His Fall From Power

by Fawkes, Tasha

  “Like him?” She couldn’t finish it, but I could. “Is that what you thought? I’d grow up to be like him, so you needed to leave?”

  Inhaling sharply, she squeezed my hand. “You are not to blame for me leaving, Jack. Don’t you ever think that.”

  “Yet you don’t deny that you worried I’d be just like him.” I pulled my hand away. “So, what happened? I started looking like him, so you thought you’d bounce on some other man’s cock for a while?”

  I immediately regretted the cruelty behind my words as she reddened. “Hale wanted more children, but I couldn’t conceive,” she said hollowly. “Things got bad again. You hero-worshipped him. You just adored the man who was growing to hate the sight of me, and I was afraid that he was turning you against me. I grew desperate for affection. It wasn’t the right thing to do. I know that now, but Javier was there. He was sweet and kind, and he loved me. I was weak.”

  “I don’t want to hear the details,” I muttered. I didn’t even want to know the man’s name. “Get to the point.”

  “When your father found out, he became terrifying. He told me to run, and he warned me that I’d never be able to run far enough or fast enough. He said that he knew men who would make sure that I never touched you again. He…” She blew out a long breath. “Jack, he told me of what happened to people who crossed him.” Tears filled her eyes. “I’ve lived in fear of what would happen if I returned to Miami.”

  Silently, I stared at her. Should I believe her? Should I not?

  “Your father has blood on his hands. Maybe not directly, but he is responsible. He has plans for you, and when Sherry threatened them, he had her killed. There isn’t a doubt in my mind. If you do anything else to step out of line.” She closed her eyes. “If you get involved with someone you shouldn’t…”

  “Blythe,” I whispered.

  She took another deep breath and looked directly at me. “If you don’t do as he wants, he’ll eliminate whatever is standing between him and his goal. Everything you love could be in danger, Jack.”

  “If you’re so scared of him, then why did you return?” I demanded.

  “You’re my son. I wasn’t strong enough to protect you then, but things are different. I have power on my side now, and I will do what’s right by you. I love you, Jack.”

  The waitress returned with my sandwich, but I barely registered it. I wanted so desperately to believe that my mother was back for me.

  And I desperately feared what would happen if she was telling the truth.

  Seventeen

  Blythe

  Rachel paled when I walked into the office with Carl. It was obvious that she didn’t want him there, which surprised me since all she’d been doing lately was talk about him.

  “Is everything okay?” I asked as I put my bag down. I had about an hour before I was supposed to meet with the construction company again.

  “Yes,” she said a little too chipper. “Everything is great. Perfect. I had an interesting phone call this morning, and I will tell you all about it, but I want to wait until you’re in a more creative mindset.”

  Creative mindset? What was she talking about?

  “Okay,” I said slowly. “I’m sure I’ll be feeling more creative after a cup of coffee.”

  “Coffee. Yes. That should make you feel more artistic.” She nodded her head enthusiastically.

  Laughing, I grabbed the coffee grounds and began loading up Mr. Coffee. “What’s going on, Rachel? Did you decide that we should paint a mural on the wall or something?”

  She gave me a frustrated look. “Maybe we should hire someone to paint the mural for us. An artist?”

  Cocking my head, I studied her. “Just how much coffee have you had today, and did you put anything special in it?”

  “Never mind.” Spinning on her heels, she huffed and stalked back to her desk. Blinking, I turned and looked at Carl. He was watching her in equal confusion. Rachel had her moments, but she was rarely cryptic.

  I’d worry about it later. I was still trying to figure out what was going on with Jack this morning. I’d been strong-armed into bringing Carl with me, and I didn’t like it one bit. Things were good between us, and I didn’t want to start a fight, but it felt like he’d manipulated me without a second thought. I wasn’t going to stand for that.

  After I over-sugared my coffee, I sat back at my desk and saw that I had a text message on my phone. Picking it up, I realized that it was from Rachel.

