by Lexy Timms
The TV was on outlining the expected weather for the day—rain. She wasn’t sure she could survive in a place that got rain so regularly. Her psyche couldn’t handle it, even if it left everything very green. The area was gorgeous, but she knew it wasn’t right for her.
The small town had been okay for a day, but it soon became clear it wasn’t the place for her either. She needed to work and there were few jobs available for a woman with almost zero work history and limited skills. It also became painfully clear that although it was a small town and there were few people, they were people with big mouths. The gossip about her arrival had made its way back to her and that would never do. She needed a place to hide where the people had a little more discretion. She may as well put up a giant, flashing arrow advertising her presence with as much as the townspeople were talking.
After leaving there, she’d ended up a little closer to Portland, in a small city with more hotel choices. She’d splurged and went with a Quality Inn that offered with a free breakfast. That would save her the hassle of trying to find somewhere to eat, plus the food selection was healthy and smelled amazing as she strode down the carpeted hallway to the banquet area.
With her filled plate in hand, she quickly found a quiet corner, her back to the wall, where she could eat her breakfast while keeping an eye on things. A discarded newspaper caught her eye, and it was one she recognized well, the LA Times. Desperate for some connection to the place she once called home, she snatched the paper up, anxious to read about the latest happenings in the area, even if it wouldn’t affect her.
Her breakfast of bacon, eggs, a fluffy waffle and orange juice suddenly soured in her stomach as she stared at the front page of the paper. Her mind had to be playing tricks on her. There was no way she was seeing what she was seeing. She shook her head, blinked and looked again.
Yep, it was a picture of Ben, his huge smile filling the page. It was his business head shot, his name in emboldened letters below his image under the tantalizing headline.
Silicon Valley Billionaire Embroiled in Violent Scandal
Violent scandal? She quickly read the article, her despair increasing with every word she digested. Ben was being sued, his company was being slammed and most importantly, it was all lies. It was complete bullshit. That much she knew was coming, but she had no idea Tim would make it a personal, public attack on him. How Tim had gotten a newspaper to run a story based on untruths and nothing more than a smear campaign was beyond her. She should have known Tim would stoop to that level. That was how he did things. He attacked a person’s character and when he couldn’t find any dirt, he made shit up.
Running away had not spared Ben in the slightest and now he was back in San Francisco weathering the storm on his own. It wasn’t right. The guilt she felt for bringing him into her problems was overwhelming. She had tried. She had really tried to spare him, and it had all been for naught.
The more she looked into those eyes that she knew to be a gorgeous green, even if they were a plain gray in the black-and-white photo, the more she knew she loved him. She loved Ben. She had left because she wanted to protect him from her past, but it had done nothing but make things worse. Tim wasn’t going to stop. Nothing would make him happy. He wanted her back under his thumb. The thought of living in the mansion, sleeping under the same roof and having him touch her made her absolutely nauseous. When she didn’t comply with his demands, he would beat her within an inch of her life. There was no way she could ever go back.
With her appetite gone, she quickly scraped the remaining food on her plate into the trash and deposited her plate in the designated area before heading out of the banquet area, through the lobby of the hotel and across the street to the Best Buy she had seen earlier. It was a stupid move, she knew it, but at that point, she didn’t care. Tim was a bastard and she was going to protect Ben in any way she could. It was time to fight back.
“Can I help you?” a friendly young man in a garish yellow shirt approached her the moment she walked through the doors.
She nodded. “I need a laptop or an iPad, and one of those wireless cards.”
The young man nodded. “Do you have a particular brand in mind?”
“Nope. I just need it now and I need it to be user friendly. I don’t want to spend a lot of time setting it up or learning how to use it,” she said, somewhat tersely.
The young man was eager to please and showed her a number of computers. She went with an expensive iPad, not too worried about the cost, and put it on her credit card. The card was in her maiden name, which would slow the trail a little, but it would be easy enough to track. She didn’t care. She wouldn’t be here long. Let him chase his tail for a bit. He deserved to suffer a little.
With her new purchase in a blue bag, she headed back across the road to her hotel room and sat down at the little desk. She still had an hour before she had to checkout and she was going to use every minute of the time as well as the free wi-fi.
She knew how to stalk as well as Tim, and quickly created a fake social media account and got busy stalking her estranged husband. Her own social media experience was extremely limited. Tim had flipped out when he discovered she was Facebook friends with other men. She had to shut everything down, including her Instagram. It had been one last connection to her friends and extended family that he had cut off, completely isolating her from the world. Her friends had slowly drifted away after that, leaving her completely alone in the world with an abusive man controlling every minute of her day.
Tim, of course, hadn’t shut down his social media, claiming it was part of his marketing. He needed it to be an effective lawyer according to him. Katherine knew it was all a bunch of garbage but never argued. He was a serial cheater. Back then, she’d been happy for his philandering because it kept him out of her bed. Now, she was glad he had kept his account. It would make the stalking so much easier.
