Almost Forgotten (Contemporary Erotic Romance) (The Broken Men Chronicles Book 2)

by Carey Decevito

  “It’s gone!” she said and gave me a rather unladylike snort.

  “What’s gone?”

  “The company, Jake, it’s all gone!” Her body tightened in my grip and within seconds, she pulled back and pushed me away. With a step back to right myself, I saw that her eyes were aflame with the fires of fury and I knew that I hadn’t imagined my earlier suspicion. “How’d he do it, Jake? What did you do?”

  Well that’s not good. She used my nickname. Fuck! She must really be pissed at me if she’s called me Jake twice.

  “What do you mean, what did I do? I didn’t...”

  “Bruce came by to gloat about my signing over my portion of the company.” When I didn’t say anything, she continued. “He said Dad signed his over earlier today and he’s got Mike’s signature too.”

  The bottom fell out of my stomach. “He what?”

  “What did you do?” she asked again.

  Why did she keep asking me that? “I didn’t do a damn thing! You were there when the judge ruled.” Her gaze remained accusing. “You saw the papers with your own eyes before they were filed, Nica. Christ, you read them and had your lawyer review them. If anything’s changed, then it’s not my doing. The ruling was sound, they’re your shares. Bruce can’t take them from you, not without the appropriate paperwork.”

  “He says he owns it all! He showed me the damned papers, Jake! What I don’t get is why you lied to me.”

  “Lied? Where’s this coming from?” I asked. “I never lied to you, Danica.”

  “Those papers have your signature on them!” She looked at me with heartbreaking betrayal. “You’re still his fucking lawyer?”

  “Are you shitting me? I haven’t had anything to do with that man since our day in court and you know that. Think about it,” I said and walked past her, running a hand through my hair, muttering, “Damn hot-headed women.”

  “Bullshit!” she said. “Is that why you left earlier, so I would be alone when he showed up, so you wouldn’t be found out? Well, it’s too late now, Jake, the secret’s out.”

  I pinched the bridge of my nose with my thumb and forefinger and turned to face her once more. Remain calm, I reminded myself and took a deep breath. “Sweetheart...”

  “Don’t you sweetheart me, Jake Landen.” She pointed her index into my chest and all I could do was look down at it.

  Enough! I grabbed her by the shoulders and gave her a small shake. “That’s enough!” Her eyes rounded. “Now, you will listen and listen well.”

  “I wasn’t done!” she said on a squeak but I halted further words from her with a shake of my head and a growl. She gave.

  “I have two clients. You know this since you’ve met both: Stan and Anna. Bruce is a client’s of BDS&M. If you remember, I was assigned to him at the very last minute. I haven’t had any ties or contact with Bruce or anyone from the firm since I left,” I said. Except for… “Fuck… Brent.”

  “Who’s Brent?” she said.

  “Townsend, his original lawyer, remember?” I asked. “But he wouldn’t be involved in this. He’s the only one I’ve spoken to since I left. We’re friends, I know him well.”

  Her tone was laced with disbelief as she said, “So one of your friends is fucking me over?”

  I shook my head, trying to process everything. “Brent wouldn’t be involved in this. He represents whoever he represents but he draws the line when the lines blur from legal to crooked.

  “Someone like Bruce would have taken his business elsewhere after what happened. His name was dragged through the mud. With how things went down, Brent would be his last choice for a lawyer, even if he’s stayed with BDS&M.” I reached for Danica’s hands. “Sweetheart, I would never do anything to hurt you. I’ve never lied to you and I’m not about to start now. Deep down, I know you know that.”

  “I don’t know that.” She pulled her hands out of mine and backed away, shaking her head. “I don’t know you at all, Jake.” That statement sent my emotions into overdrive. She failed to notice the hit she delivered since she realized there was another man standing in the room with us. “Paxton?”

  “You know he’s telling you the truth, Dani,” Pax said. “And that bullshit you just spouted about not knowing him, that’s a lie and you know that too.”

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Helping you move.” He gave her an awkward smile. “Surprised?”

  “A little, yeah, but I don’t know if it’s such a good idea now.” She sounded defeated.

  “Pardon?” I blurted. Had she lost it?

  “I don’t think we should...”

  “I can’t believe this! What happened to being with each other? What happened to you loving me, to us working through the ups and downs together?” I waited and when she didn’t answer, I continued. “I can’t do this if you believe that I’ve betrayed you. Dammit, Nica, I love you! But maybe you’re right… maybe you don’t know me at all. And that makes me the fool again.” I turned to look at Paxton. Beaten, I shook my head. “Fuck this shit, I’m out of here. If anyone needs me, I’ll be at home, not moving.”

  I was halfway to my car when I heard the footsteps and my name being called. “Jacob, wait!” I paused mid-stride but forced myself to keep moving. “Jacob!”

  “I can’t do this right now, Danica. It’s clear you...” Before I could finish, she pulled on my arm to twirl me around and launched herself at me, fusing her lips to mine. I tried to keep my emotions in check but I couldn’t. I tried to keep my body from betraying me, but my arms wrapped themselves around her and I returned her kiss albeit hesitant.

