Exposed

by Rhonda Pollero

  Darby offered a compassionate smile. “You weren’t the first or the last.”

  “But it gets worse.”

  “How?” Darby asked, bracing herself.

  “Sean came to me two days ago and asked me to do something for him.”

  “Fake the break in at Darby’s office?” Jack asked.

  “Yes. But there was more.”

  “Did he have Mia with him?” Darby asked in a panic.

  “No, but he said if I didn’t help him, he’d tell you about our affair and I didn’t want you to hate me—”

  “I don’t hate you. What did you do?”

  “I opened the safe and showed him Lyssa’s file. Sean handed me a phone and had me call her and pretend I was calling on your behalf. Lyssa wouldn’t tell me exactly where she was, just that she was settling in.”

  Darby started to cry. “Think, Peggy! Did you hear anything in the background? Any voices, names, anything?”

  “She mentioned that she had visited with her mother, then she seemed to get a little spooked and she practically hung up on me.”

  “What happened to the phone and the file?” Darby’s nerves were beginning to fray. All she could think about was Mia. Was she hungry? Scared? God, her heart was squeezing her chest.

  “Sean kept the file. I have the phone,” she fished inside her purse and pulled out the disposable cell. “I’m so sorry, I—”

  Darby was elated. Finally, a direct link to her baby. Quickly, she dialed the number. She listened to the first ring. Then three more rings, then the phone was answered.

  “Hello, sweetheart.”

  “Sean!” she could hear the baby fussing in the background. “I’ll give you whatever you want, just bring the baby home.”

  “I gave you that option two days ago. You weren’t very polite as I recall.”

  “Name it, Sean. Give me a number, any amount, and we’ll agree to meet for an exchange.”

  “I’ll have to think about it. Right now I’m bonding with my daughter.”

  “Sean?” Darby’s voice was a plea. “Don’t do this. You don’t really want Mia; you want me to suffer. Well, I’ve suffered. Bring me my baby, please?”

  “Not yet, Darby. I don’t hear enough remorse in your voice.”

  “I’m sorry,” she insisted. And that was no lie. Her gut hurt, her heart was in tatters and she hated Sean at that moment like she had never hated him before. Her personal fear was abating but her fear for her child was so much more palpable. If Sean hurt a fuzz on that baby’s hair, Darby silently vowed to track Sean down and blow his brains out.

  Odd that two days ago she had rationalized her way out of hurting Sean yet now she was ready to mow him down without remorse. But she had to be strong and play his game. He had all the balls in his court. She’d have to make him think that she was still afraid of him to make this work.

  Sean laughed. “Not very convincing. I’m not sure you even know what you should be sorry for.”

  “Does it matter?”

  “You had no reason to turn on me.”

  “I’m sorry I let you down.” The baby let out a strong wail. “Please, Sean?”

  “Not yet, Darby. You’ll get her back on my terms, not yours. Or maybe not at all.”

  The line went dead.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Darby cried for several minutes. Her tears were fueled in part by anger but mostly because of the heavy burden of knowing Sean had her daughter. “He wants to toy with me,” Darby said once she’d composed herself.

  “Did you get any clue as to where he might be holding the baby?”

  She shook her head. “I was too distracted by hearing the baby cry in the background.” Darby redialed, but her call went straight to voicemail. “He turned the phone off.” She looked at Jack. “Can a throwaway phone be traced like a regular cell?”

  “I’ll ask Declan when he comes back.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Peggy said. “I’ll finish out the week with Carl and then—”

  “That isn’t necessary,” Darby interrupted. “You kept the phone, so at least I got to hear Mia.”

  “But the affair…”

  “I stopped caring about Sean’s bed buddies months ago,” Darby insisted. “I’m guessing you got jettisoned when Roxanne came into the picture.”

  “Your husband has a thing for redheads.”

  “Can we call him something other than my husband? I don’t feel married.”

