Chosen for Power (Women of Power, #1) (19 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Drake sat at his desk and filled Phillip in on all the details from the past twenty-four hours. Phillip clutched his stomach and tried not to fall out of his chair as Drake told him about the Secret Service busting down the bedroom door and hauling him out of bed completely naked. Soon he was regretting telling his best friend the story. He was never going to live it down.

By the time Phillip left the office, Drake was thinking he needed a new best friend. By telling the events of the day, he stopped caring about the long hours of interrogation he had been through. All he could think of was how much he loved Elle and how he didn’t want to spend any more time apart. Sure, relationships take work and he was ready for anything the world put them up against. With her by his side, they would face it and conquer it together.

He opened his desk and pulled out the velvet box to look at the ring inside. This weekend was it. He felt energy surging through his body, urging him to hurry. He was going to spoil Elle tonight with so much love that when he asked her to marry him, she’d say ”yes“ for sure. But first he needed to go to the store and pick up something amazing to make for dinner. Then he'd stop at the florist and finally sneak into Elle’s condo. If he moved fast enough, he could get to her place and get the perfect night of romance all set up before she got home from work.

Drake balanced the groceries on his hip as he dug through his pocket for the key to Elle’s condo. He slid the key into the lock and opened the door. He kicked the pile of take-out menus on the floor out of the way and shut the door.

The groceries fell from his arm when he looked into the living room. Elle lay unconscious on the floor, and two people dressed in black were sitting at her desk. They turned at the sound of the groceries dropping, and they all stared at each other, no one daring to move. The intruders were waiting to see what Drake was going to do, and Drake was glancing around to decide his best plan of action.

He could run out the door and get help, but there was no way he was leaving Elle. Instead anger boiled his blood, and he had to clench his fists to keep from launching himself blindly toward them. He didn’t know the woman, but he sure as hell knew the man typing something on Elle’s computer.

“I would say it’s nice to see you again, but we both know that’s a lie.” Drake took a casual step forward.

“Likewise.”

“Is Elle hurt?”

“Not too badly. But as soon as I send these emails she will be. Such a shame when someone commits suicide. They tend to spill their guts, literally and figuratively. Poor Elle is going to hang herself for all the evil things she did as outlined in this email I’m sending to her whole contact list. The fraud, the embezzlement, the money laundering, the SEC violations—she just couldn’t live with herself any longer. I guess now it’ll have to be a murder-suicide. In the long run, that’s even better. Then when the stock tanks at Monday morning’s bell, I’m going to buy the whole company for a quarter of what it’s worth. I’ll make a killing. Get it?”

Drake tried to think rationally, but his baser instincts kicked in. Unable to stop himself, he shoved the woman out of the way. She stumbled back, tripping over Elle, and fell out of sight into the bedroom. Chord McAlister leaped from the chair, sending it smashing to the floor. Drake closed his fist and connected with Chord’s stomach. Air whooshed from him as Drake landed another punch. Chord then grabbed his shoulders and slammed him against the wall. The wall shook and picture frames crashed to the ground.

Elle heard a crash but couldn’t open her eyes. The floor shook as she focused all her power on moving her fingers. Feelings started to work their way back through her body. When she opened her eyes, it took some blinking to bring the world into focus. When her vision cleared, Elle had trouble believing what she saw. Drake and Chord were fighting in her living room. Her coffee table shattered as Drake sent Chord careening into it with a well-placed punch to the face, but it was the sight of Becca, her friend, sorority sister, and former roommate, sneaking forward with her taser that got Elle moving.

With a quick glance around her condo, the only thing Elle could reach was one of Satan’s stilettos.  The white and pink stiletto she’d kicked off earlier sat three feet from her. Elle grabbed the shoe and gripped it so tightly her fingers turned white. Becca stood with her long hair pulled into a ponytail, her mask forgotten in the back pocket of her black skinny jeans.

Elle slowly moved to a crouch. Becca’s back was to her as she stood near where Drake and Chord were locked in their fight. She was waiting for a clear shot to zap Drake, and Elle wasn’t about to give it to her. With a grunt, Elle pushed off and lunged at Becca. She raised her arm high and brought Satan’s stiletto down onto Becca’s shoulder as hard as she could.

Becca dropped the taser as she screeched in pain. The heel had gone straight into the bare skin next to her neck and was now embedded there. She turned around and stared at Elle with wild eyes. The men stopped and stared as Becca wrenched the stiletto from her shoulder and screamed at Elle.

