by Lauren Runow
Austin grabs her around her waist, bringing him into her. “That’s hot. You sneaking around. Being bad.”
“Well, enjoy it because it’s probably the only time you’ll ever see me doing something against the law.”
“And what if nothing’s there?” Bryce asks.
“Then, nothing’s there. We can try their house next. Maybe even look for that mythical safe deposit box,” I suggest.
Bryce gives me a deadpan stare. “We should go to the authorities.”
Austin grips Bryce’s shoulder. “That didn’t work the first time, brother. Maybe it’s time we listened to our little brother and do what we failed to do a long time ago.”
Bryce turns to him. “What’s that?”
Austin doesn’t miss a beat. “Avenge our mother’s death.”
27
HARPER
I knock on the door to Bryce’s spare bedroom and gawk at my husband.
“No one told me the kickoff was black tie.” I whistle at the way he looks in a form-fitted tuxedo that hugs every muscle and shows off his tapered waist.
I love the casual man he is with his hair pulled back or wearing a henley, jeans, and a beanie, but I have to stop myself from ripping the suit off of him.
“Should I be surprised you have a tuxedo ready and waiting for you?”
Tanner pulls me in for a long, delicious kiss. He smells like mint and honey. When he releases me, my lashes flutter, and I take in the way his hair is neatly combed back and how his scruff is shaved down to a smooth jaw.
“Where’s my husband, and what have you done with him?” I tease.
“Will you love me even when I’m not hiding out on the streets of New York? If we move here, this is the life we’d live.”
“What kind of life is that?” I ask.
His body tenses. “I’m not entirely sure.”
I run a hand down his cheek and look up into his soulful blue eyes. “Tanner Sexton, I married you for better or worse. Richer or poorer. Till death do us part. Whether you choose to live in a hovel in Queens or a penthouse in San Francisco, I’m yours. I just want you to be happy.”
His arms tighten around me. “You make me happy.”
I lean up and kiss him again. “Then, that’s all there is to it. I’ll be honest. I don’t want to leave New York. I love my family and my job, but my loyalty is to you. I go where you are.”
That comment makes us a few minutes late in meeting everyone else downstairs. Jalynn and Tessa seem unfazed by the way their guys look, and I wonder if I’ll ever get used to seeing Tanner this way.
The guys say good-bye and get into Bryce’s SUV where a driver is waiting for them. Us girls and Charlie head to the garage and hop into Bryce’s Tesla. We drop Charlie off at Tessa’s friend’s house for the evening and then drive to Sexton Media.
The building is in the heart of San Francisco. I’ve never been here before, so I try to take in as much of the city as I can out the passenger window. Tessa parks the car in the company parking garage, and we take the elevator up to the lobby that is a virtual ghost town.
The security guard greets Jalynn at the turnstile, “Working tonight when everyone else is at the party?”
Jalynn shrugs. “The news never sleeps. Someone has to be on call in case the world ends.” She waves to me and Tessa. “They’re with me. Freelancers for the evening. I have their badges upstairs. Is it okay if they come up with me?”
The guard swipes his card twice. “If you’re vouching for them, then they’re good to go. Have a good night, ladies.”
We walk into the elevator, and the doors close.
“How are we getting into Missy’s office?” I ask as Jalynn hits the button for Missy’s floor.
She opens her purse and pulls out a key. “Charlie went missing recently, so Bryce obtained a master key to the entire building. Getting into Missy’s office should be no fuss at all.”
I glance at Tessa, whose face is turning red at the memory. “He’s still making that up to me. Remind me to tell you how that was all Missy’s fault.”
A level of uneasiness washes over me.
What if we do find evidence of Missy having something to do with his mom’s death? Is this really something I’m getting involved in? If she did that, why would I think she wouldn’t come after me or Tessa or Jalynn or the guys?
Jalynn steps toward me, placing a hand on either side of my arms. “Don’t worry. If I’ve learned anything about these Sexton brothers, it is that they protect their own. You have nothing to worry about, being in here. Tanner would never let anything happen to you.”
