Turning the handle slowly, I opened it an inch instead of rushing through. Scarlett wiggled in beside me, the soft press of her breasts momentarily drawing my attention from the scene in the hall.
"What is it?" Her mouth was at my ear, her words barely audible. In answer, I opened the door another inch. "Ohh," she breathed, watching along with me, the receipts and contracts momentarily forgotten.
In the hallway, Sterling argued with Forrest. I couldn't make out any distinct words—they could have been arguing about a game of cricket for all I knew—but whatever they were fighting about, they were pissed. Sterling's cheeks were flushed, her finger pointed, jabbing him in the chest.
Where another man might have backed away, Forrest leaned in, ignoring the poke of her long fingernail, looming over her to say something in a low, furious tone. I started to shove the door open, every brotherly instinct telling me to get this overbearing asshole away from my sister.
Sterling had been taking care of herself for a long time. Far too long. It had taken Griffen's return for me to see how alone my youngest sister was. How much she needed her family. I wasn't the best big brother, but I wasn't going to let this guy push her around.
Scarlett's hand closed over my arm, pulling me back. She shook her head, unbothered by my glare. "Give her a minute. I think—" She smiled in satisfaction. "Yeah, see?"
Turning back, I scowled as Forrest slid a hand around the back of Sterling's neck, pulling her up and slamming his mouth down on hers. She melted into him, her arms going around his neck, kissing him back with a hunger I did not need to see.
Pivoting back to Scarlett, I growled, "You should have let me stop them."
Giving my arm a light slap, she peeked around me, eyes wide. "They look good together."
"Shut it. I do not need that image in my head." I really did not. "She's my baby sister."
"Well, she's not my sister, and he's not my brother, and all I can say is… they're hot. If they're not going to get a room, I'm sticking around for the show."