Rise of the Notorious (45 page)

Of course, that might change. Linc recalled spotting his own cousin Cy hovering behind Jorja as she gushed to the reporters outside the police station earlier that day. The glimpses of them climbing into a car together, aimed at the airport, had raised some eyebrows and fired up some gossip, including rumors that Jorja had at last found a Vasser man she could hang on to.

Linc silently wished Cy the best of luck, knowing the poor bastard was desperately going to need it.

Kennedy had been released from the hospital and taken straight home by Charlene, who was doting over her like an injured little lamb. He imagined his poor sister wouldn’t see the light of day for quite some time with Charlene’s chains wrapped so tightly around her.

Linc grimaced at the memory of confronting his mother at the hospital, the first time he had seen her since he’d found out about the drugs. She had wanted his father dead and, as much as he tried to see her side of it, he couldn’t. It was all too morbid, too cold and calculating. Forgiving her would take time. Lots of time.

Until then, he had to focus on ensuring Morgan would be brought to justice for his scheming attempts at both becoming a confidant of the Vasser family and destroying them in turn. With Shaw’s help and the testimony provided by the witness, they should be able to piece together enough evidence to at least go to trial. Then it would be up to a jury.

And juries never really went easy on politicians. Especially when they saw the photographs of Quinn’s injuries after the accident, and her brave, innocent face. In essence, Morgan was toast, nice and burnt.

So was Duke, apparently. Linc rubbed his face with his hands tiredly as he tried to wrap his mind around how his cousin, his blood, could have done so many rotten things. Things that brought so much pain, so much trauma. All the while he had stood with them, playing concerned and sympathetic to their distress.

If only he had believed Cy when the poor bastard had tried to warn him and Grant…maybe they could have found Kennedy sooner. Instead, he had let his loyalty to family cloud his judgment, never wanting to believe for one second that it was an inside job. No, it had been easier to assume that the monster responsible for everything heinous that had occurred was in fact an outsider, a stranger, even. He would have been able to accept that.

Especially because the wounds of Cyrus’ sins were still so fresh, so bloody. To know that yet another member of his family was willing to resort to murder in order to claim power rattled his very bones.

He just had to hope that the bad genes died out with Duke and never again resurfaced within his bloodline. After all, he himself wanted to start a family someday, and the empire needed to be preserved so he could pass it on to his kids.

The Vasser legacy was, and would always be, timeless. And with the restructuring of the company and the expansion into other types of hotels, Linc knew it would only get better. His kids would know a Vasser empire without murder, without sin and grief. They would inherit a company worth fighting for. Worth being proud of.

That would be his mission from here on out, he decided. His eyes opened to stare around at his office, hopelessly cluttered with charts and maps but bursting with his ideas, his passions, and his dreams. Yes, he and his siblings were going to succeed, and succeed big.

His desk phone rang suddenly, shocking him out his reverie. He grunted impatiently as he grabbed the receiver.

“Yeah?”

“
Hi there, Linc
,” Shaw greeted cheerfully.

Linc shifted the receiver onto his shoulder and sat back in his chair. “What’s up, Senator? Any updates on Morgan?”

“
No, that’s not why I’m calling. Although, you can imagine how delighted I am that he’s being held accountable for his actions. It’s such a relief to know that now the world will see him for what he really is.
”

“Yeah, yeah. I can’t wait to hear what he says when the cops hand him our copy of his dad’s Army file. He’ll be shitting bricks.”

“
I imagine he will be,
” Shaw replied, amusement in his voice. “
Linc, a little bird told me that you want to marry my daughter.
”

Linc paused, taken aback. “Oh. Well, yeah, I do.”

“
You have my blessing, son. I know that probably doesn’t mean anything to you, but I just thought I’d let you know anyway.
”

Linc sat up in his chair, his hand now gripping the receiver as his eyebrows rose. “Wow. Thank you, Senator. It does mean something to me, but it will mean a lot more to Lynette. She doesn’t like us to fight.”

“
We were friendly once; I imagine we can be that way again,
” Shaw chuckled. “
The wedding will be here, of course, in our church. Y’all set the date, I’ll just show up in my tux and give you my little girl. I trust you’ll be good to her, Linc. Don’t think I won’t wring your neck if she ever sheds one tear over you.
”

“Got it. No crying,” Linc agreed, a wide grin spreading over his face. “Thanks again. I’ll be in touch.”

As he hung up the phone, he let Shaw’s words sink in, both awed and exhilarated. Not only was he going to transform the family business, he was also going to marry the girl of his dreams. Who knew he’d ever be so committed to settling down?

There was a knock on the door that shook him from his thoughts. He looked up as Walter shoved open the door.

“Hey dude, your girlfriend is here.”

“Fiancé,” Linc replied with a grin, rising to his feet eagerly. He reached for Walter’s hand to shake it happily. “I’m gonna make that ballerina out there my wife.”

“That’s…cool. Congrats, man.” Walter smiled a little as he watched his boss take off, sparking with energy. Before Linc could push open the door that led to the front desk, Walter called out to him. “Hey, does she have a sister?”

