The Steele Collection Books 1-3: Sarah Steele Legal Thrillers Read online

  Without another word, we went our separate ways.

  I soaked in the bath until my fingers and toes looked like prunes. I went into the water smelling like a cloud of smoke and came out smelling like vanilla. A layer of grime lined my tub when I drained the water.

  After drying off and brushing my hair, I just lay in my bed. The covers were soft and warm against my naked skin.

  I felt restless. Although I was tired, I was nowhere near falling asleep. The adrenaline was still in my body, fueling my thoughts. The events of the day reeled through my head like a movie. There were several things I wished I had done, things I would change.

  I wished I had run outside the barn as soon as I heard the car pull into the driveway.

  I wished I’d been there when Williams had gotten out of his car with those Molotov cocktails.

  I wished I’d kicked him back into the car and thrown the bombs in after him.

  This evening I’d been reminded once again what he’d done to Tracy Mulligan—had seen where he raped and beaten and killed her. And then he’d tried to kill my friends and destroy the evidence. I had no proof, but I knew it was him.

  One side of me wanted him to come to justice the slow, modern way—through the judiciary system.

  The other side of me wanted him to see justice the ancient, blood-feud way—and watch him burn.

  SWEAT POURED OFF THE tip of my nose as I pounded the stair climber. Eminem ripped my heart out in my earbuds and I lost myself in the sound. This was my escape, my world to bend and create what I wanted.

  I had barely slept, and now I was up and doing my early morning exercise routine. I had a weight problem when I was a kid—I just couldn’t lose the baby fat. Being teased at school led to more eating, and at my highest weight I began to have some medical problems. I also ate when I was stressed, and my home environment was the opposite of stress-free.

  I wanted to be healthy, and then that day came …

  It still hurt so much, but in a way, my mom going away on a life sentence was the best thing that ever happened to me. I didn’t like to think about it. But when I worked out, in the middle of punishing my body, I let it drive me.

  Thinking about my mom made me think about my father. He’d never left me, but he’d never been there for me, either. In the midst of Mom’s craziness, he never stood up for me. That’s why I had done what I did that night. And even though I longed for him, I knew that I was longing more for the idea of someone than the real person.

  My mom was gone too, for all intents and purposes. She’s still angry. When I call her, she answers me in monosyllables and then hangs up after a minute. I tried to see her the first year, but she wouldn’t come out of her cell. And it was hard for foster parents to get me there anyway, so I gave up and took to the gym.

  One hundred pounds later, I was in the best shape of my life. For the first time, men noticed me, and it took me about a year to figure out how to handle male attention. Most just wanted one thing, and I was not in to one-night stands.

  “Just gonna stand there and watch me burn …”

  My legs screamed and I pushed harder. The more they hurt, the louder the music, and the easier it was to drown out my thoughts. Was it healthy to try to bury all my feelings? Probably not, but I wasn’t ready to stare that monster in the face.

  The song ended and I eased up for a full minute. When my heart rate slowed a little, I cranked up the resistance and hit it as hard and fast as I could.

  I thought about Hank Williams and how he was trying to break me. Why? What did he have to gain by pushing me to the edge? Was he really planning to kill me, or was he just scared?

  One of the most dangerous things was a man with money and nothing but time on his hands, and Hank Williams had both.

  THE DOORBELL RANG AND I jumped. It was barely six in the morning and I’d just stepped out of the shower. I grabbed my robe from the hook on the back of the bathroom door and wrapped it around me. Who could it be at this hour?

  Peering through the peephole, I saw a mass of flowers. Sighing, I turned and leaned against the door. My hair was wet and I felt naked. Wait—I was pretty much naked under my robe.

  I unlocked the door and smiled as a tall, thin man handed me the roses—a dozen of them, and a card. He had me sign for them and walked away after checking me out. I blushed as I shut and relocked the door.

  Who would be sending me flowers? If it was Dan, I was going to have to talk to him again—he couldn’t flirt with me like this. He was married and I was not going to sleep with him, no matter how hard he tried.

  I set the vase down and breathed in the wonderful scent. The roses were amazing, red and full, all in bloom. I slid the card from the envelope and turned it over. It had a puppy on the front with huge eyes and a silly smile. I laughed in spite of myself and opened it.

  You think you escaped, but all you did was sentence yourself to death. Enjoy the roses.

  HW

  TWO HOURS AFTER I’D dumped the roses in my trash can, I was late. I’d dropped off the card at the police station, filed another report, and then hightailed it to the office. My meeting with Hannah Williams was in forty minutes and it was all the way across town.

