Rulers of Deception (34 page)

Marshall’s shoulders lifted and fell, the movement tired and bitter. “The only other person who knew of the affair was my driver, but I haven’t heard from him in ages. Cyrus made me fire him after he found out about Maureen.”

“How did you assure this driver would stay quiet?”

Marshall thought back, trying to recall the man’s name. Lord, it’d been so long. “I don’t remember. I think I just told him I didn’t need his services anymore, and that I needed him to keep everything he’d seen and heard to himself.”

Charlene frowned. “Why didn’t you buy him off, or threaten him into silence?”

“Because unlike so many other people in this family, I don’t immediately resort to dirty tactics to get what I want,” Marshall snapped, straightening with a sense of dignity. “I am not my father.”

“No, you’re not,” she agreed. “But the question remains, did he stay silent all these years? Or did he divulge the information to the wrong people that wound up whispering in Gossinger’s ear?”

“Marco was a good man,” Marshall defended. A light clicked on his brain. “That was his name, Marco. Marco Diaz.”

“Diaz?” Charlene’s brow furrowed at the name. “Why does that sound familiar?”

“It’s a common name.” Marshall let out a long breath, remembering firing the man and how bad he’d felt. “The man had a family, too. A new baby. But my hands were tied; I had no choice but to let him go. With a great reference, mind you.”

“Did you ever check in on him to see if he found another job?”

Marshall shook his head. “I didn’t even know where he lived, much less how to contact him.”

Charlene fell silent, considering this new information. After a few moments, she grabbed her purse and got to her feet. “I have to make a phone call. I’ll be right back.”

She walked out of the restaurant, digging into her purse for her phone. When she found it, she quickly dialed Madison’s number.

“
Yes?
”

“Are you sitting down?” Charlene asked, voice dripping with anticipation. “Because you will never believe what I just found out.”

L
ynette slipped off her ballet shoes, rubbing at her aching feet. She sat in the dressing room at the rehearsal studio, her mind a distracted mess of doubt and fear.

She knew her performance had been off, a side effect of the stress she was under. Even though it was only a rehearsal, she knew it was unacceptable. Giving one hundred percent despite the circumstances had always been her mantra. Then again, a reporter hadn’t been kidnapped because of her family before.

Feeling sick with worry, she tossed her shoes in her duffle bag and released the band that held her hair in a tight bun. The copper length of it fell over her shoulders and some of the tension around her head eased. Meeting her own eyes in the mirror over her dressing table, she sighed. She hated how tired she looked.

Simon appeared behind her, his hands finding her shoulders. A sympathetic smile crossed his face. “How are you holding up, my dear?”

Lynette avoided his gaze, focusing instead on fixing her makeup. “I’m just fine, Simon. I promise.”

“Once again I feel compelled to remind you how worried I am about you.” He squeezed her shoulders, urging her to look at him. When she did, he accepted her cross look with a shrug. “I know it’s not my business, you’ve made that very clear. But this mess with the drug cartel—”

“Linc says there’s nothing to worry about,” Lynette cut in, not willing to listen to his criticisms of her life anymore. “Everything is under control. The cartel can’t get to me.”

“He’s probably just trying to ease your worries.” Simon chuckled. “But from the tension in your shoulders and your lackluster performance today I can tell it hasn’t worked. Then there were those photographs of us…”

“I’m sorry you were involved like that, but it’s really not a big deal. Linc knows it was staged to look like something it wasn’t.”

“Yes, but my dear, is it possible that incident is connected with this cartel?” Simon wondered, a hint of fear in his voice. “Should I be worried?”

Sadness swept over Lynette’s face as she whirled around to face him. Her hands found his and held on tightly. “No. I wouldn’t be here for rehearsal if I thought it put you or the rest of the company in danger.”

He managed a smile and a quick nod. “Very good. If you need someplace to stay should anything happen, you know Marie and I have a spare bedroom. It’s there if you need it.”

“Thank you, Simon,” she replied, her eyes following him as he turned to leave. Just then, her phone went off in her purse. Reaching for it, she saw Linc’s name and her breath caught. “Is everything all right?”

“
Right as it’ll ever be. You ready to go?
”

She could hear the sounds of city traffic from his end, puzzling her. “I’m just about to leave. Why?”

“
Your chariot awaits, my lady.
”

Her lips curved. “It does?”

“
You better hurry up though. There’s lots of pretty ladies out here looking at my ride. I might not be able to keep them from hopping in.
”

She rolled her eyes. “I’ll be right there.”

Gathering up her duffle bag and purse, she made her way out of the studio and down to the street, where she spotted Linc sitting in his sparkling blue ‘67 Camaro. He had the windows rolled down and was blasting an old Bob Seger hit about Hollywood nights, his hands tapping the steering wheel.

