Natalie’s heart cracked right in half.
He gently placed the picture frame on the bedside table and stared at the photo for a minute before standing.“The only connection to the outside world in this house is a simple prepaid phone that I use once a night to check for messages from Ford.He has a…” Henri made a sort oftskingsound “…a go-between who leaves a coded voicemail to let me know he’s coming or warning me to leave.”
“When was the last time you heard from him?”
“I have been here about a month.The night before he arrived with you was the first time he used the system.No other contact since he left on Thursday morning.”
She frowned.No communication for almost an entire week.Did Ford expect her to stay here indefinitely without any news about Emma or Jason, or the rest of her team?Her family?He knew her well enough to know she’d be climbing the walls.
Was he punishing her for her past deeds, or just too busy to care?A chill swept through her that had nothing to do with the breeze from the window as another possibility struck her.What if her or Henri’s demons had come for Ford instead?
Or what if something else had happened to him?How would they know?How long should they wait?
“Are you hungry?”the doctor asked, pulling her from her dark thoughts.“I restocked the kitchen.Let us go downstairs and make lunch.”
She was still pissed he’d lied about speaking English, and he was probably still mad that she’d snooped in his bedroom, so they were even.At least the little house wouldn’t be so lonely now that she could have a two-sided conversation.
Natalie nodded and slowly got to her feet, mentally skipping away from her concerns over Ford.Even if the man couldn’t protect himself—which he most definitely could—she was in no position to help him from Wherever-the-Fuck, France.“Lunch sounds great.”
And maybe over food she could convince Henri to buy her a computer.
CHAPTER FIVE
ARCHER LONAGAN PACED his study, his blood pressure ratcheting up by the minute.How far had he fallen to be sitting aroundwaitingfor a phone call from a fucking employee?In his old life, Arch did not wait.People waited forhim.
Stopping in front of the window, he sneered at the baked landscape of his Idaho ranch.Held in a trust for his kids that couldn’t be touched by the government, it had become his hideout from the world after Emma Gallagher, Natalie Nygaard-Brown—and whoever else was in the group he’d dubbed The Invisibles—had turned him into the most hated radio show host on the planet.
At thirty-four, at the top of his game, he’d suddenly become persona non grata, obsolete, too hot to touch.
Just for having sex with a few women who’d practically begged him for it before they’d turned around and called it harassment and rape.His wife hadn’t cared about the other women before, but she’d bailed with the kids the second the news hit.Divorce papers had arrived yesterday, and all he could think wasgood riddance.There was nothing left for the bitch to take anyway.Not that her lawyers would find.All of his legitimate assets had gone to the so-called victims, and someone—these damned Invisibles—had cleaned out several of his offshore accounts too.
But his resources were still vast.He’d hired a private investigator to see if he could find any clues about Natalie’s co-conspirators in Switzerland.One of the other men in Alastor Group—a small club of fallen moguls he’d formed to hunt down those responsible for their change in fortune—had fucked up the kidnapping of her teammate, learning nothing and getting himself killed in the process.
And then two days ago, his PI had dropped a bombshell.“Based on what I’ve found here, I believe Natalie Nygaard-Brown is still alive.I need to do some more digging to confirm, but I should have more info soon.”
So now, Arch waited.He glanced at the old grandfather clock.Hatch was already five minutes late.He slowly relaxed his fists and took a deep breath.It was too hot to jog outside, but as soon as the call was done, he’d go for a swim in his indoor pool.
When his cell phone finally rang, he forced himself to wait for the third ring before answering.“What do you have for me?”he asked without preamble.
“I can now confirm that Natalie Nygaard-Brown’s death was falsified.She may have succumbed to her wounds since then, but she left the hospital in Lucerne very much alive.”
Disappointing.But rationally, he recognized that a dead woman couldn’t provide information.At least now they had a lead.
Hatch filled him in on what he’d learned about how Natalie faked her own death, clearly with help.“There was a man here who identified himself as her fiancé, and I tracked him down.Ford Beaumont runs the European office of his family’s personal security firm, Beaumont & Associates.”
Archer’s pulse picked up.“Is she with him?”
“No, sir.”The PI cleared his throat.“Actually, last I checked, he was in jail awaiting trial for murder.”
“What the fuck?”
“My thoughts exactly, but get this.The man he’s accused of killing was actually B&A’s client, a doctor for a crime boss in Geneva.About a month ago, the doc supposedly jumped off a boat in the Med, and his body hasn’t been found.”
“You think Beaumont helped this man fake his death too?”
“It seems very likely,” Hatch said.“If you want me to continue, I’ll head to Geneva next.”
Finally, some actionable intel.“Do it.But from now on you report to Mace.”
