Page 26 of Evidence of Deceit

Silence. Joe heard her phone ding.

“Damn. I just got a message from Pete. Keith left for the airport late this morning.”

“Where’s he going?”

“I’ll call the office and ask Phil to check the airlines. Let me call you back.” Sam hung up, and Joe turned to Claire to pass on the news.

“I can’t believe this,” she moaned as she held her head in her hands. “He’s never letting me go. I’m never going to be safe.”

Joe reached over and took her hand. “It’s probably a guess on his part that you’re here. But you will be safe. I promise. Sam and Mark will be over soon. I have a plan to protect you.”

Chapter Fourteen

Keith stared through the tiny window at the minuscule towns dotting the east coast. He hated to leave Florida without Claire, but work was calling. He couldn’t let his personal life overtake business, but damn it all to hell, Claire was also his business.

He wondered if she liked the white tulips he’d sent her. The note with them wasn’t the most romantic, but the sentiment was there. “All is forgiven. Come home. I love you.” Would her cousin dissuade her from coming back to him? Mark didn’t appear to dislike him, although he hated Mark. However, he had lied when Keith asked if Claire was there. He hated liars.

He needed to step up the romance, maybe send a piece of jewelry. Claire had forgiven him in the past when he gave her something expensive.

In the next day or so, he would revisit her friend Sheri and see if she’d heard anything from Claire. He had to grin—as if.

Claire was keeping in touch with her, and he was still connected to Sheri’s phone. No one had put two and twotogether yet. Stupid women. He also needed to touch base with her parents. They hadn’t called him since he told them Claire was missing, and he wondered if they’d lied to him too—although he doubted that. He wondered if Claire had contacted them. Claire knew firsthand what would happen if she confided in anyone. Didn’t she remember Dillon Sharpe? Stupid man. Confronting Keith at work and threatening to tell the other partners that he was abusing Claire. Dillon and his bitch wife, Theresa, had to move across the country and take menial jobs after they provoked him. His was a punishment that kept on giving.

“Coffee, tea, water?” His thoughts were interrupted by the stewardess.

“Tea, please, no honey.”

She placed the cup of tea and some cookies in front of him. He would eat at a decent restaurant when he got to New York, perhaps call Hillary. She was always available. He paid her handsomely for that convenience. She could catch him up on what was going on in the office, and he could get laid. Claire had been gone too long, and he’d had a hard-on for days. The waitress at the hotel restaurant had been more than willing to take the edge off, but he needed Claire. Could have taken matters into his own hands, but he hated doing that when bitches were a dime a dozen and willing to do the job, especially if he gave them gifts.

Tomorrow he would call Troy Romano. Troy was the best private investigator he knew. He wanted to know more about Mark and the small woman who squirreled Claire out of the shelter. He also wanted to find out the guy’s name who followed him the day before—the one who was banging his sweet whore of a wife.

He settled back into his seat and closed his eyes. No one was sitting next to him in the other first-class seat. He hatedcarrying on silly conversations with people who couldn’t help him in some way.

Tomorrow would be busy, but tonight he could relax, have dinner, and get in a good fuck. Soon he would have his wayward wife back and ruin Mark and his friends. Life was good.

Chapter Fifteen

It was early evening, and Joe, Mark, Sam, and Claire were sitting on Mark’s patio. The rain had stopped a couple of hours ago, leaving the earth smelling fresh and clean. The sun was in its last hurrah, and they could see a full moon rising over the horizon. Sam could feel a slight dip in temperature, but it was still humid. She swiped at the sweat dripping down her neck.

“Phil told me that Keith returned to New York this afternoon. He also contacted the clerk at the florist shop and was told Keith ordered the flowers the day before and gave instructions to have them delivered this morning,” said Sam.

“Son of a bitch,” Joe growled. “He has to be getting pleasure from harassing Claire, keeping her on her toes.”

Sam wasn’t sure what was going on with Joe. Well, yes, she did. He still cared for Claire; that much she gathered. And Claire? It was hard to tell, but she looked longingly at Joe when she thought no one was looking. Sam thought she knew Claire well enough to know no hanky-panky would go on while Claire and Keith were still married, and that was the only reason she kept Joe on Claire’s security detail.

Claire patted Joe’s hand, closed her eyes for a second, then looked over at Sam with pain-filled eyes. “He likes to torture me like this. Be horrible, then do something nice, expecting that all will be forgiven. If I don’t say ‘I forgive you,’ he gets nasty again.” Claire shook her head. “It’s draining, not knowing how to respond.”

Sam knew for sure how she would respond. It wouldn’t be with words, and the guy wouldn’t be using his pecker for a long, long time. But that was just her.

“I’m sure,” said Sam. “I have a question, Claire. And you have a decision to make.” Sam hated to put Claire on the spot, but it was time she stood up for herself and made decisions. Decisions that really couldn’t wait.

“One question.” Sam hesitated. “Are you planning on divorcing Keith?”

Mark and Joe looked at Claire expectantly. She took her time answering.

Finally, she nodded and sighed. “Yes. It’s time, but Keith is going to go ballistic, and I’m afraid for all of you. He can ruin your reputations.”

“Humph. I’m not concerned about that. He’s not the only one with connections,” said Sam.

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