by Debra Webb
“Please.” Camille crossed her arms over her chest and raked Dylan head to toe with an appreciative yet condescending gaze. Jana wanted to punch her. “Woman to woman,” Camille said, “I’m sure he’s good in bed, but that’s as far as this can go. Your dad wanted better for you and I can make sure the right things happen, professionally and personally. You can keep him on the side if you must.” She slid another look toward Dylan. “But he’s a predator. Did he tell you he lost his job in Montana because he was accused of murder? Did he mention the San Antonio jail cell?”
Jana almost laughed. “I know all I need to know about him. Dylan didn’t kill my dad. You did.”
Sam’s face grew even paler.
“This man has fed on your grief and filled your head with nonsense,” Camille said, her voice moderating to something resembling pity. “You’re smarter than this, Jana. Think about what you’re doing. Gregory is the right man for you.” She held her head high. “Now, what is this so called evidence you say you have?”
“You know exactly what evidence,” Dylan accused. “Senator Clayton was keeping a file on both of you. He knew what you were up to. He’s the reason I’m here.”
“Hogwash!” Sam argued. “He’s using you, Jana. He has no evidence. There is no evidence. The truth is, your dad’s suicide didn’t make this easy on any of us.”
“Stop!” Jana blinked, her voice echoing in the room. “I know you killed him,” she said. “No matter which of you pulled the trigger, you’re both guilty.” She would have that confession, by God. “I do have evidence. Evidence my dad left for me to find.”
“This has gone on long enough,” Camille snapped, stepping forward. “You’re old enough to think for yourself, Jana. You’ve been played by a two-bit con artist.”
“Says the woman who slept with a man half her age. A man I was seeing.” Jana delivered the line as if Gregory mattered, but she wanted to laugh at the idea as well as Camille’s outrageous lies. All she had to do was hold out, extend this horrible awkwardness a few more minutes. The camera was documenting everything and Ramirez was listening, waiting to make the takedown. “Did Gregory decide to propose to me before or after your affair started?”
“What the hell?” Sam looked to Camille. “What does she mean?”
Jana turned her attention to Sam. “You didn’t know about Camille and Gregory? I’ll forward you the video. What did you promise him, Camille? A boost up the career ladder? An in with me? Or did he write those awful and anonymous letters to Dad just so you’d sleep with him again?”
Camille’s expression turned to pure ice. “You have no idea the sacrifices I’ve made.”
Jana jerked her attention away from Camille. She zeroed in on Sam. One of them had to break. Soon. “What did she promise you, Sam? Tell me you didn’t sell out Dad for sex. I’d like to believe you’re not as stupid as Gregory.”
Sam’s gaze slid from her to Dylan and back again. He shook his head. “You’ve got this all wrong.”
Time was running out. Any second now Camille would recognize they were bluffing and she would throw them out. Jana had to get creative. “The two lowlifes you hired to break into my house have already told the police all about what you hired them to do, Sam.” That was an outright lie, but Jana was desperate. “You’re not getting out of this. The only question is how long you’ll be in prison.”
Sam started babbling. “Your Dad was out of touch. He didn’t understand how quickly things were changing in the real world.”
“Then we failed him,” Jana said, her heart breaking just a little more. “It was our job to give him the information to make the right choices. The choices that would better the lives of his constituents.”
Camille snorted. “He was outdated. Old fashioned,” she admonished. “I’ll be sure the right legislation is passed in a timely manner.”
“I’m well aware of your motive, Camille. You killed him over the proposed new safety regulations?” Jana shook her head. “How much money do you need?”
Camille laughed long and hard. “You are such a foolish girl. There is never enough money, but more important is the power. Power is essential.”
Bitch. Jana wanted to strangle her with her bare hands. Fury roared inside her like a hurricane.
“It wasn’t supposed to be this way. I’d already made promises,” Sam confessed abruptly. “I couldn’t have him using his influence to sway votes after he found out what I’d worked so hard to hide from him.” Sam shook his head and laughed ruefully. “If he revealed what Camille and I had done we were all dead anyway. You have to understand, Jana, these people don’t take no for an answer. I couldn’t let J.D. ruin everything.”
