Secrets (6 page)

Lacey spoke up. “These are all good questions, Michelle. We'll keep looking into it, get to the bottom of this development.”

Her words fell flat on the floor in front of Michelle's feet. William Carter was one of the most powerful businessmen in town. No, in the world. He was head of an extremely profitable and successful property acquisition and development company. And he was unscrupulous, deceitful, and downright mean. He'd collected power and money and left suffering in his wake. Even Lacey's husband, William's son, had felt the negative influence of his family name and vowed to make amends to the world for his father's actions. What could she possibly do to thwart William Carter?

She sat up straight. “I need a lawyer.”

Sterling and Lacey mirrored her, sitting up straight in their chairs. “Yes you do,” Lacey said.

“A very good lawyer, who is not afraid of a fight.” Sterling pounded her fist on her desk, excited.

“Casey.” He'd already offered, and she had no time to waste.

• • •

Michelle sat across the table from Casey at the deli not far from his office. The ambiance of the place felt soothing. The scent of fresh coffee and bread boosted her appetite. The background sounds of conversations around the dining room gave them some privacy.

“Thank you for meeting with me.” She looked into Casey's eyes and found welcome and intense interest. His face glowed with its typical vitality. Even with his reserve, he was always all-in at the present moment. It was refreshing. “You know what we talked about last night? About a problem with my property?”

His eyes locked on hers and he nodded his head. “Of course.”

She cleared her throat, a bit unnerved by his presence. “I think I need a lawyer and I was wondering if you would be that lawyer.” Uneasiness tripped her heartbeat. It didn't seem right to ask for his help when she'd made a habit of late of putting him off. “Sterling and Lacey found the lawyer's client who is potentially the interested buyer. It's really bad news.”

“I know. William Carter. I did a search, too. The list of clients that lawyer represents is pretty focused.”

The waitress stepped up to pour refills of their coffee. Casey smiled pleasantly up at her and the young woman reddened appreciably. Michelle waited until she'd left. “What do you mean focused?”

He looked over his right shoulder, then his left, and leaned in close. “A very elite group of business men and women make up his clientele.”

She shook her head, unsure of the implication. “Do you know what that has to do with me?”

He reached across the table and took her hand in his. It sent delicious shivers through her body. Immediately, she clamped down on the feeling. It wasn't safe.

His eyes focused steadily on hers. “I don't know. Yet. But I will. Soon. I promise. We know William Carter has hurt a lot of innocent people. The other people on the list have equally bad reps. I'm going to make sure you don't become a part of the devastation.”

“So you'll take my case?” Her voice sounded small to her own ears. Yes, she was worried, but mostly she was angry. Maybe underneath the anger helplessness seethed.

He squeezed her hand, gently. “Of course, Michelle. I told you I wanted to help.” He held up his palms to face her. “No strings attached.”

She lowered her gaze. A confusing mixture of gratitude and something close to love tightened her throat. “Thank you. When can you start?”

He laughed the easy, smooth laughter that came from his belly. “I already have. I can't wait to get in some in-his-face ass whooping. It's high time William Carter gets to know me better.”

She traced a scratch on the tabletop. “I think I know why he's on my case.” She held her breath, and wondered at Casey's patience. She breathed out, making a choice. “During my freshman year in college, I was raped.”

Casey's posture stiffened, and he let out a quiet gasp. But he stayed silent.

“I was walking alone on the quad at night and an upperclassman, Darrel Dobosky, walked up beside me. I knew him, but not as a good friend. He was all personality and charm. He talked about the weather. Said he loved fall. Then he took hold of my shoulders and essentially shoved me behind a row of bushes that ran alongside a building. I struggled, but he pushed me to the ground. He told me to shut up and he backed up his demand by putting a knife to my throat.” Her voice trembled, she heard it herself, but she didn't cry. Her words came out flat, matter of factly. A disassociated state threatened to engulf her. And Casey's eyes teared up. His anger flamed out from him but he didn't show it. He just continued to listen.

