by Jo Leigh
“I never even understood why she wanted to go to that school.”
Ginny looked down for a second, and he knew he wouldn’t like what she was about to say. “Mostly though, I think she wanted your dad’s attention. I’m sorry, but she idolized your father, and she thought he didn’t care about her or his family. Danny was older and made her feel special. I guess, in a way, he could’ve been a substitute.”
Parker’s chest tightened, all his muscles preparing to fight off something no fists could stop.
“She honestly had no idea what Danny was truly like. Not until it was too late. And I’m guessing eventually she knew too much and couldn’t just walk away.”
“She could have come to me. Or even my father before he passed. He could’ve protected her.”
“How? You’d disappeared. All of you.”
The anger grew inside him, like lava trying to erupt. How could Meg have been so stupid? And his father, the big hero, who’d put his family last? Parker hadn’t been much better. How could he have been such a lousy brother? Of course Meg hadn’t come to him. He’d been too caught up in his own bright future at Princeton, with his eye on Yale Law. No one had been there for her. No one.
He turned to Ginny. “Meg did find us on Facebook. I know it took a while, but we did make ourselves known. Did you even try to let us know what was happening to her? Or tell us about Tilda?”
Ginny’s wince didn’t register as anything but guilt to Parker. She hadn’t tried at all.
“It was too late by then. I’d become Tilda’s mother. She was my daughter in every way that counted. You do know there’s more to the mother/child bond than blood, right? Besides, Meg didn’t even know I’d kept her.”
He turned to face the covered window. The turmoil outside was hidden from view. But he could hear the wind and knew the sea was probably roiling—an echo of what was going on inside him.
“But if you’d told her you kept the baby, that you hadn’t placed her, don’t you think it might’ve given her more reason to get away from him?”
Ginny blinked, her face paled. “Maybe,” she said slowly, her voice husky with emotion. “But for what? To live an uncertain life on the run?”
Like his family?
Parker knew she’d had the same thought but possessed the good grace not to verbalize it. Ginny had given up a lot for Tilda, there was no disputing that. And Tilda was happy. Well-adjusted. With a great future ahead of her.
It was his turn to walk away. “I think I could use some coffee. You mind if I make some?”
“No, go ahead. I could use a pickup myself.”
He hesitated, waiting to see if Ginny was going to follow him, but she went down the hall toward the downstairs bathroom.
It was odd to know where she kept the coffee, and exactly how to prepare it to her tastes. But mostly, the idea that he had a niece spun around in his brain. He liked Tilda. She was straightforward and for a girl her age, pretty sensible. Thanks to her upbringing, he suspected.
Ginny let him know she was headed his way by clearing her throat. Another thoughtful gesture to pin up on his mental board of how to feel about all she’d done. So many cons. But there were lots of pros too.
The coffee maker gurgled, and he turned around to face her. She was leaning against the center island. “Do you know where she is now?”
“Meg?” Her eyes were dry but rimmed with red. “No. I don’t. They moved out of the country some time ago.”
“And you really haven’t been in touch with her?”
“It’s been almost a year since we talked.”
It still irked him that Meg had phoned Ginny but had communicated with their mom only through Facebook. “Was that because she stopped calling or because you were afraid she’d come back and would find out about Tilda?”
The look Ginny gave him hit him hard. He hadn’t even meant for that question to come out.
“I haven’t lied about anything. I swore I would tell you all, even though I know how hard it is to hear. In fact, I’m sorry, but I’m afraid that Meg might be...” Ginny’s eyes closed tight, as if she was using all her strength not to say the next word.
“Dead?”
She sniffed, looked at him. Nodded. “The last time we spoke Meg was depressed and felt hopeless, like all she’d done was screw up everything. She didn’t see much hope of escaping her life.”
Parker cursed. “She should’ve been calling me.”
Ginny’s voice had gotten softer, while his had become louder. He didn’t want to hear any more. It hurt to think his little sister had been in a version of hell he couldn’t even comprehend. For so many years. On her own. And after a while he’d stopped looking for her. He hadn’t done anything but blame her for abandoning the family. For being just like their father.
If Ginny was right, he’d never have the chance to tell Meg how sorry he was. How he’d misunderstood so much. How he should have paid more attention. Done something. Did she even know about their father’s disgrace? That he’d left their mother in such terrible straits. Nearly penniless without his pension?
Did Meg believe her family had abandoned her? She must...
“What else?” The words came out sharp, directed more at himself than at Ginny.
She blinked. “Nothing important.”
“There must be more to make you think she’s dead.”
Ginny looked away, brought down two cups and poured them each some coffee. They both took a little breather, getting prepared to dive deep once more, but finally, they were back in the living room, facing each other.
“Meg knew that Danny had been seeing other women for a while. Much younger women. Which meant she was becoming more dispensable. The upside to that was more freedom. Not that she was ever let out without some kind of bodyguard. There was very little chance of her doing anything like going to the authorities. But almost two years ago, they were in the country, in New York, and she told me she’d managed to get a safe-deposit box in a Manhattan bank. That she wanted it in both our names. In fact, she sent me a form, with a return envelope to the bank, which I signed because they wanted my signature on file.”