  “Don’t go,” she whispered against my mouth. “I love you. I’m so sorry, Jacob, I don’t know what came over me.” She stepped back and settled her forehead against mine, a look of disbelief crossing her features. “I must be crazy to think...”

  “Yeah,” I said, “you are. You’re my world, Nica… you and Jordan. I want a family, a wife, a married life filled with more kids. I want all of that with you. Why would I jeopardize that? I’m not your father, sweetheart.”

  Her eyes teared up. “Jacob…”

  “Listen to me,” I began, “if you don’t want to move today, I understand, but I need to hear you say that you believe me when I say that I would never hurt you or else, what the hell are we trying to build here?”

  “I believe you.” The look in her eyes told me that she was convinced. “Can you take us home, please?”

  Home. I smiled down at her. “In a minute, I have something to do first.”

  “What’s...” I cut off her words with an aggressive kiss.

  When we pulled apart, our breaths were labored and all I wanted to do was take her somewhere where we could be alone. “We can go home, now. And when we get there, you can damn well bet I’ll be making some phone calls. Whatever Bruce is up to, he’s not doing it on the up and up.”

  Chapter 52

  Jordan lay on his bed, listening to music, his clothes folded but lying beside a large suitcase at the foot of the mattress when I walked in. He sat up and gave me a concerned look. “We’re not moving anymore are we?” His tone denoted his disappointment.

  “Who told you that and why is some of your stuff still packed if you thought that you weren’t moving?” I asked.

  “When Mom flew off the handle, I figured that things were done between you two. I came in here and started packing, thinking that you could at least take some of my things with you. I wanted some of my stuff to be at your place for whenever we hang out.”

  My heart swelled at the knowledge that my son still wanted me to be part of his life even if things didn’t work out with his mother. “Son, your mother is upset and she has a damn good reason to be. I know I’m mad as hell.” I brushed a hand down my face and sighed. “Something’s going on with Withers International… Look, I’m in the middle of it somehow.” His eyes narrowed on me. “I didn’t do anything to be caught in this shit storm. I left the firm because I was tired of working for people like my
bosses and serving clients like Bruce. As for moving, we’re still on.”

  “Okay.”

  I put a hand on his shoulder. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “Yeah,” he said and held my eyes as he did.

  “Okay. I’m going to go see if your mom needs help and then we’ll head back to the house as soon as everything is packed and loaded.”

  Paxton showed up with his new truck, having left earlier with my car. Alissa helped out with the kitchen things while Jasper helped Jordan with the rest of his room. The men handled the boxes Danica had stored in the garage and never unpacked and loaded them up first.

  “What about the furniture?” Paxton asked me.

  “Not hers,” I said. “It’s a company house. They use it for relocating their professionals.”

  “So it’s just boxes?” Pax asked.

  “Just boxes,” I said.

  Danica was busy giving the place a once-over when Jordan walked into the living room declaring he was done. Paxton, my son and I loaded his boxes while Alissa entertained Jasper, chasing him around the front yard.

  My woman came out of the house with a box I relieved her with. “That it?” I asked.

  “The last one,” she said.

  We smiled at each other and I said, “You ready?”

  “You know I am.” She kissed my cheek.

  “Then let’s go home.”

  “Home,” Jordan said on a smile of his own as he came to a stop between us. “So, hot shot, how many rooms do you have in that place anyway?”

  “Five,” I said. “Pick whichever one you want with the exception of the one with the double doors. I’m sure you wouldn’t mind the one with the bathroom though.”

  “Dude, my own bathroom?” I nodded. “It’s mine!”

  Chapter 53

  After storing Danica’s kitchen boxes in the garage, I showed Jordan the bedroom I’d mentioned earlier. The kid fell in love with the space and its deep grey walls.

  “I’ll be in here for a while,” he said, pulling out his iPod and speaker base from a backpack to set it on the six-drawer dresser as I set the last of his boxes on the floor.

  I turned to him. “Got a minute to spare?”

  “Sure. What’s up?”

  “I’ve been trying to figure a way to say this since that morning you found out that your mother and I were together,” I said.

  “What?”

  “When I said that any man would be lucky to call themselves your dad, I meant it,” I said. “To find out that you’re my son, I can’t put into words how…”

  “Dad,” he cut me off, “I love you too.”

  “How’d you…”

  “You ramble when you’re nervous,” he said. “I noticed it this morning after you brought me here and the day you took me shopping for Mom’s birthday.”

  My breath escaped with a whoosh and Jordan chuckled at my reaction. “Can’t get anything past you or your mother,” I said, “but so you know,” I approached him and stopped when I was a few feet from him, “I love you.” The kid launched himself at my chest and this time around, I didn’t hesitate. My arms went around him and to hell with my machismo, I kissed the top of my son’s head and held him as if he were a little boy. “I’ve loved you since before I found out you could be mine, Jordan. I need you to know that you’re not here because your mom is; you’re here because you belong here, with us, with me.”

  “Okay,” he said and we released each other and took a step back.

  “I should go… let you get yourself settled and make sure that your mom and Alissa have what they need,” I said.

  My son gave me a quick nod and set to work. I was closing his bedroom door when he said, “Love you, hot shot.”

