The Sound of Secrets (The Monsters Duet #2)

Chapter 13

Win

I’d never been inside a prison before.

The overwhelming sense of oppression and hopelessness was an unfamiliar experience. I didn’t look or carry myself much different from the high-dollar litigators coming in and out of the visitation rooms. No one paid attention to me, but several pairs of leery eyes watched every move Rocco made. My head of security was every bit as intimidating as the armed guards patrolling the area.

“You’re really gonna pay for this guy’s lawyer?” Rocco kept a sharp eye on everyone milling about. He looked ready to jump into action any second, even without the firearm he typically carried. He started coming to work with a weapon after my former assistant put a bullet in him and left him to bleed out while my family home burned to the ground. I wasn’t the only one dealing with lingering trust issues from that awful night.

I looked at my watch and tried to keep my natural impatience at bay. My minutes were valued by millions, and I wasn’t used to being kept waiting .

“It’s the only way he agreed to speak to me. He asked for an appeals attorney. The best money can buy. I don’t think any level of representation will do him any favors. He’s a repeat offender.” I tapped my fingers against my thigh and stared at the bars surrounding the space where we were told to wait. “If he doesn’t tell me the truth, we’re out of here.”

Rocco grunted. “How are you planning to tell if what he says is the truth? You’re not a human lie detector. And your judgment in relation to Channing is…” He paused when I gave him a hard look. “Questionable. You’re blind about her in a way you aren’t with anything else.”

“You’re supposed to find me someone from that night who can corroborate whatever he tells us. And Jordan Kent.” I gave my head of security a pointed look.

Rocco swore under his breath and rubbed a hand over his bald head. One of the attorneys waiting for his client shifted uncomfortably. I saw the guy clock my designer suit and criminally expensive watch as soon as I sat down. No doubt he was trying to figure out what firm I worked for.

“I’ve reached out to every resource I’ve built over the years. I’ve got as many feelers as possible spread out as far as they can go. Your mom wasn’t playing around when she covered up her wrongdoing, and any personal records she might’ve kept were lost when the manor was destroyed. When she shut down the clinic where she kept Archie, and when she vaporized the restaurant that nearly poisoned Alistair, she left zero breadcrumbs. This deal with the missing baby is the same. The trail is ice cold. It’s been so long, and the people who were involved have had a lifetime to vanish. As for Kent, he fled the country. He didn’t simply walk out on his wife and kid. He went on the run without giving a reason and disappeared. That screams legal trouble, or worrying about something scarier than the law. I know he’s in a non-extradition country, but not the exact one. I should have a location by the end of the week.”

I rose to my feet as one of the uniformed guards indicated it was our turn to speak with a prisoner. “I pay you a fortune to make miracles happen.”

Rocco scoffed as he held my arm and prevented me from being the first person in the room for the visitation. The prison guard watched as the bald man went over every inch of the glorified cell before finally allowing me to enter. As I stepped past him, he muttered under his breath, “You pay me a fortune to keep you alive. Which I’ve done, despite you making my job twice as fucking hard as it used to be.”

Rocco took up position behind me, near the armed guard. I took a seat at the metal table. I stared at the man on the other side, my cheek twitching as I laid eyes on the man who hurt Channing and got away with it.

He was handcuffed to a bar on the table. The beige jumpsuit with his prisoner number hung on his thin frame. The man was sickly thin and haggard. Years of drug abuse were evident by his sallow skin and vacant eyes. I could tell he’d been handsome at one point in his life, but now he was a sad imitation of a man. However, there was no way to miss that he looked exactly like an older, harder version of Kyser Kent, minus the snowy white hair. This was the kid’s dad, which inched the dial closer to Channing being his mother. I hated how that knowledge made me feel.

I ground my teeth together as we stared at each other, neither wanting to speak first. I couldn’t believe a convict wanted to play power games with me.

I pointedly looked at my watch and leaned back in the horrifically uncomfortable chair. We were only allotted a certain amount of time. If this asshole wanted to waste it and risk the singular opportunity he’d been given to exploit me, so be it.

