Buried Secrets (Men of Valor Book #1): A Novel by Irene Hannon

Author:Irene Hannon
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: FIC042060, FIC042040, FIC027110
ISBN: 9781441223043
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2015-03-31T05:00:00+00:00

Erika closed the door behind her departing attorney, flipped the lock with shaky fingers, and leaned her forehead against the wood.

She was going to lose everything.

Not today or tomorrow—but soon.

All because Jack was a crook.

A tear leaked out of her eye, and she stumbled toward the study. She needed a scotch.

Straight up.

No ice.

Halfway there, she stopped.

No. Jess had said to lay off the booze—and she was right. If the police were going to be nosing around, she needed to keep her wits about her.

But Jess hadn’t said anything about cigarettes.

She changed direction and hurried toward her stash in the kitchen.

Once there, she rooted through the drawer until her fingers closed over a new pack. Using her fingernail, she ripped off the cellophane and shook out a cigarette—or a coffin nail, as her father used to say. But who cared? If the courts took everything she had, what was the point of living? Jack had long ago plowed through the trust fund her parents had left her. She’d be penniless, with no means of support.

And no one gave a rip about her sorry state—even her so-called friends.

After flicking the lighter on the end of the cigarette, she took a long drag, sat on the stool at the counter, and eyed the phone. Speaking of friends . . . Jess had said she’d call, but the phone had been silent all afternoon.

Surprise, surprise.

Not.

Miss High-and-Mighty had always done things her way, pushed everyone else around, acted like she was the only one who ever had an intelligent thought.

Well, she wasn’t.

Joe was smart too.

And while no one had ever praised Erika Butler’s great intellect, she wasn’t dumb, either—except when it came to Jack, maybe. Allowing him to sweet-talk her with his grandiose dreams had been dumb.

Real dumb.

But she was smart about other things.

A lot smarter than Jess thought.

She took another puff. Blew the smoke toward the ceiling.

In fact, if she put her mind to it, she could surely think of some way out of her financial mess. Not that she’d ever be able to make a fortune the way Jess had, with her high-paying, perk-filled, jet-setting job. There were no plush offices or stock options or a CEO spot in her future.

Tapping the ash into her orange juice glass from this morning, she studied the pulp congealed against the sides. No, she wasn’t smart enough or focused enough to achieve that kind of success. Jessica Lee had been well on the road to independent wealth and status long before she’d married that doctor who died. Erika Butler’s designer clothes and fancy car, on the other hand, were courtesy of other people’s money.

She sucked in another lungful of nicotine.

Other people’s money.

Hmm.

She toed off the high-heeled pump that was pinching her foot, letting the seed of a plan take root.

Now that was an interesting idea.

She blew out the smoke. Tapped off the ash.

There was some risk, but if it worked, she wouldn’t have to worry about money anymore. She could start over. Move somewhere else and create a new life for herself.

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