Page 3 of Dauntless

I hadn’t taken any of Patrick’s calls, but I had received his messages, most of them threatening to sue me for all I had if what happened to me cost him his re-election bid. The only hand I had to play with him was that he had sought financial help from The Agency members. To what extent, I didn’t know yet, but I would find out should he decide to pursue any legal action against me.

Stuart adjusted his tie. “I’m sorry. I thought it would help bring some clout to your cause. The headlines might read, ‘A well-known and respected businesswoman; the Governor’s ex-wife caught up in a horrible situation.’ It brings more public empathy to your side, and I agree with Joshua, you need it.”

“I would have fired you over contacting Patrick for help if you weren’t my friend,” I told him. “As for you, Joshua, I don’t believe we are on the same page. I won’t be needing your services any lon—”

“Please don’t do that,” Stuart interjected. “The Patrick idea isn’t set in stone. We came to discuss it with you and will cancel it…some of the public’s sympathy now is on your side now, but when they find out you were with two men, this will change. A part of your divorce agreement was that you won’t embarrass Patrick and date publicly for six months. I want to tell you different, but you are caught up in a serious mess. He told us his political party is waiting to see how this plays out, and if it goes wrong, they will dump him. If this happens, he’ll sue you.”

“He had an affair,” I pointed out. “His sex life will be out there right next to mine.”

“He knows that and will step down if it becomes public knowledge,” Stuart said. “But in that case, he will have nothing to lose. Sure, he’ll lament over his loss of power and position, but he’ll recover in the private sector and more than likely land a senior position there at a top-tier company. You’re the one that will suffer. Your reputation will be ruined. We both know he’ll make sure of it. We need to keep an eye on him and head off any negative press. We can donate to organizations that champion our cause. Contact organizations you have worked with in the past.”

My pulse throbbed in my temples. Nothing Stuart had said was unbelievable. Patrick would throw me under the bus and rob me blind to save himself. Being with Dane and Elliott could ruin me. If I were to save myself, I wouldn’t be able to romantically pursue Dane and Elliott, not that I even had the option to date them both. And if the three of us did decide to be romantically involved, I’d have to change my whole world. Something I wasn’t prepared to do just yet. I had a lot to think about, but that I could do on my own. “Fine, I’ll leave you both in place for now. I’ll be in touch soon.”

“My advice is not to wait on this,” Joshua said as he stood up. “Let us work to save your reputation and make those that hurt you regret ever knowing your name.”

I returned his handshake, and he walked out.

I turned to Stuart, “I don’t know about him.”

“Give Joshua a chance. He’s the best defense lawyer I know,” Stuart implored. “I apologize for negotiating with Patrick, but I’m with him on how to handle the rest. Please trust that I was looking out for how this would best help you. I’ll see you back in Seattle.” His eyes already far away in his thoughts, though he patted the back of my hand in support before he left.

I wanted to leave, too. I was due to check out and fly back to Seattle with Elliott, but he hasn’t returned. Also, the clothes I had my assistant send through Stuart were best suited for the unseasonable snow coming down in Seattle. Still, I managed to put on my woolen pants and cashmere sweater by myself, slowly. While I waited for Elliott, I retried phoning my best friend, Astrid, but got her voicemail again. Our calls had been infrequent since I’d been in the hospital. I left her a message informing her that I was returning home. I missed her and my work at Perfetto and hoped to get everything back on track.

I was just about through with the discharge papers the nurse brought in when Dane came in through the door.

My eyes widened in surprise. Admittedly, I had hoped to see him before I flew back, but he’d been busy looking after Angel and her daughter, Melinda, who I noticed looked a lot like him. Melinda came as a surprise during our rescue.

Even with all that on his plate, he still came to see me. During my stay at the hospital, I found him to be a calming presence amid his unchanging uniform of business suits. The color of the suit he had on this day was dark grey. It complemented his silvery grey eyes, which entranced me as much as the rest of him. He hit all the boxes if I had a wish list of my type of guy. Tall, dark, handsome, and, most importantly, confident. He had a comfortable appeal about him, something I admired and aspired to have in my own life. Indeed, out of the Dane and Elliott, Dane and I had the most in common, especially in background and business, though business-wise, mine was cosmetics and his was architectural design. While he waited beside the bed for me to finish up, I sensed something behind his usually smooth exterior. Something was wrong.

When we were alone, I asked him, “Did something happen?”

“It’s Angel. The police may charge her with attempted murder.”

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