by Donna Hill
A sinking sensation overtook her. She felt dizzy. David had accessed her files; there was no other explanation. Suddenly, everything Vaughn had said came rushing back in nauseating waves. What had she done? Who was David Hart?
On shaky legs she stood up, crossed the room, and reached for the phone. She dialed the number David had given her. The phone rang twice and then the recorded message came on to inform her that the number had been disconnected. No further information was available.
Chapter 19
Justin, Sean, and Khendra returned to the office after the late-afternoon session. Everyone was exhausted.
“You were brilliant today, Justin, with the questioning of the potential jurors,” Khendra congratulated him.
“Getting the right combination for the jury is crucial,” he stated casually. His mind was really on Vaughn. “We still have plenty of work ahead of us,” he added automatically.
“Speaking of which,” Sean said, “I have a stack of work to plow through before I get out of here tonight.”
Khendra put her arm around his shoulder “We’ll go through it together. Two heads are faster than one.” Sean grinned and pecked her on her cheek.
Khendra slanted a look at Justin and asked coyly, “So how’s Vaughn doing these days?”
He wished he knew. “Doing well, so far as I know.”
Khendra grinned. “Tell her I said hello, next time you see her.”
“I’ll do that,” he replied, and veered off down the corridor to his office.
He gave a cursory glance to the pile of reports on his desk. The stack of yellow squares were a quick reminder that he had dozens of calls to return. He looked up. Four o’clock. He could still catch a few people at the office.
He sat down behind his desk and skimmed through the messages. Stan Waters. He’d avoided returning the man’s calls long enough. Now it was bordering on rude. That was not how he was accustomed to doing business and he didn’t want to be characterized as one who didn’t return calls. But this Stan Waters just rubbed him the wrong way, and he couldn’t begin to imagine what they could possibly have to say to each other.
He stared at the paper, then dialed the D.C. exchange. The phone was picked up on the second ring.
“Mr. Waters’ line. May I help you?”
“This is Justin Montgomery. I’m returning Mr. Waters’ call. Is he available?”
“Yes, he is, Mr. Montgomery. He’s been trying to reach you. Please hold.”
Justin expelled a breath through his teeth as he waited. The wait wasn’t long.
“Mr. Montgomery,” Stan intoned. “You’re a hard man to catch up with.”
“I’ve been busy,” Justin said shortly. “I apologize for not getting back to you sooner. Now, what can I do for you?”
“Actually, Mr. Montgomery—may I call you Justin?”
Justin sighed silently. “Feel free.”
“It’s more what I can do for you, Justin.”
“Please do us both a favor—Stan—don’t be cryptic.”
“This really isn’t something that can be discussed over the phone. It’s of great importance and it has to do with Assemblywoman Hamilton and her bid for Congress.”
“What are you talking about?” His guard went up. “And what could you possibly have to discuss with me about Hamilton that would be of any concern to me?”
“I think it would be best if we met. There’s a proposition that we’d like to offer. It would be in Ms. Hamilton’s best interest if you took it.”
Justin fought to control his boiling anger and the feeling of unease that spread through him.
“Why should I be interested?” he asked cautiously.
“We think that you are. We’d like to set up a meeting as soon as possible.”
“Who is ‘we’?” Justin asked, growing annoyed.
“You’ll meet everyone at the meeting.”
“I didn’t say I’d be there.”
“Let’s put it this way, Justin. We have it from very reliable sources that you and Ms. Hamilton are—how shall I say?—involved. We also have information that could ruin her, permanently, in politics. You’re the only one who can stop that. Now, are you interested in meeting with us?”
“When and where?”
Vaughn kept her mind off her problems by immersing herself in preparing dinner. She’d decided on smothered chicken, baked macaroni and cheese, and string beans, and she’d purchased a pint of butter pecan ice cream on the way home. For tonight she’d put aside her diet concerns and just enjoy. She definitely needed it.
She still couldn’t believe that Crystal would deliberately have given David any information. Somehow he must have found a way to get it.
A tremor ran through her. How many years had it been since she’d seen David? Was it possible for anyone to carry a grudge that long? Was that even his reason for skulking back into her life and trying to destroy it?
Images of David Cain as he sat in the hearing room that last day flashed through her head. The look he’d given her when he was found guilty of the charges and dismissed from the firm had chilled her. The memory chilled her now. Yes. He was capable of carrying a grudge.
She shook her head to dispel the thoughts. Looking up at the kitchen clock, she saw that it was nearly seven. Hopefully, Justin would arrive soon. In the meantime, dinner was simmering and she wanted to change.
She took a quick shower and changed into a short silk top in mint green with matching pants that floated over her skin. She’d just finished dressing when the bell rang.
Vaughn leaped into Justin’s arms when she opened the door.
“What did I do to rate a greeting like that?” he asked roughly kissing her on the mouth. For several long moments they embraced each other.
“Just being you—being here when I need you.” She snaked her arms around his waist as they walked into the living room.
Justin took off his trenchcoat and then his suit jacket. He loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top button of his shirt. With a heavy sigh he sat down on the couch, then smiled wearily up at Vaughn. He patted the empty spot next to him and she eagerly sat down. He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close.
