Scandal Never Sleeps (28 page)

“They were in the lockbox,” Roman supplied. “We’re concerned about the reasons Maddox was hiding these pictures. If anyone finds out he kept photos of young girls hidden, especially the woman who runs Capitol Scandals, they’ll use those against him.”

With a shake of her head, she let out a little huff. “These aren’t sexual images. Maddox might have been a playboy and a pervert, but he wasn’t the sort to prey on children.”

“I agree,” Connor seconded.

Everly picked up the photographs and glanced through them again. At least she could shed some light here and maybe put this vicious rumor to rest. She pointed to the photo on top. “This girl is missing. She was taken from her village about a month ago. In fact, they’re all missing. They were girls attending schools sponsored by the foundation. Maddox must have been helping the effort to locate them. I believe that far more than him having some sick fascination. Besides, these kids were from separate continents. How could he have had any sort of inappropriate relationship with them from thousands of miles away?”

“I’m glad we have another scenario to work with.” Connor’s eyes narrowed. “Tell me about this foundation.”

“The foundation has actually been around for close to fifty years, I think. It’s Tavia’s pet project now, but everyone at Crawford has a hand in it.”

“Tavia isn’t even old enough to have run the foundation for a decade,” Dax pointed out.

“Her grandmother started the program. After she retired, her mother assumed control.” Everly studied the photos again. “After they both passed away, Tavia took on the leadership role. She’s been growing it since and brought it to Crawford about six years ago when she was first hired as a junior executive. I’ve heard the family was once wealthy, but they’d invested heavily in dot com startups that failed not long after the September eleventh attacks. So when she took control, she sought corporate sponsorships to keep it afloat. Given Maddox’s reputation with women, the foundation bought him and the company good publicity he needed. It sort of countered the nasty rumors about Crawford men and made Maddox look more like a lovable scoundrel than a douchebag.”

“Crawford puts a lot of money into this thing. I’ve even helped out, too. I suspect Tavia has benefitted,” Gabriel mused.

“Sure. The foundation helped her rise up the ranks quickly. More recently, she brought her buddy, Valerie, along with her. Maybe that’s why Maddox never dismissed her from her job. Because he had no trouble firing women he’d slept with in the past if he had just cause.”

“We’ll probably never know for sure.” Roman didn’t sound as if he liked that possibility.

“Unlike Tavia, Val would never get her nails dirty with the actual kids. But Maddox really believed in the work the foundation did. So maybe he kept her around because she helps to organize the annual gala.” She frowned. “But we all pitch in, really. My friend Scott, who you were probably horribly rude to on the phone, donates a lot of his spare time to handle the foundation’s marketing and promotion. I’ve volunteered on several school supply drives. It’s fun and makes us feel like we’re doing something good.”

“You know we could be chasing our tails,” Dax mused. “These photos could be completely unrelated to the women Mad hired the PI to find. And all of that could have nothing to do with his murder.”

“But we’ve got no other clues,” Connor pointed out.

“Yeah.” Gabriel sounded low, as if the worry they’d never solve his
friend’s murder weighed on him for more reasons than his potential prison sentence.

Everly tried not to be swayed by his grief.

“It’s obvious that Mad found the checks to Deborah Elliot, which prompted him to find Everly,” Dax went on. “We can gather that he has pictures of the girls because they’re missing and someone likely asked him to help find them. Maybe Ferling had contacts overseas? Maybe this Natalia is another missing girl.”

Everly shrugged. “I know Crawford’s overseas offices are working hard. Tavia has urged them to all but move heaven and earth to find those girls, I’m sure. They’re like her family. And I haven’t heard anything about a Natalia being missing. We get updates.”

“Maddox stored all this information together in a lockbox. I think every bit of it is connected somehow. We’re simply not seeing it,” Connor surmised. “I’m going to run the name Natalia Kuilikov past some people I know.”

“He’s talking about spies.” Gabriel moved his chair closer to Everly’s and whispered in her ear. “Though I’m sure he would call them
fellow analysts
or something.”

Everly forced herself to hold her ground, not be swayed by his attention, by the way he’d invaded her personal space. “Why don’t I sneak into the office and talk to Tavia, see if she gave Maddox the photos? If so, maybe we can cross the missing girls off the list in terms of having anything to do with Maddox’s murder.”

