by Lexi Blake
The massive hunk of muscle handled all of 4L’s physical security, and the team ran background checks for his human resources department. Taggart was former Special Forces and, according to his brother, used to work for the CIA. Drew had zero difficulty seeing the man doing wet work for a shadowy government agency most of the time. Today, however, he had a sleeping baby draped over his shoulder, his big hand balancing the tiny thing against him. He was almost certain that Taggart was about to fall asleep.
“So no news on Francine Wells?” They’d already gone over Taggart’s security plans for the reception. Drew would love to have walked away after that, but he needed to see if Taggart was still working on finding Francine.
Taggart’s eyes opened. “Oh, Wells. Yeah, um, according to the records we found, she died a few years ago. Completely bogus, apparently, but that shit was well done, according to Adam. I’ve got a report with all the paperwork. Hopefully it’s in one piece. If it’s got spit-up on it, Grace can print it out again.”
He was never having children. Apparently they were messy. “Why don’t you give me the rundown?”
“Francine Wells,” Taggart said as though he needed to prompt his memory. “She left Dallas shortly after your parents were murdered, moved to New York, and was briefly on the payroll of a start-up company called StratCast.”
Well, of course she was. StratCast was the company that had been built on his father’s genius. “What did she do there?”
“She worked as a legal secretary, which I found odd because she was involved in coding projects at your father’s company. She left after a few years and, from what we can tell, she moved to Ponte Vedra Beach in Florida.”
Ah, but Drew didn’t find it odd at all since his mother had been trained as a lawyer. “The move fits. It’s fairly close to St. Augustine. We know from Carly that she was working with Patricia for many years. The workers at Cain Corp thought she was some old lady Patricia was using.”
“Because she never actually showed her face at the office,” Taggart continued. “Patricia would go away for the weekend and return with all sorts of new ideas. According to banking records, over the course of the ten years Francine spent working with Patricia, she collected almost five million dollars off the books.”
That was interesting. “Who collected the money when Francine died? And how did she pull that off?”
“Money can cover up almost anything,” Taggart said, sitting back. “She died, and I use that in the most figurative way possible, in a car accident. Her sister, Anna, had the body cremated quickly. She collected her sister’s bank accounts, sold her house, and disappeared off the face of the earth, which was probably easy since I’m fairly certain she didn’t exist. Francine was an only child.”
Naturally, his mother would have been careful and the bank wouldn’t have had an issue with it as long as she’d shown up with all the proper documentation. “And this was how long ago?”
“She died four years ago. As far as I can tell, she vanished shortly after she collected her own life insurance. That was another two million.”
It begged a couple of questions. “Why leave when she’d been with Patricia all those years before? What was happening four years ago at Cain Corp?”
“I don’t think it had anything to do with Cain Corp. You got sloppy. Open the folder.” Taggart gestured to the file folder on his desk.
Drew turned the top of the file folder to his left while Taggart hummed and patted the baby. He seemed to know what he was doing because the boy immediately quieted and seemed to go back to sleep. Drew, on the other hand, sighed. It was the cover of a national magazine with the headline America’s Next Bill Gates? and a picture of him. A photographer had caught him coming out of 4L’s office. It was precisely why he now always left via the underground parking garage or the helicopter on the roof. The article had come after 4L released its latest software, and the stock had gone soaring.
“Francine Wells died exactly two weeks after this came out. I think she recognized you. Apparently having the victim that got away turn into a billionaire power player spooked the woman.” The tiny thing started to wiggle. Taggart merely stood and started pacing, his long legs bouncing to some rhythm he could hear only in his head.
“Apparently.” He should have been more careful. He’d had his siblings change their last names to avoid too many questions, but he’d kept the Lawless name because he couldn’t stand the thought of not honoring his father. And the arrogance was there, too. He’d wanted them to see he was one Lawless they couldn’t control.
Stupid. At the time he’d only been thinking about Stratton, Castalano, and Cain. They couldn’t know he was onto them, and the trio had been more than happy to leave him and his siblings alone for twenty years. They thought they’d gotten away with it, so why bother coming after the kids? It would have been risky.
His mother was an entirely different predator.
Taggart eased the kid down onto one of those things parents hauled around so their kids could sleep on the go, and stood looking down at him for a moment. “Hopefully he’ll sleep for a while. God knows he doesn’t do it at night.”
“Don’t you have a daycare here or something?” He didn’t entirely understand the McKay-Taggart world, though it was already creeping into his own. Mia had been talking about on-site daycare at 4L.
“Sure, but you only get this first year once. I’ll blink and Seth will be a teenager, so I’m going to enjoy this time as much as I can.” He moved back to his desk. “So, are you aware there were rumors that your father had an affair with Francine?”
“I was made aware of the affair,” he stated blandly, as though the idea didn’t turn his gut. “Hatch never mentioned it until after we discovered she was somehow involved. I suppose he didn’t want to bust my illusions about Dad.”
