Chapter 4 STOP DIGGING

DOMINIC BLACKWELL'S POV

She came into my office at seven sharp, just like I told her. But there was something different about the way she moved. Quieter and Sharper. Like someone who had spent the night looking over her shoulder.

"Eliza," I said glancing up. "You're early."

"I didn't sleep." She said, she had visible dark circles.

"Because of the photo?" I asked, it's normal for her to be like that. He was her first love.

"No. Because of the one I got after." I quickly raised my brows and shifted my head backwards.

She stepped forward and slid her phone across the desk. I picked it up. The image was crisp. High resolution. Her son walking alone down a residential street. A timestamp in the corner.

"Where was this taken?" I asked she was really nervous.

"Utah. Ten minutes from the school." She stated.

"Who has access to your kids right now?" that should be the best question now.

"My sister. She picks them up from school and takes them home." She stated

"And this person knew their schedule?"

"That's the issue right now."

I set the phone down and stood. "We're going to fix this."

"You can't fix the fact that someone knows where my child is and wants me to shut up about a ten-year-old death."

"No, but I can make sure it never happens again." I said assuring her.

Her voice was low. "How?"

"Private security, Full surveillance. I'll move your sister and your kids to a new location. Somewhere with cameras and 24-hour coverage."

"You think my sister will agree to that? She stays with her husband. It's one thing to convince her, it's another to convince them."

"They'll agree if you explain what happens if she doesn't."

Eliza sat in the chair across from me and folded her arms. "You know, I applied for this job basically for the pay and also so I can cater for my children. you said this job would give me distance. The distance now scares me as I'm away from my kids who are possibly in danger." Fear was boldly written on her face. She's afraid that they might end up like Jacob.

"Yes the job gives you distance but not from people you cherish, not when their lives are at risk. But right now you don't need distance. You need control." I stood up and walked behind her, her hands rested on her shoulders.

"I haven't had that since I was seventeen." She said in a soft tone.

"Then it's time to start." I said reassuring her.

She looked up at me. "Dominic, if you touch this, you're involved." Her eyes not leaving mine.

"I'm already involved." I said softly, I massaged her shoulders a little bit.

"You don't owe me this Dominic, I got this." She said as she rested her hands on my hand. She made to remove mine but my grips stronger, her eyes still glued to mine.

"I don't operate on debt Eliza. I'm doing what I can to help a string woman. No one goes to the battlefield alone. You need help."

Her voice dropped. "You saw what happened to the last man who cared about me. He was brutally murdered." I broke the gaze, I turned my face from her's. I couldn't allow her see the grief flash on my face. Jacob was my only cousin. The only family I had.

"I'm not him." I said softly, She didn't argue. I released my grip from her shoulders.

I reached for the intercom and pressed the call button. "Anders. Set up surveillance at the address Eliza gives you. I want two men stationed there by sundown and full traffic access for the last forty-eight hours."

"Yes sir." Anders said over the phone. Then I ended the call.

I turned back to her. "Anything else I need to know?"

Her voice barely made it across the desk. "There was a message too." What possibly was this message. The message I got earlier was to ask her about Jacob.

She stood up and walked up to me. "It said, Stop digging."

I exhaled slowly. "They're scared." It wasn't what I expected but that isn't just a threat, they showed their fear I'm the message.

"Of what?" She asked softly. "What exactly are they scared of?"

"You. For the first time in your life, you have a platform and a witness. They're afraid you'll expose them. You were forced to marry Mark just so they'll keep you shut but now you're out of their reach. They're probably scared that you must have reported."

"You don't think it's a bluff?" she raises her brows then exhaled.

"No. This isn't a bluff. It's a warning. Someone doesn't want you remembering Jacob. Maybe they know something they're afraid you shouldn't."

Her fingers curled into a fist. "I never forgot. And I never will." I took her fist and wrapped them in my palms. Our eyes meeting each other's.

"Then you're already ahead of them." I whispered, then let go of her hand.

I walked around the desk and on my seat directly opposite her. She took the seat next to her. "Tell me everything you know about your husband's offshore assets."

She hesitated. "How did you know that? And why do you need that information?"

"Because no man keeps a second condo and drains your accounts unless he's moving money. And money always leads to secrets." I stated.

"He used to take trips to Las Vegas. He said they were church-related. He told our bishop he was organizing donor funds for some nonprofit." She said nodding her head.

"Name? I mean name of the nonprofit organization?" I asked further as her face paled.

"He never gave one. He just said it was confidential."

"Did he file taxes on it?"

"Not that I know of." She's confused as to how I knew.

