Stolen Identity: Mute Heiress

Chapter 404: Targeted

When Jamal and Dawn stepped inside Tom’s study, Lucy was already there, sitting on the couch with both hands clasped tightly together. Her face looked pale.

Tom stood near his desk with his phone pressed to his ear.

"Yes," Tom said sharply into the phone. "I want every detail you have right now. Scrutinize the security cameras... you know what, send them to me. I’ll have my men do so over here. As for every single security personnel, I want them handed over to the police for questioning."

Tom listened for a moment as the person on the other end of the line said something.

Jamal and Dawn stood near the doorway. Neither of them spoke but they both watched Tom.

Tom’s jaw tightened. "How bad is it?" he asked.

Another pause.

Lucy slowly rose from the couch and walked closer to stand beside him. Tom absentmindedly wrapped an arm around her and held the phone against his ear with the other hand.

"Yes," he said again into the phone. "Ensure they search every room. I want confirmation on the guest list. Immediately."

The room fell silent once he ended the call.

"What is going on?" Lucy asked softly.

Tom exhaled slowly and ran a hand over his face. "The explosion did not destroy several suites the way the news is saying," he explained. "It happened in only one suite."

Dawn’s heart began to pound. "One suite?" she whispered.

Tom nodded grimly. "Yes." He looked at Dawn. "Genevieve’s suite, where it originated."

Dawn’s knees weakened and the room tilted slightly. Jamal stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her.

"It appears the blast was contained within that suite," Tom continued. "The other rooms only took the shock."

Lucy covered her mouth. "Someone did this on purpose?" she asked.

Tom nodded slowly. "That is what it looks like."

Dawn covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh my God... How can this happen? We talked just yesterday," her voice broke.

Jamal held her tighter when he heard the break in her voice. His hand moved slowly over her back. "I know," he said quietly.

Dawn shook her head slowly, her eyes still fixed on the floor. "She sounded so tired when we talked," she whispered. "She said she was going to sleep. She said I should give her love to Josh."

She closed her eyes. The last time she saw Genevieve flashed through her mind. Their night at the club. How they’d danced together, then the incident in the restroom before they left.

Jamal felt her body tremble against him before she broke into a sob.

Lucy’s eyes filled with tears as she looked between them.

Dawn leaned back slightly against Jamal’s chest as if her strength was slowly draining away.

"How did this happen? Why would anyone target Genevieve?" Lucy asked.

"We are still looking into it. But my guess is that Genevieve stepped on the wrong toes by releasing the news about Ryan and all his illegal dealings. He likely had powerful business partners who would be exposed by what she released," Tom explained.

Tom felt a heavy knot of guilt tighten in his chest. He rubbed his temple slowly.

"Stefan told me she would be staying there," he muttered. "I should have paid more attention."

If only he had... Maybe he would have taken precautions.

Lucy watched him for a moment then placed a gentle hand on his arm. "You couldn’t possibly have known this would happen," she said softly.

Tom looked at her. "If I had cared enough about her, I would have prepared for something like this," he said quietly. "If Dawn had been the one on that trip, I would have taken precautions."

"Genevieve is not Dawn," Lucy reminded him gently. "You can feel bad about what happened without blaming yourself for it. It wasn’t your fault."

"Lucy is right," Jamal said quietly. "I understand your concern. But like you always tell me, some responsibilities belong only to family. You already carry a lot. You did not owe Genevieve that level of protection."

As much as Dawn understood what they were saying, she didn’t want to hear any of it.

Not right now.

She stepped away from Jamal. "I... I should go check on Josh," she said, then without waiting for him to respond she turned and walked away.

Jamal followed her. "Dawn..."

"Please, I need to be alone."

Jamal stopped when he heard the strain in her voice. Before he could say anything his phone buzzed.

He realized he’d not called Stefan back after he saw the news. He had hung up immediately after Stefan asked if he had seen the news.

"It’s Stefan," he told Dawn.

She nodded slowly. "You should probably go be with him. He must be devastated."

"I can’t leave you..."

"I have Josh, Lucy and Tom. I doubt Stefan has anyone with him. I’ll be fine. Go to him," Dawn said quietly.

When she saw that he was still hesitating she gave him a fixed look. "I told you I need some time alone."

Jamal gave her a nod. "Okay," he said then answered Stefan’s call immediately as Dawn walked away.

"Stefan."

"Jamal, I need a few days off. I need to go to Westend," Stefan said in an urgent tone.

Jamal frowned. That wasn’t what he had expected. He’d expected Stefan to sound broken or upset but Stefan’s voice sounded controlled.

"Westend?" Jamal repeated. "Why?"

There was a short pause on the other end of the line. "I need to see her," Stefan said.

Jamal rubbed a hand across his forehead. "Stefan, she was targeted...."

"I know."

"Then what are you going to do in Westend right now?"

"Put yourself in my shoes," Stefan snapped, then took a deep breath to calm himself. "Jamal, I need to go there. I need to be there."

The way he said it made Jamal straighten. Stefan rarely insisted on anything without reason.

"Okay. Where are you?" Jamal asked.

"I’m at the office," Stefan said and Jamal’s brows pulled together.

"What are you doing there?"

"Tidying up my desk and tying up loose ends so that you can manage without me for a couple of days."

Jamal was quiet for a moment. "What do you plan to do?" he asked carefully.

"I’ll figure it out after I see her."

Jamal didn’t miss the way he said ’her’ instead of ’her body’ and it made him wonder if Stefan was in denial.

The news report had said human remains had been seen in the debris of the suite.

But Stefan didn’t sound like a man who believed she was gone.

"Don’t worry about work. I’ll handle everything. You can take the private jet. I will call the pilot," Jamal offered.

"That’s not necessary," Stefan said quietly.

"Maybe not. But it’s the least I can do," Jamal responded.

There was silence on the other end of the line. "Thank you."