Breath of Scandal (56 page)

Jade hugged her elbows, although the sun was well up by now and the day was much too warm for her to have chills. "Maybe he went fishing," she said hopefully.

"Maybe. I was on my way to check his favorite spot on the channel when y'all drove in." He squeezed her upper arm reassuringly. "Stay put. I'll be back in five minutes." He drove away in the company pickup.

"Let's go into your office to wait," Cathy suggested. Jade allowed herself to be led into the portable building, but after they got inside she couldn't sit still. She paced in front of the windows, glancing out every few seconds in the hope of seeing Dillon returning with Graham.

"Could his note to you have been forged? Do you think it was written under duress?"

442

Sandra Brown

"Of course not," Cathy said. "Graham slipped the note under my bedroom door and left an open box of PopTarts on the kitchen table. I think he was on his way out here to see Dillon and you, just as his note said."

"Then where is he?"

"He got distracted and stopped somewhere."

"He's not supposed to stop unless he has permission to." "Children sometimes forget. Sometimes they flagrantly disobey. "

"Not this time," Jade said stubbornly. "Besides, Graham isn't a child." A new thought struck her. "Do you think he was upset because I stayed out all night with Dillon?"

"I seriously doubt it. Graham fell in love with him long before you realized you had." Jade cast her a sharp glance. "What surprises you, Jade? That Graham loves the man, or that you love him? Or are you surprised that I knew what was happening between Dillon and you before either of you were aware of it yourselves?

"It was obvious from the day I met him how Dillon felt about you, and equally as obvious that you were failing in love with him. As perceptive as he is, don't you think Graham would have seen the signs, too? He's crazy about Dillon. I'm certain he's delighted that you finally got together. "

Jade was distracted by a noise outside. "He's back." She ran out the door just as the telephone rang. "Cathy, get that, will you?"

Graham wasn't in the truck. "I didn't see him anywhere," Dillon told her. "I drove along the banks of the channel. There was no sign of him or his bike. " Jade crammed her fist against her lips. He drew her into his arms. "Don't panic. He's somewhere, and we'll find him."

"lade," Cathy called from the open doorway. "The telephone is for you."

"Take a message." "It's Neal Patchett.

CHAPTER r1ml

I hirly

Dillon drove with       only one consideration-speed. "Those sons of bitches.   What did they do, snatch him off the side of the road?"

"I don't know. Neal didn't say." Jade's eyes were fixed on the road. "All he said was that Graham and Myrajane Griffith were at his house having a conversation he thought would interest me."

"Myrajane is. . . ?" "Lamar Griffith's mother."

Dillon reached across the seat and tightly squeezed her hand. "They can't hurt you anymore, Jade."

"They've got my son."

"They wouldn't dare lay a finger on him."

"Maybe not physically. But they've got their ways, believe me. You don't know them like I do."

No sooner had Neal delivered his chilling message than she had dropped the office telephone. She quickly removed something from the small safe beneath her desk before running for the door.

"I'm going with you," Dillon had said. "Cathy, lock up the office, please. Take Jade's car home and wait for us there. We'll call when we can." Dillon intercepted Jade at her Cherokee and guided her toward his pickup.

"This is my problem, Dillon. My fight. I'll handle it." "Not without me. So stop wasting time and get in." Now, she was glad he had come along. His was a strong,

reassuring presence. Besides, he drove more aggressively

443

444

Sandra Brown

than she would have had the strength or presence of mind for.

They arrived at the Patchetts' estate in record time. Jade bolted from the pickup the instant it came to a stop. She raced up the steps and across the veranda. Dillon was fight behind her as she barreled through the front door.

"Graham!" Her shout echoed off the walls and tall ceilings. "He's in here."

The scene in the formal front parlor looked as deceptively innocent as a stage setting. There was a steaming silver tea service on a low table, along with biscuits and jam, a fresh fruit compote, and a serving platter of paper-thin slices of baked ham. No one was eating.

Myrajane Griffith was seated in a wingback chair, her floral dress clashing with the patterned upholstery. Her rouge had been applied with a heavy hand, making two vibrant coins of color on her wrinkled, pale face. A pair of white gloves lay in her lap. She was wearing a ridiculous hat . . . and a murderous glare aimed at Jade.