“She wanted it in your name too?”
“Yes. Although I didn’t think much of it at the time. But then, after that last phone call, I got the feeling she knew it wasn’t looking good. She reminded me that I had a key.”
Parker waited for her to continue, but she seemed hesitant. “No sense holding anything back at this point.”
She sipped her coffee, then cleared her throat. “Before she could tell me anything more, the call was cut off. Well, she was cut off. I heard yelling in the background. It was terrifying and I just knew she’d been caught. Then the connection was gone. I never heard from her again.”
Parker put his cup down on the coffee table and spilled some. He hadn’t used a coaster, but he couldn’t move to wipe it up. Not while he was imagining all the possible horrors his beautiful sister had faced on her own. That monster needed to be put down.
He cursed his father. If he’d been any kind of a decent man, he would have been in the perfect position to save Meg. To have crippled that bastard and whatever organization he was working for. All the misery his father had caused by siphoning money from a raid, and for what? To end up in humiliation and failure. Betraying his honor, his name and his family. For dirty money that had been confiscated, anyway. And all he’d ever been to his kids was a hero. A hollow man, with nothing but failure inside him.
Parker glanced up at Ginny, and the pity he saw on her face gutted him. As if he wasn’t broken already. He didn’t want sympathy, and there’d be no redemption. “If you’d talked to Meg, you must have known she’d contacted us on Facebook. But she’d never said where she was, who she was with. Anything meaningful.”
“Stop,” Ginny whispered. “Please.”
He had to. I
t wasn’t Ginny who’d let the ball drop. He should have done his own homework. Traced Meg somehow. Found her. Not just dismissed her without ever trying to understand how young she’d been. How much trouble she had found herself in.
“Do you have any idea what’s in the safe-deposit box?”
“Keepsakes? Personal things she wanted kept private? I honestly don’t know.”
“Didn’t it occur to you that she might have stashed incriminating evidence in that box? Something that could have helped her?”
Her head reared back as if she’d been slapped. “I told you. The conversations were awkward and short. For a long time, everything had seemed good with them, if secretive.”
“Do you remember which bank?”
“Actually, I do know. It’s in Midtown Manhattan.”
“What?”
“I only remember because I got a notice last week. The payment was due on the box, and the bank sent me a letter. I’d never gotten one before, which means Meg had been paying it herself.”
“Did you pay it?”
“No. Not yet.”
“And you still have the key?”
She nodded.
“Why haven’t you gone there? It’s possible that whatever’s in that box should go to the FBI. I can’t believe you didn’t—”
“I’m sorry, it was just a week ago, and with the reunion and everything... It never occurred to me there would be anything that could help take down Danny.”
He stood, stared at Ginny, disbelieving. “Don’t you want justice for Meg?”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
GINNY WISHED SHE hadn’t told Parker about the safe-deposit box. Of course she wanted justice for Meg. Everything she’d done was to protect her friend and her child. Even now, thinking that she’d never see or talk to Meg again broke her heart. She also wanted Danny Whoever-He-Was to be thrown in jail for the rest of his life. He deserved much worse, in her opinion.
But she had to put Tilda’s safety first. Giving her the best life possible was a close second. And if Parker wanted to get ugly about it, he could find a way to rip Tilda away from her. She’d tried to help him see that everything she’d done was out of love for both his sister and her child, but he still had a lot to process. She couldn’t imagine trying to make sense of all the information he’d gotten in one tense sitting.
Besides, the Nolans weren’t innocents in all this. They’d vanished for years. Ginny had picked up the slack and moved heaven and earth to protect and care for Tilda. Even the idea of sharing Tilda with Meg’s family made her sick to her stomach. Selfish, perhaps, but that’s how she felt.
“Ginny,” he said. “The name. Of the bank?”
His voice startled her. They’d both been distracted. She’d let fear swallow her up which was a mistake she couldn’t afford. Right now she had to be on her toes. When she’d glanced his way, he seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. Now, though, he was staring at her with intent.
Instead of answering him, Ginny rose and went into the family room where she could see the TV. She turned the flat-screen on to the weather channel.
Parker walked to the bookcase, arms crossed. His anxiety showed with every breath, making the muscles in his back, shoulders and neck stand out. The news about the storm was better than she’d anticipated. The tropical storm was going to come in earlier than their original predictions, but it shouldn’t hit the bay too hard or before midnight. The winds were picking up, but the airports hadn’t shut down, although the call had gone out for all boats that weren’t already being prepared at the dock to do so immediately.
“We should try to get ahead of the storm,” she said. “We can continue this discussion later.”
He turned, his jaw muscles flexing. “Trying to get rid of me?”
“I said we, didn’t I?”
He didn’t seem to be truly listening but was preoccupied with something else. “When did you get the bank notice?”
