“Wyatt cares about you, Carly.”
“I know.” I cared about him too, but it wasn’t enough.
We were both quiet for a moment before he cleared his throat. “About Lula…”
“She came by to see me and told me everything.”
“We know there are others,” he said, looking down at the table, “but Lula… she’s special.”
“I know,” I said.
“I felt bad not tellin’ you, and I felt even worse when I realized Greta was missin’. You and Marco were gettin’ in deep, but I didn’t think I could tell anyone. It seemed possible Lula’s life was in danger, and I didn’t know if it was because of our father or if someone else was after her. Then Wyatt showed up and took charge, and we all went out to his house to figure out what to do.”
“Did you come to a conclusion?”
“We told our father that we know the truth, and that Lula wants nothing from him. We told him to leave her alone.”
I doubted they knew the full truth, but I wasn’t going to be the one to tell them. At least not yet. “Do you think he will?”
“Only time will tell. But we’re ready to jump in if need be.”
“Lula’s lucky to have two big brothers like you and Wyatt. Does anyone else know?”
“No. We’re keepin’ it quiet for now.”
“Don’t worry about me. I won’t tell anyone.”
He narrowed his eyes. “You sure you’re ready to come back to work tonight?”
“I’m goin’ stir-crazy, so yeah.”
After we said our goodbyes, I drove to Wyatt’s garage. I was worried about this meeting, but it needed to be done, and I wanted to see him before I met with his father.
I pulled into the parking lot and walked toward the building. The garage doors were open and both bays had cars. Wyatt was standing next to one of them, but he turned as I approached him. He started to walk toward me, a guarded look on his face.
“Carly, I hear you’ve been feelin’ under the weather.”
“You heard correctly,” I said, already feeling winded and I hadn’t even met with Bart yet. Maybe this had been a mistake, but it was too late to turn back now.
“What happened?” he asked, but there was an accusatory edge to his voice.
“What exactly are you asking, Wyatt?”
“Why did you stay with Marco?”
“Are you serious?” I asked in disbelief. “What happened to fighting for me? Where were you last weekend?”
He looked away. “We had a family emergency.”
“Funny how you’ve known about all of my emergencies, yet I don’t know anything about yours.”
“That’s not fair, Carly,” he said in exasperation.
“You know,” I said, utterly exhausted, “you’re right. We’ve known each other for a month, so yeah, it’s unreasonable for me to expect you to share your secrets with me, but the fact remains that you know far more about me than I know about you, and you’ve made it clear you don’t plan on leveling the playing field anytime soon.”
“Carly…”
“This argument is getting old, and I’m exhausted by it too. So I’m here to tell you that I have no expectations. Not anymore. You said you wanted to work with me to make things right with our fathers, but I accept that you changed your mind.”
“Why do I think this isn’t as good as it sounds?”
“Because bottom line is you don’t trust me, and I can’t be with someone who doesn’t.”
“Carly.”
“I deserve a man who trusts me.”
“You deserve a lot of things, Carly,” he said with a tight voice.
“Yeah,” I said, “I do.” My voice broke. “I thought you were different.”
“Is this about Lula? We had to wrap our heads around finding out she was our sister before we could tell anyone.”
“I’m not supposed to be just anyone, but to top off the insult, you knew I was looking for her.”
“You mean you and Marco were lookin’ for her.”
“We were both looking for her. Max put Greta’s life in danger by keeping this secret. She was kidnapped and almost killed because of what Charlie Jones thought she knew about Lula. But you put my life in danger, Wyatt. You left me vulnerable all because you couldn’t trust me.”
“How did you get hooked up with Bingham on Sunday night?”
I released a bitter laugh. “No. You don’t get to ask me that.”
“What were you really doin’ at Marco’s house?”
“I had the flu.”
“You still look like crap,” he said. “I don’t believe that for a minute. Ruth said you disappeared from work on Sunday night. But hours later you called me up, askin’ to speak to Lula. First of all, how’d you know she was with us? And second, what kind of fool do you have to be to join forces with Todd Bingham?”
“For your information, I figured the Lula part out all on my own, thank you very much, and as for hooking up with Bingham—how dare you! I’d be dead several times over if not for that man. I was poisoned and almost shot, so fuck you, Wyatt Drummond.” I pointed my finger at him, my voice breaking with tears. “Fuck. You.”
“What the hell are you talkin’ about? Nearly shot?” His eyes widened as though he was finally realizing how sick I’d been. “Poisoned?”
I shook my head and took a step backward. “No. You didn’t trust me enough to tell me to call off my hunt for Lula. Which means I no longer trust you with the details of my life.” I drew a deep breath. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have an appointment with a man who thinks highly of himself and likely won’t appreciate it if I’m late.” I turned and started walking to Hank’s car.
“You on Bingham’s payroll now?” he called after me.
I spun around, so hurt I could hardly take a breath.
“Thank you for saving me from any regret. But that reminds me—I sold Bingham my car, so let his associates take it when they show up. I know I still owe you money for the work you did, but you can just send me a bill.”
