She dried off and dressed, her thoughts racing as she dried her hair and put on her makeup.

For the Escobar family to take control of Sereno, an impartial investigation had to prove that the last living heir had died of natural causes. Her father was only fifty-six. Even if she had been killed and the assassins somehow found her sisters, her father could potentially live for another thirty or forty years.

Why now?

A memory of her father’s personal physician leaving her father’s suite a few days before the shooting pressed to the front of her mind. If her father was sick . . .

A rap against her door sounded four times in rapid succession. She recognized the sound now as being Levi’s knock.

She pulled the door open to find him standing in the hall. “I thought you had to work this morning.”

“I do, but I needed a break and thought you might be ready for some breakfast,” Levi said. “Patrice is sending up a tray.”

“Thank you.” Cassie stepped aside. Her concerns about her father remained in the forefront of her thoughts. “I need a favor from you. I have to speak to my father again. Privately.”

“I’m sorry, but that’s too risky, especially after making two calls to him last night.”

“I thought you masked the signal so it couldn’t be traced.”

“I did, but if anyone is monitoring his calls or electronic communications, they’ll be waiting for us to contact him again,” Levi explained. “My orders were very explicit that your safety is to remain my highest priority.” Levi took her arm and guided her to the table.

She remained standing. “Levi, I need to talk to him.”

“I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but every time you talk to him, everything the two of you say increases the risk to both of you.”

Her fears merged with her overwhelming feeling of helplessness. “You don’t understand.”

Levi took both of her arms now, holding her in place so they were facing each other. Compassion shone in his eyes. “Talk to me. Tell me what I don’t understand.”

Cassie pulled away and paced across the room to the balcony doors. She folded her arms across her chest and fought the tears trying to form. She knew better than to lose control of her emotions.

Levi’s hand came down on her shoulder, and he turned her to face him. Without a word, he drew her into his embrace.

The gesture of comfort was so unexpected and so very much what she needed that her hands came up to his waist and she held on. An errant tear escaped, but she managed to blink the rest into submission.

“Shhh.” Levi’s hand caressed her hair before trailing down to rub her arm gently. For a minute, neither of them spoke. Finally, Levi pulled back enough to see her face. He lifted one hand and brushed away the single tear with the pad of his thumb. “It might help to tell me what has you so worried.”