After Ms. Patti left, Destiny changed clothes and headed toward town. She needed to stop by her apartment, and pick up a few things, especially since she was spending more time at Dane’s place. A couple more changes of clothes would be nice, since she only had basically what she’d taken to Las Vegas with her, and she was getting tired of doing laundry.
Leaving a note on the table for Dane, she turned on her music, choosing her favorite list. The soft classical music played in the background, while her mind tried to sort through her earlier conversation with her mother-in-law.
Wow, it felt so strange to think about Ms. Patti as her mother-in-law. But once they’d gotten past their conversation about Dane, she’d treated her like one of the family—and it had felt nice.
When her phone rang, she hit the Bluetooth on her steering wheel without stopping to see who was calling, instantly regretting it when Owen MacKenna’s voice came through the speakers.
“Good morning, Destiny. I trust you and Dane got home okay.”
“Owen. How’d you get my phone number?”
“It wasn’t hard. A couple of quick calls, an assurance that I was your cousin, and wham, bam, instant access.”
“Fine. What do you want?”
“Destiny, why all the hostility? I thought we had a lovely time at dinner.”
She shook her head, knowing there had to be more behind his call than simple pleasantries. While they’d been civil, and their dinner cordial, there hadn’t been anything implied about furthering their relationship. Besides, he’d known the whole time that she was with Dane, married to him, yet he hadn’t said a word.
Of course, I wasn’t forthcoming with him, either.
“I’m sorry. I’m in a lousy mood. What can I do for you, Owen?”
“I think we should talk. About Dane Boudreau.”
“My husband.” She put a deliberate emphasis on the word, making sure Owen had no doubt about where her loyalties lie. Something told her he was fishing for information, and she wasn’t about to tell him anything. If he needed to know something, he should man up and ask Dane himself.
“Yes. Congratulations by the way.”
“Thanks. I’m sorry to be abrupt, but I’ve got a lot of things to take care of this morning. Was there something you needed?”
“Actually, I believe it would be of benefit to us both to talk. I have some information regarding your husband you should know. Critical information which could change his life.”
She shuddered at his words. Though his tone was pleasant, the words not giving away much, something about the way he said them sounded threatening.
“So, talk. What do I need to know about my husband?”
The pause that followed her words had her thinking they might have been disconnected, but she heard his sigh over the line. “This isn’t something we can discuss over the phone. I’d suggest we meet face-to-face.”
“Unfortunately, Owen, I’m no longer in Las Vegas, so that might be a bit difficult.”
Ball’s in your court.
At the sound of a horn, she looked up and waved as Brody drove past, heading toward the Big House. She hadn’t seen much of him; he’d been spending all his time with Beth. Pregnant with his child, she’d had a health scare a couple of weeks ago, and the doctor had put her on bed rest. Maybe she’d check with Ms. Patti that afternoon, see if there was anything she could do to help.
“Actually, I’m in Texas. I had business in Dallas. If you’re amenable to the idea, we could meet someplace. Trust me, the information I have to share with you is life-changing.”
Thinking about everything Dane had endured, and all the time and effort he’d put into getting justice for his biological parents, she knew she couldn’t refuse. What if the information Owen held was the final clue to bringing down the man who’d killed Peter and Marjorie Duncan?
“Fine. How do you want to do this?”
“I’m actually on the road now, headed toward Shiloh Springs. I should be there in a couple of hours. How about once I hit town, I give you a call, and we can pick a place to meet?”
“Alright. I’ve got a couple of errands to run, so I’ll be around town anyway. I need to go by my apartment and pick up some things. I’ll expect your call.”
“I look forward to seeing you again, Destiny.”
He disconnected the phone call, and she couldn’t help wondering what Owen was up to. Was he planning to share information about his father’s role in the Duncan’s deaths? Or did he want her to talk to Dane about stopping his investigation into his father’s culpability? Whatever he wanted, she wasn’t going to play go-between. If he wanted to give Dane information, he needed to speak with him. And she had no problem telling him exactly that.
