been sending you off to recuperate anyway. So now you can recover in luxury at a beautiful country cottage.”
Gabriel just looked at Jakob. What could he possibly say? It was obvious there was no room for debate or discussion. Elise had snapped her fingers and everyone had jumped.
He had wanted to truly believe she wasn’t like that, that she hadn’t changed into a demanding star, but some of her behavior told him otherwise. This one topped the list.
“I’ll leave you to the details, Gabriel. I’m sure the case will be solved in days, a week at the most.”
Gabriel nearly groaned at the prospect of spending a week with Elise in an isolated cottage. Just the two of them. He’d actually have to make conversation with her. What did he possibly have to say to her? He’d already mistakenly spilled his guts about missing her. He couldn’t take that back now. It was out there. And he was sure Elise would use it to her advantage.
With an angry sigh, he picked up the phone to call his team in for a meeting. If he was going to be gone, he wanted his people to be working extra hard on the case. Every stone had to be turned, including looking into all the people who had been close to Elise over the years. Gabriel had a feeling this attack was from someone she knew and trusted. It was too close to home to be a stranger. The saboteur had gotten onto a closed set. Not an easy thing to do.
The phone on his desk rang. He picked it up. “Bellmonte.”
“I heard you got hurt.” It was Olena, his lead investigator.
“Nothing to worry about.”
“What about the case? Do you need me? I can be back in ten hours. Cale and I are in London for a time visiting his folks.”
“We’re good. Don’t cut your holiday short. You earned it and then some.”
“Okay, but don’t hesitate to call. I know how hard it is for you to admit you need help, but don’t be an ass about it.”
He laughed. It was just like Olena to call it as she saw it. There was no bull crap with her. “I will.”
“Uh-uh. We’ll see.” And with that she hung up. That’s what he liked about Olena—she was no-nonsense. He figured she’d be the one who took his job eventually.
* * *
Forty minutes later, most of his team had assembled in his office. Sophie, Kellen, Francois and the other head investigator, Maria Serrano, sat around his office as he laid it out.
“I’ve been recruited to be Ms. Leroy’s bodyguard while she’s out of town so it’s up to you guys to put this case together and quickly.”
Kellen smiled. “So, the two of you are going to shack up together somewhere all quiet and private like?”
Gabriel glared at Sophie. The lycan decidedly couldn’t keep her mouth shut.
She shrugged under his scrutiny. “ Que? I couldn’t help it. That’s just too much to keep to myself. I mean, you, Gabriel Bellmonte, had a relationship with the most beautiful and talented actress in the world. It’s too odd and strange to not tell everyone.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
He ignored it. “Can we talk about the case, please?”
Everyone nodded in agreement again.
“Where are we with the prints?”
Maria noted from the report she was holding. “We ran the extra set of prints on the letter through our database. We got a hit. They belong to Reginald Alcott.”
“The director?” Sophie asked.
Maria nodded. “Looks like he was arrested in 1886 for participating in the Haymarket Massacre in Chicago where eight police officers were killed by a bomb. There was no real evidence against him so he was released.”
“I remember that day,” Kellen said. “I wasn’t in Chicago but I do remember it.”
Gabriel ran a hand through his unruly hair. “Wow, I didn’t know we had records from that long ago.”
“You’d be surprised what we have on file,” Maria said.
“Okay, obviously Elise’s assistant was mistaken on who touched the letter. She must’ve called him to come look at it and forgot that she’d done that.”
“Or he is the culprit,”
Gabriel just looked at Jakob. What could he possibly say? It was obvious there was no room for debate or discussion. Elise had snapped her fingers and everyone had jumped.
He had wanted to truly believe she wasn’t like that, that she hadn’t changed into a demanding star, but some of her behavior told him otherwise. This one topped the list.
“I’ll leave you to the details, Gabriel. I’m sure the case will be solved in days, a week at the most.”
Gabriel nearly groaned at the prospect of spending a week with Elise in an isolated cottage. Just the two of them. He’d actually have to make conversation with her. What did he possibly have to say to her? He’d already mistakenly spilled his guts about missing her. He couldn’t take that back now. It was out there. And he was sure Elise would use it to her advantage.
With an angry sigh, he picked up the phone to call his team in for a meeting. If he was going to be gone, he wanted his people to be working extra hard on the case. Every stone had to be turned, including looking into all the people who had been close to Elise over the years. Gabriel had a feeling this attack was from someone she knew and trusted. It was too close to home to be a stranger. The saboteur had gotten onto a closed set. Not an easy thing to do.
The phone on his desk rang. He picked it up. “Bellmonte.”
“I heard you got hurt.” It was Olena, his lead investigator.
“Nothing to worry about.”
“What about the case? Do you need me? I can be back in ten hours. Cale and I are in London for a time visiting his folks.”
“We’re good. Don’t cut your holiday short. You earned it and then some.”
“Okay, but don’t hesitate to call. I know how hard it is for you to admit you need help, but don’t be an ass about it.”
He laughed. It was just like Olena to call it as she saw it. There was no bull crap with her. “I will.”
“Uh-uh. We’ll see.” And with that she hung up. That’s what he liked about Olena—she was no-nonsense. He figured she’d be the one who took his job eventually.
* * *
Forty minutes later, most of his team had assembled in his office. Sophie, Kellen, Francois and the other head investigator, Maria Serrano, sat around his office as he laid it out.
“I’ve been recruited to be Ms. Leroy’s bodyguard while she’s out of town so it’s up to you guys to put this case together and quickly.”
Kellen smiled. “So, the two of you are going to shack up together somewhere all quiet and private like?”
Gabriel glared at Sophie. The lycan decidedly couldn’t keep her mouth shut.
She shrugged under his scrutiny. “ Que? I couldn’t help it. That’s just too much to keep to myself. I mean, you, Gabriel Bellmonte, had a relationship with the most beautiful and talented actress in the world. It’s too odd and strange to not tell everyone.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
He ignored it. “Can we talk about the case, please?”
Everyone nodded in agreement again.
“Where are we with the prints?”
Maria noted from the report she was holding. “We ran the extra set of prints on the letter through our database. We got a hit. They belong to Reginald Alcott.”
“The director?” Sophie asked.
Maria nodded. “Looks like he was arrested in 1886 for participating in the Haymarket Massacre in Chicago where eight police officers were killed by a bomb. There was no real evidence against him so he was released.”
“I remember that day,” Kellen said. “I wasn’t in Chicago but I do remember it.”
Gabriel ran a hand through his unruly hair. “Wow, I didn’t know we had records from that long ago.”
“You’d be surprised what we have on file,” Maria said.
“Okay, obviously Elise’s assistant was mistaken on who touched the letter. She must’ve called him to come look at it and forgot that she’d done that.”
“Or he is the culprit,”
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