“That’s what I thought.” His fingers brush my arm, and I jerk away. “Your father had to believe it, Eve. Which means you had to believe it too.”
“The blood—”
“Carefully prepared mixture. The gun—loaded with blanks.” His expression hardens. “Every detail orchestrated to convince Ano Montoni that his daughter was eliminated.”
“Heath…?”
Remy watches me intently. “I know you need him to finish what you started.”
My emotions war inside me, each fighting for dominance. Anger burns through my veins at Remy’s deception, at being manipulated like one of his pawns. Fear coils in my stomach when I think of Ano—my father—and what he’s capable of. And underneath it all, an unwelcome warmth spreads through my chest at the lengths Remy went to protect me.
I wrap my arms around myself, trying to contain the chaos of my feelings. “You risked everything. Your reputation, your connections…” My voice cracks. “If Ano finds out you betrayed him—”
“He won’t.” Remy’s certainty grates against my nerves.
“You don’t know him like I do.” The words taste bitter. “He’s thorough. Paranoid. He’ll want proof.”
“I gave him proof. Blood samples, DNA confirmation, even dental records.” His lips twist. “All falsified, of course. But they’ll hold up to scrutiny.”
I shake my head, memories of Ano’s meticulous nature haunting me. “And when he digs deeper? When he realizes the body was never processed at any morgue? That there’s no death certificate?”
“By then, it won’t matter.”
“So what now?” My voice trembles, betraying the fear I’m trying to hide. “What happens when he finds out?”
Remy’s expression darkens, a predatory smile curving his lips. “I don’t fucking care whether he finds out or not. That’s why you need to publish your investigation and bring him down.”
The bluntness of his statement hits me like a physical blow. I stare at him, searching his face for any sign of deception. But all I see is cold determination and something else—something that looks dangerously like devotion.
“You want me to publish?” I whisper. “Everything?”
“Every document. Every witness statement. Every piece of evidence you’ve gathered.” He steps closer, his presence overwhelming. “I want you to tear his empire apart, brick by bloody brick.”
Chapter 22
“What changed?” The words slip out before I can stop them. “A week ago, you were trying to bury my investigation. Now, you want me to publish?”
Remy’s fingers drum against the marble counter, a rare tell of agitation. “Nothing changed. Everything changed.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“No? I spent entire days thinking you were dead in a ditch somewhere. Days imagining every possible scenario, each worse than the last.”
I lift my chin. “I can take care of myself.”
“You were lucky. For a week.” He crowds me against the counter, hands gripping the edge on either side of me. “And luck runs out, Eve. Especially with men like Ano Montoni.”
The silence stretches between us, heavy with unspoken accusations. I study Remy’s face, searching for any hint of deception beneath that controlled mask.
“So you made yourself indispensable to him,” I say finally, my voice tight. “The fixer who could do anything. But how does someone like Montoni even become your client?”
Remy watches me carefully, his expression unreadable at first. His fingers tap against his coffee mug, a rare tell of internal conflict. “I don’t take just anyone on, Eve. There are… lines I don’t cross. Or at least, I didn’t think I would.”
The bitterness in his voice makes me pause. “You’re saying my father was different?”
“Initially.” Setting his coffee down, Remy straightens, his tone matter-of-fact but edged with tension. “Montoni came to me years ago, long before I knew what he really was. He was a powerful man—one of those people who keeps things running in ways the public doesn’t see or understand. It wasn’t my job to ask questions, only to solve problems. Within certain boundaries.”
My jaw tightens, and I fix him with a cutting stare. “And when you found out? When I told you about the trafficking ring?”