Ivan, sitting in his wheelchair, looked like a shapeless mass held together by ill-fitting clothes. His smile was sly and malicious. His sunken eyes looked like windows into hell.

Despite his swollen nose and bruised chin, Neal appeared as well groomed and unruffled as ever. He had on gray linen slacks and a pink oxford shirt. He was standing in front of the marble fireplace, one elbow negligently propped on the carved mantel. He was swirling the contents of a highball glass, which looked to be a Bloody Mary.

Jade took in all this at a glance, then focused on her son, who was seated alone in a chair. She rushed toward him. "Graham, are you all fight?"

He sprang from the chair, circled it, and placed it between them. His hands alternately flexed and gripped the backrest, which had dogwood blossoms carved into the wood. "Get away from me. I hate you."

Jade drew up short. "Graham! What are you saying?"

Breath of Scandal

445

"You let him die. I could have helped him, but you wouldn't let me, so he died."

"Who?" "Hutch," Neal informed her. "He's no longer with us." Jade was momentarily stunned. Donna Dee sprang to

mind, and she felt a pang of sympathy for her. "Hutch is dead?"

"Donna Dee called us with the bad news late last night. "You killed him!" Graham shouted.

"Don't speak to your mother in that tone of voice," Dillon said sharply.

"You, you, shut up," Graham sputtered. He was doing his best not to shed the unmanly tears standing in his eyes. "She's a whore, and now you know it, too. She probably screwed you all night."

"That's enough!" Dillon barked.

"Like a jerk, I was hoping you'd get married. This moming, I was coming to tell you that it was all fight with me, but now you won't 'cause you know my mother's a slut! "

Jade said, "Graham, listen to me, 1--

"No. You're the worst person I know. You let a man who might've been my dad die. I could have donated a kidney to him, but you didn't even tell me."

"What would have been the point? He might not have been your father. "

"That's what makes you a whore." He pointed to Ivan and Neal. "They told me my dad could have been three men. They told me that you did it with all of them. Two of them are dead now, and I never even got to know them on account of you. This old lady could be my grandma, only you don't even want me to know her, either."

"No, I didn't want you to know your father." "Why?" he shouted.

"Because he did something evil."

"Evil?" he hiccuped. "I don't believe you." "It's true."

"You're a liar. You never would tell me about my dad

446

Sandra Brown

Breath of Scandal

447

because you were ashamed. I'll never believe you again. Never. "

Yesterday, she had thought her enemies were defeated, but they had sprung back with a vengeance. They were clever enough to have attacked her where she was most vulnerable-Graham.

She could see the fear, confusion, and anguish in his young face. His whole world had collapsed around him, and his image of her had been shattered by malicious lies. If she didn't get him back immediately, she could very well lose him forever.

Only the truth could get him back.

"What they told you is true, Graham. Any one of three men could be your father. Because the three of them raped me. I got you when I was raped by three men."

He drew a ragged breath through his parted lips.

"I never wanted you to know because I didn't want you to impose that stigma on yourself. I didn't want you to blame yourself for something that was none of your fault. It was their sin, Graham. Theirs. Not mine, and certainly not yours."

She took a step forward and appealed to him. "I wouldn't tell you now except I'm afraid that if I don't, I'll lose your -love and trust permanently. You've got to believe me, Graham. These three men took away my virginity and my youth. They robbed me of my first, beautiful love, a boy named Gary Parker, who killed himself over what they did. Your grandmother deserted us because of what happened."

She stretched out her hand. "I can't let them take you, too, Graham. They've twisted the facts to make me look bad, but I wasn't the bad one. Neither are you. I love you. I know you love me. And because you love me, you've got to believe that what I'm telling you is the truth."

He glanced at the Patchetts suspiciously, then locked gazes with Jade again. "You were raped?"

"That's fight. When I was eighteen. And the only good thing to come out of it was you."

He hesitated for only an instant before hastily knocking aside the chair and lunging toward her. She clasped him to

her tightly, holding him as though she would never let him go.

