Buzz this morning after the show.” He winced. “For which I’m sure you’d like a piece of my hide?”
Her back stiffened. “They are separate issues and the answer is yes to both.”
“Which would you prefer wrestling first?”
“Why did you do it?”
“The show? Steve is pressuring me. He insists I’m too close to you to conduct the proper investigative reporting. He’s letting Dean run all over with leads and he’s been talking with Campbell.”
“Can’t you stop them?”
A look of disappointment crossed his face. “That’s what I did this morning on the air, but you misunderstood me.”
“How?”
“Kelly, if I didn’t say something to challenge Buzz into talking with me, Dean was going to interview him on the air. If I made it hot enough for Buzz to call me, which he did, I knew my conversation with him would derail Dean’s inroad.”
“What did you tell him?”
“Nothing specific, but enough to let him know I knew the truth.
“That son of a bitch is threatening to take custody of Matt and smear your reputation from here to California. The only way we can stop him is by concocting a lie that takes all focus off him as Matt’s father. If we do that, he’ll make the DNA test disappear and leave you alone.”
The firm set of his jaw betrayed his anger about the predicament. “I won’t let him muscle your son away from you.”
“He made the threat real?”
He nodded once. “Yes.”
Her heart pounded. God damn Robert-the-Buzz-Campbell for being the heartless soul he was. “You would be comfortable lying to the world about Matt’s paternity.”
He inhaled a deep breath. “Against a monster like him? Yes. For now.”
“What do you mean?”
“Once we get you and Matt in the clear, I’m taking him down. If we put Buzz in jail he can never touch Matt. The law will find him unfit.”
She looked away. Could they go up against such a formidable man with deep pockets to cover his tracks? Evan might have connections but Campbell had puppet strings. They’d lose. But Campbell was breathing down her neck. No doubt he would enjoy toying with her again—bringing her to ruin.
This time, she reached for Evan’s hand. “I want you to understand something. Seven years ago, Buzz was all too clear in what he would do if I ever told anyone what happened between us. While he used guilt and threats to silence me, he also assured me that being his lover had become part of my job description. He considered his rape a means to subdue me. He planned on coming back for more.”
Color started to rise in Evan’s face. “You’re kidding.”
She looked away. The avenging fire burning in Evan’s eyes was too much to see.
He pulled her closer, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. “Come on, honey. Tell me.”
She exhaled a breath. “Buzz thought I’d kowtow enough to obey him. He is very cunning. He reversed the blame of his actions on me—making it my fault. I believed him so well that it was my shame that drove me from his house the next day. Counseling at the women’s shelter taught me how insidious the mind of a repeat rapist is, especially if he is familiar with the victim. Control is half the thrill for them. All it took was one scathing phone call from him after I fled to know the man is not only dangerous but devious. When I found out I was pregnant I knew he could never learn about my baby. Now you understand why.”
“So, since someone cornered him, he’s coming through with his threats.”
She inhaled the warm scent that was Evan’s. Why did his arm around her shoulder feel so comforting and his concern without accusation burrow deep in her heart?
“I think he’s manipulating you, Evan. Discovering he had a son has most probably tapped two emotions in him—one, excitement over a male heir and two, another chance to control me once more. He’s sick enough to make this travesty a sporting event between us.”
Evan frowned. “He did sound competitive during our phone call.”
She searched Evan’s gaze. Right now she needed to draw strength from him. She spent all these years keeping a low profile but had failed to plan a strategy should he come after her again. Part of her was still intimidated by him, plus she’d been so busy with the simple task of day-to-day living she never had the luxury of time to invest in the probability of what if.
Evan’s confidence offered strength to bolster her, but it wasn’t