What Are You Afraid Of? (The Agency #2)(55)

Carmen stepped closer to Griff, as if unconsciously seeking his support. He wrapped his arm around her waist and tucked her tight against his side.

“Why?” she asked. “So he could inherit the company? It was already bankrupt.”

Ronnie stepped closer and lowered his voice. As if one of the ducks who were floating on the nearby lake might be eavesdropping.

“At first my mother wasn’t sure, but she’d suspected that the new Jacobses didn’t have the same morals as your parents,” Ronnie confessed. “Which was why she sent me away in the first place.”

Griff’s opinion of Ronnie’s mother went up several notches. Obviously, she was determined to protect her son from the influences of Lawrence, as well as the Jacobs brothers, Matthew and Baylor.

Smart woman.

“And later?” Carmen asked.

“Later she was cleaning your uncle’s private study and she knocked off a stack of papers,” Ronnie told them, a tight smile curving his lips. “When she placed them on the desk she realized that they were from a life insurance policy.”

Carmen frowned. “Most people have life insurance.”

Ronnie leaned forward, anticipation shimmering in his cold, blue eyes.

“This was in your father’s name,” he said, his voice a mere whisper. “And had you listed as the beneficiary.”

Griff sucked in a sharp breath. Not at the man’s theatrical style. Ronnie Hyde was clearly a drama queen.

Nope, it was his own stupidity that took his breath away.

Why the hell hadn’t he considered a life insurance policy when he’d discovered the influx of cash into Lawrence’s bank account?

It was the most obvious explanation.

Beside him, Carmen gave a bewildered shake of her head. “I don’t remember my grandparents mentioning anything about a life insurance policy.”

“I doubt they were ever contacted,” Griff said, glancing toward Ronnie. “Do you know the amount?”

Ronnie’s smile widened. “My mother said it was three million dollars.”

“Shit.”

At Griff ’s low curse, Carmen turned to look at him with a puzzled frown. “What is it?”

“We need to go back to the hotel,” he said.

She blinked. “Now?”

“Yes.”

“What about Christmas lunch?”

He grabbed her hand, hurrying back toward the truck. “It was just canceled.”

“Thank you, Ronnie,” she called over her shoulder.

“I’m sorry if I ruined your family reunion,” he called back.

“I’m not,” she muttered. “Families suck.”

Griff didn’t argue.





Chapter Fifteen


Carmen paced the floor of the hotel, the soft jingle of her bracelet the only noise to stir the silence.

They’d been back in their private room for almost two hours. Since then Carmen had called her aunt to make their excuses for Christmas lunch, and changed her skirt for a comfortable pair of jeans.

Now she had nothing to do but watch Griff work on the computer and consider the accusations that Ronnie had delivered in a soft whisper.

A three-million-dollar life insurance policy.

It sounded like an outrageous sum for most people, but not for someone in her father’s position. He would have wanted to ensure his wife and daughter could continue to live in the lifestyle they were accustomed to if something happened to him.

And she wasn’t particularly shocked by the thought that her uncle might have found a way to steal the money that should have been hers.

But would he actually go the extreme measure of sending her the photos? Or following her to Kansas City?

That seemed less convincing.

Still, if they could find proof that he’d taken the life insurance policy and confront him with the evidence, then he wouldn’t have any reason to continue to harass her.

His sins would be exposed.

Time passed and she called down for room service when her stomach began to rumble in protest. Within half an hour, a waiter was wheeling in a tray loaded with hot turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, and two pieces of pecan pie.

Griff offered a smile as she placed a plate next to the computer, grabbing it to eat with a distracted expression. She took her own food to the chair that she pulled in front of the window.

A rueful smile touched her lips. This wasn’t the best Christmas she’d ever had. On the other hand, it wasn’t the worst.

She at least had pie.

Finished with her meal, she returned the plate to the tray. She was just considering a nap when Griff abruptly rose to his feet and stabbed his fingers through his hair.

“Damn.”

“What’s wrong?” she demanded, even as she knew exactly what was bothering him.

“I can see the cash, but he’s run it through a dozen different accounts over the years,” he growled. “It makes it almost impossible to pinpoint the exact source of the income.”

She bit her lower lip. “So we don’t have any proof?”

He shook his head, his expression hard with frustration. “What we need is a copy of the policy.” His brows snapped together, as if he was struck by a sudden thought. “Did your father have a safety-deposit box?”