I inhale a deep breath and nod as the elevator doors open. We walk down the hallway and stop outside the door that says Missy Sexton, President of Corporate Strategies, Sexton Media. Jalynn looks down both ends of the hall before taking out her key and opening the door.
Missy’s office is very modern. White lacquer furniture with metal and black chairs. There are images of her in an Andy Warhol–like setting. Her old pageant photo sits on the end table of a sitting area.
We close the door and turn the light on.
Tessa motions toward the filing cabinets. “We should start here.”
We each take a drawer and do a quick scan at the file tabs. Nothing looks odd, so we do a quick peak inside each one. Tessa and I are still elbow deep in the drawers when we spy Jalynn looking behind picture frames.
“Are you seriously looking for a safe in the wall?” Tessa laughs.
“What is this? A James Bond movie?” I ask, trying to make light of the situation.
“You obviously haven’t seen Austin’s office or his rooftop getaway. Believe me, whatever a Sexton wants, a Sexton gets, and I wouldn’t put it past Missy one bit to install some kind of hidden safe in this office if she was trying to hide something,” Jalynn says as she walks from one side of the room to the other, looking behind more frames.
Taking a cue from Jalynn, I start looking in the oddest places. Under furniture, in couch cushions. I even open her pageant picture to see if anything is hidden in the frame.
This is ridiculous.
“Bathroom?” Tessa asks.
“Can’t hurt.” I shrug as Tessa goes inside. “Don’t forget to look behind the bowl.” I catch Jalynn’s suspicious eye. “Mind of a criminal, remember?”
She holds up her hands. “No judgment. I’m looking for secret passageways, Shawshank-style.”
We’ve been in here a long time. I’m one step away from ripping up the carpet and looking for holes in the floorboard.
Tessa comes out of the bathroom with a napkin, clearly having just washed her hands. “That was disgusting. And unproductive.”
Jalynn bends down at Missy’s desk and checks underneath it. “Nothing down here.” She rifles through the drawers of her desk and finds nothing but makeup and hosiery. “Maybe we should go to their house.”
“Is it easy to get in?” I ask.
Tessa shakes her head. “Bryce said it’s like Fort Knox.”
I laugh under my breath. “I can’t believe it’s easier to break into an office building than a house.”
Jalynn rolls her eyes as she walks toward the door. “It’s an ‘estate.’” She makes air quotes. “We could try, but I don’t have a skeleton key for the Sexton family manor.”
Tessa saunters around the desk and looks down at it like she’s working a puzzle in her head. Her long, dark hair is hanging down one side of her body as she tilts her head. “What are the odds of us getting her password?”
Jalynn heads back to the desk, and I follow. The glass desk is clean and holds only a computer, a framed photo, a vase of freshly cut dahlias, and a notepad with her name on top.
I look at Jalynn with raised brows. She doesn’t seem too sure.
“Slim. You only get three tries, and then it locks you out. She’d definitely know we were here.”
“So then, let’s try twice and see if we’re right.”
The girls nod at my suggestion.
Jalynn takes a seat behind the desk and powers up Missy’s computer. She gnaws at her lip while she waits in the sleek white office chair with the San Francisco night sky lit up behind her.
The screen opens to the security page, asking for a name and password. MSexton is already in the username section. We just need the password.
“Here, let me see how many letters it is.” Jalynn presses a letter key, counting until the box lights up, saying it’s okay to submit. “Eight letters,” she states.
“How did you know you could do that?” I ask.
“I noticed one day I couldn’t sign in to my Sexton Media account because this little blue box”—she scrolls the cursor over the sign-in button—“wasn’t lit up. I deleted my password and retyped it, and then it turned the darker blue, allowing me to log in. Turns out, the system won’t let you click Submit unless you have the right amount of letters in your password.”
Tessa’s eyes light up in surprise. “And they say this is top-of-the-line security.”
