Read Online Darker the Release by Claire Kent - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Claire Kent
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wasn’t naive, and she wasn’t weak. She wouldn’t have fallen for the man if he’d really killed her father.
She just wouldn’t have done it.
So, nearly shaking with anxiety and expectation, she took her phone into the bathroom.
She locked the door and triple-checked to make sure it was locked. Then she turned on the shower, figuring if Caleb or Breah, his housekeeper, came into the bedroom, they’d only hear the shower running.
She scanned the room carefully, but she knew there wouldn’t be a security camera in Caleb’s bathroom. There would be limits to even his paranoia.
Satisfied that she was as safe as it was possible for her to be in this house, she pulled up Jack’s number and connected the call.
She normally wouldn’t have called anyone this early on a Saturday morning, but he’d left the message less than an hour ago, so he must be up himself.
“Hey,” he said, picking up on the second ring. “I thought you’d be asleep.”
“I woke up early. Why aren’t you in bed?” She fell naturally into the light banter that was characteristic of her interactions with Jack, but her hands were shaking as the nerves coursed through her. He’d found something. Something she needed to know.
“One of my guys woke me up an hour ago. They have no respect for my beauty sleep.”
He was obviously expecting her to respond with teasing, as she normally would have, but she just couldn’t muster it. “Did your guy find something out?”
“Yeah,” Jack said, his tone changing to the professional one he used for work. “We uncovered an email trail. It was deleted from the server, but my computer guy somehow dug it up. I don’t know how the hell he does it, but he’s good.”
“What email trail?” Her voice was a little wobbly, but she was speaking softly, so she hoped he wouldn’t notice it.
“Between Sean Moore and the CEO at the time, Tom Earnest. It looks bad. Whatever happened, I think Moore was definitely involved.”
“What about Caleb?” She felt like her whole existence was poised on the edge of a cliff, and she was either going to fall backward onto the ground with a bump or fall forward into an endless void.
“He could be too, but he’s nowhere in the email trail. We still need more information.”
Kelly took a long, shuddering breath and sank down onto the bathroom floor, huddling up and trying to process this news. There was still a chance that Caleb might be innocent.
She wished she didn’t want it so much.
After a minute passed without her saying anything, Jack asked slowly, “You okay?”
“Yeah.” She felt almost like crying, but that was probably just the aftermath of the emotional night she’d had.
“Don’t get your hopes up,” Jack said, sounding a little hesitant. “We don’t have any real proof at this point, and even if he didn’t do this, you know he’s still not a good guy.”
“I know he’s not a good guy.”
“There’s no happy, rainbow-filled wedding for the two of you at the end of this.”
“I know that.” She stiffened her shoulders, Jack’s wry words actually helping her pull herself together. “I’m not a fool.”
“I know. But shit happens, and sometimes we’re not as smart as we should be. You’ve put yourself in a bad situation here, and I’d like to see you get out of it in one piece, if possible.”
“I get it. I want that too. So what needs to happen now? You said I might be able to—”
“Did you find out where they store the paper corporate records?”
“Yeah. There’s a storage area in the basement of the main headquarters, I guess. Caleb said that’s where they keep their old files. He was complaining about email, and I used that to ask him about paperwork. He says they only keep important stuff, and it’s all in fireproof cabinets underground.” She’d found out that information—like so much else she’d needed to know, by manipulating conversations to go the way she needed them to. She hated doing that
She just wouldn’t have done it.
So, nearly shaking with anxiety and expectation, she took her phone into the bathroom.
She locked the door and triple-checked to make sure it was locked. Then she turned on the shower, figuring if Caleb or Breah, his housekeeper, came into the bedroom, they’d only hear the shower running.
She scanned the room carefully, but she knew there wouldn’t be a security camera in Caleb’s bathroom. There would be limits to even his paranoia.
Satisfied that she was as safe as it was possible for her to be in this house, she pulled up Jack’s number and connected the call.
She normally wouldn’t have called anyone this early on a Saturday morning, but he’d left the message less than an hour ago, so he must be up himself.
“Hey,” he said, picking up on the second ring. “I thought you’d be asleep.”
“I woke up early. Why aren’t you in bed?” She fell naturally into the light banter that was characteristic of her interactions with Jack, but her hands were shaking as the nerves coursed through her. He’d found something. Something she needed to know.
“One of my guys woke me up an hour ago. They have no respect for my beauty sleep.”
He was obviously expecting her to respond with teasing, as she normally would have, but she just couldn’t muster it. “Did your guy find something out?”
“Yeah,” Jack said, his tone changing to the professional one he used for work. “We uncovered an email trail. It was deleted from the server, but my computer guy somehow dug it up. I don’t know how the hell he does it, but he’s good.”
“What email trail?” Her voice was a little wobbly, but she was speaking softly, so she hoped he wouldn’t notice it.
“Between Sean Moore and the CEO at the time, Tom Earnest. It looks bad. Whatever happened, I think Moore was definitely involved.”
“What about Caleb?” She felt like her whole existence was poised on the edge of a cliff, and she was either going to fall backward onto the ground with a bump or fall forward into an endless void.
“He could be too, but he’s nowhere in the email trail. We still need more information.”
Kelly took a long, shuddering breath and sank down onto the bathroom floor, huddling up and trying to process this news. There was still a chance that Caleb might be innocent.
She wished she didn’t want it so much.
After a minute passed without her saying anything, Jack asked slowly, “You okay?”
“Yeah.” She felt almost like crying, but that was probably just the aftermath of the emotional night she’d had.
“Don’t get your hopes up,” Jack said, sounding a little hesitant. “We don’t have any real proof at this point, and even if he didn’t do this, you know he’s still not a good guy.”
“I know he’s not a good guy.”
“There’s no happy, rainbow-filled wedding for the two of you at the end of this.”
“I know that.” She stiffened her shoulders, Jack’s wry words actually helping her pull herself together. “I’m not a fool.”
“I know. But shit happens, and sometimes we’re not as smart as we should be. You’ve put yourself in a bad situation here, and I’d like to see you get out of it in one piece, if possible.”
“I get it. I want that too. So what needs to happen now? You said I might be able to—”
“Did you find out where they store the paper corporate records?”
“Yeah. There’s a storage area in the basement of the main headquarters, I guess. Caleb said that’s where they keep their old files. He was complaining about email, and I used that to ask him about paperwork. He says they only keep important stuff, and it’s all in fireproof cabinets underground.” She’d found out that information—like so much else she’d needed to know, by manipulating conversations to go the way she needed them to. She hated doing that
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