“Hello, witch,” I grumbled.
“Well, it’s good to see you and I are on the same footing. I’d like a moment of your time, Declan.”
“Yeah, I’m gonna go ahead and pass on that, but thanks for the offer.”
“It wasn’t a request. It concerns both you and your brother. Last time I checked, you worked for him still, right?”
“Wrong,” I said. “I work with my brother, not for him. Now, if you’ll scurry along, I’ve got a meeting at ten. He should be here any second.”
Molly grinned. “Actually, I’m the one who called the meeting. Your brother is at a conference with your father right now. I knew you’d never come if I set it up through my secretary.”
“Once again, proving you are just a snake in the grass, Ms. Klaus. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need a cup of coffee, and you’ve already wasted enough of my time.”
“Declan, please,” Molly whispered. “I don’t want to keep fighting with you. Just give me five minutes, then you can storm out, and I’ll leave you alone.”
I looked her up and down. Had I not known what she was capable of doing to people, I might have considered her attractive. I wasn’t so young that I didn’t remember the devastation she’d caused Dakota. She and Kylan could fool the others, and even trick Dakota into forgiving them, but I wasn’t as naive. She was after something. I’d never find out what unless I followed her. With a heavy sigh, I got up and glared at her.
“You’ve got three, and they just started.” I brushed past her to the conference room.
Her lips pursed as we sat. “As you know, I’ve been working with Dakota, and Kylan has been working with Audrey –”
“You mean Hazel,” I snapped. “Audrey was just caught in the crossfire.”
“Whatever linguistics you want to use, he’s been working with them both. Dakota is on track, and now it looks like you are as well. However, there is one thing that could destroy everything the three of you have been striving towards for the last few weeks, the stalker.”
“Funny, I thought you and your brother had taken control of that situation. Don’t tell me the amazing Klaus siblings can’t find one little man.”
“I don’t believe it’s your brother,” Molly said.
“Oh? Why not?” I asked. “It’s not like you’ve been digging around in the gutters for answers. You don’t strike me as the sleuth type.”
“Because the stalker sent a message to my brother. As much as Audrey will deny it, he thinks the person behind the images has been contacting her.”
My heart plummeted. “If the stalker had contacted Audrey, she would have told Dakota or me about it. I think your brother is full of shit.”
“I thought you might say that. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like Audrey is telling you everything. She and Kylan have grown quite close on the campaign trail.”
I felt the heat rush to my cheeks. I didn’t want to believe anything that she said. Despite my best efforts to keep calm, Molly grinned, and my shell started to break. She knew more than she was letting on. I’d spent my life around politicians. I could spot a lie a mile away, but everything about Molly pointed towards her telling me the truth. Of course, she was a skilled con artist. Perhaps it was just another ploy to drive a wedge between Audrey and me. After all, her attempts to seduce Dakota had failed.
“You know, for a second there, I almost believed you. Then I remembered the type of person you were, and my common sense came back. Your three minutes are almost up. Is there anything else?”
She reached down into her briefcase and pulled out a single photo. I didn’t want to pick it up, but my curiosity was overpowering. The image turned my stomach. Audrey was leaning seductively across a desk with Kylan mirroring her. Their skin barely touched, but the desire in their eyes was evident in the photo. My hand balled into a fist beneath the table. Instantly I started to make plans to fly out there. I’d trusted him and her.
“Before you go getting your panties in a bunch and overreact, I believe this was deliberately sent.”
“Well, no shit, I’ll fucking kill him.”
“You’ll do no such thing. If you make a move, that’s exactly what this stalker wants.”
“How the fuck do you know what they want? Maybe we should be taking a closer look at you. It seems like you’ve almost got an inside scoop.”
“Don’t get upset with me. I’m trying to save everyone’s asses here. I don’t know what it is about Audrey, but men seem to turn into idiots around her.”
“You’re just jealous because they don’t that for you anymore. Guess you should have taken advantage of your youthful beauty before losing it.”
Molly glared at me. “You aren’t going to piss me off and get me to stop trying to help, Declan.”
“If you didn’t want me to do something about this, why the hell did you even show me? Another one of your sick games, I’m guessing?”
“Because sooner or later, these images are going to be leaked. Eventually, whatever demands that Audrey is giving to this person are going to come at too high of a price. When that happens, all hell is going to break loose.”
“So, you are just delaying the inevitable?”
“I’m trying to stop it from happening altogether,” Molly replied. “We take away the stalker's ammunition, and we eliminate the threat.”
“Why do I get the feeling that means I’ll be stuck working with you?”
She glared at me. A little thrill shot through my body, knowing I was starting to get under her skin. The picture spoke for itself but what Molly didn’t understand was that I trusted Audrey. If she wasn’t being coerced into being with Kylan, then there was something more profound. Those feelings didn’t mean shit when it came to my own jealousy, though. It didn’t stop me from wanting to rip the man’s head off and shove it down his exposed throat.
