Unspoken Bundle - Box Set Books 1-6

by Danes, Ellie

  Cain leaned in and whispered in my ear. “What do you say we get out of here and have some dessert back at your place?”

  I let the incident and my frustration subside and lost myself in Cain’s smile and mysterious blue eyes as he gently kissed my lips. I felt a tingle and flush in my face. I was excited at the idea of having my dessert in bed tonight. “That sounds perfect.”

  Aimee and Brice were still caught up in their mysterious whispers as Cain signaled for the check and quickly paid for it. I gave him sly, yet thankful smile and whispered to Aimee and Brice. “See you two tomorrow. I’m off to get my dessert.” I smiled at Aimee as we left them engaged in their conversation.

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Cain caught the early flight to San Diego and left me sleeping in his enormous bed. I always hated waking up alone, but hated it more knowing the man of my dreams was now jetting across the country without me. I rolled over and planted my face firmly in his pillow, inhaling deeply. The smell of his cologne and sex from last night still lingered on the sheets. I missed him already. It was nights like last night that made me enjoy being a taken woman.

  I rolled over and stared at the clock on the nightstand; it was 7 a.m. I debated running past the condo for a shower and picking something up from my closet but realized it would be easier to wear one of the few work outfits I left at Cain’s house. Cain always insisted I should move some more clothes to his house, but I resisted. I didn’t want to overtake his closet and honestly didn’t have that many work clothes to spare between both places.

  My mind wandered as I tried to remember what was hanging in Cain’s closet and started planning my day. I had become like the rest of the working world; I hated Mondays. Even though I was my own boss, I still felt like I answered to my father and Reese. I took another big whiff of the pillow and imagined myself flying off to the meeting with Cain. I remembered how it felt being in the meeting with him a few weeks ago. How it felt to be a real team. It felt good. No, it felt incredible. We knew each other’s moves, what each other were going to say. We each knew our parts, like a well-choreographed dance. I giggled into the pillow as I remembered how that played out during our love making session last night. Damn, I miss him.

  I stared at myself in the opaque reflection inside of the elevator, the eleventh floor button brightly illuminated. The grey skirt suit and modest cream blouse would have to do. I felt as if I were dressing more and more like an attorney and less like a business professional. I made a mental note to finally give in and go on a shopping trip for myself. The doors to the shared lobby of the eleventh floor opened. To the left was vacant office space, the right, Dunning and Associates. Apparently my father had negotiated a first right of refusal on the vacant space. His hopes were that I would grow the business and take over the entire eleventh floor. His pipe dream, not mine.

  I could see a few people already milling about past the reception desk and the familiar stance of Brice, standing with his back to the door. “Shit, did I forget a meeting?” I grabbed my phone and flipped to the calendar. Nothing. I took a deep breath and headed in. “Morning, everyone.” I nodded at Rebecca, the temp receptionist, and then Brice. “Hey, Brice, glad to see you two didn’t stay out too late.” I smiled at him, wondering how crossing the line between business and friendship was going to work out for us.

  “Well, we didn’t stay out late, but we didn’t exactly get much sleep, if you know what I mean.” Brice laughed and Rebecca rolled her eyes.

  I could only shake my head. “That’s more than I needed to know.” I was thankful that Aimee wasn’t standing there to hear that comment. “Are you waiting on Aimee? We didn’t have a meeting this morning, did we?”

  “No, I was hoping to catch you before you got started with your day. Do you have a few minutes?”

  I rolled my eyes at Rebecca and beckoned Brice to follow me to my office. I was thankful that he hadn’t discussed work during any of the times we had seen each other over the weekend. That wasn’t a trend I wanted to start, however having him meet at the office first thing in the morning wasn’t a great alternative either. I dropped my bag on the floor next to my desk and fell into my comfy leather desk chair while Brice perched himself on the edge of the sofa. “My clients are getting antsy, I think we need to take everything we have to the police now and notify the district attorney of what’s going on.”