"He stopped me on the road. He told me you'd be here, Mom. He said I was supposed to come with him."

"I know how persuasive he can be."

"I'm sorry I said those things about you. I didn't mean them. "

"I know you didn't." Over his shoulder, she regarded Neal with repugnance. "We love each other, and nothing is ever going to change that. Ever."

Dillon placed an arm around the two of them. "Let's get the hell out of here. " As one, they turned toward the arched opening.

"Not so fast," Neal said. "We're not finished here. We've got a lot to discuss with Jade that doesn't involve you, Burke. "

Jade spoke up before Dillon had a chance. "I've got nothing to discuss with you, except a possible kidnapping charge. "

"You can't kidnap your own child," Neal said. "What does he mean, Mom?"

"I'll bet you'd like to meet your real daddy," Ivan said to Graham. "Wouldn't you like that? To get to know your daddy and your grandpa?"

"Stop it," Jade shouted. "Haven't you done enough damage for one day?"

Graham's eyes drew a bead on Neal. "You were tht other one, weren't you? Did you rape my mother?"

"So she says," he replied smoothly. "But you'd just as well learn now how females lie, son."

"Don't call me that."

"It's not the way she says it was, Graham. Was it, Jade?" he asked, giving her a wink.

"You're despicable. " Jade took Graham by the hand and turned to leave, but Myrajane stunned them all by coming to her feet and speaking for the first time.

Pointing a long, meatless finger at Graham, she said, "He's a Cowan! I see my daddy in him. That's Lamar's son, and I want him."

448

Sandra Brown

"Well, you can't have him. " Jade divided her glance between Ivan and Neal. "Why did you bring her into this? Only to make things worse?"

Ivan said, "If he's Lamar's boy, Myrajane has every right to him, just like we do if he's Neal's."

As she moved across the room toward them, Myrajane's eyes glowed with fanatical fervor. "He's my flesh and blood. He's a Cowan. He's one of us." Looking at Jade, she hissed, "How dare you keep this child from me all these years? How dare you let me think all my kin were gone."

"She freaking nuts." Dillon nudged Jade's elbow. "Let's go. "

"It won't do you any good to leave with the boy," Ivan said. "It won't do you any good to hide him, either. We plan on taking this thing to court if we have to."

"For what purpose?" "Custody. "

Jade looked at them incredulously. "No court in the country would even hear your case,"

"But think of the stink it would raise," Ivan said with his nasty cackle. "You don't want that kind of scandal, do you? I don't think that Yankee Jew company you work for would like having the newspapers filled with stories about you and the three high-school classmates you gangbanged." Myrajane gasped at the crudity, but no one paid her any attention.

"Or was it four classmates, Daddy?" Neal asked tauntingly. "Don't forget Gary."

"You shut up about my mother!" Before Jade or Dillon could stop him, Graham charged toward Neal, fists poised for a fight. Dillon yanked him back.

"I get first crack at him," Dillon muttered.

Jade stepped in front of them. "Both of you, go outside. Graham was struggling to get free of Dillon so he could reach Neal. Dillon looked ready to kill him himself. "And leave you alone with them? Like hell, Jade."

She laid her hand on his arm. "Please. Wait outside. I've got to do this alone."

"Mom, don't send me out," Graham protested.

Breath of Scandal

449

"Graham, I must. Please."

Dillon deliberated while searching her face. "Please," she whispered urgently. At last he relented and pushed Graham toward the archway. Graham didn't like it, but Dillon didn't take any guff. Before they went out, Dillon turned and aimed a threatening finger at Neal. "If you lay a hand on her, I'll kill you. Nothing would give me greater pleasure."

When Jade heard the front door close behind them, she turned back to the room. This was the most important confrontation of her life. She prayed to God she had the courage to play it well.

Don't ever be aftaid, Jade.

"This will never go to court," she said to Neal in a steady, confident voice. "You've got no claim on my son. "He could be my son, too."

"You'll never know." "DNA fingerprinting."

"Which I'll never submit Graham to. Any claim you make on him will be tantamount to a confession of rape." "My son never raped anybody!" Myrajane shrieked. Jade turned to her. "He did, Mrs. Griffith. When you