Secrets (13 page)

“Can I have a moment alone?”

“No.”

Nausea roiled in his stomach as he picked up
his cell and punched in a number. It rang twice before a familiar
voice answered. He closed his eyes, calculating the years he'd
spend in prison. His voice shook when he finally spoke. “Daddy, can
you come to my office? It's urgent.”

****

Senator Alfred Rivers strode into his son’s
office, deep worry lines across his face. Had Justin put those
there? He’d deliberately called him daddy to shake him. He hadn't
called him that since his mom and sister were killed in a senseless
car accident over twenty-five years ago. Being a public figure had
its drawbacks; even so, he knew his dad would do anything to help
his only child.

The Senator nodded to the blond woman and
the taller man standing near a window. Justin knew the moment the
old man pegged them as either FBI or CIA; he’d hesitated before
zeroing in on him sitting at his desk.

“What's going on?” He looked at the agents,
waiting for them to identify themselves. “Who are you and what are
you doing here?” His lips turned down at the corners, robin's egg
blue eyes darkened into his infamous scowl while he stared at the
interlopers. At five feet nine, his no-nonsense persona made him
appear taller. Taking in the precision cut of his hair and formal
dress, Justin wondered what he’d interrupted. Most likely a
fundraiser or something in that vein. He should feel pleased that
the old man had dropped everything to be there for him. Instead, a
curious numbness enveloped his mind.

Reining in a sigh, Justin watched the
fireworks as his dad, the Senior Senator from Wisconsin, worked the
room. How long before those eyes changed? Or that proud tilt of his
head waivered and fell? He'd wait and see. No longer sure of his
options, Justin reclined in his chair, disassociating himself from
the conversation.

“I'm Special Agent Green and this is Special
Agent Morales. We're here because the Congressman has engaged in
illegal behavior, including rape and sex, with a number of minors
over the years. We were about to read him his rights. He asked us
to wait until you got here before we take him in.”

“Whaaaat?” The Senator shook his head, and
stared at the woman as if she’d spoken in German. Justin pushed
down a childish giggle that threatened to erupt at the shocked
expression on his father’s face. No question, he’d finally done
something his esteemed parent hadn’t expected.

Morales walked over to the Senator and
handed him a picture from that blasted folder. Gazing at the
picture, his old man's face tightened while turning beet red.
Slowly, he turned and glared at him before looking at the image
again.

Justin wondered who was in that picture.
There'd been so many over the years, he couldn't begin to guess.
His father released the picture as if it burned. It fluttered to
the floor as he strode forward to the desk, eyes glancing over the
photos beneath Justin’s hand, stopping at Heidi’s. He couldn't
blame him. It was brutal. Their eyes met.

“
Did you do this
?” His father asked
without words. Figures, even with proof in front of him, the old
man would back him if he said otherwise. The depth of his father's
faith in him was humbling. He played with the idea of lying,
claiming the pictures were photo shopped or some nonsense, but who
knew what else the asshole had in that folder. It looked thick.

He shrugged without releasing his father's
eyes. The old man shrunk while standing there. Amazing. This is
what it took for his father to see him as he really was? A
messed-up freak who preferred children as long as they weren't
small white girls like his sister. No, he drew the line there. No
one could compare to her beauty. He'd never betrayed his promise to
her or her memory in all these years.

Special Agent Green walked to the desk and
read him his rights. He maintained eye contact with his father the
entire time. He wasn't sure why, it just seemed easier with the old
man there. The Hispanic agent motioned for him to stand, and went
to cuff him. His father's face hardened into a mask of rage.

“Don't handcuff him like a common criminal,”
he snapped as the agent clicked the cuffs closed. “He's a United
States Congressman, treat him with respect.”

“He gets the same respect he gave all those
five-, six- ,and s seven-year-old girls over the years,” Morales
snarled, his face tight with anger. “None. Nada. He
is
a
common criminal. There's no jail set aside for pedophile
Congressmen, he'll share a cage with all the other criminals.” With
that, he pulled Justin forward toward the door. Once the door
opened, his assistant and staff ran up to them, asking questions.
The FBI agent ignored them and walked him out to the waiting car,
where other agents proceeded to follow in some sort of motorcade.
He never glanced back.

