Secrets (16 page)

Head pounding, fist clenched, he sat,
uncertain which course to take. Mike Griffin had been arrested for
a bevy of crimes and was more toxic than Justin. He’d been trying
to get his son to see a psychologist, but the fool refused to talk
to anyone since his wife kicked him out of their home.

The session finally concluded. He gritted
his teeth in aggravation as he nodded to his colleagues while
moving at a fast clip to his office. Closing the door, he leaned
against the heavy wood and inhaled. The stares and pity pissed him
off. He needed to help Justin either beat this thing or get him
sent away for mental help. None of them could continue under this
cloud much longer. He walked to the bar in the corner and poured a
ginger ale. Sipping the cool beverage, he noticed a manila envelope
on his desk. He opened the door.

“Stewart!” he barked, looking at the
envelope.

The younger man ran to the door. “Yes
sir?”

“What is that envelope doing on my
desk?’

His assistant craned his neck around the
door to see the packet. “I’m not sure, Sir. I didn’t place it
there. Would you like me to take it outside and check it?”

The Senator stared ahead for a moment,
thinking over everything that’d happened during the past forty
days. What if it’s more pictures of Justin or someone else? He
didn’t want his staff knowing the depth of his son’s perversion.
“No. I’ll take it from here.”

The younger man nodded and turned. “In order
to enter the building, it had to be scanned, so it should be okay.
If you need me, I’ll be right outside.” He closed the door behind
him.

Senator Winters walked at a tepid pace to
his desk. His nerves jumped in his forehead as he stared at the
damning small package. Sitting down, he picked up his long envelope
opener and sliced through the top. A DVD fell out. And a few
pictures of Justin with an older man. For a moment, he stared at
the items. A barrage of possibilities ran through his mind. Justin,
his wife, their children, congress, old and new friends. The video
could be about anyone, including himself. Resigned, he booted up
his computer and slid the disk in. Beads of perspiration dotted his
forehead as he waited to see the images. An acrid taste hit the
back of his throat. He tried to dispel it with the ginger ale and
failed.

Within seconds, a clear picture of Justin
and the man from the photograph filled the monitor. He frowned the
moment he realized Justin was drunk. His son leaned back and
snarled in the face of the other, smaller man.

“
I said to get me a girl in here, damn
it. Not a white one. I don’t screw little white girls. Gotta keep
my promise.”

“
I understand that. But right now I don’t
have anyone else available. Just those two in the back. I should be
getting a new shipment in next week.”

“
Mike sending them, or somebody
else?”

“
Mike’s sending them from his place in
Houston.”

Justin threw back another swallow from his
glass and stretched out. His khaki-colored pants had stains near
his zipper.

His father watched in disgust and shame.
Disgust that he personally knew the pervert, and shame that he
planned to do everything within his power to keep his son out of
prison.

“
Okay then,” Justin said. “I’ll make some
excuse to be here next weekend. Just make sure and tell Mike to
have some damn variety. Mix it up. Make his clients happy.”
He
smiled a large toothy grin. His father shook his head at the waste
his son had become. No wonder he refused all psychological help,
this was who he truly was.

“
He does make his customers happy,” the
man said. “You’re the only one that won’t touch little white
girls.”

Justin stood, knocking over a bowl from
the table, its contents hit the floor.
“I’m not breaking my
promise to Anna. I told her she’d be the only one and I meant
it.”

“
Bullshit.” The man laughed. “You’ve
tagged more virgin pussy than anyone I know.”

Justin shook his head. “Not like Anna’s.
Anna was my first, and nobody looked like her. She was perfect.
Long blond curls, small lips, light blue eyes. She loved me. Would
do anything I said. So…so I promised her it’d be me and her
forever.”

Senator Winter’s froze as a fine tremor shot
through him. His head shook from side to side in slow motion. His
heart stammered in shocked denial. “No,” he whispered without
taking his eyes from the monitor.

“
What are you doing here then? Go get
your true love.” The man shooed at him.

“
Some drunk asshole killed her. She’s
dead. My sweet Anna is dead and I’m all alone.”

The Senator sat dumb at his desk. His mind a
cocktail mix of varying degrees of hate, rage and sadness. His son
had had sex with his little sister? Not his princess. Not his
little Anna.

