Chapter Seventeen Still Yours #2
Joseph takes my hand, moving closer. “Lydia broke her Non-Disclosure Agreement by sharing information she acquired while employed at MCI. Her NDA applies while she was an active employee, and for three years after she leaves the company either of her own accord or released. She shared information with Veronica that breached that agreement. Additionally, though Veronica did not blackmail us to extort money, Lydia and Tiff colluded with Veronica in acquiring defamatory information with the sole purpose of causing emotional distress to a VP at MCI and his fiancée. We may not be able to bring criminal charges against them, but we can sue the three of them in civil court for emotional distress and defamation of character. Even if we don’t win, we could tie them up for years and bankrupt them for life. ”
Holy shit. Joseph as a hot lawyer nearly trumps Joseph as a hot VP—nearly. My panties just got wet.
He smirks as if he can read my mind.
“But…w-we can’t hold them,” I stutter, overwhelmed by Joseph’s hot lawyer persona.
“We’re simply providing accommodations for them while we negotiate their surrender,” Victor offers.
I look to Michael, the only one in this room with recent law enforcement experience. He simply smiles. “We have it handled, Sam. We need to know how you want to move forward.”
“How I want to move forward?” I look at the men in this room. All of them are watching me as if I have jurisdiction on how this should play out.
“Michael, you should share the additional information you have on Veronica before any decisions are made.” Victor looks at me, Jace, and then Joseph, trying to impart some secret meaning that I don’t understand.
Michael scowls. “I wanted to know what she wanted to do first before this information skews her decision.” He’s looking at me, but I know his bark is for Victor.
“What information?” Joseph asks.
Silently, Michael refills Jace’s glass of Macallan, pours one for Joseph, and hands the bottle to Fin, then pours me a glass of FAT Bastard Merlot. “You’re gonna need this, Princess.”
His sad eyes have me on edge. I sit back, curling into Joseph’s side, and take a sip of my wine.
Michael resettles on the coffee table. It’s disconcerting he feels he needs to be this close to me. I grab Joseph’s hand, take another drink, and wait.
Fin refills his glass. Victor and Michael stick to beer, which I don’t think either have touched. Another reason to be concerned—they feel they need to keep their faculties sharp—which should be comforting, but it only means things aren’t as wrapped up as they want me to believe.
Michael leans forward, his muscular arms resting on his knees, his hands steepled, and his eyes on me. “Do you remember those unidentified fingerprints my forensics guy found on the evidence?”
“Yes, you were going to send them off to another contact who has access to additional databases. Did he get a hit?” I reply.
He smirks. “Yeah, he got a hit.”
My pulse ramps up, and Joseph must sense it as he squeezes my hand and pulls me closer.
“We didn’t find the contributor because we were looking for perps—someone with a criminal record. When no match could be found, we broadened our search to include victims.” Michael glances at Jace.
Shit.
“We found a match in a closed case from a few years ago. Three years to be exact. The perp was a single father who abused his kids when he got drunk—and he was drunk a lot.”
Victor clears his voice.
Michael looks down for a moment before straightening up, squaring his shoulders.
“Abuse is too kind of a word for this scumbag. He raped his kids. The daughter from the time she was eleven to sixteen, and the son from the age of ten to thirteen. The abuse stopped when the young girl fled from their home, taking her younger brother with her. They were homeless for a year. Living out of her car, working odd jobs, and going to school. No one knew they were homeless. Not teachers. Not friends—though they had few of those.”
With each passing moment—each excruciating word—my heart breaks for these kids. “Who are they?”
Michael takes a deep breath before answering, “Veronica Hamm and her brother Spencer.”
“Holy shit,” I gasp, glancing at Jace. He’s as shocked as I am.
“They were eventually caught stealing food from a local grocery store. One thing led to another, and charges were brought against the father. He was found guilty and is currently serving time. Veronica turned eighteen shortly after her father was sentenced and was released from the system. Her brother ran away shortly after Veronica was removed from the foster home they resided in and before she could make arrangements to be his guardian. He hasn’t been heard from since. ”
Jesus.
Jace sinks into the chair as if he wishes it would swallow him whole.
Michael turns to him when he continues. “When reading her file, I noticed something interesting. Veronica was interviewed by a social worker when she was first taken into custody. The social worker asked why she didn’t go to live with her grandparents in Oklahoma or go to the authorities to report her father.
Veronica said she couldn’t bear to leave the only person who showed her and her brother any genuine kindness.
The social worker surmised Veronica was probably in love or highly infatuated with this person to the point where she was willing to endure her father’s wrath, and then homelessness, in order to remain close to this special person in her life. ”
“Don’t say it,” Jace pleads.
“I’m sorry, brother.” Michael genuinely looks upset. “The name the social worker wrote down was Jace Cavanagh.”
I gasp. I should have seen it coming, but that was one surprise I didn’t anticipate.
I thought Veronica was only an easy lay to Jace.
But it looks like she meant more to him than he ever let on, spending time with Veronica and her younger brother, obviously doing things other than just sex.
And he meant more to her. “I took you away from her.”
Jace sits up. “No, Sam. She hurt you for no reason, and I cut her from my life. I’m the one who took me away. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
I stand up, handing Michael my wine glass. “Then why does it feel like I did?” I feel dizzy, like I can’t breathe. I walk to Joseph’s office before anyone can stop me. I need a minute to think.