Love, Lies & The D.A. (38 page)

“Something’s
not right.”

“Could
it be that you’re feeling this way because of what happened at dinner and maybe
because you saw Sophie?”

“I don’t
know…” I reply. Then I notice a pen poking out through my bunch of keys on the
bedside table. It’s not mine.

“Is
this yours?” I ask, handing it to him.

“No.”

I take
it from him and slip it under my pillow.

“Neither
is it mine. It wasn’t there before we went to dinner. Someone was in here.”

Jonathan
pulls out the pen, and after further inspection, we both notice the camera on
the end, not to mention the USB port to the backside.

He
pulls out his phone, takes the pen, and heads out the bedroom. This had to be
Wendy’s doing. Moments later, I hear a huge ruckus coming from downstairs.

I open
the door and hobble out to see what the fuss is.

“She
can’t stay here,” Jonathan says.

“You’re
throwing me out?” Daniel asks.

“I’m
throwing her out. What you choose to do after that is completely up to you. I
will not have a fraud in my house.”

“If
you throw her out, you’re throwing me out.”

“Well,
that’s your fucking business, but I want her and all her things out of my
house. Now!”

“Where
am I supposed to go?”

“You’re
part owner of a resort now. I highly doubt the owner will have problems finding
a place to stay.”

Moments
later, I hear a door slam shut, and soon after, the engine of a vehicle kicks
in then tires screech away.

The
doorbell rings a while later. Shortly after, Jonathan returns to the bedroom
and helps me downstairs. He motions to me to be silent. Douglas is there with a
woman and another man. I assume agents.

Jonathan
pulls a throw off the couch then we head outside. He closes the door shut. The
rest of his family sits around the outdoor fireplace, but we stand some distance
away while we talk.

 “I
didn’t know the FBI was here,” I murmur.

“I’m
not taking any chances after that so-called accident,” he replies, draping the
throw over my shoulders.

“What
happened with Daniel?”

“He
was defending her.”

“Are
you sure it was her?”

“Yes.
The house has been under surveillance since before we got here yesterday. We’ve
been the only ones in and out of here. She must have placed the camera there
while we were at dinner.”

“I’m
sorry about this.”

“It’s
not your fault.”

“You
and your brother had a fight over this. I bear some responsibility in that.”

“My
brother and I had a fight because he was being a gullible ass. You don’t need
to worry about it. They’re sweeping the entire house now.”

We
join the rest of the family around the fireplace. Forty-five minutes later,
Phillip motions to Jonathan that they’re done. After a short conversation with
him, we return inside.

He
shuts the
bedroom door. He’s quiet and twitching.

“What
is it?”

“They
found twenty hidden cameras and microphones in the house.”

I
sigh. “Are they sure they got them all?”

“Yes.”

I need
to lie down. At this point, I feel like my head will explode.

“Go
play with your family. It will help you relax.”

“No. I
need to be with you right now,” he says, kissing me on my head then slipping
under the covers beside me.

My
heart tingles, and at that moment, I realize how thankful I am to have him in
my life.

He
holds me close and twiddles the locks of my hair between his fingers while we
lie in bed.

“Did
you discuss our relationship with your family?”

“With
my mom, I did. Megan obviously knows. My brothers… they can figure it out for
themselves. Why?”

“Just
curious. I don’t think Daniel ever approved of me.”

“Did
he say something to you?”

“No.
Just a gut feeling. And his behavior. He’s always respectful, but very
distant.”

“What
about his behavior?”

“Well,
on a few occasions, I’ve tried to have a polite conversation with him, but he
always brushes me off. And he was the only one of your siblings who didn’t
visit or call after my accident. Even your mom, in her condition, called.”

“He’s
always been the quiet, cautious type.”

“Why?
Everyone else in your family is so outgoing.”

“A few
years back, he was engaged to be married to his high school sweetheart. They
even went to college together. The day before the wedding, she disappeared.”

“Disappeared
as in went missing?”

“No. She
left. She left him a Dear John letter. He later found out that she was seeing
someone else.”

“That’s
sad.”

“Yep.
Since then, he hasn’t been the same. I wouldn’t worry about it if I were you.”

“I won’t.
But I hate that there’s friction between you two.”

“He’s
being an ass. He only met Wendy a few weeks ago. After I told him she’s been
trying to reach you since Richard’s death, I hoped he would see that her being
in his life might be a matter of convenience, but he refuses to see it that
way. You’d think that after everything he’s been through, he’d open his eyes.”

“He’s
probably in love with her.”

“I
certainly hope not, but that’s his choice. She is not welcome in my house. I
don’t trust her around you. And I don’t trust her around my family.”

“This
can create a wedge between you two.”

“I
hope not. Douglas is going to see if he can pull any prints off the devices he
found and see if he can match them up against their database.”

“What
if she doesn’t have a record?”

“Then
I suppose, at the very least, they can ask her to provide her prints and see
how she responds.”

“What
if the prints do belong to her?”

“I don’t
know… I haven’t thought that far ahead, but she could go to state prison for
this. If her company put her up to this, either of us could potentially sue
them.”

“I don’t
know if I’d want to go that far. It would only alienate your brother further.”

“We
don’t need to talk about this now. Right now, I’m happy that you were intuitive
enough to actually follow your instincts.”

“Me
too.”

After
a bit of silence, he says, “Tell me… were you going to leave on Saturday
because you saw Sophie with me?”

