Fight for Me

by Jessica Linden

  “Thank you,” Natalie said. “I . . . we can’t thank you enough. As soon as we figure out a plan, we’ll head out. I don’t want to put you at risk.”

  “That’s nonsense. You didn’t do anything wrong. You can stay as long as you need to.”

  Guilt stabbed at Natalie’s gut. She wasn’t the innocent that Amelia seemed to think she was. She’d killed a man.

  In self-defense, logic screamed at her. That was true, but she was still a murderer.

  Don’t think about that now.

  “Okay, so Florida,” Amelia said. “Then what?”

  “Just lay low until I turn thirty and can claim my inheritance.”

  Amelia’s lips pursed. “That damn clause. Your mother never should have let those bloodsucking lawyers put that in there.”

  “Clause?” Knox asked, the confusion evident on his face.

  “I can’t touch the Farrington fortune until I turn thirty. Then it becomes mine.”

  “What happens to it if you die?”

  Natalie blinked. “I guess it would go to my father.”

  The three of them exchanged uneasy looks. Natalie wondered if they were thinking the same thing she was: if that were true, why hadn’t her father had her killed before now?

  She couldn’t believe she was thinking this way. Her father was not the nicest person in the world, but he was still her father. Yet, if the past twenty-four hours were any indication, he cared about her even less than she’d thought.

  It was disheartening, soul-crushing. She’d always known her father had very little love for her, but to have it confirmed so brutally . . .

  She would have to process all of that later. She couldn’t afford to get emotional right now.

  “Maybe . . .” Amelia tapped her chin. “Do you have a copy of that paperwork?”

  Natalie shook her head. “I’ve never needed to look at it before. But now I’m thinking I might want to.”

  “Can you get it?” Knox asked.

  Natalie frowned. “Not easily. But maybe. Probably.”

  Her father had grown up poor with no computer at home, and he’d never fully gotten comfortable with the technology that came naturally to her. For a while, she’d handled all of his “electronic” affairs. She realized now that it was another of his control tactics—it gave her something to do in the prison that was her home. Eventually, though, he cut her off and handed the job over to a paid assistant. By that point, she didn’t care. The fewer interactions she had with her father, the better. But her technological curiosity had already been piqued, and she continued honing her skills.

  And now something that her father had originally used to shackle her to the house was going to help with his undoing.

  “We have all of our important documents stored electronically. I’d have to figure out how to route the IP address so they won’t know where I’m accessing it from. Otherwise, it’ll be like pointing a red arrow right at us.” At Amelia’s and Knox’s blanks stares, she explained, “I have to figure out how to hide the location of the computer I’m using to access the document. And I’ll need to cover my tracks so he won’t know I have it.”

  “You can use my laptop,” Amelia offered.

  “We can’t let my father get away with this.” The more she thought about it, the angrier Natalie became until the fury lapped at her insides. “The Farringtons were good, kind people, and their legacy shouldn’t go to that bloodthirsty man. We need to expose him for what he truly is.” She looked to Knox for confirmation that he’d continue to help her.

  “Agreed,” he said, his expression intensely fierce.

  “Thank the lord,” Amelia exclaimed. “I hate to say it because you’re his daughter, but Gerald Kent is a curse on the Farrington family. I’ll applaud you when you put him back in his rightful place.”

  Natalie nodded, committed. She just hoped she’d feel the same when it was done.

  When Knox awoke to find the space beside him empty, panic squeezed at his heart. He jumped out of bed before remembering where he was and that they were safe for the moment.

  Safe. What a joke. They hadn’t been safe since this started and wouldn’t be until they somehow rid themselves of Kent and X for good. Even then, there was the small matter of the police and the dead guard.

  And who knows how much more blood would be shed before it was all over?

  Knox threw on his clothes and walked down to the kitchen, making a wrong turn before finding his way. Christ, this house was fucking ridiculous. He was completely out of place in these posh surroundings.

  Natalie, on the other hand, seemed right at home.

  Amelia was stirring her coffee when Knox walked in.

  “Where’s Natalie?”

  “Good morning to you, too,” Amelia said dryly.

  Knox narrowed his eyes at her, then spun on his heel to find Natalie. He wouldn’t be at ease until he’d laid eyes on her.

  “Relax, hotshot. She’s on the computer in the other room.”

  He walked down the hallway and peered through the crack in the door to see Natalie stretched out on a couch with a laptop in her lap and a frown on her face. One of the dogs lay stretched out on the floor beside her. A quick scan of the room told him all the blinds were drawn, making her secure from anyone looking in.

  He watched her for a moment more, wishing there was something he could do to help her, but he knew nothing about what she was trying to do. It left him sitting with his thumb up his ass.

  He hated feeling useless.

  He returned to the kitchen to find Amelia sitting at the table. “She’s exactly where I said she was, right?”

  Knox grunted and poured some coffee into a mug that was sitting on the counter. “Thanks,” he said grudgingly.

  “Anything for Anna’s girl,” Amelia said. “I only wish she’d come to me sooner. She had everyone fooled, though. For appearance’s sake, she was Gerald’s perfect little pet. Glad to see it was all an act.”