“Let me play out a couple of scenarios for how this is going to go. First, let’s pretend like you storm out of here and jet off to confront my brother and Audrey. There will be a huge scene to start. Next, you’ll likely excite the stalker and force them to leak more images. Since you’re already making a mockery of the situation, they have nothing left to lose.”
“Or I could beat your brother to a bloody pulp in private. No one would have to know.”
“Except that we have reason to believe the stalker is currently following Audrey on the trail. Which means your arrival is going to arouse suspicion? After all, your last rendezvous wasn’t unnoticed. Not by anyone.”
I grinned. “Jealous?”
“Of her? Not even a little. I think it’s awful how she’s playing all three of you, but that’s not my concern.”
“She isn’t playing anyone. Audrey was honest and upfront about what she wanted from the very beginning. If something is going on with her and your piece of shit brother, I bet she was honest with him too.”
“Should we keep going, or am I still wasting my time? Honestly, I’m here because Kylan said that we needed to work together with everyone, not just Hazel and Audrey. But if you plan on blowing your top and fucking us from the start, I'm done. I’ll get ahold of my attorneys now and start getting forms ready for Klaus Relations to break our contract.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“No, I’m just being realistic. If you are determined to drag the Hartleys and Adamses down, I won’t tie my name to a sinking ship.”
I hated everything about Molly. I glared at her, ready to tell her to go fuck herself and her brother while she was at it, but the picture on the table again caught my eye. There was a spark in Audrey’s eyes. Those same eyes that I fell in love with and I knew loved me back. Dakota had worked so hard for everything, and so had she. Hell, we had all been busting ass. Whether or not I liked the Klaus siblings, it seemed like they were thinking of others for once.
“If we work together, I want one-hundred percent transparency.”
“Agreed, with one stipulation. I brought this information to you because I knew
you had a slightly more level head than Dakota. Right now, I think it would be career suicide for him to find out about this.”
“I don’t like keeping secrets from Dakota,” I said firmly. “In the past, that’s given us nothing but trouble. If I know something, he does too, and it goes both ways.”
“Are you ready to take responsibility for that when his campaign loses funding because of his temper? What about answering the calls of the children he’s trying to help with that money?”
“That’s a low blow.”
“That’s the reality of politics. Anyone who has given to his charities will be drug through the mud right along with the rest of us by the press. We are in a precarious situation.”
“Who the fuck is this person?”
Molly sighed and shook her head, the fatigue from the job starting to show through for the first time since I’d seen her. It struck me harder than I’d expected. Was it possible that this wasn’t all just a show? She seemed genuinely concerned, if not for my brother or Audrey, then for her own last name and sibling. We had the best people in the industry trying to locate the stalker, yet they continued to elude us.
“Is it possible it’s an inside job?” I asked. “Maybe not David like we all thought but someone else?”
“Every single person we’ve considered a suspect has come back clean. When I say we checked everyone, I do mean everyone. From the kitchen staff that has been with Hazel for twenty years to the new florist at your parents' summer estate.”
“It just doesn’t make sense. What are they waiting for?”
“If I knew, we’d all be a lot better off. The best that I can come up with is that someone is giving in to their demands. The most likely candidate is Audrey since she’s the one they’ve been targeting.”
“I don’t think she would do that. She gave up everything to help her mother out with this mess. Why would she start caving now?”
“Right now, we have a lot more questions than we do answers. We can get those and hopefully catch this asshole, but it means working together. So, what do you say? Can I count on you?”
My jaw clenched as I nodded. We were running out of time.
18
Dakota
“As you surely understand by now, traveling and making connections with others in the industry is crucial to becoming a successful leader,” the president said.
I nodded. “Of course. I assumed once the movement took hold, other state leaders would want to know more about the program. I’m glad that you are getting positive feedback.”
“It’s not just feedback for your project. It’s positive feedback about you as well. Senator Red would like to host you for an evening in her home state.”
“Washington?” I asked. “What’s the occasion?”
“Nothing special really, she’d like to have dinner with you and their sitting mayor. The state has struggled with the homeless in the past. The senator sees an opportunity to use your platform and expand on the idea to include them.”
“It was designed for underprivileged youth. I don’t see the connection.”
“Those are all great points to make to her. Now she sent the request through my office only because you’re still technically part of my team. I corrected the error but thought I’d talk with you anyway about it.”
I frowned. My father had been nothing but supportive and polite since my political return. He’d even gone as far as asking how Audrey was holding up a few times. It still didn’t sit right with me that he was being helpful. I’d spent years watching his every move in anticipation of becoming just like him. That youthful dream was lost in the battle over Audrey. I saw him for what he was now.
“When did she want me to come out?”
He tapped his fingers in hesitation. “This Friday.”
My heart jumped. “Isn’t the vice president in Washington right now?”
“Yes. I understand her caravan is in the same area as the senator’s home. I am trusting that won’t be an issue?”
