“You can’t just dismiss us,” he continued. “You don’t have a dime to your name. Everything you owned came from your father.”
“I’ll take my chances on a free public defender rather than let him or you idiots steer my life.”
Mr. Thomlin began to panic. “You may not discuss this case with anyone else, Mallory.”
“Is that a threat?” The question came from outside the small room.
Everyone turned to the doorway to see Miles filling up its frame, his blue eyes snapping with anger. Lori swallowed a relieved gasp at the breathtaking sight of him, his posture ready for battle and his mouth dogged.
“Just exactly who are you?” Mr. Thomlin demanded.
Miles’ eyes met hers for a brief moment before he shocked the heck out of her with his words.
“Her new attorney.”
TWENTY-TWO
“Have you thought this through?” Lamar asked under his breath.
Hell no. Miles hadn’t thought anything through. Not since last night when the man had led Lori out of his mother’s B and B in handcuffs. He certainly hadn’t been thinking when he left his campaign headquarters a few minutes ago and strolled down to the sheriff’s office practically making the walk of shame in front of a barrage of national media camped out on the street. Ignoring the questions reporters threw out at him, Miles told himself that his purpose was to see if he could get more details on Lori’s arrest in order to prepare a defense against the character attack that was being waged against him. If he caught a glimpse of her in the process, so be it. But the overwhelming feeling of relief at the sight of her was like a sucker punch to his senses.
She was dressed in her usual drab wardrobe, yet she looked different somehow. Despite the telltale shimmer of tears in her eyes, she held her head high and kept her back ramrod straight. Her long hair was pulled back in a sleek ponytail, where it could no longer disguise her determined chin and model-worthy cheekbones. There was a tremor in her voice, but she managed to keep her composure in spite of the bullying from her supposed attorney.
Miles planned on telling the assembled media that he had only ventured to the sheriff’s office to get the details of his employee’s arrest, but the sight of Lori valiantly fighting her battles alone made something snap inside him. Perhaps she was right after all and he was Dudley Do-Right at heart. The fact remained, however, he couldn’t let her fight this battle alone.
The team of stuffed suits eyed him incredulously as they passed by him while exiting Lamar’s office.
“You’ll be sorry that you got involved with this, young man,” the older guy warned.
“Again with the threats,” Miles said, keeping his tone mild. He wanted to tell the man he’d grown up with four siblings and his words were like a dare that only spurred him on.
“What are you doing?” Valerie mouthed behind the attorney’s back before she turned and led the team toward the building’s foyer. Committing professional suicide, he very nearly said out loud.
Lori stared at him, her eyes wide and her shoulders squared. “You shouldn’t have done that,” she said. “You shouldn’t even be here.”
Resisting the urge to haul her into his arms, he wisely kept the desk between them as he wandered into the room. “It’s a little late for that, don’t you think?”
“No! It’s not. You need to tell them you didn’t know who I was; or that I tricked you somehow. Anything so this doesn’t ruin your campaign. Please, Miles,” she pleaded. “Don’t jeopardize the political career you’ve dreamed about your whole life. Not for me.”
Her last words were said with such anguish that Miles’ breathing hitched. “I’m here to get the truth, Lori. If you want to help me, don’t push me away. Just tell me what really went down. Because I know you’re not guilty of anything.”
A puff of air escaped her lips before she sank down limply into Lamar’s chair. “But I suspected it,” she whispered. “And I looked the other way. That makes me guilty.”
Miles barked a sarcastic laugh. “Using that logic, half the world would be guilty of something.”
The sound of a throat clearing made them both turn to the doorway. “Agent Kovaluk’s superiors are on their way in from Washington. I can certainly stand in for a lawyer while they question her if need be, Miles.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Miles watched Lori blanch at the sheriff’s words.
“Can you give us a second, Sheriff?” he asked.
With a silent nod, Lamar closed the door behind him.
Miles placed his palms flat on the desk and leaned down to meet her wide-eyed stare. At the risk of his dream, he was going to rescue a second woman today from selling out for her father. Except Lori hadn’t been willing to sell out, he realized. She’d all but told those high-priced defense hacks where to go. Unlike Greer, she never considered bowing to her father’s pressure. Which meant she was protecting someone else and that thought made his gut burn.
“You can save face with the media by telling them you came to make sure charges were pressed,” she said. “But you need to go now, Miles.”
He was getting a little sick and tired of her trying to get rid of him. Especially since he was trying to do the chivalrous thing here.
“Why didn’t you tell me who you were?” He asked the question that had plagued him the most since last night. “You had to have known you could trust me. But you didn’t. You’re still hiding from me now.” He shoved away from the desk, breaking their stare. “Damn it, after everything we shared between us, even knowing who I am, you’re still keeping secrets from me. You’re prepared to go to prison for someone. The least you can do is tell me who it is.”
Lori shot from the chair and circled the desk. “How dare you! I’m trying to help you.”
“And I’m trying to help you!” Miles reached for her elbows, pulling her body flush with his.
