Tormented (12 page)

She shook her head before whispering. “Not yet.”

Shifting my weight on the chair, I thought for a long moment before speaking. “I know it’s not my business, but maybe you should get help? Have you spoken to anyone about it yet?”

Jessica ruffled Mitch’s hair before planting a kiss on his forehead. Since we’d sat down, she hadn’t stopped gently touching the boy and hugging him to her. “I’m too embarrassed. Our families think we are a match made in heaven. I don’t want to upset anyone.”

“You’ve got to look out for yourself, Jessica. And for Mitch. If something happens to you, what will your boy do?”

She lay a hand on my arm. “You’re right. Thanks for your help.”

I smiled warmly at her, hoping she’d take my advice and do something about it before she became another statistic.

Savage came toward us, a deep frown between his eyes. “Hey, Eva,” he said, but his gaze was glued on Jessica. “Um, Jessica, are you okay?”

“Lucas Savage, my God, it’s you!” Her eyes were wide, and she wiped her face removing the tear stains on her cheeks.

“You guys know one another?”

“Yeah, we were at school together,” Jessica said quickly.

Savage turned to me with a lopsided smile. “Jessica was my first crush, and the first girl to break my heart.”

Must have been one hell of a crush, because Savage couldn’t take his eyes off the pretty young woman. He ruffled the boy’s hair. “You okay, big boy?”

Mitch nodded but he tightened his hold around his mother’s neck, as if he were afraid he’d be taken from her again. Savage picked up on that, because he took a step away and said, “Nobody is going to hurt you. You are safe now, buddy.” The frown was back between his eyes.

“I never expected to see you again.” Jessica’s frown matched that on the man’s face. Something must’ve happened between them that had been left unresolved.

Savage cleared his throat. “I have to ask you to accompany me to the police station to make a statement, please.”

The pretty blonde lifted her chin in defiance. “Seriously? I can drive there myself. My car is just outside.”

Reaching out as if he wanted to touch her, Savage changed his mind midway and dropped his arms to his sides. His voice was solemn when he spoke. “Okay, suit yourself. I wanted to tell you this at the station, but a woman tried to abduct your son. This is more than just him disappearing for a while. He could have been taken.”

“Oh God,” she shrieked. “Was it Melinda?”

Savage ran a hand through his hair. “How do you know the woman’s name?”

“Melinda is my husband’s sister. I think they want to take my child from me. This was all a setup.” Her voice was high-pitched, and she clung to her child as if she’d never let him go again.

Savage grabbed her by the shoulders. “Jessica, calm down, sweetheart. The main thing is we’ve stopped her. Harrison has taken her into custody, and we’ll get to the bottom of this, I promise. I’m here to help you. So can you and your boy please come with me? I’ll drop you back here to get your car when we are done.”

Feeling awkward just standing there, I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do. From the corner of my eye I saw Harrison approach us, and heaved a sigh of relief. He’d handle this the appropriate way.

“Everything okay?” His gaze went from me to his partner to Jessica.

Shrugging, I said, “I’m not sure. The woman?”

“The woman is being taken for questioning. And we’ll need a statement from you too, Jessica. My partner, Savage, will handle it from here. Are you okay to go with him?”

Jessica stared at Harrison before she answered. “I’d prefer if you and Eva came with me.”

Noticing the perplexed expression on Harrison’s face, I quickly explained. “Jessica and Savage know one another from school days.”

Harrison’s gaze snapped to the young woman. “
You’re
Jessica Snow?”

She nodded. “I was. I’m Jessica Martell now.” She reached and placed her hand on Harrison’s arm. “Thank you so much for what you did. It was my lucky day that you guys were here.”

The pained expression that flashed on Savage’s face told me he had unfinished business with his first crush. I couldn’t help but be curious. The giant of a man clearly wasn’t happy about something. He said she’d broken his heart. Was that why Savage never dated and was married to his career like Harrison?

“Nice to finally meet you, but I have other plans for the day with Eva, and Savage will take good care of you.” Harrison’s arm snaked around my waist, and he drew me closer to him. “So if you don’t mind, we’re going to leave now.”

Before I could even respond, he leaned over and kissed me. “Thanks for your help.”