When she approached the passenger door and peered in at him, he grinned. “What?”

Her eyes narrowed in a skeptical stare. “What’s gotten into you?”

“Nothing,” he defended cheerfully, reaching over to pop open the door for her. “Get in.”

She slipped inside, tossing her bags in the backseat. Before she could question him he’d pulled out into traffic and gunned the engine. The Camaro took off like a rocket and zipped in and out of slower cars on the road, causing her to grip the handle over the car door for dear life.

“Goodness, Linc. Slow down,” she protested, closing her eyes as he almost clipped the tail end of a Buick.

“I’ll slow down once I’m dead.” He laughed at the irony of his own joke, but slowed down anyway as they came up to a stoplight. Reaching for her hand, he brought it to his lips and kissed her fingertips lushly. She gaped at him as his eyes lifted to hers. “When this is all over I want to take you to Hawaii. Get some sun on our skin, sip some island drinks, go rock-climbing, scuba diving. Whaddya say?”

Lynette pulled her hand away, confusion creasing her brow. “I don’t know.”

“C’mon. It’ll be fun.” When the light turned green he hit the gas, driving at a normal speed this time.

“Shouldn’t we be more concerned with finding out how to end all of this instead of what we’re going to do afterward?”

“I told you not to worry about it. We have everything handled.”

“What does that mean?” Frustrated, she turned away and stared out the window. “You’re keeping something from me.”

“You’re right, I am,” he admitted casually. When she glared at him, he only smiled. “Have a little faith, Lynette. You’ll know what it is soon.”

She sighed, not wanting to stay angry with him. “Okay. But it better be real soon.”

“Oh, it will.” He grinned again, hitting an open stretch of road and gunning the engine.

When Madison got
off the phone with her mother, she couldn’t hold back a grin of pure, delighted satisfaction. Oh yes, this was juicy indeed. And oh so perfect.

“What is it?” Wyatt asked, sitting beside her as the town car took them home. The lights of streetlamps and cars passed by outside, casting shadows inside the vehicle.

She bit her lower lip, holding her phone to her chest like a coveted possession. When her eyes found his, he saw they were dark with a twisted kind of pleasure that only came from the best kind of revenge.

“As much as I despise my mother, I have to give her some credit for this,” Madison said. She slipped her phone back into her purse. “She’s not entirely useless.”

Wyatt shot an anxious glance out the window, keeping an eye out for any sign of the cartel. Why did he feel like something bad was about to happen? “Are you going to tell me or are you leaving me in the dark on this just like the rest of your plans?”

His tone of voice indicated he was upset with her, but she was too thrilled to care. He’d understand in time. “I don’t want you to worry about the cartel anymore, darling.”

When he didn’t look away from the window, she unbuckled her seatbelt and leaned over him, her hand trailing over his chest. The second his head turned she covered his mouth with hers in a hungry, desperate kiss.

Surprise and frustration warred within him even as his body responded to her. She’d been distant with him ever since the night with Daniel, even after the news that he hadn’t touched her. So to have her sliding over him this way, the scent of her invading his senses and the feel of her breath mixing with his, was almost too much to bear. It would take a stronger man than him to resist her when she was like this.

“Damnit,” he hissed, his hands gripping her hips as she climbed into his lap, her mouth raging over his. He dug his fingers in when she nipped his lower lip, her teeth flashing in a seductive smile.

“If you hate me, Wyatt, then use it,” she purred, all but pleading with him. She arched when his hands slid up her back and into her hair, pulling just hard enough to tease.

His eyes, hard as steel, locked on hers. “I thought
you
hated
me
, sweetheart. Remember?”

“Hate and love for us are often one in the same, aren’t they?” Her breath caught when his fist tightened, her system overloaded with the sweet taste of triumph and the shock of desire. “We’re both prone to each extreme.”

Knowing she was dead right, his eyes stayed focused on hers, intense and feral. “You know I could refuse you until you tell me everything.”

The corner of her mouth lifted. “But you won’t.”

His jaw clenched as his eyes fell to her mouth. He knew he’d have to be dead to resist her, and even then the very sight of her might be enough to restart his heart. “God, I hate it when you’re right.”

A delighted laugh escaped her throat the instant before he crushed her mouth with his, her arms winding around his neck. For the first time in several days, she felt like herself again. Nothing could touch her, harm her, exploit her, violate her…she was back to her fearless self. And best of all, the fun had only just begun.

There was just one more loose end to tie up, one she intended to secure very soon. Once it was ready, everything else would fall spectacularly into place.

Cyrus would be proud.