Disillusioned (Swept Away, #2)(16)

“Get it together, Bianca.” I shook my head and tried to gather my thoughts. I wasn’t sure if I was imagining things now. Maybe I was just feeling discombobulated due to everything that had gone on. My head was throbbing and my whole body was on edge as I sat there. It was as if I were still waiting for something to happen. I couldn’t relax and I had no idea what I was going to do next.



“The answers are in the papers, but not the truth,” I mumbled as I stared at the patent and corporation forms in my hands. “What answers?” I frowned as I stared at the words. Everything had seemed so clear when I’d first gotten the papers. My dad had been a partner. He’d been the inventor. He thought my mom had been murdered and the Bradleys had something to do with it. What, then, was wrong with this picture? What was I missing—and where had Larry gone?

The loud beeping of cars outside reminded me that I’d been tied up in the back of a car not long ago. And I still didn’t know why. I wanted to talk to Jakob. I wanted to—I stopped in midthought as I stared at the corporation papers one more time. The law firm that had drawn up the contract was Larry’s. Larry, my father’s attorney, had been involved with Bradley, London, and Maxwell. He’d had access to all the legal information. It struck me that he had to know a lot more than he’d let on. My heart racing, I reread the incorporation papers once again, and realized that the next best person I could talk to would be Maxwell, or someone related to Maxwell. I hadn’t had any luck finding any information on Maxwell, but I hadn’t spent much time trying to find him. I’d put all my energy into the Bradleys, and now it was time for me to expand my search.

I grabbed my phone before I could change my mind and called David.

“Bianca?” he asked, sounding surprised. “How are you?”

“I need to see you.” I didn’t hesitate. I couldn’t afford to be unsure or to hesitate. I needed to forge ahead with my investigation and ignore the fleeting panic that had settled in my stomach.

“When?”

“Are you free for dinner tonight?” I held my breath as I waited for his answer.

“You want to go to dinner?” His tone changed to one of expectation. A small smile broke out on my face. David was still interested in me. I could use that to my advantage. I wasn’t stupid enough to think that he liked me more than anything except as a potential conquest. I knew enough about men to know that they liked a challenge.

I softened my voice. “If you’re free, I’d like to chat.” I couldn’t afford to be too obvious.

“I don’t know.” He sounded unsure.

“You owe me, David. I trusted you. I want some answers.”

“I swear I didn’t know what Mattias had planned,” he said quickly, and I tried not to roll my eyes. Sure, you didn’t. I gripped the phone tightly. As long as he thought I wanted to know about Mattias, he might have his guard down about other subjects; especially if I brought them up casually.

“I’ve missed you. I was thinking about you on the island,” I lied. “I was wishing things could have been different between us.”

“Yeah. You never got to experience a night with me and we never got to—” His voice was husky and I felt my stomach churning. I had no romantic inklings toward David anymore, not even to kissing. I knew I’d have to pretend I was still attracted to him, even if he now revolted me. I’d make him feel that he was obliged to be my Prince Charming. If he wasn’t a sociopath, it would work—but I knew that was also a gamble.

“So, tonight?” I cut him off, not wanting to go down the innuendo road. The last thing I needed was for him to show up thinking that tonight was going to be the night we were going to seal the deal.

“Meet me at a cute place called the Little Owl. It’s in the West Village, on Grove Street.”

“Okay. What time?”

“Seven?”

“That’s fine.” I nodded gratefully. “Thanks for this, David.”

“You’ve nothing to thank me for, yet.”

He hung up and I sat back on the couch, my breathing labored. Part of me was scared that David was going to ambush me. What if he arrived with someone else? What if I was kidnapped again? It scared me to be making such a big move without thinking it through properly. Though this time, I wouldn’t be a sitting duck. I jumped up and went to the kitchen, fishing a serrated knife out of the cutlery drawer. I wanted to take my butcher’s knife, but it wouldn’t fit into my handbag. I wrapped the one I had chosen in a paper towel and placed it in my handbag. At times like this I wished I owned a gun, a small pistol or something.

I stared at the wall clock in front of me and sighed deeply. I had a few hours left to do research before I had to start getting ready for my meeting with David. I was going to have to scrub up and shave every part of my body before I left the house. I wanted to show up looking like a femme fatale. I wanted him to take one look at me and think to himself, I will do anything to have this woman, I will tell her whatever she wants to know. I knew that women had a certain power over certain men. I knew that there was power in sex, or the promise of sex. David was my best bet—and my only bet right now—to find out exactly what had happened all those years ago.



The Little Owl was a cozy restaurant on the corner of two quiet streets. The red facade and blue awnings made me smile. This place didn’t take itself too seriously. I walked inside and smiled at the commonplace wooden tables and chairs. This wasn’t fancy or ostentatious. I immediately felt comfortable.