It took another thirty minutes to get to her apartment after the call, and she pulled into her parking space, already going through the list of what she needed to get while she was there. Clothes were a must. She needed to pick up her other laptop too. Being able to have programs running on one while she worked on another was a habit she developed. It kept things running at peak efficiency, and she rarely lost data, because she had consistent backups by having multiple systems.
Walking to her front door, she slid the key into the lock and opened it. She tossed her bag onto the hall table and headed for the kitchen to grab a bottle of water before she started packing.
She’d barely made it halfway before an eerie feeling crept over her. Something wasn’t right. Turning in a slow circle, she studied the living room, the kitchen, and the hall leading to her bedroom and office. Nothing seemed overtly wrong, yet the uneasy feeling persisted. The tiny hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention, and if she didn’t know better, she’d swear she wasn’t alone. But nobody could be inside her apartment. The door had been locked, and nothing was out of place or missing.
Yet she couldn’t shake the feeling. Moving on instinct, she slowly walked into the kitchen and pulled the largest knife out of the block on the counter.
I’m being ridiculous. Nobody’s here.
Taking soft steps, she checked the living room, glancing into each corner. Nothing. Drawing a deeper breath, she opened the hall closet, pulling the door open fast, and taking a step back, the knife gripped in her hand tight enough it hurt.
Cautiously, she moved to the spare bedroom, the one she’d set up as office space. It was the one room in her apartment that was cluttered, because when she was working, she tended to shove things around. It was calculated chaos. Anything she wanted or needed, she could find it almost immediately, but anybody looking at the mess would think she was a slob.
She froze in the doorway, eyeing the scene. Something was off, like things had been rifled through. Whoever had been in her office tried to put things back, but they didn’t have an understanding of her quirky filing system or the way she stacked thumb drives and equipment.
Somebody searched my office.
Seething outrage built, along with the feeling of being violated. How dare somebody invade her sacred space?
She backed into the hallway and glanced toward her bedroom door. It stood ajar a few inches—which didn’t feel right. Normally she kept it closed, especially when she wasn’t home. But she’d been rushing when Dane showed up to take them to the airport for their quick elopement to Vegas. Maybe she hadn’t been paying enough attention and left it open?
Sliding her hand into her back pocket, she pulled her phone free and swiped her thumb across the screen. She pulled up her list of contacts, looking for Rafe’s number. Maybe she was being paranoid, but better safe than sorry. If she called him out on a wild goose chase, she’d apologize, but she couldn’t shake the feeling of dread deep in her gut. And she’d learned a long time ago to follow her gut, because when she didn’t, bad things happened.
She pressed the call button and lifted the phone to her ear, heard the first ring. Before the second ring, a hand reached over her shoulder and the phone was snatched from her hand. Stark terror enveloped her, and she spun around—to face Owen MacKenna.
He tossed her phone on the floor, and stomped on it with his heel, crushing the screen and the case. The smile he shot her was triumphant and creepy. Wildness shone in his eyes, tinged with a side of crazy, and she knew she was in trouble.
“What are you doing?”
“Keeping you from making a stupid mistake. Can’t have you calling Dane and having him come riding to the rescue like a white knight, can we?”
She started to slam her hands on her hips, but stopped, remembering the knife she still held in her hand. It was down by her side, and she wondered if Owen had spotted it. Shifting her weight onto the balls of her feet, she drew on her self-defense training, easing into a stance to give her the best momentum if she needed to defend herself or to go on the attack.
“I wasn’t calling Dane. I was calling you. I figured we could meet at Daisy’s Diner in town. It’s on Main Street and it’s easy to find and has great food. How did you get into my apartment? And for that matter, why are you in my apartment? I’ve gotta tell you, Owen, your actions aren’t imbuing me with a lot of confidence. Matter of fact, you’re scaring me.”
“Destiny, you should be scared. I know all about what you and Dane have been up to with your computer searches. Looking into my father’s records, digging into his life. All your digging and prying has him a nervous wreck.”
She started to deny his accusations but thought about it for a moment. If he knew, there was no reason to hide what they were looking for. Get him talking, and maybe he’d reveal something important.
