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“Of course, Daddy.”
She followed him into his study and took a seat opposite his desk while he settled himself into his chair.
“I have some news,” he said, though he sounded grim.
Anne’s stomach clenched. “That doesn’t sound good,” she said lightly.
“I’ve spoken to my contacts,” he began. “Smithson definitely has it out for Kirk, but the plane wasn’t his idea. And the team sent after you was from him, but by all accounts, they were doing a search and rescue mission.”
“So it’s somebody else? Who could it possibly be?”
“I’m still looking into it.” He paused. “And honey, I had an expert go over that video Smithson gave you. The man following Matthew…it’s been altered.”
Anne’s heart seemed to freeze in her chest. She made her lips move. “How so?”
“The man’s face. He called it…” He glanced down at a note on his desk. “A deepfake.”
“Blane’s brother didn’t do it?” Her voice sounded strange in her ears.
“No, Pumpkin.” His voice was gentle. He handed her a photo. It was identical to the photo of Kade following her brother that night, but it wasn’t Kade anymore. It was another man. Brown eyes, brown hair, attractive but forgettable features.
Anne was having trouble processing it. She’d run away from Blane. She’d tossed him out of her room. She’d called him a liar and his brother a murderer. She’d thrown away the best relationship she’d ever had over a lie. He’d even tried to tell her.
Her stomach rolled. “I have to…” Her voice faded as she dropped the photo, jumped up, and ran out of the room to the nearest toilet, where her stomach proceeded to empty itself.
The rest of the evening passed in a fog. Too numb to cry, she climbed into bed but it was the very wee hours of the morning before she fell into a fitful sleep.
Chapter Fifteen
Anne was woken by yet another stomach churn. She made it to the bathroom just in time. She retched until it was only dry heaves, then sat back on the cool tile floor, shaking. Ugh. She hated vomiting.
A sudden thought occurred to her and she went cold all over. She did some math in her head, counting the days and weeks. No. It couldn’t be.
Two hours and a quick trip to the closest pharmacy later, she was locked in her bathroom, staring at a stick with two stripes on it. Her mind was numb with shock and dismay. What was she going to do?
She had to get ahold of herself. She wasn’t some sixteen-year-old who still needed to finish high school. She was a grown woman with a supportive—and wealthy—family. Her parents would be ecstatic to get a grandchild.
Anne also knew that she had to tell Blane. There wasn’t a man alive who appreciated a woman he slept with only once getting pregnant. And he was running for president.
What was she going to do, she thought again.
Grabbing her cell, she dialed. In a moment, Maria picked up.
“It’s about time I heard from you,” she groused. “You’ve been back for over a month. I was quite distraught.”
“I’m sorry, Maria. I’ve been going through some…things. But I need to see you. ASAP. Can you meet me at the coffee shop off Wisconsin Avenue in an hour?”
“Absolutely, darling. See you soon.”
Anne hurriedly dressed and after telling her mother where she was going, she had their driver take her to the coffee shop. It was an indulgence, using a driver, but she hated DC traffic and she was too preoccupied to drive.
Maria was already there, dressed in a beautiful cream-colored outfit of trousers and a soft, fuzzy sweater. Her heels matched and were four inches tall. One slim leg was crossed over the other as she sipped from a ceramic coffee cup.
Anne landed in the chair opposite her. In her jeans and sweater, she felt a bit underdressed next to Maria, but she brushed it aside. She had more important things to worry about.
Maria smiled. “Darling, I’m so wonderfully elated to see you! You must tell me everything.”
Anne needed to unload on someone, so she did. She started at the beginning and ended where she threw Blane out. Maria’s eyes grew wide as she spoke, her coffee untouched in front of her.
