A Legal Affair (23 page)

When she’d finished rattling off the litany of alleged offenses, Caleb said in a low, quelling voice, “Hoyt Philbin doesn’t believe a single one of those things. And you know why? Because they’re not true.”

“I’m just letting you know what I was told!”

“Yeah? Did Philbin also tell you that he’s hated my father for over forty years, long before Crandall built his empire and became a target of random government audits and secret investigations?” At Daniela’s surprised look, his mouth twisted sardonically. “Did you seriously think your ‘undercover operation’ was the first my father has ever endured? Did you think your little detective agency was the only one Philbin had ever approached to help him in his personal crusade to take down my father?”

He didn’t raise his voice above a low growl, and yet each word snapped in the air like the crack of a whip, lashing at Daniela, breaking her down until she sank weakly onto the sofa and dropped her head into her hands.

But he wasn’t finished with her yet. “Did Philbin tell you the
real
reason behind his grudge against my father? No? You mean he didn’t tell you that long before he met his wife, Tessa, she and my father were madly in love with each other? He didn’t tell you how young, social-climbing Tessa deserted my father for Hoyt Philbin because he was white, and his political future looked more promising than Crandall’s? And he didn’t tell you that forty years ago, my father and Tessa saw each other again for the first time in ages, that one thing led to another and they wound up having an affair? And out of that affair came my half sister, Melanie, who was born a little too dark-skinned for Hoyt’s liking, so he made Tessa give her up for adoption, telling her that they’d have other children later, when his political career was more established.”

Aghast, Daniela could only stare up at him, unable to believe the incredible tale he was sharing with her.

Amused by her horrified expression, Caleb gave a soft, mirthless laugh. “This is the kind of dirt you were looking for, isn’t it, Daniela?” he taunted bitterly. “This is what you hoped I would share with you during pillow talk. But wait, it only gets better.”

Her heart constricted. “Caleb—”

“Let me finish!” His voice softened to a silky, dangerous caress as he added, “After all, it’s the least I can do, since I never gave you the ammunition you came into my life seeking.”

Swallowing hard, Daniela closed her eyes for a moment. It was impossible to reconcile this cold, ruthless version of Caleb with the tender, fiercely passionate lover who’d brought her to shuddering heights of ecstasy every time they made love.

But it was
she
who’d brought him to this dark moment, tension and fury radiating from his body as he stood a few feet away from her, no doubt wishing he’d never set eyes on her.

“When I was fourteen years old,” Caleb began, his voice low and controlled, “I came home from school one day to find my parents kneeling over the dead body of a nineteen-year-old girl. They told me that the girl had broken into the house wielding a gun, and that she planned to rob and kill them. When I looked down at the body, all I saw were torn jeans, ratty sneakers and wild, dirty hair. I remember thinking that she
looked
like a homeless person capable of violence, so I believed them. I was so scared and shaken that it didn’t even occur to me to wonder why the girl looked so much like me. And then the police arrived, and my father told them what had happened, that he’d accidentally shot the intruder during a struggle for the gun. The police filed a report and conducted an investigation that eventually cleared my parents of any suspicion of wrongdoing, and after a while the whole thing went away. Until sixteen years later, when Hoyt Philbin paid me a visit at work.
That’s
how I found out that the girl my father accidentally killed that day was actually my half sister, Melanie, who’d been bounced around foster care homes all her life until she finally aged out of the system at eighteen.

“Before that day, I’d never even suspected that I had a sister out there somewhere. Philbin told me that she’d gone to the house to confront my father about abandoning her, just as she’d confronted Tessa the day before. He claimed that my father killed Melanie to keep her from going to the press, but he was never able to prove it—though he’s never stopped trying. As you can imagine, I was devastated by this news, and to have to learn about Melanie from my father’s long-time enemy sent me into a rage. I’d already been thinking about leaving the firm. As I told you before, I was burned-out, physically and emotionally. Learning about my half sister, knowing that my father had kept the truth from me all those years, hastened my decision to leave.”

