Sam tucked the phone under her chin while struggling to get dressed. “And I assume the personnel file line is bullshit, based on your tone?”
“Right. I never filled out any employment documents. Not a thing. The only person who knew my sister’s name was the bartender, Ginger. Of course, Shari told her I was dead. What I want to know is why would Ginger be trying to connect with me after all these years and use a fake name?”
“It’s not a fake name. Let me get dressed. You caught me in the bathtub. Five minutes, okay?”
“Sure.”
Disconnecting the call, Sam finished dressing then wrapped her head in a towel. After securing the belly band holding the Glock, she grabbed a jacket and ran down the stairs.
Once on the back deck, out of earshot of the recording equipment, she hit redial.
“Hey.”
“Sorry about that. It’s safe for me to talk now.”
Nicole blew out a huff of air. “Thank God. I’m sort of freaking out here.”
“Kathy Hale is the owner of the club now. She renamed it Kat’s Toys. She also happens to be the driving force behind the idea to blackmail my family. She’s married to the man I told you about.”
“That solves one question but leaves a host of others open. Do you know this woman?”
“Yes. I went to school with both Kathy and her husband. Her personal vendetta against me started the day I beat her ass in seventh grade.”
“Tell me what she looks like.”
“She’s a tall, full-chested blonde with green eyes and a former cheerleader. Really muscular. Oh, and she’s got a small, s-shaped scar on her upper lip, courtesy of my fist connecting with her braces.”
“Sounds like Shannon Simpson!” Nicole gasped. “She came on as a dancer about three months before I left. Why in the world is she trying to contact me?”
Sam lit a cigarette, inhaling the calming nicotine. “My guess would be she’s searching for leverage against Richard. He was at her club in the wee hours of Thursday morning. The only conclusion I can draw from that is he’s in some sort of weird partnership with her as they formulate a way to destroy my family.”
For several seconds, neither woman spoke.
“I don’t like the sound of that, Sam. At all.”
“Me either, but they lost the battle.”
“What do you mean? Oh, did the results come back?”
“They did. We’re not related.”
“Fantastic news! Blackmail only works when there’s a secret.”
“Yep. Of course, it doesn’t solve the problem with Richard. He’ll find another way to attempt to bend me to his will.”
“Maybe we should strike first? Release the information to the press? He wouldn’t dare do a thing to either of us if the paparazzi are stalking him.”
There was so much Sam wanted to tell the frightened woman yet couldn’t, at least not yet. “No. Last-ditch plan, remember? You don’t need to deal with the legal fallout of faking your death. Give me a few days. The news about my family is a game-changer. If I execute my plans correctly neither of us will have to worry ever again. Okay?”
“Are you sure? I know I’m preaching to the choir here, but he’s dangerous, Sam. Why do you think I went to the extremes I did to vanish? His eyes turned black. It was like looking into the bowels of Hell itself. If I believed in such things, I would say a demon sucked out his soul then took over his earthly form.”
“My nana used to tell me Satan and his demons were fools because if they read the Bible, they would realize they lose in the end. I’m not giving Richard a peek at my book. At the end of the story, I win as well.”
Nicole chuckled. “When this is all over, we must meet. Of course, you’ll need to come here because there’s no way I’m setting foot in a state where he lives.”
Thinking about the conversation with Resa, Suzy and her mother to kill Richard, Sam almost said he wouldn’t be alive much longer yet refrained. “Sounds like a plan.”
Sam heard the faintest sniffle.
Nicole cleared her throat. “I’m really sorry, Sam. It’s my fault you’re going through this horrifying journey with Richard.”
“Nicole, don’t…”
“I’m serious! Instead of standing up to him, holding him accountable for his actions, going to the real police instead of campus security, things would’ve turned out different! He would’ve been arrested, maybe never graduated, no Benton & Baxter, no meeting you. Instead, I ran like a frightened kitten, hiding in the shadows, knowing full well his violent nature would soon find another victim.”
