Love After All (30 page)

 

Lincoln watched as Jackson walked back into the house. He was sure that he'd planted the seed of doubt and hopefully Eric had made some headway. Jackson looked and sounded furious at seeing Samantha with Eric, that much he was sure.

He placed his binoculars back in the case and waited.

Time and patience had always been his friend. He picked up the bottled water and took a sip, enjoying the cool liquid as it poured down his throat. He looked at his watch. It was almost time.

“Hey, why the hell did you park this far away? I had to, like, climb Mount Everest to get up here,” Eric said breathlessly as he approached. He tossed his spent cigarette butt down and leaned over against his knees to catch his breath. This California air was killing him. He couldn't wait to get out of here.

“How did it go?”

Eric walked over to where Lincoln stood and looked down at the million-dollar homes enviously. “Damn, I'm gonna get me one of those, right there on the beach. Man, those houses are tight. Ten million dollars ought to do me up just right. Think I'll hit Hawaii, Fiji, or maybe Tahiti. What do you think, Link, my man?”

“Yeah, I get it, anyplace that ends in the letter
i.
What about the file transfer, didn't you get the majority shares yet?”

“Yep, they were sitting there in the computer first thing this morning. And you know what I was thinking? Yo, I could just print those babies out, sign them and bam, just like that, Daley Communications would be mine, it's that's easy.”

Lincoln turned to him menacingly.

Eric smiled. “Yo, Link, man, I was just joking, homes. Can't you take a joke?” Lincoln's expression didn't change. “All right, yeah, whatever, the files with the transfer of shares arrived. As soon as I get my money I'll forward them to your friend.”

“Excellent. And what about your meeting on the beach?”

“Yeah, I told her what you said but I don't think she bought me.”

“Perhaps you weren't convincing enough.”

“Yo, what was I supposed to do? I told her I wanted her back, that I still loved her. It's not my fault she's got a thing for blue blood down there. Bump her. We don't need her anyway. I already have Marcus biting at the bit to get this deal done.”

“Separating them is part of the deal.”

“Why?”

“Because that's what we were asked to do.”

“Why?”

“It doesn't matter why, you just need to do it. You bragged that you were irresistible to her, you said you could handle this.”

“I can. Just give me some time.”

“We don't have time. This has to be finished soon.”

“All right, I'll take care of it. Maybe you should get some young chicky to work on blue blood while I work on her.” He looked at his watch. “Yo, it's getting late, I need to jet. I'm meeting Marcus in a few and I still need to get back and change clothes. Today is the big payday.” He slapped his hands together and chuckled happily. “Let's go.”

Lincoln didn't move.

“Hello,” Eric said, waving his hand in front of Lincoln's face, seemingly in hopes of breaking a hypnotic spell. Lincoln grabbed his wrist and for the second time that morning twisted it and sent him to his knees.

“Don't ever do that again,” Lincoln warned.

Eric jumped up defensively. “What's up, old man? What's wrong with you? I suggest you keep your hands off me. I'm doing you a favor, not the other way around. You'd better check yourself next time. I don't want to have to hurt you.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out another cigarette.

“Don't ever do that again,” Lincoln repeated.

“Yeah, whatever. Can we leave now?” Eric headed to the car. He lit the cigarette and tossed the match. He leaned on the car looking at Lincoln as he watched the blue blood's house. He had a feeling that Samantha was right. He needed to watch his back.

Lincoln looked at his watch. It was time. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He dialed a number and waited.

“Well?” George asked as soon as he picked up.

“It's unconfirmed but we've made progress.”

“Is that all?”

“Yes.”

“So when is this going to happen?”

“It's impossible to approximate the precise time. I can only make a logical assumption and calculate the probability. To that end, I'd say Friday evening right before the awards ceremony. They'll assume we'll be distracted. It should give them the perfect time to go in.”

George sighed heavily. He despised listening to Lincoln's excessive blustering. “Are you sure of that?”

“There's no guarantee. I can only plan and calculate. But Friday evening would be the perfect opportunity to go in.”

“That's in two days. Make sure you have everyone in position. I don't want any mistakes. What about the program file, can they read it?”

“Yes, I've tracked it.”

