“Well…” Everlee still looked pale and a bit fragile, but at least she was smiling again. “I think it was a huge hit.” She turned to Zoe. “You’re so talented, my friend.”
Tears filled Zoe’s eyes. “Thank you. I’m so overwhelmed, I think I’m going to sleep for a few years.”
Dane made a face like he wasn’t quite sure he liked the idea.
And Brittany couldn’t blame him.
He was a man in love.
Because only a man in love would walk in a show, last minute, wearing a pink fedora.
Everything seemed perfect. It felt right. Oliver and her friends got along as if they had grown up together, and Dane had already planned an outing with him and a few people later that week for some sort of poker game.
Brittany should be happy.
But she wasn’t.
She’d been given a glimpse of what her life could be like if she just came clean, and it was time to do exactly that. She’d already talked with Chrissy. Now, it was time for Ronan.
“Be right back.” She stood and flashed Oliver a smile as she cradled her phone in her hand.
The ring tone felt like it would go on forever.
“Britt?”
“Hey, Ro.” She cleared her throat. “Thank you for tonight. I know Zoe appreciates it.”
He chuckled. “Well, I told her she had to vote for me in the next election, so now she owes me.” He cursed. “I doubt anyone will let me live it down, a purple pinstripe suit. Don’t get me wrong, it would look good on anyone but a stodgy politician.”
She smiled down at the people passing by. “You aren’t stodgy.”
“A compliment?” He sounded tired. “Did you need something, or did you just want to make sure that my pride survived?”
“Actually…” Her lips felt dry, she licked them, and then just came out with it. “I need to tell you something.”
“I’m listening.”
“In person.”
“I can’t meet tonight.”
“It’s important.”
“I’m flying to Martha’s Vineyard for a party.” He sounded like he didn’t want to go. “Family obligations.”
She frowned as more rain came down. “You’re flying in this?”
“I don’t really have a choice.”
“Just be careful. We can talk when you get back, all right? It is urgent, but I know you have things…” Her voice trailed off as the door to the pub opened, revealing all her friends and Oliver laughing. The doctor had his arm around Roger, and they looked like they were having the time of their lives.
Obligations.
She wanted to be a part of something.
With Oliver.
She’d been an obligation with Ronan. A thing to take care of, to do. Not anymore, not now.
“Britt? You still there?”
“Sorry, long night. Just call when you get back. And please be safe.”
“Always am.”
She knew that he attempted it. It wasn’t like the guy had a death wish, but he was known for taking risks, for just assuming that everything would be okay, and it hadn’t failed him yet. But she had to wonder, how long could a person stay lucky without using their head?
Or having faith to get through.
“My feet hurt,” Chrissy complained as she hugged everyone goodbye. “I need to work on my walk, and my—”
“Stop.” Brittany pulled her in for another hug. “You were incredible.” She brushed a piece of hair away from her face. “I was so proud. I am proud.”
Tears filled Chrissy’s eyes. “Really?”
“Yes.” She clung to her daughter harder and then whispered in her ear, “Roger’s going to take care of getting you out of the model apartments. That is if you want to live with me.” She hoped her daughter couldn’t hear the worry in her voice. She hadn’t exactly had time to process anything.
“YES!” Chrissy yelled and then laughed. “I mean, you know what those apartments are like. Plus, last night, someone brought in some drugs, and I just… I don’t want to be around that. Ever.”
“Good.” Brittany touched her face. “Oliver needs to know. It’s…” She looked over her shoulder as Oliver and Dane chuckled at something. “Give me tonight to talk to him. I shouldn’t have kept it from him. Then again, I didn’t know you were actually here in the city. Or that the girl who looked at my poster for strength was the same one that I couldn’t stop staring at when she was born.”
Tears spilled over Chrissy’s cheeks. “I’m so happy… so happy. You have no idea.”
“Oh, I do.” Brittany exhaled and gave her a watery smile then swiped under her eyes.
“You ready?” Roger wrapped an arm around Chrissy. “It seems we have a lot of work to get done. Don’t worry, though. I’ll save you from Marnie. She’s always been petrified of me.”
“Oh, yeah?” Chrissy laughed. “Why’s that?”
“Let’s just say I know enough about her to be very dangerous.” He winked. “Now, tell me all about growing up in that small town with the cows. That sounds horrible…”
Chrissy giggled and walked off with him while Brittany stared after them. Longing washed over her.
They were going to be a family.
Oliver made his way over to Brittany. “Let me get you home. You have to be exhausted.” He pulled her into his arms and brushed a kiss across her lips. She wanted more. She knew that now. It was as if the flood gates had opened and she realized that everything she could ever possibly want had been given to her, dropped into her lap despite her mistakes, regardless of her insecurity and her need to fix everything on her own.
She didn’t hold back as she deepened the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck, holding him there as she tasted him, the man she wanted to keep forever. The man who saw her for her.
The man she had lied to.
Abruptly, she pulled back. “I have something to tell you.”
“And I have something to tell you.”
“Really?” She tilted her head. “You go first.”
“I’m going to marry you someday.”
Her jaw dropped. “How much whiskey did you have?”