  I rushed down the hallway. My heels sounded funny on the marble floor, like horse hooves on pavement. I entered the common room and waved Joshua over. He was talking with some other interns. Then I entered my office. Someone moved from behind the door and grabbed my arm.

  Acting instinctively, I yanked my arm out of the grip and elbow-jabbed him in the chest.

  He cried out. Doubling over, he grabbed his chest, trying to catch his breath.

  “Dan!” I said. “Geez, don’t scare me like that.”

  I think he was being overly dramatic. Joshua came behind me and looked over my head to see what was holding me up. “You did that?” he mouthed to me. When I nodded, he grinned.

  “He surprised me,” I said unapologetically as I edged past Dan and went to my desk. I just had to grab my notes for the interview and then I’d jet out of here.

  Dan finally straightened, wincing. “That’s going to leave a mark,” he said. I tried not to smile.

  Joshua came to the desk and I handed him a list of things to do. I didn’t want to take him with me to Williams, Inc. I told myself it was because he had a lot of things to do here, but I knew it was really because I wanted him out of the limelight, to keep him safe.

  I shoved the file in my briefcase and turned to leave. Dan was still blocking the door.

  “Was there something you needed?” I asked with as much respect as I could muster. Which wasn’t a whole lot.

  “I need an update,” he said. “This case is blowing up in our face, literally.” He looked down on me with a serious frown. That’s why I hated being short—everyone looked down on me. “What kind of evidence did you find at the barn? What plans do you have today? And why were you at the police station so early this morning?”

  I widened my eyes, trying to look sincere. “I will catch you up on this case. On everything. But I really have to go right now—I’m late for a meeting with Hannah Williams and those aren’t easy to come by.” I held his gaze.

  He sighed and stepped away. “Fine. But call me once you’re driving and fill me in, okay?”

  “Okay,” I promised.

  Joshua followed me, but I held up a hand. “You stay here. I’ll catch you when I’m back.”

  His brow creased in worry and he opened his mouth to protest. I turned and walked out the door before he said anything.

  THE DRIVE FROM THE office to the Williams, Inc. building took just over fifty minutes. It was located out of town past the airport on the road heading toward the foothills. I’d called Dan and told him everything, which meant he had more questions than ever—just like I did. What I realized as I told him about the flowers was that I didn’t want to go home again. They knew where I lived, and my place wasn’t exactly an insurmountable fortress. My mind whirled, wondering where I should go. I
must’ve wondered out loud because Dan said, “You can stay at my place.”

  I wrinkled my nose in disgust, but said sweetly, “No, thanks. If they could find my house, they could find your place. I’ll figure something out.”

  And then I saw what I was looking for. “I’m at Williams, Inc.,” I said. “I’ll catch you later.”

  “Be careful,” he said in a fatherly tone.

  I almost said, “Whatever,” but then thought better of it and said, “I will.”

  I stopped at the gate, which was a good mile from the main building. I could see the white, gleaming buildings in the distance shining like diamonds against the sagebrush.

  Williams, Inc. had over four thousand employees; it brought a huge amount of income into the valley and was good for everyone. They also were working on new battery technology. If they could create a battery that lasted three times longer, just imagine what that would do to the auto industry. Electric cars would take over, and the oil crisis would be at an end. The world had high hopes for Williams, Inc. and I was trying to take down the CEO, which didn’t put me in very good standing with a lot of powerful people.

  The rent-a-cop’s skin was dark from the hot summer sun. He had a smooth, bald head and mirrored sunglasses. I guess I’d watched too much television because to me, he looked just like one of the DB on Reno 911. He approached my car and I rolled down my window.

  “I’m Sarah Steele, the ADA.” I waited a moment and said, “I have an appointment with Hannah Williams.”

  “Hold on.” The man took off his glasses, picked up a black phone, and turned to me. The six-by-six guard booth had a small TV in the corner displaying the turnoff from the main road.

  I waited and wondered if I was going to strike out. Was I too late? I could pretend to be a cutthroat lawyer if I needed to, but it was more for show than anything else.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “But you’re too late.”

  I couldn’t stop now. “No way. I need to see Williams today. I’m late because her father has been terrorizing me and I’m going to hear what she has to say about that. I need to get in.” I gave him a soft look, and the guard rubbed his chin and glanced back toward the white buildings in the distance.

  “Look, miss, I just work here. I got kids, and they fire people around here for sneezing too loud. I really want to help you, but I can’t.”

  Groaning, I gripped the steering wheel and half thought about gunning it and breaking through the gate across the road.

  “Tell you what.” The guard leaned out the window and smiled. “I’ll get her secretary on the phone and you see if you can wheedle your way in after all.”