“I told you before, you can’t help me.” She smacked her hands on his chest. “Of all the people in this world, Dudley, I would have confided in you. Now all that’s going to happen is I’m going to hurt you. And that’s the last thing I wanted, you idiot.” Tears were streaming down her face and Miles couldn’t help himself any longer. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a kiss. Lori’s body melted against him as she opened her mouth to his more demanding one. Her hands reached up to grip his skull. She kissed him as though she were trying to hide inside him. Miles would have let her if it were the only way to keep her safe. His hands slid beneath her T-shirt, roaming the familiar soft skin beneath. One of them—he wasn’t sure which—moaned deep in their throat when Miles used his body to guide her back against the wall. She arched her hips into his and all coherent thought left his brain for other more demanding parts of his anatomy.
“Hey! Before you two get any further along with that, you might want to alert Deputy Lovell so he can kill the security cameras,” Lamar said, startling them both apart.
Reluctant to be separated from her, Miles traced the flush along Lori’s neck while both tried to regulate their breathing back to normal.
“I’m sure that’s an image neither of you want Tanya Sheppard and her cronies to air on the evening news tonight,” the sheriff continued.
Miles continued to contemplate Lori. “Then I guess it’s a good thing my mother is sleeping with the sheriff. He wouldn’t want to upset her by leaking any video.”
Lamar harrumphed as he took his seat. “We’re running out of time here, kids. I can’t legally hold Lori in the station house past nine o’clock tonight.”
A throbbing began in Miles’ temple. The woman before him was stubborn and loyal to a fault. He told himself it didn’t matter who she might be protecting. Their relationship wouldn’t be anything more than friends with benefits. Miles was peeved because he was risking his career to help her and she was still withholding the truth, not because he was jealous of some mystery person.<
br />
“Lori,” he said, gripping her shoulders. “We can’t help you if you don’t tell us the truth.”
Her chin jutted up and she crossed her arms beneath her ample breasts. “I told you the truth. I suspected my father was up to something wrong, but I ignored it. For all the reasons the talking heads on the news channels are citing. I was selfish and I wanted to be a part of my father’s rich lifestyle.”
There was more to the story; he understood her well enough to know that. But pressing her further wasn’t getting them anywhere. “Fine,” he snapped. “Then let’s just bring the FBI agent in here and tell him that. I’m sure he’s never had a suspect say she’s guilty of ignorance before.”
Lori narrowed her eyes at him. “Matthew already knows all this.”
“And that’s another thing,” Miles continued, his voice rising in volume. “How come you and this guy are so cozy?”
The sound of a deep chuckle had Miles spinning on his heel and coming face to face with the shit-eating grin of the FBI agent.
“I’ve got to hand it to the guy, Mal,” the agent said. “He clearly has a set of stones to brave the paparazzi. But I really don’t want to find myself on the other end of Lover Boy’s fist, so can you please set the record straight about us?”
With a roll of her eyes, Lori shoved past Miles and moved between him and the FBI agent. “Matthew claimed to be an accountant,” she explained, her tone a mix of condescending and exasperated woman.
The agent shrugged innocently. “I did take an intro class in college.”
Lori groaned. “I confided my suspicions to him about my father and showed him the books from the restaurant.” She shot the agent a glare. “I played right into his undercover ploy.”
“What can I say?” Agent Kovaluk grinned unabashedly. “I’m good at what I do.”
“You took advantage of a woman,” Miles accused.
The FBI agent’s face grew hard. “That’s not how I operate, McAlister, on or off the job.”
“Play nice, boys, or I’ll throw you both out of my office,” Lamar warned from behind his desk.
Miles blew out a breath, trying in vain to cool his growing frustration. “Either way, you know she’s innocent.”
Kovaluk shot a resigned look at Lori. “Anyone who gets to know Lori like I did knows she couldn’t have perpetuated this kind of crime against unsuspecting people.”
The agent’s words made Miles’ fists clench. “Exactly how much getting to know her went on?” Just imagining Kovaluk’s hands on Lori’s body made him furious.
He hadn’t realized he’d advanced on the agent until Lori grabbed his arm and yanked him back. “Miles, stop it.” She turned him so he was facing her. “Matt and I never had dessert.”
It took a moment for her words to penetrate the haze of anger that enveloped him.
“We had lots of dessert together,” Kovaluk interjected, making Miles’ pulse ratchet up again. “You’re one of the best pastry chefs the city has. Well, had. I used to bring your cupcakes back to the bureau and the rest of the team would devour them. They’d beg the agent in charge to take me off the op and let them take the assignment just to get a taste of your baked goods.”
Miles’ whole body tensed. Lori dropped his arm, putting both her hands on her temples. “That’s not what I’m talking about, Matthew.”
The agent looked from one to the other before recognition dawned. “Oh.” He grinned as he leaned a shoulder against the wall. “Is that what they’re calling it these days?”
Lori blushed and Lamar simply shook his head. “I’m glad we got that all sorted out,” the sheriff said. “Now if you two boys are done beating your chests, perhaps we can solve Lori’s dilemma?”
Miles glared at Kovaluk. “You’re wasting a lot of energy on an innocent woman. Why?”
The agent studied Lori with a desolate look in his eyes. “After I had the evidence we needed, I revealed my true identity. Mallory was offered immunity in exchange for her testimony.” His mouth formed a grim line. “Instead, she tipped her father off.”
