Page 60 of Hush Money
“The guys are up in the study,” Sawyer goes on, “but we thought maybe you would feel a little more comfortable if you got your bearings before you had two Everetts staring back at you.” She gives a little nervous giggle, and to my relief, Ally does too. They are about the same age, so it was smart for Sawyer to be out here waiting. Another person in Ally’s corner.
I turn to Ally.
“What do you think?” I ask her. “You ready?”
She nods quickly, and then we lead her through the penthouse and up the floating stairs.
“Is the other brother still not here?” Wren asks as we make our way up. Sawyer and I flash each other a look.
“Unfortunately, no,” I tell her. She nods slowly.
“He’s…uh, he had a conflict,” Sawyer adds. Wren scoffs behind us.
“I wonder what could be more important than the future of his family?” she adds coyly under her breath. Sawyer and I shoot each other a look as we get to the top of the steps—because we’ve been wondering the same damn thing.
We walk down the hall, and I knock on the study door.
“Come on in,” Julian calls, and we all take a collective breath and walk in, Ally’s hand still with a death grip around mine. As far as I’m concerned, she can break my fingers right off, becauseI’m not letting go until she does. When we walk in, Keaton’s eyes find me like magnets. His eyes are on me and me only. He’s surveying the situation, making sure I’m okay, then moving his gaze to her, taking her in and seeing how she is acclimating.
Julian speaks first, moving slowly across the room toward us.
“Hi, Ally,” he says, his voice low and gentle. “I’m Julian, and this is my brother, Keaton. I’m sorry that Brooks couldn’t be here tonight. But our legal team will be filling him in on anything necessary.”
Ally nods as she shakes both of their hands, and I watch as Keaton takes hers. He looks deep into her eyes, and he gives her a swift smile.
“Hi, Ally,” he says. “I can’t thank you enough for coming here to talk to us.”
She nods slowly, and he stands to the side so Julian can lead us to the sitting area inside the huge study. It’s a crystal-clear night, and you can see the entire city from this room. Ally sits on the larger couch, and Wren and I flank her. Julian waits for Sawyer to sit in one of the chairs and takes the one next to her, Keaton taking the other.
“Can we get you anything to eat or drink?” Julian asks. Ally clears her throat and shakes her head.
“No, thank you,” she says. He nods then claps his hands and leans forward.
“Ally, I just wanted to start this off by saying how sorry my brother and I are for what has happened to you. A member of our legal team will be joining us, but she will just be taking notes. If you want to stop at any time, or if there is anything you don’t want to get into, you just let us know. Whatever you want to tell us, we are here and ready to listen. Just as a reminder, anything said in this room is confidential until this is brought to court.”
She swallows and nods.
“I understand,” she says.
I pat her hand, and she scoots closer to the end of the couch.
“Well,” she says, “I got hired as an assistant at Everett Enterprises three years ago.”
“Okay,” Julian says, “and who hired you?”
“A man named Larry Cramer,” she says. Keaton and Julian shoot each other a look.
“Did you go through HR at all during the process?” Keaton asks. She rolls her lips together and shakes her head.
“No,” she says quietly. “I realize now that I probably should have thought about that. That was pretty stupid of me.”
I squeeze her hand, and she looks at me.
“None of this is your fault,” I repeat to her. Her eyes are wide, and she nods.
“I had applied for another office assistant position and got a call from Larry himself, saying they were really impressed by my resume, and could I come down to the office for a quick interview. I was scheduled the following day, and Larry met me in the lobby and brought me back to the conference room. I ended up meeting…” She pauses for a moment. “I ended up meeting Mr. Everett that same day. The interview was only with him and Larry. They asked me a few questions and then offered me the job within minutes.”
Julian and Keaton stay calm and collected, but I know Keat. I know his blood is boiling in his veins.
