Sunday Love

by K. J. Lewis

  “And Dylan is the asshole who raped her,” Blake finishes.

  “Her father?” Gabby asks.

  “Coop, I need the last hour from conference room 4,” I say into the phone. A ping announces the video has landed in my email. Fast-forwarding, I see Elise entering the conference room. Theo is enraged by the guy on the screen.

  I recognize Brooks Anniston. We all listen as he speaks.

  “I’ve paid a small fortune for your services, Elise.”

  “What is he doing here?” Elise asks.

  “You will fix the mess you made. I am grooming Dylan to be a partner in my firm and that can’t happen when you have an active civil litigation against him.”

  “He raped me and he will answer for it in court.” She crosses her arms.

  “Stop being petty, Elise. Dylan already explained how you wanted more from him and he didn’t want you. I expect you to clean up the mess you made. The next time you decide to smear a good man’s name,” he drops the photos on the table, “don’t have pictures of you whoring it up.”

  She locks eyes with him. “Go to hell, Brooks.”

  “That’s no way to address your father. You will drop the charges against him.”

  “No. I won’t. And you were never my father.”

  “You were evil from the minute you came into this world. You stole your mother’s life, the only woman I’ve ever loved. Now, you’re going to keep this man from a partnership because he won’t put his dick back in you? You are good for nothing.”

  Elise attempts to leave the room and Dylan blocks her path. For the first time, I see a flicker of fear flicker in her eyes, and I mentally add another name to my list of people to destroy.

  “Get out of my way, Dylan. I’m not incapacitated this time, and I’m not afraid of you.”

  “Make me,” he challenges with a leer and licks his lips as his eyes move over her body. He reaches out to touch her, and she steps out of the way of his advances. He laughs, enjoying her torment.

  “Elise, I’m growing tired of this.” Anniston moves to stand beside Dylan. “I heard you were spreading your legs for Reid Beckett. He won’t want you either. You know you have a knack for choosing men who see your true value. You’re worthless. It’s why I gave you away. It’s why Reid will if he hasn’t already seen the light. Men like us—”

  “Don’t you dare put your name in the same sentence as Reid Beckett’s. You’re not even a tenth of the man he is.”

  Before she can even see it coming, he slaps her so hard across the face she has to catch herself from going down. I swear to God if it’s the last thing I do, I’ll ruin Brooks Anniston.

  “I’ll expect to see the charges dropped by end of day,” he says, straightening his shirtsleeve under his jacket. Without another word, he and Dylan leave Elise standing in the conference room.

  I pick up an object and hurl it across the room. It hits one of the glass walls encasing my office, shattering it into a million pieces.

  “Reid.” Theo attempts to calm me, but I am so far past my control that I don’t even register his words.

  “Where’s Knox?” I ask running to the front office. Maybe Elise is with him. He’s not there. I hit the stairwell, run the flights down at breakneck speed, and burst through the stationary door. The sun stuns my eyes for a minute, my chest pounding, Elise is nowhere to be found. I circle the block. When I come back around, I see her exiting the building. She appears dazed. I call her name, and when she turns toward me, I can still see a vivid imprint of a hand on her face.

  Before I can make a move, Miller Donovan folds his daughter in his arms, and escorts her to his waiting car and pulls away.

  “Reid, I’m telling you, man, I don’t know where she is. You need to be patient. I know Elise. She needs time to herself,” Blake explains.

  “She needs her friends and family.”

  “The Donovan’s aren’t sweating it.”

  “Because they know where she is.”

  “They don’t.”

  “Have they heard from her?”

  “Only in the group email. Like you. Like Emily.”

  It’s been two weeks. Two weeks of emails with the same two words: “I’m okay.”

  I was able to ascertain that Miller and the family are getting the same group emails. Emily appears to be the only one getting a daily email that has a copious amount of communication.

  “What Emily needs is Elise.” I reply.

  “Ryan still won’t allow it at this point, but if she did, Elise would know.”