He closed the distance between us. “What the hell happened to us?” he asked.
“I grew a backbone. That’s what happened.” I reached for the car door and got in. He raised his hand as if to call me back, but I ignored him as I drove away.
The smart thing would be to leave this town behind, but I knew my next stop would likely prevent that from happening.
Chapter Thirty-Six
I’d never been to the Drummond property before, but Marco had given me detailed directions. My stop to see Wyatt had made me a few minutes late.
The two-story house had rough stone siding and looked more like an estate than someone’s home. As I parked in the circular drive, I tried to imagine Wyatt and Max growing up here. Neither of them seemed the type to live in such a place.
I approached the front stoop, but a woman greeted me at the front door before I could knock. She looked like she was in her late fifties, and she wrinkled her nose at the sight of me. Then again, I suspected she was the kind of person who always looked like she’d caught wind of a bad smell.
“Mr. Drummond would like you to use the side entrance,” she said, pointing toward the end of the house.
Score one for Bart Drummond. He was sending me to the servants’ entrance to drive home that he considered me trash. Fine. As I headed to the door, I found myself wondering if Louise Baker had approached this same door years ago.
I rapped on the wood and waited nearly a half minute before a younger man in jeans and a T-shirt opened the door. He didn’t look any friendlier than his coworker. “Mr. Drummond’ll see you in his office.”
He led me down a short hall, then stopped at an open door. I entered a large room with walls covered in animal heads. Bart sat behind an oversized desk with wall-to-wall bookcases behind him. To his left was a large window overlooking his land…and also a view of my car.
He’d watched me walk up. What a creeper.
“Hello, Carly. Thank you
for agreeing to meet with me.” He stood and walked around the edge of his desk. “I had hoped to meet with you last week, but I heard you were under the weather.”
“I’m feeling much better,” I said with a forced smile. “Thank you for asking.”
He grinned at my cheekiness. “I heard you had the flu.” The way he said it made it clear he knew it was a lie.
“Something like that.”
He gestured to a grouping of sofa and chairs opposite the desk.
I sat down in the chair in case he got any ideas about what might happen on that sofa. He sat on the sofa opposite me and crossed his legs, resting his hand on his knee.
“I’m sure you’re wondering why I invited you here.”
I didn’t answer. I wasn’t volunteering anything.
“We all have secrets,” he said.
I still remained silent.
“I have secrets,” he said. “One of those secrets came out last weekend.”
“Max said that Lula’s not his only half-sibling. You were a busy man,” I said. “Building empires in every sense of the word.”
A forced grin spread across his face. “I love that you understand me.”
“I understand you better than you know,” I said.
“Maybe not, Caroline. Maybe I understand you perfectly.”
I gave him a blank look. “Sorry if you were hoping for more of a reaction, but I’d already figured out that you know who I am. The real question is why I’m here.”
He blinked in surprise.
“You could have turned me in, but you haven’t, which means you want something from me. What is it?”
Score one for Marco. He’d coached me to come on strong and put Bart on the defensive.
“How do you know I don’t plan to turn you in?”
“I’m sure you will when it’s advantageous to you, yet for now you’ll wait and try to get something from me. But I’ve heard of your famous favors. Perhaps you consider keeping my secret as my favor. The real question is what you’ll ask of me and when.”
“Whatever I deem appropriate,” he said.
“No,” I said. “You have something in mind, but you’re keeping it to yourself for now.”
He sat back and rested his forearm on the arm of the sofa, taking an easygoing pose. “You seem very certain of yourself, but you’d be foolish to underestimate me. I’ve destroyed more lives than you can count, and I’ll rip yours to shreds if and when I feel like it, so wipe that smirk off your face.”
I would never kowtow to him, but I’d let him figure that out later.
“If you were plannin’ to leave town,” he said. “I suggest you reconsider. If you try to leave, I’ll be forced to release information that will put Hank Chalmers in prison for the rest of his life.”
What did he have on Hank? Given Hank’s past, it could be anything. “And if you use it, I’ll be forced to tell the world you tried to drown an eight-year-old girl in a pathetic attempt to destroy evidence of your affair.”
“You’ve been talkin’ to Louise.”
“We had a lovely chat,” I said. “Very informative.”
“Louise can speculate all she wants,” Bart said. “But she has yet to prove that Lula is my daughter.”
“It’s not difficult to determine such things,” I said. “A simple DNA test will sort it out.”
“And I’ve already had one done,” he said. “Negative.”
“Forgive me if I don’t believe you.”
He shrugged. “Believe it or not, I still have it and plan to show it to anyone who asks for proof.”
And it would be just as easy to counter his claim—any home DNA kit would do—but that issue wasn’t pressing at the moment.
He stood. “I brought you here to let you know that you have been noticed, and at some point, I will require your willing and able service. The less fuss you make, the better for all, especially poor Hank. I wonder how they deal with one-legged inmates?”
He smiled, but his eyes were dark.
