Eight Months Later
"In other news, Calvin Hendrick gave a speech today at the state capital. Before he began, he asked that we continue to remember his former running mate, Niles Bishop, who died in a tragic accident last year. Bishop had been the frontrunner in the Senate race last fall when—"
"Sorry," I say, rushing to turn the TV off.
"It's fine," Gavin says, pulling me onto his lap. "I can't avoid it. It's news. They'll probably still be talking about it years from now."
It's been eight months since Niles died. There was an investigation as to what caused the explosion and it was decided the cause was most likely a gas leak. I asked my dad how that's possible, given that there had to be some kind of evidence left behind that showed explosives were to blame, but my dad wouldn't even discuss it. He said to leave it alone and move on.
But I can't. I keep thinking about it, wondering who did it and why. And how they were able to plant the explosives without my dad finding out. And how whoever did this got the cause of the fire to be ruled a gas leak when I'm certain the evidence showed the actual cause.
Not knowing who planted the explosives has me concerned for my dad's safety. If I knew it was Niles, I could relax because he's gone now. But Niles didn't do it so that means there's someone else who wanted my dad dead. Or maybe we were both the target. Maybe this person was hoping we'd both be at the house when the explosives went off. But then why did they go off when my dad and I weren't there? What triggered the explosion?
I have so many questions, and all these months later, I still have no answers. I think my dad does but he refuses to share what he knows. But he did tell me about that guy he was following in the days before Niles' death. Turns out he was the half-brother of the guy Niles shot. My dad thinks the guy wanted revenge and had plans to kill Niles, but we'll never really know for sure because the guy was killed the day after my dad's house exploded. The story is that he got in a bar fight and was shot and left for dead in the parking lot, but the police have no witnesses or suspects so it seems suspicious to me. But again, my dad won't even discuss it. He keeps telling me it's all in the past and to move on.
As for Gavin, he's moved on the best he can, telling himself that his dad just made some wrong choices in his life but wasn't a bad person, despite the fact that his dad murdered a man and threatened to murder my father. Gavin never told his mom what Niles did and he thinks it's best if we never do. Instead, Celeste got the story that everyone else did; that Niles was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. It's the story my dad came up with and that Gavin told the police. He said Niles went to my dad's house to introduce himself since I'm dating his son, but then found my dad wasn't home. As he stood at the door, the house exploded.
The story must be believable because no one has questioned it. Not even Celeste. But she was in too much shock to question it. She was devastated when she heard the news. In the weeks and months following Niles' death, she drank even more than usual to deal with her loss. It got to the point that she was passing out drunk during the day. She hit rock bottom and last month she went into rehab. She's at some fancy place in California, far away from her high-society friends. She doesn't want them to know she's in rehab so she told them she's on an extended vacation at a spa.
"I love you," Gavin says, kissing me.
"Love you too."
"Why don't we go in the bedroom and you can show me how much?"
Gavin and I share an apartment now. We moved here right after he graduated. We're just a forty-five minute train ride to Manhattan where Gavin will soon be starting his job. The timing of our move worked out well because Decker needed a place to live for the summer and Megan offered him my room. She's still pretending they're just friends and that Decker is just a roommate. When she told us that, Gavin and I just rolled our eyes. We know she's lying. Even Decker knows. But he plays along because he knows Megan's not ready to admit she's in a serious relationship with him, even though she is.
My restaurant plans are coming along well. I even found a place to rent. Now I just need to get funding. I've gone to several banks to get a loan, but so far, they've all turned me down. Gavin assures me I'll eventually get the money I need but I'm starting to doubt that.
"Let's go," I say, getting off Gavin's lap and hurrying to the bedroom.
He chases me down, catching me in the hall and scooping me up in his arms and kissing me. "I love you. Did I tell you that?"
"Yeah, you did." I smile. "I love you too."
There's a knock on the door.
Gavin sets me down. "Are we expecting someone?"
"Not that I know of." There's another knock. "I'll get it."
I open the door and see a delivery guy there, holding a big white envelope.
"Are you Kate?" he asks.
"Yeah, that's me."
"This is for you." He hands me the envelope. "Have a nice day."
"What's that?" Gavin asks as I shut the door.
"I don't know."
I walk to the kitchen island and rip open the envelope. I pull out a piece of paper.
"It looks like some kind of legal document," I say, scanning over the small print.
"Let me see." He takes it from me. "You know what this is?"
"What?"
"It's a lease agreement for the building where you want your restaurant. It's in your name and the lease has been paid for two years."
"Are you serious?" I go and stand next to him so I can see the paper.
He points to a section in the middle. "It says right here that it's been leased and paid up for two years. And it's in your name."
"How is that possible?"