“Yeah, I suppose.” Taggart sat back with a yawn that made him resemble a somewhat sleepy lion. “Funny thing, parents. They tend to turn out to be all too human, but then we understand that when we get to be adults.”
“Maybe if you grow up with your parents. It’s different when they’re taken from you. I didn’t get to fight with my father. I didn’t get to do the teenage rebellion thing. For me, he’ll always be the man I knew as a kid. It’s hard to process.”
“Is that why the police hid the sketch of Francine? How did you manage that, by the way? Adam wasn’t even able to find it.”
He wondered if Miles would get curious. “As you said, money can hide a multitude of sins, Mr. Taggart. I don’t need my siblings to stare at the picture of my father’s former mistress. I was lucky to keep most of our involvement out of the press. Rest assured, I still have a copy if it’s needed.”
“Good, because it’s needed. I have a few theories I want to run down. I talked to a couple of people Carly directed me to, some of Patricia’s inner circle. They didn’t remember meeting a Francine Wells, but they did know a woman named Leah Walker who often traveled with Patricia during the time before Francine died. She fits the same profile except Patricia was trying to introduce her to wealthy men. I believe this Leah Walker is possibly a black widow and she’s used several names over the years, including her original name, Francine Wells.”
“All right, what does that have to do with the sketch?” He could buy that his mother had multiple aliases.
“I want to run it through facial recognition. Adam has a prototype software that can do amazing things.”
“I know. I’m going to sell it for him.” For a cut of his profits, but it would still make Adam Miles a very wealthy man. “But I think I’ll deal with this myself from here on out.”
Taggart’s eyes narrowed and suddenly he didn’t seem so sleepy anymore. “Really? And why would you do that?”
This was what he’d wanted to avoid, but cutting ties to McKay-Taggart would have brought up more questions. “I think we all need a break.”
“I want us to concentrate on the future for a while. Not the past.”
“Is that why you made an appointment with the Dallas Police Department this afternoon?” Taggart dropped a bomb into the middle of their conversation.
Motherfucker. “I made that appointment privately. It has nothing to do with you.”
Taggart shook his head and sighed, his disappointment obvious. “Well, you should be happy the chief called to ask if I would be providing security and how I wanted to deal with it. There’s no such thing as privacy for you. You’re one of the wealthiest men in America. Your name opens doors but it invites people to come in with you, too. Even cops gossip, and you would have been met with paparazzi if they hadn’t called me.”
He hadn’t even thought about that. He’d assumed the police would be discreet. But of course there was always someone willing to talk, and he was an interesting subject.
“I told them they misunderstood and that you certainly wouldn’t be visiting the station to talk about your parents’ closed case. I then called my contact and had him bring the file here.” Taggart moved on. “So are you going to explain to me why you’re cutting me out and bringing in a reporter? You know, I’m the one who ran the background check on Shelby Gates when she came on the scene. I know exactly what she does and I know that you all but hit her with a restraining order a few months ago, yet today you bring her into these offices holding her hand like she’s your girlfriend.”
He should have known Taggart would prove observant. “She is my girlfriend.”
“Oh, I buy that you’re sleeping with her. She’s a gorgeous woman, but she’s also a do-gooder. She was looking into your parents’ case, hence all your lawyers. What changed between then and now?”
He didn’t like the interrogation, but tried to hold on to his patience. “Not that it’s any of your business, but we started dating a few weeks ago.”
“Do you think she’s manipulating you in order to get a story?”
Oh, sweet Shelby wasn’t the manipulative one. “Not at all. I’ve had her sign a nondisclosure agreement. Look, Taggart, I think Mia and my brothers need a break, so I’m going to try to be discreet going forward. I want this time with Shelby. I want to see if we can make it work.”
Taggart stared at him for a moment as though he was about to call him on the lie. “So you’re lonely and horny. That’s what you’re telling me. You’re giving up the idea of finding the last conspirator in the deaths of your parents so you can get laid.”
Put like that it sounded pretty stupid. If Taggart had been a normal contractor, he would have told him to mind his own damn business. Unfortunately, the asshole was family and one Drew had come to value. He couldn’t put off his suspicions so easily. “Look, I just think I need to take this slow and be in control. You know what Francine told Carly.”
“That if you backed off she would leave your siblings alone.”
“How far would you go for one of your brothers?”
“You know I’d do anything.”
It was his turn to push Taggart a little. “Even when ‘anything’ wasn’t in the best interests of justice? I suspect you would. I have to dig deeper, but I think I can do that more discreetly with Shelby than with you. Francine will be watching you and your whole company. I’m sure she’s well aware of everything I do at this point, and we’re far too connected.”
“And you don’t think she’s watching your personal life?”
“All she’ll see is me with a pretty girl having a meeting with the company that runs my security and the man who happens to be my sister’s brother-in-law. We’ll go out to dinner tonight with my family and make plans for Riley and Ellie’s reception. All normal, especially since you saved me the trap of walking into the police station. Did they send a plainclothes with the file?”
