The smile chafed, but it was the words that were too much for me. Resentment welled and flowed over the wall I tried to contain it behind.

Chris wasn’t blameless, either. Taking a grieving, troubled boy into his home had to have been hard

—especially when he’d been building his own family with Christopher Jr. and Ireland on the way. But

he’d accepted the role of stepfather when he married Elizabeth. He shared responsibility for pursuing justice for a wounded and exploited child. Hell, a stranger would have an obligation to report the crime.

Leaning forward, I let him see how angry I was. “It’s very personal, Mr. Vidal. Elizabeth is feeling threatened because I’m not going to put up with this bullshit anymore. You both owe Gideon an apology and she needs to admit to the abuse. I’m going to keep pressuring her to make things right.

You can count on that.”

His posture stiffened visibly. “What are you talking about?” I snorted with disgust. “Seriously?”

“Elizabeth would never abuse her children,” he said tightly when I didn’t reply. “She’s a wonderful, devoted mother.”

I blinked, then stared at him. Was he as delusional as Elizabeth? How could they both act like they didn’t know?

“I think you’d better explain yourself, Eva. Fast.”

I sagged back into the chair, stunned. If he was acting, he deserved a goddamned Academy Award. He surged forward without getting up, bristling and aggressive. “Start talking. Now.”

My voice came quiet. Small. “He was raped. By the therapist he was seeing.” Chris froze. For a long minute, he didn’t even breathe.

“He told Elizabeth, but she didn’t believe him. She knows he was telling the truth, but she’s denied it for whatever screwed-up reason she’s come up with.”

He straightened, shaking his head vehemently. “No.”

The one-word rebuff pushed me to my feet. “Are you going to deny it, too? Who would lie about something like that? Do you have any idea how hard it was for him to admit to what was happening? How confused he must have been that a man he trusted would do those things to him?”

Chris looked up at me. “Elizabeth would never ignore … something like that. There’s a misunderstanding. You’re confused.”

I took in his dilated pupils and white-rimmed lips but refused to feel bad for him. “She went through the motions. That’s all. When push came to shove, she chose to side with everyone but her own child.”

“You don’t know what you’re saying.”

I grabbed the handle of my bag and slung it over my shoulder. I bent into him, meeting him at eye level. “Gideon was raped. One of these days, you and your wife are going to look him in the eye like I’m looking at you and you’re going to admit it. And you’re going to apologize for all the years he’s lived with that alone.”

“Eva.”

Gideon’s voice cracked through the air, making me jump. Straightening in a rush, I stumbled as I faced him.

He stood in the open doorway, his hand gripping the handle with such force it should’ve broken off.

His face was hard, his body stiff, his gaze searing me with a different kind of heat.

Fury. I’d never seen him so angry.

Chris pushed heavily to his feet. “Gideon. What’s going on? What is she saying?”

Gideon’s arm shot out and grabbed me. He yanked me into the hallway with such force I yelped in

alarm. I felt the bite of his fingers even after he released me.

With his hand at the small of my back, he propelled me forward, his stride so long and quick I had to scramble to keep pace.

“Gideon, wait,” I said breathlessly, my heart pounding. “We—”

“Not a fucking word,” he snapped, pushing me roughly through the etched glass security doors into the elevator vestibule.

I heard Chris calling Gideon’s name. I caught sight of him rushing toward us just before the elevator doors shut him out.

AS I LED Eva out of the Crossfire, Angus took one look at my face and his smile disappeared. He opened the rear door to the Bentley and stepped aside, watching me urge my wife into the backseat.

Our gazes met over her head as she slid into the back. I read the message in his faded blue eyes. Be

Date: 2015-02-16; view: 567