I lifted an eyebrow and asked, “You want my help, don’t you?”

The man named Parker smirked, and the chains around his wrists rattled when he locked his fingers together. “And you want mine. I have to say I’m surprised a man like you would marry a woman like Channing. She’s been around the block a time or two. She doesn’t have anything to bring to the table. I had her in her prime. What’s left is useless.”

I froze. It took all of my self-control and years of not giving an inch when dealing with competitors and clients to keep my cool and show no reaction.

“You think you understand what kind of man I am?” Parker shrugged at the question. I chuckled lightly. “You want your appeal to go smoothly and have a shot at freedom. You know I have the resources to make that happen. However, I’m more inclined to make sure you never see the light of day again. I’m happy to toss you in a hole somewhere until your existence is nothing more than a faded memory. ”

The other man laughed and tossed his head back. I noticed his neck was covered in rough jailhouse tattoos. “I guess billionaires aren’t afraid to break the law because they know they can get away with it.”

I leaned forward and tapped my index finger on the table. Fury on Channing’s behalf simmered underneath my skin. “You got away with plenty without being a billionaire.”

The prisoner snorted and leaned back as far as his handcuffs would let him. “There were never any charges filed. I kept my wife in check the way I saw fit. If you did the same, maybe you wouldn’t be chasing down her ex like a simp.”

Rocco moved behind me. I could feel the tension pouring off his big body. I held up a hand to keep him at bay. I smoothed a hand down my tie and got to my feet. I wouldn’t tolerate being jerked around by world leaders. There wasn’t a chance in hell I was going to let a degenerate like this lead me around by the nose.

“Best of luck with your appeal. You’re going to need it.”

I was at the door of the meeting space, thanking the guard, when Parker spoke. “The baby didn’t make it.”

I stopped. I refused to turn around. My shoulders stiffened and my spine turned to ice. Rocco glared over my shoulder, and I could hear his teeth grinding.

“Channing was in bad shape physically. She was drugged. The baby was premature. They tried to save it while she was unconscious, but nothing worked. Her old man covered for me because I paid him. I didn’t want to go to jail. Ironic considering.” He laughed again. “He told everyone she was mentally ill like her mother and if she knew the baby died, she would go off the deep end and need to be institutionalized.” The criminal snorted as I finally turned around to stare at him. “Pauly Harvey is the best con man in the game. He fleeced your mother for a pretty penny. He never intended to hand over the baby or tell her where Willow was hiding. She sent him a deposit and paperwork for the fake adoption, but he disappeared as soon as he had it in hand. Didn’t even split the money with me. It was all a lie he used to keep Channing under his thumb. He knew he could dangle the idea that he was the only one who knew where her kid was in front of her like a carrot, and she would cave to whatever demand he made. He’s one ruthless motherfucker.”

“Do you have proof?” The words barely escaped my clenched teeth. It was hard to say who was more cruel: my mother or Channing’s father.

The other man snorted and continued to look arrogant. “Right. Like I kept the body of a dead baby hidden somewhere all these years or something.”

“Hmmm…. Well, there’s a sixteen-year-old boy out there who is the spitting image of you. I mean, goddamn identical. So, unless you have proof, your story is bullshit.” I was going forward with a DNA test, regardless. Channing needed a definitive answer.

“Man — There were a hundred Channings when I was younger. She was far from the only lonely, needy bitch I knocked up. I probably have twenty kids out there who look just like me. After I watched the scam Paul pulled, I spent a lot of my twenties getting girls pregnant and then adopting the babies out privately. It was an easy way to make a lot of money. The kid you’re talking about should thank me for giving him this face. It’s all he needs to make it in this world.”

“It was easy for you. Did any of those young women want to keep the baby?” There was no response, just a shitty smirk that I wanted to punch into his skull. “I think it’s highly doubtful you managed to impregnate another woman at the exact same time as Channing. The timing is too coincidental.” As much as I wanted to believe his assertions, it felt impossible. I was never one for wishful thinking.

