“I have to speak to my husband first, he’s a very private man.”
Bob smirked. “Do I really have to spell it out for you? If you don’t cooperate I will leak the story about Caleb’s DUI and attempted manslaughter of his own sister. It will destroy the Camden hotel dynasty and shake the very foundation of your hubby’s evangelical empire.”
Sawyer got in his face. “If you hurt my family I will kick your ass.”
Bob chuckled. “Oh you’re a little spitfire. Bet you bring that passion to the bedroom. Do you and the good pastor get kinky? A lady in the street and a freak in the bed?”
Sawyer kicked him in the balls. Bob dropped to his knees. “Dang it,” he said through gritted teeth.
“Asshole,” Sawyer said.
The blogger shuddered as he stumbled to his feet. “You got a real potty mouth for a pastor’s wife.”
“Christian doesn’t mean wimp. If you screw with me and mine I’ll turn the other cheek after I knock you out.”
Bob reached in his pocket. He pressed rewind and play on his digital recorder.
“I slammed on the gas, Caleb’s voice rasped, I took the turn at ninety miles per hour.”
“I believe the statute of limitations is six years in the state of Texas, criminal charges can still be filed,” Bob said.
He hit play again to drive his point home. “And Fee…screaming.”
Sawyer’s stomach churned. “Please don’t do this.”
Bob got his strut back. “Give me an exclusive, I won’t report on Felicity Camden’s accident or Caleb’s role, you have my word, I always keep it.”
Bob North was the pit bull reporter every politician and celebrity feared. He was ruthless in his pursuit of the story. He got a famous athlete expelled from the NBA, forced several senators to resign and ruined the career of dozens of actors and musicians. He’d taken down pastors before but Rowan would be his most prominent yet. Bob had a powerful social media presence with millions of followers around the world. He wouldn’t hesitate to destroy her family.
“Why are you doing this?” she whispered.
“Don’t take it so personally. We both know I can take your husband out with this secret, let’s just say I’d like to knock him down a peg or two and this story will open up more doors for me - So for the record Mrs. Camden, how did you and Pastor Rowan meet?”
Sawyer told him whatever he wanted to know. She also sent him pictures from her phone. In less than two hours the article was written, posted online and went viral.
Rowan could feel the ripple in the air. Only a moment ago, his audience seemed riveted. Pastors from all over the country and even a few international candidates listened attentively. They took notes, nodded in agreement or laughed at something he said. Rowan continued to speak about church community outreach initiatives when a few men stirred in the back row. Several checked their phones in the meeting hall. Finally, brothers in the front row shifted uneasily, reading something on their I-pads. Maybe some catastrophic world event occurred. He gripped the podium and forged ahead. By the time he closed in prayer, the group of men erupted in talk and hearsay.
A colleague from a megachurch in New York, took him aside. The look of pinched sympathy on his face made Rowan stiffen. “What happened?”
His friend sighed. “There’s no easy way to say this.”
He showed Rowan the internet article. He read the bold headline uncomprehendingly.
How to Marry a Millionaire – Replacing Becky Camden – It was So Easy! Mega Church Pastor’s Wife Tells All
A smiling picture of Sawyer flashing her diamond engagement ring proceeded the article. The earth shifted beneath his feet. No, it can’t be. Rowan read the article once in disbelief. He read it again with narrowed eyes. By the third scan, a cold fury swept through him. His mind went blank with shock, flashed white hot, then blood red with rage. He walked out of the hall blindly, oblivious to the worried looks aimed his way. The words of the article flew through his brain like bullets to the skull.
Sawyer walked aimlessly through the hotel gardens with a mounting sense of dread. By protecting Rowan’s family she may have destroyed her own marriage. The thought of losing him made her feel physically sick. She longed for her dad’s warm arms around her, he would know what to do. Booker Landon still recovered from his cancer treatments. She couldn’t burden him with her problems. Sawyer wandered the gardens for hours. The reporter was at least true to his word. He erased the recordings in exchange for question after question about everything from her marriage to her political views. Sawyer chose her words carefully, so afraid he would twist something she said out of context. She knew Rowan would be upset that she did the interview without consulting him or being prepped by the church public relations team.