“I’ll go with you. We’ll take the chopper,” Gabriel offered.

Dax shook his head. “The chopper was on top of the building that burned down last night.”

“My helicopter? They took out my helicopter?” Gabriel pounded his fist on the table. “Fucking assholes. Now I’m pissed.”

So nearly being killed hadn’t poked the bear like losing his precious helicopter had?

“Maybe you should stay here and deal with the insurance company
on that,” Everly suggested. “I’ll head to Crawford on my own. All I need is a car.”

He shook his head. “If we go to Crawford Industries, we go together.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Dax crossed his arms over his chest.

“Everly is right. We can’t hide out here indefinitely. Maybe our best bet is to bring some of the truth to light,” Gabe suggested. “Let’s out Everly as Mad’s half sister, then our relationship looks a bit more pure.”

“We don’t have a relationship,” she reminded him. “So outing me to the press is pointless.”

“That’s not true,” Roman contradicted her. “If they know your biological relationship to Mad, they’re more likely to stop speculating about wild ménages and that Gabe killed him in a jealous fit.”

“Agreed,” Connor said. “Talk it over while you both get cleaned up. You’ll come to the conclusion that this press conference is a good idea. If you’re going to face the media, you’ll need to look polished and professional. Roman can have a new suit for you, along with a dress and shoes for Everly, shortly. By the time you’re showered, the clothes will have been delivered.”

“I think you’re right.” Gabriel stood and held out his hand to her.

She didn’t take it. “I don’t want to give the press anything new to chew on.”

Roman was already on the phone, talking in animated language to someone. He pulled the device from his ear and sent her a questioning stare. “Shoe size?”

“Seven but—”

He didn’t listen to anything else she was poised to say. He merely shoved the phone against his ear again and strode from the room.

“Let’s go.” Gabriel grabbed her arm.

“You go. I’m not,” she protested as he started to lead her away.
Though the thought of wearing clothes that didn’t reek of smoke tempted her, the last thing she wanted was to be alone with Gabriel.

He wasn’t listening. Instead, he led her to the stairs. “You can’t think this conversation is over. I know I screwed up, but I won’t stop talking because it makes you uncomfortable.”

“It makes me angry, Gabriel. And I’m not going into that bedroom with you.”

He turned, and those gorgeous eyes of his narrowed. “Why? Are you afraid I’ll take advantage of you? Or are you afraid you’ll let me?”

Everly glared at him. He was wrong . . . mostly. She was way too hurt and angry to desire him now. In thirty minutes? An hour? After one of his toe-curling kisses? She didn’t want to take that bet. “Think what you want.”

Gabriel simply smiled. “If anything happens upstairs, you’ll be the one to initiate it. You have my word I won’t lay a hand on you unless you want me to. Do you want me to, Everly?”

When his voice dropped, turning low and sexy, she couldn’t help but respond. It was a purely physical reaction. She could ignore that. She wasn’t going to fall into his trap again, right? She held on to the image of that report and of that information going into some system where Gabriel Bond kept dirt on the people in his life—just in case. She couldn’t help but remember Maddox had done the same. Gabriel had even admitted Mad likely kept files on him and all their friends, too. She would always be waiting for Gabriel to turn on her. “No. I don’t and you should know I’m not going to change my mind.”

“We’ll see.” He let her hand drop and started up the stairs.

“Are you that convinced no woman can resist you?”

“No. I don’t think we can be in the same room without touching one another. You’re mad at me now but how will you feel in a week when I’ve treated you like a princess and indulged your every wish? How will you feel after I’ve shown you all I can offer you?”

“I’ll feel like you only offered me those things after you got proof
that I wasn’t a whore. I’ll feel like you still have a file on me, ready to turn against me the minute you think I’ve betrayed you.”

“First, I never called you that, not once. Am I happy you didn’t have a relationship with Mad? Damn straight. It would have been messy. But I was way past caring. I wanted you, regardless.” He opened the door to their room for her. “As for that report, I’ve explained it and I’ve gotten rid of it. I didn’t even read the damn thing. You have to believe that I ordered it before I knew who I was talking about. I asked the PI to look into your family, Everly. But I knew damn well from our weekend together you didn’t have one. I was protecting my sister and her baby from some faceless woman who might come in and demand a portion of Mad’s inheritance.”

