Dirty Little Secret(56)

“What’s that?” he asked, knowing it was what the other man was waiting on, knowing the answer would make him sick.

“Securing the line, of course. And passing them on.”

Alex fought the bile rising into his throat as John came around and made himself comfortable on the couch once more. “To someone like James Allen, you mean.” He’d thought John would have a heart attack when Alex refused to try to convince Cailin not to testify. Only when he’d informed John the APD had plenty of evidence against the man even without her as a witness had the backpedaling begun. Within days John had distanced himself and Keane Industries from Allen so far the Mississippi practically ran between them. But there was no distancing himself from the evidence in the folder Alex still held. There was simply too much of it, God help them.

“God, Dad…” Again that faintly nauseated tone in Sara Beth’s voice. Alex reached for her hand, squeezing it, trying to infuse them both with strength. Sara Beth’s rough swallow echoed in the still room. “I guess I should be thankful you didn’t just sell me on the auction block.”

Eyeing Alex, John humphed. “Might’ve gotten a better result.”

Sara Beth stood abruptly. “I cannot believe my father is such a sick bastard!” Shaking her head, she asked, “Did you ever love me? Mom? Anyone but your own damn self?”

When John refused to respond, Alex told her, “At least you take after your mother.”

The small hand holding his clenched, then relaxed as if in agreement. Alex had never wanted Sara Beth to hear her father say those things, but he knew now, it was for the best. Nothing less than the true sickness of John’s mind could break the hold her father had on her belief in herself. The time for trying to please him had died long ago; they’d only waited this long for the burial.

Sara Beth seemed to sense the same, because she turned to Alex. “I’m done,” she stated, eyes dry, clear. Resolved. “I’m done.”

Alex nodded. Without a word to John, Sara Beth squeezed Alex’s hand once more and walked out of the room. Silence hovered until the door clicked closed.

“She could’ve been trained into the perfect business wife, Alex. You’re allowing her to walk out on the chance of a lifetime.”

“For me or her?” Alex asked, disgusted. Without waiting for an answer, he shook his head. “I won’t talk to you about Sara Beth any longer.”

John continued to eye him, a general searching for the best place to attack. “You think she’s something special, huh? Your blonde?” he finally asked. His tone said she wasn’t.

“I won’t discuss Cailin with you any more than I will Sara Beth.” Just the thought of this man’s opinions of the women in Alex’s life made him want to gag.

“Alex, Alex, Alex…I taught you better than this,” John crooned.

Alex nodded. “Yes, you did.” Or attempted to. “And I’m happy to say I’ve forgotten everything you tried to drill into me.”

“Your little secretary has been trouble since she first came aboard. Maybe more trouble than she’s worth.”

As if you can do anything about it. Aloud Alex asked, “You think your threats will work on me like they do helpless women?”

John snarled. “She can still disappear.”

“So can you.”

“Not as easily, you’ll find.”

Lunging across the table, Alex had John’s tie twisted in his fist faster than John could blink. “Wanna bet?” Even John’s lack of oxygen couldn’t have communicated the threat better than Alex’s stare. “She is mine. Stay. Away.”

A harsh gasp, the struggle to draw in nonexistent air, filled Alex’s ears; finally the twitch at the corner of his eye signaled John’s understanding. His nod was overkill. Releasing the tie, Alex carefully smoothed the silk before sitting back.

“Looks like the people I surrounded myself with weren’t as trustworthy as I thought,” John said.

“We prefer being honest, not sleazy.” He leaned forward in his seat. “The divorce is happening, John. There’s nothing you can do about it; you might as well get used to it.”

John was shaking as he finally let his own anger loose. “So be it. You can be replaced, you son of a bitch! I didn’t train you all these goddamn years to—”

“Let’s get something straight: you did not train me. You hounded me. What I learned, I learned from the best; I made sure of it. The only thing you taught me to do was hide.”

“Hide? Hide what?” Venom hissed in the words.

“Myself.” Alex threw the folder onto the table between them, and glossy, blown-up pictures and copies of documents spilled out across the gleaming surface. “But then, you know all about the subject, don’t you, John? So I guess technically you were the best man to teach me.”