After Six

by Jeannette Winters

  After Six

  Barrington Billionaires Series

  Book Six

  by

  Jeannette Winters

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  Logan Henderson, a world-renowned neurosurgeon, had spent his life trying to separate himself from the family name. There was no amount of lives that he could save which could ever make up for his father’s actions.

  Cordelia Sparks searched for the truth about her grandfather’s death. To get it, she’d need to take on a family that for decades was known for being ruthless and very powerful. Although she was taught to be honest, her mission required a certain level of deceit. Getting caught meant she could suffer the same fate as her grandfather.

  As she gets to know Logan, Cori questions if she was mistaken, but the Henderson family’s shady past holds the answers she needs. When faced with a decision, does she reveal what she’s learned? Doing so means letting go of the past and trusting a Henderson with her heart and future.

  Copyright

  Google Play Edition

  An original work of Jeannette Winters, 2018.

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, places, events, business establishments or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Dedication

  This book is dedicated to my sister Ruth Cardello and my neice Danielle Stewart. We spent many hours talking about this series. How will we fill our time now? Thank you both for including me on this journey!

  Karen Lawson, Janet Hitchcock, E.L. King and Marion Arche, my editors you are all amazing!

  Also want to thank MLDGraphics for all the support you give me through some amazing graphics.

  To my readers who continue to inspire me with endless messages and kind words. Always make time for romance.

  Hate to say goodbye to your favorite characters? The perfect solution is a Synchronized Series! One world. Three authors. Character cross-over. Triple the amount of books. Binge reading at it’s best.

  Each author’s books are full stories you can enjoy individually! But putting them all together weaves an even more pleasurable reading experience.

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  About the Book

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Synchronized Series

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Epilogue

  Other Books By Jeannette Winters

  Chapter One

  ‡

  “I know what I’m doing. If I can get the proof, there is no way I’ll be denied the promotion.” Cordelia Sparks had spent the last year researching. She knew the Henderson family was rich, powerful, and dangerous to play with when she’d decided to do this. Time wasn’t going to change anything. Following through with her plan would bring them to their knees. That’s what made staging the story even more valuable. “Not many people are willing to go to this length.”

  “Exactly, Cori. That should be the red flag that you need to stop. If they find out—”

  “They haven’t yet. Sorry Sis, but I’ve got to go. Someone is calling on the other line.”

  “Cori, I really think that—”

  “Sarah, it’s work. I have to take this.”

  “Okay, love you.”

  “Love you, too.” Cori hated lying to Sarah, but if she didn’t, it was going to be a replay of every other conversation they’d had. The lecture would last at least an hour and accomplish nothing but make her feel alone. If no one else believes me, I hoped you would, Sarah.

  Cori regretted letting Sarah in on what she was doing. What was I thinking? This is what big sisters do. Worry. Nag. It was foolish for Cori to think that just because they’d both crossed the good old age of thirty Sarah would consider her old enough to take care of herself. Sarah could only see things one way: hers. Her sister would never understand what it was like for her. Cori had been working at the news station for two years, and each time a position opened for an investigative news reporter, she was bypassed. She asked why and they made it clear. If she wanted it, she needed to fight for it. That’s exactly what she was doing.

  She was going to use her secret passion to obtain the truth, which in turn should facilitate getting a new position. It was perfect. If she couldn’t get proof of what James had done to her grandpa, then she’d make his children pay. I know what they’re really like. What they’re capable of. They might be able to fool the rest of the world, but not me.

  Their father, James Henderson, had been a snake. Cruel wasn’t a strong enough word to describe him. What he’d done to her grandfather Joe’s business was uncalled for. Grandpa Joe came to the United States from Madeira in his late teens. It hadn’t been easy for him in the beginning, but he’d saved every cent he’d earned until one day he’d purchased land to start his very own vineyard. No one knew why, but Grandpa Joe had refused to do business with James. She remembered hearing him tell her grandma it was because James was unethical. Untrustworthy. He believed it was an inherited bad-seed gene, and therefore, no Henderson would ever be a good person.

  She was young when a fire had broken out during the night. The flames had roared, and people screamed to save the crops. She and Sarah were sent away with their mother and grandma while the men struggled to put it out. Not only was the entire vineyard destroyed, but that was the day that changed her life. Grandpa Joe took his last breath trying to save it.

  At first, the family had tried to get the police to look at possible arson. Yet each avenue her parents took seemed to return the same results. It was the neglect of proper chemical storage that caused the fire.

  Cori knew that hadn’t been the case. She’d walked those fields almost every day with Grandpa Joe, and he’d told her repeatedly how important it was to take care of the crop, the land, and the equipment, and then it would take care of you. They might have called it an accident, but I’ll never believe it. Grandpa wasn’t careless.