“Okay, what does Missy love more than anything?” I ask.
“Herself,” Tessa and Jalynn say in unison.
Jalynn taps her finger to her lips. “That doesn’t help us that much though. We still need to think of what it could be.”
Tessa takes the notepad and a pen. We count out the letters for the obvious things. MarinaSexton, Marina, MissSexton, PageantQueen, BeautyQueen, EdwardSexton.
Then, I yell, “EdSexton is eight letters.”
“No. MsSexton. It has to be about her,” Tessa offers.
Jalynn types it in, and the little box quickly dances back and forth, saying the password is wrong.
Shoot.
“How many times did you say it allows you to try?” Tessa asks.
“Three, but honestly, I’ve never tried to break into someone’s computer,” Jalynn says.
I look around the room at all the plaques and awards on Missy’s walls. Every single one is a picture of her holding an award or wearing a crown with not one other person in the photo. This woman should have her picture next to the word vain in the dictionary.
The pageant photo catches my eye. The crown that sits on top of her head is humongous. It takes up almost as much of the photo as her actual face. I walk up to it. On the bottom is Missy’s own handwriting with the words Miss Cali Forever with a heart attached.
“She won Miss California?” I question, looking back at them. “Miss Cali Forever. The egomaniac actually keeps her own autograph.”
Tessa and Jalynn glance at each other and shrug in agreement as Jalynn says, “Not surprised.”
“Oh!” Tessa counts out the letters on her hand. “MissCali.”
We look at each other in anticipation. Jalynn’s head is bouncing lightly, wondering if she should type it.
“Do it!” Tessa exclaims.
“Worst case: it’s wrong, and we get out of here,” I say.
We all hold our breath as she presses the Enter button, and just like that … we’re in.
“Boom,” Jalynn says dramatically, making me laugh.
I’m so damn nervous and kinda thrilled by this whole experience.
Tessa and I step behind Jalynn and look over her shoulder as she searches the desktop for anything that stands out. There’s nothing there. We search the drive and peruse Missy’s business documents.
Folder after folder and drive after drive, nothing looks out of sorts until Tessa points to the screen. “Does that folder really say Recipes? Why do I get the feeling Missy hasn’t cooked a day in her life since she became a Sexton?”
“I would second that motion. She had a chef prepare our meal in New York because it was too cold outside.”
Jalynn turns to me. “Are you serious?”
I nod my head. “And that wasn’t the strangest thing she did or said that night. I’m still scarred from it. Open the file. I’d love to see what kind of recipes she could possibly keep.”
She laughs under her breath and opens the folder. “Jackpot,” Jalynn yelps.
In the folder is anything but recipes. Inside are three subfolders—Photos, Videos, Audio. Clicking on each one, we are granted access into the life of Edward and Missy Sexton.
Photos. Where one would assume you’d find wedding and vacation photos, we get everything but. They’re of a very young Missy in compromising positions. Edward can be seen in the mirror’s reflection, taking the pictures. They’re scans of printed photos with the date on the bottom left.
“She’s only sixteen years old,” Tessa says in disgust. “Looks like Austin wasn’t the only one getting it on with Missy in her teenage years.”
Jalynn looks oddly satisfied. “Good. Maybe, now, Austin can get sick over the idea of him sleeping with Missy, too. I was up all night with a weak stomach from that tidbit of knowledge.”
“That’s child pornography,” Tessa announces. “My mother would eat him alive over this.”
I glance over to Tessa, who is leaning on the desk, hunched over Jalynn as she takes in the photos. “Who’s your mom?”
“Kathleen Clarke. America’s Crusade for Women’s Rights.” Tessa’s face beams with pride.
My eyes open wide, as I’m surprised to hear who her mom is. I’ve heard of her, even in New York, from some big cases recently.
“Look at these,” Jalynn says.
Videos.
