Steel Rush (In the Shadows#5) (13 page)

Great. He sounds ticked. I walk over and steel myself before I open the door. “Calder, I—”

“You need to eat,” he says gruffly. His expression is hard to read as he pushes a plate of food into my left hand, but I’m surprised when he sets my cell phone in my right one at the same time, commanding, “Call Talia.”

Without another word, he pulls the door shut, leaving me standing there, stunned. It’s like he knew exactly what I needed, but there’s no way he could know just how on edge I am. With Brent potentially lurking in the background, I’m questioning whether or not I can pull this charade off with my sanity in tact.
This isn’t about you. If something has happened to Celeste, you have to follow through and help.

Glancing down at my phone, I quickly turn it on while I carry the plate over to Celeste’s desk. With my hands shaking, I sit down and press the button to dial Talia’s number.

Talia answers on the second ring, and instead of fussing at me for not keeping in touch the last day and a half like I expect her to, she just says, “I’m here, Cass.”

Her simple statement says so much about our friendship that I instantly tear up and start rambling, “God, I miss you so much, Talia. You have no idea. I’m sorry I’ve been a mess the last few months and that I never told you about my past. I promise to one day, but right now I just…things here are just so messed up.

“Beth thinks I’m an evil temptress and a liar, Celeste has gone AWOL, but I believe she’s really missing, and God, I don’t have any underwear. Can you believe that’s all I could think about while Beth selected one of Celeste’s outfits for me to wear to this stupid interview happening in less than an hour? That I want to wear my own freaking underwear underneath the ‘Celeste’ costume I’m expected to present to the reporters. This was just supposed to be a dinner party and that was it. None of this was supposed to happen.”

“Whoa—slow down. Take a breath, Cass. Sebastian filled me in on what’s going on, and while I’m sorry Celeste might be missing, you don’t owe her a thing. Right now I’m more worried about
you
.”

Just hearing her calm voice makes me feel better. I take a couple of breaths, then pick up a carrot from the plate and munch on it. While I eat the sandwich and vegetables Calder brought me, I fill Talia in on everything that has happened so far. I’m careful not to mention Jake or Brent because I know she’ll worry, and I don’t want that part getting back to Calder through Sebastian. Thankfully Brent appears to be a separate part of Beth’s life, away from Carver social events. I don’t think her father even knows he exists.
But if he did show up for an event, I would be completely blindsided since I never saw his face.

The uncomfortable realization has me pulling down Celeste’s sophomore class yearbook and skimming through our class page for any classmates named Brent while Talia expresses her concern. “This whole situation is so messed up, Cass. I wish you could just walk away.”

“You know I can’t, Talia,” I say as I turn pages. “And neither could the investigator in you.”

She snorts. “That’s so true. And you can’t pry me away from helping now that I know. Oh, by the way, Sebastian’s guy, Elijah, couldn’t trace who wrote the Deceiver’s text to Celeste. But I did just hear Sebastian tell Calder that the abandoned rental car’s GPS
was
mapped to a women’s clinic in New Jersey.”

“Really?” My heart constricts and I pause skimming the names and class pictures. “What was the name of the clinic?”

Paper rustles in the background. “Jersey Women’s Services. Is that the same one you went to today?”

I close my eyes and inhale slowly. “Yes, that’s it.” I don’t need blood test results to know that the blood in that car belongs to Celeste.

“Are you okay, Cass?”

Blowing out a breath to release the tension building inside me, I open my eyes and turn to the very last page of the sophomore class.
Not a single Brent in the whole bunch.
“I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?”

Worry laces her voice, so I give a stronger answer. “I’m okay, Talia. I just need to get through tomorrow night. If Celeste isn’t found by then, the Carver’s event will be my best chance to collect a DNA sample to prove Phillip is the baby’s father. My gut tells me that Phillip is the Deceiver. I think that he caught up to Celeste and that’s why she never made it to the clinic for her appointment. If that is her blood they found in the car, Phillip definitely has a strong motive to want to keep her pregnancy and the baby’s paternity from being revealed in the blood work results, especially considering her father just announced Celeste’s engagement to his son, Ben.”

“Wow, if you’re right, that’s all kinds of screwed up. Do you really think Phillip would hurt the woman carrying his child?”

Jake briefly pops into my head. He was pretty pissed last night, but I dismiss him as a potential threat to Celeste as I shut the yearbook. “Other than her guard, whose faults are many but he has no reason to hurt Celeste, the only other men in her life was Ben and Jake. Ben just wants to protect Celeste and Jake is in love with her. He’d never hurt Celeste.”
Not like he did me.

“The brother who’s in love with her isn’t the one marrying her? How did that happen?”

Another idea for finding Brent hits me just as I start to slide the yearbook back into place on the shelf. I flip it open once more to the sports section and set it down on the desk to scour the names listed under the varsity football team’s photo. A dark-haired junior named Brent Taylor has a wide, smirking smile as he sits on the bleachers one row behind Jake. That’s right. Jake was the only sophomore on the varsity team.

I stare intensely at Brent’s dark brown eyes, floppy hair, full mouth and square jawline, searing his image in my memory.

“Earth to Cass!”

“I’m sorry, Talia.” I quickly shut the book to keep my mind on the present. Returning it to the shelf, I continue, “What were you saying?”

“Never mind. I just wanted you to know we’ll see you tomorrow night. Damien got us an invitation to the party at the Carver estate. Sebastian and I will take back whatever evidence you’re able to collect and get the proper testing done.”

“If I can get a DNA sample from Phillip, then you’ll still need the blood Celeste left at the clinic to do the paternity testing.”

“They can test paternity from just her blood?”

