Scandalous (20 page)

J
ustin sat in his office the following morning preparing for court, but his mind wasn't on the events of the day. It was on the events of the previous night. He'd hardly slept. Disturbing images of shadows and nameless faces haunted his dreams. He woke up in a sweat, thinking of Vaughn and of the forces that were in play against her. He, at least, was willing to help, but she kept shutting him out. There was only so much of that a person could take. Secrets were not supposed to be part of a loving relationship. Vaughn had too many of them, and he was beginning to wonder where they would all lead. Maybe he'd gone too far by telling her they needed to stop seeing each other, but he didn't know what else to do.

The sharp ringing of the phone cut off his thoughts.

“Montgomery,” he answered tersely.

“Mr. Montgomery, this is Elaine Carlyle.”

Justin sat up straighter in his seat. “Yes, Ms. Carlyle. How are you?”

“Fine. I just wanted to let you know that we're working on your request. So far, we haven't come up with anything definite yet.”

His spirits sank. “I see. Well, I know these things take time.”

“We're doing everything we can. I'll be sure to keep you posted.”

“Thank you for calling. If you find out anything, even if it seems insignificant, please let me know.”

“I certainly will. Goodbye.”

Justin hung up and sighed heavily. Maybe this was all just an exercise in futility. The chances that Simone was his daughter were a million to one. He shook his head. Nothing seemed to be working out. He wanted to talk with Vaughn to see if she'd spoken with Crystal. But he wasn't going to involve himself. Hadn't she told him she'd handle it?

He pushed himself up from his seat. He had to be in court in a half hour. Everyone else's problems, including his own, would have to wait.

 

Vaughn expected Crystal to be in her usual spot when she stepped into her office. She wasn't there. She hung up her jacket and walked back out into the reception area. “Tess?”

“Yes, Ms. Hamilton?”

“Has Crystal come in yet?”

“She was here earlier, but she said she had to go out and that she'd be back in about an hour.”

“How long ago was that?”

“About forty-five minutes ago.”

“When she gets in, would you…” Before she could
finish her sentence, Crystal walked in. Vaughn could see immediately that she'd been crying.

“Good morning,” Crystal said weakly, barely able to meet Vaughn's eyes. She took a deep breath and approached Vaughn. “We need to talk.”

Vaughn nodded and turned toward her office. Crystal followed and closed the door behind her.

Vaughn turned around, leaning her body against the edge of her desk. “What happened, Crystal?”

Tears slowly trickled down Crystal's cheeks. Her body shook with silent sobs. “I'm…so…sorry. I was…an idiot. Somehow…David got into my computer. You were right all along.” She covered her face with her hands and wept.

“I didn't want to be right, Crystal,” she said gently. Slowly she crossed the room and put her arm around Crystal. “David Hart is really David Cain. He's working for Stone. David and I go way back. That's why he didn't want us to meet.”

“What? Are you saying that you know him? He…he lied to me from the very beginning,” she cried, the pain evident in her voice. “He only pretended to care about me to get to you.”

“I'm sorry Crystal. I filed charges against David for sexual harassment when we worked together at the same law firm. He was dismissed.”

“Oh, great. This just gets better by the minute,” she groaned. “What are we going to do now?” She wiped the tears away with the back of her hand.

Vaughn took a breath and crossed the room to stand by the window. “First, I need to know everything David could have gotten his hands on.” She turned and faced her. Her expression was one of compassion when she spoke. “I also need you to be perfectly honest with me.” She paused a moment. “I know that when things get hot and heavy we
tend to spill our guts out to the person who's keeping us warm at night.” Crystal felt a hot flush rise up her neck. “I need to know everything you told him about me and the campaign. That's the only way we can begin damage control.”

Crystal found a seat and sat down. Slowly, she went over everything she could recall having told David. When she finished, even she was stunned at the incredible amount of information she'd divulged. “I'll prepare my resignation,” she said, rising from her seat.

“Is that what you really want to do?” Vaughn asked gently.

Crystal looked across at her. “You know I don't. I want to make things right. I want to be there when you win.”

“Well, you can't very well do that if you quit.”