“I have felt so guilty for years because of you. You were perfect. Working hard, studying constantly, having men fawn over your girl-next-door looks. But it never mattered to you. You took it for granted that everyone loved you and all these wonderful things just kept falling in your lap. Chord, your company . . .”

Elle backed up to the front door as Becca stalked toward her. Chord took advantage of the distraction and leapt on Drake, causing him to stumble backward.

“Becca, did you think I wanted my company like this? My father died. I would have given it back in a heartbeat if that meant I had him back. You knew how devastated I was. We were roommates. You know how a piece of me never recovered from losing him.” Elle’s heel hit something hard and she looked down to see her purse. The cast iron skillet sat inside, the handle sticking out like a beacon.

“Oh, I know how you used it to your advantage after I gave you my shoulder to cry on.  Chord told me how you used the death of your father to close deals and win over shareholders by making them feel sorry for you. Thank goodness I didn’t let your holier-than-thou act stop me from sleeping with him when you were dating. That’s the only good thing you did for me—bring him into my life.” Becca clutched the bloodied heel in her hand and took another step forward.

The betrayal of her friend made Elle sick. “You were sleeping with Chord when we were dating? How could you? You were my friend, Becca.”

“Some friend you were. As you rose in power and importance, did you bring me along with you? No, then you sent Chord away, and I was alone for years. You took those years from us and now you’re going to pay for it.”

Becca pulled her arm back with the stiletto in hand. Elle bent to the side and made a grab for her purse. Her hands tightened on the rough cast iron handle. Elle swung with all her strength as Becca moved in for the strike. Her purse flew off as the skillet arched through the air. Becca’s eye’s widened in surprise as she hurriedly stabbed at Elle.

The skillet landed with a hard
thud
against Becca’s head, sending shockwaves rippling up Elle’s arms.  Becca dropped the stiletto an inch from where it would have struck Elle on the top of her head. The shoe bounced off her shoulder as Becca’s eyes rolled back in her head, and she crumpled to the floor.

Elle’s breathing was heavy as she fought against the blackness trying to close in on her vision. Slowly, she leaned down and pressed two fingers against her old friend’s neck. Elle let out a sigh of relief when she felt a pulse. An angry bump on Becca’s head was already starting to form. But it was the sound of glass breaking that had Elle looking away from Becca. Drake had been slammed against the mirror in the living room and Chord had his hands wrapped around Drake’s throat.

Drake fought for breath as Chord’s fingers tightened. A trickle of blood ran into Drake's eye, but he could still see the twisted smile on Chord’s lips. He was enjoying slowly taking Drake’s life.

Drake struggled against the hold. He tried to pry Chord’s fingers loose, but Chord just tightened them further. Drake kicked out and connected with Chord’s leg, but he lacked the strength to do any damage. Then he saw Elle. Her golden hair was wild as she crept forward. Drake had to blink the blood out of his eye. He thought he was hallucinating; it looked as though she had a skillet raised above her head. Somehow, he had to protect Elle. He couldn’t leave her to face Chord alone.

He struck out his leg again, this time managing to hit Chord on the inner thigh. Reflexively, Chord loosened his hold and stepped back. Drake dragged in all the air he could before the fingers tightened around his neck again. His vision cleared as the door shattered in, and Elle hammered the skillet down on Chord’s head.

“Secret Service!”

“Police!”

Chord staggered back and turned slightly toward Elle. Drake saw the evil glint in his eye before Chord stumbled toward her. Chord reached for Elle as Agent Wallace and Drake lunged forward. Elle pulled back her arms and swung.

A resounding
thud
filled the room as Elle smashed the skillet into Chord’s smirking face. Drake landed on top of Chord, who collapsed to the ground. The wind was knocked out of Drake a split second later when Agent Wallace landed hard on him. Drake lay stunned and gasping for breath while Agent Wallace stood up. Police officers helped Drake to his feet.

Drake saw Elle, chest heaving, trying to control her breathing as she clung to the cast iron skillet still clutched in her hand. She was breathtaking with her hair hanging over her shoulders. Her white tank top clung to her curves while one ear of her bunny slipper dangled on the ground.

The agents were talking, but Drake didn’t hear them. Elle’s eyes were locked with his and the rest of the room fell away. Neither seemed to notice Becca hurling insults as she was being handcuffed and taken away. Drake stepped around Chord’s unconscious body and the agents surrounding him. He ignored Agent Wallace’s questions and stopped before Elle. He reached out and ran his hand down her bare arm. His fingers closed over the handle of the skillet and he gently tugged it from her grasp.