"I don't know. Was there anything else in the envelope?"
I reach inside and pull out a smaller envelope. I open it and inside is a check made out to me.
"It's a check for $30,000," I say, holding up the check.
"From who?"
On the corner of the check I see a company name and logo. "Walcott Investments."
"That's Tad Walcott's company. My dad used to play golf with him. Do you know him?"
"No, but I've catered some events at his house."
"Why would he give you money?"
"I don't know."
Gavin takes the envelope and shakes it upside down. A piece of paper falls out and Gavin picks it up. "It's a letter from Walcott Investments."
"What does it say?"
He reads it. "You have been chosen to receive this year's Young Entrepreneur award. You were nominated by Ms. Carol Hofmann. Your business plan was reviewed by our board and we're pleased to announce that your business was selected for investment. If you agree to the conditions, Walcott Investments will own a share of the business and in return you'll receive our financial support, including the enclosed check and payment of your lease for as long as we're partners. We look forward to working with you. Sincerely, Tad Walcott." Gavin looks at me. "Did you know Carol nominated you?"
"No. A few months ago, she offered to look over my business plan so I gave it to her, but I had no idea she submitted it to a contest." I look at the check again. "So what does this mean? I pay them back someday? Is this a loan?"
"It's not a loan. It's an investment. They're taking a risk on you, but they're placing their bets that you'll succeed and make them lots of money."
I smile. "They really think I can do this?"
"Not just them." He takes the check from me and sets it down on the counter, then brings me into his arms. "I think you can do it too. I don't just think it, I know it. You're going to do great. But are you sure you want to take the money?"
"Why wouldn't I?"
"If you do, you're giving up control. Walcott Investments will own half the restaurant and if it isn't doing well, they're going to want to make changes. Changes you may not agree with."
"But I really need the money. I haven't been able to get a bank loan, and if I ever get approved for one, I'll have to pay all that interest on the loan. And having Walco
tt pay the lease on the building frees up a lot of money I could use on other things, like staffing and equipment."
"So you're taking the money," he confirms.
"Yeah. I am." I pick up the check and smile. "This is really happening. I'm going to have my own restaurant."
Gavin's looking at me like he wants to say something.
"What is it?"
"I don't know if you should do this."
"Open the restaurant?"
"No. Take the money. I get the feeling there's strings attached. Money always comes with a price."
"The price is like you said, that they get a say in the business. But honestly, I'm okay with that. Walcott Investments is run by people who know how to run a company. People with business degrees from fancy schools. They might actually turn out to be helpful."
He kisses me. "Then I guess you better get to work."
"First I want to finish what we started."
He smiles. "Let's go." He takes my hand and we go to the bedroom.
As I'm setting my phone on the nightstand, I see an incoming text. I pick my phone up and see a number I don't recognize.
The text reads, Silence is rewarded.
A shiver runs through me. Niles said those words when he was telling me to keep quiet. He didn't say it exactly that way but it was eerily similar. Similar enough that it's the first thing I thought of when I read the text. But Niles is dead so he couldn't have sent that text. So who did?
"What's wrong?" Gavin asks as he yanks his t-shirt off.
"Nothing," I say, but then wonder why I didn't tell him. We said we wouldn't keep secrets from each other. But this isn't really a secret. It's just a text. From an unknown number. With no context. It's meaningless.
Silence is rewarded.
I hear Niles saying those words and shiver again, causing me to drop my phone on the bed.
"Kate, what's going on with you? Did you change your mind?"
"No. I just need to get some water. I'll be right back." I take my phone and hurry into the kitchen and read the text once more.
Silence is rewarded.
Niles said they liked me, and that if I kept quiet, I'd be rewarded.
The lease payment. The check.
They're rewards. Given by Walcott Investments. Why Walcott Investments? Is Tad Walcott part of this?
My phone dings again with a text. I quickly read it.
Never ask questions. It's the number one rule.
It's like someone read my thoughts. I have so many questions running through my mind and now I'm being told not to ask those questions.
Who sent these texts? Was it them? The people Niles was involved with? Who are these people?
Looking at my phone again, I see the texts are gone. I scroll up and down searching for them but they're not there. I didn't delete them. They just disappeared. How could that be? Were they even there to begin with or did I imagine them?
"Kate, are you coming?" I hear Gavin yell.
"Yeah, I'll be there in a minute."
Should I tell him? Or just forget I ever saw those texts?
Maybe it's best to forget. Maybe it was some kind of joke. Or maybe those texts weren't even meant to go to me. Maybe they were meant for someone else.
Who am I kidding? Of course they were meant for me. But why?
Niles is dead. I have no reason to tell anyone what I saw that night. Nobody should care that I have this secret. It holds no power now.