A feeling of trepidation danced down Miles’ spine. That couldn’t be right. There was no way Lori would condone her father’s actions, much less help him flee the authorities. Miles turned to Lori but she wouldn’t meet his eyes.
“The game changed that night,” Agent Kovaluk continued ominously. “And then they both disappeared.”
“I don’t understand,” Miles said. Had he been wrong about her?
“That makes two of us,” Kovaluk added.
Lori was wearing a belligerent mask she’d obviously borrowed from Cassidy.
“Damn it, Lori. The man just tried to use you as a scapegoat for his crimes,” Miles yelled. “He’s not worth protecting and he’s definitely not worth giving up the rest of your life for.”
“I’m not protecting him!” Lori shouted back.
Miles’ gut clenched at the thought that she might be protecting another man. “Then who is it?” he demanded.
“Ian,” said a female voice from the doorway.
Miles turned to see a woman who looked like the Earth Mother version of his own mom, with her long silver hair and her makeup-free face. The stubborn set of her mouth and her light brown eyes were very much like Lori’s, however.
“And the cavalry has arrived,” Kovaluk said.
“Mom!” Lori cried before launching herself into the woman’s open arms.
* * *
“I’m so glad you are all right,” her mother, Diana, murmured as she held Lori tightly. They’d moved in tandem to the small sofa in the corner of the sheriff’s office. Lori was afraid if she let go, her mother would slip away and the last few moments would have just been a dream. A hand squeezed her shoulder and she looked up to see her stepfather, Bruce Hunt, smiling above them. Tears flowed down Lori’s cheeks when Bruce leaned down to kiss the top of her head.
“We got Diesel’s message that you were somewhere safe,” Bruce explained. “But we were a mess not knowing where you were and if you needed help. We came as soon as we saw the news.”
“I’m sorry,” Lori said through her tears. “I’m so sorry about everything.”
Her mother pulled back, and with the pads of her thumbs, she gently wiped the tears off Lori’s cheeks. The smile she gave her was one Lori never thought she would see directed at her ever again. There wasn’t a trace of disapproval in it.
“Stop blaming yourself. Your father is the villain here, not you,” she said.
“I should never have left you like that. Not for him, that’s for sure.”
The sound of her mother’s rich laughter was like a balm to Lori’s battered soul.
“You aren’t the only one who was a rebellious nineteen-year-old,” her mother said. “Nor are you the only one who fell for Leonard Dykstrom’s charms. I guess I got the biggest consolation prize, though.” She cupped Lori’s chin in her hand. “I got you out of the deal and I will never regret that part of my rebellion.”
Lori leaned her head on her mother’s shoulder. “Still, I never should have left. I can’t believe how stupid I was to think that life with him would be better than life with you. I know I gave you a lot of grief whenever he came to visit and you wouldn’t let me leave with him. Thanks for showing more common sense than I did.”
Bruce and her mother exchanged a distressed look. Lori understood its meaning without them having to explain.
“He didn’t want me to come with him, did he?” The realization should have been a shock, but after everything she’d learned about her father, it wasn’t.
Her mother shook her head sadly. “Half the time he didn’t remember your birthday or Christmas. Bruce and I would buy you gifts and say they were from him.”
Tears clogged the back of her throat. “And you two would give me some token gift because you couldn’t afford anything mor
e.” Lori gulped back a sob. “Why would you do that for him?”
“We didn’t do it for him.” Her mother pulled her into another hug. “We did it for you. So you’d feel loved.”
“It might have been better to let me feel unloved. I would have appreciated you two more and I could have enjoyed a stress-free life in Oregon.”
Her stepfather laughed. “Oh, I don’t know about stress-free,” he said. “We would have put you to work full-time and traveled around.”
She looked from her stepfather to her mother. “That would have been perfect.”
Miles cleared his throat. “I hate to break up this little reunion, but who is Ian?”
Lori would have laughed at Miles’ apparent irritation had she thought he was actually jealous. Since she knew he didn’t love her the same way she loved him, jealousy likely wasn’t the cause. In all probability, Miles was just anxious to get the situation resolved so he could fulfill his Dudley Do-Right obligation and get back to saving his campaign.
“Ian is my half brother,” she explained. “He has Asperger’s.” Her throat grew tight just thinking of the young teenage boy. How frightened he must be to have been uprooted from everything he was familiar with—the things that kept him stable—and dragged someplace where the people might not even speak the same language.
“Our reports indicate the nanny went with them,” Matthew said.
“Of course she did,” Lori said. “She’s sleeping with my fath—Leonard.”
“What about the child’s mother?” Lamar asked.
“Carole?” Lori scoffed. “She’s ashamed of Ian and much more concerned about her status among the elite than about how her son is faring.”
“She was in on the whole Ponzi scheme, wasn’t she?” Matthew asked.
Lori shrugged. “She had the connections. He told me he couldn’t have carried it off without her.”
Matthew pulled away from the wall. “So he admitted it to you? When exactly was that?”
Miles took a step into the center of the room, putting himself between her and the FBI agent. “Is this a formal interrogation?”
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