  Brice stared at me with wide eyes, waiting for a confirmation that I was on board with the decision. A million bad excuses ran through my head. I had promised Dad I would stall as long as possible and I realized that he needed to tell me his plan. “I need a little more time, Brice. We’re close. Like I said the other day, we want this to be airtight.”

  He sat on the couch shaking his head. “No, I really think we need to do this now. You and Reese did an outstanding job. We would have never gotten all of this information if it wasn’t for your firm.”

  I knew he was right; we had enough to get Macie and John off, but we didn’t have enough information to make me happy. I bit my lip and looked at Brice. I could feel myself walking to the dangerous edge. “Brice, I need to level with you.” I got up and pushed the office door closed and joined Brice on the couch. I sat close enough to make both of us uncomfortable, took a deep breath and stepped off of the edge. “What I’m about to tell you is confidential.”

  Brice laughed. “Yeah, Jen, all of this stuff is attorney-client privilege.”

  “No. I mean really confidential. I’m trusting you right now with more than you can imagine.” Brice’s face fell blank and I could tell he fully understood how serious I really was. “My father knows the Harritans…really well.” I swallowed hard and continued. “The other day, you were pressing about my mother—”

  “I wasn’t pressing I—”

  “It’s Ok, Brice. I didn’t want to talk about it then, but you need to know this. My mother died when I was barely a teen. I believe she was poisoned. Everything I’ve seen in this case reminds me of that, and the thing her death and this case have in common is the Harritans.” I could feel the blood rush from my face as I waited for my words to be understood by Brice. He sat motionless and just stared at me. “Are you understanding what I’m saying?”

  Brice shook his head. “Not really. So your dad knows the Harritans and you think your mom was poisoned. What’s the connection?”

  “She fell sick while she was at their house. She died hours later.” Brice’s eyes grew larger. “This is my chance to get more information about what happened to my mother, Brice. It may be my only chance. Give me few days. I need to talk with my father. Please?” I hated begging Brice for anything, but I knew that he could demand we close the case or he could take what he already had and go to the police without us. The moment he did that, the Harritans would be unapproachable.

  Brice pursed his lips together and ran his index fingers down either side of his nose while he thought. His head bobbed forward and backward and I could feel myself on edge, waiting for his decision. “I can hold them off for a few days, but whatever it is you’re planning, I need to be involved. You’re playing with my client’s livelihood right now. Everything has to be done by the book.”

  I smiled. “I promise. I need to talk with my father, but the moment anything develops, I’ll let you know.” There were now a lot of people sticking their neck on the line for me. More than I could ever think, or know how to repay. I hoped everything I was doing would bring some closure and answers.

  “Exactly what is it you’re looking for, Jennifer?”

  I couldn’t tell him I didn’t know for sure and that I was operating on a hunch. I thought about our conversation with Macie as I stared Brice directly in the eyes. “The truth.”

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  The winter afternoon sun started to cast an orange reflection off the mirrored glass windows of the neighboring buildings. I looked at my watch and decided I need to catch Dad before the day was over. I dialed his office number and it immediately rang over to Cynt
hia’s voicemail, a sign that Dad wasn’t in the office, or was too busy to pick up. I wondered how Cynthia was holding up during all of this chaos and new drama. Just as my father revealed their relationship he had to put it on hold. At least that was the story he told. I decided to send him a quick text to find his whereabouts and corner him for a quick meeting. I was surprised to find out he was at home. At least there I may have his full attention.

  I grabbed my bag, which sat exactly where I left it this morning, on the floor beside my desk, and took off to the Dunning family home; although now, it was just Dad’s home. He had never wanted to sell it or downsize even after I left for college. I was glad. The house held so many great memories for me growing up, but also some very awful ones. It was the last connection I had to my mother, and every time I stepped through the front door I felt as if she should be waiting for me in the kitchen.

