“That’s the reporter, right?”
“Yes.”
“I like her,” Sheila said. “She’s much friendlier than the blonde one.”
“The blonde one is friendly, too,” Finn said, the need to stand up for his sister-in-law flaring. “She’s just protective.”
“What does she have to be protective about?”
“Family.”
“Well, Emma isn’t her family,” Sheila said.
“Yes, she is.”
Emma was uncomfortable with the conversation. “Let’s talk about something else.”
Finn bit the inside of his cheek.
“Absolutely, what do you want to talk about?” Sheila asked, switching topics effortlessly. “How about your new apartment? Are you looking forward to decorating it?”
“Kind of,” Emma said. “I don’t want to buy anything that we can’t use later, though. Plus, it’s important to pick out furniture that doesn’t have a lot of sharp edges. We don’t want the baby to hurt himself.”
“Himself?” Finn asked.
Emma shrugged. “It feels weird to call a baby an it.”
Finn nodded.
“I just have a feeling,” Emma added.
Finn smiled. “Whatever it is … whether a he or a she … it’s going to be a happy baby.”
“Unless it has colic,” Sheila said.
Finn stilled. “Excuse me?”
“Well, Jeff had colic when he was a baby,” Sheila explained. “He just would not shut up. Finally, I had to drink a bottle of wine and shut the door just so I could get some sleep.”
Finn felt ill. “Well, we’re not going to do that.”
“You might not think so now,” Sheila countered. “Trust me, when that thing is screaming at the top of its lungs, you’ll feel differently.”
Emma’s face was drawn.
“I really don’t think so,” Finn said.
“Well, you won’t be the one up with it, will you?”
“We both will,” Finn said. “We’re a family. We do things together.”
“Men always say that,” Sheila said. “They never follow through. Emma’s father … .”
Finn slammed his hand down on the table. “I am not anything like that man.”
Sheila was taken aback. “I didn’t say you were.”
“I … I have to go to the bathroom,” Emma said, jumping to her feet.
Finn was worried. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I just have to go to the bathroom.”
“Do you want me to go with you?” Sheila asked.
“No,” Emma said. “I … I’ll be back in a few minutes. Just order me a pasta dish.”
“With shrimp?” Finn pressed.
Emma’s shoulders slumped. “Sure. Whatever.”
Once she was gone, Sheila fixed Finn with a hard look. “You shouldn’t upset her.”
“I’m not the one upsetting her,” Finn said. “In fact, before you showed up, she was hardly ever upset anymore.”
“She was upset when I arrived,” Sheila shot back. “She was scared to tell you that she was pregnant. Is that my fault, too?”
“Maybe,” Finn said. “I mean, you’re the one who served her up to a sexual predator on a platter. He’s the reason she’s so unsure of herself. You’re partially to blame for that.”
“I already told you, I didn’t know.”
“I don’t know who you’re trying to convince when you tell that lie, but it’s not working on me,” Finn said.
“You’re a horrible person,” Sheila hissed.
“Coming from you? I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“My daughter never did have any taste in men.”
“How would you even know?” Finn asked. “I’m assuming she didn’t date in high school, and you were gone before she graduated. So, how do you know what her taste in men is?”
“I … you’re trying to confuse me.”
“As far as you know, the only man who ever touched her before me was her father – and apparently you let him do that with your blessing.”
“You stop saying that,” Sheila spat. “That man terrorized me. He hit me twice.”
“And he raped your son and daughter hundreds of times.” Finn’s face was impassive as he watched her. He was done playing games.
“I didn’t know about that,” Sheila said. Finn could tell she was trying to work up some tears.
“Why did you come back here now?” Finn asked.
“I missed my daughter.”
“What about your son?”
“What about him?”
“You haven’t tried to see him,” Finn said.
“I have, too.”
“All visitors are logged at the Lenox facility,” Finn said. “All visitor requests are logged, too. I checked. You haven’t made a request, and you haven’t visited him. He hasn’t had a visitor since last month – when Emma went. She goes like clockwork, by the way.”
“You’re spying on me?”
Finn laid his cards on the table. “We ran a background check.”
“You little ingrate.”
“My brother owns a security business,” Finn said. “You had to know that was a possibility.”
“And what did your little check turn up?”
“Lots of things,” Finn said, being purposely evasive. “My favorite was your marriage to a loan shark in Vegas.”
“I … he’s not a loan shark,” Sheila said. “He’s a loan proprietor. That’s a legitimate thing. Look it up.”
“Nathan Davenport is a loan shark,” Finn replied, refusing to quibble over semantics. “Why aren’t you going by his last name here, by the way? You legally changed it when you got married.”
“I … I didn’t want to upset Emma.”
“You mean because your husband is a suspected murderer and is up on charges right now?”
“You think you’re so smart, don’t you?” Sheila was beside herself. “Well, you’re not so smart. You don’t see how wrong you are for Emma. She needs a man who is willing to accept her, warts and all. You’re just trying to change her.”
Finn knew what she was doing, and he refused to be derailed. “Why did you try to access James’ computer the day of the barbecue?”
