Order of Protection

by Lexi Blake

  “It sounds to me like she’s the one paying your salary,” Henry shot back. “When does she come into her trust fund? When does the control of the company switch over to her?”

  What would that mean to a man who was obviously serious about his job? He’d had to save the company after Win’s parents had died. He’d been leading it for years and years. Would he want to turn it all over to his niece? Or would he fight her? Would he do whatever he could to ensure that she couldn’t take his power away?

  Putting her in jail might be a good way to do it. Henry would have to look into what would happen to the company and Win’s inheritance if she were to be incarcerated.

  Hughes’s brows rose. “When Winnie turns thirty, she will have access to her trust, though I’ve never once in her life held money back from her. Not once. I’ve always known that I’m here to serve the company until Win could take over. It turns out Win has no interest in the company. That means it’s my job to hold it for her children, which she might never have if you don’t stop baiting me and do your damn job. I’m going to see my niece before I leave. If you can’t get her out of this, let me know so I can find someone who can.”

  He turned and strode down the hall.

  “You really do know how to piss off the clients, Henry,” David said, shaking his head.

  He stared after Bellamy Hughes, his mind turning. “It’s a talent of mine. We need to get that conversation on paper. There were a lot of things he said that I think require looking into.”

  “Is anyone else curious about what would happen to the company if Win can’t inherit?” David asked.

  They thought along the same lines. It was why they worked well together. “It did cross my mind. And he never answered my question.”

  “The one about whether or not Brie Westerhaven tried to blackmail him?” Margarita looked thoughtful. “I noticed that. I’m also interested in how the housekeeper managed to break her hip just as Win needs her desperately. Probably nothing there, but I kind of want to look into it.”

  So many questions and so little time. “We need to sit down and plan for the bail hearing. I want to assign someone to digging into Brie Westerhaven and her connections to the Hughes family. We also need to hire someone to monitor social media. I want all the cloned pages of Win taken down immediately. She doesn’t need to see that.”

  It would bother Win. She would hate to see herself that way.

  David was staring at him like he was a toddler who’d recently taken his first steps.

  It was weird. “What?”

  He shrugged. “Nothing. It’s good to see you getting back in the flow of things. You are trying to take care of the client in a way that’s not merely legal. You’re thinking of her well-being. It’s refreshing for a change.”

  Because he wasn’t known for giving a shit about the client, only the case. Yeah, he got that a lot. He didn’t wear his humanity on his sleeve like some people. No one wanted a soft-centered defense attorney. “Don’t read anything into it. She’s got health issues and we don’t get paid if she dies in prison.”

  “Of course,” David agreed. “She’s just another client. You carry them all when they’re sick. I remember the time that accused arsonist had a tummy flu and you cradled him gently in your arms.”

  Sometimes it sucked to work with someone he knew so well. He couldn’t intimidate David. David remembered when he’d been an idiot college kid worried about pledging a frat. But he needed to understand. “My personal relationship with Ms. Winston-Hughes is in the past.”

  “It has to stay that way, Henry,” Margarita said softly. “How many people know you had an affair with her?”

  “Outside of you and David and Noah? You would have to ask Win.” He winced because he didn’t want to admit the next bit, but his partners needed to know. “Alicia knew. She talked about it when she called. She said Brie had told her about the affair. We’ve got to think it’s out there. But I don’t have a relationship with her now. I cut off contact with her when I came back to Manhattan. I didn’t talk to her again until this morning, and honestly, I had no idea what her real name was when we were seeing each other. I would never have slept with her if I’d known who she was.”

  “That’s a little judgmental, isn’t it?” Margarita looked at him, one brow raised.

  He believed in putting it all out there. Margarita needed to understand the truth about him. “I would never have touched that woman had I known the types of people she was involved with. If that makes me judgmental in your eyes, so be it. I won’t touch her again.”

  Unless she fell. He hadn’t been able to stop himself. He’d picked her up and cradled her against him because he couldn’t do anything else. It had been his instinct to save her, to comfort her. He’d never felt anything like it before. Even now it took all his willpower not to sit beside her hospital bed to make sure she got what she needed.

  He hated that instinct. It needed to go.

  “Still, we need to be prepared in case the rumor gets out there,” Margarita mused. He could tell she was disappointed, but she wasn’t going to push him. “I think David should go on the talk shows.”

  Henry held a hand up. “I would love to cede that to you, David. Go for it.”

  He hated doing interviews. He would likely hate it even more now because they would ask invasive questions about his divorce and his relationships. He preferred to keep his appearances to the courtroom. If David got in front of the cameras, the worst personal questions he would be asked would be about his former career and whether or not he was dating anyone.

  David nodded. “I do agree I should do some of the press, but let’s bring Noah in as well. His name alone will hold some weight with the press. I’ll get our public relations firm to advise on strategy.”

  “We have a PR firm?” He hadn’t been aware they’d hired one.

  “As of two hours ago,” Margarita explained. “Win needs a crisis-management specialist. I’ll handle things from that end. You boys work on the judge.” She smiled brilliantly. “This is so invigorating. Much more fun than contracts. No one murders each other at 4L. Well, if you don’t count the Lawlesses’ mom. I mean she killed a ton of people, but she didn’t do it at the office. It’s good to get out of the office.”