  “I’d love to wrap my hands around that man’s neck,” Knox growled.

  The dog sitting beside her came to attention, eyeing him, but Amelia absentmindedly patted it on its head and it settled down.

  Amelia shrugged, not intimidated by Knox. He hated to admit it, but that made his respect for the woman go up a notch.

  “You’re one of the few,” she said. “Gerald can be very charming and he certainly knows how to work a crowd. Those in themselves aren’t bad traits. It’s the motive behind them that matters.”

  Knox said nothing and sipped his coffee.

  “Gerald even fooled me at first.” Amelia ran her finger along the top rim of her mug as she gazed into it. “Anna met him right out of high school when she was going through her rebellious phase. Lucky for me, I went through mine early. Smoked a cigarette at age thirteen and spent the next hour puking my guts out. My rebellions became a little tamer after that.” Amelia laughed.

  When Knox was thirteen, he’d smoke or drink whatever he could get his hands on. Being a poor foster kid, though, meant that wasn’t much. Soon he found himself getting into fights almost every day—during school, after school, it didn’t matter. The chip on his shoulder was the size of a boulder.

  It was the fighting that attracted X to Knox in the first place. But for him, fighting wasn’t a way of rebelling. It was just life.

  “Is Kent from the north side?” Knox asked. He wanted to learn more about the man who had become his enemy.

  “Heavens, no.” Amelia shook her head emphatically. “Anna met him at a bar she’d started going to with her fake ID. She was only nineteen and she must have stood out . . . well, like a north-sider in a south-side bar. She’d asked me to go with her, but I was dating Peter at the time. God rest his soul. So I don’t know a whole lot about the beginning of their relationship. By the time she brought him around to meet me, he’d already ensnared her. Anna adored that man, and nothing I said could change her mind. Her parents weren’t wild about him initially, simply because he was from th
e wrong side of town, but he won them over eventually. They got engaged around the time my Peter died. I should have tried to stop her, but I was too consumed by my own grief.”

  “I’m sorry for your loss.”

  Amelia waved her hand dismissively. “It was a long time ago. Cancer is a bitch, though, let me tell you. By the way, help yourself to whatever you can find in the pantry. I’m not much of a breakfast person, but there might be something. You know,” Amelia paused to take a sip of coffee, “I think I like you. You don’t have to return the favor, but I like you all the same. You’re a breath of fresh air.”

  Knox blinked. He’d been called many things, but never that.

  “I’m sick to death of society people. I stopped attending events years ago. My grandmother is probably rolling over in her grave now that there’s no longer a North woman on the board of the Gardening Society.”

  Knox didn’t know what to say, so he did the sensible thing and stayed silent.

  “And just so you know, I did my research. I know who you are, and I know all about you. This isn’t the first time your story’s been in the papers.” She tapped her finger on the local newspaper sitting in front of her, which indeed had pictures of him and Natalie on the front page.

  He clenched his jaw, but still said nothing. So this woman knew about his past. Like she’d said, it was public information. And he wasn’t a victim anymore. Never would be again. He’d made sure he knew how to protect himself and what belonged to him.

  Like Natalie.

  “Don’t worry,” Amelia said. “I won’t tell her. But you had to believe I was going to do my due diligence on you. Now that that’s out in the open, tell me how I can help you.”

  Knox didn’t understand this woman. One minute, she was telling him she’d dug into his past because she didn’t trust him, and the next minute she was asking how to help.

  He didn’t understand her, but he appreciated her brutal honesty. She didn’t play games and meant what she said. Maybe he’d like more people if they were more like her.

  “We need guns.”

  “I have several, and you’re more than welcome to file off the serial numbers.” She frowned. “Except I’m not sure that I have a tool that can do that. You can see what’s in the shed.”

  He shook his head. “We’re not taking yours.”

  Filing off the serial numbers would probably be enough to keep Amelia’s association with them under wraps, but he wasn’t taking any chances. He didn’t want to cause her any trouble. Also, Natalie had just reconnected with her and Knox didn’t want to jeopardize that. She hadn’t said as much, but he knew it meant a lot to Natalie to connect with this small piece of her mother.

  “Sadly, I don’t have any connections to the black market gun trade.” Her tone was facetious, but Knox suspected there was some truth to her words.

  “It doesn’t hurt to ask,” Knox said with a thin smile.

  Amelia’s lips stretched upward. “No, it doesn’t.” She clinked her mug against his. “Cheers.”

  Natalie accepted her third cup of coffee of the morning from Knox with a grateful smile. “Thanks. You were still sleeping when I got up, and I didn’t want to wake you.”

  Knox had earned the extra rest.

  She should’ve slept better last night than the previous night, but her thoughts wouldn’t leave her alone. Last night, she’d more or less vowed to ruin her father.

  He deserved it.

  Still, he was her father, her flesh and blood. The only family she had left, unless she counted her estranged great-aunt in Florida whom she hadn’t seen in at least a decade.

