Irrefutable

by K. A. Berg

  After we left Jordan’s office the other night Alex put a gag order on talking about everything going on with my father and the Feds.

  “It’s Christmas and we’re not going to spend it worrying over your asshole father,” he said when we got back into the town car waiting to take us home for the evening. “No talking about him or everything going on. We’re going to celebrate our first official holiday as a couple again and not even think about him.”

  Alex has done a pretty good job keeping my mind occupied outside of work. Despite his own taxing job and everything that comes with it, he’s been at my side whenever possible.

  Yesterday he demanded we go and get a Christmas tree to put up in my condo and decorate. I was in no mood to go stand outside in the freezing cold in an empty parking lot to pick out a tree, but I did it anyway. I was caught off guard by how easy it was to lose myself in something happy.

  We spent the night decorating the tree, drinking, listening to Christmas music, and ended the night watching The Polar Express. Regardless of the fact it’s a movie for children, it’s my favorite of all Christmas movies. I think it has something to do with the fact it teaches you all you have to do is believe and magic can happen. I didn’t think about my father or the mess he’s put me in at all.

  “I am happy,” I tell Alex, giving him a smile of my own.

  “Quinn, dear,” Diana says as she stops next to me. “May I borrow you for a moment?”

  “Sure,” I smile at her then glance at Alex who gives me a nod as he exits the kitchen.

  Diana links her arm through mine and guides me around the counter where we were standing further in the kitchen stopping at the main island in the center.

  “We haven’t had the chance to speak since all this mayhem started,” she begins. There’s no anger in her voice. No resentment for lying to her or her son. I’ve been dreading this talk. The last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt the McCallahan family. “I’m happy you finally told Jordan the truth.”

  Even though she says the words without malice, they still cut me deep. Thinking about how angry and hurt Jordan was the night I came clean isn’t a fond memory. “I know I should’ve…”

  “Please,” she interrupts, placing her hand on my forearm, “I’m not mad anymore. I’m just glad everything was finally out in the open before the two of you made a mistake. I never knew how pressured Jordan felt to find a wife and settle down. I would’ve been thrilled to have you forever a part of our family, but that was no life for either one of you. I see the way Alex looks at you and you at him. Reminds me of the way my Martin used to look at me. You’ve got something special there and you deserve it.”

  I don’t know why hearing her say that makes my eyes well, but they do. “Thank you.”

  “But that doesn’t mean we don’t love you. Martin thought you were an amazing woman because you are. What your father is doing to you is wrong. But please know you are never alone. I am always here for you. You’re like the daughter I never had, and I still love you regardless. Jordan still loves you, just in a different way than he originally thought. There’s no reason for you to carry any burden for what happened. I don’t think any differently of you, and I’m proud of you for being true to yourself and to my son.”

  My own mother has never once told me she was proud of me. But this woman, who I’ve lied to and whose family my father tried to take advantage of, is standing here telling me things my own parents never have.

  “That means a lot to me,” I tell her, wiping a rogue tear from my eye.

  “None of that,” she chuckles, swatting my hand. “It’s all true and don’t ever let those vile creatures you got stuck with as parents make you feel otherwise.”

  A loud round of laughter echoes up from the family room breaking our little heart to heart.

  “We should get back. That’s a great group of people. We don’t get to pick our blood families, but we do get to pick our real ones and you’ve got one in there that makes up for the crap hand you were dealt,” Diana says, pulling me into a hug and squeezing.

  I find Alex sitting on the love seat when we rejoin the group, beer in his hand, smile on his face. I can’t help but run my fingers through his hair as I come around the side of the couch to sit next to him.

  “Hi,” I smile fondly at him and cozy up next to him.

  “Hi,” he repeats back, wrapping his arm around my shoulder to pull me flush against his side. “Everything okay?” he asks, leaning down kissing my temple.

  Looking back out at all the joyous faces in the room, I nod. “Perfect.”