Linc snorted out a laugh and shot his assistant a wicked look. “Come to the wedding, buddy. I’ll find you a southern princess.”

He burst out the door and raced straight to Lynette, who was standing patiently by the desk. Saying nothing, he swept her off her feet and spun her around. He kissed her boldly, fiercely, the second he set her feet back on the ground.

She curved into him, startled by his urgency, his energy. It was vibrating off him in explosive waves that shot through her like dynamite.

“Linc,” she breathed, her hands gently pushing back against his shoulders as she met his eyes. “What’s gotten into you?”

“I love you.”

“I know.”

“No, I really mean it, Lynette,” Linc told her, framing her face with his hands. “You’ve got to compete with Quinn now.”

Her eyebrows rose. “Excuse me?”

“You’re both going to be Mrs. Vasser. But
you
are going to outshine her. In fact, we should get married as soon as possible so you can claim you had the title first.”

Lynette was speechless for a long moment, warring between insult, laughter, and disbelief all at once. When she could speak, she let her wit guide her tongue. “Who says I want to change my last name? I am partial to Shaw. That is my stage name, after all. I have a reputation to uphold.”

Linc frowned. “My name’s more famous.”

“Your name is more
notorious
,” she corrected, though a smile teased her lips as her eyes brightened with sudden tears. “Then again, refusing you has never been my strong suit, so I suppose I’ll have to cave.”

He smiled, one hand sliding back into her hair possessively, his eyes intent on hers. “Your father wants us to get married in your church back home. I told him that was perfect. He also told me that you’re not allowed to cry anymore; so stop it, before he comes up here and kicks my ass.”

Lynette started laughing, only to pause as she realized what he had said. “You spoke to my father about us getting married?”

“He called me up just now and gave me his blessing,” Linc told her. “It was his first stab at being friendly with me again.”

She shook her head. “I don’t even know what to say.”

“How about, ‘Oh, Linc, I'm so happy I could take you home and screw your brains out’?”

Lynette smacked him on the arm. “Smartass.”

He only grinned. “But you love me.”

“For some insane reason, I let you
convince
me to love you,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck then and pressing a soft kiss to his mouth. Her smile fell as the kiss became more urgent, and her heart began to race with the thrill of loving him.

He broke the kiss and held her back, a dark laugh escaping his throat. “I didn’t mean you should make good on that ‘screwing my brains out’ thing right now, but my office back there does have a convenient little lock on it.”

“As does my apartment,” she reminded him, kissing his nose playfully. “I have to get to rehearsal. I’ll see you tonight?”

“And every night,” he replied as she broke free of his grasp, her eyes on his as she started to leave.

“I’ll hold you to that, Yankee.” She grinned, and the last dying rays of the sun shot through the glass windows flanking the lobby doors, glowing bright gold in her copper hair. It created a glittering halo around her heavenly face, and he held on to that image as she turned and left.

She was truly an angel, come down from heaven to rescue his soul from the scandal, murder, and deceit. Without her, he wondered just how in the hell he could have survived it all.

He knew he’d be thanking God for her every day for the rest of his life.

Madison’s fingers traced
over the tender skin of her neck, and she wondered if there would be bruises. Before she left, she had examined herself in the bathroom mirror at the police station and had seen only redness. Hopefully, she would be spared the agony of having to explain to her family what Duke had attempted to do to her.

Though in retrospect, it had not been a surprise. The man had tried to kill her before. Not by his own hand, but it still showcased the hate he held in his heart. Hate for her and for what she had become. Thankfully, he would be locked away for many years because of his actions, sparing her family any further pain.

As for Raoul…well, that situation was entirely more complicated. She’d given a lot of thought to what she should do with him, whether or not she’d allow him to remain a part of her life. In the end, she knew she couldn’t bear to live without him. She’d never been one to judge a man for his sins, so why should her closest friend be any different?

Despite the doubts she knew her family and Wyatt would have, it was ultimately her decision. Raoul was going to remain on with her at the hotel, and no one would ever speak of his involvement in Kennedy’s kidnapping again.

She knew that, in a way, her decision showed her weakness. Yet, she also felt it showed the humility she was fighting so hard to learn. The humility that had never come naturally for her, because Cyrus had never allowed for it.

She shivered, turning her attention to the glittering city lights outside the window of her town car as she made her way home. Thinking of her grandfather had her turning over her wrist and staring at the mark she had taken for him. The symbol of her loyalty, of her dedication, to the man who had made her into what she was.

The man who, consequently, was a killer. A man who had done everything in his life with cold blood. He had killed with it, cursed with it, ruled with it, and at last he had died with it. That was who Cyrus Vasser had been, and his legacy was now hers to transform.

She had no intention of letting his sins mar the polish of that legacy. Instead, she would take everything awful that had happened these last few months and use them to her advantage. Much like she had done with the press conference, she would utilize her and her family’s notoriety and step forward anew, focused on the future and exploding with tireless ambition.

The list Cyrus had given her would finally be enacted, now that no one and nothing stood in her way. The company would flourish and expand, shedding the skin of the past.

No longer would the Vasser name only be associated with murder, suicide, and scandal. She would make sure they made all the right headlines and captured all the right opportunities.