51. Brogan #2
I gave him a nod, and as I walked swiftly to the elevator, I could feel his eyes on me.
He was probably wondering how in the hell I’d managed this because my arrest had been everywhere.
They’d broadcast my perp walk and everything, according to some of the other inmates.
In addition, my father had been gracious enough to show me those pictures on his visit, then followed it up by telling me what a disappointment I was to him and all the Sinclairs before me.
I shook those thoughts away, then took the elevator up to my penthouse.
Once inside, I was finally home. I wouldn't call it sweet. It was just home, and the pounds melted away as the weight of the last couple of weeks fell from my shoulders. I felt a hell of a lot lighter, and I knew I’d also feel even better once the stench of prison was washed off me.
I wanted to scrub every inch of my body until I neither smelled, felt, or even remembered that damn place.
I dropped my things off on the island, then went straight to my bedroom.
It was winter in New York City, and because no one had been in my penthouse for weeks, there was a slight chill.
I turned on the gas fireplace in my bedroom and waited until the flames started to roar and deliver heat to warm my chilled bones.
After, I went into my bathroom, quickly removed my suit, then padded back into the bedroom to grab a pair of sweats, T-shirt, and socks before returning to my bathroom to shower.
Once inside of it, I stood under the dual rain showerheads, then alternated between using the multi sprayers and sponge to scrub every bit of Rikers Island off my skin.
By the time I exited the shower, my entire body was bright red in color.
I got dressed, dried my hair, and was debating whether to call my father or not.
Not in any particular hurry, I went out into the kitchen and just as I went to grab my cell phone, I heard a knock on the door.
Of course, it wasn't the same entrance for the elevator, which was odd because my father would’ve tried to use that one.
Either way, I walked over to the actual door, and when I opened it, everything came crashing down around me.
There on the other side of the threshold was not only Enslee, but the woman I'd been accused of murdering. She was alive, although she looked a bit shaken. I couldn’t put my finger on why, but she didn’t appear nearly as put together as she normally did.
“What the fuck?”
Enslee smiled at me. “We’d found Layla.” I turned to the blonde who was now shifting nervously on her feet, and Enslee continued. “May we come in?”
I stepped aside so they could enter and mumbled under my breath.
“This I have to hear.” Both women finally moved past me, and I looked out in the hallway to make sure Declan had not made the trip with them.
After closing the door, I leaned against it.
“So, where in the hell have you been all this fucking time?”
“I see that prison hasn't improved your demeanor any.”
“Was it supposed to? I've been locked in a fucking cage like an animal because they thought I did something to you. If I thought it’d be erased due to double jeopardy, I'd strangle you right now.”
“He’s never going to understand,” Layla said to Enslee.
“Just give him some time,” she told her.
“But you told me that coming here would be okay.”
Enslee stepped forward. “Brogan, I know you're upset, and rightfully so, but Layla has some things to tell you… some things I think you need to know.”
“The main thing I’d needed to know was what had occurred to make them drop the charges, and I now know. I can't be charged with murder if the person is alive.”
I moved over to one of the chairs in the great room and sat down, before Enslee and Layla did the same on the couch near me but far enough away so I couldn't reach over to throttle either of them.
I wasn't mad about Enslee being there. In fact, seeing her actually made me want to smile. I remembered telling her that she was irritatingly persistent, and for once, I was actually glad I’d been right about her.
I knew that finding Layla had a lot to do with her.
On the flip side, it unfortunately also had something to do with Declan as well.
I'd need to properly thank Enslee later, but for now, I turned to Layla.
“I'm listening.”
“This is really hard for me to say.”
“It’s going to be okay, Layla.” I arched a brow at the brunette, but she ignored me and took the blonde’s hand in hers. I glanced down at their combined hands, then I stared back, completely emotionless at the blonde.
“Continue,” I said.
“Well, you’ve known about my father's financial troubles over the years, especially seeing as you’ve helped me with them.”
“Yes,” I responded.
“Well, you weren't the first help that he'd had over the years. Harte Media has been nearly bankrupt for almost a decade and a half. In the beginning, my father would get handouts from his friends, but eventually they’d wanted more than just reassurances, favors, and a promise of him paying down his debts. They’d wanted their pound of flesh too, so he’d offered me to them. ”
I stared at her as I tried to figure out what her angle was. “So, your father passed you around to his friends to stay out of financial trouble?”
She nodded, then continued. “At first, it was enough, even though I didn't want to do it. I'd really had no choice. It was either my father and I lose everything, or I do my part to help, which I guess is no more than you've done for Sinclair.”
“I didn't sleep around to keep my family's business afloat.”
“No, but you had to hide your own happiness. In a way, we’re very similar. You did what needed to be done, and I had as well. Only…” She paused, then let out a sob.
“Only, what?”
“Brogan,” Enslee said in warning when she detected the change in my tone. “Please just give her a moment to comp—”
“I’m fine,” Layla quickly said, then continued. “Your father was one of those men.”
“Fuck,” I cursed, then I scrubbed a hand down my face. “When did it start?”
“When I was fifteen. It lasted right up until we’d announced our engagement.”
“Sonofabitch.”
“He’d told me that he’d tested me out and deemed me worthy enough of the Sinclair name.
I thought it’d be over at that point, but a few months ago, my father encountered more trouble which required an even larger bailout.
Stanley provided it, then looked to me for partial payback once more.
He’d told me that he needed to see why I was not satisfying you enough to drop Declan. ”
“That sick fuck!” It now made a lot of sense why he was so adamant I become engaged to her. “When was the last time that he’d touched you?”
“The night we’d broken up.”
I remembered the restaurant and the buttons. Now, her irritation at me pointing them out started to make sense. “It’s all becoming clear now.”
“My father’s business is failing even worse, and I’d finally reached the point where I didn't want to do this anymore. Seeing how happy you and Declan were, I’d wanted that for myself. I'd never have that with you, and—”
“Well, obviously—”
“Brogan!” Enslee said, and I shrugged.
“I’m just pointing out the obvious.”
“I know, Brogan. You hate me, and I knew it. That’s when I knew I’d need a lump sum of cash to leave.
As luck would have it, Declan offered me money to break up with you.
He never knew that I’d planned to leave.
He’d just wanted me to end our engagement.
We agreed if I was the one to end it all, then your father couldn't be mad at you because you’d held up your end of the bargain. ”
“What happened next?”
“Your dad sent one of his men after me.”
“Who?”
“It doesn't matter. Nash was a paid bodyguard who’d tracked me to Cancun, then abducted me in the middle of the night. I’d then been whisked off to the mountains right outside of Mexico City.
But he's no longer working for your father. In fact, he's the happiness I’d always wished I could find for myself. I love him the way you love Declan, and he loves me the way Declan loves you.”
I scowled at that. There was no amount of love in the world that’d ever bring Declan and me back together. “So, they’d found you outside of Mexico City and…”
“This one,” she said, pointing to Enslee, “could be an investigator on her own. She’d told me that I'd only gotten caught because she'd been able to track the secret account I thought no one had known about. The authorities didn't even know about it.”
“My men had found it and later connected Declan to it.”