Rise of the Notorious (27 page)

Despite the lavishness of the lobby and restaurants, she found the offices upstairs to be practical and sensible. The furnishings were quietly expensive, the walls painted in welcoming earth tones. It presented a much different side of the Vasser family than what she had been expecting.

She had done her research and knew about the young heirs that ran the hotel. She also knew the oldest sister had recently been in the headlines and was now running the company. It painted a peculiar picture of a family whose legacy was infamous, their role in the hotel industry unprecedented, and the murders that plagued their past nothing short of notorious.

But what was it about Madison Vasser that had spawned the kidnapping of her own sister?

“Do you want coffee, Detective?” Quinn offered with a polite smile, rising from her desk.

Tina shook her head, studying the other woman carefully. “No, thanks.”

Quinn took her seat again, chewing on her bottom lip anxiously. Tina noted this, filing the information away for later. It was her job to analyze any and all components of an investigation, and that included all of the people involved or related to those involved.

When the door to Grant’s office opened and he stepped out, Tina observed the way he looked at his secretary and the quiet affection that passed between them. Though it was unspoken, she could see the dedication in the other woman’s eyes and the fondness in his.

She filed this information away, as well.

“Mr. Vasser,” Tina greeted as she rose to her feet, her hand extended.

He accepted it politely, briefly, then nodded for her to join him in his office. He took a seat behind his desk and watched her closely as she sat across from him. “What information can you give me, detective?”

“We’ve sent out an APB for your sister to all surrounding areas within a fifty mile radius. We have units currently canvassing the area where we believe she was jogging when she went missing. They’ll be knocking on doors and seeing if anyone saw anything that night, as well as checking traffic cams of nearby intersections to see if we can get a shot of her in the area.”

“Is there anything I can do?”

The detective attempted a smile as she shook her head. “Other than tell me any and all information you think may pertain to your sister’s disappearance. I’ll also need a list of the members of your family, as well as their contact information. I will be confirming everyone’s whereabouts that night.”

Grant nodded slowly. “You think someone within the family may have done this?”

“In situations like this, that’s usually the case. And since the ransom is not for money, but for justice, I am forced to conclude that the person responsible has their sights set on your other sister. This person has probably set out to ruin her and possibly the family business as a whole.” She hesitated, jotting down a quick note in her pad before glancing up at him again. “Are there any other people who may be out to hurt the family, Mr. Vasser?”

Grant let out a dark laugh, though he was anything but amused. “The list is getting longer by the day, Detective.”

“Names, please.”

He sighed, rubbing at the ache in his left temple. “Jorja Hale has made her vendetta against us known for weeks now, so you may want to check in on her. Senator Warren Shaw has also publicly criticized us, though his involvement is unlikely. And I suspect there are others, though I don’t know who yet.”

Tina jotted down the names and noted his assumption of other, as of yet unknown, threats.

“One last thing.” She underlined the words ‘threat within the family?’ before she looked up and met his gaze assertively. “Where were you last night?”

Grant stared right back at her, unflinching. “I was with my girlfriend at my home.”

“Can she corroborate your alibi?”

“Why don’t you go ask her?” Grant gestured to the door of his office frostily. “She’s right outside.”

Tina paused, keeping her gaze level with his as she assessed his statement. Deciding he probably wasn’t lying, she jotted down a few more notes and then rose to her feet.

“Thank you, Mr. Vasser. I’ll be in touch.”

She held out her hand, which he took in his own as he stood. “Detective, I think it may be prudent for you to consider during your search for my sister that the person involved may not be out to destroy my family.”

“Then what are they out to do?” Tina released his hand, eyeing him curiously.

Grant’s expression stiffened with both anger and anxiety. “They want to
control
my family. This person does not want Madison in charge.”

She nodded, acknowledging his point. The definitive way he said it was also filed away.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

She paced in
front of her fireplace, the glow of the raging flames within silhouetting her figure. Wyatt had shoved a glass of red wine into her hands moments before, but she had yet to drink it. Instead, she gripped it tight in her fingers as she prowled around restlessly.

It had now been over twenty-four hours since Kennedy had gone missing. Madison absorbed this fact, letting the reality of it sink in and fester in her gut. She tried not to imagine how frightened her sister must be, or how hopeful she probably was that her family would find her.

Then again, the thought occurred to her that Kennedy might be thinking there would be no help for her, that Madison would let her die. If Kennedy believed that Madison wouldn’t resign because of this, then she would be correct.

She didn’t have any intention of stepping down. Not for anyone or anything.

While she stood strong and ruthless on her conviction, the guilt still crept in to haunt her.

Wyatt came out of the kitchen, two plates filled with chicken and pasta in his hands. He sat down on her sofa and laid the plates on the coffee table, his eyes flicking up to meet hers.