  Puzzled, I looked at her, and she deliberately dropped her gaze to her phone. Sighing, I opened up the text and hoped it would tell me what kind of game she was playing.

  Are you still drunk or maybe feeling the afterglow of sex with Jack? I was trying to tell you that we need to talk about Quincy Reed.

  Ah. It made me feel a little better to know that Rachel wasn’t drunk or high. It was good that she hadn’t come right out and spilled the beans in front of Carl. If he told Jack that we were looking into Sherry’s death, he’d be angry.

  Sorry. You’re not usually cryptic. Jack made me bring Carl. So what’s up?

  I sent the text, and her phone immediately beeped in response. Shooting her a dirty look, I tried to act nonchalantly as I peered at Carl. He was sitting by the door and scrolling through something on his phone. He wasn’t paying any attention to us.

  I set up a meeting with him this afternoon about the art center.

  Angry, I growled a little. I’d specifically told her that I didn’t want to use Humane Miami as a cover, and she’d deliberately ignored that. You’re lucky that Carl is here so I can’t yell at you. How are we going to get there without Carl? He’s my driver today.

  Thankfully, she’d silenced her phone. We’ll lose him after the meeting and take my car. It shouldn’t be hard. He’s not expecting you to evade him.

  Rachel was assuming that I could evade him. Carl was a trained and skilled bodyguard. I was an administrator. As far as I knew, they hadn’t offered Evasion and Maneuvering Tactics 101at my college.

  It ended up being easier than I expected.

  During the meeting with the construction company, I walked around the empty warehouse and worked more on the plans for the second story. I wanted large windows to let in plenty of natural light for the kids, and the company was trying to keep things as cheap as possible without endangering the structure of the building. It was in my nature to want the best for the kids. Luckily, it was the same company who’d helped build the sports complex, so they were used to my big ideas and pointing out the logistics to me.

  Overall, it was a productive meeting. As usual, Carl was right by my side the whole time. I’d deliberately not introduced him until the very end. I got them talking before excusing myself to use the restroom. Feeling guilty, I hurried outside.

  Rachel was waiting by her car. “Jack is going to kill me,” I moaned as I slipped into the passenger seat. “And he’s going to ask what I did, and I’m going to have to lie to him. Carl is going to be angry. This is the second time I slipped by him, and he’s just started talking to me after the first time. Of course, he didn’t know me then, and I think that makes this worse.”

  “You’re babbling. Stop babbling. We already have this worked out. You’re going to send a text to Carl in a minute telling him that you forgot you were supposed to wait for him. You’re on your way to an impromptu meeting, and you’ll meet him back at the office when you’re done.”

  “Oh yeah. He’s totally going to believe that.” I closed my eyes. “We need to clear Jack’s name. They’ll forgive me if we get information that provides more suspects. And since I really will try to get Mr. Reed to volunteer, it’s not really lying. It is a work meeting. I think I’m going to have a panic attack.”

  “Breathe,” Rachel said soothingly. “Breathe. Imagine you and Jack on a beach somewhere getting all romantic and sexy because this whole thing is behind you and you can finally relax.”

  That was good. I could do that. Imagining the carefree smile on Jack’
s face did help ease the tension in my belly, and I breathed a little easier.

  And then Carl texted.

  Oh boy. He was pissed.

  It took almost an hour to drive to Quincy Reed’s bungalow on the beach. Although it was the style of a bungalow, it seemed unfair to call it that since it wasn’t exactly small and cute but rather enormous and open and covered in tall plants. Reed’s assistant let us in, and he led us to an open sunroom that was covered in canvases and drop cloths and paint splatter.

  By the sink, a tall man was dressed in a pair of jeans and nothing else. He was washing the paint off his massive forearms, and I could see what Rachel meant.

  Quincy Reed was a hottie.

  He didn’t grace us with a charming smile but looked a little annoyed. “Which one of you is Blythe Hemsey?” he asked when he finally gave us his full attention.

  Nervously, I stepped forward. “That would be me. This is Rachel. She’s my assistant. She’s the one you spoke to earlier.”