“I reported the rape to the police and went through the whole ordeal so I could do my part to stop him from hurting other women. Darrel was charged, we went to court. I even got on the witness stand and told my story again. But Darrel's father, Bruce Dobosky, is a prominent, wealthy, and influential man in this town and a friend of William Carter.”

Casey nodded. “I know things about the man.” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully and slitted his eyes. “Lots of publicity?”

“Yes. And a lot of what the media reported was wrong. About me, wrong. His lawyer presented me as a promiscuous flirt. Friends of his family testified that I'd been chasing after him for weeks prior to the sex. They called it sex, not rape, because he claimed it was consensual.” She rubbed her arms, cold seeping throughout her body. “Darrel was acquitted. I can only guess, but as a friend of William Carter I'm sure Darrel had some purchased friends on the jury. On his way out of court he snickered at me and mouthed … ”

“Let me guess, a threat, a taunt, something disgusting.” Casey balled his fists, but remained calm.

“He said he'd be watching me. I was eighteen years old. If he wanted to ruin my life, he could. I lost myself for a while. I never felt safe. I was consumed with shame, but through counseling I got a grip on my life again.”

Casey moved his chair close to her. He put his arm around her and stroked her shoulder softly. “What a complete invasion of who you are, a complete tearing apart of the foundation that kept you whole.”

“I saw Darrel's face everywhere I went. I tried to get a restraining order but the Carter effect prevented it.”

Casey stroked her chin, soothing her deep sorrow and fear. “I'm so sorry this happened to you, Michelle.”

“It was five years ago. I've told myself over and over not to surrender my life to this evil person. But it changed me. I used to think I was invincible and fearless. Ha! Not anymore. But I'm working on it, still.” Tears blurred her vision, and she swiped them away. “Purchasing this house, my childhood home, was an attempt at creating a feeling of safety. I have nothing but good memories here and I thought … ” Sobs took her over, and she closed her eyes.

Casey pulled her close, stroking her hair. “You thought you'd get more pieces of your life back. And now Carter is taking it away and threatening to do more hateful things.”

“You've been so considerate of my need for space, Casey. I know I've probably hurt you by not telling you it wasn't about you.” She let his arms continue to encircle her, let the warmth and strength of them comfort her.

He pulled up her chin and peered into her eyes. “I appreciate you sharing this darkness with me. I know what it's like to keep secrets.” He dropped his gaze and sighed heavily. “We're in this together, Michelle.”

“I don't know why Carter would continue his campaign against me. The trial went Darrel's way. It was five years ago.” She stared blankly ahead of her.

“You know Carter. You know he doesn't need a logical reason to do what he does. He's simply corrupt. In his mind, he probably thinks he's doing the right thing by his friend's son.”

They sat in silence as minutes ticked by. Michelle breathed in and out, letting Casey's support sink in.

“What can I do for you now? Just tell me and it's done.” A muscle in Casey's cheek twitched and again Michelle thought she heard a low grumble in his throat.

She smiled. “You're doing what I need from you. You're taking my case and you're here, really here.”

“Yes, I am.” Casey dropped his forehead against hers, emphasizing his promise.

• • •

Back at his office, Casey resisted the urge to dig deeper into Michelle's property dispute and turned his attention to the Pretid case.

He opened his files on Pretid and began scanning the pages.

He'd helped the biotechnical company secure a patent for a state-of-the-art hand-held device and computer program that promised to increase accuracy in clinical trials and better serve the research goals. He understood the importance of accuracy during trials. The integrity of data was integral to the success of the trial. Electronic diaries gave participating patients freedom to go about their lives during the trial and enable the clinical research organization, the CRO, the ability to collect accurate data faster from the device by simply downloading to the program. Uploaded to a secure system, the data could be accessed and shared across trials.

Pretid planned to tailor devices and data collection programs for specific diseases, but this particular trial involved insulin pumps. Now in stage two, the trial's use of the electronic diary was in testing efficacy and delivery of the dosage used in the pump. Though not the first electronic diary on the market, it presently was expected to be at the top of the market when released for public use.

