Page 14 of Dusty
Sharon felt exposed, vulnerable in a way that made her palms sweat. She needed to get away before panic set in. “I should go.”
Antonio reached out, not touching her but blocking her path slightly. “If you’re in trouble, I’d like to help.”
For a wild moment, she considered telling him everything. About Cooper, about the evidence, about the blood on her hands that wasn’t really hers to bear. But she’d learned to be cautious, guarded, and that kind of fear couldn’t be undone in an instant.
“I appreciate the offer,” she said stiffly.
Something in her tone must have convinced him she wouldn’t budge, because he sighed and reached into his pocket, pulling out a business card.
“Take a walk with me,” he said quietly.
Against her better judgment, Sharon followed Antonio to the far corner of the patio, away from curious ears, the setting sun casting long shadows across the manicured lawn.
“Look, I don’t know what kind of trouble you’re in, but I can tell it’s serious. If it involves breaking the law, I can’t promise anything. But I can listen, and I’ll help if I can.”
Maybe it was exhaustion. Maybe it was the unexpected kindness she’d been shown by this family. Or maybe it was simply that she was tired of carrying her burden alone. Whatever the reason, Sharon found herself speaking.
“This has to be off the record, Agent Boudreau.” At his nod, she continued, “Have you heard of Cooper Madison? Or Kerrigan Enterprises in Chicago?”
Antonio’s expression shifted subtly. “Kerrigan…there have been rumors. Money laundering, possible connections to organized crime. Nothing concrete enough for an indictment yet. They’re also investigating the suspicious death of the vice president of the company.”
“It’s worse than that,” Sharon said, her voice barely above a whisper. “So much worse.” She paused, her heart pounding. “My real name is Sharon Wells. Elliott was my mother’s maiden name. That’s not important right now, I’m sure. Anyway, I was Cooper’s executive assistant…and his fiancée.”
Antonio’s expression remained carefully neutral, but she could almost hear the wheels turning inside his head.
“I tend to be overly curious when it comes to my job. It helps me be more efficient, and I do my best to go beyond whatever’s expected of me. One night, I was working late and needed to get something from Cooper’s office. He’d left his laptop on his desk.I know I shouldn’t have been snooping, but Cooper never leaves his laptop at the office. I mean, he’s fanatical about it. So, I was curious, and I looked at his files.”
She stopped to draw in a deep breath, watching Antonio closely. Unlike the police officers she’d talked to in Chicago when she’d gone to them, he didn’t have the avaricious greed shining in his eyes, or the look of somebody gunning for a promotion. Instead, Antonio’s sympathetic gaze urged her to continue.
“I found some hidden files. Something I know Cooper wouldn’t have wanted me or anybody else seeing what I uncovered. Documents and files connecting Cooper and Kerrigan to several murders. People they’d been blackmailing who planned to go to the authorities to expose their operation.” She swallowed hard. “When Cooper found out I’d seen his laptop, knew what he and Kerrigan were doing, he was furious. I knew he wouldn’t let it go as a simple misunderstanding. Knew he’d never trust me again. I told you I knew of murders ordered by Cooper? I never imagined he’d frame me for one of them when I tried to go to the authorities. There’s a warrant for my arrest right now.”
“That’s a serious accusation,” Antonio said. “It’s your word against his, unless you have evidence. Do you—have evidence of what you’re claiming?”
“I copied what I could. You need to understand, I was terrified he’d come back and catch me. I copied the most incriminating stuff and I ran. As far and as fast as I could. Not before he set me up to take the fall for killing somebody. I didn’t do it, I swear. Not that it did me any good. When I tried going to the Chicago police, nobody believed me. Not with the evidence Cooper manufactured against me. Plus, he and Kerrigan own half the Chicago PD. As to evidence, everything I had, it’s hidden. In San Antonio.” Her hand instinctively went tothe small envelope she always kept on her. She’d shoved it in the pocket of her dress before she’d left the cottage earlier. Pulling it out, she handed the envelope to him. “And I have this. It’s not much, just a copy of a note between Cooper and Vincent Frame, the assistant vice president. I didn’t want to carry everything with me, because if Cooper’s men caught me, they’d have everything I took, and I wouldn’t be of any use to them.” She knew he could read between the lines—they’d have no reason to leave her alive.
Antonio studied her for a long moment, tapping the envelope against his hand. “I’ll investigate Cooper and Kerrigan. Discreetly. I can’t promise more than that without seeing what you have. And I won’t talk to anybody in Chicago yet, so we don’t alert them of where you are—at least for now.”
Relief washed over her, so intense it made her dizzy. “Thank you. But please, you can’t tell anyone. Not your brother. Especially not Dusty.”
“I understand,” Antonio said solemnly. “But Sharon…I need you to understand something.” His expression hardened slightly, and she was reminded of who she was talking to: not just Ms. Patti’s son, but a federal agent sworn to uphold the law. “My family means everything to me. If I find out you’ve brought danger to their doorstep, or if you’re not being straight with me about your involvement in all this—”
“You’ll arrest me yourself.”
He nodded once. “Exactly.”
“Fair enough,” she agreed, feeling the weight of her secrets shift, if not lighten. “I’m not a criminal, Agent Boudreau. I’m simply trying to stay alive long enough to prove it.”
The corner of his lips curled up. “I think at this point you should call me Antonio.” He handed her the business card he’d pulled out earlier. “This is my number at the Austin office. My personal cell number is on the back. Anything happens, call me.”
She stared at the card for a long moment, wondering if it was the lifeline she’d been looking for. “Thank you.”
The rest of the evening passed in a blur of second helpings of dessert, cookies, and conversation, though Sharon felt Antonio’s watchful gaze more than once. When it came time to go home, she found herself oddly reluctant to leave the warmth and safety of the Big House.
“Ready to head back?” Dusty’s voice startled her from her thoughts. He stood by the door, keys in hand, his smile causing an unwelcome flutter in her chest. “I told Ms. Patti I’d give you a ride back.”
She nodded and walked over to Ms. Patti. “Thank you again, for everything.”
Ms. Patti wrapped her in a hug that smelled of vanilla and somehow brought tears to Sharon’s eyes. “You come back anytime, you’re always welcome here.”