  “I don’t have a lot of time. How much money do you want?”

  He was blunt. I kind of liked that.

  “Mr. Reed, I’m always happy to accept donations, but I’m more interested in asking for your services as a volunteer at the arts center. I know that your time is valuable, so even if you can’t work on a regular schedule, I’d be happy if you could just make monthly visits and encourage the kids. We’re still in the construction stage, so there’s plenty of time to think about it.”

  Quincy stared at me intensely, and I felt a little naked under his gaze. He didn’t look as though he thought I was sexy and wanted to paint me. He was looking at me and stripping away the bullshit.

  “You have an interesting face,” he said quietly. “Angular lines. It’s usually not attractive, but then you have those soft eyes and those full lips. I can see why the press jumped all over you. You’re not here to talk about your charity.”

  “No,” I admitted with a sigh. “Normally, I wouldn’t have approached you, but we’re here, so I thought we’d give it a shot.”

  “You’re dating the congressman.”

  “Yes.”

  “The one under suspicion for murdering my ex-girlfriend.”

  He cut right to the chase, didn’t he?

  I would be equally honest. “Jack was supposed to meet Sherry at the park that night.” I pressed my palms together to stop my hands from shaking. “He was with me all night. He didn’t kill her.”

  Quincy stalked towards me, and Rachel made a little noise in her throat. Suddenly, I wished that Carl was with us. What if Quincy decided that a little revenge was in order? A girlfriend for a girlfriend?

  Stopping right in front of me, he narrowed his eyes as he studied me even more closely. After a beat of silence, he turned and headed to the door. “I’m taking twenty minutes to eat. You have until then to ask your questions.”

  Rachel and I scrambled behind him. “You and Sherry were together?” I asked quickly.

  “Almost a year. I’m not stupid. I’m a wealthy man. I ran a background check on Sherry. I knew that she and the congressman had been together a few months before I met her. She didn’t seem particularly broken up about it. I fell in love with her.”

  He led us to the kitchen. Half the house seemed to be nothing but windows, so the kitchen was equally warm and inviting with pale oak cabinets and panels that covered the appliances. The marble was a deep green with flecks of gold. It blended seamlessly with the view of the plants that surrounded his house.

  “She was my muse, but there was also a mystery lurking just beneath the surface. I thought that I could uncover it. It became a passion that drove me, and it showed up in my artwork. Some of my best work was when I was with her, but I could never reach her.”

  “You found out that she was cheating on you?” Rachel asked.

  He pulled out a cup of instant noodles, added water, and popped it in the microwave. “I don’t think she cheated on me the whole time. I don’t even think she saw it as cheating. She told me that she’d gotten a consulting job with an interior designing company. Her hours were unusual, but so were mine.” He shrugged. “She was revved up when she returned. With Sherry, sex was always different. I thought she just missed me. Who assumes that a woman returns from fucking one man and immediately wants to fuck another?”

  There was a trace of bitterness in his voice. He still cared for her. Unlike with Jack, she well and truly broke his heart. “What made you suspicious?”

  “I used to think the fuck-me lingerie she wore under her clothes was for me. I undressed her one day, and when she turned around, there was a stain.” He smiled coldly. “I’m sure you can imagine.”

  “Yes. You don’t need to go into detail,” I said hastily.

  “I quietly looked into the company she said she worked for. They’d never heard of her. I hired Charles Martin to look into it.”

  “That’s the investigator you used?”

  He nodded. “I expected to find one lover. Instead, I found out that she was fucking nearly a dozen men. I confronted her. I expected her to tell me that she was a nympho or something. Instead, she told me it was just a job. It had nothing to do with me.”

  My jaw dropped. Was he saying that Sherry was a prostitute? “A job?” I echoed. “They were paying her?”

  “I doubt it. Most men don’t take street hookers out to romantic dinners or gift them with jewels,” he pointed out dryly. “She did have a boss though. She let that slip. Someone paid her, I just didn’t know who or why.”