Everly walked into the bedroom, ready for a fight. “Have you even thought about the fact that I actually have a claim on Mad’s inheritance?”

Now he would turn on her. Now she would really see Gabriel Bond.

He sighed and sat on the bed, still rumpled from their lovemaking. “Of course you do. I think Mad would want you to have some. We can talk about it. We’ll sit down, you, me, and Sara, and discuss what we should do. I think having something from your brother might make you feel more welcome in this world.”

She stared at him because that was not what she’d expected him to say. Not at all. “I don’t want anything from Crawford. And this is not my world.”

It didn’t matter. Everly walked into the bathroom and started the shower. Tears streaked down her face as she tried to take it all in. Why hadn’t Mad told her? Had he ever meant to clue her in?

Was she always going to feel like the little girl whose mother hadn’t wanted her? Now she knew her biological dad hadn’t wanted her, either. Gabriel wanted her, but for how long?

Twenty minutes later, her heart wasn’t aching any less but she did know how much she was going to miss Gabriel. It seemed crazy to be in love with a fling she’d known a handful of days. Even worse,
learning she was Maddox’s half sister had thrown her for a loop, and her first reaction had been to turn to Gabriel for support and comfort. But if he’d given it, would he have followed that up with a stab in the back? She wanted to trust him—probably more than she should. She simply didn’t know if she dared.

When she emerged from the big shower, she found a whole new cosmetics case on the basin, filled with amazing goodies from Dior and Chanel, all in her colors. Everly was under no illusion; this stuff had been expensive. But putting on some makeup would make her feel more together, and if they did have this press conference to announce that she and Maddox had been siblings, she needed to look her best.

She finished and blinked into the mirror at her polished image, then tightened the belt around the robe she’d borrowed from a nearby hook and emerged into the bedroom, ignoring Gabriel’s stare.

“Your clothes are in the closet,” he said.

Roman had apparently brought them up, along with the cosmetics, while she’d been in the shower. A pretty aqua-colored sheath hung from the rod. A pair of gorgeous beige heels that would likely be hell to wear rested on the hardwoods below. A lacy bra and a pair of matching panties, still with tags, sat folded neatly on a shelf.

Despite being an attorney-turned-political bigwig, Roman knew how to dress a woman. The outfit was chic yet professional and would suit her perfectly. She caught a glimpse of the label. Prada. No wonder it looked so good.

“I hope you don’t expect me to pay you back for this dress. I can’t afford it, especially since I won’t have a job soon.” She took the hanger off the rack, picked up the underwear, and started for the bathroom. She wasn’t about to change in front of Gabriel.

“The dress is yours. Stay here, Everly. I’ve seen it all,” he protested.

She closed the door nearly all the way. The spare inch she left was only so she could hear him. She wanted this conversation over as soon as possible. “You don’t get to see it anymore. Now give me this grand and logical reason why I should face the press with you.”

She caught a glimpse of him moving around the bedroom. He was taking off his shirt, revealing all those pretty muscles.
I will not stare. I will not stare.

“Well, first off, telling the press that you’re half Crawford will change the optics of the story. Suddenly you’re not the woman caught between two men. You’re the woman with one man who cares for you very much and you recently lost your brother. It’s infinitely more sympathetic.”

He had a point. Again, the desire to believe what he was saying welled up inside her. She was afraid to trust it. Everything she’d learned about his world scared her. Even if he felt this way today, how could she be sure he would be there tomorrow? He went through women like water. How did she know he didn’t treat them all exactly the way he was treating her, right up to the point when someone newer and shinier came along?

She pulled off her clothes, placing her old skirt aside. Hopefully, the dry cleaner could remove the smoky stench. “Wouldn’t I be more sympathetic if I was facing this tragedy alone?”

“No. Because then you’re the girl who had a crazy weekend fling with a guy she met in a bar, rather than the one having a relationship with her brother’s best friend and bonding with him after the heart-wrenching funeral.”