  “Speaking of which,” Jack went to his briefcase and took out a half-inch-thick document. “You need to sign this and we’ll file it with the court.”

  Darby glanced at the document, a response to his petition for divorce and a counter-claim by her of adultery. “Why am I worrying about this now? He made it very clear it was going to cost me a lot more now.”

  Jack reached out and patted her hand. The touch was electric and Darby wondered if Declan’s assessment of Jack’s feelings might be spot on. “If you ignore it for more than thirty days he’ll get a default judgment, granting him everything except Mia. Your counter-claim basically says to the court that he left out some major things in his petition, namely his adultery and the minor child, and that you want sole custody of the baby.”

  “Can I do an affidavit or something?” Peggy asked. “I’d be happy to tell a judge about our brief affair and all the times you came into work with bruises, or makeup trying to cover your bruises. I should have come to you sooner. I thought he might be hitting you but I didn’t bring it up because I was afraid if I did, Sean would tell you about the affair.”

  “That would be great,” Jack said. “Where’s your laptop?” he asked Darby.

  “Police took it. Or Sean did.”

  “Not a problem,” Jack said. “My laptop is in the car. I’ll go get it.”

  Peggy sat down and said, “I really am sorry, Darby. I don’t know how I let it happen.”

  Darby patted her hand. “Sean can pile on the charm.”

  “It started really innocently. I came out of work and was walking to the Tri-rail station in the pouring rain and then suddenly Sean appeared and offered me a ride home.”

  “You don’t have to explain yourself to me,” Darby insisted. “In fact, let’s agree just to put the whole thing behind us.”

  Peggy’s eyes welled with tears. “Thank you.”

  Jack returned with Declan on his heels. Jack was carrying his laptop and Declan made a beeline for the food. In between bites, Peggy and Jack crafted an affidavit for the court. Darby focused on her food and then on clearing the table, because she really didn’t like hearing that her entire staff had suspected Darby was being battered but no one had known how to approach her.

  Jack printed the affidavit, had her sign it, then Peggy left.

  “Do you have a DVD player?” Jack asked.

  “In the media room,” she said. “Why?”

  “I want to see what’s on these discs before I attach a copy to the divorce petition.”

  “Follow me,” Darby said as she led Jack and Declan down the hall to the media room. It wasn’t a large room, but it did have two rows of stadium-style seating, a large screen and surround sound. The room darkening shades kept the space pitch black. “Give me the DVD.”

  After a few seconds, the screen came to life in the shape of a tic-tac-toe board. There were nine images in the boxes, covering almost every room in the house. “This was in the attic?” she asked.

  “Yes,” Jack said. “According to Big Tony I can select any one of the individual small screens and open it as a full screen. This is pretty advanced stuff.”

  “Sean does like his toys.”

  She reached behind her and took a throw off the back of her chair. She was seated next to Jack and right beneath the air conditioning vent, so she was cold in no time. Declan was in front of Jack, leaning forward as the disc rolled on.

  The first twenty minutes or so was just Darby doing various things around the house. She was very pregnant and her recollection of what
was about to happen was very vivid. So vivid that she couldn’t bear to watch. “You’ll have to excuse me,” she said as she left the room.

  Jack used the arrow buttons on the remote to select the kitchen as soon as he saw Sean come into the frame. He also turned up the volume.

  Sean took off his suit coat and carefully hung it on the back of one of the chairs. “Why isn’t dinner on the table?” he asked in a low voice.

  “Two minutes,” Darby replied.

  Jack could hear the fear in her tone as she donned a pair of oven mitts and started to walk past him. She took maybe two steps before Sean backhanded her, sending her spinning to the floor. She struggled to get the mitts off her hands as Sean grabbed her by the throat and dragged her to her feet.

  “How hard is it to get dinner on the table on time?” he growled. “I can’t be away from the restaurant forever while you dawdle around like a moron.”

  “Sean! Please?” Darby was clawing at his steely grip. “You’re hurting me.”

