Dad wouldn’t want this. He’d rather lose the company than sign me up for a lifetime of misery.

“The answer is no.” I sounded much colder than I felt. “I’ve been used as a pawn for long enough. I’m not marrying that pervert just because you got yourself into trouble. I’m done trying to fix your problems.”

I jabbed the End button and flung the phone across the room. It hit the wall with a crash and dropped to the floor. It rang again, but neither Kade nor I moved. I couldn’t bring myself to look at him.

“I’ll be in my room,” I said bitterly. “Waiting until someone deigns to tell me what’s going on.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Ronan

“So you chased him into the alley, and then someone else shot him?” Joanna clarified.

“Yes.” It was the third time I’d answered some variation on the same question.

“But you didn’t see the shooter?”

“No. If you think I’m lying, you’re welcome to test my hands for gunpowder residue. I didn’t shoot Orlov.”

She nodded. “We will. It’s standard procedure; you know that.” She glanced at the voice recorder, silently reminding me that she couldn’t give the appearance of favoritism.

I sighed, frustrated that she was in here with me rather than trying to hunt down whomever had shot our only lead. I understood the necessity though. It was the same reason she’d had to collect my blood-stained outfit—to make sure my story aligned with the evidence.

“Do you have any idea where the shooter was hiding?” she asked.

I shrugged. “My best bet is that they were on a roof, or in one of the surrounding buildings, but I couldn’t say for sure.” I hesitated, then added, “It’s possible his boss heard he was wanted for questioning and decided to take him out before he could talk.”

She nodded. “That’s certainly an option.” But she wouldn’t say more. Not to me. Or at least, not yet. “How did you know where to find him?”

“Zeke tracked him down yesterday, and Kade had a man keeping an eye on him.”

She wisely didn’t ask how Zeke had tracked him down. “Did he say anything to you before he died?”

“Nothing helpful. All he said was ‘not about the m—’ but he didn’t finish the sentence.”

“Hmm.” She looked thoughtful, and I wondered if her mind was traveling down the same track as mine. If there was a hidden motivation behind the attacks on Willow—assuming that’s what the guy had been talking about—then what was it? Did Orlov’s employer want Tom’s company? Or perhaps they wanted access to Tom himself to make a statement. Whatever the case, if it was worth killing someone over, then Willow was in more danger than we’d imagined.

My phone rang. I glanced at the screen and saw Kade’s name. “Do you mind if I take this?”

She shook her head. “Interview ended at 3:38 p.m.” She switched off the recorder and gestured for me to accept the call.