“I want some answers damn it!” His rage was palpable but Devlin was unmoved.
“Dr. Dane, I am going to ask you for the last time to wait outside.” His polite threat enraged Elliot even more but Caroline’s hand on her husband’s arm stopped him from taking the stand off to the next level.
“Come Elliot, let’s go start the car so it’s nice and warm for Isabel.” Several long moments passed before he seemed to realize that an outsider had witnessed his rage. He glanced pointedly at the other woman and then nodded his head.
“Of course. Casey, it’s good to have you home” he said gently as he moved towards the front door.
“Honey, we’re glad you’re safe. You come home whenever you’re ready, okay?” said Caroline. She gave Casey one last longing look before she took her husband’s hand and followed him out of the house.
“Mr. Prescott, I trust that you will be able to adequately explain all this to the court?” said the other woman sternly.
“Yes ma’am, I will.”
“Good.” She left the house.
Devlin turned to Casey who hadn’t moved. Her eyes were glued to the floor. “They’re gone,” he said. She looked at him and then scanned the empty room. Devlin pried her fingers from his sleeve.
“What are they doing here?” she asked as the reality of it all started to sink in.
“They have visitation every other Saturday.”
“No, I mean what are they doing here in New York?”
“Your stepfather moved his practice here from Connecticut two years ago.”
She looked at him in disbelief. ‘Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I was afraid you wouldn’t come if you knew they were in the same city.”
“You’re damn right I wouldn’t have come,” she said irrationally as she turned and started up the stairs. He grabbed her wrist.
“I’m sorry about this. I was going to tell you this morning before they got here but they were early.”
Mrs. Potter appeared at the top of the stairs with Isabel in hand. The little girl was holding on to Sampson’s collar with her other hand.
“I don’t wanna go with Gramma and Grandpa Uncle Dev.”
Devlin released his grip on Casey and went to kneel in front of the little girl. “I know you don’t darlin but it’s just for a little while. They’re gonna take you to see all the animals at the zoo. You like the zoo, right?”
The little girl nodded pitifully and ran her hand over Sampson’s head. “Can Sampson come?”
“No honey, he has to stay here. Otherwise the people at the zoo might want to keep him and you don’t want that, do you?” She shook her head and wrapped her arms around him. The display of affection tore through Casey like a knife. “You be real good, okay?” he said as Mrs. Potter urged her down the stairs.
As she passed Casey, Isabel softly said, “Bye Miss Wilkes.”
“Bye Isabel.” As she watched the little girl disappear out the front door, her anxiety about her parent’s close proximity to her was temporarily forgotten.
“How can you let them take her?”
“I don’t have a choice. If I don’t comply with the court order, they’ll put her into foster care until the custody suit is settled.”
“But you know what they’ll do to her!”
Devlin struggled to remain calm even though the helplessness that consumed him was pure torture. “I couldn’t prove that you and Amanda were physically abused. And without proof, the court wouldn’t deny visitation. But it’s supervised visitation – that woman was an officer of the court. Isabel is never alone with either of them.”
The explanation offered her little comfort as she dropped down to sit on the stairs. “What happens next?”
“We’ll go see my lawyer on Monday – he’ll start the process of drawing up your affidavit describing the physical abuse you suffered as a child. It might even be enough to get a temporary injunction on the visitation.”
“And if you lose?”
He didn’t answer. He moved past her and said, “Mrs. Potter will make you some breakfast whenever you’re ready.”
***
Casey sat on the edge of the bay window, her gaze on the light flurries that were just starting to cling to the leafless trees. The omelet breakfast with toast and coffee that Mrs. Potter had brought her an hour earlier remained untouched. Surprisingly, the older woman had taken it upon herself to prepare the food. The scene downstairs seemed to have caused the woman to rethink her earlier disapproval.
Her thoughts drifted to Isabel. Anxiety rolled through her as a thousand images ripped through her but she forced them away. Devlin had said the little girl was never alone with them. That had to be something. Elliot and Caroline’s outward image mattered more to them than even their twisted need to overpower those who were weaker than them. In her mind, Casey had readied herself a hundred times over for her first meeting with them but nothing could have prepared her for what had happened that morning.
She had expected to encounter them once and only once in a hearing with a judge and lawyers. She’d been ready to sit behind a large wooden table with Devlin and his lawyer next to her, blocking her parents’ view of her. No direct contact with them would have been necessary and Devlin’s lawyer would have done all the talking. But to come face to face with them like that after so many years had crippled her. All the mental preparation she had done, all the strength she had tried to dig up from the depths of her soul had failed her the moment they had turned to face her. If Devlin hadn’t been there, she would have melted into a helpless puddle on the floor.
Her thoughts moved to Devlin and the way he had treated Isabel. She’d seen the helplessness in his eyes, had heard it in the thread of his voice as he gently explained to the little girl why she had to go somewhere with virtual strangers who called themselves her Gramma and Grandpa. He’d pulled the tiny child in his strong arms and had given her the only comfort he could. A moment of envy had passed through her as she watched the interaction between man and child. She’d been wrong about his motives for protecting Isabel. Whatever may have started out as payback had turned into something greater that he probably couldn’t even explain. Amanda had seen it and that’s why she had entrusted her child’s future to Devlin. Love was a far greater motivator than obligation.
