“All you had to do was stay away,” Anson reminded Stephen. Knowing the weak link in this duo, he chose to ignore Teresa. “You’re wanted for attempted murder. Have you forgotten that little fact?”
Stephen laughed. “What was it you said to me after your man hustled me away? If you were going to stab her, why didn’t you finish the job?”
JADE’S FEET FELT like they were frozen to the ground. The rest of her was pure, horrified, angry heat. She thought there wasn’t anything her father could say or do that would shock her. She was wrong.
Why didn’t you finish the job? How cold could another person be? Jade’s death held no meaning for Anson Marlow. Except it would have made his life easier. No wonder he fired the maid who discovered her bleeding body. It wasn’t because the woman had been traumatized. It was a punishment for finding Jade too soon. Another half hour, maybe less, and problem solved. A dead daughter was something he could have worked with. The fake grief. A huge, elaborate funeral. The press would have eaten it up. Instead, he found himself stuck with a live, damaged daughter and the persistent rumors that he knew about the abuse that led up to the stabbing. If Jade had done the right thing — if she had died — all of that could easily have been swept under the carpet.
The more she heard, the angrier she became. The old Jade would be in tears by now. A puddle of inconsolable dysfunction. If she needed proof that she was no longer that woman, this was it. Her cheeks were dry. Instead, they flamed with rage. All she wanted to do was leap over the railing like an avenging warrior. Self-preservation kept her rooted to where she stood. Two men twice her size and a woman wielding a gun. In her head, Jade pictured herself as Wonder Woman. The reality was much different.
Time to stop listening. She needed to call the police before Stephen got away again. When a hand slipped over her mouth, Jade barely swallowed her scream.
“It’s me,” Garrett whispered. “Back up. Slowly.”
Breathing deeply, Jade followed Garrett’s lead. Before she knew it, they were in a secluded alcove between the balcony and the ballroom.
“Damn it, Jade,” Garrett hissed, wrapping her in his arms. “Why didn’t you come get me the second you saw your ex-husband.”
“I couldn’t move,” Jade explained. She burrowed closer. “Don’t jump down my throat, Garrett. I wasn’t in any danger. I needed to hear what they were saying.”
“That’s no—”
“There isn’t time for this.” Jade started at the sound of Sable’s voice. “I had an eye on her the entire time, Garrett. Though I wasn’t aware of the floor show until I noticed how fixated you were on the lawn. Grass isn’t that fascinating.”
“I know I should have come to you right away.”
“We’ll talk about protocol another time.” Sable pulled the gun from her purse. She calmly did a quick check of the bullets before flipping off the safety.
“Shouldn’t we call the police?”
“Already taken care of. My boss called me just before you went outside. Alex was giving me a heads up that Marsh and his companion were heading west. The plan was to get you out of here, just to be safe. Once we realized what was going on, Alex put in the calls to the proper authorities.”
“Good,” Jade nodded. “Great. Wait.” She put out a hand when Sable started to leave. “Wait for help.”
“I won’t move unless I have to,” Sable assured her. “That’s an unstable group, Jade. If it looks like Marsh is going to bolt or his friend is about to blow your bastard father’s head off, I’ll step in.” Sable gave Jade a cool, emotionless look. “Unless you’d prefer I let nature take its course?”
Let Teresa kill her father? They all knew that was what Sable meant. After everything, Jade didn’t hesitate. “Unlike my father, I refuse to play God. I’m happy with the thought of him rotting in a cell for the next few years.”
“Fair enough.” Sable turned to Garrett. “Take Jade out of here. You can’t go home. The FBI will want to talk to both of you.”
“Need some backup?” Nate stepped into the alcove.
Sable lifted her skirt revealing another gun strapped to her thigh. Acting as though she did it every day, she pulled it from its case, and then handed it to Nate.
“How much did you hear?”
“I caught the gist.” Nate checked the gun.