“More than you, less than Roger.”
“So, a lot?” She let out a nervous laugh. “You can’t just meet someone and a few weeks later tell them you’re going to marry them.”
He leaned in, his sexy smile on full display. “Just. Did.” He pressed a kiss across her lips. “And I had one drink. Completely sober.”
Breathless, she whispered, “You’re impossible.”
“That’s why you’ll eventually say yes.” A grin spread across his face. “Plus, we both know I’m patient.”
“All right, Romeo.” She kissed him again, lingering there in that space between passion and genuine friendship. “Take me home. We can talk in the car.”
“Great.”
They said their goodbyes to everyone. Dane and Zoe seemed to be in deep conversation with Everlee, though, so through waves and quick hugs, they made their way out to the waiting Mercedes.
Brittany yawned behind her hand, suddenly exhausted.
“Knew you were tired.”
“Shut up.”
He opened her door, and she ducked in and buckled her seatbelt, vaguely aware of the car starting and the seat warmers turning on.
And then she was asleep. Floating, getting carried somewhere.
She clung to his warm body and smiled against his shirt, inhaling his spicy scent as she was placed on a mattress. Her heels were pulled off, and then a blanket was drawn over her body.
“Sleep,” Oliver whispered. “We can talk tomorrow.”
She opened her eyes. He was a blurry figure. “No, we should talk now. I can get… up.”
“Britt, sleep. Please?” He grazed her cheek with his knuckles. “I’m going to head home.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to ask him to stay in her guest room or on the couch or just stay until she fell asleep.
But she
wondered if that would be too much temptation. Not only did she really like him, but she’d also gotten an insane view of his abs today as everyone changed backstage.
He was perfect. In every way.
And he was hers.
And she wanted more than anything… to be his, too.
Wait.
She would wait.
Patient, he’d said.
Ha, maybe she was turning into the impatient one. Because when you knew… you knew.
1 Day Later
The rain hadn’t let up that next day. It matched Brittany’s mood. Oliver had been called into the hospital and had to cancel on their date. He’d put her to bed a night ago, and they’d texted, they’d talked on the phone, but she wanted to tell him about Chrissy in person. She’d already nearly had a heart attack when she realized that he’d dug through her purse for her keys.
Thankfully, the picture was tucked into her Kate Spade billfold, but it was too close, and she hated it.
Chrissy had moved some of her things into the apartment but said she had an appointment and was with Roger so not to worry. It was insane, really. Brittany had gone from not even knowing that Chrissy was her daughter to turning into a mom who needed to be texted every hour to make sure her child was okay.
It was a feeling that was both foreign and exciting.
She stared down at the phone in her hand, willing a new text to appear. She still hadn’t heard from Ronan, and she needed him to know. With a sigh, she dialed his number again.
“Britt.” He sounded stressed. “Sorry, I’ve been busy. I just got back into the city early this morning…”
“I know you’re busy, Ro. I just…” Here went nothing. “I found her.”
He was silent, his breathing heavy. “You found her?”
“Our little girl, not so little anymore, and I think you’re going to want to know the rest. She’s in the city—”
“I have to fly out tonight back to Martha’s Vineyard again and then the house. Why don’t I pick you up, and we can talk in the car, does that work? Eight?”
She sighed in relief. “Yes. Perfect. I’ll be ready.”
“I can’t believe it,” he whispered more to himself than to her, and then he let out a laugh. “I’m… thank you, Britt, thank you for finding her.”
Well, she couldn’t take all the credit. Somehow, her avenging angel had ended up being one that often looked like the devil himself. “Dane helped.”
Ronan swore. “Of course, he did. The man has more secrets than the president.”
“You would know,” she teased.
“Hey, now. Dad never shared the scary stuff, trust me.” He sounded light, happy. “I’ll see you tonight, Britt.”
“Tonight.”
A weight lifted off her shoulders. She inhaled, exhaled, and stared at the clock. She had a few hours to herself, so she started going through a few pictures she knew Ronan would want. He was Chrissy’s father, and he deserved to see the things that made his daughter click. And, hopefully, he’d want to meet her. Even though he already had at both the shoot and show, this was different, he would be meeting her with the knowledge that she came from their blood.
And at the time, their love.
Finally.
“Thank God,” she whispered to herself before digging into the box once more.
Frederick was slippery.
They had everything they needed on him, close to everything, especially after his outburst at the fashion show.
All Dane kept coming back to was dangling bait in front of him like he’d been doing for the past few weeks, wearing him down, making him addicted.
He needed to catch Frederick in one of his lies, but it needed to be massive, something big enough to put him away, scary enough for him to want to confess whatever needed to be declared.
The videos were enough to get him prison time, but Dane wanted more, he knew there was more, and he knew that it involved Danica.
Dane refused to believe it. Didn’t want to think that his sister had been with them, that she was a part of what Frederick did. Was that what had led to her murder? Because that’s what it was, a murder. There was no way Danica had committed suicide. The police were getting antsy, and he could only control them for so long, especially with a still-open investigation.
Dane thrummed his fingertips on the table while Zoe stretched her arms over her head and gave him a confused look. “Are you plotting world domination again?”
