Secrets (18 page)

“Mr. Baxter wouldn’t—”

“He hired them,” he snapped. Softening his
tone at the look of hurt on her face, he continued. “He wanted the
best of the worst. They follow instructions and provide results.
The Congressman, the trafficker, the men and women that allowed you
to suffer, none of them gets a free ride. I believe Uncle David has
made provisions for them in prison. He waited a long time to punish
those people and we want to see them get what he planned.”

“Listen to yourself. Mr. Baxter is dead. You
don’t have to risk us by going after those assholes. I need you
here. The kids need you. Don’t mess up and lose everything in this
mad scheme of vengeance. Not for me.”

His jaw clenched. What those bastards did to
her would never go unpunished. He meant it when he said he’d kill
the motherfucker himself. “I was in it the moment I found out what
they’d done to you. Don’t ask me to be someone else. This will go
down according to my uncle’s plan or we will take them out.”

“What happens if something happens to you?
How will I live with that? Or is this all about male egos? If it’s
really about me, I don’t want you to take a chance getting caught
doing something illegal.” Her breath hitched. “I’m not coming to
see you in prison.”

He grabbed her close. “Baby,” he murmured,
moved by her concern for him. It touched dormant places inside that
he hadn’t realized were there. Gently, he tipped her chin up and
gazed into her eyes.

“Kenton, I lost Mr. Baxter. I won’t make it
if I lose you, too.” Her hand gripped his arm. “Please don’t do
this, let it go.” Her words humbled him. Swallowing his pain, he
struggled to explain his position, and prayed she’d understand.

“I lost Uncle David, too. He poured the last
twenty years of his life into reaching this moment, stopping the
madness for our children and children everywhere. Putting these men
behind bars and crippling the organization that profited on the
sale of kids was his main goal. Think about it, if Mariah was
taken— ” She stiffened and pulled back. He held on tight without
releasing her gaze. “No. Hear me out. I have a little girl now; and
my perspective has done a full rotation. None of us, Uncle David,
Sven or myself, helped you during the time they abused you. We
didn’t know. Now that we know these things are happening, we can’t
ignore the boy or girl out there praying for justice. For a chance
to believe things really do work out in the end, bad people get
caught and pay for the wrong things they’ve done.” He rested his
forehead against hers, hoping she heard his heart.

“Baby, I’m your man. I can’t let them get
away with what they did to you, to all those kids. That wouldn’t
send the right message to the punks waiting to step up and continue
playing the game.” His heart broke as she hid her face against his
chest. “No child should be afraid to walk home from school, or
think twice before a relative gives them a hug. I wouldn’t be the
man you think I am if I walk away and don’t finish this. I love my
kids, but somewhere out there a parent is wondering, hoping for a
fair deal against the damage rendered.”

Sniffling, she nodded and pulled away. “I
hear you, don’t like it, but I hear what you’re saying.” Tilting
her head up, she stared at him. “That was a low blow using Mariah
to make a point, but I got it. So many nights when I was alone,
waiting for whoever was coming for me , I cried, wishing someone
would save me. Anybody who could stop them from hitting me, from
making me do the things they wanted. I missed my mama, my family. I
played mind games, pretending I was still home and everything that
was happening around me was a bad dream.”

“Chas.” His voice deepened, filled with pain
for what she went through.

“Now that I’m safe, my kids are safe; I’m
turning my back on kids who’re going through the same hell I went
through.” Her eyes squeezed closed. “There’s no excuse for my
selfishness. I know Mr. Baxter worked for years to put those
motherfuckers away. I…I’m sorry. Just, just do what you need to
do.” Her eyes found his. “Thanks for reminding me there should
always be balance. Mr. Baxter used to say that a lot. They did
wrong, they need to pay.”

His lips captured the sweetness of hers.
Healing was a process that went layers deep. He hoped she’d reach
out one day and contact her mother or brothers and sisters. In the
meantime, he needed to connect with Sven about their next step.

Sven walked into the office, and they broke
apart.

“We’ve got company.” He looked at
Kenton.

“Who?” Chastity said, trying to move, but
Kenton wouldn’t release her. She’d just had an emotional outpouring
and he wanted to make sure she was cool before he left her
alone.

Sven crossed his arms. “Maude Stone and a
woman she claims is your girlfriend, Renee.” Chastity snatched away
from him.