“My dad had character and integrity, which is more than I can say for either of you.” Jana restrained the urge to slap them both. “How could you, Sam? Did he look you in the eye when you shot him?”
Sam’s expression closed. “I’m through talking without an attorney present.”
Jana wished for a weapon so she could leave them with wounds and scars that cut as deep as their betrayal of her dad. “I guess it doesn’t matter now, Sam. I suppose your attorney will make a deal for your immunity as long as you’re willing to testify against Camille. Is that why you, Gregory and Senator Price held that special meeting without her?”
Camille gave Sam a long look. “What is she talking about?”
“Oh, did Sam keep a secret from you? “ Jana taunted. “How defiant of him.”
For a blissful moment, Jana and Dylan were forgotten while Camille aimed her venom and fury at Sam. They screamed accusations against each other, from hiring thugs to using power players like Senator Price. It was all Jana could do to keep her eyes away from the video camera and a big smile off her face.
She thought of the agony Sam and Camille had put her dad through and she breathed a little easier knowing they would serve hard time for all of it. The only question left was which one of them performed the ultimate betrayal? Jana clamped her lips shut, thinking of the pain and heartbreak her dad must have felt with his final breath. Sensing her distress, Dylan squeezed her hand.
“Shut up about Gregory!” Camille shrieked, still bickering with Sam. Her palm connected with Sam’s cheek in a loud crack and he staggered back. “An ally in the prosecutor’s office was essential to the plan.”
Jana’s stomach twisted, much as it had when she saw the video the first time. Gregory was hip-deep in this mess.
“You didn’t have to sleep with him,” Sam snarled.
“And you said you wouldn’t have to kill J.D.,” Camille retorted.
“I didn’t!” Sam shouted it, his eyes whipping to Jana. “She did it. She shot your—”
“Liar!” Camille screeched. “He did it. J.D. told him he couldn’t support the new regulations and Sam killed him.”
“No! I’m telling you, she did it,” Sam protested.
“I guess the DA’s office will have to sort this one out,” Dylan said, squeezing Jana’s hand again.
The wail of police sirens surrounded the house and Jana managed a deep breath for the first time since Camille and Sam entered the room.
Camille reached for the desk phone. “I’m calling my attorney.”
“Your dad was like a brother to me,” Sam cried.
That’s what made the entire situation so incomprehensible. “I know,” was all Jana could say to the man.
“He set the whole thing up.” Camille pointed a shaking finger at Sam as she waited for her call to be answered. “He made the deal with Price and the others. He said he would keep J.D. in line.”
Jana didn’t believe either one of them and was more than happy to let the Rangers and the DA do their jobs. As Camille and Sam were cuffed and hauled away, Jana handed over the material she and Dylan found in the old bank deposit box. Dylan removed the DVD from the video camera and passed it to Ramirez. The ranger assured her that Senator Price and Gregory were in custody already. Eventually, the whole truth would be sorted out.
“You’re welcome.”
“I’d probably be dead by now without you.” She certainly wouldn’t have been any closer to the truth. “I can’t believe how blind I’ve been.” She pressed her hand to her chest. “I won’t make that mistake again.”
When Jana settled her gaze on him, Dylan saw the hesitation, the damned doubt in her eyes. It was a good thing Maguire and Camille were in custody. He wanted to tear them apart for hurting her. He wanted so badly to take her into his arms. Earlier she’d asked for one more night. Would she renege now that she didn’t need him anymore?
“I guess we’re finished here,” he offered.
She nodded, her hands fidgeting with the hem of her blouse.
Could she possibly be as nervous as he felt? He’d done his job and she was safe now. Once Claudia had his final report, he was free to leave Austin and Jana Clayton behind. Yet, he couldn’t bear the idea of never seeing her again.
“You don’t have to worry about me getting in your space or telling you what to do anymore.” Dylan shrugged. “What you decide to do next is no longer any of my business.”
“I suppose not,” she agreed softly.
Obviously she was going to make him say it. “I’d like it to be.”
Her uncertain gaze connected with his. He didn’t miss the shimmer of hope there. “You did promise me one more night.”