As Daniela gazed at him, tears welled in her eyes and her heart broke for him. She mourned the tragic loss of innocence he and his sister had suffered so senselessly. And she mourned the life of a desperate young woman who’d been cast aside like a rag doll because of the selfish, reckless actions of the three adults who’d failed her.

“I’m so sorry, Caleb,” Daniela whispered brokenly. “I had no idea.”

“Of course you didn’t,” he snarled, advancing on her. “Philbin didn’t see fit to tell you and your brothers before you signed on the dotted line. But that’s the kind of man you’re dealing with, a man so hell-bent on revenge that he’d sacrifice his own wife in the process of exposing my father’s dirty little secret. He was hoping you’d succeed where he’d failed to pry the ‘truth’ out of me. He was counting on the fact that somewhere along the way, my father had tearfully confessed his crime to me, admitting to me that he did, in fact, purposefully kill my sister to protect his own reputation. But what Philbin has always failed to realize is that I’ve never doubted my father’s innocence. I think he was a conniving, heartless bastard for not telling me about my sister, and he was dead wrong for having an affair with another man’s wife, old flame or not. But Crandall Thorne is not a cold-blooded murderer, and Hoyt Philbin can damn well go to his grave trying to prove otherwise.

“So here’s my question to you, Daniela.” Caleb sneered, dropping to a crouch in front of her. Hard, angry fingers bit into her chin, forcing her to meet his contemptuous gaze. “How much money did it take to make you sell your soul to the devil?”

She closed her eyes, awash in shame and regret. “It’s not important, Caleb,” she said tremulously.

“The hell it isn’t!” he growled. “I want to know how little it takes to make a woman like you sink so low.”

Her eyes snapped open. “I’m not a whore, Caleb!” she exploded, wounded by his cruelty. “I didn’t sleep with you because I was trying to pry information out of you. I slept with you because I
wanted
you. Because I love you!”

His eyes turned to shards of black ice, unthawed by her fervent admission. “That’s just too damned bad, Daniela,” he said, ominously soft. “Because if I never see you again, it’ll be too soon.”

Her heart ripped in half. “You don’t mean that,” she moaned tearfully, begging him to take the words back, even if he really meant them.

Without another word, Caleb got abruptly to his feet and stalked to the front door, slamming out of the house with shattering finality.

As her shoulders began to shake with silent sobs, Daniela covered her face with her hands and wept uncontrollably.

When she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder, she looked up in startled surprise to find her mother standing there, wearing overalls and her favorite wide-brimmed straw hat.

Daniela gulped in a breath. “I didn’t know you were home, Mom,” she mumbled.

“I was in the backyard, working in my garden,” Pamela said quietly. “I heard shouting, so I came inside to see what all the commotion was about. Once I realized what was going on, I stayed in the kitchen.”

“Y-You heard everything?”

“I heard enough.” Pamela’s expression was full of tender sympathy as she sat down beside her daughter and gently gathered her into her arms. “Oh, baby. I’m so sorry,” she said soothingly as a fresh wave of heart-broken sobs racked Daniela’s body.

Long after the emotional storm receded, Daniela remained in her mother’s arms, comforted by the rocking motions of her body.

“I made a terrible mistake, Mom,” she whispered hoarsely.

“Sounds like you did,” Pamela murmured in agreement.

“He’s never going to forgive me.”

“You don’t know that for sure. Sounds to me like Caleb really cares for you. He wouldn’t have been so angry if he didn’t.” She ran soothing hands up and down Daniela’s back. “It’s going to be all right, baby. One way or another, it’s going to be all right.”

Daniela wished she could believe her mother. But as she remembered the cold, lethal fury in Caleb’s eyes, she knew she had to accept reality.

Caleb was never going to forgive her.

In that moment, she wondered if she’d ever be able to forgive herself.