“Girlfriend?” Chastity asked.

“Renee?” Kenton said. They spoke at the same
time. Kenton looked at her. “Remember, I told you I spent the night
with a woman my first night back in town.”

“Uh huh.” She frowned.

“That was Renee. I met her fourteen months
ago and we spent a few nights together then, that’s all. She wants
more, but I never promised her anything. She must have called
Maude, looking for me, and that woman latched on to her as an
excuse to come to the ranch.” He ignored Sven and looked at
Chastity, praying she believed him.

“What does she want?”

“I don’t know, I haven’t called or talked to
her or Maude since that day I talked to you here at the ranch.” He
couldn’t imagine why Renee had allowed his mother to bring her
here.

Chastity spun toward the door. “Where are
the children? Are you letting her in?”

Sven straightened. “The children are with
Robbie. It’s up to you whether they come on the property or
not.”

“I want to meet her.” Chastity sent him a
mischievous grin.

Kenton groaned. “Why?”

She shrugged. “I want to see the type of
women you like.”

“Look in a mirror, I love you.”

Sven laughed. They both frowned at him. He
held his hands out in a placating gesture. “I need to talk to the
men. What do you want me to do?”

“Let’em through,” Chastity said.

“Turn them away,” Kenton said at the same
time.

She scowled at Kenton. Her full lips were in
a delicious pout, corkscrew curls had free reign on her head. He
kissed her. At first she stiffened, but then relaxed in his
arms.

“You’re so sexy. Do whatever you want. Just
remember, you’re the one who let in the snake.”

“She’s your mother.”

“True, but I said turn her away. I’m aware
of her capabilities.”

Sven looked at her while talking on his
radio. Moments later, Levi, the giant, walked in with a red-faced
Maude and terrified-looking Renee.

“Kenton…what’s going on?” Renee’s eyes
roamed the room before landing on her.

“What’re you doing here, Renee?” He thought
his voice sounded calm, mild, but she still jerked backward when he
spoke.

She pointed to Maude. “Your mother said we
should come see you. That you missed me and would appreciate a
visit.” She glanced at him and then around the room. “I shouldn’t
have come.”

“No, you shouldn’t have allowed her to use
you. I can tell you from personal experience she cares nothing for
anyone other than herself. I haven’t talked to her since the day I
saw you.” Renee’s face reddened as she stared at Maude, who stood
in the middle of the office glancing around.

“Why? Why’d you tell me he wanted to see me?
Get my hopes up after he’d made it clear he was still in love with
someone from his past?”

Maude shrugged. “I didn’t know?” Her voice
callous and uncaring of the other woman’s feelings.

“I told you what he said, but you kept
calling and lying.” Renee stopped and looked at Kenton. “I feel
like such a fool, I’m sorry for this.” She turned to Levi. “Please,
take me to my car.” She glanced at Maude, who glared back at her.
“Find another way home and lose my number.”

“That’s all right, my son will see me home.”
She smiled, alerting everyone to her original plan.

“No, that’s not happening,” Kenton said,
pushing Maude forward. “Take this one as well. Make sure she clears
the property and stays off. She can walk or call a cab, for all I
care. Just make sure she’s off my uncle's land.”

“No,” Maude shrieked, struggling against
Levi with no success. Renee laughed as the giant hustled both women
out the front door. Just as they entered the foyer, Ms. Cook and
Mariah came running, and bumped into the two women. Maude fell to
the floor, landing on her ass, and looked at Mariah. Her eyes
widened. She shook her head and then stared at the child.

“My God,” she murmured. Mariah leaned
against Ms. Cook’s legs as Levi hoisted Maude up and pushed her
through the front door. Kenton, Chastity and Sven came just in time
to see Maude staring at the doorway, face devoid of all color.

“What happened?” Sven asked Ms. Cook.

“All the noise woke us up. We came to see
what the boys were doing, but it wasn’t the boys. It was Mr.
Baxter’s sister-in-law, the one he hated. And another skinny woman.
We bumped into them, they fell, and the nice man helped them up and
walked them outside.

Kenton closed his eyes. “Did Maude see
Mariah?” Chastity gasped behind him.

“Now that you mention it, she stared at the
little one for a minute longer than necessary. Her face got all
pasty white too.”

“I thought Mariah was out of the house with
Robbie,” Chastity said her voice weary.