  “How would she know? Are you telling her? Do you know where she is?”

  Blake exhales a frustrated breath. “You’re making yourself crazy, man. There is nothing you can do. I know it feels helpless, but you have to give Elise the time she needs. And stop trying to pinpoint her emails. I know your guys try to trace it every time she sends one. Elise hides people for a living. She won’t be found until she’s ready.”

  “Bullshit, Blake. No one plays this better than you. One million dollars in your account before noon if you tell me where she is. Two million.” I up the ante when he doesn’t jump at the offer.

  “Breathe, man. You can do this.”

  “I wish I had your confidence,” I admit unashamedly.

  “Elise loves you. With everything she has. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. She’ll come back to you. You might have to fight for it. She can be stubborn,” he smiles. “I came in to talk to you about Brooks Anniston and Dylan Richmond.”

  “No. You are too close to this, Blake. I have someone else working it.”

  “Who? I don’t trust just anyone.”

  “Trust me.”

  “Does this have something to do with that 2:00 appointment you had today?”

  “Just trust me.”

  Graham Taylor has been working from home since the birth of his daughter. I hated to bother him, but his assistant assured me he was taking calls and would be more than happy for me to meet him at his home office.

  His security man greets me as I step off the elevator. It sounds like a family reunion is going on.

  “Reid.” Graham comes down a hallway and shakes my hand before guiding me to his office.

  “Graham, I hate to bother you at home.”

  “It’s no problem. I’m working from my home office while Emme takes maternity leave. I’m only going in for meetings I can’t do via conferencing. Have a seat.” He offers me a chair and takes the one across from it. Adam is sitting behind Graham’s desk.

  “What’s going on? I take it this is not a casual visit.”

  I spend the next thirty minutes filling them in on Elise’s assault at school, who her birth father is, and repeat what happened in the conference room. By the time I’m done, Graham is no longer sitting but walking back in forth in what appears to be an attempt to stay calm. I get the last word out and he hits an intercom. “George I need Harry and my wife. Now.”

  “You beckoned, sire.” Emme arrives a couple of minutes later, with a smile on her face. Graham levels her with a kiss that only men deeply in love can give. When he comes up for air he runs his hands over her arms, almost as if he’s reassuring himself that she’s okay.

  “The last time you did that, you got this.” A man enters the room carrying a swaddled baby.

  “Dad. You know it takes more than a kiss. See, the man has to—”

  “Fine, fine! Stop. You win. Stop.”

  “She’s beautiful.” I stand and look at the baby in his arms. Emme greets me with a kiss.

  “Ah. Makes sense now. This explains your sudden spurt of protectiveness.” She hugs her husband. “How’s Elise.”

  “She’s traveling.”

  “Is that what we’re calling it?” She lifts a knowing brow.

  “What do you know?” I ask.

  “Yes, sweetheart. What do you know?” Graham studies his wife.

  “There is a whole list of what I know.”

  “Do you know where she is?” I ask hopeful.


  “Do you?” She counters.

  “No,” I answer.

  “Then I don’t either. I do know that she will be starting her position with The Foundation in the next several weeks. A position she took after you fired her.”

  “When you get it wrong, you go balls to the wall don’t you?” Adam chuckles, still sitting behind the desk.

  “You have no idea.”

  “I’ll leave you gentlemen to talk. I better not read about accidental deaths in the paper.” She glares at her father on her way out.

  “Reid, I’d like to introduce you to my father-in-law, Harry Forrester. This is the man you need.” Graham takes his newborn in his arms and motions for us to sit. Harry listens to the story and crosses a knee over his leg before sitting back.

  “I’m already working on Brooks Anniston. By this time next week his firm will be dismantled, he will be disbarred and bankrupt.”

  “How?” I ask in disbelief. This is exactly what I wanted to happen.

  “Miller Donovan and I are close friends. He’s a couple of weeks ahead of you. I got a phone call the very day he picked Elise up from your office.”

