Rulers of Deception (39 page)

The officer nodded in the direction of the front desk, where Linc was busy speaking to a few hotel guests. Walter hovered behind him, beside himself with excitement.

When Linc spotted Lynette racing toward him, he politely excused himself from the guests and rounded the desk to greet her.

“Hey.” He breathed in the floral scent of her perfume as she hugged him, her hands roaming over his chest and face as if to ensure he wasn’t hurt.

“I can’t believe…it’s just…good Lord.” Lynette rested her forehead on his shoulder and tried to breathe, tears stinging her eyes.

Linc held her close, his hand stroking her hair. “Everything’s fine. We’re all safe, I swear. Not a scratch on me.”

She pulled away, shaking her head. “What a nightmare.”

“Trust me, I know.” Linc chuckled and wrapped his arm over her shoulders to lead her around the front desk and back into his office. He shut the door once they were inside and nodded at one of the chairs in front of his desk. “Why don’t you sit down?”

“I can’t.” She crossed her arms and faced him. “So Madison tricked Veronica?”

Linc’s index finger flew to his lips as he shushed her. He rested his hip on the edge of his desk and reached for her hands, lowering his voice to a whisper. “As far as everyone knows, Veronica’s kidnappers are at large. But yeah, Mads sent Raoul to scare her.”

“And you said over the phone that the cartel isn’t actually a threat?”

He shook his head. “The only person who knew the truth about it was Wyatt’s old friend Jimmy. He was helping Veronica out until Mads got to him and brought him to our side. He told us where Veronica was hiding so Raoul could pop in looking like a cartel thug and spook her.”

“So why did she do all this?”

Linc sighed. “Apparently, Veronica’s father was Marshall’s driver years ago when the affair took place. He was the only other person who knew about it, so Marshall had to fire him. When he died a year later, Veronica’s family blamed Marshall. She had a vendetta against us all these years and tried to weasel her way in with a backstabbing smile.”

“I never liked her,” Lynette admitted. “Ever since that thing with Greg—”

“I know. It’s my fault, I let her in.” Linc rubbed the back of his neck, irritated with himself. “I bought in to all her bullshit about wanting to do some brilliant piece on us and the hotel. When in reality she never intended to publish anything she showed us. She was just trying to get closer and pollute us with her lies. The photographs of you, Quinn, and Mads? That was her and Daniel’s doing.”

“Daniel? McAllister’s son?” Lynette asked.

Linc scowled. “Yep. Though he made it clear from the get-go that he wanted his father’s company out of our deal. I assume Veronica recognized that and latched onto him like a leech, offering him the chance to end us once and for all.”

Lynette squeezed his hand, offering him a half smile. “But we’re not so easily ended, are we?”

“Nope. I really gotta hand it to Mads on this one. She saw all of this coming long before we ever did.”

“She’s very smart.”

His teeth flashed in a dark grin. “She’s Cyrus. The good parts, anyway.”

“And some of the bad,” Lynette mused. “A good, law-abiding citizen would have simply turned Veronica over to the police.”

Linc shrugged. “That raises too many questions. And they might not have believed her. Veronica had a good reputation.”

“And one of the longest running-grudges in history,” Lynette added. “I wonder why she didn’t do all of this last year when the rest of the media was against us?”

Linc thought it over. “Probably because she got some sick, twisted pleasure out of making us think she was on our side. All the while she was busy fucking us over. If she’d tried to pull all that off last year, it would have seemed suspicious. No reporter dared side with us until Mads turned things around and became something of a celebrity. And by that point, everyone was fawning over us too much for Veronica’s plan to work.”

“Makes sense, I guess.” She frowned, one eyebrow raised. “If such madness can.”

He sighed. “How the hell am I going to tell Greg all of this?”

Lynette leaned in to kiss his forehead. “You’ll figure it out.”

“Yeah, probably.” He pulled her face lower for a real kiss, releasing some of the frustration and dread that weighed him down. Ridding himself of it was the only way he was going to step up and do what needed to be done to, once again, protect his family.

There was a soft knock on the door, followed by Walter poking his head into the room. “There’s a phone call for you. Want me to transfer it?”

Linc grimaced. “If it’s anyone from the press, tell them to take a hike.”

“It’s Reed McAllister.”

“Shit,” Linc cursed under his breath, rubbing his face with his hands. “All right.”

Walter disappeared, and a moment later Linc’s phone rang. He leaned over his desk and answered it, his eyes finding Lynette’s wearily. “Before you run for the hills, give me a chance to talk you out of it.”

“
I’m not going anywhere, Linc,
” McAllister assured him, his voice tired. “
I just wanted to let you know that Daniel admitted to knowing this Veronica Diaz and he’s given a statement to the police explaining the phony kidnapping and the plot to take down your family.
”

Linc’s eyes widened. “No shit?”

“
No shit. I guess someone convinced him to talk. Or maybe just hearing of this woman’s death was enough to bring him around to cooperating. They’re going to release him from jail in a few days and keep him under house arrest. I promise you he won’t be an issue in our business dealings in the future.
”

“And hopefully his testimony against Veronica will keep the press from siding with her on all this,” Linc said, feeling relieved. “As of right now that’s my biggest concern. I don’t want her to be a goddamn martyr.”