Casey looked around the quiet room and then climbed to her feet. Desperate for some kind of distraction, she left the room and made her way to Devlin’s study. She had heard him leave the house shortly after her parents had left so she pushed the door open without knocking first. She glanced around the room which was bathed in shadows with only a couple of small lamps that gave the space a surprisingly warm glow. Her eyes found what she had come here for – the books. Endless shelves of books took up an entire wall of the room. A small ripple of excitement went through her as she ran her fingers down the spine of a leather bound volume. Reading had been a past time that had provided the much-needed escape from her childhood. Perfect worlds had existed in those books and she had often risked a beating by staying up late at night and reading under her blanket with a tiny flashlight that did more to strain her eyes than anything else. But she hadn’t cared – things never seemed as bad when Nancy Drew was hard at work solving a mystery.
Knowing it would take her hours to choose a book, Casey closed her eyes and ran her fingertip along a row of books and then stopped and pulled out the one her finger had come to rest on. She carried the heavy book to the nearby leather couch and sank down into it. The lamp overhead was dim enough to remind her of her flashlight days and she smiled as she flipped open the book. Within moments, reality faded as she eagerly absorbed each word and finally managed to escape to another world.
***
Exhausted and still reeling from that morning’s confrontation, Devlin threw open the door to his study, intent on finishing the merger contract that would again bring profit to his ever-growing company. He was pleasantly surprised to find Casey curled up asleep o
n the sofa. A book was lying open across her chest. Devlin quietly closed the door and moved to stand next to her. The peaceful expression on her face made something twist painfully deep inside of him. Reluctant to wake her, Devlin pulled a throw from the back of the couch and settled it over her legs and lap. He carefully sat down next to her and reached for the book. As he pulled it away, she woke with a start and struck out at his outstretched arm.
“No! Stay away from me!” she screamed.
He grabbed her wrists and shouted, “It’s me! It’s Devlin.” She stopped almost immediately and looked around the room.
“I’m sorry,” she said as she pulled her hands from his grip and sat up.
“It’s all right – I’m sorry if I startled you.” She shook her head and waved her hand as if dismissing the notion. She put her head in her hands as if trying to come to terms with something. A haunted look had taken over her. Not knowing what to say, he reached down and picked up the book. She gave him a guilty look.
“Um, I didn’t mean to snoop or anything. I just remembered all the books you had,” she began.
“It’s fine.” He looked at the title of the book. “The Odyssey. Interesting choice.”
She studied him for a moment and then shook her head and pushed the throw off her legs.
“What?” he asked in confusion.
“Why don’t you just say what you mean?” She got up and started to leave but he caught her wrist and pulled her back down.
“What I meant was that it was an interesting choice.”
“No, what you meant was, what’s someone like me doing trying to read a book with such big words in it?” She again tried to stand but he wouldn’t release her. She was about to order him to let her go but the image of him hugging Isabel popped into her mind. The warmth the image evoked warred with the disgust she felt at his touch.
Holding off on the explanation he’d been about to spout off, Devlin studied her. She was staring at his hand which was still wrapped around her wrist. She seemed entranced by it. He struggled to understand what might be going through her mind. Deciding to experiment, he gently rubbed the inside of her wrist with his thumb. When she trembled but didn’t move away, he ran his hand over the back of her hand, his fingers drifting over fisted ones. Instead of pulling away, she relaxed her grip and opened her fingers. As his thumb stroked her palm she lifted her eyes to his. She seemed completely confused. It was as if she had never been touched before. His thought was interrupted by a commotion outside the study door. An instant later, it was thrown open by a portly woman in her early fifties. Casey jumped up from the couch as if she’d been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Devlin saw the woman smile slightly and realized she’d seen the intimate scene and was already jumping to conclusions.
“Madelyn, what a surprise,” he said as he stood. His tone made it clear that he wasn’t thrilled to see her but she didn’t seem to care.
“Your woman let me in,” she remarked as she waved her hand over her shoulder to indicate Mrs. Potter who stood behind her. Mrs. Potter shook her head at Devlin in denial. He gave her an understanding nod and then turned his attention to Madelyn.
“So, to what do I owe this pleasure Madelyn?”
She ignored him and moved further into the room, her eyes on Casey who shifted nervously under the woman’s intense scrutiny. Madelyn glanced pointedly at Devlin.
“Madelyn, I’d like you to meet Casey Wilkes. Miss Wilkes, Madelyn Cragen.”
Casey took the woman’s outstretched hand and said, “It’s nice to meet you Ms. Cragen.”
“The pleasure’s mine Miss Wilkes. How is it that you’ve come to know our Devlin here?”
“She’s an old friend,” interjected Devlin, his tone warning her not to pursue the subject. Madelyn looked Casey up and down once more, open curiosity in her eyes.
“My apologies for interrupting your…meeting Devlin.” She smiled brightly before continuing, her attention now solely on Devlin. “But I come with a matter of great importance.”
