“Evin.” I get lightheaded at the possibility of anything wrong.
“Evin’s fine. We’ll call him from the car.”
My brain fires on all cylinders, imagining all the awful things Tasha could have done. I gather my wits, breathing deep and trying to find my rationale.
“Grady, I’m not fighting you, but give me a breakdown of the basics. I thought you went back to Virginia with Marco.”
He hesitates, a mixture of irritation and sympathy in his eyes. “I stayed behind on a hunch, continuing to decipher the files on the computer and the relevance. I’m also monitoring Tasha’s progress. She was doing well, too well. I saw the signs and recommended a change in her therapy. The medical director didn’t agree. Even after several warnings, he felt she was making progress. She must have felt the tension and made her move. This morning, she found her mark and gained access to a phone and the internet. Right now, news outlets are all receiving and reporting on breaking news about the Governor of Virginia and his family. Everyone in the family. She’s released a tell-all chock-full of lies and fabrications. A professional collected and crafted those files, meant to cause scandal and ruin the family.”
“When you say the vultures are descending, do you mean the press knows who I am?”
His solemn nod is cautious and remorseful. An eerie prickle washes over my skin.
“What were you listening to?” My eyes cut to Dante.
There’s a beat of silence, then he lifts his phone and plays back a recording.
“Poppy, you have to stop!”
“No, you little runt. Who’s stronger now?”
“Aww, never! You’ll have to do a lot more to break me!”
“You’re gonna get it now.”
There’s a muffled sound followed by loud grunts. A dog barks uncontrollably in the background.
“Shut it, pup, or you're next! See how you like the claws of life around your furry neck!”
“You ready to give in yet?”
“Whatever you do, I’ll never admit defeat.”
“We’ll see about that!”
There’s a loud cry, then the sound cuts off before you hear the unmistakable laugh from Cole as I tickle him until he’s begging for air. Runner joins in, tackling us in doggy excitement.
Realization slams into me with a force so great I reach for the mantle for support. “She painted me as a child abuser? That’s my nephew!”
“We know and we’re working on it.”
“Working on it how? And did she use my name?”
“She released everything, including pictures of you and Isaac in college,” Dante tells me angrily. “Bitch is crazy. She’s thrown everyone into the firing squad.”
I yank his phone away and scroll through, scanning speedily.
Breaking news out of the Virginia Governor’s Office this afternoon. Governor Marco Bindel and First Lady Karen Bindel are facing a barrage of accusations…
…The First Lady’s multiple lovers exposed…
…Governor’s Cabinet is scurrying to cover…
…Eight years ago, stole the Senate seat…
The name catches my eyes first. A name I haven’t used in so long, but still stops me in my tracks.
…Mysterious daughter Caitlyn Bindel reemerges, and it looks like she’s hiding some serious…
…Poppy Malone…
…accusations of child abuse…
… Adult entertainment industry…
…Drinking problems…
…Self-destructive behavior led to career-ending injury…
The assault on Evin comes next.
…conned a millionaire businessman into marriage…
…Successful portfolio manager under investigation following significant losses while his wealth grows…
...Business associates shocked and scrambling to assure clients…
Bile claws at my throat. “I have to speak to Evin.”
As if he senses my despair, my phone rings, and I answer with unsteady hands. “Sweetie?”
“Is Grady there yet?”
“Yes.”
“Baby, we’re going to the shed.”
“Is it really necessary?”
“This is strictly precautionary. The press will be curious and come hounding. Until there’s a plan, I want you protected. Mom and Dad’s farm is all private property. Anyone trespasses, they will answer to me.”
“Okay…”
The phone is out of my hand and at Grady’s ear before I can ask if he knows about the recording. “You’ve got me.”
‘Two minutes’ he mouths, gesturing to get my things.
“Tell him I love him,” I say, walking to our room.
Ryanne and Dante are on my heels. “What can we do?”
“Pack for me and Evin? Close my house and lock up. I’ll leave with Grady and meet y’all at the farm.”
They spring into action, not acknowledging me slipping back to the living room. I blankly go through the motions of getting my jacket and purse. The twinkling lights around the area that meant so much a short time ago, now barely a blur.
Grady hands me my phone, and I stare at it, my stupor clearing as unanswered questions tumble through my mind.
“How’d Tasha manage to contact anyone? You said she made her mark, but what does that mean?”
Grady glances at me uncomfortably. I stand my ground, eyeing him expectantly, even with the icy prickle slithering along my skin.
“There’s a reason the Medical Director ignored my advice. The therapy reports show accelerated progress in Tasha’s mental state and acceptance of having a dependency problem.”
“In other words, she fooled them?”
“Undoubtedly.”
“So what, the therapist agreed to give her a phone call or something?”
“Not exactly. Tasha seduced the therapist, and during their tryst, she stole the phone. It was discovered hours later. The phone records show she made some calls to an untraceable number and logged into several email services. We know she had a partner and a contact in Virginia waiting for her confirmation.”
“Unbelievable. She’s such a skank. Drops to her knees and steals his phone when his pants are around his ankles? That’s classic.”
Grady flinches. “Did I offend you?”
“I live in the beast of the belly of politics; not much offends me. But you should know she didn’t drop to her knees. The therapist is a woman.”
My jaw drops and a mini-screech escapes. “A woman? Tasha fucked around with a woman?”
“Seems so.”
Determination surges through me, igniting familiar memories.
“We should go.”
I follow Grady and discreetly drop my phone in Ryanne’s purse, ignoring the guilty knot in my stomach. We’re safely out of the neighborhood when I make my demand. “Take me to her.”
He remains quiet, staring ahead.
“You know where she is. Take me to her.”
“Your husband wants you at the shed. Your father wants you in a guarded fortress. I’m instructed to keep you out of sight, and you expect me to drive you straight to the cause of the mayhem?”
“Yes.”
“Is that why you ditched your phone?”