Crystal sniffed, then smiled crookedly. “Are you sure?”

“I can't handle it without you,” she answered honestly.

“I'll make this right, Vaughn, I swear I will.”

“Do you know how to reach him?”

She looked away, silently embarrassed. “His number is disconnected. I've never been to where he lives.” She swallowed. “I don't even have an address.”

“It's not your fault. He had intentions of you only knowing so much. With any luck, maybe he crawled back under that rock of his,” she said with disgust. “We'll work it out. In the meantime, you need to start revising our plans. We'll also have to plan a small press conference. I see I already have a stack of messages.”

“I'll get right on it.” She started to leave then stopped “Thank you, Vaughn,” she whispered.

“That's what friends are for, girlfriend.”

W
ith Crystal back in her own office, Vaughn had the first opportunity of the morning to be alone with her thoughts. The night she'd spent after Justin left was nothing short of hell. She was sure she hadn't gotten a decent minute of sleep for the entire night.

She sat down behind her desk and stared at nothingness. What was her life coming to? She questioned whether all that she had endured to get to this point had been worth the hurt—the losses. What would the future hold if she won the election? Would life be more of the same, only intensified?

When she entered politics, she understood the levels of power and what that meant. She also knew the lengths that people in power would go to to retain that power. For the most part, she had remained above and immune to the treachery that seeped through the halls of justice like a morning mist. Her father had been her benefactor,
her shield. It was only now when she attempted to butt heads with the powerful elite that she felt the depth of their deceit. She no longer even believed that Elliott Hamilton could forestall the avalanche that was sure to come.

She knew now that the rumors and leaks to the press were only the beginning. The battlelines had been drawn, and she'd thrown her gauntlet into the den. A question gnawed incessantly in the back of her head: Was she capable of withstanding the onslaught of pressure that was inevitable in the months ahead? Yet, interwoven like a silken thread through the rough-hewn fabric of her life was Justin. Her thoughts, her feelings always went back to him—her ray of hope.

What about Justin—her life—
their
life? She knew that before she could be right and righteous with him, she'd first have to be right with herself. Perhaps this trip to Atlanta would be the cleansing one, the one to finally break her ties to the past so that she could live in the present and move on to the future. A future with Justin—that is, if he still wanted her when all of this ugliness was over. She knew she couldn't offer him anything less than one hundred percent. It would be a difficult road ahead—a lonely road. It would take all of her courage to meet the challenges that faced her. There were changes occurring in every area of her life and, in order to break free of the mental shackles that had controlled her for so long, she was going to have to be strong enough to withstand the changes.

 

David sat at the dining table of his co-op apartment, reading the morning paper. He lit a cigarette and took a sip of his coffee. Scanning the headlines, he stopped at a bold headline on page three: “ASSEMBLY WOMAN HAMILTON—SOFTENING HER HARD IMAGE.” The
article elaborated on Hamilton's decision to hire an image consulting firm in an attempt to improve her image and strengthen her appeal among male voters. This latest article also alluded to the notion that she'd exhausted her father's influence and had branched out to hang on the coattails of businessman, philanthropist, and legal wizard Justin Montgomery. It related Montgomery's association with the Harrison murder case and even hinted that Montgomery's law firm was getting preferential treatment because of his alleged connection to Hamilton.

David took a long gulp of coffee and chuckled heartily. “Now that's what I call payback,” he snickered. Leaning back in his chair, he visualized the look of self-righteous indignation that must have twisted that beautiful ebony face of hers into knots. He sighed, contented. His work was done. He'd held up his end of the arrangement, now it was time for Stone to pay up. He reached for the phone and dialed Stone's office.

 

Elliott paced the confines of his judicial chambers like a caged panther. Livid could not begin to describe the intensity of his outrage. He pounded his thick fist against the table, scattering the damning newspaper onto the floor. He knew this would happen, but Vaughn was too lovestruck to listen. The only thing he could be grateful for, at this moment, was that he had foreseen the future and had prepared accordingly. He picked up the phone and dialed the private number. Gruffly announcing himself to the secretary, he was immediately put through to Stan Waters.

“Elliott, good morning.”