“I did no such thing?”
“No one else would,” Finn said.
“I was trying to check the weather,” Sheila said. “It was a barbecue. Rain would have ruined it.”
“Is that the same reason you tried to access the files at the office the day we showed you the apartment?”
“What? No!” Sheila’s calm was slipping. “I … was trying to find the menu for the restaurant. I told that evil blonde what I was doing. Did she rat on me?”
“She did,” Finn said. “Then we had our computer guy check things. Someone tried using a rip drive to access financial information. It was primitive, though, and that person failed. The only one with access was you.”
“You’re making things up.”
“No, I’m not.”
“What’s going on?” Emma asked, reappearing at the edge of the table. She looked nervous. “Are you guys still fighting?”
“Your boyfriend is making up heinous lies about me,” Sheila said, getting to her feet and throwing her napkin on the table.
Emma’s gazed bounced between her mother and Finn. “What lies?”
“He’s making up accusations to try to get you to turn against me.”
Emma focused on Finn. “Why would he do that?”
“He wants control of you, Emma,” Sheila said, wiping a tear from her eye. “He’s just like your father.”
“He’s not like … him.”
“He is,” Sheila said. “Just in a different way. He’s manufactured a bunch of crap to try and drive a wedge between us.”
“He would never do that.”
“Do you want me out of your life?”
“No,” Emma said, desperate.
“Well, he does,” Sheila said. “I’m n
ot going to sit here and take his abuse. I’ve been abused enough for one lifetime.”
Emma swallowed hard. Finn could see her mind working. Finally, she turned to him. “Finn, you can’t accuse my mother without proof.”
“I have proof.”
“Manufactured proof,” Sheila corrected.
“She’s my mother,” Emma said. “I believe her when she says she loves me. She wouldn’t do anything to hurt me. She wouldn’t do anything to hurt you either.”
“Emma,” Finn said, his voice low. “You know I don’t make things up.”
“I know that my mother would never purposely hurt me,” Emma said, her eyes glistening with tears. “You need to realize that, too.” She held out her hand. “Give me the keys to the Expedition.”
Finn was floored. “What?”
“I’m taking my mother back to her hotel.”
Sheila smiled triumphantly.
“How am I supposed to get home?” Finn asked, fighting to keep his composure.
“Call a cab.”
Twenty
After a long – and expensive – cab ride home, Finn’s slow temper was at a hot boil. He couldn’t believe Emma would doubt him this way. He’d never betrayed her. He’d always been there for her. Sure, he’d been thrown for a loop when he first found out that her father raped her – but he’d never let that still his love, or his devotion.
Now? Now she was letting a woman who had abandoned her, a woman who had slept in the same house – in the same bed – with the monster who raped her, get the upper hand. He felt … blindsided.
Finn paced the short distance between the living room and kitchen. The woman he loved didn’t believe him. The woman he loved had turned her back on him. The woman he loved … was walking through the apartment door.
Finn fixed his eyes on her when she entered. Her face was pale, and she looked worn out.
Finn’s anger was still there, but he refused to engage. “Did you get anything to eat?”
Emma dropped her purse on the table next to the door. “We ate in the hotel dining room.”
Finn ran his tongue over his teeth. “Well, that’s something.”
“I had shrimp,” Emma offered hopefully.
“Great.”
“Finn … .”
He cut her off. “Why don’t you take a bath? You need to relax. You’ve had a rough night.”
Emma’s shoulders slumped. “I want to talk to you.”
Finn turned, focusing on the wall. He couldn’t look at her. It hurt too much. “I’m not sure I can talk to you right now.”
“Finn, you have to let me explain.”
Finn exploded. “You believed your mother over me,” he said, swiveling to face her, his brown eyes accusing. “You just … you believed her and you called me a liar.”
“I didn’t call you a liar.”
“Yes, you did,” Finn said. “We have proof, Emma. Your mother tried to access James’ computer at the house the day of the barbecue. She tried to access the computer in the office the day we showed her the apartment.”
“I … .”
“She’s married to a loan shark in Vegas named Nathan Davenport,” Finn charged on. “Did she tell you that? Of course not. He’s suspected of killing at least three people. They haven’t found the bodies, so they’re trying to get him on racketeering. He’s still a murderer.”
“Finn, calm down,” Emma pleaded.
“She’s dangerous, Emma,” Finn said. “She’s lying to you. I have no idea what she wants, but it’s not something good. She’s going to hurt you.”
“Oh, Finn, I know that,” Emma said, sinking down on the couch and dropping her head into her hands.
Finn was taken aback. “What?”
“I know she’s up to something,” Emma said. “I know every word that comes out of her mouth is a lie – or just plain ugly. I’m not stupid.”
“I never said you were stupid,” Finn said, confused. He sank down on the couch next to her, being careful to keep a little distance. “How do you know she’s lying?”
“I was bred to spot a liar,” Emma said, raising her head. “She’s a liar.”
Finn exhaled heavily. “If you knew that, why did you go with her?”
“She needs to think I believe her,” Emma said. “We won’t find out what she’s up to if she thinks I don’t. She wants to use me for something. She has to believe I have faith in her before she’ll confide in me.”