Chapter
11

News of the congressman's arrest hit the
airwaves and spread like wildfire. Someone had found the picture of
him and the Asian child on the floor in his office and gave it to
the press. Day after day, news channels discovered more “shocking
news” on the secret life of former Congressman Justin Winters.

Chastity stared at the screen as the monster
from her nightmares walked into a courtroom wearing an orange
jumpsuit and blank face. The close-up of him leaving the courtroom
showed gray strands forming on the edges of his hairline; deep
lines bracketed his mouth, his eyes still looked dark and empty. In
her young mind, he'd been a larger-than-life devil, soulless with
no conscience. Looking at his pathetic ass now, she hated the years
she’d allowed this shallow asshole to control her through fear. How
the hell did he win an election and serve in the House of
Representatives? Didn't anyone investigate his past?

The camera zoomed to his father, Senator
Rivers and Mrs. Rivers, Justin's wife, leaving at a fast clip from
the courtroom. Sympathy rose in her chest for the
beleaguered-looking woman. She'd been married to the man for years,
and didn't know he raped and abused children. Gazing down the
length of her own right hand, her eyes landed on the scar from the
stitches she’d received after that monster broke her finger. Anger
and disgust filled her memory. She’d been too slow falling to her
knees to service him and he’d bent her small finger until it broke.
The bone hadn’t been set and knitted wrong. Mr. Baxter had the
surgeon fix the break when he repaired her fractured leg and rib.
The pain had been agonizing and she’d fought Mr. Baxter and Ms.
Cook whenever they came near to change the dressing. Wiping the
tears from her eyes, she pulled back from the abyss of those dark
memories.

Kenton walked into the office from putting
Mariah to bed, and sat next to her on the love seat. Since the
incident with Jonah days before, they'd become closer. She couldn't
explain how or what happened, only that she felt more comfortable
around him, and the kids thought he walked on water.

“One down.” She pointed to the TV. “That's
Justin Rivers. I never knew his full name, but I recognize the
demon. He used to call me 'gypsy baby.'” She shuddered at the
memory. “The FBI arrested him on multiple counts of child rape, sex
with a minor, and possible homicide.” She wished Mr. Baxter were
here to see his plan in action and to comfort her from the rising
tide of brutal nightmares. He always knew the right words to beat
back the murky clouds surrounding her.

“Homicide?” Kenton turned toward her.

“Yeah, they're looking for the body of a
small child they believe died by his hands from a beating.” Tears
welled up in her eyes. But for the grace of God, that could've been
her.

He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her
close. The warmth of his breath tickled her ear. Snuggling closer
to his warmth, she felt safe in his arm.

“Hey, it's okay.” His voice lowered as he
rubbed his chin on the top of her head. “This will all be over
soon. I know it's hard to see him after all this time. But believe
me, he'll be going away for a good while.”

Unbelief ripped through her. “His father's a
senator. He might get him off.” Although she no longer feared
Justin, she knew people in power somehow got all the breaks.

“He better hope not.” His voice deepened
into a growl.

She leaned back and looked up at him. “What
was that?”

“My opinion—he'll be safer in prison.” He
returned her stare.

“What makes you say that?” She searched his
eyes for the answer. His blanked face made it impossible to read
his thoughts.

He shrugged. “I'll kill him if he gets off.
And before you object, let me say there's a line ahead of me. You
don't think you're the only one affected by what he did, do you?”
His look said otherwise.

She sighed, not sure what to say or think.
They didn’t think the same. Kenton got things backward. He thought
she had sex with him out of pity. Pity never entered her mind.
Giving him what he wanted and thought he needed, was a silent way
to repay his uncle for his kindness. It was all she had to offer.
During the past three years of working by Mr. Baxter’s side, she
realized there were better ways to show gratitude, but didn’t
regret her earlier mistakes. Ironically, those acts turned out to
be her salvation. Her children gave her a reason to wake up and
live.

