Damage Control

by M. S. Parker

  “You just need to end this farce of a marriage. My clients know it’s not real. You know it’s not real. Why keep it up?” Elbows resting on his knees, he gestured with one hand and shook his head. “This was just some stunt Piety pulled to upset her parents. She got her way. She wanted attention, and she got it. They’ll talk. You’ll get the money you clearly need–”

  “Clearly?” I asked, keeping my voice calm through a sheer act of will.

  “Both Mr. Van Allan and I know what a desperate man looks like,” he said, his voice almost kind. “Perhaps if you hadn’t involved his daughter, he would have been more open to helping. As it is, you’re lucky he’s willing to make this offer.”

  He put the check down, then a folder.

  “Take the check. Sign the annulment agreement. Leave the city. Everybody gets what they want.”

  The numbers on the check staggered me.

  It would take care of what Stefano wanted. Get him to let Camry go.

  It would be more than enough, even some to start a new life back home. Open the surf shop I’ve always dreamed about.

  All I had to do was leave.

  “How do I know he won’t cancel the check the moment I leave?”

  “I’m going to the bank with you.” He smiled benignly. “Then to the airport. I’ve already secured you a seat back to Las Vegas. But this is a very limited time offer.”

  Twenty-Two

  Piety

  “Kaleb!”

  I felt awful about how I’d left him alone in a strange city for the past two days, but I had news that was well…promising. Not one-hundred percent good, but definitely heading in that direction.

  And I could tell him now. I hadn’t wanted to get his hopes up, and I hadn’t wanted him coming along until I knew more about what I needed to do.

  Now that I had answers, though, it was different.

  Very different.

  The dinner I’d planned to be a distraction could now be something even more…almost a celebration.

  Things were going to work out.

  I knew it.

  “Kaleb!”

  There was no answer, though, and my voice almost seemed to echo back in that odd way a place had when it was empty.

  Not just because somebody wasn’t there, but when they were…gone.

  “Hey, PS.” Astra came rushing in after me, all smiles. She wagged her eyebrows. “Are you two heading out?”

  Turning back to the empty apartment, I lifted a hand. “It looks like he’s already gone.”

  Astra looked at me, confused. “What? I thought you told him you wanted to go out to dinner?”

  “I did. I wrote it in the note I left him.” Then I frowned. Maybe he hadn’t seen it.

  But when I checked, it was gone.

  I turned around and saw Astra dumping her purse in the chair. “Maybe he just got hungry and went to the store. It’s not like we keep a bunch of stuff on hand.” She kicked her shoes off and groaned. “Those shoes are adorable but murderous.”

  “Maybe. But wouldn’t he have left a note?”

  Turning back to the empty loft, I looked around, searching for some clue as to where he might have gone, but I didn’t see anything.

  “He probably wasn’t planning on being gone long. You’ve been out late the past two nights, so he probably figures he has time.” She shrugged and leaned back, rotating her feet at the ankle and glaring at the discarded shoes. “You know, you did a good thing, helping him. Maybe he can stop being so…serious. He doesn’t seem to enjoy life much.”

  I’d filled Astra in on some of the details – some, not all – earlier because I needed her help.

  “Yeah, I hope so,” I said absently as I wandered around the main room of the loft. Something was missing. I couldn’t figure out what it was.

  I walked into the room he used last night and then walk back out. The bed was made, but I’d already figured out he was a neat freak. Astra told me how he’d spent half the day yesterday cleaning. It wasn’t that either of us were particularly messy. Both of us wanted a clean space, so we’d learned how to pick up after ourselves between professional visits.

  But the place was now spotless. There wasn’t even a speck of dust to indicate people even lived here. I went into my room and looked around, lingering in the door, searching for whatever it was that was tugging at the back of my mind.

  Something’s missing…something’s missing…

  Not even a speck of dust, I thought.

  Nothing to indicate anybody even lived here…

  “Shit,” I whispered. Spinning on my heel, I rushed back into the guest bedroom, coming to a stop in the doorway as I looked around.