In all the years of friendship and months of marriage – she never lied to him. Sawyer didn’t intend to start now. How she could possibly explain this interview was beyond her. If she told Rowan the truth, poor Felicity and Caleb would suffer for it. Besides, it wasn’t her confession to tell. She promised Caleb that she would keep his confidence until he left rehab and he could tell his brother and mother with Xander by his side. Sawyer knew that she did the right thing and yet – something felt off about the entire interview. Bob’s ruthless ambition and glee made her feel uneasy, as if she’d made a deal with the devil.
Surely Rowan would understand? Then why was she stalling? Sawyer had that queasy feeling from childhood, the one she had when she was in big trouble right before she got an ass whipping from dad. Her mom fought cancer and lost but she fought that son of a bitch disease to the bitter end. Her dad fought cancer and won. Sawyer knew the strength in her blood. She was no coward.
Sawyer walked into the hotel lobby with firm resolve. Her bravado faltered when she was on the receiving end of cold looks from the hotel staff and guests. A pastor’s wife, who was so friendly only hours before, shunned her completely. Surely the article couldn’t be posted already? Even so, why were people looking at her with condemnation? Fear twisted her gut to knots. She had to get to Rowan. Sawyer rushed into the elevator. Sister Cornelia snapped her mouth open and shut. “Hi, Sister C,” Sawyer said, “What floor?”
“I’d rather take the stairs, thank you very much.” The older woman shoved past her. No, oh no! The article was out. Sawyer pushed the third floor button. Stay calm, she told herself. When the doors slid open she dashed to their suite. Sawyer fumbled for her room card key. It didn’t work. Her hands trembled. She tried again. The door clicked open.
Rowan stood near the bay window with Holly, Becky’s best friend in his arms. In his position, Rowan made it a point to never be alone with a member of the opposite sex.
The way he held the other woman now, so intimately. He stroked her hair, rubbed her back, whispered in her ear. Pain bled from every cell in Sawyer’s body. “Rowan?”
He swiveled around. His green eyes speared her with icy contempt. Sawyer took a step back. He never looked at her that way before as if she were dirt beneath is feet.
Holly sniffed delicately. Her pretty face ravaged by tears and grief. She sat down in the nearest chair. Sawyer’s chest tightened. What the hell?
Rowan advanced on her with the fiercest expression she’d ever seen. Sawyer forgot to breathe. He shoved a copy of the article in her face.
“Why?” his voice lashed out.
Sawyer had to grip the door frame to keep her knees from buckling.
How to Marry a Millionaire – Replacing Becky Camden – It was So Easy! Mega Church Pastor’s Wife Tells All
Oh my God! Sawyer scanned the article. Her heartbeat shook her body as she read further. Bob North used exclusive pictures she gave him to support his article on how gold diggers go after politicians, athletes and even celebrity pastors. He twisted her words out of context. The reporter not only misquoted her and distorted facts, he invented entire conversations they never had.
Chapter 15
Bob: So you
knew Pastor Camden long before he got married?
Mrs. Camden: Yes, we went to the prom together.
Bob: You don’t say? Did you have a sexual relationship at any time during his marriage?
Mrs. Camden: No, but we had an emotional affair throughout. Becky was always threatened by me.
Bob: Looks like she had every reason to be.
The new Mrs. Camden shrugs.
Mrs. Camden: I’ve always considered him mine.
Bob: How did you hear about her death?
Mrs. Camden: Rowan called me. He was understandably distraught. He said he was in New York launching a new hotel on Union Square. He promised to have breakfast with Becky at Windows on the World, you know the restaurant in one of the twin towers.
Bob: On September 11, 2001?
Mrs. Camden: That’s right, it was a Tuesday morning. She sat at a corner table waiting for him but he was running late. When the North Tower was hit, she called him in tears. He could hear people screaming and panicking in the background. The stairwell exits were cut off. She didn’t know whether to go to the roof or wait for emergency rescue. The heat and smoke were overwhelming. She coughed a lot and cried for him.