“I did.” He wasn’t sure how to make her understand just how much he wanted to stay in her life beyond this moment. Not just for the sex, though their chemistry in bed would be reason enough to carry this out a few months. “I could stay a while longer than one night.”
Her lips twitched as she studied him. “Are you asking if I want you to stay indefinitely?”
He pushed a hand through his hair. “That’s exactly what I’m asking.”
“Are you sure that’s what you want?”
He pulled her to him and kissed her hard and fast. “Positive.”
She stared up at him, her eyes shining, but not with tears. “How can you be so sure?”
“I’ve only told one woman other than my mother and my sister that I loved her. She didn’t deserve those words and I swore I’d never trust another woman enough to say them again.” He kissed her when she started to interrupt him. “Life has a way of humbling me and I can be a pretty slow learner, but I’ve got it now. I can’t leave Austin without telling you I love you, Jana Clayton. Like it or not, you’re the only person who can help me figure out what to do about it.”
“Really?” Her eyes danced with something like mischief.
He tightened his hold on her, wishing with all his heart he could make love to her right here and now. “Which part do you need me to repeat?”
“The part about loving me,” she said, running her fingertip across his healing lower lip. “Say it again.”
“Once is all you get until you say it back.”
Mock indignation on her face, she poked him in the shoulder, but didn’t wriggle out of his embrace. Instead, she wound her arms around his neck and brought her mouth close to his. “I love you, Dylan Parker.”
The words brushed softly over his lips and the kiss that followed was sweeter than any he’d ever had. “Good,” he growled, stopping just long enough to catch his breath. His heart raced with the possibilities. She loved him. “I can stay behind the scenes and dream with you in the starlight. I don’t want my history to damage your future career.”
“You’d be amazed what a good chief of staff can spin,” she promised. “I hear politics can be a dangerous game. If I pursue that route, I might need a bodyguard.”
“I know a guy.” He shrugged.
“Actually.” She fiddled with his collar. “I’m not entirely sure I want back into the game of politics. I think I’d like to take some time to find out who the real Jana Clayton is. Maybe take a vacation and visit an old friend.” Theo would adore Dylan.
“Christmas is coming up. My mom and sister would love to meet you.”
Her smile widened. “Christmas in Montana? Will there be snow?”
He grinned. “Count on it.” Worry nudged at him. “What if the real Jana Clayton decides I’m the wrong guy for her?”
She searched his face, his eyes, happiness shining in hers. “Not a chance. You should, however, understand what you’re getting into.”
“Do tell.” He started backing her out of the study and into the hallway.
“I’m currently unemployed, but I have two houses and a trust fund.”
“I guess we’ll just have to figure out something to do until one of us gets a job.”
“I want kids,” she blurted.
Surprised and strangely happy, he asked, “You mean, like right now?”
She nodded. “The sooner, the better.”
“Are you saying you want to make an honest man out of me?”
“I do.”
He saw the truth of it in her eyes and he knew she could see the same thing when she looked at him. “Then I guess we’ll have to tie the knot and make this legal.”
“The sooner the better.” She pushed him against the nearest wall and tiptoed for another kiss.
Dylan intended to spend the rest of his life showing Jana what a good decision she had made.
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
DEBRA WEBB wrote her first story at age nine and her first romance at thirteen. It wasn’t until she spent three years working for the military behind the Iron Curtain—and a five-year stint with NASA—that she realized her true calling. A collision course between suspense and romance was set. Since then she has penned more than 100 novels including her internationally bestselling Colby Agency series. Her romantic thriller series, the Faces of Evil, propelled Debra to the top of the bestselling charts. Visit Debra at www.thefacesofevil.com or at www.debrawebb.com. Want to read more of Debra’s books? Check out all her titles by clicking here. Where suspense and romance collide!
REGAN BLACK, a USA Today bestselling author, writes award-winning, action-packed novels featuring kick-butt heroines and the sexy heroes who fall in love with them. Raised in the Midwest and California, she and her family, along with their adopted greyhound, two arrogant cats, and a quirky finch reside in the South Carolina Lowcountry where the rich blend of legend, romance, and history fuels her imagination. Visit Regan at www.reganblack.com. Want to read more of Regan’s books? Check out all her titles by clicking here. Live the adventure!