Retribution (10 page)

“Unfortunately, paperwork is a big part of the job. Even I get stuck with my fair share of it.”

“Don’t you have someone to handle stuff like that for you? An assistant?” I asked.

“I do, to an extent, but I have to handle some things myself.”

An idea formed in my mind. “Can I help you?”

It would be the perfect excuse to be in his office more.

“Thank you for offering, but I have it handled. My secretary and my assistant take care of most things, but some, I have to do.”

“Oh, okay,” I said.

“I appreciate the gesture though, Claire. And I appreciate just how hard you’re trying to make this work. Most women would have fled, but you decided to stick by me and ride this wave out with me.”

It was more than just a wave. It was a tsunami.

I couldn’t do anything but agree with him. “I love you, and I love the life you’ve given me. I don’t want to just walk away from all of that because of one drunken mistake. I’ve been shuffled around from broken home to broken home my entire life. I don’t want that for myself or for you. If you truly love me, we can make this work.”

He smiled at me. “I do love you, and I can’t imagine not having you in my life, Claire. You’re absolutely perfect for what I need in a wife.”

I raised an eyebrow. “What does that mean exactly?”

He seemed caught off guard for a moment, obviously realizing that he’d slipped up a tiny bit with that last remark. I was perfect for what he
needed
in a wife—what he needed, not what he wanted.

“I just meant that you fit here—with me, in this house, at the firm. You’re perfect.”

Smooth,
I thought to myself.

“I don’t feel very perfect right now.” I gently touched my swollen cheek. “I feel pretty broken actually.”

He pulled my hand away from my face and clasped it tightly in both of his. “You’re
perfect
.”

He didn’t apologize or even glance at the swollen and bruised part of my face. I wanted to smack him. He’d been so sincere about it in his office, but now, it was like he was pretending I wasn’t black-and-blue.

I was so lost in my anger that I didn’t even realize that Robert was moving toward me. By the time I noticed, his lips were crashing against mine. I tensed for a moment before I forced myself to relax. I had known that forgiving him would include kissing him. I wasn’t blind, but I hadn’t expected to feel the nausea rising up in my throat as he continued to kiss me. I forced it away and tried to focus on anything else as I started to kiss him back.

My mind went to Shelly with her beautiful smile and loving nature. I focused on her instead of what was going on now. I thought of all the times we’d spent together over the years. I’d watched her grow up in our foster home and even after. My mind drifted to the day at the zoo when Cooper had accompanied us. Shelly absolutely adored Cooper, something that she’d made quite obvious.

Robert slowly pulled away from me and cupped the good side of my face. “I want you, Claire.”

I shook my head before I could stop myself. “I can’t.”

He frowned. “Why not?”

Anger spiked through my veins. “Because my ribs are black and blue. I can barely walk without wincing.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think.”

I shrugged. “It’s fine, but I think I want to go to bed. I don’t feel so great all of a sudden.”

He nodded as he flipped the television off. “Bed sounds like a good idea. Do you mind if I join you?”

Cooper seriously owed me for everything I was doing, and I had every intention of letting him know that.

“Not at all.” I took Robert’s hand in mine as we started walking toward the stairs.

When we reached them, we both stopped at a sound that came from behind us. Cooper stood in the doorway. His eyes were glued to our joined hands.

“Cooper,” Robert said, suddenly tense. “I see you finally decided to come home.”

“I’ve been home for over a week, Father. I just didn’t feel like hanging around with the lovebirds.” He smirked at us. “Seeing you two look all lovey-dovey as you head upstairs, I was obviously right to stay away. I wouldn’t want to hear
that
again.”

“Cooper…” Robert’s voice was full of warning, and his hand tightened around mine.

“What? I’m just stating the obv—holy fuck. What the hell happened to you?” Cooper’s tone turned sharp as his eyes landed on my face.

I gave him a questioning look as Robert’s entire body went rigid.

“Your face looks like it went through a meat grinder!” Cooper said when neither Robert nor I had spoken.

“I, uh…I fell down the stairs a few days ago,” I lied.

Cooper’s eyes swung to Robert. “Like hell you did. My father did this to you, didn’t he, Claire?”

“No! I fell,” I said.

What was Cooper’s end game?

The only thing that would come of this was a fight between him and Robert. My eyes widened. That was what he wanted. He was looking for an excuse to go after Robert.

Cooper swiftly moved across the room. Before either of us could react, he swung back and nailed Robert in the stomach—hard. Robert released my hand and doubled over in pain. He wheezed, causing Cooper to smirk at him for a moment, before he turned his attention to me.

“And
you
!” Cooper pointed at me. “You’re worse than I thought. I knew you were weak, but to stay with him after he hurt you like that? You’ve sunk to a new low. You two deserve each other.”

He pushed past me and darted up the stairs. All I could do was watch him go.

Cooper was officially the king of manipulation. I couldn’t help but wonder if he was playing me the way he had just played Robert.

Robert left early the next day. Neither of us had spoken about what Cooper had done, but I knew Robert was angry. It practically radiated off of him. I hoped that Cooper knew what he was doing because I’d been on the wrong side of Robert’s wrath, and it wasn’t pretty.

