Chapter 11
That’s why there was a price on her head. Jackie and Selena’s very existence could wipe out any chance McGrath had at the White House.
It was Razorback’s turn to pace. “You have to stand up to him. Call him out on his bullshit.”
“Selena and I will be all right. We’ll find a new place to live.”
“What? Forget about running away. How could that possibly help anything? You have to expose him.”
Jackie shook her head. “No. Absolutely not.”
She had all the evidence. He’d seen it with his own eyes, though he hadn’t realized what what it was at the time.
The photographs. The genealogy information.
“The box in the hall closet…” He remembered the mailing label, faded with time.
“How did you get your things after the accident?” It hadn’t been an accident at all, but he wasn’t sure what else to call it.
“Bill had a key to the house. I gave him a list that included everything I needed to prove the truth, and he mailed them to me. Doug had no idea.”
“Why not come forward now? You have nothing to lose. Once you expose him, he’ll have no reason to come after you.”
Her eyes were shining, the green of her irises contrasting with the redness from her tears, and he was momentarily transfixed by her beauty. Even in turmoil this woman could hold him suspended.
“I was a reporter, Ian. I know what would happen next. Everyone would want the story. Where have I been all this time? What have I been doing? How did I hide? They’d find Selena in a heartbeat, and in a very public way.
And then what? She learns she’s the daughter of a man who is so ashamed of her skin color, he didn’t want her to exist?
It’s better if she never knows who her father is than have to deal with that.
Or God forbid, he could try to be part of her life, even if he didn’t want to, just to try to save his image.
He would do it, Ian. He’s a narcissist. He cares only for himself. ”
She knew him better than anyone, so he had to believe what she was saying was true. He imagined the sweet young Selena being drawn into a media frenzy, the focus of Doug McGrath’s misguided attention and financial prowess. “That’s what happened to your money, isn’t it? He has it.”
“I don’t care about the money.”
“No, but it would allow him to come after you. Buy him the best legal team out there. Shit!” A man like that would ruin a sweet kid like Selena. Teach her in one fell swoop to be ashamed of who she was, then yank the rug out from under her and pretend he suddenly wanted to act like her daddy.
Utter destruction.
There had to be another way, a way to protect Selena so Jackie could come forward and break the chains that bound her. But Selena was McGrath’s child, and so long as that was true…
He stared at Jackie.
“What?” she asked.
It was so simple, it was obscene—but complex enough to be terrifying. Moto could help. Perhaps with Jax’s connections they could have things expedited…
“Ian, tell me.”
Five words, and a willingness to give everything.
We can say she’s mine.
He couldn’t breathe, the enormity of what he was considering paralyzing his lungs.
Giving his name, his complete trust and backing to a virtual stranger.
But it was the right thing to do, the only possible thing he could do to calm the tempest that swirled around her, and for a reason he couldn’t explain, he wanted to do it.
He’d avoided close relationships and responsibility for other people for years, and for good reason, too. So why was he contemplating taking on a child for someone else, even if it was in name only? There would be legal ramifications. The potential for actual responsibility.
And what would they tell Selena? Whatever Jackie wanted, of course, but there would need to be an explanation of some sort. Selena was a real person who would grow up into a woman in her own right one day. What would she think of what he was about to offer Jackie?
If she understood the circumstances, she would think you had saved her.
Was that why he was doing this? Some sort of hero complex, like running into a burning building when a ladder might have sufficed?
But they’d already explored their other options, none of them good.
Jackie and Selena could keep running—forever—and hope never to be found, or he could man up and make a difference in their lives for the better, at very little personal cost to himself.
You keep on telling yourself that, Razorback. And while you’re at it, pretend you don’t want her.
That was just lust. Lust he could handle. It wasn’t why he was doing this, and he wouldn’t let it impact their future. If he was going to step in as Selena’s father, even just on paper, he needed to keep his relationship with Jackie on solid ground.
It was madness to offer this, but it was a different kind of madness to refuse her the protection he could so easily afford. When he spoke, his voice was steady and strong. “We can say she’s mine.”
She furrowed her brow. “I don’t understand.”
“On the birth certificate. You left it blank. We can say she’s mine.
That will make her an American citizen, and it will keep her out of McGrath’s reach.
He’d have to be willing to come forward and claim she’s his, then demand a paternity test. From what you’re telling me, that’s not going to happen. ”
“No way. He would never. But Ian… Why would you do that?”
“Because you need help, and I can give it to you.”
She was quiet so long he thought she might refuse. “It would work, wouldn’t it? We’d be safe and I could expose Doug for the snake he really is.” She threw her arms around him in a tight squeeze. “Thank you, Ian! Thank you so much.”
If a woman had ever felt as good as Jackie in his arms, he couldn’t remember it.
His body instantly responded to her nearness, the press of her torso against his.
When she released him, his gaze slid down her face to her lips, which were curved into a smile, and he knew he would do anything in his power to keep it there.
God, how he wanted to kiss her.
Bad idea, Rhodes.
Who the hell was he kidding? He couldn’t ignore lust. He couldn’t even ignore it for five minutes.
He was tethering himself to the one woman he should know better than to be around.
Jackie believed in fairy-tale endings and happily ever afters, while he knew nothing could be further from reality, yet he wanted her.
He wanted her badly.
He cleared his throat. “I’ll call HERO Force and get the ball rolling. Hopefully the head honcho in Atlanta has a connection or two that can expedite the process.” He dialed his cell phone. “Jax, it’s Razorback. I need your help on something.”
He gave the other man the details, from Jackie’s true identity to her plan to expose McGrath, and wasn’t surprised when Jax asked if Razorback was out of his goddamn mind.
“No. And they’ll both need passports, ASAP,” said Razorback.
There was a knock at the bedroom door and Sloan called, “Jackie, is Ian with you?” She let him in, a rifle slung over his shoulder and his hands full of cookies. It was time for the men to change shifts, and Razorback nodded to him.
“Two Mexican passports. Let me make some phone calls and see what I can do,” said Jax.
“Shouldn’t be a problem. Hang on. What’s that?
” He mumbled something away from the phone, clearly talking to someone else, then came back on the line.
“Son of a bitch. Moto says Border Patrol and Homeland Security released a joint statement this morning, claiming a high threat of terror attacks on our borders surrounding the Democratic National Convention, including two credible threats from Mexico.”
“Shit. How much you want to bet those credible threats can be traced back to McGrath?”
“I don’t doubt it, but getting a passport for a dead woman is going to be more difficult than usual.”
Razorback looked at Jackie. “Difficult or impossible?”
“Nothing is impossible,” Jax said. “I’ll have to call you back.”