“No, I’ll leave that to you,” he teased.
“So, why the intense face?” She joined him at the table and then reached across and grabbed his hand. “Is it about the fashion show? And being forced to walk because of Marnie? That woman’s a curse. What the heck does she have on all these people? It’s like she’s just as bad as you with trading secrets.”
Dane’s head snapped up. “What did you say?”
“That she’s just as bad as you.” Zoe winced. “Sorry, that came out wrong.”
“Where’s Roger?”
“Huh?”
He stood, knocking his chair over. “Roger, do you know where he is right now?”
“I think he’s helping Chrissy move the rest of her stuff into Brittany’s apartment, why?”
“He knows something.” Dane wasn’t sure how he hadn’t seen it before. How else could he just pull Chrissy from Marnie? It wasn’t done. Not in this industry. And Marnie hadn’t even put up a fight. She’d just rolled over and moved on to her next victim. Oh, she was furious, sure, but she didn’t challenge Roger for a reason.
Now to figure out what that reason was. Because whatever it was… Dane was convinced it was a piece of the puzzle.
Dane grabbed his keys. Zoe chased after him. He turned to stop her but found himself watching while she put on her favorite Frye boots and a leather jacket.
“What?” she asked when she caught his gaze.
“You don’t have to come.”
“I’m not letting you do something stupid without me. Plus, I know Roger. You guys are more like… I don’t even know what you are. Regardless, I’m coming.”
He opened his mouth to protest but then shut it and nodded.
Zoe looked so stunned, he would have laughed had he not been so intent on finding Roger and Chrissy.
“So…” Zoe dashed after him. “Is there a reason we’re chasing Roger this afternoon?”
“Because secrets are our currency in this jungle, and I’d bet you my entire fortune that Roger knows Marnie’s,” Dane muttered. “Which means, she knows his. Full circle. Neither of them can truly attack because the injury would be self-inflicted on both sides.”
Zoe grabbed his arm. “Is this about Frederick? Or something more?”
Dane stilled as the video of Jauq and Danica played on repeat in his head. He’d stopped watching; he didn’t need to see the rest to realize that he had been filming them together. The timestamp? A week before her death.
“Do you remember how Danica acted before she died?”
Zoe’s face broke out into a sad smile as they made their way into the waiting black SUV. “She was the happiest I’d seen her in a long time. Strange, since she and Jauq had broken up.”
“Right. They broke up, and she was happy.”
Zoe frowned. “Maybe she was faking it? Masking her pain?” Her tone was gentle, soft as if she were afraid to upset him.
“No. Danica was never good at masking pain. She wasn’t like the rest of us, she felt it all, and she drowned in it, only to come up fighting. She wasn’t upset before she died, Zoe. She looked like she was finally free.”
Zoe licked her lips slowly and turned to him as the engine roared to life. “Are you saying she was killed?”
“We know she was killed.”
“She was hanging from the closet, Dane.” Tears slid down her cheeks.
With a sigh, Dane pulled out his phone, scrolled through his pictures, and held one up to her. It was a photo of the autopsy report. He waited for her eyes to scan it and
then watched them widen in horror. The truth, he needed to tell Zoe the truth. “She was dead before she asphyxiated… the investigation has been ongoing, no leads. I took things into my own hands, paid off everyone to keep them quiet, off the trails I needed in order to find out what happened. She died from a brain injury, Zoe. And even if I could suspend belief and think that things had really gotten that bad, it’s not physically possible to hit your head at that angle, snap your neck, then crawl to the closet and hang yourself.”
“Oh, God.” Zoe covered her mouth with her hands. “How long have you known?”
“Since the funeral.”
“All this time? All the secrets? The clubs with Frederick?”
“Just trying to catch a rat. It’s what I do.” Dane dialed Roger’s number and waited for him to pick up.
“Dane?” Roger sounded surprised. “Are you drunk-dialing?”
“Where are you?”
“Marnie had one last shoot scheduled for Chrissy. I took her myself to make sure she was safe and felt comfortable, and Everlee tagged along since we had to talk business. We’re at the warehouse on Fifth.”
Dread pooled in Dane’s stomach. “Who’s the photographer?”
“Frederick,” Roger said in an irritated voice. “Don’t worry, I can control him, have for years. Besides, Everlee looks ready to singe him alive every time he looks her way.”
“Are you inside the building?”
“No. Closed shoot. It’s for a sexy Athleta campaign. They wanted something different for this campaign. Horrible cell service in there, I walked out to make a few calls.”
“Go back in. NOW!”
“Calm down, like I said it’s fi—” A muttered curse followed.
“What’s wrong?”
“The door’s locked.” The sound of metal crashed and twisted. “I can’t get it open, let me see if there’s another way to get in.”
“Hurry, we’ll be there in five.” Dane hung up and gave Zoe a look. “Everlee and Chrissy are alone with Frederick.”
Zoe gave him a worried look. “How is he even working? After the child pornography scandal?”
“I don’t think he’s working. I think he’s doing what he does best. Lying. And I think Marnie helped him do it.”
Fashion Jungle Page 26
