Page 86 of Her Dark Lies
Jack can hear exactly what Cay is really saying.If you did this, I’m not going to jail for lying for you.
“If law enforcement wants to get involved, we will be happy to cooperate.” Brice says. “Whoever this Ami Eister woman is, she’s trying to blackmail us into action on something that is patently false. It was a mistake, that’s all. A huge misunderstanding. Handle it. Fix this, right now. That’s what I pay you for. Get the story pulled. If they insist on running it, slap an injunction on them immediately. And you get me in touch with Florio Cedar. He ownsFlair. If his people balk in the slightest, I’ll pull the plug from higher up.”
Jack casts a glance at his father, pacing, roaring in frustration, and knows this is a mistake. In the face of such a massive breach, putting their kind of pressure on someone they’ve been spying on isn’t a good idea.
Cay’s voice is sharp. “Yes, sir. I’ll...do what I can.”
While Brice gets on the phone with the owner of the magazine to ensure the story is spiked, Jack listens to Ana’s description of the interview with Harper with incredulity.
“She got an anonymous tip, an email, suggesting there have been deaths on the island. I’ll give her some credit, she did her research, put together a whole story that is as unlikely as it is salacious. When we set up theFlairpiece, it was all legit, and then Harper was approached by an ‘editor’—” his mother makes little quotes in the air “—by the name Ami Eister.”
“Ami Eister, again. Who the hell is this woman?”
“I don’t know, Jackson, but she—or the people she works for—is clearly out to get us.”
“I want to talk to Harper. I want to hear this for myself. I want to be sure she’s not the one behind this. She and Claire have a long history. They haven’t always gotten along.”
Ana shakes her head. “Harper is busy. She’s talking to Karmen, detailing everything that’s happened, all the contact she’s had. She’s being very cooperative. Once she understood the situation...that she’d been duped... No, she’s not behind the plot, I’m certain of it. She’s being used.”
“Yet someone went ahead with this story, and the damn media has it now.”
“Cay will shut it down. Don’t worry. This is bigger than Harper. Bigger than Claire, too. They’re pawns. Karmen found the imposter on a traffic cam, and is running facial recognition. We’ll know the identity of this woman soon. Once we know who she is, we’ll go from there.”
Jack watches the waves crashing against the rocks below the cliff. Relentless, again, and again, and again. They’re missing something. They are all missing something.
“We need legal protection here,” he says finally. “Counsel. With Henna’s death, with this imposter playing with Claire and Harper, these allegations can get blown out of proportion. We can’t—”
“I think we need to pull the plug on the wedding,” Elliot interrupts, striding into the room. “This is just out of control. These texts, the threats, and now Henna’s dead? Mother. Please.”
“How dare you? This is my wedding. It’s my call.”
Ana holds up a hand to stop their argument.
“Perhaps he’s right, Jackson. Claire seems to be the center of the storm, and the catalyst here. It’s only prudent for us to question the situation. Do you want to marry her, Jack? With all that’s happening, are you certain this is the right course of action?”
The thought of bailing on Claire, on his life, his happiness, is impossible. “Yes, I’m sure. I love her, and I want her protected. But we’re under attack. We’ve already had one death in the family, and threats that will take all our efforts to combat. An imposter is using Claire and Harper to take us down. I won’t fight if you feel we should cancel. The family comes first. Always. I won’t make the same mistake twice.”
“So you think,” Elliot mutters, but Ana nods once. Jack has said the right thing. The decision is made. The marriage will go on, come hell or high water. And maybe even then.
“If you’re set on this course, I suggest we consolidate. Let’s leave off the rehearsal and jump straight to the ceremony. We were scheduled to be onThe Hebridesfor the rehearsal dinner, we’ll simply make that the wedding reception. We’ll stay there, and the moment the weather clears, we sail. It’s a controlled environment. We will see every person who walks on board. That way, we can keep everyone safe until this Ami Eister character is unmasked. And we can decide how to approach Harper Hunter’s egregious breach of trust. I already have an idea.”
Not to mention being onThe Hebridesin international waters will put the family out of reach of the FBI, just in case Brice can’t apply the appropriate pressure and they come calling. God, his mother is a force to be reckoned with. Ana always was five steps ahead of everyone else in the room.
“Agreed. It has to be someone close, Mom,” Jack says quietly. “It has to be someone here.”
“Perhaps. But we’re on alert now. No one will be able to take advantage.”
If you’re set on this course.If anything, he is more set than ever. Marriage will provide Claire with a significant amount of protection, both financially and otherwise. Someone is after him, and he wants her completely protected. Especially if whoever is targeting the family succeeds in taking him out. Though she’s already signed the NDA, until the marriage license is signed and witnessed, she won’t get anything. Not that he thinks he’s about to die. But still...
“Should we really wait? Should we not focus on getting the family off the island? Claire and Jack can get married on the mainland, we don’t have to do it today,” Elliot says.
Thunder answers his query. Their gazes move to the windows, to the billowing clouds, another storm surging over the mainland and headed their way.
“We do it today,” Jack says, brooking no argument.
“I agree,” Ana says. “There’s no reason not to do it now. I don’t thinkThe Hebridescan handle the channel crossing in these storms. Besides, we have safety in numbers, right? No sense panicking our guests, but we can up our local security. Tie the cameras into the generators. Shift house personnel to security.”
“Henna wasn’t safe,” Elliot snaps. “You’re risking everyone’s lives to satisfy his whim.”