“Good. One thing. Don’t play the hero,” Sable said, her eyes serious. “I can handle the bad guys. What scares me is having to tell your mother I stood by while one of her babies took a bullet.”
“I hope they’ll be okay.”
“Nate can take of himself.” Garrett took Jade’s hand. “You heard Sable. The plan is to keep an eye on things until the authorities get here.”
“The FBI.”
With impressive ease, Garrett ushered Jade through the crowd. Somehow, he avoided anyone who wanted a moment of his time. Every time it looked like they were approaching a talker, Garrett made a detour until they were across the room and out the door.
“Where can we go so we won’t be disturbed?”
“This way.”
Jade knew the perfect place. Keeping a hold of Garrett’s hand, she went down the hall to her left. The art gallery where she used to hide from prying eyes when she texted Garrett. It was bound to be locked. With so many strangers wandering around, her father wouldn’t take any chances. However, unless things had suddenly changed, the key wasn’t far away.
“You have got to be kidding.” Garrett watched in amazement as Jade lifted the Ming vase on the nearby table. “What’s the point of locking it in the first place?”
“My father has no idea the housekeeper leaves the key here.” Jade unlocked the door, and then put the key back in its hiding place. “One time she lost the original. Naturally, my father had an important guest that he wanted to impress. You can imagine his reaction when a locksmith had to be called. After that, an extra key was never far away.”
She shut the door behind them. Before Jade could turn on the lights, Garrett kissed her. Melting into his embrace, she gave herself up to the sensations. Desire. Warmth. Love. The feeling that she was home.
“When I realized that monster was outside, only a few feet away from you, it was all I could do not to grab you. It’s a good thing Sable has a stable head on her shoulders. If she hadn’t held me back, he might have gotten away.”
“Sable is trained to keep her cool.” Jade nuzzled his neck. “Besides, she isn’t in love with me.”
“That does make a difference.”
“All the difference in the world.”
Jade. Garrett. A darkened room. She felt the tug of the memory of another time not so long ago. So much had happened since the first night they met in that seedy motel room. A different part of Los Angles. A different woman.
Reaching over, Jade flipped on the lights. She no longer needed the dark. She had a life. Outside this room. A life with Garrett.
“Behold the Marlow treasure trove.”
“I love Chagall.”
Jade smiled. “Me too.” She slowly turned in a circle, silently greeting her old friends. “I’ve always hated that he squirrels these masterpieces away. They need to be seen — enjoyed.”
“A museum?” Garrett picked up a Rodin, examining it closely.
“I once suggested a traveling exhibit. It would be a chance for people who never get to New York or Paris to see each piece in person.”
“How did that go over?”
“Not well.”
“Jade.” Garrett set the statue down. “I didn’t hear everything that went on out there. Do you want to talk about it?”
Jade ran her hand over the Picasso. The Renoir. The Matisse.
“He wishes I had died.”
Garrett didn’t argue. He didn’t tell her she must have misunderstood. Or her father didn’t mean it. How could he? What would be the point of lying when Jade was all too aware of the truth? So he did the only thing that was in his power to do. Someone to listen.
He l
ed her to the leather sofa, gently pushing her onto the cushion. Then sat down next to her, their knees brushing.
“Tell me everything.”
In truth, there wasn’t very much to tell. Once she moved past her initial shock of seeing Stephen again, Jade shared the rest with Garrett without hesitation.
“Is it too late to change your mind? Who would mourn if that son of a bitch got a bullet through his cold, dead heart?”
“I can’t think of a single person.” Jade sighed. “Why put him out of his misery? I would rather he pay with the loss of his freedom than the loss of his life. When all this hits the fan, he won’t be able to buy his way out.”
“Honey…”
“What?”
“I wouldn’t bank on seeing your father go to prison.”
Jade knew what Garrett was going to say. In all likelihood, his money would buy Anson Marlow his freedom. She could testify to what she heard. There was no reason for Stephen not to roll over on him. Jade hadn’t a clue what Teresa knew. She could sing to the rafters. One thing remained true. Money bought you a lot of leeway in the world.