Heat rose to my cheeks, and I laughed self-consciously. “Don’t be ridiculous. You did all the work.”

His gaze burned into mine. “Does that make me your hero then?”

I smiled at him. “Yes, it does.”

“H
ey, Daddy,” I said, as I answered my phone.

Since Ryder had come into my life, Bill and I were getting along a lot better. How could I hold his affair with another woman against him when I’d scored the brother I’d always longed for? Being an only child wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.

“Hey, angel, how are you? Haven’t heard from you in a while.” He didn’t sound as if he were accusing me of anything, yet I couldn’t help the pang of guilt that speared my heart. I’d purposely avoided talking to or seeing my father as my relationship with Harrison grew. Dad was on Ryder’s side and he wasn’t exactly crazy about the idea that I was still seeing Harrison.

“I’m fine. I’ve got a meeting in fifteen minutes, so I can’t talk for long.” My personal assistant had just walked into my office, and she was gesturing to her watch.

“That’s why I called you at work. I’ve left a few messages, but you haven’t replied.”

“Sorry, I’ve just been so damn busy. Finding a new place and packing up is so time consuming.” I tried to sound lighthearted and hoped to hell he’d buy into my reason.

“Ryder told me you were seeing Jade’s brother . . . as in,
dating
.” Dad went quiet for a moment, then broke the silence with words that cut into me. “The same man who cost Jade and Ryder a baby.”

Silence crackled down the line as I thought of something to say. I tapped my pen on the desk, my palms sweaty, an uneasy feeling sitting in the pit of my stomach. No words could justify what had happened, but I wanted Bill to at least give Harrison a chance. I didn’t need his approval of whatever man I was with, but deep down I wanted him to be okay with it. He’d introduced me to Nolan, and I knew he was still unhappy about it not working out between us. Secretly, William Ryder would have loved for his daughter to be married to someone he believed was a rising star.

“Daddy, don’t judge until you get to know him. Harrison is a great guy.”

He sighed. “So is Nolan.”

“Please don’t start with that again.” I huffed. “Nolan is a cheater. Can you honestly tell me you’re okay with me marrying a man who’ll probably screw anything in a dress when he has the urge? A man in his position has more opportunity than most, and he’s already proven what he’s capable of.”

“Well at least he’s not a baby killer.” Bill’s voice was hard and unsympathetic.

I sucked in a deep breath. That was low, even for my dad. “Oh, and screwing around is okay? But of course, I forget—you are an expert in that field.” Driving the knife deeper, I continued, without even trying to keep the bitterness from my voice. “You and Nolan are two of a kind; that’s why you like him so much.”

I wanted him to hurt for all the pain he’d put me through. Didn’t he get it that finding out he’d had a long-term affair with Ryder’s mother was the exact reason I couldn’t stomach the thought of my man doing the same to me? It was the one thing I’d never be able to abide in a partner. Not after what my dad did to my dying mother.

Bill laughed, but there was no humor in it. “I deserved that. I know I hurt you deeply, but what you don’t understand is that it is possible to love two people at the same time. I loved your mom, Eva.”

“But you also loved Marianne. I can tell just by the look in your eyes when you talk about her.”

“I can’t deny that I did. Marianne was a free spirit. She awoke something in me that no other person could. I can’t explain it to you; I can only apologize for what I put you through.”

“It’s still cheating, Daddy. And you broke Mom’s heart. That’s what gets me most.”

“I know, sweetheart. Don’t you think I wish it could’ve been different? But sometimes a person gets caught up in something that’s bigger than him. I didn’t go asking for it . . . it just happened. The heart has a mind of its own, you know. We can’t choose who we love.”

His words hit me hard. He was speaking from a place of truth, and I couldn’t hold it against him. Funny thing was, the same thing was happening to me. As much as I was resisting giving my heart to another man, I couldn’t help how a certain guy was creeping under my skin. I was powerless to stop it, no matter how much I told myself I would
not
fall for Harrison Summers because the man was dangerous in every way possible.

“I’m beginning to realize that,” I said, nearly choking on the words.

“Listen, sweetheart, why don’t you bring that man of yours over for a drink and maybe dinner? We can get to know one another better. I promise to suspend my judgment until I know more about him.”