“I don’t want you to hit me with this if I say something wrong.” Blindly he dropped the skillet to the floor by his feet. Drake reached for her hands and lifted them to his lips for a gentle kiss.

“I had it all planned. Dinner, bubble bath, romance . . .” Drake started. He should have been nervous, but he wasn’t. He’d known it from the first time their fingers touched at the ball. Elle was his and he was hers.

Drake dropped her right hand and knelt before her. He kept her left hand in between his hands as he looked up at her. “You deserve better than this, but I’m a selfish man. I can’t stand the thought of being separated from you for one more day. You are my sun, moon, and stars. I look forward to rising every morning with you and going to bed with you every night. You enflame my passion for life to the point I think anything is possible as long as you’re by my side. “

Drake dug into his pocket and pulled out the velvet box. The top had been smashed and was now askew, but the ring still nestled inside it. He pried open the top and held out the ring. “Elle, I want to spend the rest of my life with your bunny slippers beside our bed, discarded heels strewn about the house, and emergency stashes of ice cream in the freezer. Will you marry me?”

Elle moved her eyes from the ring Drake was clutching between his fingers to his face. There was a cut above his eye and one on his cheek. His shirt wasn't tucked in and some of the buttons were missing. He’d never been more handsome to her than he was at that moment.

Her heart melted as he flashed her a smile filled with such happiness that it had Elle laughing. “Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you.”

She held out her hand and Drake slipped the ring onto her finger. It was then Elle heard the clapping and whistles. Police officers and Secret Service agents filled the room. She even saw Mallory standing near the door whistling loudly. But when Drake rose to his feet and wrapped his arms around her, she stopped thinking about the others in the room. In fact, Elle was pretty sure no one else existed in the whole world when his lips touched hers. Colors, sounds, and even Chord lying on the floor melted away as his tongue lovingly stroked hers. Drake’s hands held her anchored against him as her heart soared to the stars and beyond.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

The smell of dinner made his mouth water. He sat on the couch in his future mother-in-law’s house and laughed at the two mothers in the kitchen planning the wedding and picking out what they wanted to be called by their grandchildren.

Yesterday had been a blur. After Chord and Becca had been carted off to the hospital, the police and Secret Service had intruded on their engagement. They’d answered questions for hours until Mallory casually mentioned to Agent Wallace that he had everything he needed and now may be a good time to let the happy couple celebrate. And celebrate they did.

Unfortunately, the wolves would not stay at bay long. At eight this morning, the alarm in Elle’s apartment went off. Unlike the silent alarm Chord and Becca triggered when they entered, this one had Drake and Elle shooting out of bed as the siren sounded. He’d grabbed the cast iron skillet that was sitting on the nightstand and almost conked Margaret on the head. She’d been so thrilled about the engagement that she didn’t even notice he was naked until Elle wrapped her robe around his waist.

From what Drake could get from Margaret’s excited chatter, Mallory had told Bree this morning and then Bree quickly spread the word. Reid was even flying home to celebrate. Margaret had declared she would host an engagement dinner. Knowing when to give up, he’d called his parents and sent his private jet to Florida to get them.

Now he had Elle leaning against his side with his arm around her as Mallory told the story of her getting the call from the security company and coming right in time to see Becca dragged out of the condo and Drake propose.

“It was so romantic,” she said with a big smile on her face.

“See, Elle, a mother knows these things. I told you that skillet would come in handy.” Margaret held up her own large skillet full of peach cobbler.

“I’ll never doubt you again, Mom,” Elle swore.

“But how did Chord and Becca pull it off? I still don’t understand how they were able to get into your computer.” Bree crossed her legs and waited for answers.

“It’s all my fault,” Elle said sadly.

“How could it be your fault?” Allegra wondered.

“I was too trusting. Agent Wallace told me that roommates and ex-boyfriends are some of the most likely identity thieves. They have complete access to your life. They know my first pet’s name and my mother’s maiden name. They have my phone number, birthday, address, and can easily look in my purse for my driver’s license number.  Chord had used my computer numerous times when we were together. He knew the passwords I used. Foolishly, I hadn’t changed any of them. I was too worried I’d forget them. All it took was trying a couple of my old passwords and he was able to hack into my email.

“Then Becca sat in our lobby, just like we thought Hailey had, and tried to get online. When she couldn’t, she talked one of the employees into giving her the Wi-Fi password. We don't know which employee yet. She used the password Chord had discovered and sent the press release from my email.”

