Descent (Steel Brothers Saga #15) - Helen Hardt Page 0,14
nodded. “I think that’s good for her.”
“I agree. But I found out some things that are concerning.”
He wrinkled his forehead. If my old man were here, he’d know right away whether Jonathan was feigning concern or whether he truly was worried. I hadn’t quite mastered reading people yet. It was something I needed to perfect.
“What things?” he asked.
“Her therapist requested her records from her hospitalization.”
“He did? She was a minor. Those records should be sealed.”
“Even to the patient? That hardly makes sense.”
“We arranged for—” He stopped midsentence.
His use of the pronoun “we” aroused my suspicion. He could be talking about himself and Lucy, but I had the distinct impression he wasn’t.
“Everything is available for the right price, Jonathan.”
He stiffened slightly. I was getting better at reading people.
He said nothing.
“Why did you lie to me?”
He stood, rubbing his jawline. “I need your discretion with this, Brad. Lucy doesn’t know.”
“About Daphne’s diagnosis? Or about other stuff as well?”
“You’ve seen that Lucy’s emotional state is far from stable. I kept the actual diagnosis from her to protect her. For good reason, it turned out. I knew she was vulnerable, but I didn’t realize how vulnerable until she attempted suicide.”
“She can’t help her daughter without knowing the truth,” I said.
“Daphne got better. I made sure of it. Dr. Payne and I worked together to make her whole again.”
“Are you sure she was cured?”
“Of course. She got through her senior year of high school with no issues.”
“She says she had no friends that year. Does that seem normal to you for someone as bright and beautiful as Daphne?”
“The other students were just jealous. Especially the girls.”
“That excuse makes no sense. Daphne has always been bright and beautiful, but she had no trouble making friends before the incident, did she?”
“She’s always been shy. Always preferred the company of a few good friends to a big crowd. Plus…the crime. People were afraid to approach her.”
“I’ve done my research, Jonathan. The crime was never made public.”
“Daphne and Sage were both minors. That was for their protection.”
“I understand that. My point is that if no one knew what happened to Daphne, why would the other students be wary of her?”
Jonathan rubbed his temples. Beads of sweat emerged on his upper lip.
He was lying.
“Sit down, Jonathan,” I said.
He plunked back down in his chair.
I sat across from him. “Time’s up. I need the truth. Daphne is my wife and the mother of my child. I can’t help her if I don’t know everything I’m dealing with.”
Jonathan let out a long sigh.
“Who paid for Daphne’s treatment, Jonathan?”
“I did, of course.”
“Where did you get that kind of money?”
“I have health insurance, Brad.”
“You have an indemnity policy. You were responsible for twenty percent of Daphne’s bills, which amounted to over a hundred thousand dollars.”
“Yes, I paid it.”
“With what?”
“With savings.”
“Nice try.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
I scooted my chair closer to Jonathan’s desk, so that only about four feet separated us. “It means I know you didn’t have that kind of money sitting around.”
“Exactly how would you know that?”
“Didn’t I already tell you?” I looked him straight in the eye. “Everything is available for the right price.”
“I’ll have you arrested. Bank records are—”
“You’ll have to arrest a dead man. It was my father who found this information. I found it in his files after he died.”
“Why would your father care who paid for Daphne’s treatment?”
“Why wouldn’t he? Daphne was his daughter-in-law.”
“For God’s sake, Brad. What does it matter who paid for it as long as it got paid for? As long as she got the treatment she needed?”
“In the abstract, I agree with you. But you kept information from me, Jonathan. Important information about the woman I was going to marry.”
“Would you have declined to marry Daphne if you’d known?”
“Of course not. I love her. And I love our baby. You trusted me when you told me about the crime that sent her into this tailspin. Why didn’t you trust me with the rest?”
“Because,” he said, looking down at his desk, “Daphne isn’t the only person I have to protect.”
Chapter Ten
Daphne
I picked up Puppy and snuggled him against my cheek. I hadn’t brought him along to college, and subsequently, when I moved in with Brad at the ranch, I still hadn’t brought him. I was a wife and mother now, and having a stuffed animal seemed grossly immature. Kind of like a security blanket.
But what was wrong with a security blanket? I smiled. Puppy was coming home with me. I could give him to Jonah,