  There was nothing she could do back then, but she was an adult now. Several years ago, she’d gone to the police and tried to get the investigation reopened. She hadn’t had any proof, but a nagging feeling remained that James was behind it. To no avail, she tried to get them to look into James as a viable suspect. After months of trying, she had to face the fact that she wasn’t any closer to answers than before. The police wouldn’t even admit the fire was set, let alone entertain James as, in her eyes, a murderer. He might be dead now, but that didn’t lessen the need for the t
ruth. I promised I’d get justice for my grandpa. And that is what I will do.

  She looked at her watch and knew it was time for her appointment. It was risky using her real name, but one couldn’t make an appointment with a neurosurgeon without proper identification and health insurance. Cori had faked it with her primary care physician and asked for a referral to the one and only Dr. Logan Henderson.

  She turned the engine off and got out of her car. She was nervous about meeting with Dr. Henderson, as she had no valid reason for being there. Making up a fake head injury was against the law if she tried to use health insurance to pay for the consultation. But if she paid for it herself, no preauthorization was needed. Taking funds out of her retirement to cover the tests and appointments was risky. Not as risky as committing insurance fraud.

  She made her way to his office, gave the receptionist her name, and waited. His wall was covered with prestigious awards and degrees, making it clear he was one of the top neurosurgeons in the US, possibly in the world. That didn’t mean he was a good person. James had been a successful businessman and a complete scumbag.

  This wasn’t the first Henderson she’d arranged to meet. She’d worked in the records room for Poly-Shyn for two weeks when she crossed paths with the youngest, Dean. She’d chosen to meet him first since he’d taken over his father’s company. The guy was gruff and hard as nails, but she’d found him to be a fair businessman. That had surprised her. Success of such magnitude came with a price. Usually the lack of kindness and compassion.

  Dean wasn’t totally crossed off the list, but she didn’t thnk she was going to get him to open up about the family. It was going to take talking to someone about her pretend past and getting them to open up about their childhood life as a Henderson. Since Logan was not only in the medical field but also single, she hoped he’d be easier to unravel.

  “Cordelia Sparks.”

  She looked up at the nurse holding her chart, stood up, and said, “That’s me.”

  Once inside the exam room, they reviewed her medical history. “Is there a hearing disorder?”

  That was an odd question. “No.” The nurse shrugged. “Is there a reason you asked?”

  “We called your name several times, and you didn’t respond until I came and stood in front of you. If it weren’t for the fact we obtained your photo when you arrived, I would’ve thought you’d left.”

  Cori was about to tell the nurse she was in deep thought, but realized this was just what she needed. Another symptom. “I’m sorry. That’s something that’s only been occurring since I hit my head. I guess I should’ve mentioned it before.”

  The nurse wrote that down in her notes. “Anything that is different should be mentioned. Would you like me to add anything else?”

  “No. That’s it, thank you.”

  The nurse left, and Cori sat on the exam table, waiting. She was happy this one didn’t require her to take her clothes off. She’d taken a picture of the gorgeous doc jogging on the beach early one morning. She told herself it was purely for research, but his rock-hard abs weren’t getting her any answers. At least none of any importance. If he hadn’t decided to dedicate his life to saving lives, he would’ve made one heck of an underwear model.

  There was a brief knock and the door opened. The stunning Dr. Henderson entered. He wasn’t dressed in his swim trunks this time, but that didn’t take away from his good looks. If anything, he looked better. The camera hadn’t captured how dark his eyes were. Concentrate. You don’t need him thinking you have high blood pressure from a racing heart.

  He walked over to shake her hand. “Ms. Sparks, I’ve read your file. There’s a lot missing here, so maybe you can start by telling me what brings you in today.”

  “I thought my primary doctor sent you the file.” She knew there wasn’t much to send, as she was the one who’d requested the referral. Since she was a private-pay patient, there was no preauthorization needed. Hence the missing labs.

  Logan flipped through the file again. “I can reach out to him to see if something is missing. I actually prefer to run my own tests anyway. Although I’m not questioning him, I just know my equipment and staff. I hope you understand.” She nodded. “So tell me more about your injury.”

  She’d practiced this so many times she should know it by heart. Yet now, in front of incredibly gorgeous him, she stammered as she tried to recall each detail. “I hit my head.”

  “Where, with what, and when?”

  Cori rubbed the crown of her head and pretended to wince as though it was sensitive to the touch. “I was in my basement. I’d recently put up new shelves, and when I stood, my head hit the support crossbeam.”

  “When did this happen?”

