Chapter 3 - SOMEONE WANTED HER AFRAID
Sebastian arrived at Valerie’s apartment nine minutes after Jonah called him.
The police were already there.
Valerie stood beside the window with her arms folded tightly across her chest.
She looked angry.
Not frightened.
Sebastian knew her well enough to understand the difference.
Fear made Valerie quiet.
Anger made her still.
He entered.
Her eyes immediately found him.
“You brought security.”
“I brought Jonah.”
“And two SUVs.”
“Those came with Jonah.”
Jonah gave Sebastian a look.
Valerie ignored both of them.
A detective approached.
“Mr. Ward?”
“Yes.”
“Detective Helen Price.”
She held out the note inside a plastic evidence sleeve.
“Ms. Bell says she received a financial offer from your company this afternoon.”
Sebastian read the message.
TAKE THE MONEY NEXT TIME.
“I didn’t send the offer.”
Valerie spoke without looking at him.
“His mother did.”
Detective Price raised an eyebrow.
Sebastian exhaled.
“That part is true.”
“Do you believe Mrs. Ward broke into this apartment?”
“No.”
Valerie looked at him.
“You sound certain.”
“My mother would threaten you to your face.”
Detective Price stared at him.
Sebastian realized how that sounded.
“That wasn’t a joke.”
“No.”
The detective’s expression remained flat.
“I didn’t think it was.”
She turned toward Valerie.
“What exactly was taken?”
“A file.”
“What was in it?”
Valerie hesitated.
Sebastian noticed.
Detective Price noticed too.
“Ms. Bell?”
“Documents belonging to my father.”
“What kind?”
Valerie looked at Sebastian.
This time, guilt appeared in her eyes.
That immediately put him on alert.
“Valerie.”
She swallowed.
“My father owned Bell Urban Development.”
Sebastian frowned.
“I know.”
“It collapsed seventeen years ago.”
“I know that too.”
“After Ward Holdings accused him of falsifying acquisition documents.”
Sebastian’s expression changed.
“My father told me Thomas Bell attempted to inflate the company’s valuation.”
“My father told me Charles Ward stole his company.”
Silence filled the apartment.
Detective Price glanced between them.
Valerie continued.
“Before my father died, he spent years collecting documents.”
“What documents?”
“Board minutes.”
“Property records.”
“Copies of contracts.”
“Anything he believed could prove that Ward Holdings manipulated the acquisition.”
Sebastian stared at her.
“You had those while working for me?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Valerie flinched.
“Because you would have thought exactly what you’re thinking right now.”
“What am I thinking?”
“That I got close to you because of my father.”
“Did you?”
“No.”
He said nothing.
That hurt her.
Sebastian saw it.
Valerie’s voice dropped.
“I took the Mercer restoration contract because your archives contain historical property documents.”
“So you did come into Ward Holdings looking for information.”
“I came into Ward Holdings to do my job.”
“And the archives?”
“I hoped I might find something.”
Sebastian laughed once.
It sounded bitter.
“You spent eleven months beside me.”
“I know.”
“You came to my apartment last night.”
“I know.”
“And not once did you think this mattered?”
“It mattered too much.”
Sebastian turned away.
Valerie’s face tightened.
“This is why I didn’t tell you.”
“You keep saying that.”
“Because you keep proving me right.”
He turned back.
“I told you things no one knows.”
“I know.”
“You asked me about my father.”
“I know.”
“You listened while I told you how much I hated living in his shadow.”
“I know.”
“And the entire time, your father’s name was tied to mine.”
Tears appeared in Valerie’s eyes.
She looked furious with herself for allowing them.
“I didn’t lie about how I felt about you.”
Sebastian did not answer immediately.
That was the wrong response.
Valerie nodded.
“Right.”
She walked away.
Sebastian caught himself before reaching for her.
He remembered the morning.
He stopped.
Detective Price cleared her throat.
“I hate to interrupt whatever this is.”
Valerie wiped her eyes.
“It’s nothing.”
Sebastian looked at her.
She ignored him.
The detective continued.
“But whoever entered this apartment knew which file to take.”
Jonah crouched beside the damaged lock.
“And they bypassed the hallway camera.”
Price looked at him.
“How?”
“Feed loop.”
“You can tell that already?”
“I can tell because the timestamp on the hallway system repeats the same thirteen seconds.”
Detective Price frowned.
“Professional?”
Jonah stood.
“Very.”
Sebastian looked at Valerie.
“Pack a bag.”
“No.”
“Valerie.”
“No.”
“Somebody broke into your home.”
“And somehow that means I have to go wherever you tell me?”
“It means this location is compromised.”
“It’s my apartment.”
“And it isn’t safe.”
“Stop.”
Sebastian went silent.
Valerie looked at him.
“This is what I meant this morning.”
“You decide.”
“You arrange.”
“You move people.”
“You remove problems.”
“And somehow you still think that’s the same thing as caring about them.”
Sebastian’s jaw tightened.
“I’m trying to keep you alive.”