“Yeah, but she wanted to come home with me,
so we took our nap.”

The woman had no idea how close he was to
strangling her at that moment. “I understand Ms. Cook, but we had
the children out of the house for a reason, and that reason just
walked out the door. We’d appreciate it if when you change our
instructions, you let us know. This would’ve been avoided if we
knew Mariah was in the house.”

“Sure, but like I told you before, nobody
tells me nothin’, so I can’t very well tell you something I don’t
know, you got me?”

He nodded. She was right. He hadn’t told her
not to bring the children inside, he’d told Robbie. “Got you. I’ll
work on my communications skills so this doesn’t happen again.” She
nodded and returned down the hall. Chastity held Mariah. He waved
them back into the office and closed the door.

Sven’s face was an implacable mask. “I
respect you,” he said looking at Kenton. “But Maude doesn’t get the
kids. Under no circumstances will I allow her to get close to these
kids again.”

Kenton knew he could take that a few ways.
One being that his mother would cease to breathe, the other being
that he would cease to breathe; both would make that statement a
reality. “I know and I trust you to do whatever it takes to make
sure my family’s safe.” The two men stared at each other a moment
longer before Sven nodded.

“What do you think she’ll do?” Chastity
asked, rocking her baby back to sleep.

“Well, she knows Uncle David can’t have
kids. The doctor drove that nail in deep,” Kenton said.

Sven grunted. “She just saw a miniature
version of herself with a tan. Her mind’s spinning. Let me check
what she’s up too.” He made a call, and after asking a few
questions, clicked off. “The girl, Renee, had guts. She drove off
and left Maude outside the gate. Maude’s waiting for a taxi. He
said she’s sitting on a rock, waiting and staring like she’s
shell-shocked. He said it was creepy.” He looked at Chastity. “Did
you see what you wanted to see?”

She hung her head. “Yes.”

“That was crazy, you know.”

Her eyes slid to Kenton before landing on
Sven. “Not to me. I wanted to see the type of women he dated, and I
saw.”

“So what do you plan on doing with that
information?” Sven persisted. Kenton watched the bantering between
the two, glad Sven asked the questions so he wouldn’t have to. Her
curiosity added another layer of complication they didn’t need.

“Nothing, I just needed to know, okay.” Her
voice rose an octave.

Sven turned to Kenton. “Come over in an hour
and we’ll go over the rest of the plans. We’ll need to modify some
of them for Maude, but that shouldn’t be a problem.” He glared at
Chastity and stormed out.

After a few minutes of silence, she spoke.
“Go ahead, blast me for my jealous insecurities. I put Mariah in
jeopardy. Maude’s not blind, she’ll figure out the kids are
yours.”

He placed his arm around her, inhaling her
citrus-y scent. Today her emotions had been all over the place.
“I’m honored that you care. You hold my heart, and regardless of
what happens, we’re a team. If Maude figures out the truth, so be
it. At the end of the day, as long as you’re here with me, nothing
else matters.” He kissed her forehead.

“I think she liked you.”

Here we go
. “Maybe, but I told her my
heart was taken.”

“I can’t believe you did that. What if we
didn’t work out?”

“Doesn’t change how I felt about you or
about her.”

She stared at him, biting her lower lip. “I
love you.”

“I know.”

Chapter
15

Chained at his ankles and wrists, former
Congressman Justin Waters moved at a sluggish pace down the shiny
corridor to his cell. After his attorneys had discovered the
overwhelming amount of evidence against him, the first group
refused to go along with his not guilty plea. The second attorney
had taken his case with the stipulation that he’d plead guilty,
while they worked a deal for a shorter sentence. The prosecution
had asked for life with no parole. Thankfully, cooler minds
prevailed, and in twenty years, shorter with good behavior, he’d be
free.

After the second attempt on his life, his
wife had filed for a divorce. No surprise there. She’d never been
the 'till death do us part' type anyway. They’d married for reasons
other than love, more like status and financial advancement. Pity
he was flat broke; she’d been furious at that piece of news. The
divorce decree stated he’d have no contact with his daughters. He
balked at first; he loved his kids. The attorney convinced him that
once he got out of prison, they’d be old enough to decide if they
wanted to resume a relationship with him, so he signed off on the
paperwork. Now he was free, in one instance at least.