  She’d purposely left that part out. Cori didn’t want to sound too rehearsed like a robot. “Three weeks ago.”

  Logan nodded and felt her head in the area she mentioned. Once again she pretended it was tender. “It still hurts to the touch?”

  She was worried she was overdoing it. Back in school, her theater coach had often said she put too much drama in drama. Cori couldn’t afford to get an A for effort yet fail at this. Tone it down. “I guess I just anticipate the pain. It’s much better than before.”

  “That’s a good sign. Yet you’re here, so I assume there’s something other than the pain concerning you.”

  “I’ve had headaches since that hit. I know it might be nothing, but if it is I thought—”

  “You’re never wrong for having a head injury checked out. I sometimes can’t help the people who wait. Where are you getting your headaches?”

  Cori struggled with that question. Wasn’t a headache a headache? Given she wasn’t prone to suffer them often, she wasn’t sure what to answer that would be consistent with her other symptoms. Think, Cori. “Um, well . . . mostly at the back of my head?”

  “Okay. Are they always in the same spot? Consistent times? If you take painkillers for them, do they make a difference?”

  Oh God. Why hadn’t I thought about any of this? “Sometimes I’m so used to them that I don’t consider taking medication, to be honest. I figure everyone gets headaches every once in a while.”

  He smiled. He had a really nice smile. “Headaches come in many shapes and sizes. They’re basically in one of two categories: primary or secondary headaches. My assumption is that yours are secondary, possibly injury related, which is not unusual. So, in the neck or head. The brain itself doesn’t have pain receptors, however, several areas of the head and neck do. I’d like to look into this a little more so we can find the root of the problem. That would mean tracking when they occur, where they occur, and for how long, and whether a general pain killer like acetaminophen improves your pain. Does that sound okay?”

  “Yes, Dr. Henderson, that sounds great.”

  Apart from that small oversight, Cori felt so far it was all going as planned. Now was the time to open up a bit about family and see if she could get him to talk even a bit.

  “I haven’t told any of my family about this.”

  “Why is that?” Logan asked, arching a brow.

  “Do you have any siblings?” He responded with a nod only. “So you know how it is, right?”

  “All families are different,” Logan said flatly.

  Cori hoped he was more of a talker than that. “I’m sure you’re close to yours.”

  He shined a light in both eyes before changing the subject. “Besides headaches, are there any other abnormal behaviors or issues that you’re experiencing?”

  “Could it affect my hearing?”

  “Has your hearing changed?” Logan asked.

  Cori shrugged. “Not that I’ve noticed, but your nurse suggested it might have.” She felt bad throwing the nurse under the bus like that, but she wanted it to be an issue picked up by someone else. Who better than his own staff?

  “I see that in the notes. My suggestion is to do a CT-scan of your brain. From there I’ll determine what other tests I might require.”<
br />
  “Do you think there is anything wrong?” She knew darn well there wasn’t a single thing wrong with her, so there was no worry about what the results were going to be.

  “Nothing obvious shows, yet I function on facts only. Once I have the results from the test, I’ll feel more comfortable making my diagnosis. I’ll have my receptionist call you to schedule the test. I’d like to have it done as soon as possible if that’s okay with you.”

  “What’s the rush? I thought you said there wasn’t anything to be concerned about.”

  He shook his head. “I believe my words were no apparent damage could be seen. But with your symptoms, I’d like to make sure.”

  “Could it be dangerous? Could I die?” She forced her voice to sound panicked.

  “Ms. Sparks—”

  “Call me Cori. And it’s really a simple question.” She was trying a different tactic. Instead of laid-back and passive, she was going to push harder.

  He looked at her file again. “Ms. Sparks, is there someone I can call who could wait with you while we have the test performed?”

  Cori had left out an emergency contact. The last thing she needed was Logan or anyone else reaching out to Sarah. I’d really need a doctor if she knew what I was doing right now. Looking at her hands folded in her lap, she said softly, “I have no one that I’m close with. It’d be better that I wait . . . alone.” She sounded so darn pathetic she wished her old drama teacher were there to grade her. I’d finally earn that A.

  Logan’s voice softened for the first time as well. “I’m sorry. It must be difficult going through this alone. Let me make a call, and I’ll get this scheduled for you for later today. This will reduce the amount of wait time, which hopefully will help somewhat.”

  She would be happy if the CT-scan was actually what she required. All that meant was an expense, and she wouldn’t need to see him again. She needed to think of something fast. “Thank you. I really appreciate that.” Getting off the exam table, she pretended to sway as though losing her balance. Reaching out, she grabbed his arm and fell toward him then went limp in his arms. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. She counted, knowing she didn’t want to appear to be unconscious, just passed out briefly.