  It was easy to see that Margarita was going to be the bubbly, optimistic, every-murder-has-a-silver-lining cheerleader of the group. “All right, then. Tell Noah to get down here and let’s see if we can find any decent coffee at all in this place and talk strategy.”

  He needed something to get his mind off the fact that Win would be all alone in that big penthouse with a cousin who obviously hated her. If he could keep her out of jail at all.

  The princess in the tower.

  Too bad for her he was no one’s prince.

  They had just started down the hall when he heard a scream and all hell broke loose.

  * * *

  Win looked up as the door opened. She was hoping to see Henry, hoping for another shot at talking to him. Talking? She needed to explain. And maybe grovel a little.

  She was feeling better now, but she could still remember how quickly he’d come to her aid, how he’d picked her up and looked down at her like he’d been hurt, too.

  There had to be something left between them.

  Unfortunately, the man who walked through the door was even less friendly than Henry.

  “What are you doing here, Trevor?”

  “I came by to see my cousin, of course.” He stalked into the room, letting the door slam behind him. “It’s fun to come see you now, cuz. I get a nice pat-down from that pretty officer. Lucky for me she wasn’t some dude. So, you finding the accommodations to your liking? I like the new jewelry. You get it at Tiffany?”

  He was going to be pleasant. Sarcasm dripped from his every word, but she had a comeback or two of her own. She’d found the only way
to deal with Trevor was to pretend she didn’t care. “New York’s finest insisted I wear it.” She was cuffed to a hospital bed. How surreal was that? “Have you checked in on Mary?”

  Mary had been in a minor car accident, but she’d fractured her hip and required surgery. Apparently the Jeep had made out much better than Mary. Win hoped the woman who’d raised her hadn’t spent the last few hours watching television. It would kill her.

  Trevor rolled his eyes and sniffed. “Why would I check in on her? Dad shoved her in an old folks’ home. I’m certainly not about to show my face at one of those so I can check in on an employee.”

  He was such a shit. “She raised you, too. After your mom left, she was the one who took care of you when you were home.”

  “Yeah, when I was at my dad’s. That wasn’t my home,” he insisted. “And she didn’t have time for me. She was always far too busy taking care of you and your friends. Also, my mom didn’t leave. Dad kicked her out. I kind of blame you for that, too. After your parents died, all dear old Dad could think about was taking care of the heiress and making sure everything was sunshine and roses for you.”

  “He was a good uncle.”

  “Yeah, well, he was a shitty dad. But I didn’t come here to revisit our childhood.” Trevor stared at her for a moment. His face was pale, but his nose was bright red, an almost sure sign that he was high as a kite. “Did you kill her? I know you were pissed at Brie, but damn, Win. I didn’t know you had that in you.”

  At least he’d actually asked the question. “Of course I didn’t kill her.”

  “That’s not what the cops think. You were found practically on top of her,” he pointed out. “How am I supposed to believe you didn’t get in a fight with her and it went wrong?”

  “When was the last time I got into a physical fight? Never.” She couldn’t remember much, but she knew a few things. “I didn’t fight with Brie. She was like that when I found her.”

  “She was dead in your bedroom. Why would she have gone there?” Trevor asked.

  He asked it in a reasonable tone of voice, so she found herself answering. “I thought she might have gone into the residential section to look for you.”

  His jaw tightened. “Why would she look for me?”

  “Tell me you didn’t sleep with her. Tell me she didn’t come on to you and start something while you were doing the show.”

  “We got close,” he admitted.

  For the first time in her life, she actually felt a little sorry for her cousin. He’d fallen for one of Brie’s most common plays. “This is what Brie did when she got upset with her friends. She would sleep with someone who made us terribly uncomfortable, like a brother or some friend we’d always wanted more from. She would find a way to turn it all around so we were the bad guys. It was one more way to manipulate her friends.”

  “Of course she couldn’t just want me.”

  “Maybe.” Though Brie had hated Trevor for years. “Maybe I’m wrong, but I was looking for the two of you because I was going to tell you again that I didn’t want anyone talking about me on the show. I want my privacy.”

  “If you wanted privacy, you shouldn’t have gone after Brie,” he insisted. “I don’t believe you. I think she said something to you, something you didn’t like, and you decided to try to take her out.”

  It was ridiculous. “Take her out? Am I some kind of assassin now? What would she have said?”

  He suddenly wouldn’t look at her. “I don’t know. Maybe she knew a few things you wouldn’t want her to know. Maybe you aren’t as innocent as everyone thinks you are. You never liked me.”

  That was easy to answer. “You’re an ass. It’s hard to like someone who’s constantly mean to you.”

  “Or maybe you know I deserve everything you have,” Trevor shot back, his head coming up and righteous fervor in his eyes. “Maybe you know I’m the real heir to Hughes Corp. I’m the one who should take that company over.”

  What the hell was he playing at? Did he think because his father had taken care of the company for decades, that meant he should be the heir? Win wouldn’t care if Trevor was at all easy to work with. She would hand over a chunk to him if she thought for a second he wouldn’t abuse it. “I’m not going to take over anytime soon. Honestly, I don’t know if I want to do what your dad does. No one is trying to take away your job at Hughes.”

