28

Chapter 28

Martin's Pov

Meeting Cole in person was more preferable than waiting for his texts that might never arrive. Cole had been my friend for years, he was good at finding things, investigating and conducting research but what he wasn't good at was time.

I was hungry for information, eager to understand Adrian's actions and whether she truly threatened everything I had built.

We set up a meeting at a dive bar in the Bronx. I arrived at a place hidden from view, where questions were unwelcome and cameras didn’t work. Cole was seated there, he placed an envelope on the table between us like he had promised. The information.

"Give me the information," I said as I slid into the seat opposite to him.

Cole opened the envelope, brought out photos and documents and placed them on the table across the battered wooden surface.

"Adrian Martinez. She's currently a live-in nanny for one Darcy Rodrigo, the billionaire CEO of Rodrigo Industries. She’s been on the job for about four months now."

I picked up a photograph, a spy image of Adrian laughing with a little girl. Seeing her happy, living a life I thought she didn’t deserve, filled me with an uneasy feeling.

"Just a job?" I inquired. "Nothing personal between them?"

Cole shrugged. "From what I can gather, it's strictly professional. She looks after the child—her name is Pink, three years old and Darcy's adopted daughter."

Three years old. The child is exactly the same age Adrian’s child would have been if it had lived. The coincidence bothered me, but I discarded the thoughts..

Many children were that age. It meant nothing.

"What does their daily routine look like?" I questioned, examining other photos showing Adrian at the park, shopping, and gardening. "How does she spend her time?"

"Since it’s summer break, the kid stays home with Adrian most days. They have a routine: breakfast, playtime, educational activities. Typical nanny duties." Cole pulled out another image of an opulent mansion. "This is where they live—Darcy’s estate. It boasts high security, cameras everywhere, the works.”

Wealthy families. Of course, Adrian had found her way into a billionaire’s home. She probably thought that landing this job would give her the chance to seduce him, using her charm to manipulate him just as she had with the men at that club. The thought made my jaw tighten. Adrian excelled at portraying herself as a victim, drawing men in with her innocence and desperate yearning for love—just as I had anticipated three years ago when I orchestrated her setup.

"Martin? Are you still there?"

I blinked my eyes, "I'm here Cole." I said, Cole was still speaking but I was lost in thought.

"You are lost. Where's your head at?"

"Nowhere. Keep going." I concentrated. "Give me more details. What else have you uncovered?"

Cole leaned back, scrutinizing me with his calculating gaze. "About the girl—Pink. She was adopted by Darcy three years ago, around the same time Adrian went to prison."

My heart raced. "Where was she adopted from?"

"That's the tricky part. The orphanage records are tightly sealed. They require personal visits from authorized parties, and it's for strict purposes and even then, it would cost a lot of money."

I tucked that information away for future reference. "What about Adrian's outings? I need to know when she leaves the mansion. I need to at least make my presence known."

"She doesn’t leave often," Cole replied. "Her security details follow her everywhere—there’s a guy named Leo and a driver. The last time I tracked her , she was going grocery shopping in the Riverside Shopping Center about a week ago. On a tight schedule, she got out in less than one hour."

"Riverside Shopping Center," I said, memorizing the name. "That could work. If I plan my time right,then I could run into her there and make it look like an accident."

"What about Darcy? Is there anything unusual about him?"

Cole paused for a while, and I saw something flicker on his face. "Actually, yes. There’s an intriguing financial trail. Three years ago, Darcy made a donation of fifty grand to Rikers Island Women's Facility—an anonymous payment, but I traced it back to his personal account."

The news hit me hard. Fifty thousand dollars. For the prison where Adrian had been incarcerated, right around the time she would have given birth.

But why? What link could Darcy Rodrigo possibly have to Adrian Martinez from that time? Unless…

The businessman who bought Adrian's virginity was anonymous, arranged through intermediaries. And I know it was Darcy...

The timing aligned perfectly. Did he somehow locate her afterward?

This was either a significant complication or a remarkable opportunity. I just needed to determine which it was.

"There's more," Cole said, pulling out another image. The picture of a beautiful woman with dark hair and great body. "This is Brittany Hawthorne,Darcy's ex-fiancée. Three years ago they were engaged. One month to seal their vows he caught her cheating on him with her bestie and they separated."