  I knocked briefly and entered though the side entrance. The house was normally spotless, but today there were signs it had been lived in. Dad must have given the housekeeper the day or even the weekend off. Dishes were stacked in the sink and the smell of takeout hung in the stale air. I could make out the sound of the television in the back living room and moved in that direction while calling for Dad. I found him there, staring at the sports news with a glass of scotch in his hand. It looked as if he hadn’t shaved in a few days. I had never seen him like this and it worried me. “Dad? Are you alright?” I slowly entered the room, unsure of what exactly I would be walking in to. “Dad?” He didn’t acknowledge me at all. “Dad!” I raised my voice slightly louder and finally captured his attention.

  “Oh, hey, sweetie.” His voice trailed off and his gaze never left the television but it was obvious he wasn’t paying attention to anything he was watching. His wide eyes appeared to be staring through the television into nothingness.

  “Dad, what’s going on with you? Are you Ok? This isn’t like you. Did you even go into the office today?” I knew the answer already. I reached over and slipped the glass of scotch from his hand and placed it on the end table, just out of his reach and then took a seat on the adjacent couch.

  “Oh, no. I didn’t go in today. I wasn’t feeling well. I think I may have a touch of the flu.”

  I reached over and felt his forehead. Nothing. “Dad, it’s Ok to be upset about all of this. I get that you want some space away from everyone.” I gently reached out and grasped his hand. “I need you right now though, Dad.”

  He looked over at me. I could see the tears forming in his eyes as he stared deep into my mine. “I can’t believe this is happening, now, after all this time. I finally was able to put it behind me. Now this. There’s only one thing I want to do right now, and that’s talk to Dean.”

  My stomach immediately knotted and I felt nauseous. That was the very last thing that he should do. Confronting Dean Harritan wouldn’t get him anywhere. I had thought about exactly what I wanted to do, but I needed to sell dad on the idea and get his help. “Dad, you’re not thinking clearly right now. That would jeopardize everything, the case we’ve been building against his son. All the work we’ve done.” It seemed odd that I was the one with the level head right now. I squeezed his hand. “We can do this.”

  Dad broke my grip and stretched for the glass of scotch and took a sip. “We wanted to have a child for so long, a brother or sister for you. That may have been our chance, or it may have been the thing that broke up our family.”

  I could see the unanswered question eating away at him. It bothered me as well, but it wasn’t something I could answer and it wasn’t the answer I was searching for right now. “Regardless, it wouldn’t change a thing right now. Mom’s dead and I don’t think it was an accident she got sick.” Dad nodded. “If I can pin this case on Jacob Harritan it will give me the chance to find out more answers about Mom. If the Harritans are going to circle the wagons and protect their son, they are bound to slip up.”

  Dad sipped his scotch again and as much as I wanted to take it from his hand, it seemed to be soothing him and allowing him to listen to what I was saying. “Alright. I’m listening. What’s your plan?”

  I stepped through all of the details of the case with Dad. As much as he had been on top of me about getting everything done, he had neglected to ever really pay attention to the fine details. He was only focused on keeping his distance from the Harritans.

  Dad and I spent over an hour and a half talking about my plan and what was involved. I couldn’t believe I had even convinced him to listen, let alone agree to anything. I managed to prize the scotch from his hand and replace it with a cup of strong coffee and a few aspirins. He appeared to be thinking more clearly now, and it was time to break the last bit of news to him. “Dad, we can’t keep this to ourselves any longer. I’ve kept both Reese and Brice in the dark, at least mostly.”

  Dad cocked his head to the side as he stared at me. “Mostly? What does that mean?”

  “I think they both know something is going on. I definitely know Brice does, I had to give him some information to hold him off from going to the police.” I nodded my head. “We can use them, I need them to pull this off.” Dad started to shake his head. “Yes, we don’t have any other choice.”

  He took a deep, sighing breath and let it out. “Ok, but I don’t want to be involved. They can’t know how deeply I’m involved in all of this.”