Even though he couldn’t see me, I nodded. “Okay.” Even though I wasn’t hundred percent sure it was a good idea, we had to start somewhere and I preferred sooner rather than later. I hoped that my father would give Harrison a fair chance and maybe even get to like him. “What day did you have in mind?”

He cleared his throat. “How about tomorrow night? I don’t have any plans.”

I opened my diary and flipped the page. I had drinks planned with Emma from work, but she wouldn’t mind if we did it another time. “Oh, I can be free too. I’ll just have to find out if Harrison is available.”

“Eva?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you, sweetheart.” A soft sigh sounded down the line. “I’ll always be your dad. I only want what’s best for you. That’s all.”

I swallowed hard, biting back the tears burning my throat.

“I know, Daddy.”

“I’ll keep an open mind, I promise. But if he hurts my baby girl, I’m going to break his dick.”

I could hear the smile in his voice. Bill would gladly deliver on his promise. Why were men so damn testosterone-driven?

S
weat trickled down my spine as I pressed the remote’s large red button to lock my car.

Beep beep.

Eva’s car wasn’t parked in the driveway as I’d hoped, but maybe she’d arrived earlier and had access to the six-car garage, and hers was inside and out of the Californian sun.

I rang the bell then combed my fingers through my hair and pulled my shirt straight while I waited for someone to open the door. Squinting in spite of wearing sunglasses, I took a minute to inspect my surroundings.

Bill Ryder’s impressive Malibu mansion was nothing less than I’d expected—immaculate sprawling gardens and an ocean view to die for, both befitting a music mogul. I shrugged. People who made it big in the industry showing off their wealth through conspicuous consumption was just another way of life in Los Angeles.

Sucking in a deep, calming breath, I turned when I felt a current of air swoosh past me as the heavy wooden door swung open.

It wasn’t Eva, who I’d hoped would meet me at the door. Instead, I stared into the guarded and somewhat weathered face of her father. I could see traces of her in him, but mostly I saw Ryder. The thick, straight eyebrows, sharp elegant nose, and generous fleshy lips that were curled up into a courteous smile that didn’t reach his penetrating eyes were so much like Ryder’s that I had to stop myself from staring.

“Ahhh, Harrison, glad you could make it tonight.” He indicated for me to come inside.

No handshake? The man wasn’t going to make it easy for me by a long shot.

I gave him a half smile as I stepped into the cavernous entrance. “Thanks for inviting me over, Mr. Ryder.”

“Call me Bill. My kids do, so you may as well.”

“Sure,” I said evenly, not letting his cool demeanor disturb me. In my line of work, I came across people from all walks of life—from the scum-of-the-earth types to those who thought they were better than anyone else, and everything in between.

I’d learned not to judge a book by its cover, no matter how polished or tattered it appeared from the outside. Looks were deceiving, and anyone could put up a front. For millennia, people had pretended to be what they weren’t.

It was reading people—their body language and micro-expressions—that was my special talent, and had made me a leader in my field and such a sought-after operative. And it sure as fuck came in handy when trying to impress the father of the woman I was sleeping with. Not that the older Ryder was going to be a pushover. Far from it. He didn’t get to be as successful and wealthy as he was without having the balls that go with making it big in a cutthroat industry. Yeah, I’d done my research on the man. Lucky for me, I had all the resources I needed at my disposal.

“Let’s go get a drink while we wait for Eva.”

My stomach dropped to my Italian leather shoes.

“Eva’s not here yet?”

Bill had to hear the disappointment in my voice. “No. In fact, I asked her to come an hour later. Gives us time to have a man-to-man talk and get to know one another a bit.” He chuckled, as if he knew he had won the first round already.

I had a strange hunch that one thing the father and son had in common were that they didn’t like me. Neither thought I was good enough for Eva. Maybe they were right, but that wasn’t going to stop me from trying to be the man
she
wanted.

I followed a few steps behind, drinking in the sheer magnificence of the place I presumed Eva had grown up in. Christ, if this was the lifestyle she was accustomed to, I was seriously in deep trouble. I’d always preferred the simpler things, and this lavish way of living was something I’d read about but never coveted.