Wrapped In Shadows (19 page)

Luke pulled his shoulders back and his body stiffened. He stared silently for a few heartbeats then squeezed his eyes shut, seeming to draw on his control.

“Listen, I came here to ask you some questions. Someone is setting me up and I’m trying to figure out what the hell is going on. Someone planted rope in my office that match the murder weapon. I need answers.”

“
Oh my God!
” I frowned, not wanting to believe what I was hearing. “I’ll do whatever I can to help, you know that.”

“Did the police question you?”

I shook my head. “I was registered at
Sensations
under an alias.”

“It might just be a matter of time.” He stared. “I haven't said anything. There might be a way to prove my innocence without you getting involved. That way you’ll be spared.”

“How?”
I couldn’t believe he cared that much
.

“I have to figure out who is behind this.” He scratched his jaw pensively. “You said something about finding your grandmother’s pearl earring the night at Mr. Kotobuki’s party.”

I nodded, frowning. “Yes. In my shoe.”

He shook his head. “I didn’t put it there. I was trying to tell you that at your apartment.”

I felt a distressing wave curl through me. “Then how—?”

“I don’t know. The night of Mr. Kotobuki’s party, a woman was murdered.”

I sucked in a staggered breath, my eyes wide. “
Oh my God!
Don’t tell me they’re blaming you?”

Luke worried his hair, blowing out a heavy breath. His long legs paced the room. “Not yet, but Katie, she looked a lot like you. Too much for it to be a coincidence. Similar coat too—the one I almost took.” He stopped and turned to me, his voice mellowing. “I’m worried.”

My frown deepened. “What are you saying?”

Luke shook his head and spoke slowly. “I don’t know what to think. Just please be careful.”

“I—”

The door pushed open then and a swell of noise burst into the room. Michelle froze in the doorway, her brown eyes changing from startled…to puzzled…to suspicious. She swung her astute gaze between the two of us and her brows lifted curiously. We’d both grown suddenly still and a palpable disquiet settled in the room. I could sense Michelle’s rapid assessment of the situation.

“Mr. Davenport,” Michelle greeted with a slight nod of her head, then turned a penetrating gaze to me. “Ah—the waiter told me I could find you here.”

“I’ll be out in a second,” I said, holding my friend’s questioning gaze.

Michelle twitched her head back to the door. “Uh—there’s
someone
looking for you.”

I was about to reiterate that I’d be right out, when the door pushed open behind Michelle. Josh and his father stood in the doorway and I knew the moment Josh spotted Luke. His face turned into to a red mask of rage.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Josh yelled.

Luke lengthened his spine and squared his shoulders, his posture defensive. I felt my worlds colliding, the fragments exploding violently.

“Wait just a second.” Mr. Wilkinson stepped forward. “I invited him. He’s my guest.”

Josh turned to his father in anger. “
You
invited him here? You just told me he’s fucking firing me! The man is a murderer. He should be behind bars!”

Mr. Wilkinson raised both palms, trying to calm his son. “Now, now, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. You brought this upon yourself, and Luke has not been found guilty of any crime.”

“What? You’re sticking up for him? It’s all over the fucking news! He’s guilty. He killed his wife and now the woman at the whorehouse!”

I hated the noise Josh created in my head, hated the gossip and the slander against this man I knew was innocent. My limbs shook with the anger vibrating in my bones. I pivoted and stepped in front of Josh, my fists tight.

“He didn’t do it!” I yelled.

Josh walked toward me, obviously surprised by my defense of Luke. His face creased and his blue eyes narrowed as he stared at me hard.

“How do you know Mr. Davenport so well? You’ve been defending him all night,” he stated softly, his voice cutting like the thin edge of a blade. “How do you know he didn’t do it?”

I sucked in a breath and I saw Luke move in my peripheral vision.

“
Kay, no!
” Luke’s voice registered somewhere in my sub-conscience, but I was too impassioned to heed him. My heart fluttered wild like the wings of a hummingbird and the roar in my head was deafening.

“Because I was there! I was with him that night at
Sensations
! We were in bed together! He didn’t do it!”

I heard Michelle’s loud gasp and Mr. Wilkinson’s crude curse, but what I failed to notice was the lethal coil of Josh’s body just before he swung his arm and struck me brutally across the face.