“Do you want to talk first or eat?”
“I know you must be starved. I can’t imagine the kind of day you had with the trial starting.”
He let out a breath. “It was rough, but I’m more concerned with you at the moment.”
She smiled. “Let’s do both. I’ll talk while we eat.”
Justin would have lost his appetite if he hadn’t already been finished by the time Vaughn concluded her story. Flashes of his conversation with Stan Waters echoed in his head. Now his subtle innuendos about Vaughn took on a dangerous note. Vaughn was in serious trouble. Someone had no intention of letting her win this election. The prime suspect, of course, was Lucus Stone. And it was obvious that David Cain was on his payroll. How far Crystal was involved remained to be seen. Justin’s jaw clenched. He sensed that it went further; how much further, he didn’t know. As much as he wanted to tell her about his conversation with Waters, he decided against it. At least for now. The last thing she needed at this point was something else to worry about.
“First you need to talk with Crystal. I’m sure she’s seen the papers by now. She has to know. What about your father? Do you think he would be any help?”
Vaughn laughed derisively. “He’s already in a rage about the article. The last person I’d go to is him. I’ll find a way to work through it. I’ll deal with Crystal. I’m sure there’s an explanation.”
“In the meantime, I think you need to clamp down on everything that goes in and out of your office,” he advised. “We need to keep a low profile as well,” he added reluctantly, recalling Waters’ implications. “There’s no reason to stir up any more trouble or any more rumors.”
“I know you’re right but I just hate the thought that I can’t trust the people around me, and most of all,” she looked deeply into his
eyes, “that we have to sneak around like two teenagers who have been grounded.”
Justin motioned to her. She got up and went to sit on his lap. She rested her head on his shoulder. “Then my plans will be right on time. We’ll be away from everyone and everything for two glorious days.”
She sat up straight. Her eyes sparkled “What? Tell me.”
“I’ve made plans for us to go to Nassau next weekend.”
“Next weekend?” she stuttered.
“Yes.” He gathered her close and nuzzled her neck. “I’ll have you all to myself.”
“I…I can’t go, Justin.”
He leaned back. His eyes squinted. “Why? I know you can get away for a weekend, Vaughn. You can’t work seven days a week.”
She pushed herself up and walked across the room. “I can’t go,” she repeated. “Not next weekend.”
He, too, got up and crossed the room until he stood behind her. He took her arm and turned her around. “Look at me and tell me why.”
Vaughn took a fortifying breath. “I can’t talk about it.” She turned her head away, but Justin grabbed her chin and turned her to face him.
“More secrets? When do they ever end with you, Vaughn?”
Her nostrils flared. “This has nothing to do with you, Justin. It’s something that I have to take care of. And I don’t want to talk about it.”
He let her go and turned away. “Would you mind telling me where you’re going?” he asked in a low voice. “Or is that asking too much?”
“To Atlanta.”
Justin nodded without commenting.
A tense silence filled the air. Vaughn busied herself with straightening the kitchen.
“I guess I’d better get going,” he said finally. She turned and he was standing in the doorway of the kitchen. Her heart lurched.
“Don’t…go,” she said in a halting voice, afraid of his response.
“Why not?”
She swallowed, then dried her hands on the striped towel. Slowly she walked over to him. She gazed up into his eyes. “I want you to stay,” she said softly.
“You want a lot of things, Vaughn,” he said shortly. “You want me, but just so much. You want to tell me things, but not too much. You want me in your life, but not too close. You can’t have everything both ways. It doesn’t work like that.”
“I know that,” she retorted in a tight voice. “If I could tell you, I would. And I will, in good time. Now is not the time.”
“And who decides when it’s a good time?”
She spun away and crossed her arms beneath her breasts. “Maybe it is best if you leave. Especially if the rest of the evening is going to go like this.”
“Maybe we just shouldn’t see each other for a while, Vaughn, until you figure out what kind of relationship you want.”
Vaughn was stunned into silence. Without another word, Justin collected his things and quietly closed the door behind him.
Chapter 20
Justin sat in his office the following morning preparing for court, but his mind wasn’t on the events of the day. It was on the events of the previous night. He’d hardly slept. Disturbing images of shadows and nameless faces haunted his dreams. He woke up in a sweat, thinking of Vaughn and of the forces that were in play against her. He, at least, was willing to help, but she kept shutting him out. There was only so much of that a person could take. Secrets were not supposed to be part of a loving relationship. Vaughn had too many of them, and he was beginning to wonder where they would all lead. Maybe he’d gone too far by telling her they needed to stop seeing each other, but he didn’t know what else to do.
The sharp ringing of the phone cut off his thoughts.
“Montgomery,” he answered tersely.
“Mr. Montgomery, this is Elaine Carlyle.”
Justin sat up straighter in his seat. “Yes, Ms. Carlyle. How are you?”
“Fine. I just wanted to let you know that we’re working on your request. So far, we haven’t come up with anything definite yet.”
His spirits sank. “I see. Well, I know these things take time.”