Since it was Saturday, I didn’t have to work, but apparently, Robert had things he needed to take care of at his office. I wondered if he was really going to the office or if he was sneaking off to meet a mistress I didn’t know about. Cooper had shown me photographs before I married Robert, proving that he had cheated on Marie. When everything had fallen apart between Cooper and me, I’d pushed his proof aside, deciding to believe the best of Robert. Now, I knew better. It wouldn’t surprise me if he was cheating, and a part of me didn’t care. The other part simply hated the fact that he was making a fool of me.

I barged into Cooper’s room the minute Robert had left. I was angry with him for what he’d said to me even if I knew he had only been playing a part. Cooper was still fast asleep when I walked in. Too annoyed to wait, I jerked the covers away from him and smacked his arm.

He jerked awake, his eyes flying open. “What the hell?”

“My thoughts exactly. What was last night all about?” I demanded.

He rubbed his eyes like a little boy before sitting up. I hated the fact that I found it cute. I hated that I found almost everything about Cooper cute.

“You seriously woke me up at”—he glanced at the clock on his nightstand—“eight in the morning to discuss
this
?”

“Yeah, I did, so spill.”

He groaned. “I had to do something, Claire. If I had come in, knowing about your face, he would’ve been suspicious because he knows me. He knows I would’ve gone after him the moment I saw you, so I pretended that I hadn’t. Plus, it gave me a good excuse to punch him, so that was a perk, too.”

I rolled my eyes. “And what would you have done if he’d been so angry that he took it out on me again?”

“He wouldn’t, not while I’m around. He knows I’d kill him for touching you or anyone else.”

“While I’m glad you have confidence in your ability to scare your father, I don’t have the same confidence. After all, it’s
my
face that would be rearranged, not yours.”

“Claire, my father knows how I work. He knows that when my rage takes over, he’s no match for me. He’s strong, but I’m stronger, and hate is one hell of a fuel to add to my fire.”

I rolled my eyes. “Just don’t pull that shit again, okay?”

“I won’t. I think I made it pretty clear last night that I don’t want anything to do with either of you. I plan to stay far away from you when he’s around.” He must have seen the worry on my face. “But I’ll still be here. Don’t worry. I won’t leave you on your own.”

“This is such a clusterfuck,” I groaned as I sat down on the end of his bed.

“Nah, it just seems that way. You just stick to the plan, and all of this will be over before you know it.”

“Will it really? How long have you been after him, Coop? And look where you’re at—nowhere.”

He narrowed his eyes at me. “That’s because I had nowhere to start. Now, I have you. Once you earn his trust fully, we’ll get him to admit it. If not, you can snoop in places I can’t. Either way, we’ll bring him down—together.”

I sighed. “I hope so, Cooper, because I don’t know how long I can do this. I’m not a liar by nature. I don’t deceive or pretend to like people when I don’t. This is hard for me, harder than you realize.”

“I know this is hard, Claire. I realize how fucked up this situation is. I hated asking for your help, but I have no other choice at this point. I’m desperate.”

“It’s all right. I’m the one who agreed. You didn’t force me. I could’ve walked away, but I didn’t. I want to help. That’s why I’m still here.”

Cooper smiled at me. “Thanks, Claire.”

“So, what happens next?” I asked.

“When will Robert be in court?”

“If I remember right, Tuesday morning.”

“Double-check his schedule, and then ask Becky on Monday if it’s still scheduled. If so, plan to head into his office on Tuesday morning.”

“What am I supposed to do? Just walk right in?” I asked. “He’s not going to leave the door unlocked so that just anyone can walk in.”

He looked thoughtful for a moment. “No, he wouldn’t leave it unlocked for just anyone, but I bet his secretary has a key.”

“If I ask her to let me in, she’s going to tell him, Coop.”

“She will, which is why you need to have a good excuse for being in there.”

“I’m all ears,” I said sarcastically.

Cooper was silent for a moment, obviously lost in thought. “You want in so that you can surprise him with flowers.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Really. It’ll work, Claire. He’ll think you’re still kissing ass to get you two back on track, and it’ll give you an in with his secretary.”

“Dropping off flowers won’t give me enough time to snoop,” I pointed out.

“Tell her you plan to wait for him, but then say you can’t wait any longer. I’ve met his secretary, Claire. She’s a nice girl, but she’s not the brightest crayon in the box.”

“You’re just making this up as you go, aren’t you?” I asked.

He grinned. “I am, but that doesn’t mean it won’t work. Trust me.”

“Famous last words,” I mumbled.

“Oh, and, Claire?” Cooper asked as he stood.

“What?”

“You might want to think about what you’re doing before you burst into my room and pull the blankets down like you did this morning.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“Because next time, I might be naked.”

I felt heat rise to my cheeks. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

I walked into the kitchen with my purse slung over my shoulder.

“Hey, Claire. Where are you headed?” Ellie asked.

I smiled at her. “I’m going to pick up Shelly. I called this morning, and Tammy said I could have her for a few hours. I thought it might do me some good to get away from everything for a while.”

She nodded as her eyes flashed to my cheek. Thankfully, the swelling was going down, and the bruise was starting to fade. I could hide it a lot better now than before, but if people looked close enough, they could tell that I had a nice shiner.

Ellie knew what was underneath the makeup. She’d seen me the day after it had happened. She’d gasped and moved toward me, but I’d simply shaken my head and walked away. Ellie was Robert’s housekeeper. She had been for years. There was no way I could tell her what had happened. I feared she might confront him—or worse, she might quit. I couldn’t imagine this house without Ellie in it.