We all grimace as Jalynn scrolls through the sex tapes. Edward Sexton is a good-looking man and was a decade ago, too, according to the videos. None of us want to see him taking Missy doggy-style though.
Tessa points to the screen. “Look at the date of the first video. She was only seventeen.”
“Age of consent is seventeen,” I offer.
“It’s eighteen in California. She’s a minor in these videos,” Tessa says.
The way the videos are taken, I get the feeling Edward didn’t know they were being filmed. Things are grainy, and angles are off, but there’s no doubt it’s the two of them.
“Why would she secretly film them and keep them all these years later?” Jalynn wonders out loud.
“Insurance policy. My mother has had many clients secretly tape men in order to prove what scum they are. In this case, I’d assume Missy was keeping these as blackmail.” Tessa closes her eyes in disgust.
Jalynn closes the Videos folder and clicks open the next.
Audio.
There are dozens of recordings. Most of them sound like phone conversations. We listen to Missy and Edward talk about their relationship. They have phone sex, and sometimes, they just talk. Missy tells Edward about a few courses she’s taking at the community college, and Edward talks to her about a movie he saw. They always end on the same note: Missy wants more of Edward, and he tells her he loves her more than his wife.
As the dates go on, Missy pleads with Edward to leave his wife. Edward sounds hesitant, and with each file, Missy becomes harder and harder to tame. She even threatens to tell Marina about their affair, including how long it’s been going on.
On the last recording, Missy makes Edward a proposition.
“What if Marina wasn’t in the picture anymore?”
“My darling, I wish for anything for it to be just us. We could run away together.”
“And live off what? The company is in your wife’s name.”
Edward sighs. “I wish she would get into a horrible car accident. Then, I wouldn’t have to worry about our future.”
“Would you want her gone?” Missy asks.
“It’s not so simple.”
“Edward, you have been stringing me along for too long. I don’t believe you truly love me. I’ve given you my body for years. I was just a child—”
“Missy, please don’t bring that up again. No one would understand. They’ll never understand. If I could make Marina disappear, I would. I would do anything to be with you.”
“Anything?”
“Anything.”
“Do you remember what you told me? About the cars and h
ow you could make it look like an accident?”
Edward hesitates. “Yes …”
“Show me how to do it.”
28
TANNER
Father showed Missy how to kill our mother.
Mom had created this amazing life for him, and he threw it away for a piece of ass.
I’m going to be sick.
My elbows dig into my thighs, which are spread wide as I hang my head between them. The room is filled with an eerie silence as Jalynn plays more audio files from her flash drive. She copied the contents of Missy’s computer and brought it back to us.
I glance up to catch a peek of Austin and Bryce when she shows them the photos and home movies on Bryce’s home computer. I hear them discussing the dates. Missy was young. Really fucking young.
Bryce’s hand is on his hip, his head is down as he pinches the bridge of his nose. Austin starts pacing, rubbing the back of his neck like he’s going to wear it down.
Harper comes over and rubs my head. “You’re sweating.”
Bryce is immediately at my side, his hands on my back. “Take deep breaths, Tanner. Try to relax. It’s going to be okay.”
Austin rushes over and stops a few feet away from me. “Should I call a doctor?”
“I’m fine!” I yell adamantly.
Bryce leans away from me with his hand up. Harper is looking at the three of us in utter confusion.
I explain, “I had a breakdown after our mom died. I was in the hospital while these guys prayed over me. I was a kid then, but I’m a man now. I can handle this.”
Austin runs his fingers through his wavy hair. “This situation is so fucked up. No one would blame you if you couldn’t.”
I give him a lopsided smile. “How are you?”
Austin is a notorious runner. Instead of dealing with shit, he submerses himself in his vice of choice—women, liquor, or racing.
He swallows hard. “Been better, little bro.”
Jalynn takes the flash drive out and tosses it to me when I motion that I want it. This tiny device holds the master plans of my mom’s murder. I can’t decide if I want to curl up in a ball and cry for my mom or go out and beat the living shit out of my father.