Illusion (Billionaire in Disguise 2)

“Fine. If you think I’m taking payments from some man in the wind, run my bank accounts. Check my credit cards. Do all of it. You won’t find anything there,” she said.

Sam looked up at me as my mind began to spin. Was it possible she was in on all this? The agents had a point, but I had seen Sam’s face when the boat rocked. I saw her face when the second explosion occurred. She was as shocked as I was. She had been hell-bent on saving that security guard below the deck of the ship.

Why would someone in on all this do that?

Why would my best friend want to shoot me?

Why would the head of my security sell himself out?

None of this made sense, and yet, all of it made sense.

Sam sat there, stoic and red-faced with her hands settled in her lap. Her leg was crossed over her knee, and her entire body was calm, but I could see the storm raging within her. I could see her walls coming back up. Maybe she was emotionally compromised. Maybe she couldn’t do her job any longer. None of this should’ve spiraled out of control. I had trusted her word up until this point, and all it had gotten me was heartache, bullets, and a sunken ship.

“The two of you have enough to think about for now,” Agent Smith said. “Just make sure you stay in the city. Neither of you are to leave until this investigation is wrapped up.”

“And Mr. Steele?” Agent Jones asked.

“What?”

“I’d suggest you watch your back. Since your ... expert security team isn’t doing a very good job of that.”

I watched the agents leave before I looked back at Sam. She was immovable, buried in her own mind. She wasn’t moving, wasn’t showing any emotion. Hell, her chest was barely moving with her breaths. Her hands were tucked between her thighs, and her eyes were hooked onto a spot on the wall.

So, without a word, I ripped the interrogation room door open and left.

Chapter 20

Sam

I SAT THERE, LISTENING as Derek left the room. I was angry. Confused. Blindsided and hurt. Griggs had been bought out by Jacob? How the hell could we have not seen that? We were an expert team. We left no fucking stone unturned. How the fuck could we have missed something as big as that? I should’ve asked those agents more questions, asked them how they came to that conclusion. I could get Lance to hack their records. I could get Lance to pull the information they had on file so I could figure it out.

Figure out what the fuck I had missed.

The room was cold, and the sad thing was, I couldn’t blame the agents for thinking the way they thought. They didn’t understand the dynamics and the gravity of all that had happened over the past two and a half months. With the information they had and being two completely unbiased parties, it did look like I was one of the perpetrators.

I sighed, releasing my jaw from its prison as the door opened again.

I turned my head and saw Derek come back in. His face was red, but his posture was composed. He unbuttoned his coat and sat in the chair next to me, scooting it close before he took my hand within his. He laced our fingers together, letting out a dramatic sigh as his eyes raked up to mine.

But I couldn’t look at him.

I had failed him.

“I know you’re not the one doing this,” he said.

“You sure about that?” I asked.

I turned my gaze to him, watching him hesitate before he nodded his head.

“One hundred percent.”

“Then why did you pause?” I asked. “If you’re so certain, why did you leave? Why did you hesitate?”

“Because I know you. It wouldn’t make sense for you to throw yourself in front of a gun Jacob was shooting from if you were working with him.”

“Damn straight,” I said.

“But the FBI isn’t wrong.”