“
You fucking whore!
”

I staggered back from the blow, more stunned than hurt. I caught my balance just in time to see the blur of Luke’s large body crash into Josh. Luke released a maniacal roar and the soul-shattering sound resonated down to my toes, quaking my entire body. I thanked God for the loud music that must have drowned out the sound in the other room.

My lips parted and I let out a broken cry, my palm cupping my throbbing jaw. Luke had Josh pinned against a wall, his fist driving into him repeatedly, the dull thuds were punctuated with Josh’s painful grunts as blood squirted from his nose onto his sterile tux. Mr. Wilkinson struggled to pry Luke off Josh, but Luke’s blind fury was evident with each deliberate strike. Finally Mr. Wilkinson was able to tear him away from his son, yelling harshly, his craggy face a mask of outrage.

“Get out of here! Go!” he yelled to Luke.

Luke swiped a hand across his chin, his chest rising and falling rapidly. The fog seemed to clear and he stepped back and turned to me.

“You okay?”

I nodded silently, words stacking like dry rocks in my throat. He gave me a last lingering look before he stalked from the room.

I stood still, my limbs suffering the effects of minor tremors. I stared at the door where Luke just exited and a whimper crawled up from my throat. My gaze flew back to Josh’s battered body and I felt no remorse. In fact, I felt nothing at all. It was just then I heard the excited peal of the MC from the other room. His trumpeting voice announced a special surprise for the soon to be married couple. I squeezed my eyes shut and cursed my mother under my breath. I should have known.

I was vaguely aware of Michelle easing close to me. My friend’s venomous gaze left Josh and she wrapped an arm around my shoulders, leading me numbly through the door.

“Are you okay?” Michelle asked me when we entered the adjoining kitchen.

I stared ahead, unseeing, still stunned by the evolution of tonight’s events. My muscles loosened as a deluge of tears erupted and I buried my face in Michelle’s shoulder and sobbed.

“Geez, Kay!” Michelle sighed, embracing me. “Why didn’t you tell me that my boss was Mr. Pumpernickel?”

*************************

Luke

I pounded my fist on my desk and swore vividly, causing a stack of pens to topple and flee from my anger. They rolled across the top toward Bruce, Steven, and two other administrators who sat opposite me. The men winced and exchanged cautious glances. Bruce just informed me that Mr. Kotobuki pulled his account and decided to go with another agency. He was also requesting the fifteen-thousand dollar advance he’d given Davenport PR by the end of the day. According to Steven, there were still a number of high-profile clients who hadn’t responded to their calls. Christmas was just two days away, and I knew it was typically a slow time. I hoped my clients’ elusiveness was due to the fact that many were busy with the holiday. I scrubbed a palm up and down my face and cursed.

The weekend had started off horribly with the incident at the Vandercamp holiday party and things had not improved. Although I had to admit that pounding Josh had felt incredibly therapeutic, Katie probably hated me for what I’d done to her fiancé. I’d almost lost my mind when the bastard struck her. Every time I thought of it, I itched to beat the shit out of him all over again.

I had to rid myself of this murder charge hanging over my head. Jack had told me he was working on getting a subpoena for the security video from
Sensations
, but was hitting all sorts of road-blocks because the club was being difficult. I knew places like that had limited video surveillance for fear of deterring clients. I hoped, though, that Jack could prove I was nowhere near Ms. Carmen’s room when she was murdered. The phone rang and Maria’s line lit up, interrupting my thoughts.

“Mr. Grummel has arrived,” she announced.

I thanked the men, giving them instructions as I stood.

“Do you want me to stay for the meeting?” Bruce asked.

I shook my head, walking them to the door. “No. I think I’ll handle this alone.” I clapped a hand on Bruce’s back, thankful for the offer of support.

“I’ll be in my office if you need anything,” Bruce replied.

Steven shrugged into the trench coat he was carrying. “I have to run out for a meeting, but I’ll be back later.”

I nodded and said goodbye to the men just as Maria was showing Mr. Grummel in.

I shook Tom Grummel’s hand and ushered him into the office, noticing the man’s slow gait and sickly pallor. He said nothing, but it was evident that Tom’s condition was quickly deteriorating.

