White Lies (9 page)

“
I want you to bring that in with us, please. Go and get it set up
.
”

“
Ale
x—
i
t’
s illegal to record someone without their knowledge
.
”

He scoffed at her, and gave her a look she was
n’
t sure h
e’
d waste on the lowliest personal assistant
.“
Obviously
I’
ll tell her that sh
e’
s being recorded. Quite frankly, if sh
e’
s not willing to agree to that, then she can turn around and walk back out however the hell she came in
.
”

If sh
e’
d thought h
e’
d been closed off and cold before, it was nothing compared to now
.“
Ale
x
—”

“
Sh
e’
s here to talk to Arturo. She called him our brother. And there were others. Zoey, she may have information we need
.
”

“
Alex, have you ever even heard of this woman
?
”

“
I know her mother. Elizabeth Walden is chair of three charities that Olivia and Philip regularly gave to
.
” The bitterness was intense
.“
She is yet another of the people my age who are connected to my father, and the wrong side of his sheets
.
”

“
That does
n’
t mea
n
—”

“
Stop it
,
” he snapped, and she sat back in her chair
.“
I need to talk to her
.
” His voice had taken on an almost plaintive tone
.“
If this is who my father wa
s—
Zoey, I have to know
.
”

“
Okay
,
” she said, even though she was agreeing to the worst idea sh
e’
d heard all week, and that was saying something. She never ever should have let Helen take her to the fucking club. Her life would have been less interesting, and right now, she would be okay with that
.“
Okay. Let me get my phone, and w
e’
ll do this
.
”

He nodded, brushed a napkin lightly over his lips, and stood. Zoey picked up her coffee, but Alex touched her hand
.“
Do
n’
t worry about it
,
” he said
.“I’
ll have Sophia bring another through
.
”

She stared at him, just trying to understand, and then nodded, heading back towards the bedrooms to retrieve her phone.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Alex allowed himself exactly one minute to feel crappy about the way h
e’
d shut Zoey out. It had been rude and abrupt, and not the person that he wanted to be with her. But at the same time, the way Ms. Walden had burst in had left him somewhat off kilter.

Elizabeth Walden had been one of the names his parents had screamed at each other about when he was younger. H
e’
d watched Cindy Walde
n’
s rise through the ranks of various corporations from a distance. H
e’
d never had an urge to introduce himself. He was afraid, if he was willing to admit it to himself, that when he held out his hand to grip hers, she would give some kind of signal, some accidental sign, that would confirm whose daughter she was.

Over the years, Philip Blankenship had been connected with scores of women. Several of them had children, several of them had suddenly married, or quietly demurred when they were asked who the father was. But h
e’
d never openly acknowledged any children other than Alex, and eventually, Claire.

It should
n’
t have been a surprise that Cindy could put him in mind of his father so easily. It was small things that had been so obvious. Sh
e’
d thrown her shoulders back, ever so slightly, before she addressed him. Her hands had clutched at the hem of her suit coat in a certain way. He doubted she was even aware of these things. But he was quite sure she had no doubt who her father was. He wondered if she had modeled herself after Philip consciously, or if it had just been a natural progression. If it had seemed as inevitable for her as it had been for Alex.

It was a shitty move to send Zoey out of the room like a child, and he would need to make that up to her later. But for no
w—
for now, he needed to address Walden directly.

He walked into the large living room. Clearly unintentionally, Cindy Walden had taken the same spot that Claire had taken the night before. On the large sofa, pressed into the arm farthest from where he would enter, but her body turned facing towards him. Sophia had brought in three cups of coffee, left behind the polished silver coffee pot, as well as a sugar bowl and milk jug. He fixed himself a cup; Cindy followed his lead. He did not take the spot opposite her on the couch, instead choosing a separate door, though still far from the entryway to the room.

“
Zoey will join us in a moment
,
” he said, sipping at his coffee
.“
I want you to know she will be recording our conversation. For both of our protection, of course
.
”

“
I understand
.
” Walden look completely unconcerned, just quiet and still as she sipped at her cup.

“
I need you to understand, Ms. Walden, that while I will hear you out, if I find that yo
u’
ve intentionally misled me in any wa
y—
well, I believe that experience will be quite unpleasant for both of us
.
”

Walden gave Alex a long look that came straight out of Phili
p’
s playbook
.“
Perhaps we should wait for your friend
,
” the emphasis on the word was not to be missed
,“
to join us. For both of our protection
.
”

He could
n’
t help but smile. He sipped in silence until Zoey joined them. It looked like sh
e’
d taken a moment to swipe on some makeup. It added to the finished look sh
e’
d picked up with the new clothes that actually complemented her body, instead of the body of some mannequin in a department store, though Alex found himself missing, just a little, the tousled, just out of bed look sh
e’
d had a few minutes before. This was more polished, but less private. It was an interesting feeling, one he hadn't ever had before.

The pull he felt towards Zoey was something he needed to put aside to examine at a later time. He needed her, that was part of it, but there was something else, something so very much more. But now was
n’
t the time.