He'd requested information from Pretid about trial locations and where the problems were occurring. He checked his mail and his email, but found nothing new from Pretid. Frustration crept up his neck and tightened his throat.

Casey leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms above his head. He turned to look out the expansive windows that lined one exterior wall and breathed in and out to clear his mind.

His thoughts drifted to last summer, when Jackson's company became implicated in a drug trial that was falsifying data. It was not typical to find a completely falsified trial. The FDA and the professionals involved in the pharmaceutical research field worked hard to ensure protocols were safe for patients and trial results were accurate. Lives were at stake.

He absentmindedly rubbed his chin, his gut twitching. The drug business was a highly competitive and lucrative field. Things could go wrong. What went wrong with this trial wasn't even irregular. Patients in trials understand that there are unknowns. But people behind the scenes who invest in the development of new drugs and new devices sometimes don't see clearly. They choose to ignore symptoms, even things such as hallucinations and heart palpations, and categorize them under
insignificant
because they want the study to go forward. That's why sometimes drugs were recalled, even after they'd been approved.

But he didn't like it when things went wrong. A trial subject with the disease, in this case diabetes, should not encounter life-threatening situations.

He drew his fingers through his hair and took in the information on his computer screen. Someone in his town was corrupting his client's good work. It had to stop.

He lifted his eyes to the wall between his office and Jackson's and saw a fuzzy image of his boss and friend staring out the window in his spacious office. Jackson was a great guy with a lot of smarts and a lot of heart. He had a lot on his mind. He'd worked for his father for a few years after getting his law license. It was during that time that he'd learned his father's ways were toxic, for him and the world. He'd admired his father very much for his successes. But what he'd believed about his family couldn't stand up to his first-hand scrutiny. The knowledge hit him hard and he'd made a deliberate decision to leave his father's work and strike out on his own with a business that could help right wrongs of his family. Jackson hadn't actually been the one to cut off his father from his life with Lacey and her son Tyler—he'd left it up to his father to make the choice. Appreciate new lawful and humane tactics in business and be in his life, or continue in his old ways, without his son around. William had chosen wrong. It'd been hard for Jackson to hold his ground against one of the most powerful men in the world, but he'd done it. Afterward, William became even more harsh and ruthless. It was a burden on Jackson's soul, but with Lacey and Sterling and Ben as his anchor, he'd managed to make a good life and head a prosperous business.

Casey closed his sight to the other office and leaned his head back again.

Casey knew the ways of humans pretty well. He loved humans, and Jackson was one of the finest humans he'd come across. But even though times change and everything evolves, humans could produce amazing beauty and fruits of love but still thrive on the lowest level of existence. Selfishness and greed. And unfortunately, Jackson's father, infamous William Carter, remained one of the most selfish, greedy, and downright evil humans he'd ever known. His attempt to steal Michelle's rightful property was just an example of that greed and malice. Casey's blood boiled at the thought of William's debauchery hitting so close to the humans he loved. He didn't even try to suppress a low growl in his throat. He would put a stop to William, one way or the other.

His cell phone vibrated on his desk and he saw on the screen that Lara Monroe had texted. She wanted a meeting of the colony tonight. He texted her back he'd be there. On top of his work at Carter, Inc. and his search into Michelle's mortgage issue and safety, Casey always had colony management to contend with. Just something to take in stride. His leadership meant a lot to him. His colony of were-cats was made up of both “pures,” were-cats who were direct descendants of two were-cat parents, and “moggies,” were-cats who had human and were-cat parents. As the first moggy to hold the position of leadership of his colony, he intended to equalize the population of his kind. Parents and older were-cats remained members of the colony, but were inactive in colony activities. It was probably the youth of his colony members that had given him an edge in being chosen as leader. The younger members were more open to evolving. He considered it his job to lead the group in assessing what the shape of changes would be, including revising ancient rules. Fortunately, his second in command, Lara, believed as he did that change was due.