Eyes closed, he couldn’t escape the damning
words his son spoke.
“I’m not breaking my promise to Anna. I
told her she’d be the only one and I meant it.”
His head
dropped into his hands, his body shook as the enormity of Justin’s
perverseness rocked him.

“He had sex with his sister,” the Senator
whispered, still unable to believe. “He had sex with Anna. My baby
girl.”

Whoever sent this tape knew what it’d do to
him. He’d thought he was safe from whoever was after his son. But
they’d just struck a mortal blow to his heart. For years he’d felt
guilt for not driving his wife and daughter home that fateful
night. He’d decided to go back to his office and get more work
done. Anna had cried and clung to him, asking him to come home. Had
she been afraid to be alone with her older brother? Damn, he
couldn’t remember. All the times Justin had been alone with Anna in
their rooms, had he been raping his baby girl then? Tears fell from
his eyes, soaking the packet and pictures. His wife had often
bragged to her friends how good Justin was with his little sister.
What fools they’d been not to notice any signs.

She loved me. Would do anything I said.

The words tormented him. Had he threatened
her? Did he beat her? Kiss her? Questions flew around his mind,
refusing to land, refusing to verify the horrific truth. His son
had molested his sister, and it started him on this corrupt path.
The fool claimed to love Anna, and hadn’t been able to break the
pattern since his sister had died so young.

Turning toward the window, his heart ached
as he stared at the sunset signaling the end of the day. Rage
boiled in his chest. How dare Justin touch his precious angel? He'd
betrayed his mother’s trust and his father’s heart. Bitter gall
rose in his throat at the thought of any man’s hands on his tiny
child. Fist balled, he hit the armrests on his chair. He’d failed
his wife and his daughter. Justin had been a pervert even in his
teens and he’d had no clue.

Popping out the DVD, he returned it to the
packet and picked up his cell phone. It answered on the second
ring. “I need you to do a job for me.”

Chapter
13

Chastity was playing a game with the kids in
the family room when Sven strode in. She glanced at him and her
smile disappeared at his glower. Her heart raced in fear. Kenton.
Had something happened to him?

“What’s wrong?” She walked over to where he
stood.

“Someone shot at that punk,” he snarled. His
entire body shook under his fury.

Frowning, she didn’t follow him. “Who? What
punk?” She tapped his crossed arm to gain his attention.

“Winters. He made bail, and as he was
leaving with his attorney, someone took a shot at him, winged his
shoulder. Damn!” He spun around, fists clenched. “Now he’ll get
special treatment, they may not go as hard on him.” He faced her,
pissed. “Who the hell jumped the gun like that?”

“One of ours?”

“No. I’ve already checked.” Straightening,
he looked around. “Where’s Kent?”

“He told you he had to see the doctor this
morning about his arm. He should be back in another thirty minutes
or so.” She bit her lip. “He didn’t do it.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because it would draw attention to me and
the kids. I’m telling you it wasn’t him.”

Sven pulled through his hair and exhaled.
“You’re probably right. He wouldn’t risk you guys. That makes it
worse. We’ve got a loose cannon out there working against our
plans.”

“What exactly is the plan?” She moved closer
so the children wouldn’t hear their conversation.

“The guilty are supposed to go to prison and
experience some of the same things they’ve done to others.”

Her hand flew to her mouth as her eyes
crinkled in pleasure. “Justin will be somebody’s bitch?” She
smothered a shout. “Oh my god, that’s so wild, so perfect, so
necessary.” Closing her eyes, she savored the vision of her captor
on his knees begging to be left alone, begging some big man to stop
fucking him over and over. The ultimate punishment, he’d suffer
what he put his victims through. Clapping her hands, she smiled. “I
wish I could be a fly on the wall to see him cry and plead. But
knowing he’ll pay for what he did will help me sleep better at
night.”

“Yeah, but I need him alive long enough to
pay.” He stomped to the window and gazed outside. “So far Mr. B’s
plans have worked. First the congressman, then the leader of the
trafficking ring, the people that worked the houses, a couple of
accountants and attorneys. From what I’ve been told, they’ve all
been picked up and charged.”