“And the elevator key?”

“Everything's ready.”

“Perfect.”

“I'll be away from the office, so make sure you have this on file. I want to see every single second.”

“Of course.”

They hung up. Lincoln pulled out his binoculars and focused them on Jackson's driveway. His car was still there. He nodded. So far, so good. He turned and saw Eric sitting on the hood of his car. He grimaced. In two days he'd have him locked up behind bars right next to Jefferson and his sister.

 

“Are you going out?” Samantha said, seeing that Jackson had changed his clothes, now wearing more conservatively sedate business attire.

“Yeah, I need to go in to the office and take care of some business,” he said, grabbing his briefcase from the table.

“Want some company?” she asked, already knowing that he wouldn't.

“No, that's okay, you just relax, enjoy the beach. I'll be back later.”

She nodded as he opened the door and strolled to his car. Gut instinct told her that something had happened. She walked over to the window and watched him drive off. The heartbreak of purposely driving a stake into her own heart didn't make it less painful. She knew that Jackson had been on the deck and that he had watched as she talked to Eric. She knew that he would be distant and hurt and she needed that to separate herself from his life. She couldn't do it, but she hoped he could.

Slowly and deliberately, she turned away from the car long gone, and went back upstairs. It was time to get to work. She had a lot to do in a short time. She opened her laptop computer and went to work.

Her mind drifted a few times but for the most part she stayed focused. She had been able to dissect the disc Lincoln had left them. Embedded within the disc was a tracer program with a five-mile radius that was designed to keep track of the program's access, and a timed deletion program virus. It was difficult at first to locate and identify, but she finally detected them and altered their effectiveness. Then for the past few evenings she'd been rescripting that program and altering its code.

Four hours into the morning she finished, then looked up. It was time to get started. She made two phone calls.

T
he highway traffic back into the city was dense as Jackson whizzed by, speeding in and out like an overwound zigzag toy. Every so often he'd glance up in the rearview mirror, seeing the car he'd just sped by quickly fade in his wake. Two near accidents and still he continued undaunted. Doubt ate at him all the while he drove. On complete automatic, he headed to Daley Communications, but his thoughts stayed back at his house.

Seeing Samantha on the beach with Eric had staggered him. Even though it seemed that she wasn't particularly receptive, the fact remained Eric had tracked her down and she had stayed and listened. The thought of it now twisted Jackson's insides. Leaving was the only thing he could think to do. He didn't like it. And the fact that she never even bothered to mention the encounter was disconcerting.

Then the phone call from Lincoln insinuating a liaison between Samantha and Eric only made it worse. For some reason Lincoln wanted him not to trust Samantha. And that interested him. As Samantha suspected, it was obvious that Lincoln had an ulterior motive.

Jackson parked his car near the front entrance of Daley Communications and strolled inside. Greeting several coworkers on the way to the twenty-fifth floor, he continued to his office. His secretary handed him his messages and apologized for not having his schedule up-to-date, then informed him that his first appointment had already arrived and was waiting in his office.

“What appointment?” Jackson asked.

His secretary immediately looked concerned. “Shauna Cooperman. She said that it was a personal matter and wanted to wait in your office.” Jackson's face darkened. “Shall I call security?” she asked immediately.

Jackson, already aggravated, shook his head. “No, just get my father on the phone. Tell him I'd like a word with him this morning,” he said as he started to his office door.

“Actually, he called earlier. It's one of the messages you have there, and I also left a notation on your computer. He got your message earlier. He'd like to see you today but won't be available until later this afternoon.”

Jackson nodded. The day, having started off wonderfully, had quickly plummeted. First Eric and Samantha, then Lincoln and now his father. “Let me know when he's available.” She nodded and he went into his office.

As soon as he walked in he found Shauna sitting at his desk reading through his mail and several interoffice notices left on his desk. He tensed instantly. Dealing with her was the last thing he needed.

“What do you want, Shauna? I have a busy day ahead.”

“Too busy to see me?” she asked sweetly, then stood and walked around to the opposite side and sat down as he took the vacant seat behind his desk. Jackson's annoyed expression remained the same. “Despite what you think about me, Jackson, I still care about you and I still wish you well.”

