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Ryan shut the door after the man departed and then lowered all the blinds to ensure complete privacy. Susannah watched him in silence, her eyebrows raised.
“Well, this is dramatic,” she said as he sat across from her. “What’s going on?”
“I found out something about Zoe today that proves I was right about her motives for coming to work for the campaign.”
Susannah’s amused expression faded. “Ryan, I’m sorry. I know how much you care about her.”
That his sister’s first reaction to his news was concern for him was a poignant reminder of why he loved her so much. His heart ached at the blow he was about to deliver.
“It’s bad, SuSu.” He pulled out his phone and queued up the video. “She’s been working with Everly Briggs to mess up your campaign. Today, she showed me this.”
He started the video and handed Susannah his phone. Susannah’s expression went from confusion to shock and finally horror as she watched her husband head into a hotel room with her deputy campaign manager.
“Zoe took this?” Susannah’s neutral tone was at odds with her shaken appearance.
“No. Everly did. I think we can expect this will be leaked to the press or possibly sent to Abernathy at some point in the near future.”
“Can you send this to Gil?” Susannah’s hands were shaking as she handed the phone back to Ryan. “He’ll want to start strategizing damage control as soon as possible.” Before she finished speaking, she got to her feet and pulled her purse out of a drawer. “Tell him if he needs to get hold of me later, I’ll be at home discussing the situation with Jefferson.”
“Is there anything else you need for me to do?” Ryan asked. “Do you want me to come with you and maybe take the kids out for ice cream so you can have the conversation in private?”
“Thanks for the offer, but Candi will be there,” Susannah said, referring to her housekeeper. “I’ll get her to take them.”
Ryan wasn’t fooled by his sister’s appearance of calm. She was passionate about fair play and justice, and he knew firsthand the painful penalty she dealt when crossed.
“Don’t worry about anything here,” he told her, catching Gil’s eye and motioning him over. “Gil and I will handle everything.”
Eleven
It had taken Zoe less than an hour to pack up and vacate Ryan’s guest apartment. He’d installed electronic door locks so she had no keys to drop off. In no time at all she was settled back into her storeroom almost as if staying with Ryan had been a wonderful dream she’d awakened from.
In the aftermath of her tempestuous day, Zoe was too overwhelmed to process all that had happened. Thinking about any of it made her chest tight and sent black dots swimming across her vision. She longed for someone to confide in, but couldn’t imagine burdening anyone with her story who wasn’t already involved. She couldn’t contact London...
And yet, why not?
Everly had shattered their pact by telling Tristan that Zoe had his legal and financial documents. Maybe she’d also divulged that London had been the person responsible for securing the information. In which case, she needed to be warned.
Zoe looked up the address for London’s ExcelEvent company. To her surprise, the office was three blocks away from Second Chance Treasures. Impulsively she dialed the phone number. Since it was nearly eight, she didn’t really expect anyone would answer.
“ExcelEvent, London McCaffrey speaking.”
For several heartbeats, Zoe was too stunned to speak. She hadn’t expected getting hold of London would be this easy and had not planned what to say.
“Hello?” London sounded anxious. “Is anyone there?”
“It’s Zoe.” The words came out of her in a hoarse whisper.
“Zoe, oh my goodness. You scared me. I thought it was Everly. Are you okay?”
Relief swept through Zoe that she wasn’t the only one suffering at Everly’s hands. “It’s all coming apart. I think we should meet and talk.”
“I’m at my office. Can you come by now? I don’t think we should be seen together in public.”
“I’m at my store. Turns out we’re just a few blocks apart.” She sounded a little hysterical as she relayed that detail. “I’ll be by in ten minutes.”
The walk helped calm Zoe down and by the time she arrived at ExcelEvent, she was ready to have a productive conversation.
London had been watching for her because before Zoe could knock, the door opened and the beautiful blonde gestured her inside. Although the two women hadn’t been in contact since the Beautiful Women Taking Charge event, they hugged like old friends.