  He slapped her. “I haven’t started hurting you yet,” he threatened.

  A trickle of blood fell from her quivering lip. “I’m sorry.”

  Sean let her go with a shove. Then he let loose with a long string of complaints and perceived slights. Jack felt his blood boiling. And naturally the memories came flooding back. “I want about five minutes alone with this jerkoff.”

  “Me first,” Declan said. “Oh shit. Where’s he taking her?”

  Jack switched back to the multi-camera view. Sean was pulling Darby through the house by her hair. When he took her into the master bedroom, Jack felt his stomach clench along with his jaw. There was no camera trained on the bed but it was clear by the sounds that Sean had done the unthinkable. Darby reappeared about fifteen minutes later wearing a robe, and her right eye was already puffy and purple. Her lip was a little swollen but it was the look in her eyes that haunted him.

  “That man needs a good asskicking,” Declan said. “How long did she stay with this bozo?”

  “A little over two years,” Jack answered. “I don’t think I can watch any more of it.”

  “I’ll take over,” Declan offered. “Just tell me what to do.”

  “Just keep a log of any scenes of violence, verbal or physical. Just note the time and date stamp.” He handed him a notepad and pen. “Thanks, man.”

  Jack found Darby in the living room hugging a cup of coffee. “Want some?” she asked.

  “That would be great. But you sit. I’m perfectly capable of getting my own.”

  “The phone is still turned off,” she said as she waved the throwaway in the air. “Sean is probably loving this. Where’s Declan?”

  Jack joined her on the sofa. “He’s still watching the DVD.”

  She appeared to wince. “How bad is it?”

  Jack sat his mug on the coffee table. “Bad.”

  She blew out a slow breath. “I’m really embarrassed.”

  “You?” he asked. “Why? The guy is a total ass.”

  “Of course. Can you imagine that kind of abuse going on and there’s no one you can turn to? Then you finally get up the nerve and it results in having your parents murdered. Especially when your abusive husband can charm the white off rice. Ask anyone, Jack, they’ll tell you Sean is a wonderful man. So devoted to his wife. We put up a good front. I don’t know why he did, but I did it because I was humiliated.”

  “Why?”

  “I picked him. I brought him into my life. Forget what he did to me; I got my parents killed and now my daughter is God knows where. Helpless.”

  He reached out and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. “I know a little something about your situation and what I know is one hundred percent of the blame is on Sean.”

  “You’ve had a client like me before?”

  He shook his head, then his expression grew serious. “My father was a lot like Sean,” he admitted. “My mother had five sons and she did everything possible to shield us from his violence.”

  “I’m sorry,” Darby said.

  “It got worse and worse until my oldest brother, Michael, stepped in.”

  “That was brave of him.”

  “He wasn’t going to let my mother take another beating.”

  “What did he do?”

  “The next time my father got drunk and in a rage, Mike went for the shotgun. The two of them struggled and the gun went off.” Jack stopped for a moment to collect himself. “Several of us went running into the living room, expecting Mike or Dad to be dead on the floor.”

  “But?”

  “In a cruel twist the shotgun blast hit my mother, who was trying to separate the two of them, in the chest. She died instantly.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Darby said. She reached out and patted his hand. “That must have been horrible for your family.”

  “It got worse.”

  “How?”

  “Mike ended up with the gun and he shot our father.”

  “That’s terrible.”

  “He just reacted, but the courts didn’t see it that way.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He was tried and convicted of first degree manslaughter for the murders and was sentenced to fifteen to life. He’s been inside for sixteen years now.”

  “Is that why you became a lawyer?”

  Jack nodded. “I thought I could pass the bar and miraculously get his conviction overturned in a week. So far, nothing I’ve tried has worked.”

  “I’m sure he knows you’re trying.”