“Are you seriously going to buy into the feminazi bullshit the media’s been spewing out lately? Those liberal fools have no clue what the real world is like because they live in a fantasy bubble. I know because I used to be one of them! You did what no one else could—freed yourself and your family—from a madman whose sites were laser-beamed focused on you. I think what you did was a stroke of genius. Much better than the agreement I made him sign. Look how my plan turned out—worthless.”
“Thank you for trying to take the brunt of my guilt away but it didn’t work. I ran away, leaving a dangerous predator loose, free to hunt again.”
“Nicole, stop it. If you want to get real about the situation, I did too! Though I used a different tactic with him to keep him away from me, which again, didn’t work in my case, he’s still out there. If, by some slim chance, he stops obsessing over me, guess what? He’ll pick another poor soul to torment. I don’t like it any more than you do, but it is what it is. Maybe we’ll get lucky and he’ll have an accident.”
Nicole snorted. “My luck’s never been that great, which is why I don’t buy lottery tickets. You’re a tougher woman than I am. I could never, ever face him. I’m a coward. The thought of hearing his voice again makes me break out in hives.”
“Thanks to your stellar planning, you’ll never, ever hear his voice again.” Sam’s phone beeped in with another call. “My mom’s calling. I’ll text you later, okay?”
“Sure. Thanks again, Sam. You helped more than you know.”
“Ditto. Bye for now.”
Clicking over, Sam held the phone from her ear as her mother’s voice shouted, “Oh, my God! I’m so happy!”
Sam laughed. “Me too, Mom!”
“Oh, honey, I’m so full of joy any second I swear I’ll burst. Come over for dinner, okay? I called Suzy. Bring Resa too. I want you all to share this moment with me, and I don’t mean about Big Sam.”
Crinkling her brow, Sam asked, “What else are we celebrating?”
“My engagement. Bradford proposed. We’re getting married next week.”
“He…proposed? Holy shit!”
“You aren’t upset, are you?”
“No, of course not. I’m thrilled…just overwhelmed. My brain’s still processing the fact we don’t have another family member.”
“Which is why the wedding will be next week! There’s lot to celebrate and little time to do so. I won’t waste one precious minute.”
The duo gabbed for another ten minutes before ending the call. Sam lit another smoke, smiling the entire time. Her mother’s exuberance was contagious. Holding up the empty coffee cup in mock salute, she whispered, “Great way to seek forgiveness, Bradford. Way to go.”
Once finished with the cigarette, she went back inside and straight to the office to finalize the papers for Kip and Kathy, a huge grin plastered on her face while thinking, “Two snakes down and one to go.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Sunday, December 4, 2016
A BIT TIRED from a long night at her mother’s house oohing and aahing over the ring and discussions about the upcoming wedding before getting down to business about the plans for the blackmail trio, Sam stifled a yawn.
Hitting the print key, the documents popped out on the printer in rapid succession as Kip knocked on the door. After stacking them neatly into a pile, she went to the foyer and ushered him inside.
“Brrr. Cold one
today, huh?”
“Yes, it is. Winter arrived early this year. Come on in, Kip. Would you like some coffee first to help warm your bones?”
Nervous about being alone with Sam, Kip dropped his gaze to the floor. “No thanks. Don’t need my hands to shake while working with electrical wiring.”
Sam laughed while motioning for Kip to follow. “True.”
Wondering why they were headed into her office rather than the conference room, Kip hesitated. “I, uh, got some Christmas shopping for Grayson to do as soon as I finish up here, so do you mind if I get started?”
“Not at all. Let’s begin in my office. Old houses, you know? Something’s always on the fritz.”
Kip held in a sigh of relief. “Sure.”
Sam strode into the office, waiting for Kip to follow. Once they were both inside, she purposely pulled her jacket back, exposing Boom. She pointed to the ceiling. “I need you remove the device you installed up there, as well as the rest of the ones in the house. Once you finish, you’ll need to uninstall the app on your phone.”
Kip’s stomach jerked into a knot. The sound of whooshing blood filled his ears as his heartrate spiked. “Excuse me?”
