Conviction (A Stand-alone Novel): A Bad Boy Romance (23 page)

I was glad that Autumn had helped me sleep so well the night before, otherwise I would have been awake for hours dreading the sounds of the heavy gates. I suppressed a shudder as I stuck on my visitor's badge and followed the guards through a series of locked doors and gates.

The visitation room offered no relief. The institutional gray of the walls turned my stomach as did the contrast of the bright orange jumpsuits the inmates wore. A few fidgeted in chairs as they talked to loved ones and lawyers through the thick shatter-proof glass of the carols. I sat in one near the door and waited.

David made me wait. It was obvious from his smug smile as he finally sat down across from me. He picked up his phone and said, "Sorry to make you sit around in here. Unless you're happy about it. I mean, I bet you get homesick, don't you?"

I glanced around the visitation room. "Nah, I never had visitors, so this is all new to me."

I saw him swallow a few times as he processed what I said. It sounded hard even to my own ears. I knew that edge was my advantage so I attacked.

"I'm sorry I don't have more greetings and messages to give you, but the only friends of yours that have been asking after you are the Mertz brothers," I said.

David's eyes widened and he licked his lips. "They're asking about me? What have you said?"

"That you're in jail, about to be sentenced for embezzling millions of dollars. Oh, and that you're suspected of killing Jace Knight."

"What are they asking about?" David's voice squeaked.

I sat forward. "They want to know why you haven't honored the deal you made. Remember? The deal that was so important you refused Jace's request to resign and then you killed him?"

"The deal's done, King," David sat back and his smug smile returned.

"Not yet, and it’s not going to happen. They are claiming you witnessed the verbal agreement, but we all know it never happened. Jace would never have sold off No Limits or any of his other Vegas night clubs, much less all of them."

David let out a sharp cackle that made me want to reach through the phone cord and strangle him with it. "You told them no? I'm sure that went over well. Guess I won't be seeing you in here because you're never going to live that long."

"What do you mean?" I growled, thinking of the car swerving too close to Autumn.

"Just honor the deal, King. Knight Holdings can take the hit, but, trust me, you cannot. I know you think you're rock hard, but just do the deal and be done with it. Best advice I can give you." David started to hang up the phone.

I punched the glass hard enough to have two guards step towards us. David waved them away and faked a sweet smile as he put the phone to his ear again.

"You made the deal, and you're going to undo it. I'm not signing it and unless you want to burn every bridge you ever built, I suggest you recant your witness statement regarding the verbal agreement," I hissed.

"Even if I did, it would not make a difference. The Mertz brothers will never leave it alone. You're up against a conglomerate with nearly unlimited resources and no morals. The deal will be done the way they want it, no matter what," David said.

"Please, I'm not going to be intimidated by a bunch of thugs that decided to put on business suits. Knight Holdings will not sell No Limits or any of the other Vegas clubs. You're going to talk to Bryon Shelton about recanting your statement, and the Mertz brothers can go straight to hell for all I care."

David shook his head and made a tsking noise into the phone. "You should care because they are not just going to target you. Oh, did I hit a sore spot? Could there be someone out there you care about besides yourself and the memory of your friend?"

"Watch what you say," I growled.

"Hey, all I'm saying is that I'm glad I'm in here. You did me a favor, King. Thanks. Now I can finally sit back and relax, because they can't get to me in here." David leaned back and got comfortable.

I chuckled soundlessly, an evil glint in my eyes. "How about I tell you a little story to relieve the boredom. It gets boring, doesn't it?"

David's smile slipped, but he crossed his leg, one ankle on the opposite knee. "Sure, go ahead."

"I knew a man once that got picked up for stealing corporate secrets. They couldn't prove a lot of the case against him, but what they did have had him looking at ten to twenty years. So, he got smart, cut a deal, and whittled his sentence down to eight, early release for good behavior. He was happy." I leaned forward and settled into the story.