“There's not a goddamned thing good about this morning! I need results, Stan. I want them now.”

“Just calm down, Elliott,” Stan countered. “I'm doing every thing I can. I can't make the mountain come to me.”

“Then you better get to it, Muhammad.”

“I'll call you when everything is settled. I'm sure we'll have an answer by the end of the week.”

Elliott took a deep breath and was on the brink of apologizing when he thought better of it. Stan Waters owed him. It wasn't the other way around.

“You know how to reach me,” Elliott said, and hung up. As soon as he did, his line rang and, he snatched the receiver from the cradle.

“Elliott, have you seen today's paper?” Sheila asked in a tight voice.

“Yes,” he replied shortly, knowing that there was more to come.

“She needs to get out of this now, Elliott. I have a very bad feeling about it. There are leaks in her own office. Reporters are digging into her private life. They…”

“I know. I know,” he thundered, cutting her off. “All of this goes back to that Montgomery. If she hadn't gotten so starry-eyed over him, she would've been more focused and in-tune to what was going on right under her nose,” he shouted. “I told her, but she wouldn't listen,” he ended pompously.

“She deserves a life too, Elliott. She can't live in a vacuum of politics forever,” she cried, reflecting on her own life of predictable loneliness and superficial joys.

“There'll be plenty of time for that later,” he huffed. “Now she needs to concern herself with keeping her name out of the scandal sheets, and curtailing her association with Montgomery.”

“Elliott,” she warned, “stay out of Vaughn's personal life. You've done enough,” she added, the simple words laced with innuendo. “Let her handle it.”

“I'm due in court,” he replied, ending any further conversation. “I'll see you this evening.”

 

“Justin,” Khendra called out to him as he hurried down the corridor of the courthouse. She picked up her step and quickly caught up with him. Her long-legged, high-heeled stride smoothly matched his. “Did you read the morning papers?” she inquired, shifting her briefcase from one hand to the other.

“Yeah, I read it,” he answered gruffly. He'd read the inflammatory copy shortly before he'd left for court. The entire piece had his teeth on edge. Momentarily he wished that he was meeting with Stan Waters then instead of at the end of the week. He was beginning to believe that Waters may have some of the answers he needed.

“What the hell is going on?” she asked in a low whisper. “We can't afford to be connected to a smear campaign. Not with this kind of high-profile case.” Her heels clicked rapidly against the marble floor.

“I'm well aware of that Khen,” he answered in a tone that cautioned,
leave it alone.

“I'm sorry. I didn't mean to jump all over you. It's just that…”

“I know you and Sean have worked your tails off on this case. I'm not going to let anything jeopardize that. Beyond everything else, it's not fair to our client.” He took a long breath. “In the meantime, let's just deal with this jury selection.”

Khendra fought to contain her curiosity, but lost the battle. “How's Vaughn taking her new level of notoriety?”

Justin slanted her a glance as he pushed open the courtroom door. “I wouldn't know,” he answered tersely, holding the door open for her, then leaving Khendra with more questions than she dared to ask.

 

When court recessed for the day, Justin returned alone to his office. Making a cursory acknowledgment to the remaining members he passed, he headed for his office. Once inside, he closed and locked his door, then headed for the wet-bar tucked behind the roll away bookcase.

He couldn't remember the last time he'd had a real drink. All he knew was that he needed one now. He reached for the unopened bottle of Black Label, opened it, and poured the amber liquid into a glass filled with ice. Glass in hand, he walked over to the small sofa in the corner of his office and lowered himself down.

Staring out of the window, he watched the last rays of sunshine tumble over one another, struggling for survival over the horizon. Funny, that's how his thoughts were at the moment—each one struggling for dominance.
Vaughn. Simone. His practice. The trial. Samantha.

The leaks from Vaughn's office had gone beyond just idle gossip and rumor. It now involved her private life and him. And with that, the ambiguous comments made by Stan Waters sounded more ominous. He wished he'd been able to move up the meeting date, but Waters would be out of town until the end of the week. If he didn't know better, he'd swear that it was merely a ploy to pique his interest.