“I knocked up a chick before Channing got pregnant the last time. I met her while I was on the road with my band. She was even younger. Had no clue what she was doing. She was even easier to manipulate than Channing. They would’ve had their babies two or three months apart, but like I told you, Channing’s baby was premature. Initially, I thought the timing was fucked, but things worked out in my favor. By the time the second baby came, I already had someone lined up to adopt it. My drug dealer needed someone to launder his money. I found an accountant looking for a kid, no questions asked. I didn’t get a dime from Channing’s dad, but I did learn how to turn a mistake into a lucrative proposition. I’m surprised it’s taken this long for him to put Channing’s biggest wish into play. Do you have any idea how long he could drain her bank account by promising her that he knows where that kid is? And now that your big fat bank account is involved, he’s going to go all out and milk the nonexistent baby for all he’s worth. ”

“What’s the accountant’s name?” The big picture was slowly starting to come into focus. I waited impatiently for Parker to answer my question.

“Man, I don’t remember. He said his wife tried to off herself, and if he didn’t get his hands on a newborn, she wasn’t going to make it. I didn’t want to broker the adoption, but I owed my dealer a lot of money. I had to let the accountant take the kid to clear my debt. I heard he got greedy later on and started skimming off the top of the money he was supposed to be cleaning. I’d be surprised if he’s still breathing.”

He was still breathing because he abandoned his family and took off with the money once he was found out. I had no doubt Parker was describing Jordan Kent, and the baby was Ky.

“If Channing’s baby was stillborn, there has to be a death certificate somewhere.” Rocco’s words calmed the simmering fire smoldering in the bottom of my heart. I needed a dose of reality to counter the insanity of this convict’s story. “Even your mother couldn’t make something like that fully disappear. Especially if Channing’s pop double-crossed her. Give me some time to see if I can find it.”

I dipped my chin in agreement and moved to leave. I wanted to pat myself on the back for having the restraint not to jump across the table and beat the life out of Channing’s ex. I’d never been a violent man, but hearing Channing’s ex degrade her and make light of the violence and cruelty he subjected her to brought out a primal instinct to protect her. I would have to settle for fighting him my own way. “If I can locate definitive proof that the baby didn’t make it, I’ll get you a lawyer. If not, you’re on your own.”

“Hey! That’s not the agreement. You said as long as I told you what happened that night, you’d help me out. I’m not lying. The kid didn’t make it, but Channing’s father insisted we convince her that it did.”

I shrugged, repeating his gesture when he was fucking around with me. “You said you understood what sort of man I am. This condition should come as no surprise.”

“I don’t know what you see in Channing. She’s nothing special. She’s definitely not worth lowering yourself to make a deal with a man like me.”

I stopped outside the bars and gave him a frosty glare. “Do you think I made it to where I am today without being able to recognize a solid investment? I know Channing’s value better than anyone.” I nudged Rocco, who was glaring at the prisoner with daggers in his eyes. I wondered if his vast network of badasses included anyone incarcerated. If so, Channing’s ex-husband’s time behind bars was about to get a lot more uncomfortable.

When we reached the SUV, I wished I were a smoker. I needed something to get the taste of this visit out of my mouth. I was tempted to ask Rocco for one of his cigarettes but battled back the urge.

“She’s so tough.” The bald man blew a cloud of smoke above his head and frowned. “I always liked Channing and Willow. They’re good girls. I can’t believe everything Channing’s been through. She’s so normal. So nice. I had no idea she was hiding so much suffering.”

“She takes care of everyone else. She’s never had someone to take care of her.” That’s changed now. Regardless of what happened between the two of us going forward, I wanted her to come out from behind the mask and live her life knowing she wasn’t alone. “I’ve always said she was a hidden gem.” And the most precious jewels were formed under immense friction and pressure. I considered myself fortunate no one else had recognized her stunning rarity and clarity before me. I was happy to be the one who let her shine.

While Rocco finished his smoke, I glanced at my phone and noticed I had missed calls from Alistair as well as Channing’s friend Salome. There was also a flood of messages from my personal attorney and the head of the company’s public relations department. I felt a ball of dread settle in my stomach like lead.