  There was a long moment of silence and Jack felt a certain tension straining between them. Without analyzing it too much, he reached out and cupped Darby’s cheek in his palm. He ran his thumb along her jawline as his eyes fixed on her slightly parted lips. He felt her warm breath on the back of his hand and he watched mesmerized as her breathing became erratic. He scooted a little closer and wrapped one arm around her slender shoulders as he continued to explore the soft lines of her face.

  His own heart was pounding in his ears as he reached up and gently clasped her neck, urging her closer. Dipping his head, he took a slow, almost cautious approach to the kiss. Her lips were soft and pliant. Her palms flattened against his chest and for a second he was afraid she would push him away. Instead, she took fistfuls of his shirt and pulled him to her.

  She tasted of coffee and her small hands began to explore the contours of his body. First his chest, then she ran her palms along his sides and he let out a low groan as she trailed her fingers along his spine. Jack needed no encouragement, he deepened the kiss and did a little exploring of his own. Her hair was silky and he ran his fingers through it as he worked his way down to her waist. She made this little noise that thrilled him as he slipped one finger beneath the hem of her shirt. Her skin was hot and smooth and after making a few tentative motions with his fingers, he slipped his entire hand up the back of her top.

  “’Scuse me,” Declan said after loudly clearing his throat.

  Darby and Jack separated like two teenagers caught by their parents with the lights off. Darby felt abandoned and cheated as she willed her heart rate back to normal. Nervously, she raked her hair into place and gave her top a little tug.

  “Yeah?” Jack replied in a voice that didn’t betray a single lingering second of what had just transpired.

  “Disc,” he said, holding up one hand, then, “notations,” as he held up the notepad.

  “Put them with the divorce stuff over by my briefcase.”

  He did, passing a red-faced Darby on his way. “Declan, is there any way to trace the throwaway phone like you can track a regular cell?”

  “If you have the codes, yes.”

  “How do you get the codes?” Darby asked.

  “Off the receipt. How did you pay for them?”

  “My business Amex.”

  “Can you get a copy of the receipt?”

  “Let me call the help desk,” Darby said. She went to the kitchen and got her credit card out of her pu
rse, then dialed the number off the back of the card. She was placed on hold and so she leaned against the counter waiting for the next available representative and listening to really bad music. Her eyes fixed on the items on her counter. A divorce pile, Jack’s briefcase and laptop. The mangled envelope Sean had given her just two days earlier. Still waiting, she pulled out the newspaper and tortured herself with the picture of her arrest splashed on the front page. God, had this plan gone horribly wrong. She flipped open the paper, torturing herself with the story, but there was a problem.

  “Hey, Jack?”

  “Yes?”

  “Come look at this,” she said as she smoothed the page.

  “What?” he asked as he came up behind her.

  “This,” she began as she flipped back to the front page, “is the front page of the Palm Beach Post but the interior pages are the Charleston Post and Courier.”

  “Does that mean anything to you?” he asked.

  “Consuela’s oldest daughter lives in South Carolina. The younger one is in Stuart.”

  “Your housekeeper?”

  “Yes. Do you know how to get in touch with her?”

  Darby shook her head. “All I know is her first name is Maria. She’s married and has a couple of children.”

  “What was her maiden name?” Declan asked.

  Darby answered, “Ruiz.”

  “Let’s go to my office and I’ll see if I can track her on any of my databases.”

  “Do I stay on the line with American Express?”

  “Yes,” Jack said. “Get the transaction information, preferably a faxed receipt, and we’ll work out of Declan’s place tonight.”

  “Give me the fax number,” Darby said.

  Jack wrote it on the top of the newspaper’s banner.

  Declan and Jack were talking in a quiet whisper as Darby took care of handling the receipt for her purchase. She felt buoyed for the first time in days. If she could find Consuela, maybe she might know where Sean had the baby. And what about Lyssa? Darby felt a terrible lump in her throat. If Sean had the baby and the phone, what had he done to Lyssa? Darby was terrified to even think of the possibilities and her own responsibility. It was like her parents all over again. Had she involved someone and gotten them killed, too?