Disillusioned (Swept Away, #2)(57)

“Have you ever heard of Saint Matthias?”

“No.” I shook my head.

“He was the apostle chosen after Judas betrayed Jesus and he was crucified.”

“Okay.” I looked at Jakob blankly. “What does that mean?”

“He became the twelfth apostle, chosen by God after the apostles prayed to him for guidance. There were two men for them to choose from. It was between Matthias and a guy called Joseph, also know as Barsabbas. Both men had been with Jesus through his whole ministry, and ultimately Matthias was chosen. Such an important role he played, but he was only mentioned in the Bible once. But the most important part of the story is that Matthias was with them every step of the way, even before he was chosen. He witnessed the ministry of John the Baptist and he witnessed Christ’s ascension.”

“So?”

“So my dad liked his story. And he wanted to choose a name that represented something powerful. Mattias was created to protect my brother and his assets. Mattias was created and entrusted by God, that’s what my father liked to think.” Jakob shrugged and gave me a smile. “I take it you’re not a religious person?”

“I never went to church growing up and I’ve never read the Bible.” I made a face. “Are you religious?”

“I never talk religion or politics with friends.” He winked at me. “I don’t like to lose them.”

“I didn’t ask you to talk religion or politics. I asked you if you were religious.”

“I believe in God, let’s leave it at that.” He took a step back. “And with that we should get going. Hopefully, Larry’s wife can help us.”

“Yeah.” I frowned. Why was Jakob being so evasive? I thought we were finally past that. I was about to ask him more about the creation of Mattias when his phone rang.

“Jakob Bradley,” he barked. “What?” His voice was cold and his eyes narrowed as he gazed at me. “Are you sure?”

“What’s going on?”

He held a finger up to me. “Shit!” he exclaimed angrily, and hung up.

“What’s going on, Jakob?” I frowned

He grabbed my hand and pulled me into the living room. He grabbed his remote control and turned the TV to CNN. My jaw dropped as I gazed at the breaking news headline on the screen: Top New York Lawyer Busted for Tax Fraud and Evasion Expected to Blow the Whistle on Several Billionaires.

“Oh my God,” I whispered as I stared at the screen. Larry Renee was in handcuffs, being walked to some cars surrounded by police. “What’s going on?” I looked at Jakob, who was standing there with his fists clenched and his jaw tight.

“What’s going on here?” He turned to me with a frown. “We just lost access to the man who could put all the pieces of the puzzle together.” He stared at me for a few seconds. “This puts all of our theories into jeopardy. Larry Renee is looking less and less like the kingpin here. And that also means he’s not likely to lead us to Steve.”

“Can’t we go and visit him in jail?”

“He’s not going to county jail, Bianca.” Jakob pulled his phone out again. “He’s been taken in by the Feds. He has big-name clients. They’re going to want him to spill. They’re not going to give him access to anyone but an attorney.” Jakob banged his fist against his thigh. “Shit.”

“What are we going to do?” I could feel that my whole body had gone cold. “How did they even find him?”

“That’s what I want to know.” Jakob glanced at me. “I think we need to go see David.”

“Are you going to call him?” I looked at the phone in his hands.

“No.” He shook his head. “This visit needs to be a surprise.”



We drove in silence to David’s apartment, both of our heads spinning. I held the notepad in my hand and reread the clues over and over as we drove. Then I pulled my father’s letter out of my bag and reread it. I stared at the lines in my father’s letter that had affected me the most: I don’t think your mother’s car crash was an accident . . . there may have been people who wanted to see me incapacitated. People who knew that your mother’s death would change everything.

He had said people, so that meant that more than one person was involved in my mother’s death. I sighed—that obviously meant that it was more than just Jeremiah Bradley, something that hadn’t occurred to me before. Then I thought of the last line: People who knew that your mother’s death would change everything. What people and what did it change? What did my mother’s death change? I’d assumed that he’d been talking about himself stepping away from the company due to grief, but that seemed too simple now. Yes, everyone mourns in his or her own way, but most people wouldn’t withdraw from society and their stake in a major corporation. How was someone to know that my father would do that?

“Do you think my father knew my mother cheated on him?” I spoke out loud as I thought. “And why would my mother cheat? Didn’t she know about the other women as well? She couldn’t possibly have thought Jeremiah was going to stay with her. We already know he was hooking up with your mom, and then the lady in the photograph, and then David’s mom. That’s three other women, and those are just the ones we know about. Why would my mom add herself to the mix?”