“We’re doing everything we can. I’ll be sure to keep you posted.”
“Thank you for calling. If you find out anything, even if it seems insignificant, please let me know.”
“I certainly will. Goodbye.”
Justin hung up and sighed heavily. Maybe this was all just an exercise in futility. The chances that Simone was his daughter were a million to one. He shook his head. Nothing seemed to be working out. He wanted to talk with Vaughn to see if she’d spoken with Crystal. But he wasn’t going to involve himself. Hadn’t she told him she’d handle it?
He pushed himself up from his seat. He had to be in court in a half hour. Everyone else’s problems, including his own, would have to wait.
Vaughn expected Crystal to be in her usual spot when she stepped into her office. She wasn’t there. She hung up her jacket and walked back out into the reception area. “Tess?”
“Yes, Ms. Hamilton?”
“Has Crystal come in yet?”
“She was here earlier, but she said she had to go out and that she’d be back in about an hour.”
“How long ago was that?”
“About forty-five minutes ago.”
“When she gets in, would you…” Before she could finish her sentence, Crystal walked in. Vaughn could see immediately that she’d been crying.
“Good morning,” Crystal said weakly, barely able to meet Vaughn’s eyes. She took a deep breath and approached Vaughn. “We need to talk.”
Vaughn nodded and turned toward her office. Crystal followed and closed the door behind her.
Vaughn turned around, leaning her body against the edge of her desk. “What happened, Crystal?”
Tears slowly trickled down Crystal’s cheeks. Her body shook with silent sobs. “I’m…so…sorry. I was…an idiot. Somehow…David got into my computer. You were right all along.” She covered her face with her hands and wept.
“I didn’t want to be right, Crystal,” she said gently. Slowly she crossed the room and put her arm around Crystal. “David Hart is really David Cain. He’s working for Stone. David and I go way back. That’s why he didn’t want us to meet.”
“What? Are you saying that you know him? He…he lied to me from the very beginning,” she cried, the pain evident in her voice. “He only pretended to care about me to get to you.”
“I’m sorry Crystal. I filed charges against David for sexual harassment when we worked together at the same law firm. He was dismissed.”
“Oh, great. This just gets better by the minute,” she groaned. “What are we going to do now?” She wiped the tears away with the back of her hand.
Vaughn took a breath and crossed the room to stand by the window. “First, I need to know everything David could have gotten his hands on.” She turned and faced her. Her expression was one of compassion when she spoke. “I also need you to be perfectly honest with me.” She paused a moment. “I know that when things get hot and heavy we tend to spill our guts out to the person who’s keeping us warm at night.” Crystal felt a hot flush rise up her neck. “I need to know everything you told him about me and the campaign. That’s the only way we can begin damage control.”
Crystal found a seat and sat down. Slowly, she went over everything she could recall having told David. When she finished, even she was stunned at the incredible amount of information she’d divulged. “I’ll prepare my resignation,” she said, rising from her seat.
“Is that what you really want to do?” Vaughn asked gently.
Crystal looked across at her. “You know I don’t. I want to make things right. I want to be there when you win.”
“Well, you can’t very well do that if you quit.”
Crystal sniffed, then smiled crookedly. “Are you sure?”
“I can’t handle it without you,” she answered honestly.
“I’ll make this right, Vaughn, I swear I will.”
“Do you know how to reach him?”
She looked away, silently embarrassed. “His number is disconnected. I’ve never been to where he lives.” She swallowed. “I don’t even have an address.”
“It’s not your fault. He had intentions of you only knowing so much. With any luck, maybe he crawled back under that rock of his,” she said with disgust. “We’ll work it out. In the meantime, you need to start revising our plans. We’ll also have to plan a small press conference. I see I already have a stack of messages.”
“I’ll get right on it.” She started to leave then stopped “Thank you, Vaughn,” she whispered.
“That’s what friends are for, girlfriend.”
Chapter 21
With Crystal back in her own office, Vaughn had the first opportunity of the morning to be alone with her thoughts. The night she’d spent after Justin left was nothing short of hell. She was sure she hadn’t gotten a decent minute of sleep for the entire night.
She sat down behind her desk and stared at nothingness. What was her life coming to? She questioned whether all that she had endured to get to this point had been worth the hurt—the losses. What would the future hold if she won the election? Would life be more of the same, only intensified?
When she entered politics, she understood the levels of power and what that meant. She also knew the lengths that people in power would go to to retain that power. For the most part, she had remained above and immune to the treachery that seeped through the halls of justice like a morning mist. Her father had been her benefactor, her shield. It was only now when she attempted to butt heads with the powerful elite that she felt the depth of their deceit. She no longer even believed that Elliott Hamilton could forestall the avalanche that was sure to come.
She knew now that the rumors and leaks to the press were only the beginning. The battlelines had been drawn, and she’d thrown her gauntlet into the den. A question gnawed incessantly in the back of her head: Was she capable of withstanding the onslaught of pressure that was inevitable in the months ahead? Yet, interwoven like a silken thread through the rough-hewn fabric of her life was Justin. Her thoughts, her feelings always went back to him—her ray of hope.