Zoey inclined her head slightly towards Alex, then took the seat on the other side of the sofa from Cindy Walden. She very clearly laid her tablet down, orienting what he assumed was the mic towards the other woman, then tapped something on the screen
.“
Ms. Walden
,
” she said
.“
I assume Alex told you that he had asked me to record this conversation
?
”

“
Yes, tha
t’
s fine
,
” she said, setting down her coffee cup
.“
I do
n’
t understand why sh
e’
s here
.
”

Zoey started to speak, but Alex quickly spoke over her
.“
Tha
t’
s not your concern
,
” he said
.“
I asked her to join us
.
”

“
What we need to talk about, Alex, are private family matters
.
”

“
Sh
e’
s closer to my family than you are
.
”

He saw the weight of those words hit Zoey square in the gut. She hid it well, and he was fairly sure that someone who had
n’
t made a living out of reading people would
n’
t have noticed. The slight smile that pushed at Cind
y’
s lips told him that sh
e’
d caught it as well
.“
As you wish
,
” Cindy murmured. He wondered if she knew she was quoting a movie that Alex had grown up with, one of the few things h
e’
d shared with his father before the old man had just given up on his son.

“
Tell me what leads you to believe that you are Philip Blankenshi
p’
s child
.
” He was fairly sure he had sufficiently hidden the layers of concern in his voice.

“
My mother told me I was. You know the time line as well as I do,
I’
m sure, the charities they were both involved with, as well as the rockiest portions of your parent
s
’ marriage
.
”

“
And what did your father have to say about that
?
” James Walden had drunk himself to death around twenty years back. It was around the same time the old man had gotten himself back together for a little while. H
e’
d actually been around the house, Olivia had been happy, Claire had been bor
n—
and then he disappeared again. Shocked, Alex had always supposed, that his dark-as-night wife kept having dark-skinned babies.

“
Philip paid Daddy for his silence by giving him information. What to buy, what to sell. Those sorts of things. Never anything that would get him into trouble. But Daddy started getting greedy. The FTC started to watch him more closely. He caved under the pressure
.
” Cindy sighed
.“
Not surprising, really. But when he die
d—
well, they stopped looking at the money. And all it took was a few words in the right ears for me to get my position, and then I told Philip that I wanted nothing more to do with him. He left Mother and I in peace
.
”

“
Why was it your fathe
r’
s silence that he had to buy
?
” Zoey asked
.“
What about your mother? Was
n’
t there concern that she would speak out about the affair
?
”

Cind
y’
s eyes chilled down until they resembled chips of ice more than anything human
.“
There was no affair
,
” she said, each work quiet, but perfectly audible and enunciated. The joys of elocution lessons.

It took Alex a moment to connect the dots, and then his gut clenched
.“I’
m so sorry
,
” he said.

“
Sorry I exist
?
” Cind
y’
s voice was cold, hard, cris
p
— and fragile.

“
Sorry that you were told
.
”

“I’
m glad
,
” she said
.“I’
m very glad that my mother told me, when I was quite young, how vicious people in power can be in order to get what they want. She was very clear that he did not physically force her. She was also very clear, however, that he never obtained her consent
.
” Cindy shook her head for a moment, and then her pretty, professional smile returned
.“
Tha
t’
s not what
I’
m here to talk about. If yo
u’
re done quizzing me,
I’
d like to speak about the others
.
”

“
The others
.
” The words escaped before Alex had a chance to vet them
.“
How many others are there
.
”

Cindy studied him for a long moment, and then shook her head
.“I’
m so sorry
,
” she said
.“
But
I’
ve worked hard to prevent Olivia from finding out that information. She has suspicions,
I’
m sure, and
I’
m sure Arturo made everything much worse, but if she does
n’
t know, then I ca
n’
t let her find out
.
”

“
A number does
n’
t put anyone in danger
.
”

“
A number tells her if sh
e’
s found them all, or if there are more to find
.
”

“
I am not my mother
,
” Alex said.

“
No, yo
u’
re not
,
” Cindy agreed
.“
But you are her son. If our positions were reversed, I know where my loyalties would lie
.
”

“
That may be, Ms. Walden, but something you would have learned if you had grown up under Philip Blankenshi
p’
s thumb instead of just his shadow is that your only loyalty should lie with yourself. Everyone else in the world is just waiting for a chance to cheat you
.
” Zoey was glancing at him sideways, her expression tainted with horror. He hated that he was putting that look on her face, but there was nothing else he could do, absolutely nothing. It made him sick inside. Sicker than he should be, perhaps. But it was yet another moment which he needed to put a pin in, and move forward.

“
That may be
,
” Cindy said, after a long moment
.“
However. Alone, w
e’
re all vulnerable
.
”

That was the moment Alex had been waiting for
.“
Please explain to me how I am vulnerable
.
”

Cind
y’
s expression chilled down
.“
Fine. I am vulnerable. So are innocent children. I came here because the rumors
I’
m hearing about how your company is moving forward gives me hope that you are more moral than either of your parents. Unless i
t’
s all a long involve scam to maximize AEGIS stocks. If it is, say the word, and I will leave. But if you would like to do something good for someone other than yourself, then perhaps we should have a real conversation, instead of one between two business people
.
”