Claimed By My Billionaire Ex

Chapter 19

OLIVE

"Wine?" Rachel lifted a bottle of white in the air. "Or should we do champagne?"

My hands twisted together as I glanced around Helen's marble kitchen, the vaulted space larger than the apartment I'd lived in with Claire. The back wall was an entire pane of glass and looked out on the manicured yard, where Rachel's twins, Helen's daughter, and Claire were running around on a playground that could have mirrored the ones at the park.

"Olive, your choice." Helen smiled at me. "Olive?" Her voice was soft. Just like her modest clothes, everything about her was so unassuming. It didn't fit with the image of her from the video in my head.

"White wine is fine," I smiled.

"Perfect," Helen said, pouring the entire bottle into three separate glasses. As she turned on the TV, she sighed. "Wine is my medicine, Lord help us."

Rachel chuckled and leaned across the island counter. "Olive, it's so nice finally see you outside of school." I was relieved I was lifting the wine glass to my lips so that Rachel couldn't see my frown. Unsuspecting, she continued. "I hope you don't mind, but I invited Lucas to join us today."

The wine caught in my throat upon my sip. "Y-you what?"

Rachel shrugged. "Well, you know, I just figured that he'd like to know where you are."

I set my wine glass down. "Sorry, what? You think my boyfriend needs checking up on me?"

"No, more so, I just didn't want him to worry."

My hands pressed into the cool marble. "Is it that you didn't want him to worry, Rachel, or is it that you want every opportunity you can to get as close to the White House as possible?"

Rachel's entire demeanor changed. Her voice lowered. "I'm offended by that accusation, Olive."

"Holy shit." Both Rachel and I turned at the sound of Helene's voice.

She was standing in front of the television, sipping her wine glass faster. The news was playing the story about Quinn's death, but the headline had been updated.

Local bank teller killed in shoot out after robbery at mayor Isaacs's mansion.

"What is it?" Rachel asked.

"Quinn," Helen said. "He's dead."

Rachel blinked quickly, looked between Helen and I, and cleared her throat. "Who's Quinn?"

Helen's expression froze. Her eyes darted to me and then back to her wine. "I-uh-used to work with him."

They were both in on this. I knew it in that moment. Whatever part Helen had taken in blackmailing Isaacs, Rachel had either known about it or been involved.

I gravitated toward the television, leaving my wine glass behind. The screen switched to a video of Mayor Isaacs's hallway as a man emerged from a closed door and darted across the hall to his office.

In the background, the reporter continued. "This video was taken shortly before Mr. Zinger was discovered attempting to rob Mayor Isaacs."

"How sad," Rachel whispered.

Helen finished her glass of wine. "Terrible." Her eyebrows lifted. "More wine?"

I hesitated. None of this made sense. There had been no shoot out at Jessie's, I was sure of it. Not when Quinn had been on the run and hiding from Isaacs's people. If Quinn was dead, then it was because they'd finally tracked him down.