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“You can’t take it back, but you can fix it. And you will.”
She shook her head. “No, I—”
“Call the detective and tell him you lied. Tell him you made it up because you’ve always hated Monica and you wanted to hurt her.”
“He won’t believe me.”
“It doesn’t matter. If you take it back, they can’t use it in court. You’ll be a labeled an unreliable witness, just as you should be.”
Beth was tired of backing away, so she stood her ground and put her hands on her hips. “I’m not going to lie to the police for Monica. She’s the one who dragged me into this, and I’m not exactly happy about that.”
“You misunderstood her,” he countered. “Whatever you think she said—”
“I know what she said. I was there. And it’s not fair for you to treat me like the criminal when Graham and Monica are—”
Roland’s hand shot out and wrapped around her wrist before she could pull away from him. “I like you, Beth. I always have, but I will not let you ruin Monica’s life. I will ruin this store and I’ll ruin you.”
“Let go of me.” She pulled back hard, and her wrist slipped through his hold. “Get out of here.”
“Listen to me. Graham is gone. There’s nothing I can do for him. But I won’t have Monica dragged into this. Please.”
Beth froze at that word. A word she’d never heard pass Roland Kendall’s lips. This man who’d always seemed impervious and cocky—for a moment, fear flashed in his eyes.
Beth couldn’t help her surge of sympathy. She’d known him for too long. “They want him. Graham. That’s all.”
“I can’t betray him. He’s my son.”
“I’m sorry.” She clutched her purse tight beneath her arm and edged around him. “I can’t help you.”
“This is my family,” he snarled. She kept walking, but his next words made her stop. “I’d think you’d understand about family, considering how much you love your father. Children might not always do the right thing, but we still love them.”
She spun back to face him. “What are you talking about?”
“I had a lovely dinner with your father the other night. I wanted to find out what was going on in your life that would make you lash out at old friends like this.”
Beth shook her head. No. This couldn’t be right. Her dad had gone to dinner with an old friend. He’d said, You wouldn’t believe who called me….
“Your father looks great, by the way. And he couldn’t stop talking about you. But I was confused.”
“No,” she murmured.
“He has some strange ideas about what you do for a living.”
“Did you tell him?” she asked, skipping any protests or denial. Roland Kendall hadn’t made millions of dollars in the past decade because he was an idiot.
“I didn’t tell him. But I will.”
She’d misunderstood his plans. Or simply underestimated him. Yes, he could hurt the store, but that was long-term revenge. But here was a threat that could be acted upon with nothing more than a phone call.
“Call the detective and tell him you lied,” Kendall said. “I don’t want to do this to you, but I will.”
Beth walked away without responding. What was there to say? She wasn’t going to beg this man, but she realized she also hadn’t said no. Before she even made it through the doors of the store, Kendall had stalked back to his SUV. A driver hopped out and opened his door.
The man had a driver and plane and God knew how many houses. And she’d made an enemy of him. It didn’t matter that she’d done the right thing. He’d probably ruined people for far smaller things than hurting his family.
Thankfully, the meeting with the lighting guy took only a few minutes, because Beth’s mind was spinning. As soon as he left, she called her dad, trying to keep the panic from her voice.
“Beth!” he said with such happiness in his voice that she had to swallow tears. “How are you?”
