She was crying now, full, heavy tears. And not in that pretty Demi Moore kind of way. It was all so overwhelming, so much.
He brushed her tears away as they fell. “You don’t have to say anything back right now. I just needed you to hear how I felt. When I got out of that jail and realized you’d left town with him, I hated how much I’d held back and left unsaid. I can’t believe you had the nerve to think I’d be okay without you.”
She smiled and swiped at her runny nose. “How dare me.”
“Exactly. So now you know, and I’m here to help however you need.” He bowed his head. “I’m in your service, ma’am. Give me my orders. And please tell me it’s to beat that fucker Doug until he weeps.”
“All I need you to do is to be a lookout and make sure he doesn’t come downstairs. I grabbed the key to his office off his key ring while he was showering, and I know he just rotates the same passwords and changes the first number. So I’m going to go search through his computer.”
“What are you looking for?”
She wet her lips and looked toward the house. “I’ve been digging through Bluebonnet’s older reports, and I noticed some transactions that were strange. The balances also didn’t add up the way they should. I couldn’t figure out what was wrong and thought I must be reading them wrong, so I asked Gibson if I could take him up on that offer to work with Marcy in accounting for a few days. She helped me understand what I was looking at and what else to search for. Doug had been accessing the accounts under my name, pulling donation money earmarked for services for the kids into his personal account, then charging the charity for services rendered. No one thought to question it since I owned the charity.”
“So he’s stealing money from foster kids,” Kade said with disgust.
“And it’s not a huge amount because that would’ve been questioned. And even if it was, I would’ve looked like the culprit. But I’m thinking that if he’s doing it with Bluebonnet, he’s probably doing the same thing with the church. You should see how full the donation box is every Sunday. A lot of church members take the notion of tithes very seriously, donating even when they can’t really spare it. People assume he lives this good because he still has his hands in his father’s real estate company, but I can tell you his dad doesn’t have the kind of money Doug does. His father gambled most of their family fortune away.”
“And you think you can find proof?”
“Doug is anal retentive about documentation. He keeps a record of everything. I know something’s got to be there if I delve deep enough.”
“And when you find it, you won’t just have a little blackmail, you’ll have a way to take down everything he’s ever built.” Kade smiled and gave her a quick, firm kiss. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re brilliant?”
She laughed. “I can honestly say no.”
“Well, you are,” he said, giving her another peck. “Brilliant and brave as shit for coming up with this plan.”
The compliment wrapped around her like a warm blanket. Brilliant? Maybe not. But for the first time in her life, she felt smart and capable, like even if Kade hadn’t insisted on showing up, she could’ve accomplished this on her own. She hadn’t looked for someone else to save her or fix it for her. But she also wasn’t going to be too proud to accept his help now.
“Come on,” she said, taking his hand. “Let’s get what we need and get out of here. I’ve got a life to get back to in Texas.”
THIRTY-TWO
Kade listened to the clicking of the mouse and the tapping of keys as he held down his post by the stairs, watching for any movement on the second floor. An hour had passed, and he was beginning to worry that Tessa wouldn’t be able to find anything. More than once, he wanted to go in there to help. He’d been studying financials for ten years, so he probably could find things quicker. But he knew it was important for Tessa to do this on her own. Plus, he had to learn how to tamp down that urge to take over and handle things for her. It would be a challenge for him, but he didn’t want to crush that independent spirit she had. That backbone and determination were a big part of why he’d fallen in love with her.
All these years he thought he’d needed the ultimate control in all things in a relationship. Looking back, he realized he’d probably been a nightmare for his ex-wife to live with even before he discovered his dominant tendencies in the bedroom. He hadn’t negotiated, he hadn’t compromised, he’d needed things his way all the time. No one could ever get the best of him or have authority over him. And now he could see that part of him had always been that scared teenager in the woods, determined not to give anyone an opening to break him down.
Confidence. Decisiveness. Fearlessness. That’s what he’d layered on to protect himself. He could be the nice, fun times guy on the surface. To most who knew him, he appeared laid back and open. But in every situation, including with women, were opportunities to conquer and hold all the control. It’d made him successful in business and desired by the women he thought he wanted. But he’d never let anyone past that armor. It’d left him with empty relationships and a constant sense of restlessness.
Until Tess.
She’d walked into his life and in the matter of a few weeks had turned him back into Kaden Fowler, the boy who wore his heart on his sleeve, the boy who had hope for real love, and the boy who had always loved Tessa McAllen.
And he’d sworn to himself that he’d never let any piece of that loser, Kaden Fowler, back into his psyche, but maybe that boy wasn’t such a loser after all. He’d known what he wanted and hadn’t been afraid to lay everything on the line. He’d been brave. Even in the woods that night with Doug, he’d managed to survive. And maybe it was time to forgive that kid his insecurities and weaknesses and stuttering words.
Maybe he could stop being so afraid of him.
“Kade.” Tessa’s urgent whisper broke him from his thoughts.
He glanced up the stairs once before heading over to the office to peek inside. Tessa’s face was glowing blue in the reflection of the computer screen but there was no mistaking the awed expression. “Look at this.”