“What?”
“I know she’s evil, Finn,” Emma said, gripping her hands between her knees. “I’m not going to lie. I wanted to believe her when she first showed up. I wanted … a mother.”
Finn reached over and rubbed her knee. “When did you decide you didn’t believe her?”
“The moment she opened her mouth.”
“When did you really decide?”
“I don’t know,” Emma admitted. “I just … she says things. She acts like she’s trying to bolster me, but I know she’s really undermining me. She gets little digs in at you … and Mandy … and James. She’s my mother, but you’re my family.”
Finn moved closer to her. “I am your family,” he said, brushing her hair out of her face so he could see her profile clearly. “I love you so much.”
“I love you, too.”
“The man she’s married to is … not good,” Finn said. “Your father was bad, but his targets were specific. Davenport doesn’t care about targets. He’s all about money. He’s about using people for money.”
“I don’t care about him,” Emma said. “I care about her. What does she want?”
“She tried to access our financials,” Finn said. “She must be looking for money.”
“Even if she could access the information, that doesn’t mean she could steal from your accounts, does it?”
“No,” Finn replied. “Maverick’s firewalls are topnotch. Sheila didn’t know that, though.”
“So, what is her goal?”
“We don’t know,” Finn said. “We’re trying to figure it out.”
“You mean I need to get her to tell me,” Emma corrected.
“No,” Finn said hurriedly. “That’s too risky.”
“I’m the only one, Finn,” Emma said. “She’s never going to trust anyone else.”
“Sweetheart, you’re … .”
“Pregnant?”
“The love of my life,” Finn countered. “You’re the only woman I’ve ever loved, and you’re the only woman I will ever love. I will not let you put yourself in danger.”
“And you’re the only man I’ve ever loved,” Emma said. “I can’t even imagine loving someone else. That doesn’t mean I can just let her get away with this.”
“She won’t get away with it.”
“The only way we can ensure that is to let her think I believe her.”
“I won’t use you as bait.”
“I love you, Finn,” Emma said. “You’re not the boss of me, though. I … owe her.”
Finn stilled. “What do you owe her?”
“She knew,” Emma said, her eyes filling with tears. “The house was tiny, and I screamed. I screamed a lot.”
Finn tried to swallow the lump in his throat.
“I screamed for help, and I screamed for him to stop, and I screamed for my … mommy.”
Finn reached for her, pulling her into his arms as he rested his face against the side of her head.
“That woman is not a mother,” Emma said. “She’s a user, and she’s an abuser.”
“She’s evil,” Finn said, kissing her temple.
“I was scared,” Emma said. “When I first thought I was pregnant, it wasn’t that I was scared that you would leave me. I knew you wouldn’t.”
Finn waited.
“You’re the best man I’ve ever known,” Emma said, her voice thick with tears. “You’re the only man who I could ever love. You’re my whole heart.”
“Emma, I love you,” Finn said, refusing to brush away his own tears.
“I was scared that I would turn out to be her,” Emma said. “I was scared that I would never love my own child. I was scared that their genes would make me hurt … the baby.”
Finn grabbed her head on each side and pressed her forehead to his lips. “That could never be you, sweetie. It’s not in you.”
“I know,” Emma said. “I know because of how much I love you. I know that because, if I could love you this much, I could love a baby, too.”
“Of course you can,” Finn said, dragging her limp body onto his lap. “You have more love to give than anyone I know.”
“I was scared I would be them,” Emma said. “I know I’m not. You’ve made me see that I’m not.”
“You’re not.”
“She knew,” Emma said, tears cascading down her face. “She knew what he was doing. She sacrificed us because it was easy for her.”
“Oh, Emma.” He tried to kiss her tears away.
“I want her to pay,” Emma said. “And that scares me just as much as the thought that I will end up like them.”
“She’s going to pay,” Finn vowed. “I won’t let what she did to you be forgotten.”
“You need me to find out what she’s doing,” Emma said. “If I convince her we’re fighting, if I convince her I’m unsure, she’ll take me into her confidence.”
Finn smoothed Emma’s wild waves down with his hand, pressing her face into his chest. “I don’t want you alone with her.”
“I promise I won’t put myself in danger,” Emma said. “If she asks me to meet someone, I’ll find a reason to get out of it. I just want her to admit to me what she’s doing. If I lie, she’ll believe me.”
“I won’t be away from you,” Finn said. “We’re not spending a night apart … ever.”
“It won’t come to that,” Emma said. “I’ve already told her that you have to move in with me because you’re letting your apartment go. I’ll tell her that I’m trying to get money from you.”
Finn rubbed the back of her head. “What do you think that will do?”
“This is obviously about money,” Emma said. “You need to come up with an idea for me to float to her.”
“An idea?”
“You’re better at it than I am,” Emma said. “Come up with something with your brothers. Something that I could do with my limited skill set. Come up with a reason for me to be able to steal money. She’ll tell me what she’s planning then. I just need something that’s … feasible.”
Deadly Addition (Hardy Brothers Security Book 9) Page 15