“For every child he raped,” Kenton said,
“there's someone who wants to fuck him up on her behalf. The men
working for Sven, to a man, would love five minutes alone with him.
When the news hit, they asked for time off if the Congressman's
acquitted.” He touched the tip of her nose. “And they know nothing
about you.”

Her mouth opened and snapped shut. Warm lips
grazed her forehead. A tingle of pleasure shot through her.

“I've got you. Nothing will happen to you or
our kids. Relax for a while,” he murmured against her brow, pulling
her closer to him.

“Hmmm.” She released it all on a sigh,
closed her eyes and enjoyed the luxury of his embrace. His large
hand rubbed from her shoulder to elbow. The rough texture of his
palm added the right amount of friction, goose bumps rose across
her arms in tribute to his slow strokes. “You smell good.”

He chuckled.

“Did I say that out loud?” She didn't bother
opening her eyes. Her body had entered a relaxed state that felt
too good to move.

He kissed her cheek. “Yep.”

“How come you're kissing me?” One eye opened
and caught his devilish grin. For the first time in her life there
was no agenda, no script or plot, just her relaxing in the pleasant
company of a good-looking man.

“I haven't kissed you, yet.”

At that statement, both eyes popped open to
stare at his reddened lips. “You haven't?” she whispered, entranced
by the sight of his naughty smile.

“Not even.” He leaned forward and licked her
bottom lip before nipping it with his teeth.

Tingles shot down her spine. Eyes widening,
she tilted her head, catching his eyes. “Do that again.”

“Let me do this, instead.” He cupped her
face, gently nuzzled her cheek as he worked his way to her mouth,
placing kisses everywhere his lips touched. By the time he fully
kissed her, she was a quivering mass of jelly.

“Ummm, I'm not sure this is a good idea.”
Her words choppy as she tried to catch her breath.

“I am.” He captured her lips again and slid
his tongue inside slowly. She froze at the invasion, then melted as
he stroked her face. Tremors shot to her core, heat throbbed
between her legs as she pushed closer to his hardness. A needy moan
ripped from her throat.

Gasping, they broke apart. Her fingertip
traced her lower lip in awe of the tingling sensations.
“Interesting,” she murmured, trying to make sense of what she felt.
Something tugged low in her belly, wanting, no – needing, something
she couldn't define.

His brow rose. “Just interesting?”

Pulling his head to her, she kissed him. His
tongue thrust through her lips. Panting, she allowed him in and
pulled him even closer. Angling her head, she followed his lead,
repeated his actions and fell, as a willing captive, into the
silken web he wove.

He released her on a sigh and rested his
forehead on hers. “You’re addicting.”

“Huh?” How could he talk? Her mind was mush,
talking seemed a chore she couldn't undertake.

“I want more of you.”

Slowly, fighting through the fog of desire,
she opened her eyes and stared into twin dark pools of need. The
stark lust on his face awakened things within her. Lust called to
lust, she shivered as his lips took hers again and again, until she
was mindless with an unsated yearning.

“Kenton,” she whispered into his ear, her
voice saturated with longing. The shudder that tore through him
ignited one in her.

“Hmmm?” He said after a moment.

An unfamiliar ache pulsed, radiating hunger
through her core. Uncertainty filled her. Each of his touches sent
heat between her legs. What was happening? “Something’s wrong. I
feel funny down there.”

He pulled away and looked at her. “Down
where?”

Nodding, she bit her lip, glancing at him
through lowered lids.

He slid his hand beneath her dress and up
her thigh.” Her eyes widened at the pleasurable sensation as his
palm cupped her between her legs.

“Here?”

She froze and then parted her thighs,
allowing him greater access. “Uh huh.” Her breath hitched as his
thick fingers rubbed against her wet panties.

“You’re wet.”

She pushed at his hand.

“No. Let me please you.”

“It’s…it’s not right. It causes problems.”
She pushed his hand away and pulled down her skirt.

“What kind of problems?” He watched her
intently.

“You know.” Heat pulsed between her legs.
She needed to think.