THIRTY-TWO
Kade listened to the clicking of the mouse and the tapping of keys as he held down his post by the stairs, watching for any movement on the second floor. An hour had passed, and he was beginning to worry that Tessa wouldn’t be able to find anything. More than once, he wanted to go in there to help. He’d been studying financials for ten years, so he probably could find things quicker. But he knew it was important for Tessa to do this on her own. Plus, he had to learn how to tamp down that urge to take over and handle things for her. It would be a challenge for him, but he didn’t want to crush that independent spirit she had. That backbone and determination were a big part of why he’d fallen in love with her.
All these years he thought he’d needed the ultimate control in all things in a relationship. Looking back, he realized he’d probably been a nightmare for his ex-wife to live with even before he discovered his dominant tendencies in the bedroom. He hadn’t negotiated, he hadn’t compromised, he’d needed things his way all the time. No one could ever get the best of him or have authority over him. And now he could see that part of him had always been that scared teenager in the woods, determined not to give anyone an opening to break him down.
Confidence. Decisiveness. Fearlessness. That’s what he’d layered on to protect himself. He could be the nice, fun times guy on the surface. To most who knew him, he appeared laid back and open. But in every situation, including with women, were opportunities to conquer and hold all the control. It’d made him successful in business and desired by the women he thought he wanted. But he’d never let anyone past that armor. It’d left him with empty relationships and a constant sense of restlessness.
Until Tess.
She’d walked into his life and in the matter of a few weeks had turned him back into Kaden Fowler, the boy who wore his heart on his sleeve, the boy who had hope for real love, and the boy who had always loved Tessa McAllen.
And he’d sworn to himself that he’d never let any piece of that loser, Kaden Fowler, back into his psyche, but maybe that boy wasn’t such a loser after all. He’d known what he wanted and hadn’t been afraid to lay everything on the line. He’d been brave. Even in the woods that night with Doug, he’d managed to survive. And maybe it was time to forgive that kid his insecurities and weaknesses and stuttering words.
Maybe he could stop being so afraid of him.
“Kade.” Tessa’s urgent whisper broke him from his thoughts.
He glanced up the stairs once before heading over to the office to peek inside. Tessa’s face was glowing blue in the reflection of the computer screen but there was no mistaking the awed expression. “Look at this.”
Kade stepped around the desk. What greeted him on the other side made him do a double take. Instead of rows of numbers like he expected, pictures were playing on the screen in a slideshow. A pornographic slideshow. With all the photos featuring the house they were in as a backdrop. Naked women, some whose faces were visible, others not, all in compromising, often unflattering positions. And all from the same angle in either the living room or a bedroom with a man’s back to the camera. A man who knew how to keep his face concealed from the hidden cameras he’d placed. Doug. Some of the photos had the little Play button superimposed on top, indicating it was a video clip.
“Holy shit,” he said under his breath.
“You have no idea,” Tessa replied, glancing up at him. “That blonde is the wife of a congressman. And that girl in the pink underwear is the daughter of one of his closest friends. I’m not even sure she’s out of college yet. And there’re so many of Marilyn in here, I can’t even count. He’s documented them all. Why would he keep all this?”
“To relive it and jerk off,” he said bluntly. “Or to have dirt on them in case he ever needs it.”
“They can’t know that he’s taping them. I know Marilyn would never allow it for sure. She’s a reporter and knows how damaging this stuff can be.”
The pictures continued to slide by, but Kade could tell they were going backward in time. The locations changed and quality got grainy. Some looked to be scanned instead of digital. Instead of full sex, they also switched to blow job shots, taken from Doug’s perspective from above, ones where the participants probably knew they were being photographed. Prostitutes most likely, based on the heavy makeup and come hither eyes. And not all of them were women. Kade’s stomach turned with his own memories.
Then there was a
photo of a familiar blonde stretched out naked and sleeping. Tessa.
“Oh, God.” Tessa’s hand flew to her mouth. She hit a button, trying to get the slideshow to stop, but instead it just sped it up. Photo after photo of Tessa scrolled through. Most where it was clear she was completely unaware he was there—shots of her in the shower or getting dressed. But there were also a few sex shots in their bedroom, and Kade had to turn away. The thought of that slime touching Tessa, recording her when she wasn’t aware, made him want to break things.
“I feel like I’m going to be sick,” she said, gripping the desk.
He reached out and put a hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her but also working to keep himself in check. “Delete the ones of you and let’s go. If I don’t get out of here soon, I’m going to go upstairs and murder the sonofabitch. Did you get anything else we could use?”
She gave a quick nod as she clicked the mouse in rapid succession, deleting things. “Yes, I emailed a bunch of stuff to myself. There are definite quirks in some of the reports. But I need more time to look at them and maybe show them to someone more experienced.”
“Good, then let’s move.”
She closed out all the programs and shut down the computer, then let him lead her out into the living room. She’d tucked her suitcase and purse into the closet and retrieved those before they both headed out through the back door. But when Kade slid the glass door shut, he heard a yelp and a thud behind him.
He spun around to find Doug with one hand over Tessa’s mouth and the other hand pointing a gun at Kade. Her suitcase and bag had dropped by her feet. Doug nodded at Kade. “Either of you make a sound and I pull the trigger. No one would blame me for shooting an intruder, especially one trying to break in to rape my wife.”
Kade put his hands out on front of him with calm, slow movements, even though he wanted to charge the bastard. “She’s not your wife, Doug.”
“All these years and still trying to take my girl,” he said, holding Tessa against his chest. “You think you would’ve learned your lesson last time. Found what you were looking for in my office?”
“We found your photo collection,” Kade said, knowing that if he said they found nothing, Doug wouldn’t buy it. “Interesting hobby you have.”
“Profitable one. It’s amazing what people pay for that type of stuff online. The people that leaked my mother’s sex tape made millions off of it. You should see how much I got for those photos of you, babe.”
Tessa made a horrified noise beneath his hand.