Maybe what had happened between he and Vaughn last night was for the best. It was becoming crystal-clear that they needed to stay away from each other for everyone's sake. He took a long sip from his drink and squeezed his eyes shut as the liquid burned its way down his throat.

“Aaugh,” he sputtered. “No wonder I gave this up.” He put the glass down on the table next to the couch and sank back against the cushions, letting his thoughts take over. He wondered what Vaughn was doing—what was she wearing…?

The knock on his door caused him to jump. He blinked and checked his watch. It was nine P.M. He'd dozed off. He pushed himself up and walked to the door.

“Sean, what's up? You're here pretty late,” he said for lack of something better.

Sean stepped through the partially opened door. “I figured you'd need someone to talk to.” He crossed the room to the bar and fixed himself a quick drink. “I elected myself,” he announced, turning toward Justin with an expression that seemed to say, “I'm listening.”

“Then I guess you'd better cop a squat,” Justin said. “This may take awhile.”

 

He thought he'd feel better after talking things out with Sean. But his revelations and introspections only intensified his confusion. He'd briefly told Sean about his nebulous conversation with Stan Waters and of the impending meeting. He'd also voiced his concerns about Vaughn's refusal to tell him why she had to go to Atlanta.

Sean's take on the rash of news articles was that it was just politics as usual. But he did agree that Justin should keep a low profile, although he couldn't fully agree with Justin's decision to stay away from Vaughn.

“She needs you more than ever, man. You gotta know that,” Sean said.

“I do know. That's not the issue. The issue is, Vaughn has to come to terms with me and the kind of relationship she wants. I'm ready for the whole nine. She's still on the fence.”

“Hey, its something you'll have to deal with. When she's ready she'll come around.” Sean pulled himself up from his partially reclining position on the couch. “My advice—don't issue ultimatums. They generally backfire. You don't have to take the advice, just borrow it.” He grinned, and
clamped Justin heartily on the shoulder. “I'm outta here man. Full day tomorrow.”

“Yeah, me too.” Justin rose. “Hang on a minute. I'll walk out with you. And Sean…” Sean turned, his thick eyebrows arching into question marks. “Thanks,” Justin said simply.

“Remember, I've been there. There were times before me and Khen got married that I thought I'd lost her forever. But we got it together. And look at us now,” he chuckled, grinning broadly.

“Yeah, look,” Justin teased. He threw his arm around Sean's shoulder, and they walked down the corridor to the elevator.

 

“What are we going to do about this?” Crystal asked, just short of losing her last shred of calm.

Vaughn braced her hips with her fists as she paced the length of the office. It was nearly 10 P.M. and this never-ending day seemed to have gone from bad to worse. She'd thought that Justin's declaration of the previous night had been her lowest point. Today proved that she had yet to reach it. After dealing with Crystal, she had the false hope that things would get better. Then she'd read the papers.

“My plan is simple,” she said finally. “We do nothing. We won't rise to the bait. Questions will be answered honestly, but no additional information will be given.”

Crystal nodded. “This is all my fault,” she stated morosely. “If I hadn't been such an idiot…”

“There's no point in shouldering blame. What's done is done.” She sighed heavily. “Let's go home. I've had it for today.”

Vaughn arrived at her townhouse and immediately felt the emptiness swallow her. Over the short months she'd come to know and fall in love with Justin, he'd become an
integral part of her life. The sudden realization that that portion of her life was halted, left her adrift, like a boat without an anchor.

Mechanically, she prepared for bed. When she returned from Atlanta at the end of the week, she would set everything straight with Justin. She just needed this one last time to put the past to rest. For an instant, she thought of calling him, but hesitated, her hand above the phone, then pushed the thought away.

 

It was 3 A.M. Justin still lay wide awake in the king-sized bed. Sean was right. Vaughn should be here with him. They should be figuring out this thing together. He breathed heavily, punched his pillow, and turned over on his side. How long was he going to be able to stand behind his own dictum and stay away from her? he wondered. Five days and counting, he groaned. If and when Vaughn was ready for a real relationship, he'd be waiting. Hopefully, it wouldn't take her too long to come to her senses, he ruminated, feeling the telltale effects of his body's reaction whenever her thought about her. He didn't know if he could stand the wait.