"Now it was a small start-up he'd stolen from. Gotten some plans and reverse engineered a breakthrough piece of equipment. He was really clever with his hands. Not a real long-game kind of thinker, though. The guys running it were a real rags-to-riches bunch of kids from the not-so-nice end of Houston. I don't know how they put up the chips to start the business, but they did, and boy did they bet on the right horse until this man came along and messed it all up."

David faked a yawn. "Pretty good for a bedtime story, King, thanks. I'll sleep like a baby now."

"Not catching on yet? Well, the guys he stole from had lots of friends from every walk of life. Including a lot of men incarcerated in the very same federal prison. Of course, straight connections could not be verified, but everyone read between the lines when the corporate spy only made it two nights in lock up. Third morning he was found dead with a toothbrush jammed in his throat. Funny thing was, he didn't even have a bunkmate," I said.

David's foot slipped off his ankle, but he shook himself off and sat forward. "Not much for fairy tales myself," he said.

I waited a few beats and saw it. David glanced over his shoulder at the guard behind him. The paranoia was taking hold. "Course there are ways to find protection, even in prison. Need any pointers?" I asked.

"I'm not telling you anything else, King. Forget it. You're not getting me to recant that witness statement either. Just sign the deal and get on with your life," David said.

"I'm serious, David. You need to figure out how to make the right friends quick," I said.

His face was sickly pale, but he shook his head again. "Is Autumn doing well? You know she was one of the best people I ever worked with. Please tell her that. Good luck, King."

I sat and watched as David hung up his phone and got up. His eyes darted back and forth as the guard opened the door and he was escorted out. In the pit of my stomach was a strange mix of revulsion for the man that most likely killed my best friend, and pity for the weak and exposed man that was trapped in a world he could not navigate.

It was too long before I forced myself to get up. I was already getting strange looks, so I steeled myself against the sounds of the heavy gates and made it outside without blinking an eye. In the heat of the parking lot, I shook the tension out of my fingers.

I could only think of one way to see past all the posturing and confusion. I needed a better perspective on everything, so I dug out my phone.

"I know you mentioned Rome, but what would you say to a weekend getaway in the continental U. S.?" I asked Autumn as soon as she answered.

"Where do you have in mind?"

I could hear her smile through the phone and just the hint of it was enough to ease the knots in my shoulder muscles. "It's a surprise. Get home and pack. I'll meet you at the house, and you'll know before dinner."

Chapter Sixteen

Autumn

"Well that seemed like just the phone call you wanted at the end of the day," Darla said with a wide smile.

I laughed and leaned on her desk in the lobby of Knight Holdings. "Is it possible to want something that comes as a total surprise?" I asked.

"Definitely. Now I'm reading excitement all over your face, so I don't care if it’s just a hint but, please, please tell me what's going on with you two!" She leaned in from the other side of the desk and batted her eyelashes.

"Alright, fine. We all know you'll figure it out anyway." I shook my head and could not dislodge the smile on my face. "I've been invited on a surprise getaway. I have no idea where we're going, what I need to pack, or how long we're staying."

"No, no," Darla grabbed my hands and squeezed. "Don't do that. Don't start overthinking it. Stick with that initial excitement and let yourself enjoy it."

"I'm not overthinking it. I just wish he wouldn't be so heavy-handed. It’s all his decisions and no input from me." I stood up and straightened my shoulders.

"Ms. Bishop, Autumn. Listen to yourself!" Darla cried.

I threw my eyes up to the ceiling and sighed. "I'm overthinking it, aren't I?"

"Yes! Now go home and pack, and, for god’s sake, let yourself have some fun!"

I let Darla's peppy words of encouragement carry me all the way to the elevators and down to the main floor. Ayden had asked me on a weekend getaway. He did not mention anything about work and my heart soared at the thought of figuring out how else we connected. This was my chance to see how he really felt about me and decide if what I felt about him was real.

My good mood dipped when Alan caught up to me at the front doors. "Heading home, Ms. Bishop?"

"Yes, Alan. I suppose I'll see you there," I snarked.

He ignored me and held open the door. Somehow he beat my town car back to my condo and was waiting on the sidewalk when I walked up.