I
n the days and weeks that followed, Daniela coped with her heartache in the only way she knew how: by throwing herself into work and a flurry of other activities that would keep her mind off what she’d had, and lost. She put in longer hours at the office and took on more cases; she even managed to drum up more business for the agency by hanging out at the courthouse and passing out business cards to attorneys, who often hired P.I.’s to track down the information they needed to prosecute or defend personal injury, civil liability and child custody cases. Although much of the work kept her chained to her desk as she pored through mountains of public documents and scoured the Internet for research, Daniela didn’t mind the monotony. After the way her
last
undercover assignment had ended, she no longer craved the drama and excitement of a big case.

She’d had more than enough drama to last her a lifetime.

The day after her agonizing showdown with Caleb, Hoyt Philbin had stopped by Roarke Investigations to inform Daniela and her brothers that their services were no longer required. As he explained to them, he’d changed his mind about investigating Crandall Thorne, and didn’t want them to waste another second on such a “futile endeavor.” Although he spoke as if he’d reached the decision all by himself, Daniela and her brothers suspected he’d had a little help—namely in the form of Crandall Thorne’s threat to go to the media about the former mayor’s shady business dealings while in office. Apparently, two of Philbin’s major campaign contributors during the last election had been high-ranking members of the Mexican mafia, a fact that had been concealed from the public and would remain as such, unless Crandall decided otherwise.

After what she’d learned about the former mayor, Daniela took a certain amount of pleasure in knowing that Crandall having the upper hand would keep Philbin in line, once and for all.

Had Caleb not left the manila folder at her house, which included the incriminating evidence about Philbin, Daniela may never have realized just how unscrupulous the man was.

After reading the private investigator’s report on Philbin, she’d calmly packaged everything up and mailed the folder back to Crandall, not Caleb, because the mere thought of writing Caleb’s name on an envelope had caused her too much pain.

Days merged into weeks that passed in a blur of long days at the office, and sleepless nights at home. Although Daniela was often exhausted by the time she returned to her house late at night, once her head hit the pillow, she found it difficult, if not impossible, to fall asleep right away. Visions of Caleb haunted her, tormenting her with memories of their all-too-brief time together.

She remembered Caleb, dark eyes gleaming as they enjoyed a laugh over coffee and ice cream.

Caleb, dragging her into a supply closet and kissing her with such unrestrained passion her bones dissolved to liquid.

Caleb, holding her in his arms and humming a Smokey Robinson tune as they slow danced on the terrace after watching the sunset.

On most nights, she fell asleep thinking about the times she’d lain in his arms after they’d made love, her head nestled against his shoulder, his hand lazily caressing her as they whispered endearments to each other before sleep overcame them—or a fresh wave of desire.

No matter how hard Daniela tried, she couldn’t stop thinking about him, couldn’t stop dreaming about him. Couldn’t stop missing him.

There was no cure for it. All she could do was hope that in time, her mind and body would learn to forget him.

She knew her heart never would.

At the office, Kenneth, Noah and Janie stole worried glances at her whenever they thought she wasn’t looking. More than once, Daniela had walked into a room that grew suddenly quiet when she appeared; the guilt-ridden eyes that shifted away from hers betrayed the fact that she’d been the topic of discussion. Although they all knew what had happened between her and Caleb—thanks to Pamela Roarke, whose worried face greeted Daniela every night when she came home—no one dared breathe a word of it to Daniela. In fact, they all went out of their way
not
to mention Caleb’s name, or anything remotely related to him, in her presence. Which meant that any allusions to St. Mary’s University, or law school, or the Majestic Theatre, or ranches, were strictly off-limits. Daniela would have found their precautions amusing—if she still had a sense of humor left.

One afternoon, she rapped on the door and walked into Kenneth’s office to ask him a question about a case she was working on. She was totally unprepared for the sight of Janie propped on the desk with her legs wrapped around Kenneth’s waist, locked in a passionate kiss.

At Daniela’s startled gasp, they sprang apart guiltily. Janie jumped down from the desk, smoothing her skirt over her thighs while Kenneth hastily straightened his tie.

“I’m sorry,” Daniela mumbled, embarrassed as she backed quickly toward the door. “I knocked, but I guess you guys didn’t hear me.”