  She’d spent all of her adult life serving on the boards of various charitable organizations. Her sole purpose had been to help other people. Going for revenge wasn’t like her. Of course, maybe if she’d developed more of a devious streak earlier in life she wouldn’t have spent so many years—wasted years—under her father’s thumb.

  And was it really revenge if it was justified?

  “Getting any closer?” Knox asked.

  She turned back to the laptop. “I think so. I know a little about hacking, but you know what they say—a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Of course, it helps that I already know all the passwords. I just want to make sure I can get in undetected in case he decides to check.”

  Knox sipped his coffee. “Amelia has several handguns, but I don’t want anything getting traced back to her.”

  “I agree,” Natalie said, grateful that Knox was taking Amelia’s safety as seriously as their own. “She’s already risking so much by letting us stay here.”

  “Yes. We should move soon.”

  Bambi—or was it Lula?—rubbed her muzzle against Knox’s thigh, and he absentmindedly scratched her behind the ears. Natalie just shook her head. Nothing surprised her anymore.

  She turned back to the computer and scrolled down. After reading a few lines, she sat up straight. “This is it. It’s so easy. I don’t know why I didn’t think of this.”

  “You can get the documents?”

  She nodded. “All I have to do is delete the access file logs when I’m done. It’ll only be on record that I’ve accessed the files for the five minutes it takes for me to download them. The odds of someone happening to check the logs in those five minutes are slim to none.”

  She moved the laptop to the coffee table and leaned over it, pounding away at the keys. Now that the documents were within her grasp, she could hardly wait to get her virtual hands on them.

  For as smart as she was, she felt really freaking stupid, because she had been stupid. Why had she never read these documents? Sure, the family lawyer had explained everything to her, but he was hired by her father. Could she really trust anything she had been told?

  She felt like she was finally waking up from the fog she’d been living in. And she had so many questions.

  “There it is.” She clicked on the folder that held all of the Farrington trust and inheritance documents. There were hundreds of folders in the database—decades’ worth of titles and deeds and trusts and miscellanea. If she hadn’t known where to look, it would have taken her hours to find it.

  “Come on, come on,” she muttered, urging the file to download faster. Then it would only be a matter of deleting the access record.

  Right before she set about to do that, another folder caught her attention.

  SWEETPEA FILES.

  Sweetpea. That was the name of her mother’s favorite cat, the cat that mysteriously went missing shortly after she died. Why would her mother include pet veterinary records in their database of important documents?

  She clicked on the folder, and it prompted her for a password. She entered the usual one and was denied access.

  “Huh.” She bit her lip.

  “What?” Knox sat beside her.

  “There’s a folder here that was my mother’s. It shouldn’t be here, and it’s password protected.”

  She entered in a few different tries, like her birthday, her mother’s favorite song, everything she could think of.

  She sat back on the couch, thinking and running her pendant along the silver chain on her neck. She gasped and typed quickly.

  ACCESS GRANTED.

  She laughed, wiping at the tears that filled her eyes and bringing her moon-shaped pendant to her lips. “I love you to the moon and back,” she whispered. “Thanks, Mom.”

  The folder contained several files, but most importantly, a newer version of the Farrington trust papers. It was dated a week before her mother died.

  Natalie’s blood chilled. What else was in this database?

  She scrolled through the folders, looking for anything unusual or out of place. Of course, a smart person hides things in plain sight, like her mother did with the Sweetpea folder. Even if her father ventured into the database, he wasn’t imaginative enough to think the folder would contain anything other than pet records.

  She did a search for hidden folders and came up empty. A nagging feeli
ng in her gut told her she was missing something, but it was eluding her. With a sigh, she wiped the access log files and closed the Internet browser.

  Her hand shook as she directed the mouse to the Sweetpea file folder. Whatever was in those files could change everything.

  Knox put his arm around her and kissed her temple, and she leaned in to him for a moment, closing her eyes and soaking up the strength that his nearness brought her.

  When she opened them, her hand no longer shook. She clicked on the first document.

  Chapter 7

  Natalie scrolled through the document while Knox peered over her shoulder.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “The terms of the trust. Most of it is legal jargon.” Natalie quickly scanned it, running her finger along the screen. “Here. This is the important part.”

  She read over it, working through the confusing legal language. She blinked, then re-read, making sure she’d gotten that last part right.

  Then she sat back and looked at Knox. “It looks like my trust is managed by a board of trustees.”

  She’d never heard anything about a board before, not in all those boring meetings with the family lawyer that she’d attended with her father. Wouldn’t it have come up at some point?

  Then again, she’d never been a valued member at those meetings, her father and the lawyer talking over her.

  “What does that mean?” Knox asked.

  Natalie shrugged. “I need to keep reading.”

  As she continued to read, Amelia came in and sat in the armchair across from her. One of the dogs trailed behind her and lay at her feet.

  “It doesn’t say who is on the board, though.” Natalie sighed. A list of board members right there in the document would be too easy. What good was it knowing about the board if they didn’t know who was on it?

  “What board?” Amelia asked.

  “The board that manages the Farrington trust. Why would my mother set this up? Why wouldn’t she just manage it herself?”