Kade stepped around the desk. What greeted him on the other side made him do a double take. Instead of rows of numbers like he expected, pictures were playing on the screen in a slideshow. A pornographic slideshow. With all the photos featuring the house they were in as a backdrop. Naked women, some whose faces were visible, others not, all in compromising, often unflattering positions. And all from the same angle in either the living room or a bedroom with a man’s back to the camera. A man who knew how to keep his face concealed from the hidden cameras he’d placed. Doug. Some of the photos had the little Play button superimposed on top, indicating it was a video clip.
“Holy shit,” he said under his breath.
“You have no idea,” Tessa replied, glancing up at him. “That blonde is the wife of a congressman. And that girl in the pink underwear is the daughter of one of his closest friends. I’m not even sure she’s out of college yet. And there’re so many of Marilyn in here, I can’t even count. He’s documented them all. Why would he keep all this?”
“To relive it and jerk off,” he said bluntly. “Or to have dirt on them in case he ever needs it.”
“They can’t know that he’s taping them. I know Marilyn would never allow it for sure. She’s a reporter and knows how damaging this stuff can be.”
The pictures continued to slide by, but Kade could tell they were going backward in time. The locations changed and quality got grainy. Some looked to be scanned instead of digital. Instead of full sex, they also switched to blow job shots, taken from Doug’s perspective from above, ones where the participants probably knew they were being photographed. Prostitutes most likely, based on the heavy makeup and come hither eyes. And not all of them were women. Kade’s stomach turned with his own memories.
Then there was a
photo of a familiar blonde stretched out naked and sleeping. Tessa.
“Oh, God.” Tessa’s hand flew to her mouth. She hit a button, trying to get the slideshow to stop, but instead it just sped it up. Photo after photo of Tessa scrolled through. Most where it was clear she was completely unaware he was there—shots of her in the shower or getting dressed. But there were also a few sex shots in their bedroom, and Kade had to turn away. The thought of that slime touching Tessa, recording her when she wasn’t aware, made him want to break things.
“I feel like I’m going to be sick,” she said, gripping the desk.
He reached out and put a hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her but also working to keep himself in check. “Delete the ones of you and let’s go. If I don’t get out of here soon, I’m going to go upstairs and murder the sonofabitch. Did you get anything else we could use?”
She gave a quick nod as she clicked the mouse in rapid succession, deleting things. “Yes, I emailed a bunch of stuff to myself. There are definite quirks in some of the reports. But I need more time to look at them and maybe show them to someone more experienced.”
“Good, then let’s move.”
She closed out all the programs and shut down the computer, then let him lead her out into the living room. She’d tucked her suitcase and purse into the closet and retrieved those before they both headed out through the back door. But when Kade slid the glass door shut, he heard a yelp and a thud behind him.
He spun around to find Doug with one hand over Tessa’s mouth and the other hand pointing a gun at Kade. Her suitcase and bag had dropped by her feet. Doug nodded at Kade. “Either of you make a sound and I pull the trigger. No one would blame me for shooting an intruder, especially one trying to break in to rape my wife.”
Kade put his hands out on front of him with calm, slow movements, even though he wanted to charge the bastard. “She’s not your wife, Doug.”
“All these years and still trying to take my girl,” he said, holding Tessa against his chest. “You think you would’ve learned your lesson last time. Found what you were looking for in my office?”
“We found your photo collection,” Kade said, knowing that if he said they found nothing, Doug wouldn’t buy it. “Interesting hobby you have.”
“Profitable one. It’s amazing what people pay for that type of stuff online. The people that leaked my mother’s sex tape made millions off of it. You should see how much I got for those photos of you, babe.”
Tessa made a horrified noise beneath his hand.
“I would’ve never released any of yours if you hadn’t left me. No one deserved to see my wife, but once you weren’t—well, I needed the cash to make up for the money you got in the divorce. Of course, I always blur out the faces. I wouldn’t want to embarrass anyone. And don’t worry, they’re not all out there. I keep my favorite ones for my private collection. Some things are too good to take money for.” He looked to Kade. “I wish I would’ve had a camera that night with you. Seeing you sucking my cock like a bitch, those crying blue eyes begging me for mercy, could get me off every time. Bet you haven’t been fucked unconscious since.”
The words made bile rise in the back of Kade’s throat and that old feeling of shame tried to leak in, especially with Tessa there hearing it all. But he refused to let it claim him.
“Hey, I may have even cured your stutter,” Doug added.
Fury rose up in Kade like a tsunami, demanding that he rip this guy apart with his bare hands. But he didn’t take the bait and let himself lunge at Doug. He had no doubt Doug would shoot him, and then Tessa would be left with this sociopath. “Glad you’re so proud to be a rapist, Douggie. How many of those people in your photo collection were willing? My guess is less than half.”
His mouth twitched in a half smile, like he was fucking proud of himself. “You know how it is, don’t you? You’re into that dominance shit. I saw that picture of Tessa crawling for you. The fear is what gets guys like us off.”
Kade’s fists curled. “I’m nothing like you, you sick fuck.”
People like him were the reason he was fighting in court for his kid. Psychos who took everything true dominants held sacred and twisted it into ugly, criminal things.