“Uh, no, we didn’t.” Janie sent her husband an accusing look, hissing out of the corner of her mouth, “I thought you locked the door!”

Kenneth grinned sheepishly. “Guess I forgot.”

“I’ll come back,” Daniela said, and ducked out of the room.

Janie appeared in the doorway of her office a minute later, her cheeks flushed with color. “I’m really sorry about that, Daniela,” she muttered.

Daniela waved a dismissive hand. “Don’t worry about it. I should have knocked louder…although I’m not sure it would have done any good, with all the heavy panting that was going on in there.”

Speechless, Janie gaped at her, and then before Daniela knew it, they both burst out laughing. It was the first time Daniela had laughed in weeks, and it felt good. Healthy, normal.

When their mirth had subsided, she smiled across the cluttered desk at her sister-in-law. “Though my eyesight is permanently damaged from what I just saw,” she teased, “it was worth it. Looks like things are working out for you and Kenny.”

Janie nodded, grinning happily. “We’ve been having long, productive talks about our relationship and working through some issues neither of us wanted to face before. It’s been wonderful.”

“I’m so happy for you guys,” Daniela said warmly.

“Thanks, Daniela. And thank you, once again, for helping me land the job here. I’ve really enjoyed working at the agency—and not just because I get to have sex with the boss during lunch breaks.”

Daniela gave a mock shudder, holding up a hand. “Please. My eyesight, remember?”

Janie chuckled. “Seriously, though. I never thought I’d enjoy working as a secretary so much—not that there’s anything wrong with being a secretary,” she hastened to add.

“I know what you meant,” Daniela assured her.

“I have so much freedom and autonomy here, the opportunity to implement new things and interact with your clients—some of whom are quite fascinating, I might add.”

Daniela grinned. “No argument there. Anyway, we love having you here, Janie. You’re doing a fantastic job. We’re very lucky to have you.”

“Thanks, El.” Janie paused, her gaze softening on Daniela’s face. “It was good to hear you laugh. We’ve all missed the sound.”

“I know,” Daniela murmured, straightening a pile of paperwork on her desk. “Guess I haven’t had much to laugh about recently.”

“I know.” Janie pushed out a deep, heavy breath. “I just wish there was something I could do, Daniela.”

“Short of giving Caleb a bad case of amnesia,” Daniela grimly joked, “I’m afraid there’s not much you
can
do. Don’t even think about it,” she added wryly when she saw the thoughtful look that crossed Janie’s face. “I think I’ve already caused Caleb enough harm. The last thing he needs is to be accosted in a dark alley and clobbered over the head by one of my family members trying to make him lose his memory.”

Janie grinned. “Well,
I’m
not so sure he doesn’t need to be clobbered over the head for being so stubborn. But if anyone’s gonna take a crack at him, it won’t be me. It’ll be Noah. He’s been chomping at the bit to go talk to Caleb and make him see reason.”

Daniela frowned. “He has?”

“Yep. You know how overprotective Noah is when it comes to his baby sister. And I think he feels really guilty for forcing you to go undercover in the first place.”

“No one ‘forced’ me to do anything,” Daniela muttered.

“That’s not the way Noah sees it. Haven’t you noticed the way he’s been avoiding you lately—even more so than the rest of us? He feels really bad for you, Daniela, and just between you and me, I think he’s planning to do something about it very soon.”

Daniela groaned. “God, I hope not. That would only make matters worse.”

Janie’s expression gentled. “How much worse can they get?”

Daniela glared at her. “You’re not helping.”

“Actually, I
am
helping. I made Noah promise me that he would give you and Caleb more time to work things out between you before he talks to him. And,” she continued, holding up a hand when Daniela opened her mouth to protest the possibility of a reconciliation between her and Caleb, “he also promised not to resort to brute force when, and if, he does decide to talk to Caleb.”

“Oh, God,” Daniela groaned again.

“Don’t worry,” Janie said blithely. “As my mother always says,
‘Cuando se significa para ser, se significa para ser.’
When it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. If you and Caleb are truly meant for each other—which we all think you are—then you
will
be together.”

