Page 17 of Secrets on the Mountain

"Started at six. Talked to the east coast office for my attorneys to see what we can do about Rick and shit his agency pulled on us."

June twists, looking at me over her shoulder.

"They stole five years of my family from me, June. Five years that you should have had a husband and four years that my boy should have had a father in his life. I can't let them get away with that."

8

JUNE

The pain is evident in his words, and Cane's usually commanding voice breaks on his final sentence.

I'm not surprised that Hurricane is planning on going after his former manager and anyone that was in on breaking us up. If it wasn't bad enough to discover that Cane's manager had lied to us about how and why I moved out, thinking it was our relationship that had Cane ripping up his contract with the agency and leaving the league; add in Donner and the fact that Cane lost his own father at a young age and I'm glad I'm not Rick.

"You haven't even questioned that he's really yours." I kiss Cane's nose and let him catch my lips with his. "Most men would have demanded a paternity test."

Cane scoffs loudly enough to make me jump, but he holds me firmly around my waist so I know he wants me close, even for the serious conversations.

"There hasn't been a doubt in my in mind who Don's father is since I first laid eyes on him," he tells me, softly.

"I'm sure the lawyers will want us all tested before we're through, but that'll just be formalities."

"So what did your lawyers say this morning?"

"They'll need you to write out your side of the story and we'll need to do a deep dive into your expenses for the last five years, but what they're really interested in is pursuing criminal charges."

"For what?"

I mean, sure, everything we've found out is pretty fucked up but it's pretty hard to prosecute people just for being assholes.

"For over-riding my medical directives, for starters," Cane says it calmly, like it's not that big a deal to him.

"Didn't you sue when it happened?"

"Didn't even think about it," he admits. "I was young, already had all the money I'd ever need from the family trust-- I just wanted to get the drugs out of me and go home to you. Breaking my contract and telling Rick to fuck himself felt like enough at the time."

"Do the lawyers think they can go after him for the way they broke us up?"

Cane shrugs slightly, pulling me close and holding on to me like speaking about it might make it happen all over again.

I'm all too happy to snuggle into his broad chest and lay my head on his shoulder.

"They said they'll have to find the exact charges that might apply, but they think they can get him for extortion or blackmail or something similar because he gave you cash to get out. And they're looking into what they can do about the intent to deceive."

"Cane...why didn't you try to find me? That's the thing I still don't understand? You knew where my parents lived, you had my full name-- why didn't you come after me?"

It's the question that hasn't left my mind since we started talking things through. The last thing I need to understand if I'm going to uproot my and Donner's lives and give us a chance at being a family like we should have been.

Lifting my head off his shoulder, I stare into a whiskey-tinted gaze that's looking back at me with a troubled expression.

"I tried, Junie-bee." He rasps out, sounding anguished, "I fucking tried. I was out of my goddamn mind when I found out you were gone.

"Rick acted like he was just as upset about it as I was. He swore he'd find you for me, told me all I had to was concentrate on finishing the program."

Cane's arms tighten on me, like he's making sure I'm really here.

"That fucking asshole lied to me," he growls. "In fact, his whole damn agency lied to me. He wasn't the only one telling me they were looking for you."

New questions line his handsome face, his lips set back into the same scowl I saw when I arrived yesterday, then he tilts his head as if he's just thought of something else.

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