“I’m not going Madelyn.”
“I already told the Committee you would be there. You wouldn’t have me humiliated in front of all my dearest friends would you?” She attempted a pout but failed miserably.
“You dug your own hole Madelyn. You know how I feel about those things.”
“Those things? Since when is showing one’s appreciation for another’s efforts one of ‘those things’?”
Devlin went to his desk and started searching for the contract. “Have Howard do it.”
“And have him throw up on Matilda Rasnor again like he did last year?” she said in a high-pitched voice. She strutted over to the desk and looked him straight in the eye. “The Committee isn’t interested in showing their gratitude to my husband – they want you and only you. Now, we can do this the easy way or we can do this the hard way.”
Devlin hid a smile as she waved her finger at him, her chubby features drawn into a serious line. He finally nodded and was rewarded with a victorious smile. She turned to leave the room but stopped when she saw Casey still standing in the same place. “Miss Wilkes, would you prefer the duck or the salmon?”
Casey looked at Devlin in confusion. His expression was cool and calm as he said, “She’ll have the duck Madelyn.” With a nod, the woman left as quickly as she had come.
“What duck?”
Devlin looked up at Casey and tried to figure out how he was going to explain his way out of this one. “For dinner next month.”
“Dinner?”
“Yeah, it’s a celebration for the opening of a new wing at the children’s hospital. My company had a hand in the fund-raising.” He finally found the file folder he was looking for.
“Why would Madelyn think I was going to the dinner with you?” asked Casey, the concern in her voice going up a notch.
“Because you are,” he said as he moved past her and left the room. When his words sunk in, Casey turned and followed him.
He was already halfway up the second flight of stairs before she caught up with him. “What are you talking about?” He moved down the hallway and past several closed doors. “I’m not going anywhere with you. That wasn’t part of our deal,” declared Casey.
Entering the last door on the left side of the hall, Devlin went to the nightstand next to the king sized bed and pulled several papers off of it and stuffed them in the file folder.
“It is now,” he said in response.
“I don’t understand.”
“Damage control.”
“What are you talking about?” asked Casey as she crossed her arms over her chest in a defiant pose. Devlin tossed the folder on the bed and went to the closet. As he started speaking, Casey moved closer to the closet so she could hear him. He had stripped off his shirt and was reaching for another. She tried not to notice how well built he was and how his broad shoulders tapered down to a flat six-pack abdomen. Averting her eyes she allowed her gaze to drift over his well-appointed, masculine bedroom.
“Your parents are very powerful people in this city. They aren’t real eager to have it known that they’re caught in a custody battle with me for their granddaughter. They also aren’t going to want it to get out that one of the best pediatric surgeons in the country is facing allegations of physical abuse from his long lost stepdaughter.”
“What the hell does that have to do with dinner?” asked Casey in mounting irritation.
He came out of the closet, his shirt still unbuttoned and a tie in his hand.
“Madelyn saw us together, alone in a dark, quiet room with me holding your hand.” A moment passed before what he was saying sunk in. She let out a shocked laugh.
“You can’t be serious. That woman doesn’t really think that you and I…I mean it’s ridiculous.” Flustered, she shook her head. “No one would believe that we…for God’s sake, you’re old enough to be my-” She stopped in embarrassment.
“Madelyn lives for gossip. She’s probably on her phone as we speak. I
could care less about what she or anyone else thinks but the bottom line is that people are going to wonder. If we don’t play the game their way, there will be more questions. For Isabel’s sake, I’m just as eager as your parents to keep this quiet.” He finished buttoning his shirt and stood to tuck in to the waistband of his slacks.
“So you actually want me to pretend to be your…’old friend’?” she asked in astonishment. This wasn’t really happening, was it?
“As long as people are focused on what’s between the two of us, they won’t be paying attention to what’s really going on.”
“No,” she said simply.
Devlin tried to subdue his frustration. “Miss Wilkes, the only way we control this is if we make the rules. The more you try to keep them out of your life, the harder they’ll fight to get at the truth. I don’t want people knowing why you’re really here because it could interfere with the custody case. If pretending we’re in a relationship keeps people from asking too many questions then we do it.” He finished his tie and shrugged on a dark jacket.
“I’m not like them Devlin – they’ll see right through me.” Her quiet distress caused him to turn and look at her.
“I’ll take care of everything. Trust me,” he said as he grabbed the file folder off his bed and left the room. Trust me. She almost laughed out loud at the absurdity of his statement.
***
When Devlin returned an hour later Casey was hiding out in her room, reluctant to confront him again. Unfortunately his reasoning for the charade forced upon them by Madelyn Cragen made sense. Even though she knew little of Devlin’s business dealings or social life, the fact that Senator Caulfield had heard of him meant Devlin held a position of power and status in his world. That made him a target of gossipmongers. She definitely wasn’t ready to have her past dragged through New York’s society pages which meant Devlin was right. The only way to keep her past a secret was to become someone else. As much as the idea revolted her, she knew that she had little choice in the matter – Isabel’s future and Senator Caulfield’s career were at stake.
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