“Come eat,” he ordered, no room for objection in his tone.

She rolled her shoulders and continued to pace. “I’m not hungry.”

“You haven’t eaten all day,” he protested, glaring at her. “Punishing yourself by not eating is not going to help get your sister back.”

“Who says I’m punishing myself?” Madison shot back, eyebrows raised. “That would mean I blame myself for what’s happened. And I don’t.”

He watched her silently for a long moment, his face unreadable. His words were heated as he spoke again. “You shouldn’t blame yourself. You did nothing wrong except fight for what you believe in. But don’t look me in the eye and lie to me about not feeling at least some ounce of guilt.”

She sneered. “Of course I feel guilty. The last words I had with my sister were ones of hate. If she dies because of this, I’ll never have the chance to make this right.” Her voice cracked, and she clutched at her throat in alarm as it tightened. She turned away from him, her eyes shutting tight against the anguish she felt. When she felt she could speak again, her tone was dangerously soft. “I’m going to find out who the bastard is who took her, and I’m going to kill him.”

“Even if it’s someone in the family? Someone you love and trust?” Wyatt asked, rising to his feet to stand behind her. His hands rested on her shoulders and trailed down her arms. “You need to prepare yourself for that outcome, sweetheart.”

She shivered under his touch and from the weight of his words, knowing he was right. That possibility was one she had to consider.

Turning to face him, she met his eyes boldly and without fear. “In the event that this is an inside job, then the bastard better pray the police find him before I do.”

Wyatt’s mouth quirked up at the corners, dark humor in his eyes. “That’s my girl.”

He pulled her in close, breathing in the familiar scent of her as he sighed. He needed her to remain strong, to retain her vigor and courage.

She curved into him, accepting the comfort he offered. “I won’t resign because of this terrorist,” she declared, her hands fisting in the material of his shirt as she tilted her head back to look him in the eye. “They’ll have to haul me out, kicking and screaming, biting and clawing my way from what’s rightfully mine.”

“That’s why they fear you,
ma belle
,” he murmured, running his hands through her dark hair with an indulgent grin. “The fall of Cyrus Vasser should have meant the end of the empire. But no one counted on you.”

Her lips curved even as her eyes darkened with power. “What a shame.”

“A damn shame,” he muttered as he kissed her possessively, enraptured by the heat of her eyes and the unbendable, unbreakable steel of her spine. No woman alive compared to her, and those who had chosen to pick a fight with her were in for a world of hurt.

He looked forward to the day he could watch her squash them under the sharp point of her stiletto heel. Until then, he’d do all he could to keep her in tune with the right kind of emotions she needed to get the job done.

While her own revenge would be sated, his was, if he was correct in his assumptions, going to be carried out as well.

Vindication had never tasted so sweet.

T
he lighting was dimmed seductively low at the Peacock Alley Bar in the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Smooth jazz drifted through the room, the saxophone rich and poignant, creating an atmosphere that was both romantic and arousing.

Too bad he wasn’t there to enjoy either of those feelings.

Shaw sipped at the glass of fine red wine delicately, savoring the flavor of it while he waited. He may as well enjoy
some
part of the evening, as inconsequential as a good wine was given the circumstances. His plans had taken a perilous turn, one he had not foreseen.

Who knew that the Vasser family had so many goddamn enemies?

What he had set out to do from the very beginning now seemed like child’s play compared to what was being done to that family. A kidnapping, for God’s sake…

He chewed on the thought worriedly, wondering if and when the Vassers would point their fingers at him. Lynette had not yet contacted him, nor had Linc. He had to hope that meant they were not sniffing in his direction.

Even the mere mention of the crime with his name in the same sentence could be damaging to his career. Politics was a dirty, hazardous business. At any moment, one slip-up or wrong move could be the end. As it was, he thought he had been playing the game safely.

Apparently he was wrong.

His double agent working to get dirt on Jack Morgan had come to him with some alarming news. Morgan knew about the meeting with Grant and Linc, and apparently he’d had someone nearby recording the conversation.

It was maddening to realize that despite the precautions he had taken to keep his intentions unknown to Morgan, the man had managed to weasel his way in regardless. And he had to wonder just what Morgan intended to do with the information now that he had it.

Morgan now knew that the Vassers were aware of his connection to them. What lengths would he go to, to keep them from exploiting it?

Would he resort to kidnapping?

A shudder ran through Shaw at the thought, despite how extraordinarily implausible he wanted to believe it was. This was a felony, not some backroom deal or greasing of a palm. No, this was a dangerous twist in the already complicated turn of events plaguing the family. And if Morgan
was
involved, then somehow Shaw couldn’t help but feel the blame fell on him.