  I grinned. “Ditto, kid.”

  I found the ladies already busy, making room in my closet and dresser for my woman’s belongings. Smiling at the sight, I let them be and headed downstairs toward the den. On my way, I caught sight of Paxton playing catch with Jasper in the backyard. I would have liked to have done the same with Jordan. I felt the twist of my heart but I had other things on my mind. Things I needed to get to the bottom of.

  When I reached the den, I picked up my cell and dialed.

  “Brent, here.”

  “Buddy,” I said but not in my habitual enthusiastic way.

  “Holy hell, what’s wrong man?”

  “Something big.” My tone remained clipped and serious. “I know you have nothing to do with what’s going on but I need your help.”

  “What’s up?”

  “What do you know about Bruce Spalding?” I asked.

  “Aside from him being a crook?”

  “Precisely.”

  “The day you left, he stormed in here like he owned the place. I’m shocked you didn’t see him on your way out. The man claimed he was set up, caused a raucous, and left, taking his business elsewhere,” Brent said.

  “Any word on if he’s found someone new?”

  “Yep, and you’re not gonna like it.”

  I clenched my jaw. “Who?”

  “Clark Duncan.”

  I slammed an open palm down hard on my desk. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!”

  The conversation drew to a still and Brent ended the silence before it swallowed us whole. “Jake, are you in trouble?”

  “I need to know what I’m dealing with first,” I said, “and I need a favor.”

  “Name it.”

  “You know that investigator you hire from time to time, the one that’s got creative ways of doing things?” I asked.

  “What about Steve?”

  I bit my lip, pausing to make sure that this was my best course of action. “I need his number.”

  “What’s going on?”

  “I can’t talk about it right now but I need the guy’s digits like I needed them yesterday.”

  “All right man, I’ll text them over.”

  “Thanks.”

  I hung up the phone thinking about the latest piece of information that Brent gave me. Clark Duncan, the name sent bile rising up my oesophagus. The man was by far the dirtiest player I’ve ever had the displeasure of coming across in my career.

  When my phone beeped its message notification, I didn’t waste time and dialed the investigator who picked up on the first ring, I introduced myself, mentioned Brent’s name and left him to it with a detailed account of what I needed him to look into. Now, the waiting game was on.

  A few hours later, Steve called back. “I hope you have something for me,” I said instead of greeting the man with the traditional hello.

  “You’re not going to like what I have to say.” I held my silence, waiting for the man to continue. “With my preliminary checks, everything looks legit from the surface.” I was expecting a but and I wasn’t disappointed. “But I think there’s something there,” he said. “They’re small things, almost undetectable from a quick glance at things. Someone’s going through great lengths to cover their tracks but they’re being sloppy about it.”

  “Yeah, and shoving the blame on me,” I said. “He’s got Duncan working for him.” The man groaned. “I need you to figure out how Spalding got our signatures. I don’t care if Withers signed his damn life away on his portion but I know for a fact that Danica never did and I’d be willing to stake my career that her brother didn’t either.”

  “Yeah,” he said. “By the way, how deep do you need me to dig? It wasn’t too hard to locate what I have now but to hold up in court, I might need to… I know Brent told you how I work, Landen, there can be some backlash when you’re going up against a prick like Duncan.”

  “I know.” I sighed. “As long as it’s admissible, it’s all I care about. I’ll deal with the rest. I’ve had enough, my woman’s had more than enough. It’s time to end this.”

  “Got it.”

  I hung up and dialed Mike next.

  An hour later, I stood by the barbecue, grilling steaks when my front door slammed shut and I knew Mike
had arrived. He found us all on the back patio, the gang laughing, most of them oblivious as to the chaos that brewed around Withers International. Even Danica seemed to have forgotten the grim events of the day and was enjoying herself. The man came to a halt just past the French doors and our eyes met.

  “Grab a beer.” I nodded toward the cooler.

  The man popped the top off his drink and chugged half of it. “You got a minute?” he asked.

  “Sure,” I said. “Pax, you mind keeping an eye on the food for a minute?”

  “No prob.”

  I led Mike into the den and indicated that he sit down.

  “What’s going on?” he asked. “Why’s your name all over this?”

  “Because that’s what they want it to look like,” I said. “Bruce has the paperwork to prove that you’ve all signed over your rights. He popped by your sister’s earlier today to gloat. Have you been to the offices yet, signed anything without reading it through, seen something suspicious?”

  He shook his head. “After your call, I headed over there. Couldn’t get past security and hell to the no. In my business, you don’t sign anything without reading things through,” he said.

  I weighed my options internally for a short while. I could pay Duncan a visit but I wanted something tangible from Steve first. Showing my cards this early on could be suicide.

  “So what do we do?” Mike said.

  “I’ve got answers coming,” I said. Just not fast enough. “For now, let’s get back out there before someone starts wondering what we’re up to. I think I’m going to need a word with your old man too.”

  “So, you gonna tell me what’s going on with the boxes?” he said, knowing full well whose boxes those belonged to. “You sure about this?”

  “More than anything in my life,” I said.

  Mike clapped a hand on my back. “That’s all I need to hear. Take care of her.”