Drake gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “When Elle’s excellent press conference only made her more popular, they moved on to identity theft. Too bad for them they got busted on that as well. When they didn’t get the money, Chord came up with the idea of emailing the White House. Becca bought the gun in Elle’s name.”

“I can’t believe Becca did this. She used to be so nice. She’d let me borrow clothes and we’d go out to clubs while you were studying,” Bree said in disbelief.

Elle understood. She was still in shock, too. But as the shock wore off, the pain of what her friend did to her was starting to turn to anger. In time, it would turn to pity. “Well, Damien called me and told me they were turning on each other before they even got into the interview room. At least it looks like there won’t have to be a trial. I’m just glad we can move past it and start focusing on the future.”

“A future with a wedding dress,” Margaret called from the kitchen.

“And grandchildren,” Drake’s mom added as everyone in the living room laughed.

“Well, it’s about time I head out.” Mallory leaned down and gave Elle a hug. “Congratulations to you both. And I expect a beautiful bridesmaid dress, not some hideous southern belle hoop skirt contraption.”

“Damn. I had it all picked out. Everyone would be in pastels with matching parasols.” Elle laughed as Mallory and her sisters cringed. “Can’t you stay? Reid should be here soon. You haven’t seen him since high school. You’re always rushing off before he comes over.”

Mallory’s face tightened and she pasted on her debutante smile. “Sorry, I’ve got a date with Damien.”

Elle watched and wondered why those two refused to be in the same room together. It wasn’t just Mallory. It was Reid, too. Whenever Elle asked them if anything was wrong, they’d just say “nothing” with fake smiles on their faces. Something had to have happened between them, but for the life of her she couldn’t get either of them to tell her.

“Well, have fun on your date. Can’t wait to hear all about it on Monday.” Elle gave her best friend a wink to let her know she wasn’t going to push the Reid topic. But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t ask Reid while he was here.

“Definitely. And I’ll be waiting to hear how your takeover goes. I wish I could see their faces. I wonder if they’ve found out about Chord’s arrest?” Mallory asked as she slid into her coat.

“I don’t think so. It’s the weekend so there are no arraignment or bail hearings. Plus the Secret Service is still interviewing them to determine their threat level against the President. Agent Wallace told me that local authorities are also talking to them about guilty pleas for the other charges, like our attempted murder.” Drake gave her shoulder another squeeze, and she decided she was done talking about it. She had happier things to discuss.

As Mallory headed out the door, Mary made her way in. Drake stood and said hello before going to sit with his dad for a moment. The sisters took a collective deep breath and let it out before turning to smile at Mary.

“I’m sorry I gave you so much work to do today. I hope you don’t mind.” Elle had decided to pass off all the media inquiries that were trickling in to Mary. She had wanted more responsibility, and with Elle's desire to get Jessica more involved in the financial side, it made sense to give Mary a shot at handling all of the press.

“It’s not the work, it’s the worry,” Mary said on a sigh. “I hope I did a good job. We got a couple calls after you left the Secret Service office yesterday.”

“I’m sure you did just fine.” Elle took a second to look Mary over. She didn’t look like her normal frumpy self. “You look beautiful, Mary.”

“I was just about to say the same thing. Did you get those clothes from my rack room?” Allegra asked. She had a whole room in the building reserved for clothes any executive could borrow for press conferences, shows, conventions, and such.

Mary blushed. “I did. I thought it was open to everyone.”

“It is, and you look fantastic. We need to go shopping and get you a whole new wardrobe. We could start at this cute little boutique on Peachtree . . .” Allegra started before stopping at Mary’s look.

“You’d go shopping with me?” Mary asked with wonder.

“Of course, it’s what cousins do. We shop, we share clothes, have drinks together, and talk about men.” Allegra grinned.

“Thank you. I’d like that. I had to have someone help me pick this out, so it would be great if I had your fashion sense helping me.”

“Who helped—?” Allegra started, but was cut off.

“Oh, it’s six o’clock. Turn on the news,” Mary cried as she wrung her hands.

The sisters looked at each other. Bree shrugged and picked up the remote, turning the television on. Two serious reporters sat behind a desk with a picture of Elle smiling as she shook hands with Agent Wallace filling the corner of the screen. Damien’s back was to them, but it was clear there were no hard feelings between them.

“Local business tycoon Elle Simpson, CEO of Simpson Global, is in the news today for something besides business. There had been reports that Miss Simpson had been taken from her home at two o’clock in the morning wearing nothing but her pajamas, bunny slippers, and a pair of handcuffs,” the overly tan male anchor said into the camera as the picture of Elle and Damien went to full screen.