That's what I tell myself but I know it's not true. There's more going on here and it's related to what I saw that night. That's why the questions keep circling around in my head and yet I never get answers.
I still don't know what Niles was involved in or who he was working with. Just like I don't know who sent those texts just now.
Maybe that last text is right. Maybe it's best not to ask questions. To not know the truth. And to keep quiet.
Because silence is rewarded.
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From the Author
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***
Do you like romance mixed with mystery and suspense? Check out The Jade Series! It's a story of forbidden romance. Deadly secrets. Hidden agendas. And rules that must never be broken.
Choosing You (Jade Series, book one)
When Jade is given a scholarship to an elite private college in Connecticut, she sees it as a chance to finally escape her painful past and get a fresh start. She's determined to succeed and that means keeping her focus on school and not guys. But that plan falls apart her first day on campus when Garret, a wealthy prep school boy with swimmer abs and a perfect smile, offers to help her move in.
Jade tries to push him away but she can't deny her attraction to him and Garret won't let her. Things quickly heat up between them, but then come to a sudden halt when reality hits and Jade realizes that a relationship with Garret may never be possible. He comes from a world of wealth where there are rules, including rules about who he can date. And not following those rules has consequences.
As the two of them try to overcome the obstacles working to keep them apart, Jade is confronted with another challenge. On her 19th birthday, she receives a letter that her now deceased mother wrote years ago. In it are revelations that explain her traumatic childhood but also make her question the past she's been running from.
***
If you'd like to read one of my standalones, here's the first chapter of Holding On, an emotion-packed contemporary romance!
Ethan
"Watch out, babe," I say as Kasey crawls on my lap in the back seat of the white Suburban. "You don't want to damage the goods."
She smiles, a lazy, drunk smile. "If I do any damage, I promise to kiss it and make it better."
I press my mouth to hers, and when she parts her lips, I taste the whiskey on her tongue. We just left a party and were downing shots like there's no tomorrow.
"What else you gonna do to me?" I ask.
Her mouth moves to my ear and she whispers the answer, every dirty detail. Looks like I made the right choice tonight.
When I first saw Kasey at the party, she looked all sweet and innocent in her pink cardigan sweater, tiny white t-shirt, and short black skirt. She looked like the virgin co-ed, waiting to be deflowered. But her eyes told a different story. She spotted me as soon as I walked in and gave me a look that told me she'd make my night if I gave her the chance. And from her words just now, I'm glad I did. This girl isn't one to hold back and neither am I. It's going to be a good night.
She hikes up her skirt and sinks down on my crotch, grinding against me. I'm straining against my jeans, ready to burst.
"Hurry your ass up," I yell at Jason as he gets in the front seat. "We need to get to the cabin."
He fumbles with the keys, trying to get them in the ignition. It makes me wonder if he's not sober enough to drive. He said he was fine but I saw him take a shot right before we left the party and I know he had a few beers before that.
&n
bsp; I lean forward toward Jason. "You sure you're good to drive?"
"Yeah, Dad, I'm good," he says sarcastically.
"Just a question, asshole." I nudge the back of his seat with my knee. "Don't need to get all bent out of shape over it."
Lyndsay runs out of the frat house where the party's going on and hops in the front seat next to Jason. "Are we leaving or what?"
He leans over and kisses her. "We couldn't exactly leave until you were done in the bathroom."
She smiles. "I was fixing my makeup."
"You don't need makeup." He kisses her again.
"We seriously need to get going," I say to Jason as Kasey undoes my belt. "Otherwise I'm going to be doing shit back here I'm pretty sure you don't want me doing."
Jason's head whips back as he puts the car into drive. "You get any bodily fluids back there and you'll be buying me a new Suburban."
I laugh. He's obsessed with keeping this thing clean. If he ever got a scratch on it, he'd have a damn heart attack.
"I'm not kidding, man." He takes off down the road. "I'm keeping my eye on you." He glances at me in the rearview mirror but all he can see is the back of Kasey, who continues to grind into my lap, her hand now down my jeans.
"Slow down," I say, pulling her hand away.
"Why?" She pouts. "You don't like it?"
I nod toward Jason. "He wasn't kidding. He'll kill me if we do anything back here."
The Suburban is Jason's baby. He loves it about as much as he loves Lyndsay, his girlfriend of almost three years. They met at freshman orientation and have been together ever since. The guys on the team always give him shit, saying he's missing out on all the girls ready and willing to give themselves to him. He's our star running back so girls are always trying to get with him, hoping to lure him away from Lyndsay. But he's never cheated on her. He's loved her since the day they met, and now he's talking about marriage, saying he's going to propose next year.
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