  Laying my head down on his shoulder, I watch everyone doing their thing. Chatting, laughing, and enjoying the company of one another.

  If I can make it through this mess and have a million more days like this one, I’d be a very happy girl. But if this doesn’t work out for me, at least I have this great day to help me last through the bad ones to come.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Quinn

  My Christmas reprieve didn’t last nearly as long as I’d have liked. Currently we’re parked a block away from my parents’ brownstone on the Upper West Side, getting everything set. It’s a far cry from the quiet day Alex and I spent alone in my condo yesterday. We lay in bed most of the day losing ourselves in each other, ordering Chinese and watching Christmas movies. Exactly what I needed to gear up for today. Waking up safe and secure in Alex’s arms this morning didn’t hurt either.

  “We’re just going to pin this to the strap on your bra and you’re all set,” the tech guy who Hailey introduced as Chino says, holding up a small clear circle that looks like a colored contact lens. “We’ll be able to hear everything and there’s no way your father will notice it.”

  Unbuttoning my coat, I slide one arm out and slip my shirt down my shoulder giving the agent access to place the bug where it needs to be.

  Deep breath.

  “You okay, angel?” Alex asks from beside me.

  I don’t know what kind of strings Hailey had to pull to be able to allow Jordan and Alex to be here, but I’m very glad. I need them. How had I ever thought I’d be able to get through this ordeal by myself?

  The calm I woke up with slowly dissipated as we drove over here an hour ago, going over the plan again. I’ll confront my father about everything. Show him the file then try to get him to admit to setting me up. Getting him to confirm his plan to me is the only shot we have left.

  Once I’m all mic’d up and ready to roll, I’ll head over to my parents alone while a van full of people listen in. People I really care about are about to get unfiltered access to the real Louis Taylor. I don’t like that Jordan, Alex, and Hailey are about to hear all the nasty things my father hopefully going to say about me.

  Hailey’s informed us the van will be parked a few houses down the block and will be listening for the confession. As soon as they get it, the team will move in and arrest my father.

  Despite all the nerves and anxiety flowing through me, I can’t wait for this whole shit show to end in under an hour or so.

  No more lying. No more sneaking around. No more watching my back. No more unnecessary drama or stress in my life.

  I’m starting to think my father suspects something is off. He’s been asking a lot of questions regarding the wedding I know he doesn’t really care about. Jordan told me my father reached out to him the day after we met with Hailey. He wanted to make sure everything was going as planned on Jordan’s end. He wanted to make sure I didn’t think anything other than a wedding was going on.

  A small piece of me is happy to know he’s been shelling out a ton of cash for a wedding he thinks will be my ultimate humiliation. Joke’s on him.

  His arrogance definitely works to our advantage. My father has always thought he was smarter than everyone else. Today, that will bite him in the ass.

  My goal isn’t simply the exposure of him for the criminal he is, but to get answers as well. Shit’s going to hit the fan today. Relationships permanently
severed. I need to know why he did this.

  “Just ready to put this all behind us,” I breathe out heavily finally answering Alex’s question. It feels like I’m heading into war. About to head out on a mission where we only have one shot to get this right. The Eminem song from 8Mile keeps playing in my head. One shot. One opportunity. I have to own this confrontation and take my life back.

  “Ready when you are,” Chino chimes in, giving a thumbs up as he places headphones over his ears and types some shit into the laptop on the cart in this utility van marked Time Warner. I have to say when I first saw it, I wouldn’t have thought twice about seeing it on the side of the road. It looks identical to vans you see parked all over.

  Taking a deep cleansing breath, I exhale and move toward the door of the van. “Let’s do this.”

  “You’re going to need this,” Hailey says handing me the Regency Biotech file, the key to this whole plan.

  Jordan reassures me with a smile, “You’ve got this, Quinn.”

  A warm hand grabs mine just before I step out the door. Turning my head, I catch Alex’s loving smile as he says, “I’ll be right here when you get back.”

