“No, she’ll get punished for whatever she did. I’m just saying it’s not our job to punish her.”

“I want that name, Emerald.” The muscle of his jaw ticked.

“We both know who it is. Directly or indirectly, Antonio is behind it. So, let’s just drop it.”

“But—”

“Ace, please,” I whispered. Taking his hand in mine, I squeezed it, trying to give him my message.

Staring at our joined hands, with clenched jaw, he gave a curt nod.

“Arthur, you know what to do.”

Nodding, Arthur replied, “I already called the cops. They’ll be here soon.”

A whimper left Liza’s lips at the mention of the cops. I didn’t want to feel bad, but I did. Though she was wrong, she did it for her family.

Why didn’t she just inform Caleb or Ace about it? They could’ve helped her.

Arthur grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the office. But before walking out of the door, she glanced at me over her shoulder and threw me a look of gratitude.

“Why did you stop me?”

“Because if we force the name out of her, there is a risk the blackmailer will harm her family.” I turned to him. “If they could plan something that big, think about what they would do for revenge.”

He pondered for a moment. “But I would’ve protected her family if she gave us the name. If she gave the statement, we could get proof against him.”

“But what if it’s not Antonio himself? What if it’s someone else he’s using?”

“That’s what I’m talking about.” He looked into my eyes. “There’s a middleman working for him who knows everything about us, and the people related to us. If we got a hold on him, we could use him against Antonio.”

Oh, I didn’t think like that. All I thought at that moment was Liza’s fear for her family.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think of that.” I bit my lip.

He shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. “It’s not your fault. You were just thinking of her family’s safety. Don’t worry, I will find out about the man myself.”

I nodded.

Running his hand through his hair, his gaze went to the distance. His shoulders were still tense, eyes disturbed. The five o’clock shadow on his face gave him an edge.

He needed rest. I don’t think after arriving in LA, he’d even a pinch of sleep. Because he was too busy being furious about my recklessness.

I sighed.

“Let me get you some coffee.” I turned around and walked towards the door.

A hand grabbed my arm and pulled me back. The next thing I knew, I was wrapped up in his arms with his face in the crook of my neck.

“What’re you doing?” I gasped.