Page 34 of Single Mom’s Undoing (Lucky Lady Reverse Harems #1)

CARTER

I find Margot in her office at Lockwood Industries.

It’s almost completely dark, with the exception of the light from the setting sun coming through a half-open window. She sits behind the desk, a glass of whiskey with a ball of melting ice within her reach. She looks pale, worried.

“I was hoping I’d find you here,” I say as I come in and close the door behind me.

She gives me a startled look. “Who let you in?”

“Your assistant. Don’t hold it against him. He’s genuinely afraid of anyone named Lockwood,” I reply, half smiling. “We need to talk, Margot. But first, I have to ask…what’s going on here?”

“Here?”

I motion around us. “Yes, here. Since when do you hide in your office like a hermit? I thought board meetings and press events were your thing, not sulking in the late afternoon with a glass of whiskey. So what’s going on with you? ”

“Did you know?”

For a moment, I find myself confused. “Know what?”

“Why Clara ran off years ago.”

Her question is unexpected but an interesting turn, nonetheless. I figured I’d have to lay out the whole story, then pray that Margot believes it before I asked for her help. It appears someone has already beaten me to it, however.

“What do you know about that?” I calmly ask as I slowly cross the room.

Margot gets up and takes a swig of her whiskey before setting it back down. “Did you know, Carter?”

“I’ve only just learned the truth myself. But my version and your version of the truth might be different, depending on whom you learned it from. So, I’m going to ask you again, Margot. What do you know about Clara and why she left five years ago?”

She gives me a hard look. “Clara told me everything.”

“Everything? When? Where? Where is she?”

“This is where it gets a little dicey, Carter.”

My blood boils to the point that a red haze comes over my eyes. I take a deep breath as I advance toward her desk. I try to keep my temper under control as I begin to make new connections in the back of my head.

Margot knows where Clara is.

“I know you and I have had our ups and downs, Margot,” I say.

“But you are my sister. I love you deeply. And I care about us, about our relationship. However, if you keep me from finding Clara and my son, from bringing them back to safety, I swear to God, I will treat you as an enemy from here on out.”

“They’re safe for now,” Margot replies. “Though she isn’t happy about it.”

“Where is she?”

“Our father has her.”

“Yeah, I picked up on that when I caught two of his goons on camera abducting them from a Baker City motel. The old man positioned himself on the wrong side of the law here, Margot. I’d like to get my woman and my son back before he does something worse.”

She sighs heavily and takes another sip of her scotch. “He’s probably moved her already, given that I saw her there.”

“Where?”

“The winery estate. I’m telling you, Carter, they’re probably not there anymore,” she says just as I’m about to turn around and walk out. “They could be anywhere at this point. Our father is anything but stupid.”

“When did you see them?”

“Earlier today. Dad isn’t aware that she told me about his involvement in Stephan’s death, but he probably guessed she did. Besides, I’ve been ducking his calls since I left the estate.”

I take a seat in one of the guest chairs, if only to compose my thoughts for a moment. “Alright, Margot. We need to work together on this. We have to get Clara and Matty back.”

“I am well aware of that, Carter. I just don’t know how. And frankly, I’m scared of the repercussions. There’s no telling what he’ll do if he feels backed into a corner. ”

“I get that you’re scared, but aren’t you angry about Stephan, too?”

A pained look darkens her face, casting an even deeper shadow over her eyes as she lowers them. “Yes, I’m angry. I’m still grieving. I’m horrified. And I’m scared.”

Tears fill her eyes as she looks up at me.

It breaks my heart, because knowing what she knows now, Margot is wedged in a tough and agonizing spot between the love of her life and our father, the one man whose affection and approval she has worked so hard for.

“You can’t just go after him, Carter. He’ll shut you out. He’ll stay one step ahead of you always. And it could lead to Clara getting hurt. He doesn’t care about her. Just Matty,” Margot adds.

“What do you suggest I do then? I can’t just sit here.”

“We need a plan. You and I will figure something out. We know him best.”

“So you’re willing to help.”

“I have to be.”

I give her a curious look. “You have to be?”

“We’re family Carter, but that doesn’t mean I’m willing to risk jail for our father.

Besides, if anything happens to Clara or Matty, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.

I’ve been thinking about it. The fear she must’ve felt.

Being all alone, threatened by our father after she…

after she watched him kill Stephan. I can’t even imagine.

And all this time, I bought the rumors and the crap they said about her.