Sam’s tone and demeanor went from carefree and casual to dark and sinister. She rested her hand on the butt of the Glock. “You’re wasting time by playing the dumb jock card, Kip. I know everything you and Kathy have been up to and why. In fact, my entire family knows about the situation. They are watching us live. Wave.”
Kip stared up at the ceiling. He feared he would puke any second.
“You aren’t the only one with access to spy equipment. If you try to hurt me or don’t cooperate, trust me, you’ll regret it. Get up there and remove it, before I change my mind and call the police. You’ll have a difficult time explaining to the authorities why you installed surveillance equipment in my home.”
The hairs on the back of Kip’s neck stood erect as his own anger flared. “Go ahead, call the police. Hell, call the newspaper too. I will enjoy telling them how we’re connected and why your family’s been hiding my father’s identity for years.”
“Great idea!” Sam’s laughter sounded creepy even to her ears. “Let’s get it all out in the open, including the fact we aren’t blood relatives and how you and your wretched wife intended to extort money from my family, all because of some stupid, junior high bullshit.”
Kip’s bravado wavered. “The birth record says otherwise.”
Snatching up the DNA results from the desk, Sam waved the paper in front of Kip’s pale face. “Yeah, well when your drunken ass passed out in my spare bedroom, I swabbed your cheek. This report shows no ties to my family’s gene pool. I win. Uninstall them. Don’t make me ask again.”
“How do I know this isn’t forged?” Kip grimaced, irritated his voice cracked. “And if your dad isn’t my father, who the hell is?”
Before Kip had a chance to blink, Sam pulled the Glock, flicking off the safety. “Last warning. On the desk. Now.”
The look of fury on Samantha’s face made Kip’s knees weak. For a fleeting second, he considered throwing his tool belt at her yet feared she would recover quick enough to shoot him. With reluctance, he scrambled up on the desk. While removing the light fixture to get to the camera, he wondered how in the hell he would break the news to Kathy.
Sam set the small office trash can on the desk. “Drop it in there. Let’s get the others. Oh, and again, I know where they all are, so if you try to screw with me and leave one, you’ll regret it. It’s taking all my intestinal fortitude not to unload the clip into your sorry ass. Don’t give me a reason.”
Blowing out a huff of air as he jumped off the desk, Kip nodded. Being held at gunpoint was terrifying and humiliating.
At the mercy of Samantha Chapman. Again. God, this is worse than the day in the cafeteria. If only we could all go back in time and erase that day, maybe things would’ve turned out different for us all.
“SIT. THERE ARE some loose ends we need to tie up.”
Sam pointed to the chair across from her desk, noting the sweat covering Kip’s brow, upper lip and armpits. The look of utter dejection and humiliation filled his blue eyes.
Flopping into the chair, grateful to sit before his legs gave out Kip stared at his feet while wringing his hands. He needed a drink.
Bad.
Lowering the gun to her side, Sam leaned against the credenza behind her desk. “Since we’re still rolling live, are you ready to act civilized toward each other?”
“Yeah.”
“Good. Let me be frank. I’m still pissed as hell at you for what you did. I trusted you with my safety from a man who’s more dangerous than you can possibly fathom. You saw a small glimpse of his rage and you still fucked me over for money, which is something I won’t forgive. Ever.”
“I’m sorry…I didn’t…”
“Save your apologies. Words mean nothing. As per the expression, actions speak louder. In your case, they yelled.”
Kip said nothing as shame and guilt made his stomach sour.
“For now, Reed has no clue what’s going on. The only reason he’s in the dark is because you need a job to support Grayson. However, I strongly suggest you start searching for employment elsewhere because I can’t promise one of us won’t slip and tell him.”
“Okay. I will.”
Sam took a deep breath to steady her anger. “Was blackmailing us your idea?”
Unwilling to meet her gaze, Kip mumbled, “No.”
“Kathy’s eyes lit up like she won the lottery when you told her you were a Chapman, right?”