“Yes, apparently the baby’s DNA does show up in the pregnant mother’s blood. I’ll work on getting access to her blood after we get Phillip’s DNA.” Knowing that Talia and Sebastian will be at the party tomorrow lifts my spirits. “I’m so glad you’re both coming, Talia. Having more allies in the crowd will be just the boost I need.”

“If I could fit myself in your pocket and stay with you the whole time, I would,” Talia says on a low laugh. “Between now and then, I’m going to research Phillip Hemming. Based on the way you’ve described him, I can’t help but wonder why someone as ruthless and cunning as he is would choose to remain in the shadows to the spotlight of Gregory’s political career. And how could he carry on an affair with Gregory’s daughter behind his friend’s back while trying to marry her off to his son? This guy is seriously bent.”

“He’s devious, Talia. I have no doubt that Phillip has a hidden agenda. I just don’t know what his end game is…other than doing everything he can to make sure the Hemmings share in the Carver millions. I’ll be interested in hearing what you can find on him.”

“Just keep your head low and don’t take any unnecessary risks. We’ll be there to back you up tomorrow night so you can get what you need, but in the meantime, don’t give Phillip an inkling that you have anything on him—”

“I’m just playing my part,” I quickly say, wondering if I’ve been too honest with everything I told her. I don’t want Talia repeating her worries to Sebastian. That would definitely get back to Calder.

Talia sighs. “Please be careful, Cass. You’ve never done undercover work before. Trust me. I know how exhausting it is to
always
be on guard. And when you’re as emotionally entangled as you are…it’s especially easy to let something slip.”

Emotionally entangled is an understatement.
If Talia knew how deep my ties to several players connected to this bizarre household went, she wouldn’t wait for Sebastian or Calder to yank me out of here. She’d drive over and drag me away herself. “I promise not to take any risks.”

“I wish the event was tonight.” Talia huffs her frustration. “Then we could get this over and done with.”

“That just gives you time to ferret out more of Phillip Hemming’s dirty secrets. I know that man must have some.”

“Ah, point taken. And now I’m off to research. Remember, head low.”

“Got it,” I say, letting out a low laugh.

Setting my phone down, I open my door and startle when I see Calder leaning against the wall. “Hey, I um…was just coming to look for you.”

Calder pushes off the wall, lowering his arms. “Did you eat?”

His expression is blank, his eyes shuttered. He’s acting like the perfect guard. It’s hard to tell his mood. “Yes, thank you for the food,” I say casually, then I tilt my head toward my room.

Calder follows me inside, but doesn’t change his formal stance as I shut the door behind him. “I have Beth’s boyfriend’s full name. It’s Brent Taylor.”

He frowns. “Did you ask Beth for it? I told you I didn’t want you involved in the EUC stuff.”

I don’t want him to know Brent’s connection to me from my past so I lie. “I didn’t ask. She just mentioned it.”

The sudden tension in Calder’s expression eases some. “I’ll have Elijah run down his information. Thanks.”

I nod, offering a half smile. “Thank you for my phone. Talia filled me in on everything you and Sebastian have learned and told me they’ll be here tomorrow night.”

His green gaze drills into mine. “If you weren’t going to talk to me, you needed to talk to someone.”

It’s hard not to miss the frustration in his comment, which makes me feel awful. “Talking to Talia helped so much. I don’t know how you knew I needed that, but…thank you.”

A moment of silence passes and as we stare at one another, I can literally feel the crackle of attraction arcing between us. I swallow to calm my emotions, then turn and walk toward my bathroom, calling over my shoulder, “I have to be downstairs soon, but I wanted to show you something.”

Calder looks perplexed as I open the linen closet, but doesn’t say anything until I push on the back wall and reveal the hidden passage. “Is that what I think it is?”

I chuckle and nod. “I thought you would like to know about this. It might come in handy if you need to get from one side of the house to the other without being seen. I’ve been all over and there are several exits.” Once I rattle off all the places I used with Beth and found on my own, I grip the closet’s door handle and gesture to the passageway. “Have at it. Gregory wants Beth and me to meet him in his office before we head over as a ‘family’ to the main room where the interview will take place. You’ve got at least twenty minutes to explore before anyone notices you’re not around.”

Calder steps close enough that his masculine smell invades all my senses. I can’t resist inhaling deeply as he slowly slides his thumb along my bottom lip. His gaze follows his finger on my mouth, which sets off a swarm of anxious anticipation in my belly. He wants to brand me again and God I want him to, but Beth’s harsh judgment about me rushes through my mind and I take a step back. “Just to warn you. It’s kind of a maze in there.”

I agonize as I wait for him to speak. Calder’s not one to hold back.

His gaze snaps to mine, but instead of anger, steely determination stares back at me. “Have you forgotten that I’m a master puzzler, angel?”

His reminder of our time together in that kitchen four years ago sends chill bumps racing across my skin and my pulse skyrockets. “No, there’s just so much—”

“Stop putting up walls between us, Cass.”

“Then tell me why Celeste’s pregnancy upset you so much.”

He frowns. “It should go without saying how fucked up that scenario is.”

I fold my arms. “There’s more to it than that.”

“Tell me why you have this zealous faith in Ben,” he counters, scowling. “You shouldn’t trust
anyone
here.”

“I told you…he’s sincere.”

Calder lets out a harsh snort.

We face off in a stalemate. When I turn to walk out, the fierceness in his tone stops me mid-stride. “I’ll rip the fuckers down, Cass. Every single wall you throw up, but know this…my patience with this whole goddamn situation is wearing thin.”

I compose my expression to hide how much the thought of him leaving tears me up before I turn to respond. “You’re free to leave any time you want.”

“Not without you.” He pins me with a hard stare, then steps inside the passageway and closes the wall behind him.