She kept looking, tapping away on the keyboard, finally glanced up at Beau. “No Facebook page, no Twitter account, no LinkedIn, no other social media.”
She went to birth records for the state of Texas, found nothing. Went to a national birth record search that required payment, a site she had used before. Nothing.
She found him on a pay-for-use site that searched passport records. “Here he is. Luca Aaron Reichlin was born in Switzerland. Forty-five years old, American mother, German father, dual citizenship.” She did a little more searching but nothing else popped up. All the while, the red dot in front of Reichlin’s house didn’t move.
“There’s bound to be something more,” Cassidy said. “But it’s going to take me a while to find it.” She looked up. “This guy keeps an unusually low profile. I wonder why?”
“I’d sure like to know what he and Vaughn are talking about.”
“I know someone who might have info on him.” Cassidy picked up her cell and punched a number in her contacts. “I’m calling Chase. Reichlin seems to move in the shadows, but he lives in Westlake, so clearly he travels in the higher echelons. Chase might know who he is.”
“Maybe he’s one of Vaughn’s investors,” Beau suggested.
“Could be.” She put the phone on speaker and set itdown on the desk. “Chase, it’s Cassidy. I’m with Beau. Sorry to bother you so late, but have you ever heard of a guy named Luca Reichlin, middle name Aaron?”
“Reichlin? Yeah, I know who he is. You think Reichlin’s involved in this?”
“No idea. Vaughn just drove out to his house for a meeting. That’s all we know.”
“He’s bad news, Cassidy.” Worry roughened Chase’s deep voice. “The guy is for sale to the highest bidder, completely conscienceless. Money is his god and nothing else matters. His name surfaces once in a while in some dark corner, but basically he keeps a very low profile. If I’m remembering right, for the past few years, he’s been employed by some billionaire in Houston, but I don’t know his name.”
“You think there’s a chance Reichlin could be connected to all of this?”
Chase fell silent. She could almost feel his mind spinning, going over the information they had, putting it all together.
“Reichlin’s a facilitator but only at the highest levels. He deals with one client at a time. Whoever it is has to be mega-rich to afford him. Reichlin carries out orders, makes sure his client gets whatever he wants—legal or not. My guess, if all of this is connected, whatever’s going down is big.”
“Big enough for Reichlin to put a hit out on anyone who stands in the way of getting it done?” Beau asked.
“That big, yes. If he’s protecting his client.”
“How do we find out who Reichlin works for?”
“It won’t be easy. If you’re right and Mal Vaughn’s involved, maybe he knows. More likely, Vaughn’s only contactwith the big-money man is through Reichlin. He may not even know the guy’s name.”
“We need to find out what these people are after,” Cassidy said.
“Yes, you do. It’s the only way you’re going to end this.”
“Thanks, Chase,” Cassidy said. “At least we know more than we did.”
“Keep me up-to-date and I’ll do the same. You both be careful.” Chase hung up the phone.
Beau looked down at the red dot pulsing on the computer screen. “We need to find out the name of Reichlin’s client.”
“I’ll go to work on it right now,” Cassidy said. “Maybe if I dig deep enough, I’ll find something.” She reached up and touched his cheek, ran her hand over the late-evening shadow along his jaw. “Why don’t you get some sleep? No use both of us staying up half the night.”
He should. He needed to be at the top of his game if they were going to figure all of this out. Unfortunately, he found himself reluctant to face his empty bed without her.
He faked a smile. “You aren’t the only one who knows their way around a computer. I’ve got a few tricks of my own up my sleeve.” Moving to his side of the desk, he sat down and went to work.
Chapter Thirty-One
Beau groaned at the sound determined to intrude on the slow, deep kiss he was enjoying. It was late, around midnight. Lying beneath him, Cassidy slid her arms around his neck and opened her warm body in invitation as he pressed her down in the mattress. His heavy erection nestled between her legs, the anticipation nearly as good as being inside her.
He was breathing raggedly and so was she, both of them fast-tracking toward the pleasure just out of reach and the sleep afterward they both so desperately needed.
She laced her fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck, and a fresh rush of heat slid through him. Her skin felt smooth and warm as his mouth traveled over her shoulder to feast on a delectable breast.
