Her hand tightened around the large envelope. It wasn’t thick, just a few scrawled notes she had found buried in the bottom drawer of her father’s desk. The most revealing one was what looked like a handwritten contract Goodwin and her father must have composed and signed together, back before Goodwin left for Australia. It was a summary of money exchanges, frequency of delivery, contingency plans should the venture run into trouble, that kind of thing, but there were no hints of what the actual goods were. No traces of the deal in their computer system. The document wasn’t incriminating per se, but it tied the two men together. Maybe it was done as a kind of insurance against the possibility that one man could turn the other in, claiming innocence.
Marianna would bet her plane ticket home that Goodwin had a similar stack of papers somewhere in his files. He’d know exactly what she was holding, and finally, she might get the answer to the question that had haunted her since Simon had asked it:How do you know whatever suspicious dealings you’re hiding from me didn’t start with your father?Just how far in over her head was she?
“One of the shipments was loaded from the shipping yard onto trucks this morning, and it’s getting close. We need to be far away from Goodwin Enterprises when today’s shipment arrives at the warehouse,” said Simon. “If anything feels off, we leave.”
Marianna nodded.
“Are you sure you want to go through with this, Mari?” he asked, glancing over at her. “We can still turn back.”
“I can’t,” she said. “I can trust Goodwin not to put me in danger.”
“Maybe,” he said, his voice gentler. “But what if he’s involved? Can you turn him in?”
Back in the Blackmore Inc. office, the answer was yes. Everyone involved in using her company—her name—to smuggle needed to be taken down. Now the idea of seeing this man from her childhood and then ruining his life gave her pause. But if he was smuggling drugs, he had made the choices that ruined his life, not her, right? Marianna bit her lip.
“Maybe we can find out in another way,” said Simon, “a way that doesn’t put you at risk.”
She shook her head. “I can’t just go back to Miami.”
He was silent for a while. “So stay here.”
Marianna closed her eyes. “In Sydney?”
“I’ll make sure you’re safe.”
Safety. In another gilded cage? For God’s sake, why wasn’t anyone concerned with anything beyond that? Simon seemed to think that safety should be her ultimate goal, like some museum artifact. What about happiness?
She shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Not for either of us.”
Simon blew out a breath, but he said nothing.
The road wound through the vineyards. They were getting closer, and she clenched her fist around the envelope again. In an hour, this would all be over. Deep breaths.
Simon’s phone dinged, and he pulled off the road to check it. His face was blank as he stared at the device. Then he turned to her.
“Derek’s team counted nine guys entering the warehouse and two standing at the back door. Usual shift is five total. Meaning the likelihood of smuggling is high. And these assholes will be armed.” He listed the details without emotion. As if he did this kind of thing every day. He probably did. The idea sent a chill through her. “If we’re stopped at the door, we turn around. Got it?”
She nodded. If she was looking for comfort, she was in the wrong place.
“One more thing,” he added. “William was on a flight manifest headed to Sydney. He got in this morning.”
Marianna’s stomach turned. She thought dropping in on Goodwin hours before the meeting was scheduled would keep her a step ahead of William, give her a chance to plan her next move. But what if he had the same idea in mind? Her plan was looking more naive and dangerous by the minute.
“You don’t think William will show up while we’re there, do you?” The envelope was crumpled under Marianna’s fists. She forced herself to let go. “Is this something you planned for?”
He nodded his head. “We’ll have you covered. And we don’t even know if Goodwin will let you in.”
“He will.” For better or for worse.
“Okay,” he said, pulling back onto the road. “But we might need to leave before you have your answers. You’ll have to trust me to decide.”
Marianna frowned. Was this the end of her father’s legacy? Was life as she knew it coming to an explosive end? The possibility that this was all a big misunderstanding was getting dimmer and dimmer.
“Remember, if I think there’s a problem, I’ll call your phone, and the number will come up as unknown,” he said.
“And I’ll say, ‘I’m sorry. I have to take this call.’”
“Good. Then you head straight out to the car. I’ll be right behind you.” Simon rubbed his jaw. “Mari, I have a feeling everyone here plays dirty. Even if you trust Goodwin, things might change if he understands you’re a threat. No matter how this plays out, don’t forget that for a minute. And don’t forget I’m ready for it, too.”