The woman anchor gave a serious nod before picking up the story. “The Secret Service talked to us only to say that Miss Simpson was helping with an investigation. They stated that she was nice enough to spare her time in the middle of the night in order to offer her support. It’s clear from this photo that Miss Simpson was not in her pajamas or handcuffed when she left their office yesterday afternoon. We talked with Mary Hines, head of public relations for Simpson Global, this afternoon and here is what she had to say.”

Mary filled the screen as she sat in a chair in her office. Her hair fell in soft waves around her shoulders and her makeup was flawless. The jade dress accented her coloring and showed off curves Elle didn’t know her cousin had. The video clip started and Mary smiled sweetly into the camera.

“What do Miss Simpson and Simpson Global have to say about the report stating Miss Simpson was arrested by the Secret Service early yesterday morning and the subsequent comment from the Secret Service about her assisting them on a case?” a reporter asked from off-screen.

“At no time was Miss Simpson under arrest.” Mary waved off as if it was the most absurd comment she’d ever heard. “Miss Simpson has had the satisfaction of assisting the Secret Service with an undisclosed matter. Unfortunately, we cannot say more at this time. It is up to the Secret Service to give the details of the case, but I understand in most cases they do not. However, we at Simpson Global would like to thank them and all public servants for the hard work they do in keeping our country and its citizens safe. Thank you.”

The video cut away and the woman anchor nodded. “Our studio would like to thank them as well. We do not usually hear much from the Secret Service. They are, of course, most known for protecting the President of the United States.”

“That’s right, Tandy. We don’t want to speculate, but it appears Miss Simpson helped them carry out their job over the weekend. We shouldn’t be surprised. Miss Simpson, along with her boyfriend, Drake Charles, is known in the community for her generous contributions to the Children’s Hospital.”

The whole room turned and silently looked at Mary as the anchors tossed it to weather. Mary gripped her hands in front of her as she looked nervously around the room.

“Was it that bad?” Mary asked finally.

“Bad? It was excellent! That’s it. You’re in charge of every interview from now on,” Elle declared as she got up and hugged Mary. “I’m so proud of you.”

The front door banged open and Reid, in all of his playboy glory, dropped his bag and looked around. “I’m here. The party can start now. But first, as the man of the family, I need to have a few words with the fiancé.”

Elle rolled her eyes and knew her sisters were doing the same thing. As much as she loved her elusive brother, he was last person to try to take an authoritative role in the family. But when Reid wrapped her in a bear hug, all she cared about was that her brother was finally home. What he really needed was a good woman to settle him down. Gosh, now she felt just like her mother.

“Oh, please. More like the boy of the family,” Bree teased as Elle moved out of the way so she could hug him, too.

“Thank goodness our new brother will be in town more than a couple times a year to take care of us helpless damsels in distress.” Allegra smacked Reid’s shoulder before jumping up into his arms. “I’m so glad you came. I missed you.”

“I missed you all, too. Who knows, maybe my next project will be stateside.”

“That would be fantastic! All my babies here with me . . . what more could a mother want?” Elle watched her mom pinch Reid’s cheek and smile lovingly up at him. “Except to see all my babies happily married. Of course some grandchildren wouldn’t hurt, either.”

“Mom,” they all whined as Margaret headed back into the kitchen complaining about the hours of labor she went through and that it wasn’t like she was asking for much. Her friend Judy had three grandchildren already. The siblings all looked at each other and broke out in laughter.

Drake sat back enjoying the taste of the peach cobbler lingering on his lips. Elle sat next to him, telling the table a story from their childhood while resting her small hand on his leg. If this was what life was going to be like from now on, then he'd finally become rich.

“Mom, if you don’t mind, I wanted to talk to the men here about business real quick. Dinner was wonderful.” Elle smiled at her mom.

Drake hid his surprise, but Reid didn’t. From what he knew about Reid’s side of the company, Elle rarely ventured over there. And he didn’t know what he had to do with Simpson Global business. “Me, too?”

“You, too. Come on, boys.” Elle slid her chair back and headed for the back patio. Drake looked at his future brother and they both shrugged.

Drake followed Reid out onto the patio and took a seat next to Reid. He suddenly felt as if he were in the principal’s office as Elle took the seat across from them and clasped her hands together.

“So, what’d we do?” Reid asked with one side of his mouth quirked up, clearly enjoying this.