Chapter Twenty
It had been hard leavingLiam behind, all tangled up in warm sheets, his face adorned with that wicked smile she adored when he was sleeping, but Catriona had work to do.
Yesterday had been the most amazing Christmas Day she’d ever experienced, but time was against them. This family wouldn’t be able to stay in hiding forever, and each and every one of them deserved to be protected.
She was surrounded by dangerous men who’d fought all their lives. Now, it was her turn to protect them.
After leaving a note for Cary and Ted, still snuggled in bed, their bellies full of cookies and chocolate, she headed to the kitchen and indulged in coffee before tiptoeing through the sleeping house toward the office.
All her notes had been brought here, and she’d spent some time putting them back in order, reacquainting herself with the finer details.
Rarely had her mind been so clear and sharp, and her first point of order had been to reopen the software she’d used the first time, the one using the algorithm. She’d stopped at the early findings, but she had to dig a lot deeper now that she trusted them and knew where the real danger was coming from.
In the file, as expected, she saw Lazarus King’s name on several accounts, but this time, she looked deeper.
Over and over again, his name was linked to suspicious accounts, but why? When she looked at where the money was coming from, it was sketchy. Catriona almost slapped herself in the head for jumping to conclusions so quickly.
It wasn’t that obvious, it took some doing, but she found that the money was coming from very shady accounts.
She started to push even further, but her talents stopped at a certain point, where she couldn’t dig deeper into what the internet had to offer.
Leaning back in her chair, she let her brain process the data until she found herself on her feet. Sitting there wouldn’t unlock that door.
Her first stop was the bedroom, but she wasn’t surprised to find Liam was no longer in bed.
The mansion was calm, and one quick look at the clock told her that it was well into the afternoon. Her stomach growled as she hadn’t had breakfast or lunch. However, she pushed forward. There would be time to eat later.
In the living room, she saw Kai half-asleep in front of the TV, but as soon as she approached, he woke with a start.
“Sorry, Kai. Do you know where Liam is?”
Blinking a few times, the man scratched his head. “Last time I saw him, he went to see Lazarus.”
Lost in her thoughts, Catriona nodded, and turned, heading to the wing where Lazarus was, not noticing that Kai followed her until she knocked at the bedroom door.
Sam answered, and she saw Liam inside sitting by Lazarus’ bed, Lazarus looking even healthier than the day before. The only one missing was Sasha, which seemed weird, but Catriona had other things to sort out first.
“Catriona. I’m happy to meet you finally. Officially, I mean, because my brothers are raving about you.”
He may have been weaker than usual, but meeting the brother who’d rallied the others revealed how charismatic he was, the power he exuded way beyond the limitations of his body.
Lazarus extended his hand, and her emergency took a backseat for a second, glad he was recuperating. His hand was steady and pulled her to sit by his bedside. He was still pale, but steadier, his eyes a mercury fire mixed with curiosity and high intelligence.
“I’m glad you’re awake. Your brothers were worried about you.”
“I do not doubt it, and I’m sorry. It was weird. As if I were floating, both aware and sleeping at the same time. My first memory was hearing Sasha’s voice. My second was feeling your hand.”
“Me?”
Lazarus nodded. “I hadn’t felt my body until you touched my arm. Then, I heard your voice. I didn’t know it was you, until you spoke last night. I recognized your voice. I don’t know what you did that day, but I owe you and Sasha my life.”
“I did nothing but pray for you and hope my plea was answered.”
In a very gentleman-like manner, he brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it. “You may not know this, but Lazarus isn’t the name I was given at birth. It’s the name I’ve chosen for myself. I came back to life back then, and I was given yet another chance today.”
Emotions filled her heart, but she had more urgent matters to discuss. “I wanted to talk to Liam and you about something I’ve found in the accounts and the money under your name.”
Lazarus nodded. “Yes, Liam told me about your findings, and how it led you to save Lucas. I can’t thank you enough, but maybe not as much as Zoe and Archer.”
