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“Both.If he finds me, he’ll find any and everyone who knows his secret.I won’t have your blood on my hands, Tony.”
“You think Matt is going to kill me if I know his secret?”
“He will,” I declared.
“Start at the beginning and tell me the whole fucking story.”Tony’s icy edict chilled me to the bone.“If and when the time comes, I’ll deal with the prick.Tell me what happened in Atlanta, angel?”
I closed my eyes.I couldn’t bear to see Tony’s reaction when I revealed my ugly sins.Suddenly, it all came rushing back in a huge wave of regret.
“I was seventeen, three months until I graduated high school.I went to a party with a girlfriend at some guy’s house.I didn’t know him, but her older brother did.Anyway, there was alcohol and pot and tons of people.I wanted to act like I was all grown up, so I had some drinks, smoked some weed, and got pretty wasted.This really hot guy had been watching me all night.He had stunning blue eyes and a sexy, lazy smile.He waited until I was blasted before he introduced himself.His name was Craig Walters.He was twenty-six, and a broker for a big investment firm in Atlanta.He got me another drink and invited me outside to look at the stars.He led me to the side of the house where it was nice and dark.I remember it was really quiet out there.I couldn’t even hear the music from inside.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat as a tear slipped down my cheek.
“He raped you,” Tony whispered softly as he swiped the tear away.
I nodded, thankful I didn’t have to utter the vile word.“He didn’t use a condom, and I got pregnant.”
“Nathan?”
A mournful sob slid from my throat, and more tears spilled over my cheeks.I nodded once again, and Tony wrapped me in his arms, holding me tight until I could go on.
“My folks were devout Southern Baptist.My mom taught Sunday school, sang in the choir, and led prayer groups three times a week.My dad was a Deacon and mentored disadvantaged kids.When they found out, they went ballistic.I thought my dad was going to stroke out.He was so pissed.My mom just cried…cried so hard.My dad called me horrible names.He was more worried about being shunned by people at the church than he was about me.Both my parents decided they weren’t going to let a whore and her bastard child live under their roof, so my dad hauled me to my room, packed a bag, and tossed it out on the lawn before shoving me out the door.”
“Aww, baby,” Tony groaned.“Where did you go?”
“I called Matt from a gas station down the street.I wanted him to talk to my dad and try to reason with him.But he said no.He told me that once my dad made up his mind, there was no way to change it.So, he picked me up and took me to his house.He took care of me.”
“He supported you, financially?”
“Yes.After Nathan was delivered, Matt paid for a burial plot and made the arrangements for me.”
“What did you do for him?”
The innuendo in Tony’s question wounded.I raised my head and stared at him.“I can’t believe you just asked that.”
“I’m sorry, angel, but…you seem to have a penchant for older men.”
“It wasn’t like that.”I scowled.“I never slept with him.For crying out loud, he was my father’s best friend…well, the was before I fucked it up.When my dad found out that Matt had taken me in, they never talked again.”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart.Please go on.”
“Matt had money.Lots and lots of money, but I never knew what he did for a living.I was young and naïve, and growing up in such a sheltered environment, I just assumed he was the CEO of some conglomerate.He dressed impeccably and always looked like the quintessential businessman.After Nathan was laid to rest, Matt took me to dinner and asked what I planned to do with my life.When I confessed I had no clue, he offered me an enormous salary and asked if I wanted to work for him.I was so stupid.I didn’t even ask what the job was.I just leapt at the obscene amount of money he’d offered, which of course, I didn’t actually receive, because he insisted on investing it for me.”A bitter chuckle escaped my throat.“At first, he taught me a bunch of different computer programs and eventually introduced me to the wonderful world of offshore banking and how to transfer money to his accounts all over the world.The man had billions of dollars.”
“Let me guess, not a single penny of it was legal?”
“No.”
“How did you find out?”Tony asked.
“I’d been working for him for about two years when something happened in the Caymans.I’m not entirely sure what, but it caused a ripple effect through the Caribbean, South America, all the way to Russia.From bits and pieces of conversations I’d overheard, I suspected he was in involved with guns and drug cartels, maybe more.”
“Are you sure he’s even still alive?People in those circles don’t usually have a very long lifespan.”
“I don’t know.I’ve never tried to find out.I didn’t want to raise any flags.”
“Smart move, sweetheart,” Tony agreed.“You told George about this?”
“Yes.”
