Hardline

by Meredith Wild

  My chest fell with a sigh of relief. “That’s great.”

  My thoughts immediately shifted to the nagging reminder that I still needed to go to the police station to give a statement. The charges against Blake had been my motivation to actually go through with it.

  “You’re still going to the police, right?”

  He must have read the doubt in my eyes because he came to me. I stood still, paralyzed by the sight of his perfectly sculpted body. He stood before me and skimmed his palms down my arm. I shivered, his touch cool against my skin.

  “You need to do this,” he said quietly.

  “Why? Why do I need to put myself through this?” Tears quickly brimmed my eyes. Apprehension took root in my gut.

  “You said it yourself that you still have healing to do. I’m here for you. I always will be. I’m here to love you in every way that you need to be loved. God knows, I can’t help myself. But telling me, telling Alli... It’s not enough. You need to be strong and stand up to what happened to you. Then and now. Every time I think about what Max did...what he could have done...my blood boils. But I can’t do this for you. This is your chance to make things right, and you’re the only one who can do it.”

  I closed my eyes. “I can’t. Something about it...I don’t want to break down in front of a stranger. To admit how stupid I’d been...how vulnerable he made me. Everyone saw.” I choked over the last words.

  He hushed me and pulled me close. I melted against him and let the tears fall.

  “You weren’t stupid. He made you vulnerable, but you don’t need to be now. You’re strong.” He held me a little tighter then. “You can do this.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Officer Bates led me away from her desk to a small private room. She might have been my mother’s age, a little heavy set. Her hair was pulled into a tight ponytail. A few short curls had escaped from it, framing a face that was lined.

  The chair legs squeaked against the concrete floor, and we sat down at a table across from each other. I twisted my fingers together nervously as she opened a file and shuffled through some of the papers. My heart pounded at the walls of my chest as I waited for her. My meager lunch turned in my stomach a little. My pep talk affirmations were drowned out by the voice in my head that kept reminding me how much I didn’t want to do this.

  What Max had done was the ultimate trigger threatening to dredge up the past that I wanted to stay in the past. This was part of working through it. But I didn’t know this woman. A stranger to me, she seemed as hard and cold as the room we now shared, and I didn’t want to be vulnerable now to her, or anyone else for that matter.

  She scanned the papers and glanced over at me briefly. “You okay, hon?”

  I regained my focus on her face. My breathing had become erratic. I licked my lips. “Yes, I’m fine. Just nervous, I guess.”

  She pulled out a piece of paper and positioned her pen above it. “No need to be nervous. All you need to do is tell me what happened exactly how you remember it. I’m going to write it down here. I’ll read it back to you when we’re done. And if everything is accurate, you sign it and then we’re done.”

  I nodded quickly. My mind had invented all of her coldness. In that second, she’d become someone different, someone who maybe wasn’t judging me in all the ways I was afraid she and the rest of the world would.

  “Okay,” I finally said.

  “Tell me what happened the night of the assault.”

  I closed my eyes and let my mind travel back to the night.

  Over the next half hour, I relayed to Officer Bates how the evening had unfolded. From talking to guests, and then Michael, to relenting to Max’s request to speak privately. I told her all I could remember until everything went black. Over the past week or so, fragments of the night had resurfaced. I would have rather they hadn’t, but any information might be helpful to paint a more complete picture of what had happened. The rest had been witnessed by Blake and several others. While she scribbled down the final pieces of my account, I cringed inwardly that anyone else had seen me so helpless.

  “Is there anything else you’d like to add?”

  I shifted my focus back to her and shook my head, unsettled by how little I actually remembered from the night. As promised, she read it back to me. I signed it, my hand trembling slightly as I did.

  Nervousness wasn’t making me shake, but a flood of relief. This was over. Finally. She let me know that they would be in touch if they needed anything further and showed me out of the room.

  As I left, the concrete block that had taken up residence in my stomach lifted. It was all said and done, literally. I couldn’t know if it would mean justice for Max, but it began to mean something more to me. I’d done something I’d never had the chance to do before. I’d overcome my fears and insecurities enough to tell my story. I wanted to believe it was an important step toward healing.

  I made my way through the rows of desks and back out to the bank of elevators. I waited there a moment before I heard a man’s voice behind me. I turned slightly to see Daniel with another man who I recognized as one of the detectives I’d spoken with.

  “Miss Hathaway. You must remember me, Detective Carmody?”

  My hand twitched, but he didn’t reach out. Instead he maintained a casual stance, almost too casual compared to how shrewdly he was studying me. I forced an impassive look.

  “What brings you here?” the detective asked.

  My gaze flashed to Daniel. The displeasure in his countenance made my heart stop.

  “A private matter,” I murmured.

  “Fair enough. Well, Mr. Fitzgerald, thanks for your time. I’ll leave you two alone.” He shifted back to me and lifted his chin slightly. “I’ll be in touch.”

  The elevator opened, and we stepped in together. I retreated to the back of the car, my hands going to the cold metal railing.

  “Can’t say I was expecting to see you here.” Daniel’s expression revealed nothing.

  Oh, shit. What if he thought I was talking to someone about the still unresolved case of Mark’s suicide?