Detective Price looked up sharply.
Valerie stared at him.
“Alive?”
Sebastian realized he had gone too far.
“I’m not saying someone wants to kill you.”
“You literally just said alive.”
“I’m saying we don’t know what they want.”
“That’s better.”
“It’s true.”
Valerie grabbed her phone.
“I’ll stay with a friend.”
“No.”
She laughed.
“There it is again.”
Sebastian forced himself to stop.
He looked at Jonah.
“Find her a hotel under another name.”
Valerie stared at him.
“I didn’t ask—”
Sebastian raised both hands.
“You choose the hotel.”
“You choose who comes with you.”
“Or no one.”
“I will not know the address unless you decide to tell me.”
Valerie’s anger softened by one degree.
Sebastian continued.
“But please don’t stay here tonight.”
She studied him.
“Please?”
“Yes.”
“That word almost killed you, didn’t it?”
“Nearly.”
Detective Price hid a smile.
Valerie looked toward the note.
Then the damaged lock.
Finally, she nodded.
“One night.”
Sebastian exhaled.
“Thank you.”
“I’m not going with you.”
“I understand.”
“And I’m not staying in one of your hotels.”
“Fine.”
“I pick it.”
“Fine.”
“I pay.”
Sebastian opened his mouth.
Valerie raised an eyebrow.
He closed it.
“Fine.”
For the first time all day, her mouth almost curved.
Then the detective approached Sebastian.
“I need a word.”
They stepped toward the hallway.
Price lowered her voice.
“Does your company own this building?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Jonah looked up from his tablet.
“Actually.”
Sebastian turned.
Jonah’s face had gone blank.
“What?”
“This property changed ownership forty-eight minutes ago.”
Valerie heard them.
She walked closer.
“What are you talking about?”
Jonah rotated the tablet.
“Bellview Residential LLC sold the building to Halcyon Urban Partners.”
Sebastian frowned.
“I’ve never heard of them.”
Jonah tapped the screen.
“Halcyon is owned by Mercer Capital.”
“That’s one of our subsidiaries.”
Valerie stared at Sebastian.
“You bought my building?”
“No.”
“It literally says your company owns it.”
“I didn’t authorize this.”
She laughed in disbelief.
“How many things happen in your name that you don’t know about?”
Sebastian had no answer.
Jonah began typing.
“Purchase authorization came from corporate development.”
“Who signed it?”
Jonah stopped.
Sebastian knew before he answered.
“Who?”
“Adrian.”
Sebastian stared at the screen.
Valerie’s expression changed.
“Your brother?”
“Yes.”
“Why would Adrian buy my building?”
Sebastian looked toward the empty space where her father’s file had been.
“I don’t know.”
His phone rang.
ADRIAN WARD.
Sebastian answered.
“Where are you?”
His brother sounded relaxed.
“Having dinner.”
“Cancel it.”
“What happened?”
“You bought Valerie’s building.”
A pause.
“Oh.”
Sebastian’s eyes narrowed.
“Oh?”
“I approved thirty-seven acquisitions this week.”
“That one closed less than an hour ago.”
“Then congratulations to the property team.”
“Why this building?”
Adrian sighed.
“Sebastian, I’m not sitting in front of the file.”
“Find it.”
“Is Valerie there?”
Sebastian looked at her.
“Why?”
“Because Mother called me.”
“She’s worried.”
“She should be.”
Another pause.
“Sebastian.”
Adrian’s voice softened.
“You barely know this woman.”
Valerie heard.
Her eyes dropped.
Sebastian’s face went cold.
“I know her well enough.”
“To risk the company?”
“This has nothing to do with the company.”
“Everything you do has something to do with the company.”
Adrian paused.
Then he added quietly.
“Especially when her name is Bell.”
Sebastian froze.
“What did you say?”
But Adrian had already ended the call.
Sebastian stared at the phone.
Valerie spoke.
“He knows.”
“Yes.”
“About my father.”
“Yes.”
“Does everyone in your family know except you?”
Sebastian looked at her.
The answer was becoming painfully obvious.
His phone buzzed with a text from Adrian.
DON’T DIG INTO OLD GRAVES.
SOME THINGS WERE BURIED FOR A REASON.
Sebastian showed it to Jonah.
Jonah’s expression hardened.
Then Valerie’s kitchen window exploded.
Glass blasted across the room.
Sebastian reacted before anyone else.
He grabbed Valerie and pulled her to the floor.
Jonah drew his weapon.
Detective Price shouted for everyone to stay down.
For several seconds, no one moved.
Then Jonah crawled toward the broken window.
He examined the floor.
“No shot.”
Sebastian looked up.
A small metal object had landed near the wall.
A bolt.
Wrapped around it was a strip of paper.
Detective Price picked it up with gloved fingers.
She unfolded the message.
Her face changed.
“What?”
Valerie whispered.
Price looked at Sebastian.
Then at Valerie.
May you like
The note contained six words.
YOUR FATHER SHOULD HAVE STOPPED TOO.