“So I’m safe? The kids can go outside and
play again?”

He rubbed his chin. “I don’t know the status
of the hit. Someone could still be waiting in the wings to take you
out.”

“But they’ve arrested Griffin without any
information about me.” She hated the whine in her voice, but being
cooped up under lock and key was taking a heavy toll on her
nerves.

“True. But he didn’t know that. What if he
took out the contract before his arrest? We still need to be
diligent.” He patted her shoulder. “It won’t be much longer.”

“Hmmm, I’ve heard that before,” she
grumbled.

“You and Kent seem to be getting closer.” He
sat in the recliner near the door and smiled at her.

“Really? What makes you say that?”

“He’s moved from his room into yours.”

Heat raced to her face at his sly grin.
“We…we’re trying to figure things out.”

Sven nodded. “Is that what they’re calling
it?” He laughed. “Hey, it’s good. I like Kent for you, and Mr. B
always hoped the two of you would get together. Everyone’s happy.
Maybe not as happy as you…”

“Bald spot.” She sang watching his hand fly
to his head. The man was vain about his hair and she teased him
mercilessly about his thinning hair on top.

Joining her laughter, he held up a fist.
“One day, little girl.”

A moment later Kenton walked in and went to
the kids. “Hey Jonah, Micah, Mariah, I’m back. You guys been good
for your mama?” She knew he hadn’t seen her yet. Her eyes latched
onto the flexing of his hips and thighs as he moved to the sofa
where the boys sat playing a game. This past week he’d taken her to
hills and mountaintops of pleasure. Moisture gathered between her
legs as she remembered the heights he’d taken her to last night.
His lips, fingers and tongue were lethal as they brought her
repeatedly to orgasmic bliss. One thing marred their time together,
he wouldn’t let her pleasure him in any way. She’d been scared,
reluctant at first. But that passed after they spent the first
night together. Cuddling with him in bed, feeling his warmth and
his tenderness released her reservations about having sex. No
matter how many times she rubbed against his boner, he insisted he
would wait. Everything was for her. Time out for that heroic stuff,
her body demanded more. Her core throbbed as her eyes latched onto
his crotch. That was what she wanted. The itch returned deep
inside, her stomach flipped as the hunger for him grew.

So caught up in her need, she hadn’t
realized Kenton kneeled in front of her. “Babe? Chas are you all
right?”

She watched his lips move, but couldn’t
process anything but the deep, dark timbre of his voice. It set off
fireworks in her overheated body. A moan escaped her lips. He
looked at her and smiled at what he saw before kissing her as if
she was the air he breathed.

Chastity melted into his arms. Need
spiraled, fogging her mind. The tight bow of craving she’d refused
to acknowledge snapped. Gasping for air, they broke apart. She saw
the mask of need on his face and prayed he wouldn’t refuse her. Not
now.

“The children,” he whispered. Her hands flew
to her face as she looked around him. The room was empty.

“Where…where are they?”

He turned, looked around the room, rose and
headed out the door. She followed. They met Ms. Cook near the
kitchen.

“Have you seen the children?”

“Yes, they’re with Sven. He said to tell you
he's taking them to his apartment; they needed a break from the
main house.” The older woman shrugged and walked away.

Kenton squeezed her hand and pulled her to
his bedroom. Once there, he called Sven and verified he had the
kids. “He has them. Did you say something to him? About us?”

“I told him we were trying to work things
out or something like that. Why?”

“He said for us to spend some quality time
together today. The kids will be back tonight after supper.”

Her body hummed at his words, she licked her
lips, desperate for more of his taste. He pulled her tight.

“I always liked the way that man thinks.”
His kiss was bruising, his tongue unapologetic. That was fine with
her. She pulled him closer. He was hers and Lord knows she wanted
all of him. His warmth and taste created a sense of home.

Her body dissolved. She felt the thud of her
heart as their lips and tongues merged, and the answering beat of
his as they came together in a desperate hunger. His large palms
stroked her back. Did she feel half as good to him as he felt to
her? Did her taste and scent ravish his senses as his did for her?
Her mind reeled as new sensations swamped her. His back tensed as
she stroked the hard muscles under her hands. His hips jerked.