  Somehow this man always knows what I need to hear. I shoot him a thankful smile and step out of the van.

  “Just give the mic a test when you get into the car so I can make sure the audio is all good,” Chino calls out to me before I slide the door fully closed. “I can hear you just fine now, but I want to double check. Look for the thumbs up out the driver’s side window before you take off.”

  The snow crunches under my feet as I make the half block walk back to my car. Time seems to be standing still and moving in hyperspeed at the same time.

  Having a legitimate ending in sight makes me want to sprint to my car and race it around the corner, storm inside, and get what I need. Then I can finally breathe easy.

  But it also seems like everything around me has stopped. In the middle of the city, with people, cars, and noise all around me, the only thing I can hear is the thump of my heart and steps of my feet.

  The leather of my seat in my Audi is still warm as I slide into it. Pressing the start button, I follow Chino’s instructions. “Can you hear me?” I ask, gripping the steering wheel. My knuckles turn white as I tighten my hold and stare out the windshield waiting for my cue.

  The moment the thumb appears out the window, I check my mirror and pull out of the parking spot I have in front of a home very similar to my parents.

  The block passes in the blink of an eye and I’m scouting out a spot near my parents’ house. The black van follows me, and it parks at the first open spot it finds at the end of the block.

  Snagging a spot two doors down, I pull my car in, thankful the neighborhood is pretty empty. Most of the families around here skip town for Christmas, jetting off to places like Aspen, Veil, even the Swiss Alps. I always hated when my parents dragged me away from home on Christmas when I was little. I used to protest that Santa wouldn’t know where to find me. As a teenager, I loved it because I could get the hell away from them and hit the slopes with friends whose families did the same thing.

  Swiping the sweat from my palms on my black wool pants, I grab the file off the passenger seat before exiting my car. I force any lingering nerves down and put my game face on. Time to finish this. I’ve got everything under control. It’ll be easy to get him to say the words out loud. He’s probably been waiting for the day he can tell me about it. I’m counting on it.

  Dr. Stein still thought this was a terrible idea and advised against it. But I’m going to prove to everyone that this scared, timid woman I’ve let this man turn me into, isn’t the real Quinn. I haven’t felt like the real me in a very long time. Since about the time my father presented his grand scheme to me.

  Today Quinn is back with a vengeance.

  The walk to their door is short and I ring the bell without thinking twice. I turn my face away from the icy wind as I wait for Sophia, my parents’ housekeeper, to answer the door. Heaven forbid the Taylors answered their own door.

  A beaming Sophia greets me as she opens the large oak double front doors. “Miss Quinn! Merry Christmas, I missed you yesterday.”

  “Merry Christmas to you as well, Sophia,” I reply returning her big hug inhaling the homely smell of my childhood. The smell of Sophia reminds me of my happiest times as a kid. She always baked my birthday cakes and presented them with the sweetest smiles. That’s always the first of the memories that comes to me whenever I see her.

  “Where is that handsome man of yours?” she asks, ushering me into the very sterile foyer. Everything in the foyer is white and cold. It’s always reminded of a room in the psych ward.

  She did always think Jordan was quite the catch. “Jordan’s at home working. I have a meeting with my father today,” I tell her.

  Taking my coat, she nods and informs me, “He’s in his office.”

  Of course, he is. “Thank you, Sophia.”

  My footsteps echo throughout the foyer as I make my way up the white marble stairs, Sophia following behind me. These stairs must be a bitch to keep clean; I kind of feel sorry for Sophia. Dealing with my parents and these stairs seems like some sort of punishment. I wouldn’t wish it on someone I didn’t like let alone someone I loved like a mother.

  As I reach the top, I veer to the right, through the living room, toward the back of the house, and stop at the dark, ominous door to his office. It looks like the door to hell with only one light in the hall on, illuminating it.

  Not bothering to knock, I open the door and stride in toward his overly large cherry desk. I used to spend a lot of time in the office with my father as a naïve teenager. Always dashing in to tell him about a great test score, being elected to Student council, and learning all about the business I was going to be doing with him when the time came.