The rumors in the city are that she's trying to win him back then they get married."

I examined the photo closely. Brittany Hawthorne resembled a high standard girl from a rich family who gets whatever she wants. The type of woman walks into your life and out if it's like you're nothing. Adrian can even compete with her if she tries to get close to her boss.

She looked stunning and sharp, with a calculating look that showed she’d step on anyone to get what she wanted.

"Why should I care about his ex?" I asked.

"Because she's cunning and ambitious," Cole replied. "The type of woman who could get things done if the right incentives were in place. If you need someone on the inside, with access to Darcy's realm, she might be of use."

"Are you playing matchmaker, Cole?" I replied with sarcasm. "Because I'm not here for anything personal unless it’s business-related."

"Take it easy." Cole raised his hands. "This information is valuable. Trust me."

"What else do you have?" My impatience grew; I needed all the details before deciding my next step.

"The strip club," Cole said, his demeanor turning serious. "The Velvet Room, where Adrian used to work."

My stomach sank. "What about it?"

"It's under investigation. Madam Linda Chen was shot dead in her office last night—execution-style, single bullet to the head." Cole paused, assessing my reaction. "A substantial amount of cash was also reported missing from her office safe."

The blood drained from my face. Linda Chen. Dead. Murdered.

Fear and curiosity intertwined within me as my mind raced through scenarios. What if this was connected to Adrian? What if Darcy had listened to her sob story about being set up, about her difficult life, and decided to eliminate any threats to her narrative?

Wealthy individuals had power. They could make people vanish, hire professionals for dirty work while maintaining plausible deniability. And if Darcy was motivated to protect Adrian, if he cared enough about her to resort to violence...

But that seemed wildly disproportionate. Unless there was more to their connection than Cole had dug up. Unless Adrian had already ensnared him deeper than anyone realized.

Or,my blood ran cold at the thought, what if someone else was eliminating loose ends? What if there were other people I hadn’t identified?

"Martin?" Cole's voice jolted me back to reverie. "Are you alright?"

"I’m fine,just processing this information," I lied. "Nothing serious."

I wasn’t fine. The situation was becoming increasingly tangled, veering into unexpected directions. Linda Chen's murder altered the entire landscape. It insinuated that another player was maneuvering pieces on the board, someone with both resources and resolve.

"I need to leave," I said suddenly, reaching for the envelope. "Thanks for the info."

I took out my checkbook, wrote an amount to cover his fees and also with extra money to get information from the orphanage. "This stays between us. Nobody should know of this, not even your girlfriend Cole, because of this leak. We're in trouble. Agreed?"

I left the bar and went home, my mind racing. Amelia was out, probably shopping, stripping for her boss or busy with something else. My mind wandered to a lot she could be doing right now.

I sank into the living room with a glass of whiskey, staring at the photos Cole had given me earlier in our meeting.

Adrian smiling with that little girl. Adrian in the mansion garden. Adrian led a stolen life through manipulation and deceit while I had spent three years looking over my shoulder, anticipating karma’s arrival.

Linda Chen’s murder replayed in my thoughts. Who had killed her? And why? The timing felt too coincidental—right after I had started digging into Adrian’s affairs, right after someone else likely was too.

Could Brittany be involved? She had the motive and the means if Adrian jeopardized her plans with Darcy. Was it Darcy himself, trying to shield Adrian from her past? Or was it someone else entirely? Or is it a hidden player in the dark?

My usual paranoia spiked, making it hard to think. Every point felt dangerous, every coincidence suspicious.

But one fact stood firm: I could no longer afford to wait. I couldn’t merely hope Adrian remained powerless as evidence piled up against her.

It was time to confront Adrian. Time to remind her of who I was and what I was capable of. Time to let her know that her comfortable new life could vanish just as easily as I had made her old life disappear.

I would follow her when she left that mansion. I would encounter her in a public space that was still secluded enough for a private chat. I would lock eyes with her and ensure she saw I was still present, still a threat, still in control.

Then we would see how long she could maintain her illusion of domesticity with a billionaire before her past resurfaced to haunt her.

Because Adrian Martinez may have believed she had eluded me, but she was about to discover a harsh truth: no one escaped Martin Reeves. Not truly. Not ever.

And this time, I wouldn’t underestimate her. This time, I’d ensure she remained buried.