The sound of yelling drew Jade and Garrett into the hall. She didn’t know if this was the definition of all hell breaking loose, but she would bet it was damn close.
A crowd of people hated nothing more than to be told they couldn’t leave. When those people had money and power behind their names, it made the situation in the Marlow mansion a chaotic mess. Uniformed police officers sealed off the exits then did their best with crowd control. Some of the older party guests yelled their displeasure. Everyone else frantically called or texted their lawyers. It didn’t matter that they hadn’t done anything wrong. Securing representation was a knee-jerk reaction of the rich and famous.
“I saw the valets moving cars,” Nate said as he joined them. “The police and the Feds are letting everyone leave.”
“Nate.” Garrett sighed with relief. “You seem to be in one piece. Where’s Sable?”
“Conferring with a couple of guys in black suits. FBI, I assume.” Nate shook his head. “It’s nothing like the movies. Thank God.”
“What happened? Is Stephen in custody?” Jade asked, her hand reaching for Garrett’s
“He isn’t getting away this time,” Nate assured her. “Sable made sure of that.”
“We didn’t hear any shots.” Now that it was over, Jade felt her first bout of nerves. Aftershock. Garrett gently rubbed the back of Jade’s hand with his thumb. A small, yet comforting gesture.
“We stayed out of sight, waiting for the police,” Nate explained. “For some reason, your father kept antagonizing the woman with the gun.”
“Teresa.”
“Right.” Nate smiled at Jade. “Instead of respecting the fact that she held a deadly weapon, he wouldn’t stop. He called her stupid. A whore. I think it was that last one that pushed her over the top. She was going to shoot your father, Jade.”
“He has that effect on people.” Jade leaned closer to Garrett. “Most of them aren’t carrying guns.”
“I didn’t see Sable move,” Nate said in amazement. “I swear, one moment she was by my side, the next Teresa was on her ass.”
“And Stephen?”
“He started babbling incoherently.” Nate grinned.
“What?” Garrett demanded.
“Sable clocked him. One punch. The bastard was out like a light. That was when the police swarmed in. Teresa and Stephen were cuffed and led away. End of drama.”
“I see what you mean,” Garrett nodded. “In the movies, that final scene would have taken at least thirty minutes.”
“Explosions, fire.” Nate made exaggerated motions with his arms. “Half the house would be smoking rubble.”
“This is a better ending,” Garrett said, slipping his arm around Jade. “I prefer my mayhem up on the screen.”
“No argument here.”
Jade felt the tension draining from her body. After all this time, it was over. Stephen was no longer a threat.
“Is it really over?”
“Almost.” Garrett nodded to where her father was being led in.
It didn’t appear to Jade that he was in custody. His hands were free of any restraints. However, he was flanked on both sides by uniformed police.
Sable entered the room with the two men Nate had told them about. She appeared completely unruffled. Not even her lipstick was smudged. To look at her, no one would guess what she had been up to a few minutes earlier. Seeing Jade, she said a few quick words to her companions before making her way across the room.
“Are you okay?” Just because she looked fine on the outside didn’t mean Sable hadn’t been hurt. No one knew better than Jade how clothing could cover a multitude of injuries.
“Not a scratch. Well.” Sable grimaced. She looked down at her hand. “My manicure has been shot to hell.”
With a relieved laugh, Jade hugged Sable. “I’ll take you for a new one tomorrow. My treat.”
“About your father.”
Jade glanced his way again. Anson Marlow had the look of a man without a care in the world. A sick feeling crept into her stomach.
“He’s going to get away with it.”
“Jade…” Garrett exchanged worried looks with Nate.
“I don’t know, Jade.” Sable shook her head. “If Marsh and the woman roll on him, he won’t be able to wiggle away.”
“Why do I think there’s a but coming?”
