Disillusioned (Swept Away, #2)(56)

“He’s the one who told David that I wanted shares in Bradley Inc. He’s the one who tipped David off that I was investigating.”

Jakob’s eyes narrowed. “He was, but why?”

“Like I said, to protect himself.”

“Yes, maybe. It doesn’t completely add up.”

“None of this adds up.” I sighed. “The fact is that I only got into the meeting because I used his proxy shares, so I didn’t even have access to be a threat or to seek out your brother until he gave it to me.”

“There has to be a reason he gave you your father’s paperwork and gave you those shares.” Jakob scratched his head. “He could have avoided all of this.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean.”

“If he hadn’t given you the boxes and your dad’s letter, you never would have been suspicious of your mother’s death. You would have continued on with your life and gone about your business. You never would have wanted to meet Mattias or David Bradley. You never would have wanted to go to the shareholders’ meeting. You never would have wanted to investigate your mother’s death or your dad’s claims.”

“Yeah, so what’s your point?”

“So there was a reason you were given the boxes. Just like there was a reason I was told to go to the coffee shop.” He nodded his head in excitement. “We’ve all been set up from the beginning to play a part in some grander scheme.”

“What grander scheme, though?”

“I don’t know.” He sighed. “We have to talk to Larry.”

“I told you, I don’t know how to find him.”

“Let’s go and see his wife then. Maybe she’s heard from him.”

“I doubt she’s going to want to see me.”

“Then I’ll talk to her.” He jumped off the couch and walked toward his bedroom. I got up and followed him and watched as he walked to his closet, pulling out a shirt and pants. “You need to borrow anything?” He looked back at me.

“No, thanks. I have my own clothes, remember?” I shook my head and opened my bag.

“Oh, darn.” He grinned. “It would be nice to see you in one of my shirts again.”

“Maybe tonight.” I winked at him.

He walked over to me with a devilish look. “Promise?”

“Sure.” I giggled, feeling lighthearted as I flirted.

“I can’t wait to peel it off of you.”

“Pervert.” I shook my head at him, my heart racing.

He laughed. “Only for you, Bianca. Only for you.”

“I’m sure you say that to all the girls,” I teased as he kissed me lightly on the nose. My stomach flipped as he held me close to him. His body pressed into mine, and if I closed my eyes, I could pretend we were back on the island. Just the two of us.

“All the girls don’t matter.” He stroked my hair and I could feel his heart beating in his chest. We stood there for a few minutes, both of us knowing that this was our safe haven.

“Why did you let me just leave the island?” I looked up at him curiously. “I haven’t been able to figure it out.”

His eyes were dark. “I knew there was no point trying to keep you there against your will if you didn’t trust me. So I let you go.”

“Why did you let me go before the merger went through?” I asked him softly. “How did you know I wouldn’t try to stop it?”

“I didn’t know it hadn’t gone through as yet.” He looked away from me. “I was taken aback when I found that out.” He turned back to me and grabbed my hands. “Bianca, I want you to know that I don’t care what you do about the merger. This was never about money for me.” He stepped back and gazed into my eyes.

“But it was for David, wasn’t it? That’s what was in the kidnapping for him? Me being gone for the merger to go through?” I stared at Jakob, just thinking. The whole dynamic between David and Jakob still didn’t add up, not completely. They distrusted each other so much. And David had kept asking me about Jakob as if he wasn’t sure of Jakob’s moves. How could they have planned this together if they couldn’t stand each other?

“David is greedy, he always has been,” Jakob said. “Ever since he was a little boy, all he thinks about is money and the company. That’s what Jeremiah Bradley stood for at the end of the day, money and power—and it’s what David inherited.”

“I still can’t believe he made up another person to pretend that he had nothing to do with the company.” I shook my head. “I can’t believe he fooled me so well. I had no idea that he had any business acumen.”

“You had no idea at all?”

“No.” I bit my lower lip. “But only because that’s what he kept telling me. I should have realized he was trying to throw me off the scent.” I sighed. “I should have realized that there was no Mattias Bradley.” I looked at Jakob keenly to see how he reacted to my statement. I wanted to be 100 percent positive that there was no Mattias Bradley.

“He was nothing but a figment of the imagination.” Jakob looked into my eyes. “A name made up by my father to protect my brother and his interests.”

“Why the name Mattias?”