“I was
indecisive. The last few days, I had been wondering if I should return to Big
Sur or try to settle back into a normal life at home. I went to the office for
a few hours that morning then I went to the store. Not one person bothered me.”

“You’re
evading my question.”

“I’m
not. It just forced me to make a decision.”

“Do
you always run when there is a problem?”

“No.
And that’s not what I’m doing now. I hope you realize that we met and are
getting to know each other at a time in my life when nothing is the norm.”

“I do.
What was normal life before this all started?”

“Let’s
see… Work. Tennis at least twice a week. Then many nights, I’d either be by
Richard or he would be by me. Koto and I had lunch together three or four times
a week. She and I usually did something together on the weekends. I attended a
lot more social events and traveled too. Depending on where I was going, I
could be out of the state or country anywhere from a couple of days up to a
week or two, monthly.”

“I
would imagine it’s been very difficult.”

“It
has. I know you probably see me leaving as running, but that’s not the full
picture. It’s about me having some sort of a normal life. When I stay in San
Fran, I’m confined to my condo. I’m either harassed or followed everywhere I
go. When I leave San Francisco, I get to go out and enjoy what there is to
offer. Saturday, for the first time in months, I stepped out of my building
with no problem. Obviously, things have changed since then.”

“You
miss Koto?”

His
question makes me think. “I do… At least, who I thought she was. She’d been in
my life from the day I stepped foot in the US. Bobby, in many ways, has
replaced her. But in many ways, he hasn’t. I sometimes feel a void. Especially
at times when I knew for certain we’d be together.”

“Do
you think you could ever forgive her?”

“I
don’t know… maybe. But I could never have her in my life. Even if I did, I
could never trust her again. If this were a one-night stand, perhaps…
maybe
we could get past it. But they started this affair within weeks of Richard’s
proposal—that I know of. It went on for nine months, and I see no evidence to
make me believe they intended to end it. She told me they were going to after
he and I got married, but why should I believe that when they didn’t have any
respect for a monogamous relationship in the first place. And to top it off, it
looks like she’s now probably pregnant with his child.”

“I’m
sorry.”

“Better
I found out then instead of years from now, right?”

“True.”

“And
besides, if they didn’t screw up, I wouldn’t have met you, so there is a bright
side to this.”

“
Awww
.
You’re so sweet,” he says. Then kisses me on my lips. “Now that they’re out of
your life, where do you see your future?”

“First,
I need to get past this disaster I face. Beyond that, my wants haven’t changed.
I still want the same things
—
love, happiness, my happily
ever after.”

“Richard’s
screw up didn’t faze you?”

“No.
It probably made me insecure in many ways, but I’d still like to get married,
travel the world, and have a family someday.”

“Insecure?
You’ve said that before. Why?”

“I don’t
trust myself the way I used to before. I used to be so sure of myself and my
decisions—both with work and my personal life. Now, I question myself all the
time. That belief I used to have in myself is gone.”

“That
must be discomforting.”

“It
is… but I guess as time goes by, I’ll get back to where I once was.”

“You’re
not to blame for this, you know.”

“I don’t
blame myself, but you know what’s so scary, I was completely clueless.
Blindsided. I had no idea anything was going on, not with Richard or with him
and Koto, and it was going on for so long.”

“This
is on them, not you. You trusted them.”

“I did,
and look where it got me.”

“It
doesn’t always turn out that way.”

“I
hope not because I don’t know that I can handle that kind of betrayal or loss
again. First my dad, then my ex and best friend all at once…then your dad.”

“I’m
sorry for what you’ve been through. Just know that you’re safe with me.”

I kiss
him gently on his hand in response.

“What
about you?” I ask.

“I
have to get things back on track at the firm. Outside of that, I want all the
same things you want. Except I want ten babies.”

“You’re
kidding, right?”

He
chuckles. “I am… maybe two.”

I sigh
inwardly.

We
spend the rest of the night in bed. What starts out as hours of enlightening
conversation gives way to us watching a movie, and then an intense and
passionate session of making out. I wish we could make love, but I don’t think
my body can handle it.

The
events of the last week are behind us and completely forgotten.

I don’t
know how much time has gone by, but Jonathan’s ringing phone wakes me.

“God!
What now?” he shouts, then answers, “Yeah? Yes, what make? Blue? Yes, I know
who it is. She has no business here. No, but thanks for letting me know. Yes.
Thanks Douglas. Bye.”

“What’s
wrong?”

“It
looks like Sophie is spying on us,” he sighs. “Damn it. How could I not have
seen this coming?”

A
mischievous thought crosses my mind, and I can’t help but smile.

“What’s
the big smile all about?”

I
giggle.

“What?”

“It’s
too bad I’m crippled right now. I would have loved to give her something to
really spy on.”

“You’re
being naughty.”

“It
would have been nice to show her all the things I’d love to do to you.”

“Do to
me… titillating,” he replies, trailing kisses down my neck. “We’ll have to make
sure we get you back up on your feet soon—literally. It’s too bad we can’t
speed up healing a broken wrist.”

“What
makes you think I need an extra wrist for what I had in mind?”

“Jada
McLean, you surprise me.”

“I can’t
wait to be healthy again…”

I am
surprised
the next morning when Jonathan parks at the very place we
first met. We’re all getting together for brunch. When we walk in, the familiar
face of the host, Mandy I think Jonathan said her name was, greets us. The rest
of the family waits. When she sees us together, she smiles, but when her eyes
meet mine, I think she’s a little embarrassed. No doubt, she remembers me well.
I wink at her, and she eases a little and escorts us to our seat.