Cooper swung his gaze to Marlee. “The owner of the adoption agency in Dallas. The one who sent you here. I bet we could make them turn and give up anything they have on Stella.”
“That won’t be happening,” Danny said. “I’ve not gotten a chance to tell any of you, but Penny Howard’s body was found this morning by the Dallas police department. It’s been ruled a homicide.”
Cooper’s breath left him in a whoosh as if he’d been kicked by a horse. “She’s known you were here.” He faced Marlee, grabbing her arms in his hands. “Stella has known all this time. She had to figure out who sent you here, as well.”
“And had Penny killed,” Marlee finished. “I agree.”
Jace snorted as he straightened. “Anyone want to guess why Stella hasn’t just had Marlee killed?”
“Because of us,” Cooper said. “All of us.”
Ryan rubbed his nose. “We’ve backed Stella and her group into a corner now. All bets might be off.”
“Then we better get ready,” Brice announced as he turned to walk away.
Danny’s voice rang out, halting everyone. “Hold up! This is police business now. I know all of you have fought for and with each other before, but this isn’t something we’ve dealt with. You need to let the sheriff’s department and the police handle this.”
“Of course,” Clayton said after a tense few moments of silence.
Cooper exchanged looks with Jace, Caleb, and Brice. They were going to do anything but stand down.
Chapter 35
“What are we going to do now?” Chuck demanded.
Stella was shaking as she set the bags down in the kitchen and turned to him. “We do what we’ve always done. Survive.”
“It won’t be easy,” Stephanie said as she walked into the room.
Stella met the agent’s blue eyes and shrugged. “It never is. Did Marlee see you?”
“I’m better than that,” Stephanie said in a flat tone.
Chuck snorted as he crossed his arms over his chest. “How many times are we going to underestimate Marlee before she gets to each of us?”
“She has nothing on me,” Stephanie stated.
Stella’s gaze was on Chuck. What Stephanie didn’t know was that his loyalty didn’t lie with her or the FBI, it was with Stella. Chuck would turn Stephanie over before he said anything about Stella or anyone else in the company. That’s just the way Chuck was. He’d never liked Stephanie, and while he understood what her role was, he hadn’t been comfortable with it.
His reasons were valid. Stephanie wasn’t the only agent in the FBI that Stella had dealings with, and she had enough blackmail on all of them to ensure they didn’t turn on her. But that didn’t mean the rest of her employees were safe.
“Stop,” Stella told the two of them. “Stephanie, you need to get out of town. Quickly.”
Stephanie shook her head of blond hair. “There’s no need. Besides, I was sent by someone much higher up to make sure this meeting tonight goes smoothly. If it doesn’t, it could be a nightmare for the agency.”
As if Stella gave a damn about the FBI. The only reason she had dealings with them at all was to keep the authorities off her scent. It was the price she had to pay to continue her operation, and she did it willingly. The cost was being at the FBI’s beck and call when it served them. As it did tonight.
Stella took a deep breath and faced Stephanie. “I’ve never failed the agency before, and I’m certainly not going to start now. What I need is to have Marlee and her Scooby gang off my ass. You’ll serve better in that department while you let me do what I do best.”
For long minutes, Stephanie stared at her. Then she sighed. “Let me make a call.”
Once Stephanie was out of the room, Stella turned to Chuck. “Notify the others. We need to get some of them out of the state as soon as possible.”
“What location do you want to meet at?”
She thought about that for a moment. “I think it might be time we all took an extended holiday. We need to lay low. Otherwise, Marlee is going to end all of this.”
Chuck’s nostrils flared as he dropped his arms to his sides. “That isn’t going to happen.”
“We all knew this couldn’t continue forever. She’s gotten too close.”
“You should’ve let me get rid of her years ago.”
Stella looked away. “Maybe I should have.” But she hadn’t wanted her friend to lose both of her daughters. It would destroy Diane.
“I’ve always protected you,” Chuck said as he came closer. “Even when you didn’t want me to.”
Her head swung around, and she met his brown eyes. “I know.”
“We could’ve had a life together.”
This wasn’t the time to be discussing old feelings, but instead of shutting him down, Stella found herself replying. “I wouldn’t let myself.”
“Why?” he pressed, a frown marring his features.
“I left an abusive home to live on the streets where I fought for food every day. But I didn’t care because I was free to live my life the way I wanted. Then I found myself with an opportunity that I could use not only to pull myself out of the gutter but to also give me a life I never would’ve had.”
Chuck’s shoulders lifted as he inhaled. “I know the story.”
“Yes, you do. But what you don’t know is that when I made the decision to become the woman I am, I knew I would never get to share it with anyone. Not because I was afraid that someone would betray me. Rather because I have to be this cold person who doesn’t let feelings get in the way of business. If I let myself love someone, if I dared to open my heart, I feared that what I had created would crumble.”
“And you’d rather have the money,” he replied.
She put her hand on his arm. “It’s not just the money, though that is a factor. It’s that I built this company. I put together the teams, hired the employees, developed the contacts. I did that. A woman without a college education. Because what I learned on the streets was much more valuable. Look at what it created for us.”
“You,” he corrected. “You created this for you. The rest of us just happen to be along for the ride.”
He was hurt. Of that much, she was certain. She dropped her arm to her side. “I’m trying to let you know that my decision about us had nothing to do with you. It was about me.”
“I see that now. Have you ever been in a relationship?”
The very idea of it made Stella shudder, but she held it back. “No.”
“Because of time?”
Why was he pressing her about this? Why couldn’t he just leave well enough alone? “The fact is, I don’t like anyone thinking they can control me.”
“That’s not what relationships are.”
“Really?” she asked with a quirk of a brow. “Because all the ones I’ve been in have done exactly that.”
“I didn’t control you.”
She blew out a breath, reining in her anger. “No, you didn’t. Because I didn’t allow you to get that close. It’s how males are, Chuck. You let women think we’re equal, and once the relationship is solidified, usually by marriage, then the men start laying down rules. They begin telling women what they can and can’t do, and then the beatings start.”