Chapter 6
My first instinct was to kick the door open.
But Angela's warnings echoed in my head.
Don't act out of anger.
Don't make yourself vulnerable.
I stepped away from the entrance and called 911.
I told the dispatcher what I heard.
Then I stayed on the line.
Inside, Patricia was crying.
"Xavier, please. I didn't say anything."
His voice rose.
"Then why did Cedric suddenly start investigating me?"
I felt my stomach tighten.
He knew.
He knew we were looking into the agreement.
The dispatcher told me officers were on their way.
I stayed near the front steps.
Then the door opened.
Xavier stepped outside.
He froze when he saw me.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
He was wearing a dark jacket.
His expensive watch flashed in the sunlight.
Then his eyes moved to my phone.
"Who are you talking to?"
I kept my voice steady.
"Help is on the way."
His expression hardened.
"You called the police?"
"Patricia sounded frightened."
He took one step toward me.
"You need to mind your own business."
I backed away.
"This became my business when you tried to claim my invention."
He laughed without humor.
"You think you're smart now because somebody waved money in your face?"
I said nothing.
He leaned closer.
"You're still just a mechanic."
For the first time, those words didn't hurt.
"Maybe," I replied.
"But I'm a mechanic who knows what he built."
His smile disappeared.
A police siren sounded in the distance.
Xavier looked toward the street.
Then he walked quickly to his SUV.
He drove away before the officers arrived.
I gave them his name and license plate information.
Patricia let them inside.
She was trembling.
There were broken dishes on the kitchen floor.
Her phone lay beside the refrigerator.
An officer spoke with her while I waited outside.
Afterward, she asked whether she could talk to me.
I looked at the officer.
He nodded.
Patricia sat at her dining table.
She looked older than I remembered.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
I remained standing.
"For what?"
She lowered her head.
"For more things than I can count."
I waited.
She looked at me with tears in her eyes.
"I encouraged Naomi to leave you."
I felt my chest tighten.
"I know."
"No," she said. "You don't understand."
She took a trembling breath.
"When Xavier came into her life, I told her he was the kind of man she deserved."
I looked away.
"Because he had money."
"Because I thought he had money."
Something in her voice made me turn back.
"What do you mean?"
Patricia wiped her face.
"His family isn't as wealthy as he claims. The cars are leased. The apartment belongs to an investment group."
I frowned.
"He runs a company."
"He runs a company that owes people money."
I sat down slowly.
Patricia continued.
"Xavier approached Naomi through a university donor event. He asked about her research."
My stomach tightened.
"Then what?"
"She mentioned your invention."
I closed my eyes.
Of course.
Naomi had always dismissed my work when we were alone.
But apparently she considered it valuable enough to discuss with rich strangers.
Patricia's voice trembled.
"Xavier asked to see your technical papers. Naomi gave him access to copies."
I opened my eyes.
"Without asking me?"
She nodded.
"He told her that your design was worth millions but that you weren't sophisticated enough to negotiate."
I clenched my jaw.
"He convinced her to sign the agreement?"
"He told her she could protect the invention from being sold too cheaply."
"By putting it in her name?"
Patricia looked ashamed.
"Yes."
I sat silently.
Then I asked the question that mattered most.
"Did Naomi know what she was doing?"
Patricia began crying harder.
"She knew she was hiding it from you."
Those words hurt.
Even now.
Even after everything.
I had wanted to believe she'd been completely manipulated.
But she had made choices.
She had lied.
She had betrayed me.
And no matter how charming Xavier had been, she was responsible for that.
Patricia reached for my hand.
I moved it away.
"Why are you telling me this now?"
She swallowed.
"Because Xavier wants the invention transferred into his company before Meridian completes the acquisition."
"Why?"
"He owes money to investors. He told Naomi this deal would solve everything."
I leaned forward.
"How much money?"
Patricia shook her head.
"I don't know."
Then she lowered her voice.
"But I heard him talking about several million dollars."
I stared at her.
She looked toward the window.
"Yesterday, Naomi told him she wanted out."
I felt something shift inside me.
"Out of what?"
"Everything. Their relationship. The business arrangement. She told him she wouldn't sign anything else."
I remained silent.
Patricia looked at me.
"That's when he became angry."
I thought about the vandalized shop.
The threats.
The warning in Xavier's voice.
"Where is Naomi now?"
Patricia hesitated.
"I don't know."
My heart began beating faster.
"When did you last see her?"
"Yesterday afternoon."
"Have you called her?"
"Dozens of times."
I took out my phone.
I dialed Naomi.
Straight to voicemail.
I tried again.
Nothing.
Patricia's eyes filled with fear.
"Cedric, I'm worried."
I stood.
"Tell the officers everything you told me."
She nodded.
Then she whispered, "Will you help find her?"
I looked at her.
For a moment, anger almost overwhelmed me.
This woman had spent years insulting me.
Now she wanted me to protect the daughter who had broken my heart.
But I thought about my father.
He had never believed kindness should depend on whether someone deserved it.
I took a breath.
"I'll give the police everything I know."
Patricia began crying with relief.
"But understand something," I continued.
"Helping Naomi doesn't mean we're getting back together."
She nodded.
"I understand."
"And it doesn't erase what either of you did."
"I know."
I left her house and called Angela.
Within an hour, she helped organize the evidence we needed to provide investigators.
The threatening messages.
The disputed agreement.
Xavier's phone call.
Patricia's account.
Then she contacted Meridian's legal team.
They confirmed that Xavier's firm had attempted to interfere with the transaction.
He had represented that Naomi owned a controlling interest.
He had even sent Meridian a copy of the agreement.
But the forged ownership claim hadn't passed scrutiny.
The next afternoon, Angela called again.
"The document examiner found several inconsistencies," she said.
My heart jumped.
"What kind?"
"Different printing characteristics, altered page formatting, and an ownership provision that appears to have been added after the original signature page was prepared."
I gripped the phone.
"So it was changed?"
"The evidence strongly suggests alteration. We'll need formal findings, but this is significant."
I felt relief wash through me.
Then Angela continued.
"There's another development."
I sat straighter.
"What?"
"Naomi contacted my office."
My heart stopped.
"She's okay?"
"She's safe enough to make a call. She sounded frightened."
"Where is she?"
"She wouldn't say."
I closed my eyes.
Angela lowered her voice.
"She said she has something that could prove Xavier's involvement."
"What?"
"A recording."
I stood.
"Did she send it?"
"Not yet."
"Why?"
Angela hesitated.
"Because she wants to speak with you first."
I looked out the garage window.
The sun was setting.
For seven years, I would have dropped everything to reach Naomi.
But the man I had been before graduation was gone.
"What does she want to say?"
Angela paused.
"She claims she can explain everything."
I swallowed.
Then Angela added something that made my heart race.
"Cedric, she also said Xavier has another target."
I gripped the phone.
"Who?"
May you like
Angela's voice became serious.
"Dr. Bennett."