  I stifle a laugh thinking about the thought of doing business with him. Little did I know, I’d be doing business against him. In spite of him. Working to be better than him so I didn’t have to do business with him anymore.

  “Good morning, Daddy,” I say stopping in front of him. I may be laying it on a little thick with the “Daddy,” considering it causes me to nearly choke, but it seemed fitting for a final standoff.

  He sits back in his brown leather chair, places his hands on the carved wooden arms like a king on his throne, and sighs, “What can I do for you, Quinn?”

  What can he do for me? Take a long walk off a short pier, that’s what.

  The sight of him sickens me. From his graying hair to his hideous loafers peeking past the side of his desk. He’s not a very big man yet has always seemed like such a giant presence to me.

  I’ve always loved my blue eyes but seeing the same eyes in him makes me hate him more. I want nothing from this man. He’s dead to me after today, but just knowing the one feature I’ve always loved most about myself comes from him makes me wish for my mother’s hazel ones.

  He looks young for his age and it’s easy to be distracted by his ego and wallet, but if you look close enough, you’ll see the ugly. I haven’t realized until this moment just how ugly he is.

  Tossing the file onto his desk, I try to relax and say. “I have a file I’d like you to take a look at.”

  I watch as his eyes scan the name of the file on the tab of the plain manila folder. They don’t even flinch. Bastard! He doesn’t have even the slightest reaction to the file as he opens it. He just flips through it like it’s any other file.

  “Why am I looking at a file clearly showing me you’ve been embezzling funds from Taylor Ventures?” he asks peering up at me with raised, once-blonde eyebrows. The man should’ve considered acting.

  “That’s what I was wondering as well,” I say taking a seat in one of the wooden chairs in the front of his desk. The feelings fluttering in my stomach have me ready to vomit. Maybe I wasn’t ready to do this. No! I refuse to let him make me falter. This ends today. “You sure did a great job making sure I was compl
etely fucked.”

  Slamming the file closed, he sits forward, resting his elbows on the desk. “I have no idea what you’re talking about Quinn. You’re not involving me in your mess. You know I have to report this right?”

  A laugh bubbles up and escapes from my lips. “Oh, don’t worry. You made sure if I tried to fuck you, I fucked myself instead. When I brought this file to my own attorney, he assured me everything in it implicates me. It’s already been reported. You can expect a full investigation.”

  A conceited look overtakes my father’s face as he relaxes back in his chair. “Well, that’s quite a predicament you’ve gotten yourself into. Not to add to your already bad situation, but you can no longer work for me. I can’t have employees, especially the Vice President, committing fraud.”

  “How’d you do it?” I ask ignoring his stupid employee speech. “Last I checked I’ve never opened any accounts in the Bahamas, but yet somehow you managed to do it.”

  “I’ve already told you, I have no clue what you’re talking about. I’ve never heard of Regency Biotech before,” he says. Deny. Deny. Deny.

  I thought he would’ve gloated the minute I told him I’m already screwed. This isn’t going the way I planned it at all.

  “I should’ve known it wouldn’t be as easy as turning the file over to you.”

  “Quinn, I don’t have time to deal with whatever trouble you’ve gotten yourself into,” he says, continuing his denial. “Your stupidity has not only created a mess for you but a mess for me. I have to find someone to take over all your files. Any company property you have at home, I need. Your access to the office will be revoked. I’ll have to have every file and transaction you’ve been a part of quality checked.”

  “Is this sob story supposed to move me?” I ask annoyed at how far he’s taking this lie. “You’ve created this mess for yourself, don’t give me your bullshit.”

  My head hangs as my fear doubles with every passing second. I honestly thought I’d have him talking by now. What if I’m not capable of doing this? Everyone else thought this was a bad idea. Maybe it was. Did I honestly think I was going to be able to outsmart this man? He’s beaten us at every turn.