  “In fairness to me, I was trying to give Graham some time with his family.”

  “It wouldn’t have mattered. You’ll understand when you have kids. Fathers have a means of accelerating things when it comes to the well-being of our children. Especially our little girls.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “No problem, son. Dylan Richmond proved to be a little more difficult, but not impossible. We were able to track down some cases he was able to make disappear. Three of the eight women have agreed to join Elise’s civil suit. Miller is funding the legal expenses. Two of the eight never pressed charges, and there is a possibility they will. We aren’t pushing anyone. It is their choice. If they choose to move forward, they will have the best attorneys on retainer. Dylan has been disbarred for conduct unbecoming. We have men following him and will continue to follow his whereabouts at all times to ensure the safety of the women testifying.”

  “You really have thought of everything.”

  “I’m the dad of two daughters. One that was sexually assaulted. Miller and I understand each other.” He stands and walks over to Graham. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll let you all finish while I move on to happier things.” He extracts his granddaughter from his son-in-law.

  “So, how are you going to fix your mess?” Graham sits back down.

  “Sounds like your father-in-law did it for me.”

  “I meant with Elise. Sounds like she needs to be reminded who’s in charge.”

  “Oh my God.” Adam runs his hand over his face. “Not this same ole nut.”

  “It’s fine if she needs time, but she wouldn’t leave again for weeks at a time with no communication. Not without a strong conversation of expectations.”

  “I hurt her,” I admit, the words leaving a metallic taste in my mouth.

  “Fix it,” they reply in unison.

  “I take it you’re getting the ‘who’s in charge’ speech.” Emme walks in with a gorgeous little girl on her hip. She has coppery brown skin and a three-inch halo of curls. Emme bypasses Graham and hands her off to Adam.

  “Ollie.” Adam snuggles her and peppers her face with kisses that make the little girl giggle.

  “Olivia has a soft spot for Adam,” she says, writing something down. I laugh at Graham’s sullen look.

  “I’ll pay for this later,” she mumbles under her breath.

  “Emelia, what did you do?” Graham gives his wife a look that reminds me how I feel about Elise.

  “You can contact her at this email.” She hands me a piece of paper. “My advice, communicate with her before you go get her. She’s staying at our guesthouse in the Hamptons.”

  “Emelia.”

  “I like her. When I heard dad talking with Mr. Donovan, I called her and offered her a place to get a way for a while.” She sits on his lap, placing a gentle kiss to his lips.

  “You’re not sorry at all are you?”

  “Not even a little bit.” She kisses his nose. “Seriously, Reid. I’ve been getting to know Elise over the last couple of weeks. We’re similar in a lot of ways. Give her some time.”

  Graham looks at her with a heat that would peel paint.

  “Reid,” he says to me. “Go get your girl.”

  “I’m going to get her.”

  “You can’t do that.”

  “I’m sick of this shit, Dean.”

  “What I mean is you can’t go to Elise. You have to go to Ryan. The team will meet you at the airport. His sister isn’t expected to make it through the night.”

  “What? Does Elise know?”

  “You need to think like a boss right now, Reid. Your team needs you. Blake talked with Ryan. He doesn’t want her there.”

  “That will crush Elise.”

  “He’s losing his sister. Elise will have to wait.”

  “It’s not that simple. She’s my priority.”

  “Since when?”

  “Since now. Since I got my shit together. Since always.”

  “Go to Ryan. Gabby said his sister wants to be buried on the farm the day after she passes away. She doesn’t want her family to suffer by having to wait and mourn.”

  “Jesus. Where does a thirteen-year-old get that kind of insight from?”

  “It’s a shitty hand, no matter how it’s dealt,” Dean says.

  “Blake has already talked to Elise. She wants everyone there for Ryan. I’ll be in the city until you get back. If she needs anything, I’ll make sure she’s taken care of. Just call me.”