Daniela wished she could share her family’s certainty, but remembering the cold, awful finality of Caleb’s parting words to her, she knew there would be no reconciliation between them, not in this lifetime or the next.

“Professor Thorne, wait up!”

Caleb stopped and turned to watch as April Kwan hurried to catch up with him, her long legs carrying her quickly across the courtyard. “Miss Kwan,” he murmured when she reached his side.

“I’m glad I caught you,” she said, panting lightly. “I called your name three times, but you didn’t hear me. You must have been deep in thought.”

“I was,” Caleb admitted, though he wasn’t about to tell April who, or what, had been occupying his mind. “What can I do for you, April?”

“Well, I wanted you to be the first to know that after this semester, I’m leaving St. Mary’s.”

Caleb looked down at her in surprise. “Really? Are you transferring to another law program?”

“Nope,” she chirped. “I’m dropping out of law school in order to pursue a career in photography.”

“Really?”

She nodded. “I’ve given the matter a lot of thought, and I think this is the best decision for me. It was never my dream to become a lawyer—no offense, Professor Thorne.”

Caleb chuckled. “None taken,” he assured her. “You’re a very talented photographer, Miss Kwan. I’ve received a lot of compliments on the photographs I bought from you at First Friday.”

She beamed.
“Seriously?”

He smiled. “Seriously. I have the photos hanging in my office.” Except the one of the Majestic Theatre, which still held a place of honor on the wall above his bed. He couldn’t bring himself to take it down, though every time he looked at it, he was reminded of Daniela, and the aching tenderness he’d seen in her eyes when she’d given him the photo.

It’ll give you something to remember me by,
she’d told him. At the time he hadn’t understood the strange note of farewell in her voice.

Afterward it had made sense.

“I’ve been selling a lot of my work,” April was telling him excitedly, “and I’ve recently been invited back to exhibit at First Friday.”

“Congratulations,” Caleb said with a warm smile. “That’s really great, April. But are you absolutely certain you want to drop out of law school now?” he gently probed. “Why not give the photography a little more time to take off?”

April grinned. “You sound like my parents.”

Caleb grimaced. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay. I know that what I’m doing is very risky, but it’s a risk I’m willing to take. Photography is my passion, Professor Thorne, and sometimes I think you have to follow your heart in order to be happy. Know what I mean?”

Caleb nodded slowly, her words hitting close to home.
Too close.

Seeing his grim expression, and mistaking the cause, April grinned ruefully. “I guess that makes me the
second
of your first-year students to bite the dust this semester,” she teased. “First Daniela, and now me. I hope you won’t take it personally, Professor Thorne.”

“I’ll try not to,” he murmured, thinking of just how personally he’d taken Daniela’s desertion. Nearly two months later, he was still taking it personally.

“I’m having dinner with her this evening,” April told him cheerfully. “I had been calling her for weeks to find out how she was doing, but she never returned any of my phone calls. I finally heard from her last night, and we agreed to meet for dinner. Before we got off the phone, she said she had something important to tell me—something about her ‘real’ reason for leaving the university.” April frowned slightly. “Do you have any idea what she might be talking about, Professor Thorne?”

Caleb kept his expression carefully blank. “I haven’t the faintest.”

April shrugged, then glanced at her watch. “Guess I’d better be heading to class. Professor Adler doesn’t take kindly to latecomers. Although, now that I think about it, she’s been in a very good mood lately. I could probably show up halfway through class and still not get in trouble.”

Caleb chuckled. “Don’t push your luck, kiddo,” he said, knowing that Shara’s good mood was the result of Daniela’s abrupt removal from the picture. He hadn’t told Shara what happened, nor had she prodded him for information. It was enough for her that with her competition out of the way, she would have Caleb all to herself again. And though Caleb knew it was wrong to give Shara any false hopes about their future together, he hadn’t refused her invitation to have dinner on Friday. The truth was that he was hurt and angry, and unbearably lonely without Daniela in his life, and in his bed. If he could find some relief from his torment, however temporary, then so be it. He’d worry about the repercussions later.