“It took me longer than it should have to figure out why Dane was looking into MacKenna-Duncan International, and specifically Peter and Marjorie Duncan and their connection with my father. We had no idea who Dane Boudreau was in the beginning. He was some yahoo in Podunk, Texas, who showed an inordinate amount of interest in my father and our company. I had the head of security check him out. Dane Boudreau was nobody. A man who’d been adopted into a family of nobodies. I wasn’t worried. Not until I saw a picture of him.” Owen shook his head and made a tutting sound. “He’s the spitting image of his father. Mine almost had a heart attack when I showed him the photo. Thought Peter was back to haunt him.”
Destiny had noted the uncanny resemblance between Dane and his biological father, though she’d never mentioned it. It was simply another piece of the puzzle to be fitted into its spot, to reveal the whole picture. Funny that it might be the thing that brought the whole mountain of conspiracy tumbling down around them.
“I’m going to ask again, Owen. Why are you here? Were we getting a little too close to uncovering the truth?”
“The truth?” His bark of laughter sent a chill across her skin, raising goosebumps. There was a tinge of madness to it, and she wondered if Owen had slipped over the edge. “I know all the so-called evidence you and Dane have collected. You may have good computer skills, but my guy is a genius. He installed software on Dane’s computer that not only cloned his hard drive, but it tracked every keystroke, every website he visited. Dane didn’t make a move that I didn’t know about.”
Ugh. She wanted to bang her head against the wall for being stupid. One of the first things she should have done when she started working with Dane was check his computer. But she’d allowed her personal feelings for him to cloud her better judgment, but she hadn’t been on her game from the minute she’d met him. Now he was going to pay for her clumsiness. Some hacker she was. The lightbulb finally went off, and she realized they’d been wrong. So wrong. About everything.
“You’re the one who executed the contract.”
“You’re finally catching on. One of my better decisions if I do say so. Putting a contract on your husband kept him scrambling, unfocused, and with his attention divided, he wasn’t as much of a problem.”
“Why now? Dane’s been digging into MacKenna-Duncan for years. Were you afraid he’d find something incriminating? Did you have something to hide, Owen?”
Don’t tip your hand. The more he talks, the more you might find out. As long as he’s talking, he’s not trying to hurt you.
“We didn’t care how much digging a stranger did into the company. There’s nothing to find. My father has kept anything to do with MacKenna-Duncan squeaky clean. Nothing underhanded. No corners cut. As far as we knew, Dane Boudreau was simply a man looking for dirt—something he wouldn’t find. Until I saw his picture, and I knew who he really is.” He slammed his fist against the wall, close to her head, and she jumped, shocked at his impulsive show of violence.
“He’s Dane Boudreau. Son of Douglas and Patricia Boudreau. He’s lived in Shiloh Springs most of his life.”
“The key words being most of his life. Before he came to Texas, he lived in Denver with his parents.”
“His parents?” She tried to imbue her question with a hint of surprise, like she didn’t know what he was talking about. Keep him talking, and hope Dane found the note she left. The longer she was away from the ranch, the bigger the chance somebody might come looking for her.
Owen’s voice got louder with frustration, and Destiny barely held back a wince. “Stop acting like you don’t know what’s going on, Destiny. You aren’t stupid. You probably know as much as Dane, maybe more. Is that it? Are you in it for the money? Did you marry him, thinking you’ll get a big windfall when Dane makes a play for the company?”
“I married Dane because I’m in love with him.”
A mournful look crossed his face and then was gone, so quickly Destiny thought she’d been mistaken. He slowly shook his head, and reached into his waistband, pulling free a gun.
“Then I’m sorry. Because you’re in too deep, know too much.”
“Owen, wait. Let me talk to Dane. I can convince him to let things go. He’ll stop digging, he won’t go after your father for killing his parents. I can make him stop, but it’ll never end if you kill me.”
Owen looked at her, opened his mouth, and then closed it. He looked confused, like he hadn’t understood what she’d said. What part had bamboozled him? While he hadn’t mentioned Dane knowing the Duncans were his parents, it was a foregone conclusion. It had to be—
“He thinks my father killed his parents?” He raised his hand to the side of his head, the gun against his scalp. “That’s wrong. My father didn’t kill Peter or Marjorie.” Lowering the pistol to point at her chest, his next words chilled her to her core.
“I did.”