  For some reason, it felt like somebody had punched a hole in my chest and ripped out my heart. “It’s not here,” I said. I could hear the panic in my voice, and it didn’t make sense.

  Astra stared at me, confused. “What’s not here?”

  “His suitcase,” I said. “His suitcase isn’t here. Neither is his jacket. He left in hanging on the hook by the door. It’s not here.”

  “Why would he need a jacket?” she asked. “It’s the middle of summer.”

  “It’s not in Australia. It’s winter. He probably wasn’t thinking when he started packing for the trip!”

  I rushed back into the bedroom and flung open the door, hoping I would see the jacket or his suitcase hiding in a corner, but it wasn’t there. “He’s gone, Astra.”

  “That doesn’t make sense.” She offered me a smile, but it was hesitant and uncertain. She came to stand in the doorway where I had been just a few moments ago, watching as I went through the bedroom searching for some sign of him. It wasn’t like I’d find his suitcase, or him, hiding in one of the drawers. But I was desperate and not feeling particularly logical.

  As I came striding toward the doorway, she stepped out of the way and trailed after me as I continued my mad search of the loft.

  It didn’t take long. There was no sign of him, and worse, not even a note. “Why did he leave?” I asked. I wasn’t asking her, I was asking myself, trying to figure out some sort of answer. Did he think I wasn’t going to help him?

  And how could he leave? He had to do something for Camry, and he was nearly out of options. But…hell. I didn’t know what to think. Covering my face with my hands, I emptied my mind and tried to calm my thoughts, desperate to think everything through.

  “Maybe he thought it was something he should handle on his own,” she said gently. “It sounds like he’s been doing everything on his own for a long time.”

  “But where will he come up with that kind of money on his own?” I demanded. That piece of shit Stefano wasn’t exactly giving him a lot of time. I shoved my hands through my hair and tugged, feeling more and more helpless, more and more frustrated.

  “How about instead of driving yourself crazy,” she suggested, “you call him.” She pushed my cell phone into my hands and guided me over to the couch. “Call him and get an answer. That’s all there is to it.”

  Touching my phone, I looked up and gave her a wan smile. “You know, every now and then, you really make sense.”

  She gave me a wounded look. “Only every now and then? I thought I made sense all the time. You’re just not superior enough to understand my unique way of thinking.”

  “Yeah. You’ve got a unique way of thinking, alright.” Sighing, I pulled up Kaleb’s number and hit the call button.

  One ring.

  Two.

  Three.

  Four.

  As it rolled to voicemail, I closed my eyes, unable to stop the sinking sensation of dread inside me. I left a message, hoping I didn’t sound as desperate as I felt. When I disconnected, I shot Astra a look. The look on her face had me wincing.

  “That sounded pretty pathetic, didn’t it?”

  She held up a hand and wiggled it. “You could have sounded a little more needy, but that’s okay. You like the guy. Right?”

  She sat down next to me and h
ooked an arm around my neck, hugging me closer.

  “Don’t worry. He’ll call back soon, and you’ll figure out what’s going on, and we’ll all feel better.”

  But Kaleb didn’t call. Not that hour.

  Not the next.

  It was almost eight when somebody knocked on the door, and I lunged for it, ready to yell at him and hug him and kiss him and throttle him.

  But it wasn’t Kaleb. Feeling deflated, I stood there, staring at Stuart Rushmore, unable to say anything.

  “Aren’t you going to invite me in?” he asked, offering me a smile.

  “Um, yeah.” I looked around the loft, feeling like I’d never seen it before. It already felt empty without Kaleb there. How insane was that? “Come on in.”

  I stepped aside and waited for Stuart to come in, although I had no idea why one of my parents’ personal legal lapdogs might be here to see me.

  He moved deeper into the main area of the loft before he turned and met me. Astra had retreated into her room earlier, and it was just the two of us. Probably a good thing. She didn’t like Stuart any more than I did – and she didn’t bother to hide it.

