“Who concocted this ridiculous story?”

“Does it really matter?” All that mattered was that she knew. She knew everything. “You and T. R. took advantage of her mother, and then the two of you threatened to make her regret it if she dared to tell anyone. She ran away. Changed her name. Then she discovered she was pregnant.”

He puffed out a breath. “This is preposterous.” He grabbed his glass and stood. “I need another drink.”

“Sit down, Daniel,” she demanded.

“Who do you think you are?” He glared at her before walking toward the bar. He poured the scotch and turned to face her, leaning against the counter. “What if we did? We were young and stupid. We drank too much. But we didn’t force her. She wanted it. She was like that. Ready. Willing.”

Disgust hardened in her stomach. “Tell me,” Tempest managed to say despite the thickening of her tongue, “how many other women you used in that way.”

“That was more than forty years ago. Things were different then.” He shrugged. “Women were different then. Office relationships weren’t as complicated and saddled with rules. There was none of that me-me-me nonsense. Everyone understood their place. It was fun and games, not criminal activity. Those women knew what they wanted, and we gave it to them.”

“She was carrying your child.”

He waved her off. “Don’t be ridiculous. She couldn’t possibly have known whose child she was carrying. T. R. was with her every bit as often as I was.”

The urge to vomit was nearly overwhelming, but Tempest could not do that. “That girl who went missing, Janelle Stevens? She was here, at that party we had for Ben’s twenty-fifth birthday. Do you remember?”

He stared at her without saying a word.

“During the party, she went into our bathroom and took your toothbrush and razor. She used them for DNA. She was your daughter, not T. R.’s. Did you kill her after she told you? Is that why she disappeared?”

“Are you insane?” He started toward her, staggered. Almost fell. “What the hell?”

Tempest was glad it was finally kicking in. “Don’t worry. It’ll be over quickly.”

“What the hell have you done?” He staggered closer, fell this time.

Tempest watched as he clambered to his hands and knees. “You,” she snarled, “are the reason our son is dead. What have I done? Just a little something to put us both out of our misery. Goodbye, Daniel.”

55

2:00 p.m.

York, Hammond & Goldman Law Firm

North Twentieth Street

“We have to do something,” Theo urged. He had no idea what, but he understood there was no more assuming this would just go away . . . like before.

“Sit down, Theo,” Lewis demanded.

Theo glared at his old friend. How could he be so calm? “I cannot just sit down. This is out of control. They know about my affair with Janelle. If Sela Abbott shows up, she will ruin me.”

“You have no reason to be concerned. All is under control. Trust me.”

Theo shook his head. He was nearly afraid to mention the other, but he had no choice. Lewis was going to— “What?” Lewis demanded. “What are you not telling me?”

The bastard had always read him like a book. “It’s Jen. She’s angry with me. She called a little while ago. She’s threatening to go to the police about Wednesday night.”

Lewis shot to his feet, braced his hands on his desk, and leaned forward. “What errant brain cell prompted you to bring that whore with you? Have you lost your damned mind?”

“I had no idea a command performance was going to be expected of me that night. My God, man, you should have given me a goddamned clue what you were planning, and I would have dropped her off. You said come immediately, and that’s what I did!”

Lewis dropped back into his chair. “It’s nothing that can’t be neutralized. You’ll just have to take care of the situation.”

“I believe we’ve established that I can’t do that. I’m not like you,” Theo snarled.

He had known this man since he was old enough to walk. He would never have dreamed in a million years how very ruthless he could be. Admittedly, Theo had issues with staying faithful to his wife, but he’d never had the sick sexual proclivities his father had. And he damned sure had never killed anyone. Dear God, what the man had done. Scenes from the news coverage of the fire flashed before his eyes.

“How easy for you to say,” Lewis sneered. “Of course you’re not like me. You’ve never had to be. You’ve always had either your father or me to clean up your messes. Don’t you dare look down your nose at me, you fucking coward. I only do what needs to be done because you aren’t man enough.”

Fury whipped through Theo. “There must have been another way then and now.”

“Certainly, there was and is. You could learn to keep your dick in your pants.”

He spat the words at Theo. He felt the force like a slap to his face.

“What?” Lewis demanded. “You have nothing to say to that?”

There was plenty he wanted to say, but now wasn’t the time. This thing had to be handled, and Lewis was the only person who could do the job right.

“That’s what I thought,” Lewis mused. “Now, listen to me, and this time do as I say. First, the situation is under control. Those detectives won’t be bothering you anymore. You have nothing to worry about. Now, go back to your office, or go home. No getting agitated or nervous. This will all be over soon.”

The phone on his desk buzzed, and Lewis picked up the receiver. “Yes.”

Theo tried to calm himself. Lewis wasn’t the enemy. Theo was his own worst enemy. He needed Lewis if he hoped to get through this. God knew he would never manage alone. He’d never been good at this sort of thing.

“Give me five minutes before you send him back,” Lewis instructed the caller. When he replaced the receiver in its cradle, he stared at Theo for a long moment. “We will survive this, just as we have survived all other hurdles before this one.”

Theo managed a nod. “It’s just that with the election, this is not a good time for trouble.”

“Trust me,” Lewis said. “It’s all under control, and I will take care of that whore you’ve been playing with.”

“What do you want me to do?” Really Theo wasn’t a coward. He just wasn’t built like Lewis.

“Do not go near your whore again, and whatever you do, don’t get cornered by those detectives. Just stay calm, and carry on with whatever events you have scheduled this weekend. We’ll talk again tomorrow.”

Theo nodded stiffly. “And what are you going to do?”

“You don’t need to know anything beyond the fact that I will get this done. Do we understand each other?”

Theo blinked away the image of Jen dead. “All right.”

“You should go. I have another appointment.”

Theo stood.

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” Lewis assured him, “and we’ll finish this.”

Theo gave another of those stiff nods and walked out.

He was halfway to the elevator when the doors glided open, and Robert Swanner emerged. Theo slowed his pace, pretended to check his phone until the other man had passed him. Then Theo turned around and followed him at a safe distance. The man practically twisted the knob off the door and walked right into Lewis’s office, slamming the door behind him. This could only be more trouble.

Theo moved close enough to the door to hear the man’s raised voice.

“Where is my daughter?”

“Your daughter has not been to work all week. I have no idea where she is. I would think a good father would have that answer.”

“You think I don’t know what’s going on here, you bastard?”

“Control yourself, or I will call security and have you removed, Mr. Swanner.”

“Call them,” Swanner dared. “Go ahead and call the police while you’re at it. Let’s tell them about that night fifteen years ago when you came to me, begging for help with the repairs to your car.”

Lewis laughed. Theo flinched. What the hell was Swanner talking about?

“I came to you, but I don’t recall begging. I believe you were the one only too happy to accept a payoff of your defaulted loan. Shall we share that with the police as well?”

Theo leaned against the wall, his heart thundering. How many others knew?

“I swear to God,” Swanner said, “if you have harmed my daughter—”

“Whatever has happened to your daughter,” Lewis said, cutting him off, “is as much your doing as anyone else’s, Mr. Swanner. Before you dare to come in here threatening me, remember that you have two other children and a wife. Perhaps you will do a better job taking care of them.”

For a single moment Theo could not move, even as his instincts screamed at him to go. Fifteen years ago . . . after she had vanished, he recalled distinctly a car having to be repaired after hitting a deer. But it wasn’t Lewis’s car.