"Do you know the bank he used?"

"I know he had a safe deposit box at a bank in Salt Lake. I wasn't allowed access."

"Do you know if he ever took cash withdrawals over ten thousand?"

"He always made sure it was under. Nine thousand here. Eight thousand there."

I smiled. "Classic structuring. He's hiding something."

Her voice was steady now. "Can you prove it?" she asked , widening her eyes.

"Eventually. But I'll need help."

Her brow furrowed. "From who?" I smiled lightly.

"There's a woman I know. She used to work in counter-intel. She's quiet and smart. Although she's a bit erratic."

"You trust her?" She asked.

"I trust her more than I trust the SEC." I said then her phone buzzed again. She glanced down and her face went pale. Her hands trembled as she held her phone.

"What is it?" I asked almost getting up from my seat. She raised her face up and then she handed it to me without speaking. This time, it was a video. Not just any video but a live feed.

A woman, who looked like Eliza but the older version. Being pulled into a driveway with her youngest two children in the back seat. The message below the video was clear. We're watching.

I stood, picking my black coat hung in the coat rack next to my table. "Get your coat." I said as I picked up my phone on the table.

"Where are we going?" She asked confused. She stood up and wore her coat lying behind the chair she sat.

"To find the people sending these messages." I said walking out of the office. Only to turn, she just stood there.

She didn't move. "Dominic, if they know I'm here, they might be watching this building too." She looked through the glass window, squinting her eyes to confirm if she could see them.

"They are." I said as she shook a little bit but regained herself.

"And that doesn't bother you?" she's looking worried sick now. She turned around nervously.

"No. Because they think I won't act."

Eliza stood too. Her face was pale, but her eyes were clear. "Do you have a plan?" She asked. In truth I have none now.

"Not yet." I said as her face fell. She heaved a sigh.

"Then why are we leaving?"

"Because you don't learn anything behind a desk." I grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the office.

I took her to the elevator and tapped my private code. We dropped to the garage in silence.

"Are we going to my family?" she asked. Knowing that's impossible and going there without a plan is a death trap. I can't end like Jacob.

"No. First, we're making a stop." I said as she turned to face me.

"Where?"

"To see someone who used to specialize in making people disappear."

She looked at me. "Are you saying I need to disappear?" she asked further. She shook lightly.

"I'm saying you might need to learn how."

The car pulled out into traffic. Eliza sat stiffly in the seat beside me, her hands gripping the armrest.

"Dominic," she said after a moment.

"Yes." I answered my concentration on the road.

"Do you think Mark killed Jacob?" She asked out of nowhere.

"I think Mark had someone else do it. And I think whoever helped him wants to make sure you never say that out loud." I replied, that was my conclusion but Jacob wasn't killed because he dated Eliza but because he knew something. Something capable of bringing them down. She didn't respond again.

The car turned sharply and pulled into a dark side street. A security checkpoint flashed green. We entered an underground garage, the lights low and tinted.

"Who lives here?" she asked staring around the place.

"She doesn't live here. She operates from here."

I stepped out and held the door for her. We took a service elevator down two more floors until the door opened into a long corridor lined with red lighting and steel doors.

"This doesn't look legal," Eliza said quietly.

"It isn't." We arrived the door and I knocked once. Then again, three short taps. The door opened. Kit, A tall woman in black leaned against the door frame, a cigarette between her fingers and a Glock on her hip.

"Took you long enough," she said as she excused from the door.

"Good to see you too, Kit." I pulled her into a light hug. She reciprocated. It just lasted for three seconds. Then we disengaged.

She turned her eyes to Eliza. "This her?" Eliza gave me a look. I just shrugged my shoulders.

I nodded. "She's the one."

I stepped inside then turned to Eliza who stood at the doorway. Still contemplating on coming in.. "Then, you better come in. Because you're not going to like what I have to show you." Kit said as Eliza and I exchanged a glance before she walked into the dim room.

Kit turned the screen of her laptop toward us. It was a dossier. Names, dates. transfers and coordinates. And in the center of the screen, a folder marked with one word. "Whitmore." Eliza shone her eyes in shock.

Kit tapped the folder open. Inside were surveillance logs. Financial reports. Voice transcriptions. And at the top of the list, a scanned signature.

Eliza stepped forward, her voice barely a whisper. "That's my father's signature."

I turned to Kit. "What the hell is this?"

Kit leaned against the wall and exhaled smoke into the air. "It's a contract," she said nonchalantly.

"With who?" Eliza asked with a broken voice.

Her eyes flicked to Eliza. "Your father sold you." Her eyes shone, as she gasped in shock.