  “Why are you here?” I asked, feeling too drained to bother with courtesies.

  He sighed, smoothing his tie down. “We need to talk, Piety. I…look, I don’t want to be rude, but can I have a drink? It’s been a rough day and I could use it.”

  The grave expression in his eyes hit me a moment later, and my heart seized inside my chest.

  “Are my parents okay?” I asked, forcing the words out through an already tight throat.

  “Yes, yes…” His eyes softened. “Of course. They’re fine. They…well, I told them you might take it better coming from me.”

  “Take what?”

  “That’s what I’m here to discuss.” He put his briefcase down and came toward me. Within moments, he had me sitting on the edge of the couch, holding my hands in his.

  I don’t know how he managed it. It was one of the reasons he was so good at what he did – managing people. He hadn’t stayed with my parents for so long by not being good at it, that was for certain.

  “Piety, you look so tired.”

  “I’ve had a crazy couple of days,” I said shortly, tugging my hands free.

  He nodded his understanding, as if he knew exactly what I’d been dealing with the past forty-eight hours. “That’s part of what I’m here to talk to you about.” He patted my knee, then got up and went into the kitchen.

  Make yourself at home, I thought sourly. But I remained quiet as he cracked open a bottle of scotch – my brand new bottle – and poured both of us a drink. He came back to me, concern stamped across his features as he gave me the glass.

  “You’ll probably need it in a moment, sweetheart.”

  I took it but didn’t lift it to my lips. I just held the glass in my lap as he sat back down.

  “How about you cut the bullshit and just tell me what’s going on?” I said.

  “You are so much like your father.” He shook his head and took a sip of the scotch.

  “Insulting me won’t help me feel any better,” I fired at him.

  Shock danced across his features. “That wasn’t an insult.”

  “Maybe not to you.” I took a sip too, then put it down. It hit my raw belly too hard and too strong. “But I’m not feeling too friendly toward the man right now. Sue me. He wants to control my life, dictate who I’ll marry, and when I do marry, he insults the man, ignores me–”

  Stuart interrupted me, his voice calm and placid. “And he protected you today.”

  “What?”

  He didn’t repeat himself, just reached inside his briefcase and withdrew a manila folder. “Kaleb went to see your parents today. Did you know that?”

  “He…no. What?” Confused, I shook my head, eying the folder like it might bite me.

  “Piety…” He sighed. “Look, I know you have your differences with your parents, but surely you know they love you.”

  “Yeah.” I jerked a shoulder in a shrug, still eying that folder. What was in it? And why was he here? “Why are you here? I’ve already asked once.”

  “Kaleb attempted to blackmail your parents.”

  “I…he what?” Shaking my head, I shoved upright and paced a few feet away. Once I had some room, I took a deep breath. This was bullshit. It had to be. Something Stuart and my dad had cooked up.

  But where’s Kaleb?

  “He paid them a visit and told them things weren’t going quite the way you two had planned. You’re not happy – he’s not. Anybody can see that. But he didn’t want to give up on a good thing so easily – or that was the implication. But if they wanted him to make it easy…well, he said he’d agree to an annulment if they agreed to help him out…financially.” Stuart’s eyes fell away at the end, like he couldn’t stand to look at me as he said it.

  “No.” Denial swelled inside me at the very first word. Shaking my head, I repeated, “No. That’s bullshit.”

  It had to be. It wasn’t like we had planned on anything between us being real to begin with. This had to be a joke. He was getting money from me to help his sister, and I was getting…

  What was I getting? I thought I was getting back at my parents.

  But that seemed an empty reason now, especially considering what Kaleb was dealing with. But what Stuart was saying was just bullshit because we knew the marriage was a farce.

  Nobody else did.

  “No,” I said again, louder, with more force in my voice. I practically shouted it.

  It was loud enough that Astra appeared in the doorway, looking from me to Stuart then back.