“I'm glad to hear that,” he said and tossed the mail she'd been going through to the side, then began flipping through the messages from his secretary. “But whatever it is, Shauna, make it quick. As I said, I have a long, busy day.” He turned on his computer and entered his code. A warning message instantly came up. Three attempts to breach his system had failed. He looked up at her. She looked away, knowing that she'd been caught snooping again.

“It was good to see you last night,” Shauna said hastily. “I mean, earlier at your father's house.”

“Shauna,” he said firmly, having lost patience.

“Fine, I'll come to the point. I came to warn you.”

“About what?” he said, continuing to go through his computer appointments and messages.

“Your family friend, Samantha Lee. She isn't who she says she is.”

He stopped. “Isn't she? Who is she, then?”

Shauna smiled happily having gained his undivided attention. “She's a fake.”

“And you know this how?”

“I had my father's security check her out after last night.”

“You did what?”

“Jackson, I told you, I still love you and I know that a part of you still loves me. I couldn't just sit by and let her hurt you.”

“First of all, Shauna, this wasn't a love thing, never was. If anything, it was infatuation on your part. Secondly, you and I have been through this before. I don't appreciate you prying or snooping into my life or investigating my friends.”

“But what I found out—”

“Lastly, I don't care.”

“She's a con woman and she's out to get your money.”

“Really?” he said nonchalantly.

“Yes, there was something about her that just didn't suit me so I had her checked out.”

“You realize, of course, that she's not here to suit you.”

“That's not the point. She lied about her name and everything else.”

“What?” he asked.

“Her name isn't Samantha Lee, it's Samantha Taylor, and her father is a con man from Boston. She lived in New York up until a few months ago. Her company fired her for undisclosed reasons.”

“How did you get all this information if all you knew was that her name was Samantha Lee?”

“Her fingerprints.”

“Her fingerprints?” he asked.

“Yes, I got them off a glass last night. I gave the glass to one of my dad's security men and he gave it to a friend of his in the police department and he gave me the information this morning.”

“So let me get this straight, you stole a glass from my father's house to spy on someone without cause other than she didn't suit you?”

“I have plenty of reasons. She's going after you.”

“That's not your concern.”

“I guess you didn't hear me—she's going after you.”

“Goodbye, Shauna,” he said, standing.

“I'm trying to help you,” Shauna insisted.

“Goodbye, Shauna,” Jackson repeated.

“Fine, I was only trying to help you not make a fool of yourself.” She stood and headed to the office door. “Samantha Taylor is going to take you for everything you've got and I don't give a damn. Let her,” Shauna spat out.

“One more thing,” Jackson said calmly. Shauna turned around, glaring. “I'd appreciate it if you'd stay off my computer and out of my office and that includes lying to my secretary.” She turned and stomped out without a word.

Jackson exhaled and relaxed back in his seat. Shauna's revelations didn't faze him, but the fact that Samantha's fingerprints were in police files did. If she was as she said, just the daughter and sister of possible felons, then why would the police have her prints? Before he could consider the question fully, his phone rang and his day began.

 

Shauna, refusing to be outdone, took the elevator to the next floor down. There was no way a thief was going to steal what she had worked so hard to keep. Jackson didn't know it yet but she was about to save his neck whether he liked it or not. And in the end she was sure that he would appreciate her help. Walking into the public relations suite, she looked around for Jessie's office. The place had changed since she'd been there last. Remodeled, she was happy to see.

“Hi, may I help you?” an assistant asked nicely, looking up from her desk.

“No, thank you, dear,” Shauna said condescendingly as she continued to look around. A few minutes into her search she found what she was looking for. She knocked on the door and waited. “Come in.”

Jessie looked up and saw Shauna Cooperman standing in her doorway. She instantly knew that her day would be going downhill. Although Jessie's expression remained calm and even, Shauna was the last person she wanted to deal with this morning. “Shauna, how unexpected, what can I do for you today?”

“Jessica, we need to talk.”

“Of course, would you like to set up an appointment? I'm on my way out in a few minutes.”

“No, we need to talk now. It's about Jackson. He's in trouble and you need to speak with him.” She crossed the room and sat down quickly. Moments later she began her tale. She relayed Samantha's real name and her affiliations with unsavory characters. Five minutes later she finished, then waited for Jessie's predictable outrage. Curiously, there was none.