“Before everything went down,” Nate told her, “your father offered Marsh and Teresa a shit-load of money to keep their mouths shut. That and a guarantee of top-notch legal representation.”
“What do you think?” Jade asked Sable. “Will they take the money?”
“They are both going down,” Sable said. “The charges against Marsh are more serious. He’s bound to do a larger amount of time. Still…”
“Still?”
“With the right lawyer, they could plead diminished capacity because of alcohol abuse.”
“Fuck that,” Garrett growled.
“I agree.” Sable gave Jade a reassuring smile. “Marsh isn’t walking away from this. He might be seduced into thinking he could. If that happens, your father will walk. What you overheard won’t hold enough water, Jade. Any lawyer worth his salt will claim hearsay.”
“That son of a bitch thinks he’s home free. I want to knock that smug look off his face.” Garrett took a step forward.
Nate put a restraining hand on his arm. “At this point, all it would accomplish is you getting arrested for assault. That won’t help Jade any.”
“No,” Jade agreed. “It’s time I helped myself.”
“What do you have in mind?”
“Come with me.” She took Garrett’s hand before turning to Sable and Nate. “I need five minutes.”
“Go,” Sable urged without any question. “We have your back.”
“Are we about to do something illegal?” Garrett followed Jade, looking over his shoulder. No one seemed to be paying any attention to them. “Because I’m okay with that.”
“This might be one of those gray areas.” Jade paused outside a large door. On a long table, an arrangement of roses sat looking completely innocuous.
“Another hiding place?”
Jade tilted the vase, revealing a key. “The little things always slide by my father. I’m hoping it will be his undoing.”
She unlocked the door. Garrett slipped in behind her, shutting them into darkness. Jade didn’t bother with the light. Nothing ever changed in her father’s office. The furniture was never rearranged. It was a straight path from where she stood to where she wanted to be. In a heartbeat, she was across the room.
“Is your phone handy?”
“Who do you need to call?” Garrett’s finger was poised to dial.
“I’m afraid we’re in this one alone, my love. I need the light.”
“Sounds cozy.” Garrett moved to her side.
Jade took down the abstract pai
nting to the side of her father’s desk revealing a large wall safe.
“Hold the light up so I can see the keypad.”
“Jewels? Bearer bonds?”
“Nothing that sexy.” Jade pulled the handle, swinging open the heavy door.
Jade ignored the piles of money and the stack of velvet-covered boxes. She knew what she wanted and it had nothing to do with shiny baubles.
“The Feds tried everything to take down Al Capone.” She removed a small, green book and several files. “Do you know how they finally got him?”
Garrett grinned. Well, hot damn. “Tax evasion.”
“Give the man a cigar.” Jade closed the safe, letting Garrett replace the painting. “With his usual arrogance, my father has been defrauding the U.S. government while keeping the paper trail ten feet from his desk. On top of the misdeeds they’ll find in these files, he won’t buy his way out of this.”
“He’ll know that you’re responsible.” Garrett gave her a fast, hard kiss. “I can’t wait to see the look on that old bastard’s face. It should be plastered on every news cycle for quite some time.”
“Hide these under your jacket.” Jade handed Garrett the book and files. He pushed the papers into the waistband of his pants, tucking his shirt in. When he buttoned his jacket, there was only a barely discernible bulge. “Good. I don’t want my father to realize we have them.”
As it turned out, they finished just in time. No sooner had they locked the office door and returned the key, the FBI led her father to the room. They stopped when they saw Jade.
“Miss Marlow.” The taller of the two agents spoke. He held out his identification. “I understand you witnessed what took place in the garden between your father, Stephen Marsh, and Teresa Benson?”
Jade briefly looked at her father. There was a warning in his eyes.
“Witnessed?” Jade moved her gaze to the agent. “I don’t know if you could call it that. I overheard part of the conversation.”
“We’ll need you to make a statement.”
“Agent…?” Garrett gave the man a friendly smile.
Dreaming With A Broken Heart (Hollywood Legends #1) Page 29
