Hearing Kiara call him "Dad" stirred feelings of joy in him but his feelings were also tinged with regret for lost time. Upon him lay a newfound commitment to protect his daughter no matter what.
"...there is no need for you to work Matteo's case any longer. Stay as far away from Matteo as possible because when he's going down, we don't want you in any danger."
"They can't take Matteo down yet! He's holding my sister hostage in his house!"
"So I have an aunt?" Kiara asked, and Dwayne heard the excitement in her voice, a stark contrast to the tension coiling in his chest.
"Yes, you do. And I have to save her."
"I'll inform my friend about your sister but promise me you'll stay away from Matteo. I can't bear the thought of losing you," Kiara's voice trailed off, barely audible.
"I'd love to promise, but with my sister in his house, I can't make that commitment," Dwayne replied.
There was a brief pause, followed by a muffled male voice in the background. Then Kiara returned to the line, "In twenty-four hours, your sister will be freed. Once they're safe, Matteo will be taken out for good. Mom has Jasmine. Jasmine has a broken leg but it's already cast. Richard is a traitor, he tried to kidnap Mom and Jasmine. He also works for Matteo. I love you, Dad. " The line went dead.
What the absolute fuck….
Just then, a sharp knock on his window jolted Dwayne from his trance. It was Yellows. He rolled down the window.
"She contacted me," Dwayne said breathlessly.
"Kitten?"
"No, Kiara. She said quite a lot of things."
Things that he refused to believe. But because he refused to believe it did it mean it wasn't true?
"Like what?"
"Kiara said she's safe. Matteo doesn't have her. McKenzie has Jasmine and Jasmine has a broken leg but it's in a cast."
"Fuck! Does she know where they are?"
Dwayne shook his head. "Whoever she's with is going to rescue Olivia then take out Matteo…for good."
"Do you trust that the person you were talking to was your daughter?" Skepticism was clear in Yellow's voice.
Did he have a choice?
Maybe he should've asked for some sort of confirmation, but despite his doubts, he found himself nodding. "Yes, I believe it's her. Mr. Bertarelli also confirmed she looked just like me."
Rage simmered as he thought about the stunt Mr. Bertarelli tried to pull at his office.
His voice was clipped as he spoke. "Kiara said Mr. Bertarelli claimed to call me when he was in the office. He was trying to get Kiara to go with him. But, she refused."
"Smart girl."
Dwayne nodded wearily. "Richard's a traitor."
"Are you sure?" Yellows' voice hardened.
"Kiara said he tried to kidnap McKenzie and Jasmine." Dwayne laughed but there was no humour in it. "And he works for Matteo."
"That fucking son of a bitch!" Yellows exploded.
Richard had been lying to him all along.
"If he's working for Matteo, then he had to know about Jasmine being in the container and where Olivia had been this whole time." Dwayne roared as he slammed his hands on the steering wheel.
Wait?
Did Richard put Jasmine in the container for the police to find? Or was Richard the mole in Matteo's organization who called the police? Did he know Milo and Pedro Lopez? And why the fuck did he throw Olivia in a brothel?
He was going to kill Richard with his bare hands.
Richard hadn't just lied, he had controlled the truth, fed him information he wanted him to know. God alone knows what bullshit he fed Olivia!
Fuck!
"What the fuck is Richard's end game? What is he gaining from betraying you?" Yellows asked.
Dwayne thought about it for a moment. He placed himself in Richard's shoes.
"He's not going to gain anything by betraying me. Richard wants an out from Matteo. That has to be his end game. He wouldn't have known Matteo's lawyer would've fumbled the case, and that I'd be hired. But, he did know how angry a jury would be if they found a toddler in Matteo's container."
"Are you saying Richard placed Jasmine in the container as a fucking decoy?"
Dwayne could feel the rage rolling off Yellows. And why wouldn't he when he himself wanted to snap Richard's neck off his shoulders.
"Yes, I believe he did. And then to ramp things up he tossed Olivia into one of Matteo's brothels. If the jury didn't get Matteo then he figured I would take Matteo out myself," Dwayne growled.
And he almost fucking fell for it.
He trusted Richard to keep them all safe, to help them out of the lion's den, not knowing he was one of the fucking lion tamers. He had been manipulating Dwayne from the start.
It was a good thing he'd kept a few wild cards up his sleeve. Now that he knew the truth, he'd handle Richard accordingly. As soon as his sister was safe, he'd let Matteo know who the mole in his organization was.
Richard would pay, dearly for crossing him.
"Shit," Dwayne blurted out.
"What is it?"
"His sister is in my fucking apartment!" Dwayne's voice tightened.
Yellows lifted a brow. "Do you think he sent her to spy on you?"
Before Dwayne could answer, Yellows' phone rang and he took a few steps away, speaking into the receiver in hushed tones. Dwayne couldn't make out the words, but Yellows' stiff posture and clenched fists made it clear that the news wasn't good. When Yellows ended the call, he made his way back to Dwayne's window.
"Follow me to the bunkers. We've got a situation on our hands," Yellows said, before walking away.