I got to my feet and looked him square in the eye. “This has been such an informative meeting. Thank you.”
“I’m happy we could reach this understanding,” he said.
Oh, we’d reached an understanding, just not the one he’d meant. I’d do everything in my power to protect Hank.
Bart Drummond had finally met his match.
One Foot in the Grave
Carly Moore #3
June 2, 2020
Available for preorder
The dead can’t speak
After months of living in the Smoky Mountains town of Drum, Tennessee, Carly knows firsthand the financial hardship the citizens face. Still, she can’t muster the same excitement as everyone else when town patriarch Bart Drummond breaks ground on his new resort that promises more jobs and money.
But the project comes to a screeching halt when the construction crew unearths a grisly discovery—multiple unmarked graves. Some are decades old, some are newer, but one, in particular, threatens Carly’s ex-boyfriend—the body of his old girlfriend who had supposedly left town…and Wyatt is suspect number one.
Carly’s sure Wyatt’s innocent, even if the rest of the town, and more importantly, the sheriff’s department, is ready to lock him up. Carly has moved on from Wyatt, but now he’s asking for her help to clear his name. In exchange, he’ll tell her everything he knows about his father. Information that will help her bring Bart down.
But danger lurks around every corner, and as Carly puts her heart on the line to help the man who betrayed her, she begins to question everything and everyone around her…especially Wyatt Drummond.
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Also by Denise Grover Swank
Rose And Neely Kate reading order:
Family Jewels
Trailer Trash
For the Birds
Hell in a Handbasket
In High Cotton
Up Shute Creek
Come Rain or Shine
Dirty Money
When the Bough Breaks
Rose Gardner Investigations
Family Jewels
For the Birds
Hell in a Handbasket
Up Shute Creek
Come Rain or Shine
When the Bough Breaks
Neely Kate Mystery
Trailer Trash
In High Cotton
Dirty Money
Carly Moore
A Cry in the Dark
Her Scream in the Silence
One Foot in the Grave (June 2020)
Magnolia Steele Mystery
Center Stage
Act Two
Call Back
Curtain Call
Darling Investigations
(Humorous mystery romance)
Deadly Summer
Blazing Summer
Rose Gardner Mysteries
Novellas are bonus material
TWENTY-EIGHT AND A HALF WISHES
TWENTY-NINE AND A HALF REASONS
THIRTY AND A HALF EXCUSES
FALLING TO PIECES (novella)
THIRTY-ONE AND A HALF REGRETS
THIRTY-TWO AND A HALF COMPLICATIONS
PICKING UP THE PIECES (novella)
THIRTY-THREE AND A HALF SHENANIGANS
ROSE AND HELENA SAVE CHRISTMAS (novella)
RIPPLE OF SECRETS (novella)
THIRTY-FOUR AND A HALF PREDICAMENTS
THIRTY-FIVE AND A HALF CONSPIRACIES
THIRTY-SIX AND A HALF MOTIVES
SINS OF THE FATHER (novella)
The Wedding Pact
(Humorous contemporary romance)
THE SUBSTITUTE
THE PLAYER
THE GAMBLER
; THE VALENTINE (short story)
Bachelor Brotherhood
Spinoff of The Wedding Pact series
ONLY YOU
UNTIL YOU
ALWAYS YOU
From the Ashes
Paranormal Women’s Fiction
Let it All Burn
Bluebird Bay
Women’s fiction
Cowritten with Christine Gael
Finding Tomorrow
Finding Home
Finding Peace
Young adult contemporary romance
ONE PARIS SUMMER
Off the Subject Series
(New adult contemporary romance)
AFTER MATH
REDESIGNED
BUSINESS AS USUAL
Also by Denise Grover Swank writing as D.G. Swank
CURSE KEEPERS WORLD
(Urban fantasy)
Curse Keepers Trilogy
The Curse Keepers
The Curse Breakers
The Curse Defiers
Curse Keepers Collection (box set)
Piper Lancaster Series
Of Ash and Spirit
Of Fire and Storm
Of Blood and Monsters
The Chosen Series
(Adult urban fantasy)
Chosen
Hunted
Sacrifice
Redemption
Book of Sindal
Descended from Shadows
Reign of Mist
Crown of Blood
On the Otherside Series
(Young adult sci fi romance)
Here
There
About the Author
Denise Grover Swank was born in Kansas City, Missouri and lived in the area until she was nineteen. Then she became a nomad, living in five cities, four states and ten houses over the course of ten years before she moved back to her roots. She speaks English and smattering of Spanish and Chinese which she learned through an intensive Nick Jr. immersion period. Her hobbies include witty Facebook comments (in own her mind) and dancing in her kitchen with her children. (Quite badly if you believe her offspring.) Hidden talents include the gift of justification and the ability to drink massive amounts of caffeine and still fall asleep within two minutes. Her lack of the sense of smell allows her to perform many unspeakable tasks. She has six children and hasn’t lost her sanity. Or so she leads you to believe.
Her Scream in the Silence: Carly Moore #2 Page 34