“That’s the real David Finemore.” He turned the laptop around so Jackson could see. Two pictures were displayed. They both looked like driver’s license photos.
“The one on the left is from two license renewals ago. We usually only pull what the Division of Motor Vehicles keeps on file. But my guy went further back and pulled some of the old pictures.”
“Son of a bitch,” Nick whispered.
“He was using an assumed identity. He probably got away with it because the original David Finemore was a lot heavier than he was. The clerk at the DMV probably just thought he looked slightly different in the face due to weight loss.”
“How is it possible that the FBI didn’t know who he was?” Nick asked. “With all the technology they have access to, between their databases and their facial recognition software, they have to know his real identity.”
“It’s possible he had surgery to alter his face but I’m inclined to agree with you. I think they know his real identity they just don’t want to tip off his accomplices. I think they’re trying to build their case against all the people who helped him.”
Elliott looked over at Jackson. "Including Ridley.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
“YOU WEREN’T HAPPY with destroying just one Alexander, huh?"
Raina threw her purse down on the sofa in her hotel suite. Nick seemed to have an internal radar for when she was feeling her weakest. He always seemed to call when she was least equipped to deal with hearing his voice.
“Hello, Nick. Lovely of you to call. Who have I supposedly destroyed now?”
Sam hovered just behind her. He nodded at the phone and she shrugged.
“You’re really going to pretend you had no idea your sister was fleecing my brother?”
“What?”
“Ridley stole fifty thousand dollars from Jackson. Wired it right out of his account and into hers.”
Raina stilled. Sam must have sensed it because he moved closer.
“I don’t believe you. Ridley would never steal from anyone.”
“Really? Well tell that to my brother’s bank account. I should have known not to believe her woe-is-me story but she had us all fooled. She’s even better at playing men than you are. Something I thought I’d never see.”
Anger rose in Raina’s chest at the insult. Not on her own behalf. She didn’t care what Nick thought of her. He had good reason to hate her and she wouldn’t have expected anything less. But her sister had nothing to do with their feud.
“Insult me all you want but leave my sister out of it. I don’t believe she stole anything. I think you just hate me so much that you want to hate her, too.”
“Ask for proof,” Sam whispered. He hovered at her shoulder so close he could no doubt hear the entire conversation.
“Send me some proof,” Raina demanded.
“Proof? Like a bank statement? Why, so you can get his account number and steal from him, too?”
“Damn it, Nick. Do you want your brother’s money back or not? I know Ridley didn’t steal from him but someone did. If I can figure out who it was, maybe we can reverse it somehow.”
“It’s not about the money. He loved her, Raina. But you all don't care about that, do you? That’s how you girls do it. Make a man fall for you and then rip his heart out.” He paused, his angry breaths coming over the line like static.
Sam raised his eyebrows at her. He’d been with her long enough that he’d pretty much seen and heard it all. He’d handled stalkers, obsessive fans and jealous boyfriends and she never kept secrets from him. In order to keep her safe, there couldn’t be secrets.
But this thing with Nick— he didn’t even know what had happened the night they were together. She turned her back to Sam and fought to bring her emotions under control. Some things were too personal to share, even with him.
“Are we still talking about Jackson and Ridley?”
The only response was the soft click as he hung up.
Raina squeezed the phone as tightly as she could bear. It was better than giving in to the overwhelming urge to throw it across the room.
“Do you think she did it?”
Raina turned at the question. Sam was at the minibar which was cleverly hidden in an alcove in the living room of the suite. He held up one of the bottles and she nodded. She could definitely use a drink.
“No.”
“Honestly?” Sam stared at her for a moment before turning back to the drinks. The next thing she heard was the tinkle of ice hitting glass.
Raina heaved a sigh and sank down on the couch. “When we were teenagers, we used to help our mom at the diner where she worked sometimes to earn spending money. One day, Ridley had a customer who was particularly flirty. Older guy, nice suit, going bald but still in the comb-over phase of denial. You know the type.”
Sam nodded his agreement and turned back to pour a generous amount in each glass.
“Anyway, after an hour or so, he finally left, leaving the money to cover his food on the table. When Ridley went to pick it up, she saw he’d left behind a twenty dollar bill when he’d only had a cup of coffee and a muffin.”
Sam handed her a glass and sat down on the other end of the couch. He didn’t interrupt although she could see his confusion.
“Do you know what I would have done in her position?”
Sam shrugged and took a healthy swallow of his drink.
“I would have pocketed it without a second thought. Do you know what Ridley did?”