“No, thanks.” I shook my head. No way was I drinking wine with David. I didn’t want to be drugged, and I didn’t want to end up in his bed either. “I’m sticking to water.”
“Fair enough.” He placed the bottle back on the table. “Shall we order before we get back to the deep conversation?”
“If that’s what you want.”
“I recommend the arctic char, though the pork chop with brussels sprouts is divine as well.”
“I’m not really a pork eater.” I opened the menu and looked down. I couldn’t afford to go too hard too fast or that would be it.
“You can’t go wrong with any of their entrées.”
“I might get the chicken.” Safe, plain, boring chicken. It was pretty hard to mess chicken up and I’d know if it was raw.
“The chicken is good.” He smiled widely. “So, Bianca, Bianca, Bianca, I was surprised when you called me.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “The fact that Mattias kidnapped you and tried to scare you on the island with his henchman Steve?” He looked at me with a sad expression. “I’m so sorry. If I’d had any idea what he was capable of, I never would have told him you were looking for him.”
“So you knew?” I asked him softly, leaning forward. “When, exactly?”
“I—I—” He stuttered for a few seconds and looked at me with a sorrowful expression. “I thought he was joking when he told me his plan. I thought he was just saying stuff.”
“Where is Steve?” My eyes never left David’s face as I launched another question and waited to see his response.
“Steve?” He looked confused. “No idea, why?”
“Steve disappeared.”
“What?” David frowned and looked away for a second. I could see a vein throbbing in his neck. “Mattias must have done something to him.”
“He doesn’t know where Steve is.” I shook my head.
“That’s not possible.” David’s voice was rough. “He has to know where Steve is. He’s the one who sent Steve to the island. He thought it would be a good way to get you to trust him faster—said that the quickest way to make two people bond is to make them think they need to work together against a mutual enemy.” David gulped some more wine. “Steve was working for him.”
“Steve tried to kill him.”
“What?” David’s face paled. “No, that’s not possible. That must have been part of the act.”
“I don’t think so.” It occurred to me that neither David nor Jakob seemed to understand what had motivated Steve. “Are you lying to me, David?” My eyes narrowed and I could feel a new power surging through me. I would figure this out and get to the bottom of the situation.
“I swear to God. I don’t know what Mattias is up to. I can’t believe he would do all of this. You didn’t deserve any of it, Bianca. I wish I could have protected you. I should have known better.”
“How were you to know your brother was a sociopath?” I said, rolling my eyes.
“Exactly.” David looked distraught. “I would have trusted him with my life. He’s my blood.” Idiot. I tried to hide my disdain for David from my face. How had he not realized I was being sarcastic?
“Do you know the attorney for Bradley Inc.?” I asked softly, then sipped some water.
“The attorney?” David frowned. “No, why?”
I bit my lower lip, considering, trying to decide whether to tell him about Larry’s disappearance. I had to make a judgment call. Did I trust David? I knew the answer was no, but I also knew that I had to, a little bit. He was the soft brother. He looked devastated by what had happened. I knew he wasn’t capable of the deception Jakob had pulled on me, especially not with our history.
“When my father died, my father’s attorney gave me some papers. I just recently found out that my father’s attorney was also the attorney for Bradley Inc., and, well, he’s gone missing.”
“Oh?” David sipped his wine and his eyes widened. “That doesn’t seem like a coincidence, does it?”
Bingo, Sherlock. “No, it doesn’t. I’m worried that something bad has happened to Larry.”
“Do you know his last name?” David looked thoughtful.
“Renee.” I stared at his face to see if his expression changed. “His name is Larry Renee.”
“Never heard of him before.” David shook his head, his expression blank.
“I think Mattias kidnapped him as well,” I prodded on, hoping to see some sign of activity in David’s brain. He couldn’t be this clueless, could he?
“I wouldn’t put it past him.” David licked his lips. “Has he contacted you?”
“Who?”
“Mattias.”
“No,” I lied, though I wasn’t sure why. “I don’t know why he would contact me.”
“He knows you know that he is Mattias, though?”
“Yes, he knows.” I nodded. “He confirmed it.”
“What happened on the island, Bianca?” David looked curiously at me. “What did my brother do to you?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve changed.” His fingers circled the rim of his wineglass. “You’re more confident now.”