  “I don’t know, Dean. I don’t know this team like Theo and Elise do. I don’t want to intrude on a family in their worst hours. I just want Ryan to know I’m here for him if he needs anything.”

  “And you do that by going. Trust me. You need to go. Plus, you’re their ride.”

  “I need to swing by and get my things.”

  “You don’t have time. You have plenty of things on the plane. Just pack a bag from them. Wheels up in an hour.”

  I try Elise again. Straight to voicemail. Blake and I are going to have a serious conversation when I see him.

  Traffic is heavy and it takes me the full hour to make it to the airport. Shawn, my steward, greets me as I climb the stairs.

  “You’re the last one to board, sir. We’re ready for takeoff.”

  “Thanks, Shawn. And thanks for the last minute change in plans.”

  “It’s my pleasure.”

  I greet the pilots and make my way to the main cabin. The team is seated around a table. I want to go into my office and work, but I know I need to engage. I take a seat next to Fran.

  “Hello, everyone.”

  “Boss,” they reply. They seem tried. Off their mark.

  “Thanks for flying us,” Fran says. “Commercial wouldn’t get us there until later tonight, and I think Ryan could really use us there as soon as possible.”

  “Of course,” I nod and offer her a small smile. “Did I interrupt something?” They were talking before I sat and now there is just awkward silence.

  “No,” Blake says. “I was just telling the girls that Theo is flying in from Chicago and should already be there when we arrive.”

  “I came straight from a meeting and didn’t have the chance to ask, do I need to have my office make arrangements for us?”

  “I took care of it already,” Gabby says. “There will be a car waiting for us when we land. There is a small motel that a family friend runs. They have rooms held for us.”

  “I have to admit, it feels a little intrusive for me to be there during such a personal time for his family.”

  “Ryan says you have been checking on him every day. He would want you there,” Fran assures me.

  More silence. I’m contemplating an excuse to move to my office when Gabby starts.

  “You’ve been working on him?” she asks Fran.

  “Everyday.
He’s not budging.”

  “And what about you?” she asks me. “What has he said to you? About Elise,” she clarifies.

  “We haven’t talked about Elise.”

  “Why not?” She says this a bit too forcefully and doesn’t back down when I give her a stern look.

  I release a breath of agitation. “Gabby, the man’s sister is dying. He and I are just getting to know each other. I don’t think it’s my place to tell him how I feel.”

  “Exactly,” Blake agrees.

  “He has to be pushed. He is going to need Elise.”

  “I agree,” Blake says, “but we can’t fix this for him. There are some things we have to do by ourselves.”

  “Bullshit,” Gabby counters. “Ryan is grieving. He doesn’t know what he needs. Of course he’s not going to make the right decision.”

  “We have to respect his wishes,” I say in an attempt to end this line of discussion.“I would, however, like to talk with you.” I stare hard in Blake’s direction.

  “I was just following orders,” Blake says, obviously not needing any explanation.

  “I knew you knew.” Gabby hits Blake in the arm.

  “I’m your boss. You follow my orders.”

  “Sorry, man. If it’s a work thing, I’m your guy. In this, my loyalty is to Elise.”

  “You could have told us,” Gabby hisses.

  “If Elise wanted you all to know, she would have told you. Besides, she didn’t tell me where she was staying.”

  “How did you know then? I’m pissed Elise didn’t trust me enough to tell me.” Gabby crosses her arms, flopping back in her seat.

  “I outfit her with her burner phones. Of course I know how to find her. I’ve talked to her. She needs time. It’s not my place to tell anyone where she is.” He gives all of us a hard stare. “And I won’t apologize for it. I would do it for any of you.”

  “Until Elise asked, and then you would tell her.”

  “Gabs.” Blake shakes his head in frustration. “You know Elise doesn’t need me to tell her things. She can find the answers all on her own.”

  “I know. Her ninja skills seriously piss me off.” Blake playfully pats her on her head. “Did it feel good to beat the shit out of Dylan?” she asks him.