Teresa. The spell Hailey had cast over me shattered, and reality crashed into my world once more. That was where Teresa had worked. Then she’d dated me. Then she died. My hand fell away, and I took a step back, crushing guilt defining my actions.How could I have forgotten, if even only for a few moments?
I turned on my heel and walked away, my former girlfriend’s ghost haunting my every step, along with the phantom sound of Teresa’s infectious laughter. In my peripheral vision, I saw Sofia wrap an arm around Hailey, whose face had registered acute rejection as they made a hasty retreat out of the gala.
It was for the best.
I clenched my jaw and jerked free of the memory, refocusing on the screen in front of me and the overwhelming need to help Hailey.
The abduction had happened in a matter of seconds, but I knew seeing her again had altered my life somehow.
I didn’t like it. I hadn’t been ready for her then, and I doubted I was now.
Allen’s hand shook as he pressed another button, switching to a different camera angle, and I watched the entire thing all over again. I paused the video. I went back to the first one with a few clicks, found a frame that worked for what I wanted, then enlarged a section to see her face. My gaze crawled over her stunning face, slender figure, and dark hair.
“You look nothing alike.” I’d done my homework on him a long time ago and knew enough. Both mother and daughter had kept their surname, and Allen had attempted to manipulate my emotions by saying hisdaughterwas missing—Allen and Hailey weren’t related by blood. I couldn’t help needling him. I doubted he had much if anything to do with how she was raised. His arrogant I’ve-got-a-silver-spoon-stuck-up-my-ass demeanor had nothing on the captivating woman with features I knew would haunt my dreams again tonight.
“I hardly see how it matters whether we look alike or not.” Allen bristled, clearly unaware that I’d met Hailey in the past. “She’s my stepdaughter. But that hardly matters. We are family.”
While I was curious about the woman, I had no desire to do anything for her stepfather unless I got something in return.
He pursed his lips, his body equally tense. “Will you help find her?”
“No. Leave it to the police.” I turned to go.
“What? They said not to.” Allen ran a shaky hand over his face. “You have to find her before the time limit runs out. They said…” He trailed off, his face going sickly gray.
Silence hung between us as I paused by the door. Desperation oozed from him. Again, I turned to leave.
“Wait.” He sneered. “I’ll give you a seat on the board.”
If I wanted that, I would already have it. I shook my head. I was going to help her, preferably without his knowledge. I glanced at the computer. Then again, he could believe I wanted a seat on the board if it kept my motivations hidden. “Make a copy of the security footage now. I want to take it with me.”
“You’ll help?” He slumped back, relief slackening his features.
Yes. I said nothing as he fumbled to insert a USB drive and copy the two videos.
He shook his head. “I just want the safe return of my stepdaughter. But nothing can trace back to me. If you kill the kidnappers, it will. This needs to be clean—no deaths.”
I raised my eyebrows, and Allen’s face flushed.
“You took an oath.”
I laughed. He knew who I was and where my loyalties lay.
Allen leaned forward, clutching the edge of his desk. “Promise me, no deaths.”
I closed the distance between us, flattened my hands on the mahogany surface, and loomed over him. “Be careful how you talk to me, Allen. You won’t like the repercussions.” I held his gaze long enough to convey what I would do to him should he press me further. “Make it happen with the board, and I’ll see what I can do about your daughter.”
A glance at the screen showed the recording was copied. I ejected the drive and pocketed it, patting Allen’s cheek before I left his office. I meant what I said. I would look into the situation. He wasn’t counting on my finding out what he wasn’t telling me, though. There was something very off about the footage of Hailey’s abduction.
CHAPTER THREE
TREY
After leaving Allen’s office, I forwarded the footage from Hailey’s abduction to Nico then went about seeing patients. He would require time to search through the traffic camera feeds and any others he needed to hack. Hailey remained in my thoughts, but I had someone special to check in on, and I had to concentrate on her rather than a disturbing video of a woman who piqued my interest.
“Mrs. Armond.” I stood by the bedside of a seventy-year-old who had stolen my heart years ago from the moment she’d waltzed into the ER and demanded to be seen. I’d recognized her instantly as a good friend and makeup artist of my mother’s who worked in the industry while Mom did a few shows in the States. Mom would be in later to visit, and I looked forward to seeing her. “How are you feeling?” I logged in to Mrs. Armond’s electronic chart and scanned the test results that Sandy told me had just arrived.
“Katherine. Stop making me feel old,” she admonished then sighed dramatically with a mischievous glint sparkling in her faded blue eyes. “Room service was atrocious, and don’t get me started on the sheets.”