  Distaste flashed in her eyes for a moment when she saw him, but it was quickly hidden when she met my gaze. “What’s going on?”

  “Nothing,” I said, my voice shaking. “Stuart here is just feeding me a load of crap that he and my parents cooked up.”

  But I didn’t sound entirely convinced.

  I didn’t feel entirely convinced.

  Why hadn’t he called me back?

  Why hadn’t he texted?

  “Have you talked to him?” Stuart asked softly. “Maybe there was a…misunderstanding on your father’s part.”

  “I bet,” I muttered, shaking my head. But I pulled my phone from my pocket, checked the messages, and tried to call again.

  Nothing.

  “When did he…?” But I couldn’t bring myself to finish the question. Shaking my head, I turned away.

  “Piety, I spoke with him myself at the reunion. Kaleb seemed – in my opinion, at least – to have a great deal on his mind. If he was desperate, perhaps…”

  “Desperate.” I jerked my head up, staring at him. “Why do you say that?”

  “I know desperate men, sweetheart.” He held my eyes levelly. “The man who went to the bank with me was a desperate man.”

  “You went to the…” I stopped and sucked in a breath. “You went to the bank with him?”

  “Your parents agreed to pay, as long as he sign the papers as promised.” Stewart stared at me with a solemn, sad expression. “Then I accompanied him to the airport. They wanted to make sure he’d actually leave as promised.”

  Leave.

  Agreed to pay…

  “Is this really happening?” I whispered.

  “Piety…”

  “Stewart,” Astra said softly. “Shut up.”

  She came to me and rested a hand on my arm. “Are you okay?”

  I looked at her, unable to answer.

  Maybe he’d just been desperate, I thought. No, there was no question of that. He had been desperate. Whatever he’d done, it wasn’t done out of malice.

  “Why didn’t he wait?” I whispered. “I was trying to help.”

  “Help with what?” Stewart asked. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter. Look, this boy has led you around by the nose–”

  “Shut up!” I shouted. Spinning away from him, I shoved my hair back and tried to think. Why hadn’t I t
old him? I mean, I knew why. I’d been trying to make sure I had everything in place. I hadn’t wanted to get his hopes up and then have things fall apart.

  But if I’d been upfront with him about everything I’d been trying to accomplish over the past couple of days, he would have known I hadn’t just forgotten.

  He wouldn’t have been so desperate.

  “It’s my fault,” I whispered, tears trying to burn their way up through my throat.

  Stewart misunderstood. “Honey, you made a bad choice.”

  “Oh, shut up!”

  Both Astra and I shouted it at the same time. He looked caught off guard and backed up a step before realizing what he’d done. Mouth flattening out, he lifted a hand. “I think you need to take a deep breath and calm down.”

  Shaking my head, I looked over at the folder Stewart had brought with him. The annulment papers. I didn’t want to calm down.

  “You can go now, Stewart.”

  “Piety…”

  “I just said you can go!” I turned away, and when I didn’t hear movement behind me, I shouted. “Go!”

  Twenty-Three

  Piety

  I hadn’t touched the scotch from earlier. Now I wished I’d just poured it out. The smell of it was leaving me nauseated.

  Astra sat across from me on the opposite couch, watching me with worried eyes as I stared at the annulment papers as if they were a snake ready to bite me.

  I almost wish that was the case. A snake bite might feel a little bit less painful than this.

  It didn’t make sense. It wasn’t like we had anything real, right? So why did it hurt so much?

  “Just because it wasn’t real doesn’t mean it won’t hurt that he just up and left,” Astra said.

  Dazed, I looked up at her. “What?” Then I realized I must have spoken out loud. Shaking my head, I said, “It just doesn’t make sense. I know he didn’t plan to stay, but–”

  “That doesn’t mean you expected him to go and ask your parents for money.” She offered a weak smile and shrugged. “But it sucks. Not that your parents aren’t jerks, but you still don’t want to see them being used.”