  I stuttered over how to begin, not knowing what to say. “It’s nothing about Mark.”

  He glanced up at the numbers descending above the elevator door. “Assuming it has something to do with Max Pope then.”

  I stared at him stupidly, my brows knitted together. “Yes. But how did you know?”

  His gaze fell back down to mine. “I run a law firm, remember? Who do you think he called first?”

  My jaw fell open. I startled when the bell dinged, announcing our arrival at the ground floor. He stepped out and I released my death grip on the railing to follow him. We pushed through the heavy doors of the police station and slowed a few steps outside. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and tapped one out. I wrinkled my nose.

  “You should really stop smoking.”

  He shot me an annoyed look and took in a drag. “Really? I’m at risk of losing a race that I’ve sunk millions of my own money into. And you’re telling me to give up smoking. You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  I took a defensive step back. His anger, however fleeting, still had the power to make me take pause.

  “Why were you in there?” I asked, assuming whatever the reasons were tied directly to his presently pissy mood.

  “Because someone is leaking information to the cops.”

  I froze. None of that sounded good. “What information?”

  “Someone leaked a tip that you’re my daughter. They know good and goddamn well how damaging it’s going to be to my campaign too. Pricks.” He grimaced and blew out a smoky breath.

  That would have explained why Carmody looked at me that way, like he knew a secret. He did.

  “You didn’t deny it?”

  He laughed. “What’s the point? You clearly are, and if there’s any doubt, a simple DNA test would confirm it. The two of us drink a cup of coffee in their office and they would have their proof.”

  “W
ho would have tipped them off though?”

  He shook his head, a bitter smile twisting his lips. “Call me crazy, but I’ve got your fiancé at the top of that list. Unless you want to start telling me who else knows, because I sure as hell haven’t been advertising it.”

  My stomach plummeted as I mentally ran through the list. Sid, Alli, Marie...maybe even Heath knew now. But none of them would have any reason to benefit from the information being made public.

  Blake had his own reasons to out Daniel, but would he do that? Even after I’d made him promise me he wouldn’t? Maybe learning that Daniel had hit me would have been enough to nullify that promise. In the context of our new arrangement, maybe his promise meant nothing at all if Blake deemed it in my best interest. Still, that seemed an extreme position to take. The repercussions of this information going public would be damaging for Daniel, but I couldn’t see how Blake would want to bring the extra attention to me either. He wouldn’t do that to me. Would he?

  “Daniel, Blake knows I’m your daughter, yes, but I really don’t believe he would leak the information. He assured me he wouldn’t do that to you.” I hoped he couldn’t hear the doubt in my voice, because above all, I wanted to keep us safe. I’d lived under the fear of Daniel’s death threats before.

  He laughed again, sucking in a long drag on his cigarette.

  “He promised me,” I insisted.

  “I promise Margo about ten things a day. Keeps her happy just to hear me say it even if I don’t always deliver. Sorry if I don’t put a lot of stock into your hacker’s promises. Lot of fucking thanks I get for getting his ass out of a jam too.”

  I frowned. “What are you talking about?”

  “Who do you think got the charges dropped?”

  “You did that?” I hesitated as I absorbed this news. “How?”

  He looked at me sidelong, an almost bored expression on his face. “Shouldn’t surprise you that I have a few prosecutors who owe me favors. Wasn’t too much to ask someone to look the other way for someone defending a sexual assault. He tuned Max up pretty good though, I’ll say that.”

  “Then you know what happened.”

  He nodded, his expression still blank, if a little more tense.

  “But if he came to you, isn’t your firm defending Max?”

  He grimaced then. “Fuck no. Jesus, who do you think I am?”

  My eyes went wide, too wide maybe in response to what he was asking. Who was he? One minute he could be tugging at my heart strings, and the next he could be ruthlessly threatening to eliminate the man I loved. I couldn’t ever be sure what kind of man Daniel was.

  He exhaled sharply. “As much as I may not want the world to know it, you are my daughter. And the man drugged you and tried to rape you. I’m probably going straight to hell anyway, but I’m not completely fucking heartless. It’s enough I have to live with what Mark did. I may not always follow the rules, but I’m not about to help Max get off scot-free.”

  My brain spun with all of this new information. I would have never told Daniel about the attack, but a small part of me was glad that he knew, especially if it meant snubbing Max from the protection of one of the most prominent firms in the city.

  “What are you going to do now?” I asked quietly.

  “I’ve got to talk to my PR people about damage control. I’d say it’s only a matter of days before all this hits the presses.”

  He studied me a moment. “If you really believe Blake didn’t leak the info, then you can tell him to at least help me find out who did.” He tossed his cigarette on the ground, and stamped it out. “Because I want to talk to that person.”

  I believed him, and I had little doubt he had plans to do more than talk.

  * * *

  I offered a quick hello to Cady, who looked up from her desk outside Blake’s office. Her hair was a bright shade of pink today.

  “You can go right in.” She motioned toward the door though it went without saying that I could, and I would, whether Blake liked it or not.

  “Thanks,” I said, and entered.

  Blake spun in his chair when I shut the door behind me.