Kip nodded, still stunned yet relieved no Chapman blood ran through his veins, which meant he didn’t have sex with his half-sister. Maybe he would stop having nightmares about their hot night in the car.
“And poof! Kathy changed her mind and decided you two should work things out. Interesting timing.”
Gritting his teeth, hearing the truth about how Kathy played him from the lips of another, Kip nodded again.
“What do you think her response will be when she finds out you aren’t part of our family, there’s no cash cow to milk, and you cheated on her with my sister?”
Kip swallowed the rising bile in his throat. “I don’t think, I know. She’ll go ahead with the divorce. I’ll only get to see Grayson on the weekends and holidays.”
“Look at me.”
Wiping the mist from his eyes, Kip looked up, surprised to see the intense anger from before was gone from Sam’s face. She still looked pissed yet seemed less edgy.
“Do you still love Kathy, or are you playing along because you want to be with your son?”
“I…I don’t know. Everything’s all screwed up inside my head. I don’t handle life’s ups and downs well, which is why I drink.”
Easing down into the chair, Sam re-holstered the weapon. “Understandable. Ha, been there, done the same thing. Trust me when I say this cluster-fuck hasn’t been easy for us, either. My grandmother spent my entire life and who knows how much money, shielding us from a fake secret. Now she’s dead and has no clue all her worry and angst were for nothing.”
“I…I don’t know what to say,” Kip stuttered.
“Nothing you say will change what’s happened or wipe away your choices, Kip. The only silver lining in all this, other than the fact we aren’t related, is at least Suzy doesn’t have to suffer the rest of her life thinking she slept with her half-brother or, God forbid, wound up pregnant with his child.”
Kip’s mouth dropped open. The acid in his throat burned. “Well, that would never have happened anyway. Kathy made me have a vasectomy right after Grayson was born. She had a rough pregnancy and didn’t want to go through it again.”
Sam bit her lip as her heart clenched, grateful she lied to Kip about their interactions being recorded because what he shared would break Suzy’s heart. She made the mental choice not to inform her sister of the revelation.
Unable to hold them back any longer, a f
ew tears leaked from the corners of Kip’s eyes. “God, I’m so sorry Samantha. I didn’t want any of this to happen. I freaked out when I read the papers left in my truck. I didn’t know I was adopted, plus I already slept with…”
“Enough, I get it.” Sam held up a hand. “Let’s move on. You remember Richard, my ex-boss? The one you stopped from attacking me the night of the open house?”
Kip’s brows furrowed in confusion. “Yeah. Why?”
Turning her phone on the desk to face him, she clicked on the image of Richard’s Mercedes in the parking lot of Kat’s Toys. “He was at Kathy’s strip club early Thursday morning. I’m 99.9% positive Maria didn’t provide the papers. I believe Richard did.”
“I…wait, what? Why? How? For what purpose? How does he even know who I am?”
“To get to me. I told you he has issues. We were together for almost three years. The relationship was violent and volatile. He’s been plotting and planning for over a year to break my will, forcing me to come back to him. I don’t know how he found out about Maria and thereby, you, but he did. He made an appearance at my nana’s funeral, threatening me and the rest of my family. He knew about Maria and you yet only alluded to others wishing my family harm, not by name.”
“I can’t believe this.”
“Pull your head out of the bottle and pay attention to life, Kip! It’s obvious Richard’s working with Kathy which means nothing but trouble for us all.”
Kip’s legs bounced in time with his heartbeat. “Oh, my God.”
“So, here’s what we’re going to do to end this fucking charade. You follow everything I tell you or I swear I’ll ruin your life, which in turn, will destroy Grayson’s.”
Kip’s mouth filled with saliva. “Are you…suggesting we…kill them?”
Throwing her head back, Sam roared with laughter. “Hell no! I’m a lawyer, remember? I don’t break the law. Like all attorneys, I bend it to suit the needs of my clients, or in this case, myself.”
Blinking twice to regain his composure, Kip slumped back into the chair, relieved Samantha’s plans didn’t include murder. “What do you want me to do?”
Fatal Agreements Page 26