  I agreed and grabbed my phone from my purse, quickly dialing Reese and then Brice. I spilled almost everything. I left out the part about my mother’s pregnancy and the affair. Those were details for another day and time, if my father decided to share them. I spent another forty-five minutes on the phone explaining everything to them both on a conference call. Brice was adamant that this was a bad idea, and surprisingly Reese agreed with him. In the end, my powers of persuasion temporarily won them both over and I hung up the phone, satisfied for the moment yet fearful of the trouble I could be getting myself—and everyone else—into, based on nothing but my hunch.

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  I stared at myself in the mirror and giggled at the sight. My hair was pulled half back with just enough makeup on to cover up the dark circles under my eyes from the long day. My black leather leggings were tucked into my knee-high black boots and I tied it all together with a blush colored tank covered with my black sequin jacket. I’m not sure what surprised me more, that I was wearing this right or that I had it all to put on. I’m sure Cain would have loved this outfit. I quickly dismissed him from my mind. I needed to focus. “Here we go, Jen.” I whispered to the mirror.

  The bar area of LaBerge was packed for a Monday night, but I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised, based on the clientele I had encountered before. It was mostly a college crowd and they were always up for a cheap drink. I had made it for the tail end of happy hour and most of the crowd lined up three deep was already more than buzzed. I darted and dodged my way to the end of the bar, near the waitress pickup.

  I had a clear view down the entire bar from where I stood. Four large screen displays hung on the back wall behind the bar and cast a bright glow on the dark wood surroundings of the bar. Hands extended across the bar, clutching crumpled cash to get the bar tenders’ attention as they waved them back and forth, calling for drinks. I tugged my tank down at the front ever so slightly to reveal a little cleavage, and leaned over the edge of the bar letting the girls show just a little bit. “Lemon-drop martini please!”

  The bartender glanced over briefly, turned away and then did a double take. It was obvious he was checking me out. “Sure thing.” A few moments later he slid the drink across the bar. “Three-fifty.”

  I reached in my purse and grabbed a twenty plopping it on the bar next to my drink. “Is Jacob working tonight?” No sooner had I asked then he turned the corner from the back storeroom and slid behind the bar, now standing in front of me. He glanced down the bar and didn’t even notice I was there.

  “Hey, remember me?” I smiled at him but he had a blank look on h
is face. “Jennifer, we talked last week.”

  Jacob stared for a moment and then made the connection. “Yeah, Diet Coke, nothing stronger, and you were asking all kinds of questions.” Jacob looked a little disgusted and I felt as if I were about to blow my mission.

  “Yeah, I’m sorry, that was work. I’m here to relax. See?” I pointed to my martini. “No Diet Coke tonight.” I smiled and batted my eyelashes at him, hoping to keep his attention.

  The other bartender reached around Jacob and grabbed my twenty. “It’s Ok, Nick, I’ll take care of this one for her.” Jacob handed the money back to me and smiled. “You look different.”

  “Well, I’m not at work. A girl has to have some fun every now and then, doesn’t she? I’m not all business suits and heels.” I flipped my hair off of my shoulder and played with the stirrer in my drink. “Is it always this busy in here on a Monday?”

  Jacob laughed. “Only for the next ten minutes. That’s when happy hour is over and all of these cheap ass college kids leave.” He continued to make small talk with me as he served up drinks to the flailing hands filled with money. “So why are you here tonight? You alone?” Jacob grabbed a bottle of the cheap vodka and double poured a shot, adding a squirt of cranberry and a lime and slid it to the eager college girl.

  “Yeah, I’m supposed to meet a friend here, but it seems like she may bail on me.” I casually glanced at my phone as if I were waiting for an important call or text.

  “I get a break in a few minutes, I can keep you company while you wait.” Jacob’s Cheshire cat smile came across as a creepy, but I accepted his offer and sipped my martini as I waited for him. I watched as he flirted with most of the women at the bar. He was obviously very confident, bordering on cocky. The young female bartender at the opposite end of the bar rang the bell attached to the wall and gave a shout that it was last call for happy hour. A few minutes later the mob of people standing at the bar subsided and most had found their way to the bordering tables, the dance floor, or decided to try a different bar.