"I'll just be a minute, Alan. You can wait out here," I said.

"No, Ms. Bishop. You need to let me do my job. I'll do a quick sweep of your place first."

Since I had no idea what sort of climate or U. S. culture I was supposed to pack for, I threw a whole variety of outfits and coordinating layers into a suitcase. I was finished before Alan was done.

"You don't think Mr. King is an avid outdoorsman, do you?" I asked, as I surveyed my shoes.

"I wouldn't blame him if he was," Alan said. He stepped into the hallway to wait for me. "Was there some sort of altercation out here?"

I rolled my eyes, remembering the patched dry wall from where Ayden restrained himself from punching David. "Probably just a moving incident. I'm heading to Mr. King's house. He'll be there shortly, so I won't be needing you."

The mountainous personal security guard politely ignored me and, once again, he was waiting at my destination when I arrived.

"Do you have a teleport that I am unaware of?" I asked as I got out of the town car.

"Tactical driving, Ms. Bishop. A very valuable skill," Alan said. He stepped forward to take my suitcase, but I swatted his dinner plate sized hands away.

I hauled the suitcase up the front steps defiantly. The house was empty. "Mr. King is on his way now. I know you're partial to the deli a few miles up the road. Go grab yourself a sandwich, and I promise we won't leave before you get back. You can see us off at the airport yourself."

He frowned, but glanced towards the door. The town car driver leaned on the hood and waved. "He's driving you?"

"Unless we're late, and I ask you to take over," I said. "Go, Alan. I'll be fine and my driver is right there."

He finally agreed and I watched him fold himself into his sedan. It felt good to have a moment alone, but as soon as I reached the kitchen, I regretted my suggestion. The hairs on my arms stood up and I froze.

Something was off. It was strange for the house to be empty. There was always staff of some sort around, but no one was there. The problem was it felt as if someone had just slipped out of the kitchen. I narrowed my eyes and dodged into the mudroom. Jace's golf clubs still stood by the back door, and I grabbed a four iron. I knew the house better than even the architect, and there was no way I was going to cower in a corner until Ayden arrived.

I slipped off my high heels and silently moved from room to room. It was going to be hard to explain the golf club when I ran across a maid, but I kept going. The eerie feeling did not fade.

Upstairs was untouched, and I could see my town car driver rubbing his neck as he lounged against the hood of the car. The thick carpeting made it easier for me to move faster, but I did not catch even the faintest hint of anyone else.

I circled around the entire house in record time and stepped back into the kitchen. The flash of someone in the corner of my eye had me swinging the golf club wildly until I realized just how shiny the stainless steel refrigerator was.

"Pull yourself together, Bishop," I said, but stifled my nervous laugh. I still craved the protection of silence as if I did not want the other person in the house to know where I stood.

I silently lectured myself on paranoia and finally set down the golf club. I purposefully hauled open the refrigerator door so the bottles inside rattled. I pulled out a can of soda and ripped it open.

The manila envelope on the countertop was a welcome distraction. It still lay where Ayden had tossed it the day his father handed it to him. I slid it across the marble and looked down as if I could see through it. When I couldn't, I turned it over and let my hand hover over the seal.

"He'll never open it. He said so himself." I tried to justify my snooping to myself.

Ayden refused to have anything to do with his father. He made all of that crystal clear the day his father dropped in. Ayden did not want to know what was in the envelope, and I thought he had thrown it away. Only it was still there on the counter where Ayden had tossed it. He had not thrown it away.

I dropped my hovering hand. If Ayden had not thrown it away, it meant he was conflicted. He probably needed to know what was concealed in that envelope. It was just going to take him a while to face it. I did not want to interfere, but I also knew he would never get around to facing it in Las Vegas. As long as there was work to distract him, the manila envelope would remain sealed.

So, I picked it up and slipped it into the front pocket of my suitcase.

I was just returning to my can of soda when the back door flew open. Someone knocked over Jace's remaining golf clubs and over the explosion of sound I screamed. Heavy footsteps bolted from the mudroom, and I had just enough time to run to the other side of the kitchen island.