  The microwave beeped, and he turned but not before I saw the flash of pain in his eyes. “Did she love you?” I asked.

  “I think she wanted to, but I don’t think she knew how.” He shrugged, but the gesture just looked sad. “She wanted to stay. I couldn’t share. It didn’t end well between us. I don’t like having to talk about it all over again.”

  “Mr. Reed, I’m sorry. If it wasn’t important, I wouldn’t be here now. Sherry tried to blackmail Jack into sleeping with her. It’s a strong motive, and I’m a weak alibi, but I know that Jack didn’t do this. If we could find out what Sherry really wanted, I might be able to point the detectives in the direction of the real killer.” I hesitated. “Will you tell them what you know?”

  He looked at me with pity. “You’re a sweet girl, aren’t you? Sweet but naive. The police have been here, Ms. Hemsey. They know everything I know. If they’re still looking at Jack, then maybe they know something you don’t.”

  I shook my head. “He didn’t kill her, and you won’t be able to convince me that he did.”

  After a moment, he sighed and opened a drawer. Rifling through it, he pulled out a business card and handed it to me. “Maybe he didn’t do it. Maybe someone just wants the detectives to think that he did. I can’t help you, but this is the information for Martin’s investigative services. Have him give me a call, and I’ll give him permission to share anything that you need with him. Maybe that will help.”

  Grateful, I took the card. “Thank you.” Just because I couldn’t help myself, I met his gaze again, but this time with a playful quirk of my eyebrow. “About the arts center?”

  “Really? You’re still going to try to rope me into that?”

  I smiled at him. “If all you were interested in doing was giving me money, you could have done that over the phone.”

  “I think I like you, Ms. Hemsey. Give me a call when you actually have something built. We’ll talk.”

  Two birds. One stone.

  Eighteen

  Jack

  By the time the elevator doors opened in my penthouse and Blythe stepped out, I was shimmering with rage. Carl had texted me as soon as lunch with my mother was over and told me about the stunt Blythe had pulled. For three hours, I was terrified of what might happen to her until Carl finally texted me and told me that she was back.

  Now, all I could do was wonder what she’d been doing during those three hours.

  Sitting in the chair with my full glass
of whiskey that had grown warm over the last hour, I waited for the anger to dissipate now that she was here, but it didn’t. “What were you thinking?” I asked darkly.

  To her credit, she didn’t try to pretend that she didn’t know why I was mad. “You said that he was my driver,” she pointed out. “If I realized that it was that big of a deal to you…” She shrugged, giving me a look of pure innocence.

  “Big of a deal?” Standing, I threw the glass against the wall. It shattered, and Blythe paled. “Do you think this is a game? A woman connected to me was murdered. What if it wasn’t random? Have you considered that?”

  “Jack,” she said hoarsely.

  I stalked toward her. There was no fear in her eyes as she backed into the wall. Only confusion. Placing my palms against the wall, I trapped her.

  “Do you know the scenario I think about over and over again?” My voice was so thick, I knew she could barely understand me, but I plunged on. “You and I were not in the public eye. Sherry was. What if someone saw us together and thought we were back together. What if she was killed to get to me? What do you think they would do to you?”

  Slowly, she placed her hands on my chest. There was no way she could have missed the pounding of my heart. “If you think that I need a bodyguard, then why didn’t you say something? Why are you pretending that Carl is just hanging out with me for kicks?”

  “I don’t want you to worry.” Closing my eyes, I pressed my forehead against hers. “I don’t want to be the reason you’re afraid.”

  “Whatever is happening here is not your fault. What happened to Sherry is not your fault. You’ve got to believe that.”

  I thought about what my mother had said about my father. Even if it wasn’t my fault, it was still because of me. The lines between the two were still very much blurred. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

  “Nothing did. I was with Rachel the whole time. We got an email from an artist who was interested in the arts center. He’s a bit of a recluse, and we didn’t want him to change his mind.” She captured my face between her hands. “Carl could have scared him away, and I didn’t realize how important this was to you.”