Page 6 of Deception

She shook her head. “The fifty grand is for the ... package. The ten is my fee. For brokering the deal.”

His fingers itched to slap the smile off her face. “What assurance do I have you’ll give the fifty to—”

“You disappoint me if you think I would cheat someone out of what was rightfully theirs.”

His stomach roiled as he took his checkbook from his coat. “Do you have a pen?” He wasn’t about to use his favorite Montblanc. She handed him a cheap ballpoint, and he scribbled out the check. “Do me a favor and don’t cash it here in Natchez.”

“I’m not that stupid.”

He wasn’t too sure about that, but it was always better to let the adversary think they’d won.

While Judith Winslow had discovered his weakness and cashed in on it, she’d greatly underestimated how much he would’ve paid to save his daughter. He just hoped this did it.

“I never want to see you again.” His parting words.

“Don’t worry. Just make sure you sign both documents,” she’d said, pocketing the check. Then she’d stood and walked out of the diner.

He should have worried—that one transaction had allowed Judith Winslow to get her hooks into him. Ever since that fateful day, he’d had to deal with her over and over. He just hadn’t expected to have to deal with her today. Not with Madison coming to stay with him.

Judith sat opposite him and took a long sip of coffee. “What did my daughter want?” She’d dropped the soft tone she’d used when Clayton was at the table.

“You saw her?”

“What did she want?”

“She wanted me to introduce her to Madison.”

“You told her no, of course.”

He nodded curtly. “I did.”

Even though his own daughter could no longer be hurt by what he’d done, like his daughter, Madison knew nothing about the details of her adoption. She was all he cared about now, and he did not want to see her life turned upside down.

“Good.” She took a file from her oversized purse and opened it. After shuffling through the papers, she drew a sheet out. “I need a signature.”

He took a deep breath. “No. I’m done.”

She shook her head. “You’re not done untilIsay you’re done.”

Judith laid the paper on the table and shoved it toward him as she stood. “Take it to your pal, Judge Billings. Let him know there’ll be a sizable donation to his reelection campaign once he approves the adoption.”

He pushed the paper back to her side of the table. “I can’t do it any longer.”

“How can you walk away? Think about all the good we’ve done. God gave us this opportunity to give children a better life.”

The woman actually believed she was doing God’s work. He shook his head.

“William, do you know how many children have had a decent chance at life because of what we’ve done?” she asked, passion cracking her voice. “If they’d been left in the squalid conditions they were born into, they would never have lived up to their potential.”

“You don’t—”

“Give me a break. Do you think Jonathan Rivers would be in London as a Rhodes scholar if I hadn’t arranged for his adoption? A sixteen-year-old mother could not have given him the kind of life he’s experiencing because of me.”

“But—”

“Where would your own granddaughter be? Certainly not an elite law enforcement ranger.”

“Don’t you ever wonder—”

---