“Trust it or not, that’s none of your concern,” I snapped. “I’ll consider the senator's offer and let her know promptly either way. Is there anything else?”
“If you decide to go out there –”
“Choose your words carefully,” I interjected. “Things have been going good between us. I wouldn’t want to see that changed.”
“I don’t like the tone of your voice. Are you forgetting who I am? I am your father, young man, and I’ve only ever concerned myself with your future.”
“And yet you are happy to bring me in here to try and find out what my plans are. Had that offer gone directly to me, you wouldn’t have found out about it until I was already there.”
“Then you do plan on going to Washington?”
It always amazed me how good he was at getting answers. I hadn’t even seen it coming. I chuckled and shook my head. My father may not have been the best role model or father figure growing up, but he knew how to play people. Sometimes I worried that skill was passed down to me without realizing it. Things between us were different now. I no longer felt the need for his approval.
“Yes, I think I will go out. I haven’t seen Derek in a while. I’d love to catch up with him for a bit. Things are slow right now while we wait on the contractors, so why not?”
“You plan on seeing Derek then? What about Audrey?”
“If the opportunity comes up, I won’t pass it up. I love her and have no intention of being bashful about that. Tell me, how is it the senator found out about my little charity? It seems too small to be on her radar.”
“I have no idea. We don’t exactly share the same views on policies. If I had to guess, I’d say one of her aides brought it to her attention. You understand the media storm you’ll cause by seeing Audrey, don’t you?”
“I’m sure we can find common ground to help her state get off the ground with the charity. I’ll start brainstorming some ideas now.”
“You’re avoiding my question, Dakota. This isn’t something to take lightly, do you understand that? Everyone has forgotten about you and Audrey. The best thing you can do is make sure it stays that way.”
“I think this conversation has reached its conclusion,” I said.
As I stood to leave, my father did the same. To my surprise, he didn’t lose his temper or press the issue. I was ready for another argument with him. After all, he couldn't stay out of my life no matter how often I requested it. We walked in silence to the main hall. When I saw my mother standing outside, I suddenly felt the desire to retreat back into the oval office. We hadn’t spoken in months, and I was just fine with that.
“Dakota, how have you been?” she asked.
“Fine, I have another appointment to get to. It was nice to see you both,” I muttered.
“I was hoping to speak with you, son. What if I walked you out?”
“I wouldn’t want you to put yourself out. Where is your lap dog today?”
My mother cringed. “You shouldn’t be so hard on him. It’s not easy growing up in your shadow, you know. He means no harm.”
“The other two brothers grew up the same as him and seem to be doing just fine for themselves here recently. There is only one set of people I can think of that we all cut out, so I'm going to go out on a limb and say that my shadow wasn’t their problem.”
“I didn’t come here to start a fight with you,” she snapped.
“Then, why did you come? Because I’ve got nothing else to say to either of you.”
“I’m worried about you. I don’t like to see you struggling like this. It hurts my heart. Despite everything that’s happened, I still love you, unconditionally.”
“Thank you for that, but I’m not struggling. Tothe contrary, things seem to be taking off well for myself, Declan, and Derek.”
“Yes, now that you’ve left behind that woman.”
My jaw clenched. “That woman is the woman I love. She isn’t out of the picture, so I wouldn’t get your hopes up about some
joyful family reunion.”
“Yet she skipped out of here at the first sign of trouble. That doesn’t sound like loyalty to me. Have you spoken to her since she left? Has she made any effort to see you?”
“There is more to the situation than that,” I snapped. “I’m done discussing this with you. If you want details, I suggest you go through the proper channels like everyone else. Or better yet, just have David keep stalking her like a good dog.”
“Your brother has been with me the entire time she’s been gone. I don’t know what stalker you are talking about, but it couldn’t be him. If you keep slandering my son like this –”
“You’ll what?” I asked.
She shook her head as the anger continued to surge inside of me. I couldn’t stand there any longer and listen to her. It was taking all my self-control to be anywhere near civil with her. I stormed down the hallway, the staff jumping out of my way as I did. It was bad enough that my father had the audacity to bring up Audrey in any light, but dealing with my mother was out of the question. To my delight, neither of them followed me as I jumped in the back of my car. I was going to see Audrey on Friday come hell or high water.
* * *
“She said he hasn’t left her side?” Declan asked.
“Yep. I guess it makes sense that he’s been here the whole time. I haven’t gotten anything from the stalker. IF you ask me, everything lines up perfectly. Why would we when he’s been right here the whole time?”
“I don’t know, it doesn’t make sense. How has he not been caught? I think we should be looking at other people.”
“Why?” I asked.
Declan shrugged. “Because we’ve got nothing on David and I hate sitting around waiting for answers. Do you really think the Klaus siblings would tell us if they found anything?”
Wicked Dynasty: The Untouchables | Book Two Page 11