“Absolutely,” Taggart assured him. “He’s a lieutenant and he’s got a lot of ties to this company. He brought the file in and he’ll take it back out in a plain box.”
“All right.”
A moment of uncomfortable silence passed before Taggart spoke again, his voice low and grave. “Promise me if this gets dangerous you’ll call me, Drew.”
“I will. Right now I’m doing nothing more than testing a theory.” He didn’t intend to do anything more than research at this point.
“Yes, I have a few of those, too. But I’ll back off if you want me to. I do understand what it means to protect family, but you can’t do it at the cost of your own life.”
“It’s all going to be fine. I’m going to let Shelby do what she does and we’ll go from there. After we get what we need here, we’re heading to Austin and we’ll be there for a few months.”
“You need to watch your back. Even when you think you’re private.” Taggart winced as his son tuned up and proved that even baby lions could roar. “Call me if you need me. The lieutenant’s waiting in the conference room.”
The door to the office opened, and a tall woman with strawberry- blond hair strode in. Charlotte Taggart walked right to the baby and eased him up and into her arms. She looked her husband’s way. “I’ll take Seth. You take a nap.”
She leaned over and kissed Taggart.
Yeah, he definitely didn’t want the screaming infant, but he kind of longed for the intimacy they had. His house had been lonely since Bran moved out. They were all gone, and he was left with Hatch and a bunch of people who took care of them because Drew paid well.
A hand touched his shoulder and suddenly Shelby was there. He reached up and threaded his fingers through hers, enjoying the warmth for once. “We have a change of plans, sweetheart.”
“All right,” she said, a sparkle in her eye as she looked over at the baby. “I’m game. What are we doing?”
He’d already discovered that Shelby seemed to go with the flow, and that was a good thing in his world. “We’re skipping the police station. The files are all here.”
Her attention moved quickly back to him. “Oh, now you’re talking, Lawless. Let’s get going. Those files aren’t going to read themselves.”
He stood, not letting go of her hand. In the last week, he’d learned that she hugged a lot, liked to kiss for a long time, and all he had to do to rev her up was give her a murder to solve.
As he led her down the hall, he prayed he learned enough to keep her when it all fell apart.
Chapter Four
Thank you, Lieutenant Brighton.” Shelby shook hands with the hunky cop. He was definitely prettier than the last man who had allowed her to study the evidence. A few months back she’d been shown into a dank, cramped room by a man who looked like he never smiled and who had admonished that if she ruined anything, there would be hell to pay.
“You’re welcome,” the lieutenant said. “I’ll be in the break room if you need anything. Let me know when you’re done. I assume since you were the last one to open the file that you know how to handle it.”
“I’ll put it all back in the same order.” The file had been repacked and taped together after her last viewing, and she could plainly see that she’d been the last person to sign for it.
The lieutenant nodded and produced a small knife to cut open the taped box. “Be careful with it.”
“We will,” Drew said, his eyes on the box like it was a snake that might bite him.
And it was. That was Pandora’s box to the Lawless family, all their secrets and sins laid bare. All the horror that had ripped them apart neatly contained in one aging cardboard box.
The door closed behind the lieutenant, and Drew switched his focus to her. “That man was flirting with you. I think he’s married.”
Drew was excellent at deflecting. “He was being charming. He was definitely not flirting.”
“He winked at you.”
&n
bsp; “I believe that was his way of wishing me luck with this.”
“You don’t need luck,” Drew said, his tone grumpy. “It’s a box of evidence. How did your talk with Charlotte Taggart go? You walked in with her. I assume that means you spent some time with her.”
She’d found Charlotte Taggart to be very illuminating. “She knows a lot about the case. Did you know that the assassin hired to kill your parents had a brother?”
He was staring at the box of evidence. “I read it in one of the reports. I don’t think he’s important.”
“You haven’t talked to him?” It seemed like an oversight.
“What could he tell me that I don’t already know?”
“Do you mind if I try talking to him?” Sometimes brothers saw things other people didn’t. After all these years maybe he would talk in a way he wouldn’t have right after the crime.
“Sure, ring him up if you like,” Drew replied. “Let’s open this sucker up and get a move on.”
“Why don’t you let me find what we’re looking for?” He didn’t need to see the photos.
“I can handle it, Shelby.”
She had zero doubt that he could. The question was whether he should.
“Do you trust me, Drew?” She put a hand on his chest. She’d rapidly learned the man responded to touch.
He frowned down at her, but his hand came up to cover her own. “As much as I trust anyone. More, I suppose.”
“You don’t have to see those pictures because your dad’s not there. He was gone long before those pictures were taken, and there’s nothing about looking at them that will help you in any way. Let me find the relevant reports and you can read them, but those pictures will stay with you in a way I don’t want them to.”
“You’ve seen them.”
“Yes, and they’ve haunted me and I wasn’t his child.”
“I saw him on the floor, but the fire had already started. I tried to get to him, but it blasted me back.” He seemed to shake off the memory. With a squeeze of her hand, he stepped back. “Go ahead. I suppose I don’t need more fuel for my nightmares.”