She quickly found him in the Facebook search. His page was locked down, blocking her from seeing his activity. Not a problem. She found a picture online of an attractive woman and added it to her fake profile, quickly sending him a friend request. It took less than five minutes for him to respond. The man was predictable to say the least. He would never turn down the opportunity to flirt with a beautiful woman.
“Asshole,” she muttered.
The moment she pulled up his page, her mouth dropped open. Tim had a very active social life. He also had a girlfriend, judging by the pictures plastering his page of the two of them together at expensive balls, on a yacht and even a trip to New York City. The woman was young, Katherine guessed early twenties—the same age she had been when he chased after her.
“Wow, you really are a world-class asshole,” she said, shaking her head as she scrolled through the pictures.
He’d been dating this woman, Alexandra, for at least a year. Prior to that there were several other women. Tim had been dating from the moment she had run away. Hell, he’d probably been dating before she ever left but had been smart enough not to flaunt it all over social media.
Katherine followed the trail Tim had left and clicked on Alexandra’s name to try and get a little background on the woman. Katherine held no animosity towards the woman for dating her husband. However, she was pissed as hell that Tim would accuse her of cheating on him when he had been in a long-term relationship for a good long while. Once again, it was evidence of his double-standards.
She looked at Alexandra’s profile picture. It was of her in a skimpy bathing suit on a yacht. From the other pictures she had seen on Tim’s page, it was clear the picture was taken recently while she and Tim were together.
Katherine zoomed up on the photo when something caught her eye.
“Oh no,” she muttered, seeing a series of bruises on Alexandra’s tanned arm.
She shook her head. Tim was still Tim. Her eyes moved to the young woman’s face staring back at the camera. There was a huge smile on her face and the drink in her hand gave the impression she was havi
ng the time of her life, but Katherine knew better. She’d posed for many pictures under Tim’s direction as well. It took a trained eye to see what no one else would notice.
Katherine leaned back in the chair, staring up at the ceiling as she debated what to do. Her guilt and responsibility were telling her what she had to do. The other part of her was telling her it wasn’t her problem and to keep running before Tim caught up with her.
“Dammit,” she muttered, sitting forward and quickly pulling up the Greyhound website.
She scanned the tickets before quickly nixing the bus and choosing the Amtrak. It would be a little more room, even if the price was higher. She didn’t care. Sitting on a bus for two more days did not appeal to her. With her ticket booked, she started to think about what she would do next. It was a dangerous move, but she had to warn the woman.
Katherine used her detective skills to track down Alexandra’s place of work, not surprised to see she wasn’t some big hotshot attorney or a professional in any capacity. That was Tim’s goal. He went after women he could mold into what he wanted, threatening to take away all the clout and prestige only he could offer if they didn’t jump to do his bidding. He used his charm and money to lure innocent women into a trap that would prove extremely dangerous and painful.
With a little more information under her belt, Katherine set about packing her suitcase, leaving her new electronic device in her purse. It would certainly help pass the time. She strolled through the hotel lobby, prepared to walk to the train station that was housed in the same building as the bus station. She stopped by a store and picked up a few more snacks and continued on her way. She had another two hours to pass.
“It’s the right thing to do,” she had to keep reminding herself.
She wished like hell someone would have warned her. Alexandra could tell her to go to hell if she wanted, but at least Katherine would know she had tried. That’s all she could do.
Chapter Fourteen
Ben
TRYING TO WORK WAS pointless for Ben. He had reread the same email at least three times and still couldn’t remember a word of what it said. His brain refused to focus on anything other than Katherine. It had been five days. Five days since she’d run away like a thief in the night, without so much as a goodbye call or even a measly note. It was hard not to be angry. She should have trusted him. She should have given him the chance to help. Instead, she’d packed up and left as if he didn’t matter. As if what they had shared the last couple of months hadn’t mattered. It was a hard pill to swallow.
A soft knock at the office door was a thankful distraction. He looked up to see Rachel standing there. Normally, she would walk right in. She was trying to be considerate and respect his need for space.
“What’s up?” he asked, trying his best to sound cheerful.
She grimaced. “It’s time to go,” she said, in a voice that revealed her hesitation in telling him the news.
He let out a long sigh. “Fine.”
“I would say I had your attorney on standby, but considering Meredith will be with you, that won’t be necessary. Should I clear your schedule for the rest of the day?”
He looked at the clock and quickly mulled it over. “Probably for the best. I’m sure to be in a shit mood after I’m done with this, assuming my ass isn’t back in jail,” he grumbled.
“Okay. You’re going to be fine. Don’t let him get under your skin. He’s going to try and poke and prod at you. He wants you to hit him,” she lectured.
“I want to hit him. I know he did something. I know Katherine took off because he either threatened her or told her what he was going to do. I don’t know how I’m supposed to be in the same room with him without wanting to kill him,” he seethed.
“I know. It’s going to be tough. Let Meredith do the talking. Tim Marshall knows how to play people. He uses intimidation as a weapon.”
