Chapter 11: Nathan Reed

I looked at the photograph again.

Nathan Reed stood beside Elise outside what appeared to be a parking garage.

He was looking directly at the camera.

"Who is he?" I asked.

Cole leaned back in his chair.

"I don't know everything about him. That's the problem."

"Then tell me what you do know."

Cole rubbed his forehead.

"Nathan used to work for Elise's father. He handled financial records for their company."

"Used to?"

"He was fired after several accounts went missing."

I frowned.

"And Elise knew him?"

"Yes. Better than she ever admitted."

Cole opened another file.

Inside were copies of bank statements, photographs, and several printed emails.

"About a year ago, Elise discovered that someone had been moving money through accounts connected to her family."

I scanned the documents.

"And she thought Nathan was responsible?"

"At first."

"But?"

"The evidence didn't add up."

Cole pushed one of the papers toward me.

"Nathan had access to the accounts, but the transfers happened after he had already been fired."

I stared at the dates.

He was right.

"Then someone used his credentials."

"Exactly."

I looked up.

"Who?"

Cole's expression became grim.

"That's what Elise was trying to find out."

Suddenly, the entire fake relationship began to look different.

"So Cody wasn't the real threat."

"No."

"Then why did you agree to pretend to date her?"

Cole looked away.

"Because Nathan believed Elise had a boyfriend. He started watching anyone who got close to her."

"And you thought pretending to be her boyfriend would protect her."

"Yes."

I shook my head.

"You could have told me."

"I was afraid."

"Of what?"

"Of losing you."

I stared at him.

"You should have been more afraid of lying to me."

Cole lowered his eyes.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then I noticed something strange in one of the photographs.

Nathan wasn't looking at Elise.

He was looking at someone behind her.

"Who is that?"

Cole followed my gaze.

His face changed instantly.

"That's impossible."

"Who is he?"

Cole took the photograph from my hand.

"That's Richard."

"Richard who?"

"Richard Vale. He's one of the senior partners at Elise's father's company."

I frowned.

"What does he have to do with this?"

Cole didn't answer.

Instead, he opened another folder.

Inside was a copy of a company report.

Richard Vale's name appeared on several financial approvals.

Every suspicious transfer had passed through an account he had authorized.

My pulse quickened.

"You knew this?"

"I suspected it. I didn't have proof."

"And Elise?"

"She found out two weeks ago."

I suddenly understood why she had disappeared.

She wasn't running from Cody.

She might have been running from someone with far more power.

Then Cole's phone rang.

He looked at the screen and went pale.

"It's Elise."

He answered immediately.

"Elise? Where are you?"

There was no response.

Then a man's voice came through the speaker.

"Cole, you should have left Mara out of this."

Cole stood up so quickly that his chair fell backward.

"Who are you?"

The man laughed softly.

"You already know."

The call ended.

I looked at Cole.

"Nathan?"

He shook his head.

"No."

His eyes were fixed on the phone.

"Richard Vale."

My blood ran cold.

Someone had known exactly where we were.

And now they knew I was involved.