“I told you. Last week.”
“Last week when? You still have it, don’t you?”
The way he was asking felt...ominous. She nodded, her mouth gone dry.
“Go get it,” he said. “Now.”
Ginny stepped back, a frisson of trepidation sweeping through her. “I think I should consult an attorney before I say anything more.”
His expression changed to one of disbelief and distaste. If she’d been apprehensive a minute ago, it was nothing compared to what she felt now.
“There’ll be plenty of time to talk about legalities, but right now we need to act. If you received the bank notice, then so did Meg.” His hands fisted. “But if you’re right, and she is dead...”
Okay, something had changed. A light had dimmed, not just in his eyes. She couldn’t stand thinking about what had happened to Meg, and she’d been living with the idea for almost a year.
“There’s a very good chance this Danny guy has his hands on that bill. Are you following?”
She stared blankly at him, her thoughts shooting in a dozen directions.
“It wouldn’t be difficult for him to track you down, Ginny. You and Meg lived in the same town. I’m sure he’s heard your name before, probably in the beginning. And he’d want to know what you know, and I doubt he’d take any chances about it.”
“Dear God.” How had that not occurred to her? It should have been the first thing she thought of when she got that notice.
“Look, I’m not trying to scare you,” Parker continued quietly. “But there’s no way of knowing if and what he’s found out about Tilda.”
She gripped the back of the couch, afraid she’d fall without the support. “He couldn’t know anything. Even Meg thought I’d found a family for her.”
“Who knows what Meg might have told him in a fit of anger? But that isn’t what I meant. Some scumbags wouldn’t think twice about using a child to get to their mother—he could use Tilda to hurt you. We need to act quickly. I need to know exactly which bank so we can get to it before he does, in case there is any information that could put him away. With the storm on its way, we have to move. Tilda has to—”
Ginny had started shaking as Parker’s voice had gotten softer and softer. She had to go get Tilda. Get her out of Temptation Bay. Out of Rhode Island. Somewhere safe. Now. Right now.
Arms came around her, and she jerked away, only to be held in place. She tried to push Parker away, but he wouldn’t let go. Sounds were starting to penetrate though, and his soft hushes and soothing tone helped her realize he was only trying to comfort her.
“It’s going to be all right, but we need you now. We need you to be strong, and here and with us. Can you do that?”
She nodded, knowing his actions weren’t personal but tactical. Which was exactly what was called for.
“Did Meg give you any idea where she was calling from?”
After a quick breath, she was able to speak again. “No. She told me they moved around a lot. And that it was getting riskier to enter the US.”
“Good. If they’ve been jumping around it would take the mail longer to catch up to them. That might have bought us the window we need.”
“And the storm, right? New York is being hit hard. He’d have to get there, but I think the airports have been closed...”
“That’s right,” Parker said as if he was speaking to a child, and that’s when she realized how foolish she was being. Danny could send anyone to do his dirty work.
“Is it too late?” she asked, looking into his face. “You can tell me.”
“I doubt it. That being said, we can’t afford to count on anything except our own actions. We need to fly to New York today and empty that box.”
Something felt wrong about that sentence, even though she knew he was right. “We have to get Tilda. She can’t come with us, and I can’t leave her here.”
Parker eased
his grip on her and seemed to calm himself from the head down. His jaw stopped clenching. Even his breathing was steady. “You’re right. I have an idea about that. A way to keep her safe.” He bent his knees just enough so that he looked into her eyes from the same height. “We can put her on a plane to my mom’s. In Boise.”
Jerking out of his reach, she shook her head, terrified to her bones that sending Tilda away would mean forever, and that was not going to happen. She’d run, pack as quickly as she could for both of them, take only what they needed for a few days. And they’d go to the airport and pick a destination. Somewhere no one would ever look for them.
“Ginny, wait. We wouldn’t tell my mom that Tilda’s her...that she’s Meg’s daughter. All I’d say is that you’ve had something come up and would she mind looking after your child for a few days. She’ll agree. She remembers you well. And she trusts me. I know she won’t ask questions.”
It bothered her that he was acting as if it would be a pretense, as if Tilda wasn’t hers. He knew very well that wasn’t true—she was Tilda’s mother in every way that mattered. He was also talking to her as if she was a fragile flower who’d wilt the moment she was touched. That wasn’t true either, and if he thought—
“Look, there’s more to talk about. I know that. But right now it’s more important to get Tilda somewhere safe, away from Temptation Bay. And we have to do it before the storm hits and they shut down the airport.”
“It’s not going to be that bad this far north.”
“A minute ago you wanted to leave and get ahead of the storm.”
Ginny exhaled.
“Even if they don’t close the airport, I still need to be able to fly us to New York. Understand? We have to get there before anyone else does, or everything you’ve done to protect Tilda and keep her safe might be for nothing. So I need you to put a bag together for Tilda while I call and book her a flight. Can you do that? Pack for her? And maybe for yourself too. We can’t be sure things will go like clockwork.”