Bob: That’s awful. So you’re saying if Pastor Camden had shown up on time he would’ve died too?
Mrs. Camden: Yes.
Bob: Maybe this will be a point of healing for others, what were Becky Camden’s last words?
Mrs. Camden: She told Rowan, ‘I love you always, Holly and my parents, love you always.’ Then the building collapsed minutes later. Only a few of her limbs were found for burial.
Bob: Pastor Camden must have been devastated.
Mrs. Camden: He was, but I was there to comfort him.
Bob: Do you think Becky Camden knew you would end up with her husband eventually?
Mrs. Camden: I think so, had she not died, he would’ve left her for me, no doubt about it. Our wedding was not a surprise to people who know us well.
Bob: What advice do you have for young women?
Mrs. Camden: Marry for love and money. Don’t waste your time with a penniless man. Nothing kills romance like financial struggle. Never settle!
Bob: Why did you consent to do this interview?
Mrs. Camden: I want to empower women. Ladies, you can have it all!
Flashing lights swirled in her line of vision. Sawyer fought to stay conscious. She bit down hard on bloodless lips. Her heart pounded so hard in her chest. She kept gulping for air. Her chest tightened. I never said those things! She couldn’t get the words out. Her mind scrambled in panic. How? How did Bob North know those details about Becky’s last moments? Dear God, the enormity of the situation gripped Sawyer by the throat.
Rowan’s green eyes blackened with rage.
“Why?!” he growled again.
Sawyer flinched. “I-I didn’t-”
He snatched the article out of her hand and shook it in her face. “How did he get these pictures?”
“Fr-from me but-”
“You sat down with this scum, told him personal-”
“Yes! I mean no.”
Rowan’s livid gaze turned glacial. “The woman I thought you were would never do this.”
“I didn’t!”
“Then what the fuck!” Rowan roared in her face.
Sawyer locked her knees to keep them from trembling. She could feel fine tremors throughout her body as fear took over.
“I-I did the interview but Becky-”
He punched the doorframe. “Don’t you dare say her name!” he hissed. Sawyer knew he was in unspeakable pain and she longed to comfort him.
“Rowan,” she nearly sobbed his name, “I would never-”
“But you did,” he said in anguish. “You told him things…”
Rowan swallowed hard, “I can’t trust you, I can’t even look at you.”
Sawyer blinked back tears. Instinctively she reached to comfort him. Rowan closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. She stroked his cheek. “I love you so much,” she whispered, “Please believe me.”
He opened his eyes. The cold fury took her breath away. He stepped out of her reach.
“Becky’s mother had to be sedated and hospitalized for chest pain. Her father is inconsolable. Her best friend Holly-” Rowan gestured. Holly was bent over double. Her hands over her face, sobbing so hard her entire body shook.
Sawyer realized with a sickening certainty that there was no way out of this. She suddenly remembered Bob North gloating. He said he waited in the hotel restaurant like the paparazzi, hunting for anything that would boost his social media numbers. His blog and expose books had taken down men in power for years. For some fathomless reason he was fixated on Rowan. Nobody could be that good looking, intelligent, rich and holy. The reporter couldn’t find a shred of dirt against Rowan.
Then Caleb walked into the restaurant as if he carried the burden of the world. The blogger recalled that Caleb was a recovering alcoholic. He stopped by his table, used his charm to get invited to take a seat and spiked Caleb’s drink when the young man looked away. The taste of alcohol was enough to push Caleb over the edge of sobriety after five years. Caleb drank steadily with the reporter generously paying the tab. Once Caleb was three sheets to the wind, Bob asked him question after question about Rowan and his personal life. No doubt that’s how the reporter got those intimate details of Becky’s last moments.
Sawyer didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t throw Caleb under the bus no matter how tempting. Yet, taking the fall for something so heinous wasn’t appealing either. Caleb had enough on his plate. The guilt over Felicity’s accident made him practically suicidal. Knowing he hurt his brother on top of everything else would kill Caleb.
