Hostile Territory - Marie James Page 0,13
a flash of pain fill her eyes, and it’s easy to see that there’s some regret there.
Those two were thick as damn thieves, and although I shouldn’t be because that chapter in my life has been closed for a while now, I’m curious about what could’ve happened to cause distance between them. Did Dani go after Anna’s boyfriend? Did my ex hurt her friend the same way she hurt me?
“How long?” I ask instead of opening gates that I may never be able to close again. I wouldn’t be surprised if Dani did something unforgiveable. She’s always been an expert manipulator and unrepentantly selfish.
“What?”
“When was the last time you spoke with her?”
“We haven’t really hung out in months, but I spoke with her a couple of weeks ago.”
“Did she talk to you about her money problems?”
Anna laughs like what I just disclosed is absurd. “She doesn’t have money problems.”
“Her credit cards are maxed.” Her shock-filled eyes snap up from her hands. “Her rent is late, and she’s on the verge of eviction. She has nothing left. No money in the bank, nothing.”
It’s apparent by the look on her face that she had no idea about any of this. Just how much distance is there between them?
I don’t mention Dani’s dad’s problems or the fact that all of his accounts have been frozen due to a pending federal corruption investigation. If she didn’t know Dani was no longer rich, she wouldn’t have heard about any of that either.
A knock on the door interrupts, but before I can tell them to wait, Wren shoves open the door and hands me a folder.
“This is what I found so far. I’m still running some other checks.”
I nod at him, and he turns to leave. He merely gives Anna a passing glance before walking out the door. Unlike Brooks who could charm the panties off a nun, Wren is all talk behind his computer screen, growing shy when around beautiful women in person.
Anna doesn’t speak as I flip through the dossier Wren just handed over. Silence fills the room before my eyes land on a piece of information that makes my jaw clench.
“Tell me about the Russian Dani’s been dating.”
Chapter 6
Anna
“Russian?”
Deacon tilts his head, giving me that don’t bullshit me look.
“Listen.” I hold my hands up. “I saw a guy she was recently dating a few times in passing, but he never spoke in front of me. She didn’t even introduce him. I don’t know if he was Russian or not.”
“Yet you don’t seem surprised.”
I huff. “Why would I be? Last year she was dating a guy she swore was a Saudi prince. She isn’t exactly selective so long as the guy has money.”
Deacon looks back down to the folder of information, cracking his neck to either side before looking back at me. The sound makes my skin crawl just like it always has.
“Is that who was in the apartment?” He nods. “Is he dead?”
“Not yet.” There’s no emotion whatsoever in his voice, like it won’t bother him at all that the man could die.
“She was spooked,” I recall, saying the words out loud as the memory floods my brain.
“When?”
“When I talked to her on the phone last week. She answered the phone but only stayed on the line long enough to tell me that she couldn’t talk. The phone call was so brief, I only just now remembered it. I didn’t think much of it. Dani has always been sort of a drama queen. She could’ve been spooked because Neiman’s was having a sale she didn’t have time to make. You never know with her.”
Deacon snorts in agreement. “When did you speak to her before that conversation?”
“Ten days before that, maybe? So, like three weeks ago. She wouldn’t give me much information, just that she was going on vacation to a beach. I think the next time I spoke with her was right after she got back from that trip.”
Even though he’s still looking down at the paperwork in his hands, I know he’s listening to me, so I continue.
“I stopped by her apartment a couple of days ago after she didn’t show up for a gala, but she didn’t answer the door.”
His eyes find mine, and he doesn’t look impressed at all. “Still living your life from one party to the next, I see.”
“Do you just wake up in the morning and decide to be an asshole?”
He blinks in my direction.
“Or maybe spin a wheel to determine your level of dickheadedness for the