I actually blamed her for Stephan’s death. ”

I shake my head slowly. “A lot of people blamed her, Margot. I don’t think Clara ever had the bandwidth to really worry about that. With Matty and his heart condition, she had a lot on her plate.”

“He needs to pay for what he’s done,” Margot concludes, her tone cold.

I sense the determination, the anger giving way to clarity. For the first time in years, I feel as though my sister and I are finally on the same page again.

“Is she safe, Margot?”

“Like I said, for now, yes. She’s being held captive, but she is well taken care of. Matty seems calm.”

“What does he want with them?”

She exhales sharply, a bitter smile stretching across her face.

“He wants an heir to the Lockwood fortune. I don’t have a husband anymore and there’s no chance I’ll be starting a family anytime soon.

You…well, you walked away from it all, and our father doesn’t have an heir. It’s what it all boils down to.”

I’m torn between fury and disgust. This isn’t some low-level scum or a hostile insurgent I’m about to go after. It’s my own father. “Has he lost his goddamn mind?”

“Maybe a little. He plans to raise Matty in the family. From what he’s told me, he hopes you’ll step up and do it, then when Matty comes of age, he’ll bring him into the company, show him how to lead.”

“And Clara?”

“He’s offering her a lot of money to relinquish her rights and leave. He’ll handle Matty’s care, everything. ”

“But she said no.”

“Damn right she said no. Matty is her child, and she loves him. She’s not willing to leave him behind for any amount of money.

And that puts her in danger. We need to be really careful about how we proceed, legally, I mean.

You’re not going to find him unless he wants to be found.

He’s got the sheriff in his pocket, remember. ”

I nod slowly.

Gung-ho isn’t the approach for this, not anymore. At least I have a line on Clara and Matty. What follows will be quite the feat of surveillance and financial forensics, because if I’m going after the old man, I’m going to have to attack him from every possible angle.

“I’ll need another day or two to set up surveillance and prepare a mission,” I tell Margot. “He can’t know that I’m on to him, though.”

“What can I do?”

“Answer his calls; appease him. You don’t have to fully support what he’s doing, but let him think you’re complying, that you’ve got his back. In the meantime, as far as he knows, I’m still out there, crazed and looking for Clara.”

She gives me a curious look. “What will you be doing?”

“What I do best.”

I’ll be hunting the most powerful man in the county. By the time I get to him, he won’t even know what hit him. One way or another, I’m getting my family back.

The next morning, Jace and I join Damon outside the district court. Our lawyers moved quickly, giving us the opportunity to deliver a devastating blow to one of my father’s closest cohorts—Elizabeth.

“How’s Margot holding up?” Damon asks me.

“She’s good, as good as she can be, anyway.”

“And Clara? Matty?” Jace asks, his brow furrowed with understandable concern.

“So far, they’re both okay. We’ll get to them. There’s no doubt in my mind that we’ll get to them. We just need to?—”

“Be smart about it,” Damon interjects. “I understand. I don’t have to like it, but I understand.”

“I’m surprised you moved up the court date,” Elizabeth says as she comes up the stone steps of the courthouse.

Her lawyer is right behind her. He’s a scrawny, little man with beady eyes and round glasses. His suit is custom tailored to fit his nimble figure, and the gold-plated cuff links he’s wearing tell me he’s well paid for his services. He also looks a tad familiar.

“Elizabeth,” Damon says with an expressionless face, “glad you could make it.”

“As soon as we got the call, we prepared for this,” the lawyer says.

“We’ve met before,” I reply, looking right at him.

He gives me a wry smile. “We have. I work for Mr. Lockwood.” He extends a hand. “John Hobbs of Dawson, Hobbs & Partners.”

“Figures,” Jace chuckles dryly .

Elizabeth seems giddy and pleased with herself, quite confident, too, as she looks around and smiles. “Where’s your lawyer, Damon? Don’t we have a hearing in twenty minutes?”

“We could have a hearing in twenty minutes, or we could just have a quick conversation out here until you figure out how bad your strategy has been from the very beginning,” Damon calmly replies.

“What are you talking about?” Hobbs cuts in, holding up a folder. “We’ve got everything we need right here to overturn the previous judge’s decision.”

In response, Jace pulls out a folder, as well. Only his is thicker, loaded with copies of financial records, screenshots, and surveillance photos. He hands it over to Hobbs with a confident grin.

“Have a look at these first,” he tells the lawyer.

“What is this?” Elizabeth asks, visibly confused.