Looking up at me, he held the notebook up in front of him. “There’s a page missing here. Did you tear any out?”
“No. That’s how I found it in Edwards’ safe deposit box.”
“What about Nina’s sister? Any chance she took out a page?”
I shook my head. “No. I saw the copies she had and none were about anything but Taylor and my father.”
“Damnit! Why did she give those goddamn copies to Karl in the first place?”
“Because I told her to.”
“Why?”
“I didn’t want her or her family to get hurt. I knew if Karl found out Joseph Edwards had kept any notes from his investigation of Stone Worldwide, he’d go after her and Nina. I could protect Nina, but not Kim. So I told her to give him everything he asked for. Then I got her and her family to safety as soon as Karl left. If I didn’t, they’d probably be dead right now.”
Daryl looked unimpressed. “I guess, but she’s made this much easier for Karl.”
“She did what I told her to do. Not that she didn’t fight me tooth and nail. I could barely get her to speak to me at first. It was only when I told her what I’d found out about what Taylor and my father had done that she agreed to even talk to me about all of this. I guess I don’t blame her. She probably thought if two Stone men were heartless fucks, why wouldn’t the third be?”
I sat back on the couch, tired from trying to convince myself that I wasn’t just like them. Kim hadn’t made it easy, and by the time I explained everything to her, I still didn’t think she believed I wasn’t just what she’d always thought I was.
A bad man who shouldn’t be anywhere near her sister.
Even when I promised to keep her and her family safe on the island where Nina and I were to be married, protected by guards and catered to twenty-four hours a day, she still looked at me like I was some criminal.
“Well, speaking of that, the last time I checked, they were fine. The guards tell me that they’re enjoying a wonderful vacation on St. Vince and the girls love it.”
“Good. Speaking of being happy, I’m to understand Nina isn’t, if her text is any clue to how she’s feeling,” I said, leveling my gaze on the one who’d convinced me the whole Nina and Varo plan was a good idea.
“Nah, she seemed fine the last time I saw her. She didn’t take to the Varo idea easily, but she seemed okay with it by the time I left. Not that I gave her much of a choice.”
“Well, between the time you left and the time I received her last text, things obviously changed. She’s anything but okay now.”
“Why? What’s up? She can’t pretend to like Varo? I guess we could have chosen West, but he’s got a weird vibe to him.”
“It’s not the Varo part so much as the problem between her and Jordan. I guess Jordan liked Varo and Nina’s charade may have been a little too convincing. She moved out.”
Daryl rolled his eyes and sighed. “So? I wasn’t feeling great about her friend there anyway. Too many players in the game makes this whole thing more difficult to manage.”
I thought about how angry Nina’s text sounded. I’d asked a lot of her, but losing her friend was too much to expect. “Jordan’s like a sister to Nina. She’s upset about her leaving the house. I didn’t want that to happen. Maybe you could remember how hard this is on her.”
“Tristan, I do understand the hardship of losing her friend, but losing her life or you would be infinitely worse, don’t you think? She and her friend can make up when all this is over. They can go shopping or do whatever women do when they make nice.”
It wasn’t up to Daryl or anyone else to make up for all this. I knew that. I was the one who’d have to make amends for the mess of all this.
“How did Varo take his new assignment?” I asked, trying to mask the jealousy that lingered inside me.
Chuckling, Daryl stroked his beard. “Considering how it’s a step up from his regular job, he wisely smiled and happily moved his things into the house. It’s not like it’s a chore, really. He’s just adding devoted suitor to protector. He’ll be fine.”
Devoted suitor and protector. I hated the way Daryl described Varo with those words. I was supposed to be that for Nina, not some bodyguard I’d only hired because of his size.
“He shouldn’t get too comfortable in his new surroundings. I intend on being back in my own house as soon as possible.”
My jealousy came through loud and clear, and Daryl knew it. He looked at me as if I were some lovesick puppy to be pitied. I didn’t care. He was just some cynical curmudgeon who thought little of love. So be it. I didn’t need his approval anyway. All I needed was his help to get back to the woman I loved and the life I’d left behind.