CHAPTER SEVEN
SIMONHADSEENthis question coming from a mile away, but that didn’t make it any easier to hear it out of Derek’s mouth. It was the same question he had gone over on his plane ride home from Miami a week ago. Had William been abusive? Had he hit her? The way that asshole stormed up to her, yelling in her face, refusing to leave her alone, was all the evidence he needed.
Block it out. Not his business.
Except now she had made it his business. Though from the look on her face right now, she hadn’t understood this kind of question was part of the deal.
“We don’t need the details,” said Derek gently. “We just want an idea of who we’re dealing with.”
Marianna’s breath came out shaky. “He didn’t hit me, but there were times when...well, he tried to intimidate me. Physically.”
She looked at Simon, as if she were waiting for his reaction. What was she expecting? Simon looked down at his hands, balled into fists. He shoved them under the table. Maybe Derek didn’t need the details, but he did. Luckily he didn’t know this piece of information back in Miami or things would have gotten unprofessional.
For the first time since they entered the conference room, Max looked serious. “Remind me why we’re not just tipping off the Australian authorities about the shipment.”
“I want to talk to Goodwin first. I need to know if my father was involved, if Ruiz Imports is worth fighting for,” Marianna said, shaking her head. “Right now this is just a hunch,” Marianna continued. “Besides, the authorities probably won’t take me seriously without something a little more concrete.”
Simon frowned. She might be right about that. Still, he was ready to go with any option other than using Marianna as bait.
Derek looked through the papers in front of him. “But you have an ex-husband who could be dangerous. And Simon suspects a guy is already tailing you. Your ex is likely close behind. Whether or not you tip off the authorities, we need to think about your safety in the short term.”
“I know,” said Marianna, glancing at Simon. His arms were crossed, and his forehead was marked with deep creases. “That’s the other reason why I came. Last week, Simon...” She swallowed. “Simon knew what to do.” Heat traveled up the back of her neck and spread to her cheeks. Yep, he’d known exactly what to do, both outside her house and inside.
Slowly, Simon lifted his gaze and looked at her. Her heart thumped hard in her chest. His bright green eyes blazed at her, making promises she wanted desperately to believe.You can trust me.
The knot in her stomach came back. She could take care of herself. She had been doing that for years. But having someone who made her feel a little less on her own?
Max looked up from the notepad he was scribbling on. “What do you think are the chances that William will come?”
She shrugged “He finds ways to read my emails, invades my privacy in a dozen different ways. He’ll know about this meeting, and if it’s a threat to him, he’ll be there.”
“And what are the chances he’s tipped Goodwin off to your suspicions?”
Marianna shook her head. “William will want to keep up appearances. He wouldn’t mention any trouble on the US end unless he absolutely had to.”
No one spoke. She looked around the table. All three men were watching her with unreadable looks.
“If Ruiz Imports goes down, it’ll affect a lot of people—especially those who benefit from the charities we support,” she said quietly. “William doesn’t think I’d do something that would destroy all the work my father and I have done.”
“Is he right?” asked Simon.
She had already answered this in his office, and now he wanted her to say it for everyone.
“I don’t think so.” She drew in a shaky breath. “But I’m still hoping there’s a chance this won’t take my entire life down with it.”
Marianna frowned. Why the hell did it have to be so hard just to figure out what was going on in her own damn company?
Simon’s gaze on her was steady. “I get that this is your business. But we’re not conducting an investigation.”
She smiled a little. “I think I already am.”
Max leaned back in his chair, lacing his fingers behind his head. “We already sent a team to scout the location. Simon has all the details.”
Derek passed photos of a large windowless warehouse across the table. From the road, the place looked deserted, but the photo of the cars in back told another story.
“When do we leave?” she asked.
Derek crossed his arms. “Today. I don’t want you on the road when the shipments come in, not after what happened in Miami.”