  He smiled, and my heart melted a little. So much had happened since I saw him a few hours ago, and there was no one I wanted to see more.

  I walked toward him, and he rose to meet me. He pulled me to him and pressed a kiss to my forehead. I leaned in, welcoming the relief of being in his arms, even if my relief might be short-lived after we started talking. He tipped my chin up. His eyebrows drew together.

  “You’re upset.”

  I sighed, exhaling the relief in the same breath.

  “I saw Daniel today. I went to the police station to give my statement, and he was there. He’d been talking to the same detectives who interviewed me last month.”

  “Did he say something to you?”

  He guided me to the couch on the other side of the room. He sat down beside me, his worried look demanding I tell him everything. I was prepared to tell Blake the truth, but I wasn’t sure if I was entirely prepared to hear it. I was giving him more control than I ever had, but he had no right to release this information, no matter how much he hated Daniel.

  “The police know that Daniel is my father. Someone tipped them off. Did you tell them? Please just be honest and tell me if you did.”

  Blake’s frown deepened. “No.”

  I looked into his eyes, studying his expression for any signs that he might be lying.

  He flinched slightly. “Erica, have I ever lied to you?”

  “No,” I admitted finally, sliding back into the smooth leather of the couch. I realized suddenly that learning Blake had done it would have be easier to accept than grasping at the unknown. It was a miracle I could sleep at night for all the people who’d made it their life’s mission to tear one of us down.

  “Did Daniel threaten you again?” he asked.

  “No, thank God. You’re his number one suspect though. Obviously, I assured him you wouldn’t do this, but he doesn’t take much stock in the promises you’ve made to me. He’s pissed, and he can’t wait to get his hands on whoever gave the police this information. He says if it’s not you, you should find out who it is.”

  “What if it was an anonymous tip? How the hell am I supposed to trace that? Tell Daniel to fuck off and do his own research.”

  “Blake.” I glared at him.

  “What?”

  “This is serious. The police know, and I’m pretty sure they’ll want to talk to me again soon.”

  “You should have told them the truth when you had the chance. Now you have to keep up with the lie and risk obstruction of justice.”

  “I didn’t want to see Daniel behind bars.”

  He cursed, his expression suddenly tight. “Erica, you’re maddening sometimes, you know that? The man hit you and threatened to kill me. God knows what else he’s done that warrants a lifetime behind bars.”

  “He’s my father, Blake. I’m sorry I don’t have a picture perfect family like yours. My mother’s dead and my stepfather started over without me. Unfortunately, Daniel’s the only parent I’ve got. I’d rather not live the rest of my life with the knowledge that I put him behind bars for killing the man who nearly destroyed my life.”

  He shoved a hand through his hair, a gesture that always betrayed his growing frustration, usually with me.

  “So what now?”

  I sighed. “I don’t know. Before, I was just a girl Mark was hitting on the night he died. Now I’m officially his stepsister and the illegitimate daughter of a powerful man with a multi-million dollar campaign on the line. The discovery is bound to raise eyebrows. They’ll have more questions without a doubt.”

  “You definitely told the police that Mark was coming on to you that night?”

  “Even if I hadn’t, it was obvious in the photos. They had a whole series of shots of us dancing. Him...talking in my ear.” I shuddered, the memory creeping over my skin.

  Blake stared off in silence
a few moments.

  “Why would there be so many photos you that night? There were hundreds of people at that event, and I don’t remember seeing a ton of press there. You were stunning, obviously. I can’t deny that you would have caught anyone’s eye that night. But doesn’t that strike you as uncanny?”

  I couldn’t disagree, but I couldn’t come up with another answer that made sense. I’d never really thought about the unlucky existence of the photos when the detectives came to the apartment last month asking questions about Mark. I was too nervous about protecting Daniel and sounding natural doing it. But what luck to have so many shots of a man the night he died? Of all the people there, the who’s who of the city, that someone would take an interest in us, in me...

  Then it struck me.

  “Oh my God.” My hand went to my mouth.

  “What?”

  My stomach fell, and I thought I might be sick.

  “Shit,” I whispered, shaking my head in disbelief.

  “Erica. Talk to me,” he pressed, pulling my hand away and slipping it into his palm.

  “Richard.” I looked up. “Richard was covering the event that night with a photojournalist. And he knew I was going to be there. I remember, Marie told him to look for me.”

  Blake and I shared a knowing look.

  “What else has she told him?”

  BLAKE AND ERICA’S STORY CONTINUES

  IN THE HACKER SERIES SEQUEL #4,

  COMING FALL/WINTER 2014

  * * *

  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  1. The events of Hardline cause Blake and Erica to discover and accept some honest truths about each other and their relationship. What honest truths do they have to accept and how has their relationship evolved to this point?

  2. Erica has some significant emotional and physical walls that Blake continues to try to breakdown. Why do you think Blake is able to crack these walls that Erica’s spent a lifetime building? What is it about Blake that allows those carefully constructed walls to crumble?

  3. Risa and Max both do some pretty significant damage to Blake and Erica’s lives in Hardline. What do you drives these actions. Going into the book, is this what you expected from these characters?