Page 34 of Brazilian Surrender
He hugged her, and nodded at Jaeger, who walked into the sumptuous apartment he’d visited once before. Camila had called Mark on their way back to the city, and he’d agreed to talk to them. He’d even given them a way to enter his building without being seen by the reporters gathered in front of the property.
“I appreciate you seeing us,” Jaeger said, shaking his hand a moment later.
“I told the police, I’m here to help. Lee never does this sort of thing,” he said, then pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m sorry. I haven’t gotten much sleep.”
Camila squeezed his shoulder. “Don’t worry at all. I’ll make us some coffee,” she said, and marched to the kitchen.
When they at opposite sides of the living room, Jaeger decided to speak. “There’s a chance Lee’s disappearance may be related to a case I’m privately investigating,” he said. “Has Lee ever talked to you about holding any grudges toward Camila?”
Mark squared his shoulders. “No. Never. He loves her. They’re inseparable, those two.”
“Has their bond ever become a problem in your relationship?”
Mark frowned, then chuckled a little. “No. I work all hours, and I’m not into a lot of activities Lee enjoys. So, I’ve always been grateful he has someone to spend time with when I’m not around.”
Jaeger nodded. The best of both worlds. “Fair enough.”
Mark scooted back on the sofa and tilted his head to the side. “Is someone trying to hurt my boyfriend?”
“I hope not. Have you been contacted by anyone asking for a ransom? Did he ever make anyone mad enough to want revenge? Any enemies?” Jaeger asked, pulling his notepad from his pocket.
“No and no,” he answered quickly. “You obviously don’t know much about Lee.” There was a pang of irritation in his voice.
You don’t either.Jaeger continued to ask the questions systematically. Maybe Lee had been kidnapped, or gotten mixed with the wrong people. But a part of Jaeger still believed Lee’s involvement with Camila’s letters and threats somehow. Wasn’t it convenient he disappeared days after Jaeger found those men in his place?
Maybe he wanted her gone. He thought a few letters would scare her away, and as they didn’t, he upped his game—with the dog’s death. The big question remained: why? Why did he want her out of his life so badly?
An hour later, Jaeger marched into his office. After questioning Mark, Jaeger had dropped off Camila at his place—where Omar waited for her.
“Mr. Bauer?” Therese asked, following him inside. “I’ve been checking your emails and rescheduling appointments.”
“Until I crack this case I’m not meeting new clients. This is my priority,” he said, flicking on his computer screen. Camila would be his priority until she no longer needed his services. Would he be able to let her go when time came? He sucked in a breath. He should if he wanted what was best for her—she could find someone younger, untainted, and without any baggage to share life with her. He couldn’t give her the fairy tale she deserved, and that was a reality he just had to live with.
“Is Tony in?” he asked. He hadn’t seen Tony at work in the computer room as he’d walked in, which meant he was either out at a meeting or working on a task. Ever since he’d asked him to check on Zoe Callahan, he hadn’t received so much as a text from his employee.
“He left to grab some food and will be right back. Oh, your aunt Gesa’s been calling you.”
Of course she had. Ever since his parents died in a car crash when he was in his twenties, Aunt Gesa had taken on the role of parenting him, even without it being necessary. She always called, left messages, and showed up unannounced with homemade bread or something. He’d appreciate her friendship much more if it didn’t come with strings—she always wanted to know everything about his life and insisted he needed to date a good woman. “I’ll call her later.”
“No you won’t,” Aunt Gesa said, walking into his office. Therese mouthed a “sorry” behind her and circled back to her desk. His aunt, sporting lime green hair, sauntered over to him and kissed his cheek before he could move away. Thank goodness she no longer pinched his cheeks—she’d done it until he was seventeen.
“Aunt Gesa, what a treat. You’re still as impatient as ever.”
She chuckled, her hand flying to her chest in a dramatic flair. “Honey, if it were up to you, you’d only talk to me through text messages and Christmas cards.”
Damn it. Was he that insensitive? He gestured for her to sit, but she waved him off, perusing his office and investigating the artwork and the books on the shelves. “I’m sorry. I’ve been busy,” he said. He’d been busy for a long time, because that was his survival mechanism.
“You’re always busy. Are you taking good care of my girl Camila?”
“Yes,” he said.
She finally sat in front of him and drummed her long, pointy nails on the desk. “Good. How was her brother’s wedding?”
“Why don’t you ask her? I can’t discuss a client’s case, and as you must know, that’s the reason why I accompanied her,” he said, and then finished his point with a fake smile that was sure to piss his curious aunt off. Knowing Gesa as he did, she’d be hearing wedding bells if she even suspected he and Camila slept together.
Gesa narrowed her eyes and leaned back in her chair taking a good look at him. “You know, you were a good husband to Ellen, even after she was gone.”
He squared his shoulders. Why would she bring up Ellen now? He ran his hand down his face, already too tired to combat a personal conversation. Maybe honesty would be the best policy just once. “You don’t know that. I worked a lot while we were married,” he said, remembering the times Ellen would tell him how frustrated his job made her. Once or twice, she’d used the word “miserable.”