“Is that it?” Jessie asked.

“Isn't that enough?” Jessie didn't reply. “I have to say that I'm a bit stunned by your reaction, or rather your lack of reaction. I just sat here and told you that this woman is after your brother and you have nothing to say about it.”

“Shauna, there are a lot of women after my brother. Exactly what proof do you have that Samantha is after Jackson for financial gain?”

“Hello, weren't you listening, isn't it obvious?” she asked rhetorically. “She's living in his house and I'm sure she's doing everything imaginable to con him.”

“Shauna, please, reel it in, I don't have time for this. I have a million things to do today, the awards ceremony is in two days, and I have a few dozen last-minute details to finalize.”

“What, are you kidding me?” she began in near hysterics. “Jackson is in trouble and you're not going to do anything because you're too busy?”

“Other than the fact that Jackson is a grown man and is capable of taking care of himself, his personal life is none of my business. And I'm sure that whatever arrangement he and Samantha have is perfectly legal and legitimate. As for her staying at the beach, they're both consenting adults and unless what they're doing goes public there's nothing I'm going to do.”

“What is wrong with you two? You're both crazy. I just told Jackson the same thing and he was just as blasé.” She went on to repeat what she'd just said with added inflection and two decibels louder.

“Shauna, calm down,” Jessica sighed loudly.

She and Shauna had never traveled in the same circles for obvious reasons, but she knew of her even before her brother dated her. Shauna was six years older than her, but she had the mental capacity of a sixteen-year-old. She was rich and pretty and slightly anorexic, drank like a fish and fit the typical Beverly Hills stereotype perfectly, as her spoiled, stubborn, bratty behavior had given her a well-deserved reputation.

“How can you be so cavalier? It's your brother and she's gonna take him away.”

“Take him away where?” Jessie asked, patronizing her angst. “Look, Shauna, we appreciate your interest but I assure you your fears are groundless. Nothing is going to happen to Jackson.”

“How can you be so sure? Jackson has no idea what she's up to. He doesn't even know who she really is, and to make matters worse he doesn't want to know.”

“I'm sure you've misunderstood,” Jessica said, losing patience with Shauna and the conversation.

“Samantha is—” Shauna nearly shouted.

“Samantha is fine, Shauna,” Jessie interrupted.

“See, you're not even listening to me. Samantha Lee isn't even her real name, at least not her full name. Her name is Taylor, Samantha Taylor, and her family are all con artists. She's trying to scam Jackson.”

Jessica's interest piqued but her face remained stony and uninterested. “Shauna, if it will make you feel any better I'll talk to Jackson myself as soon as I get back this afternoon. I'll let him know your concerns, okay?”

“That's not good enough,” she demanded. “You need to go over there and tell him to get rid of her…
now.
”

“I can't do that. As I said, his personal life is his business. And besides the fact that you actually got her fingerprints without her knowledge or consent, I don't see any proof of any wrongdoing.”

“What kind of sister are you? You're just gonna stand by and let some con artist hoochie-momma take Jackson?” she screamed, then held her hands to it as if her head were splitting apart. “This is so not happening.” She gathered her purse and sunglasses. “Fine, I'll take care of this myself. You want proof, I'll get you proof.” She stomped out and the room fell silent instantly.

Jessica relaxed back in her chair. The sudden stillness in her office gave her pause. Shauna had caused such a ruckus that she'd completely forgotten the peace and quiet of the feng shi atmosphere she worked so hard to maintain. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, calming her now tense and aggravated nerves. Shauna was lethal to anyone with an IQ over fifty.

Moments later, she cleared her head and turned back to her computer screen. The letter she'd been working on when Shauna came barging in followed by her assistant needed to be worded carefully. Her father's new venture, along with Jackson's possible chairmanship, had her working double time. She had a million calls to answer and a dozen press releases to review.

She typed in a few lines, then stopped, deleting and retyping. Unfortunately, Shauna's ranting had stayed with her. Shaking her head to lose interest and to refocus on the task at hand, she typed a few more words, then stopped completely.