“
It’s early yet, but her colleagues seem to be waiting to see what the police say before they jump to conclusions. If Daniel’s telling the truth, then the media will want to keep this Veronica thing on the down-low.
”

“All the better for us.” Linc attempted a smile, his free hand finding Lynette’s for a quick squeeze. “So should I assume we’re going to continue our merger as planned?”

“
The board feels confident enough to go forward. Just promise me this is the last time I have to defend my decision to tie my company up with you.
”

“I can’t do that, but I can promise to give you a million reasons why it was a good idea,” Linc replied. “Starting with the money you’re going to make once the New Haven hotel is finished.”

“
It certainly doesn’t hurt.
” McAllister chuckled. “
Listen, I know you have a lot to deal with over there. You let me know if you need anything, okay?
”

“I appreciate that, Reed. Take care,” Linc said. He replaced the phone on the receiver and turned to Lynette. “That went better than I expected.”

“See? Everything’s going to be fine.” Lynette smiled and kissed him again, wanting to stay positive.

“Yeah, yeah. That’s usually my line.” Linc winked before rising to his feet. His arm slipped over her shoulders as he pressed a kiss to her temple. “I’m starving. I want a big, fat, juicy cheeseburger and a beer.”

Lynette winced, the thought of all the calories and grease involved making her sick. “If that’s what will make you feel better…”

“You’ve already made me feel better, Lynette.” He walked her out of the office and shut the door behind him. “But a good beer never hurt.”

“If you say so.” She smiled as they entered the lobby, a few cops lingering around to ask questions and take down some last minute notes. They didn’t even notice as Linc and Lynette slipped out the front and onto the busy city sidewalk outside. Surprisingly, there were only a few media vans posted in front of the Vasser Hotel, with the reporters and cameramen focused too much on themselves and each other to see them sneak by.

As they walked down the sidewalk, Linc pulled Lynette closer and kissed her. “I love you. You put up with a lot of shit.”

She laughed. “Everyone tells me that. But you know what I say back to them?”

He smiled down at her. “What?”

“You’re worth every bit of it.”

Grant refused to
leave the hotel until every last cop was gone. He wouldn’t let them roam the halls or loiter in the lobby any longer than they had to. By the time they’d all left, it was nearly nine o’clock at night.

Madison’s office was taped off, the door closed. Grant eyed it as he passed, shaking his head. He thought of the bloodstained carpet inside, of the mad gleam in Veronica’s eyes as she’d held the gun. How had it come to this?

Veronica had twisted her way into their lives, manipulating and lying and scheming. Only to have the tables violently turned on her by a much more clever opponent. Madison’s warning that Veronica should have known better than to mess with her was more than true. It was gospel.

Though none of them had expected Veronica to come to the hotel armed, it seemed obvious now they should have prepared for it. The woman had extreme emotional issues that drove her to violence, and Madison’s double-cross with Raoul acting as a cartel member had been the final straw that broke the camel’s back. Veronica snapped, and if it hadn’t been for Raoul’s fast reaction, they all might be dead.

He shuddered at the thought, still deeply disturbed to have seen the gun pointed directly at his sister. Reliving the moment with the police had only served to deepen his horror over the entire situation. For several long, perilous seconds, they had been a trigger pull away from death.

Shaking his head to clear away the dark thoughts, he went to the door of his own office and opened it. Inside, Quinn lay on his sofa, fast asleep.

A half smile softened his face at the sight of her, knowing she had waited for him all night while he handled the police. She should have been at home and comfortable, but as usual she refused to leave him.

Her stubbornness was one of the many reasons he had fallen in love with her.

He sat down in the chair beside the sofa and brushed strands of her hair away from her face, hating that he had to wake her. But at that moment he wanted nothing more than to take her home and shut out all the horrors he’d experienced that day.

“Wake up, Quinn,” he murmured, smiling again when she stirred. Her eyes fluttered open, finding his after a few sleepy blinks.

“Hey. Did I fall asleep?” she asked, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. She covered her mouth as she yawned, exhausted.

He nodded, then stood up to grab her a bottle of water from the mini fridge located beneath the kitchenette counter. He handed it to her and sat down again. “The police are gone now.”

Quinn sipped gratefully at the water. “That’s good. Is there anything I can do?”

“No,” he replied, eyeing her mussed hair and sleepy eyes. “Except let me take you home so you can get some rest.”

“I’m fine,” she protested, fighting back another yawn. “Where’s everyone else? Did they leave?”

“Madison and Linc snuck out hours ago.” His lips twitched as his eyes drifted to one of the pictures of him and his siblings on his wall. “They had the right idea.”

“They should have stayed to help you,” Quinn argued, brow creased angrily. “They can’t expect you to handle everything.”

Grant shot her an amused look. “They don’t. I just knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep knowing there were police in my hotel. I had to make sure they left.”

Quinn didn’t look convinced about his siblings, but she knew her husband too well to not understand his logic. Seeing his hotel somewhat back to normal was crucial. “Well then I suppose we should make our getaway, too.”

“There’s still so much to do.” Grant sighed, glancing around his office. “We’re going to take a hit from all of this. It’s unavoidable.”

“It will pass. It always does,” she assured him with a smile. “Besides, what do I always tell you that you never seem to remember?”

He looked at her with one eyebrow raised. “That Pinot Noir pairs best with gouda?”