I called my half-brother while scrolling through no less than two-hundred messages.

“Have you talked to Channing?” Alistair’s voice was sharp and worried. “I’ve been trying to call her since this afternoon and she won’t pick up. She missed a meeting with a client. I didn’t understand why until my assistant informed me all hell is breaking loose online. Some gossip site posted your wedding license and pictures from the courthouse the day you got married. If it was isolated to a trashy website, I would’ve axed the story, but it’s all over social media. Countless accounts are dragging Channing’s entire life through the mud. Strangers are accusing her of dumping her mother in a loony bin. They’re saying she’s a danger to Winnie and herself. Rumors are swirling. She blackmailed you into marriage. Someone even suggested she murdered your mother because she opposed the wedding. I don’t know where all this is coming from. It’s like fact mixed with fiction. This is the sort of smear campaign you see in politics, not against an ordinary citizen. None of it paints Channing in a very positive light.”

The board of directors at Halliday Inc. were in a lather. The press was trying to break down the doors of my office in the city. Rocco’s phone was also blowing up and his expression wasn’t any better than mine. From the snippets of his conversation, I gathered he was trying to put Winnie’s school on lockdown.

“I had to turn my phone off for a meeting this afternoon. Let me see if I can get a hold of her. She was at my apartment last night with a friend.”

Alistair swore loudly. “Do you know who is behind this? If your mother was still alive, I’d point the finger at her. Who else could hate Channing this much?”

“It’s not so much an attack on Channing as it is a blatant warning to me. Her father wants me to give him money to get out of our lives forever. He threatened to torment her into a mental breakdown the same as her mother. He told me he was going to do something like this if I didn’t pay him. This is my fault.” I made a fist and slammed it into the side of the SUV. The contact made my already sore hand hurt even more. I was so angry I kicked the tire and scuffed my Italian leather oxfords. “I can’t fathom how he accomplished spreading the news so far, so fast. He didn’t strike me as the tech savvy sort.”

“I’m going to murder him.” Alistair growled the words, and I heard Bellamy scold him in the background.

“Get in line.” I bit the words through my teeth. “I need you to take care of whatever is happening at the company.” It was the first time since I’d taken over my father’s role as CEO that my first instinct wasn’t to protect Halliday Inc. I only gave a shit about the ‘family’ portion of the family business at the moment.

I hung up on my half-brother and tried to call Channing. Her phone was off. I immediately started to panic. She liked to disappear on me when things got out of hand. I was afraid she was going to run away again, and this time I wouldn’t be able to bring her back.

Rocco hustled me into the back of the SUV as I hurriedly returned Salome’s call. She sounded frantic when she picked up.

“Do you know where Channing is?” We asked each other at the same time.

Salome swore. “No. I left her in the penthouse this morning. She told me she had to work today and that she might try to visit her mom later. She hasn’t picked up or messaged me back at all. I’m worried.”

“Where does she usually go when the shit hits the fan?” I opened my laptop and started firing off to the pertinent departments to get Channing’s name wiped off the Internet. I wanted to sue anyone spreading lies about her. Or at least scare the piss out of them with cease-and-desist letters.

Salome groaned, and I could hear the stress in her tone. “Shit is always hitting the fan in Channing’s life. She normally doesn’t let it bother her. Last time you upset her, she got drunk at Roan’s bar. I already called him. He hasn’t seen her.”

I rubbed my forehead. It seemed like all of my hair was going to be as white as Ky’s by the time I got a handle on how Channing’s mind worked. “You don’t think she hopped on a plane for parts unknown again, do you?” That was my worst fear.

“I don’t know. I didn’t expect her to leave last time. She’s unpredictable when she’s spooked. She likes to handle things on her own and never wants to be a burden to others. She likes to curl up and lick her wounds with no one knowing how badly she’s injured.”

“I’ll find her. I’ll make sure she isn’t alone.” And I planned on paying back every wound she ever suffered — double — triple.