Free Heart Melter by Sophia Knightly Page B

shocked at his sudden outburst.
    “Bloody hell.” He slapped his palm on the table. “I’m going to throttle the conniving bitch!”
     
    Natasha sank down on the chair and stared at Ian. She could feel his simmering rage from across the table, in his severe eyes and the harsh set of his jaw. 
    “Who sent you the text?” she asked softly.
    “The woman claiming half of my rightful inheritance,” Ian grated through clamped teeth.
    “Who is she?”
    Ian’s mouth formed a grim line as he struggled to contain his temper. “My father’s mistress.” The veins in his neck stood out as he knocked back the rest of his wine. “I inherited the bulk of Dad’s estate, but he left half of Glenhaven castle and the surrounding land to her.”
    According to Maggie, since his father’s death, Ian had purchased a Kensington Garden flat and a New York penthouse in Central Park West. But none of those properties held the strings to his heart as his family estate. No wonder he was livid that he had to share it with his father’s mistress.
    “If your dad was already a widower, why didn’t he marry her?”
    “Because she was married to another man,” Ian said scathingly. “She and Dad had a clandestine affair for over a dozen years.”
    Natasha’s jaw dropped. The whole thing sounded like a soap opera. “What are you going to do?”
    “I’m contesting the will. Dad signed it on his deathbed, probably delirious from morphine. His mistress kept his illness a secret and had her lawyer draw up a new will when she knew he was close to dying.”
    “That’s so evil. Are you sure your father was in love with her?”
    Ian snorted. “She has the galling nerve to claim she was the love of his life,” he said roughly, his face flushed dark red. “It’s a lie. Dad adored Mum to her dying day. They were childhood sweethearts.”
    The way Maggie had stated things, it hadn’t sounded as if Ian’s parents had had such a loving relationship. Of course, Fiona died when Ian was only eight, so he had seen it through a child’s eyes.
    “You never suspected anything?” Natasha asked, even though Ian’s face had become shuttered. She didn’t want to end it there, not when he was finally opening up.
    “No.” Ian poured another glass of wine and drank deeply. He raked a hand through his thick hair and met her questioning gaze with a half-hearted smile. “Let’s change the subject. No use letting her ruin the evening.”
    “Okay,” Natasha said, bolstered by his smile. Whether she liked it or not, she had to tell him about the flash drive right away. The timing was unfortunate, especially after the recent text, but she couldn’t wait any longer if she was going to alert the detectives tomorrow.
    With Ian’s full attention on her, she took a fortifying breath. “Promise me you’re not going to go ballistic when I tell you…”
    “What is it?” Ian’s dark brows drew together over narrowed eyes as he watched her.
    "You know the flash drive the mob is looking for?" At his nod, she said, "It incriminates the whole Capelli crime syndicate."
    "And?" He drummed his fingers on the table top, his sharp gaze steady on her. 
    Natasha drew in a tremulous breath. "It's upstairs.”
    Ian’s eyebrows shot up. “What? Where the hell is it?”
    “In the lining of my suitcase. I found it when I unpacked before coming down to dinner.”
    A muscle in Ian’s jaw ticked as he went very still. “Bloody hell,” he said, the guttural sound deep in his throat.
    “Can you help me get it to Detective Carson in New York? I don’t trust the regular mail,” she said in a rush, her heart thumping.
    Ian’s hands formed a steeple, his fingertips grazing the cleft in his chin as he considered what she’d just said. "Did you see what was on the flash drive?”
    “No. It wouldn’t open for me.”
    He slanted a look at her. “It might be encrypted."
    "I don't think Tony was enough of a techie to know how to do that."
    "Don't be too sure.
    "How can