  “Hughes should be mine.”

  She was sick of his jealousy. “Well, then your father should have been the one to create the company. I’m sorry. It’s not my fault you weren’t my dad’s son.”

  Trevor looked like he wanted to say something else, but he stopped. His face had gone a florid red. “You won’t be able to enjoy the company while you’re in jail. Have you thought about that? Maybe you should have before you took away something else I wanted.”

  She was trying to be tolerant. It was obvious Trevor had feelings for Brie. It made her wonder how far back they went. Sometimes an immature male showed his affection through bullying. Trevor had been excellent at bullying. “I’m sorry you miss Brie. I’m going to miss her, too.”

  “You haven’t been her friend in years.”

  “I was trying to save myself and sometimes Brie can drag a person into deep water. I wasn’t good at swimming, it seemed.”

  “You never were very strong.”

  Tolerance only went so far. “You should leave now, Trevor.”

  The door came open and her uncle walked in, frowning. “That girl put her hands places I didn’t agree to. It was far less exciting than I thought it would be.”

  Her uncle had the prissiest look on his face. She bit back a laugh at the thought of her very proper uncle getting an overly thorough pat-down. “Sorry.” She sobered. “Uncle Bellamy, I’m sorry to put you through this.”

  He moved in, laying a hand on hers. “Sweetheart, I know you didn’t do this.”

  “How can you know that, Dad?” Trevor asked. “Are you even sad Brie’s gone? You hated her.”

  “I don’t hate anyone, Trev,” he said softly. “I merely didn’t like her influence on my kids. She was trouble from a young age, and I knew she would end up like this. I’m sorry for you if you got comfortable in that circle, son. I’m going to have to put my foot down. You won’t see any of those people again. I was too indulgent with Winnie and it landed her here.”

  “I’m thirty years old,” Trevor said with a roll of his eyes. “You can’t tell me who I can or can’t see.”

  “I can because I’m not merely your father. I’m your boss. And I know you’ve been irritating some of the talent in the media division. Your job is to run the division, not attempt to get in some actress’s panties. I think I’ll move you somewhere else. You haven’t done a trip through accounting. Perhaps a management position there will ensure you don’t get into more trouble.”

  Trevor’s mouth dropped open. “I’ll quit first.”

  “If that’s how you want it, son.”

  “I am not your son. You have never been a father to me. You’re nothing but a mistake my mother made.” He pushed through the door and she was left alone with her uncle.

  Bellamy shook his head. “He’s been this way since he came back from spending time at his mother’s. She always manages to poison him against me. I know I’m not the best of father figures, but he has no idea some of the things I’ve done to keep us together, to ensure that you kids get the things you need. You don’t know what it’s like to live without. You know your father and I grew up poor.”

  Her father had been responsible for inventing a chemical used to make rubber tougher and less vulnerable to punctures. He’d taken the millions from that patent and he and her mom had built Hughes Corp. Her mother had come from a wealthy family. She’d taught the Hughes brothers how to move in that world. “He was a smart man.”

  “Oh, darling, my brother was a geniu
s. I was jealous of his mind, and certainly jealous of the fact that he managed to find a woman who could fund his brilliant brain. Hughes Corp would have been nothing if your mother’s family hadn’t funded it.” He squeezed her hand. “Don’t doubt for a second that I haven’t done every single thing I’ve done to ensure you have a good life and you can make your own decisions. The company is yours if you want it.”

  “You know I’m happy having you run it.”

  “I do, and I can’t thank you enough for your faith in me. You’ve had that since you were young. I know I wasn’t a good father figure, but I did ensure that when I wasn’t around you had Mary.”

  “She was wonderful.” Win couldn’t have picked a better mom. Sometimes she looked at pictures of the woman who had given birth to her and felt so distant. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t like her mother had wanted her yacht to go down. She’d wanted a few days’ vacation and ended up sacrificing her life to save her child’s. “Mary was a great mom. Is she feeling okay? They won’t let me call her.”

  It hurt not to be able to talk to the woman who had raised her.

  “She had surgery this morning and they assure me she’ll be fine. She’s not a young woman anymore, and she’s got fragile bones. She’ll have the best care. I promise you that. I’ve talked to the police on the island, too. Mary can’t remember much about the car that hit her. I’m going to make sure they find that bastard.”

  “You’re a good man, Uncle Bell.” He’d taken excellent care of Mary. She wasn’t sure if it was simply because he cared for Win or because he wanted to reward a long-term employee, but he hadn’t let Mary go even after Win no longer needed a nanny. He’d given her a job running the house on Martha’s Vineyard and an allowance, though Win was the only one who visited more than twice a year. He’d paid Mary back for decades of love and affection and service.

  “Your lawyer doesn’t think so.” He stepped away and walked to the small window. “He’s upset that I’m going to Los Angeles.”

  Her heart constricted a little. She was going to be alone. Still, she could guess why he was going. “You have to assure the board that this is nothing more than a tabloid story or we’ll lose value and quickly.”