“Sure, if that’s what helps you sleep at night,” Doug said with a sneer. “But I bet my dear wife here is soaking wet right now. She has no control. That’s what she likes, right? You make her your whore. Maybe I should try it out. I could do whatever I wanted to her right now.”
Tessa’s eyes darted from left to right, fear there, but also determination. Kade got the sense she was scanning the yard, looking for some escape or weapon. But Kade knew even if there was something available neither of them would be able to get to anything without Doug seeing. Kade was going to have to do this with talking.
“Let her go, Doug. If you hurt either of us, you know it’s going to be too suspicious to write off as an accident or self-defense. We can work this out with no bloodshed. You’ve got photos we want back. And we have ones of you. I’m thinking that’s an even trade. Everybody walks away and moves on.”
“No,” he ground out. “I need her to tell everyone she cheated and that I was a good husband. My congregation doesn’t trust me and it’s hurting my business. I’m not going to stand by and watch the reputation I built crumble. She needs to fix the shit she caused.”
Tessa made a muffled noise.
“Let her talk,” Kade said. “She’s not going to scream while the gun’s on me.”
Doug moved his hand from around her mouth to a loose chokehold around her neck. “Talk, but one loud noise and your boyfriend’s got a bullet in the head.”
“I’ll say whatever you need me to say,” Tessa said in a rush. “I can’t marry you again. But I’ll say whatever you want at services tomorrow. I don’t care about what anyone thinks of me. They can call me what they want. I just want to go back to Texas and live my life.”
“To be his slut?”
She lifted her gaze to Kade’s, a glimmer of something beautiful there. “Yes. To be his. I love him.”
Kade’s chest expanded with the words, everything in him soaring. She loved him back.
But they weren’t going to be able to celebrate that if they didn’t get out of this backyard and away from Doug’s gun.
“Listen, Doug. It’s a simple business transaction. We can trade photos, and Tessa will go to the church tomorrow to say what you want her to. Then we walk away from each other and never speak again,” Kade said, trying to use his reasonable voice.
“You fucking love him?” Doug asked, turning red.
“I always have,” Tessa said, venom in her voice. “I married you for your money because I had no choice. But you were always a jerk. And by the way, you were the one who was boring in bed. You’ve got a dick you have no idea how to work. Now I realize just how bad at fucking you were. I used to fake coming just to get it over with.”
Oh, shit.
“Tess, stop.” Panic zipped through Kade as she continued her rant. He could see what her words were doing to Doug. The man was about to explode with rage. This was not the way to get him to calm down and cooperate.
“Is that right?” Doug yanked Tessa away from him, holding her by the front of her shirt and pointing the gun her way. He shook her hard and shoved her to the ground. “You think I don’t know how to fuck? I tried to be gentle with you. I tried to respect you. You were my wife. But, you’re about to find out what it feels like when I fuck a whore.”
Tessa was on her back and lifted herself onto her elbows. “Come on, then. Take out your dick. I’m ready to laugh.”
Jesus Christ, what was she doing? But when her gaze flicked Kade’s way and then to the gun, which was now lowered at Doug’s side while he unbuttoned his pants, he realized what she was doing. Raping someone would be a two-handed event. And in
his moment of fury, Doug had lost sight of the man standing nearby.
Kade gave Tessa a quick nod and she rolled out of the way in one swift motion. Before Doug realized what was happening, Kade was barreling forward linebacker style and knocking him sideways. The momentum carried them both to the ground and the gun went off. Tessa screamed and pain lit up Kade’s leg, but he wasn’t going to let that stop him. He pinned Doug to the ground and grabbed his wrist, banging it on the lawn with all his strength until the gun fell from Doug’s grip.
Doug struggled beneath him, but Kade had learned a lot since that night in the woods. He knew how to restrain someone in more creative ways than he could count. He pushed Doug onto his back and wrenched his arms above his head. Doug was still fighting and writhing beneath him.
“Take my belt off, Tessa, and get the gun,” Kade said in a rush. Tessa hurried over to help, and Kade tied Doug’s wrists tight enough to cause pain. “Put your foot against his wrists to make sure he keeps his hands down.”
Tessa did as she was told, and he took the gun back from Tessa. Without hesitation, he put it to Doug’s mouth. “Open, motherfucker.”
“Please. Don’t.” Doug’s eyes were huge, true fear there, and he shook his head frantically. Kade tapped Doug’s teeth with the gun and got a whimper of pain. But he also got compliance.
He shoved the gun into Doug’s mouth. “I wonder if this is what I looked like, Doug, when you raped me? Are you giving me the look that you got off on?”
Doug mumbled around the gun, some kind of plea, and drool leaked out the side of his mouth. But pure fury was filtering through Kade’s blood, all the memories of that night fueling him, and he couldn’t stop himself, couldn’t stop the rage.
“Suck it, Doug,” Kade—or rather Kaden—said. Because right now that boy from the woods was rising from the ashes and getting his revenge. “Take it down your throat and make it come. Or maybe I should turn you over. Because that’s what you did to me after I passed out wasn’t it?”