Chapter 62 It's been few days, James sat at his desk looking through some papers when Louis rushed in. He had a big smirk on his face. "We got them, boss! Our intel finally paid off on the Petrov operation." James looked up, eyes narrowing. "You're sure about this?" "Damn sure," Louis said, tossing a file onto the desk. "Our undercover guy was able to get video evidence of Petrov meeting with that dirty cop we've been after. They're caught red-handed discussing payoffs and illegal activities." James flipped through the record, analyzing the pictures and transcripts with a satisfied nod. "Well, I'll be. Looks like the rat finally took the cheese." "Should we move in and take them down?" Louis asked eagerly. Leaning again in his chair, James thought for a moment then shaking his head "Not yet. Let's have a little fun with them first. Set up a meet, just me and Petrov's top guys. I want to see the fear in their eyes before we burn their whole operation to the ground." Louis grin

Chapter 64The next morning, Lily awakened to the tantalizing aroma of sparkling espresso and some thing splendidly sweet wafting up from the kitchen. Smiling, she stretched languidly before slipping out of bed and into her preferred silk gown.Padding downstairs, she saw James already dressed for work and expertly flipping golden pancakes on the stove at the same time as Ava sat at the kitchen island, fortuitously coloring away in her pajamas."Well, well, looks like I married a regular master chef," Lily quipped, coming up behind James to wrap her arms around his waist and press a kiss between his shoulder blades. He chuckled, turning his head to capture her lips in a proper good morning kiss. "Don't let the pancakes fool you, this is about the extent of my culinary prowess. Figured I'd treat my girls before heading into the office."Ava glanced up from her coloring with a grin. "Daddy makes the best pancakes ever! He even put chocolate chips in mine, see?" She held up a forkful o

Chapter 66It was nearly midnight by the time James eventually walked through the front door, looking exhausted and grim. Lily was curled up on the sofa looking forward to him, having spent the previous few hours alternating between checking on a slumbering Ava and pacing restlessly.She at once went to James, wrapping her arms round his waist and feeling some of the anxiety drain out of him as he hugged her back. For long seconds, they just held each other, drawing strength and comfort. Finally, James pulled back with a heavy sigh. "It's a goddamn mess, Lil," he said, scrubbing a hand over his face. "The forensic accountants are still untangling everything, however it seems like we are dealing with a seriously state-of-the-art embezzlement scheme."Lily led him to the sofa, never relinquishing her hold on his hand. "What did you discoverso far? Any leads on who is behind it?"James' jaw clenched. "Not yet. Whoever set this up truly knew what they had been doing. They funneled the m

Chapter 68Lily's knuckles had been white on the steerage wheel as she pulled into Rowland Park, scanning the scattered clusters of human beings milling about. She noticed Vincent almost immediately, lounging on a bench near the duck pond looking a way too casual for the sort of clandestine meeting.Swallowing hard, she pulled into a space and took a moment to gather herself before stepping out. The whole drive over, she'd second-guessed this decision a thousand times. Meeting a potential threat alone, without even telling James...it went against every ounce of logic and self-preservation.But beneath the fear pulsing through her veins, steely resolve hardened her spine and propelled her forward. She had to see this through, had to seize any chance to help James and protect their family, no matter the risk to herself.Approaching the bench on legs that wanted to wobble, Lily stopped a few feet away and crossed her arms. "Alright Vincent, I'm here," she said tightly. "Now tell me what

Chapter 70"Lily, thank God!" James rushed forward as she numbly exited the car, his hands reaching for her. "Where have you been? I've been calling for hours, I was about to send out a damn search party!"But Lily flinched back from his touch as if burned, the folder thrust between them like a shield. Or a glaring accusation. James froze, his eyes widening as they flicked from her devastated face to the damning papers."Lily..." he started hoarsely, a thousand emotions swirling in that one broken word. But she cut him off with a sharp, brittle laugh completely devoid of humor."Don't," she bit out, despising how her voice wavered. "Don't you dare try to explain this away, to spin some story about how it's not what it looks like."She shoved the folder into his chest, the harsh gesture belying the way her hand shook. I have everything, James. All the bad stuff: the cheating, stealing, and illegal things you did. It's all written down for everyone to see what a liar you are."James tur