“He isn’t going to intimidate me,” he shot back.
Rachel smiled. “No, I know he won’t. But he is probably going to say things about Katherine to try and piss you off. Keep your cool,” she ordered.
Ben inhaled through his nose, nodding his head. “I will.”
“You know,” she started the sentence and let it hang there.
He raised one dark eyebrow. “I know?”
She shrugged a shoulder, a coy smile on her lips. “He could be easily antagonized as well.”
Ben grinned. “You’re right. Maybe I’ll let him hit me.”
“Not in the face, pretty boy. We don’t want you all scarred.”
He laughed, feeling better about the upcoming meeting with Tim Marshall and the lawyers. It was supposed to be a settlement meeting. Ben was not interested in settling, but Meredith insisted this was the first step. They were prepared for a ridiculous demand; which Meredith would reject. The meeting was supposedly about saving Ben the embarrassment of having the story about his affair with Katherine coming out along with details about his violent side.
It was all a load of bullshit. Ben had nothing to hide. Tim was the one who should have been scared. He was the one who had a mean streak a mile wide and beat up women. If Katherine would tell her side of the story, they could shut Tim down in a hurry. Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to happen. They had to find another way to beat the manipulative jerk.
“I better get going. Meredith wants to meet before the meeting. I’m sure it’s to give me the same lecture you just did,” he said, standing and grabbing his phone and keys.
He’d been checking his phone religiously every five minutes, hoping to get a message from Katherine, letting him know she was alright. It had yet to come.
“Be good and kick his ass—with words,” Rachel said, giving him a quick friendly hug before he strode down the hall, ready to meet the man who was putting a serious wrench in his happiness.
He arrived at Meredith’s office where the meeting was slated to be held. She gave him the quick lecture, basically telling him to keep his mouth shut. She was to do all the talking. He promised to try. In the back of his mind, he knew that would be far easier said than done.
“Are you ready for this?” Meredith asked, her bobbed haircut in perfect shape, without a single hair out of place.
He nodded. “As ready as I can be.”
She buttoned the jacket she was wearing with the fitted black slacks that gave her a look that said she was there to kick ass and take names. He buttoned his own jacket and followed her as they passed rows of offices before they were at the conference room with lots of windows. He saw what he had come to think of as his nemesis, sitting at the table, a smug look on his face. Tim thought he was going to get the last laugh. Ben had other plans.
“Good afternoon,” Meredith greeted the two lawyers flanking Tim.
Ben smirked at the thought of the man needing backup. When Tim glared at him, Ben grinned. He wasn’t going to be intimidated because the guy had a couple hot shot lawyers. Meredith was more than enough woman to handle both the men.
“Shall we get started?” the older lawyer on Tim’s left asked, clearly not happy to have been kept waiting.
It was a stall tactic, one that put Meredith in the driver’s seat, something Ben had done many times while negotiating business deals.
“Sure, I’m going to tell you all right now, my client is not going to pay a penny to your client,” Meredith stated matter-of-factly.
Tim’s jaw clenched, and he leaned forward as if he wanted to say something, but the younger attorney on his right held him back with a subtle touch on his arm.
“We have a police report and hospital records that prove your client is liable. It isn’t a matter of whether he will pay, but how much he will pay,” the older lawyer replied in a cool voice.
Meredith opened the file she had carried in and pretended to be reading the police report for the first time. “Odd, I’m reading witness statements that clearly state your client was the aggressor. My client protected himself as well as the customers and employees
in the shop at the time.”
“He attacked me!” Tim burst out.
Ben smiled. “No, you attacked your soon-to-be ex-wife. I stopped you. You’re only suing me because she left you and is happy with me. I’m man enough to keep her happy. You weren’t.”
Tim’s eyes narrowed, and Ben could see the vein at the side of the man’s neck throbbing. He was about ready to lose his shit. It had been way too easy to provoke him. Ben waited. The man was calming down. He needed him to lose his temper.
“Getting back to the matter at hand, I’m willing to call it a wash. Your client’s current smear campaign in the press is bordering on libel. Back off, drop the suit and we won’t countersue for defamation and Ben’s own damages sustained in the fight,” Meredith stated firmly.
“It isn’t libel if it’s true,” Tim snapped, earning another grab to the forearm by his attorney.
The man was a loose cannon. It would take a small army to keep him pulled back. Ben saw his opportunity and took the chance.
“The only thing that’s true is that your wife doesn’t want you. She wants me. You hate that you weren’t good enough for her, so you’re lashing out. If I had to guess, I would say she found you,” he drew out a long pause, “unsatisfactory.”
Everyone in the room knew exactly what he was insinuating.
“Shut the fuck up before I show you who’s more of a man,” Tim growled.
Ben shrugged a shoulder. “A real man doesn’t hit a woman.”
“She’s lying. I never laid a hand on her,” Tim denied, looking at each of his lawyers.
Ben shook his head. “I saw what you did to her. Guess who kissed all those booboos and made them better?” he said, not backing down.