“I’m sorry,” Sawyer said lamely, “I-I wasn’t thinking clearly, I didn’t mean to hurt anyone.”
An awful silence settled between them. Rowan said nothing for a full minute. He looked at her with mounting disgust and loathing. “Get out of my sight.”
Sawyer couldn’t keep the tears from falling. The sight of her distress enraged him. “Please don’t hate me,” she whispered.
He looked at her as if she were a stranger he never wanted to meet. “I love you Rowan, till my last breath I love you.”
“We’re done,” Rowan said. He meant it. She understood but her mind couldn’t comprehend it. Her heart refused to accept the loss. It was too great, too much to bear. She had loved him so much, for so long.
“Since you like things on and off the record, let me be clear, I never would’ve left Becky for you. You’re way out of your league if you think you were her equal. She was and she will always be my first choice. I didn’t want you then and I sure as hell don’t want you now.”
Sawyer whirled and ran from him. She rounded the corner. No not the elevator. She found the stairwell and ran, tripped, stumbled down the steps. Sawyer fled with the clothes on her back. His words replayed in her head without mercy. I didn’t want you then and I sure as hell don’t want you now.
The words wounded her like physical blows. Tears streamed down her face. Sawyer slid down the wall until her butt hit the floor. She covered her eyes with the heel of her hands. He doesn’t want me! He never did! God, it hurt so much.
She trembled from head to foot. Damn it Sawyer, get up! She made herself stand. Shivering uncontrollably, Sawyer held herself upright. I will not fall apart, she ordered herself. The terrible things he said. She was never Becky’s equal. She wasn’t his first choice either. The way he looked at her as if she were nothing, worth nothing to him. Her chest tightened painfully. Dear God, she loved him, adored him and deep down he never wanted her. Sawyer felt so stupid for ever thinking a man as beautiful as Rowan could want her. Becky was right. I am plain, Sawyer thought. Not ugly by no means but she certainly didn’t have the stunning beauty of Becky Camden. He chose her.
Rowan only married Sawyer to prevent a scandal. Had that reporter not threatened expos
ure, Rowan never would’ve married her. Come to think of it, marriage was Sawyer’s idea not his. She felt another wave of pain pull her under.
Becky was and always will be my first choice.
Sawyer made a few phone calls on her cell and waited. Twenty minutes later Harper opened the stairwell door.
“Sawyer?”
“Over here,” her voice whispered brokenly.
Harper took one look at her white splotchy face and cursed a blue streak. “Oh God, is it your dad?”
“No,” Sawyer mumbled, “Rowan.”
“What the fuck did he do? I’ll kill him with my bare hands.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“The hell it doesn’t!” Harper sneered. “If Rowan cheated on you I’ll cut his dick off with a rusty blade.”
Despite everything, Sawyer managed a half smile. She hugged her loyal friend. “Thank you for the sentiment but violence won’t be necessary.”
“Are you sure? I know people. Seth is a trained killer, my husband’s a cop – he can cover up evidence.”
They linked arms. “Just get me out of here, please.”
Sawyer took a deep breath and put her plan in motion.
Chapter 16
In less than twenty four hours, Rowan held divorce papers in his hand. He stared at Sawyer’s bold signature in disbelief. He wanted to crumple the document in a fist.
“Isn’t this what you wanted?” Felicity asked.
The Camdens held an emergency family meeting in Deena’s suite at The Grand Victorian. His mother paced the length of the Persian carpet, twisting the pearls around her neck.
“Well Sawyer’s an excellent actress I’ll give her that, she had me completely fooled,” Deena said.
“It doesn’t make sense,” Felicity said for the umpteenth time. “That girl is crazy about you.”
“Evidently not,” Rowan said. He leaned against the wall with his arms folded tight. The anguish of her betrayal was still raw. He didn’t sleep a wink last night. Every time he closed his eyes he kept seeing the tears falling down Sawyer’s face. Damn her!
One of the Camden’s legal team called back. “Oh good, it’s Harley.”
Where There's Smoke: A Texas Heat Novel Page 7