“Where’s Glen?” I asked, reclaiming my seat.

Tom coughed into a handkerchief and took a moment to respond. “He had some things he needed to attend to.”

I nodded and inclined my head to Tom, indicating he should say what was on his mind. I could tell by the pucker of his forehead that he was burdened.

“Look, Luke, you know I have a great deal of respect for you—not only as a person, but as a business man. I’m sorry for your personal troubles, but in light of recent events, I believe an alliance with Davenport PR would be a mistake. I wanted to tell you in person.”

I sat silent for a moment, my fingers in a steeple beneath my chin. I wasn’t surprised by this news, deeply disappointed, but not entirely surprised. Somewhere deep down I’d hoped that Tom would still trust in my ability to lead and manage a successful company.

“You know this will all blow over. We’re still a good fit.”

Tom’s rough laugh turned into a crackling cough. “For your sake I hope it will, but unfortunately, I don’t have that kind of time. Frankly, my staff is worried about the viability of Davenport PR. I have people who’ve worked for me for decades and I have a responsibility to them. I know a lot of your clients have jumped ship. Some have come over to ACE.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose and blinked hard. I could tell it would be futile to try to convince Tom. The man had made up his mind.

“What will you do?”

Tom shrugged wearily. “Glen has made a convincing argument that he can take over. He wasn’t my first choice, as you know, but he’s a hard worker and my staff know him.”

I bobbed my head slowly. I didn’t know Glen that well, and although I’d inquired about him taking over once before, didn’t really think he had the kind of money to buy ACE. I had made an extremely generous offer to Tom, but I understood the pressures the man was under. Perhaps he’d worked out a deal with Glen.

“I understand, Tom. If you change your mind, my offer is still on the table.”

Tom stood and nodded gravely. “If there’s any way I can be of assistance, all you need do is ask. I’m sorry, I have to get back to my office.”

“Thank you for that. Same here,” I said, standing. I watched Tom get short of breath with each step. “Should I have Maria have a cab waiting for you downstairs?”

Tom shook his head. “No, thanks. I took the company car today. It’s already waiting.”

I held the door open as Tom exited, feeling thoroughly deflated. Walking back to my desk, I sank into my leather chair.

Looking at the work piled on my desk, I cursed. It was barely ten a.m.
This day had to get better.

I heard the intercom buzz from the doorman downstairs at the same time my doorbell rang. Figuring Mrs. Rogers forgot her keys again, I pulled myself away from my laptop and went to open the door. Mrs. Rogers had taken Livy on a play-date and I was expecting them back at any moment. The time alone had given me the opportunity to work on a campaign for a popular rap artist who was planning a NYC tour this summer.

When I pulled the door open and saw Katie standing in the hallway, I couldn’t suppress my shock. She was achingly beautiful with her hair pulled back in a ponytail and a hint of gloss on her lips. She dragged her bottom lip through her teeth and I realized it wasn't gloss at all that made her lips so full and tempting, but the fact that she worried them in her nervousness. My gaze traveled to the slight bruise coloring her jaw and my temper flared. Other than her apparent unease, I couldn't read what was behind her wide, blue eyes. Had she come to unload her anger? Was she pissed that I’d intruded on her family’s Christmas party and attacked her fiancé? Was she going to warn me to stay away from her—from Josh? Josh was probably still livid. He probably didn’t know she was here.

I shifted my weight, trying to stem my rising anger. I just didn’t get Katie, and still wondered what she saw in Josh Wilkinson. When was she going to wake up and see Josh for who he really was? The fact that he would strike her in anger should be proof enough of his extreme volatility. Why would she put up with that shit? I would treasure her, love her.

The intercom buzzed from the doorman again, drawing my attention. With annoyance, I ushered her into the apartment and stepped quickly to address the nuisance.

“Mrs. Vandercamp is here to see you,” Harry said when I pressed the intercom.

“She’s here, but thanks for the heads up.”

“You’re welcome.”

It seemed my one hundred year old doorman missed my pointed sarcasm, and I couldn’t help but notice Katie’s lips twitch with mirth. I signed off and turned to her.