  I grinned. Wheedling was one of my greatest skills. After he dialed, I took the phone from him. “Hello, this is Sarah Steele.”

  “Hello, Sarah Steele,” a crisp female voice answered. “You’ll have to make another appointment.”

  “No, I don’t,” I said. “Williams needs to see me today. I’m working a case involving her father and I need to hear her statement.” Silence on the other side of the line. “I can either come in now or in three hours with a court order. You don’t want that kind of hassle, do you?”

  More silence and then the woman said, “Let me talk to the guard.”

  Perking up, I handed the phone back, tapping my nails on the steering wheel as I waited.

  He hung up. “You’re free to go in, Miss Steele.”

  I smiled. “Thank you.” I was about to pull forward when I noticed his expression. It was as if he had something on the tip of his tongue.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “You should be talking to Glen Williams, not Hannah.”

  I’d never heard that name before, but I’d better find out why it mattered. “Really?” I said, my expression open. “Who is he?”

  “I think he’s Hank’s brother or cousin or uncle or someone.” The guard stared intently at me for a moment and then looked away.

  I knew he couldn’t be Hank’s brother. Hank was an only child. “Got anything to dish on him?” I asked in a quiet voice.

  “Nothing much—the man is a ghost. He only comes around, like, twice a year, and most people around here don’t even know what he looks like. Hank Williams is the face of the company. Now that he’s in trouble, there’s a lot of speculation about who’s going to run things. People are scared of Glen. I mean, he’s a weird guy!”

  “What do you mean by ‘weird’?”

  “I just hear things—you know. They say he lives in hiding, like a hermit or some sort of recluse or something. But they say he’s always watching us.”

  I held back a smile. The gossip chain was not going to help me. This story was turning out to be a tale the employees were told to stay in line.

  “Thanks.” I was about to pull forward, but I hesitated. The name Glen Williams stuck in my head, as if it mattered somehow. “Do you know anyone who could tell me about him?”

  The guard rubbed his jaw as he thought. “Hmm, you could try to talk to Heather Dade.”

  “Heather Dade?” I straightened up at the familiar name. She was the one who had changed her name from Hannah Williams. “Who is she? Is she related?”

  “Maybe. Maybe not. She stops by here every now and again. I feel bad for her. Lives over in the—” He suddenly looked around, as if realizing how much he’d told me. “G’luck,” he said quietly, tipping his head to me. I got the hint and drove on.

  The Williams family was larger than I’d thought. How much did they have to do with Hank, and were any of them following in his footsteps? I’d have to find out.

  WILLIAMS, INC. SPANNED OVER fifty acres of buildings so white, the nickname for the place was the White City. I had to go through one more guard booth and then, after I parked, three more sets of security. I was directed to the top-story office where Hannah Williams’s office was located. It reminded me of the Evil Queen in her tower in Snow White, looking out over her kingdom.

  “Miss Steele.” A tall woman with brown hair and a slim figure greeted me. I recognized her voice from the phone call.

  “Yes?”

  “Come this way. Miss Williams will see you now.”

  I followed the secretary back to a tall, smooth white door. She opened it and let me pass. The room beyond was huge, white, and blinding. Floor-to-ceiling windows were on one end and a simple glass desk sat in the middle of the near-empty room. Sitting behind the desk was a tall blonde woman; she stood up and held out her hand.

  “Miss Steele?”

  “Miss Williams.” We shook hands. Her fingers were as soft as rose petals.

  I sat in a high-backed chair and tried to keep my hands from shaking. She had pure skin, big brown eyes, a lithe, athletic figure, and hair that fell in glistening curls around her shoulders. Her outfit was unique—a pencil skirt with an asymmetrical hem and a jacket with curious blue buttons. After gauging her appearance, I had to concede that she really was the fairest in all the land.

  “I want to start off by saying that I can in no way discuss my father’s case without my lawyers present.”

  “I understand,” I said. Taking out a notepad, I pretended to make a note. There had to be something in this glass house I could throw at her, something I could learn that would help me. I decided to shoot for the moon and make a fool of myself. People did not take fools as a threat and might say more than they would otherwise. “We’re not interested in him so much as his brother. Glen, is it?”

  Hannah grinned, but it was not a nice smile. “I’m not sure where you got your information, but my father is an only child. He does not have a brother.”

  I didn’t say anything—just waited, staying perfectly still. Most people can’t handle that. She couldn’t either, and spoke again.

  “So this visit has nothing to do with my father?”

  “No, it has to do with you and Glen.”

  “Me? What does any of this have to do with me?”

  “Because no one can work as closely with someone as you ha
ve with your father and not recognize that something is off.” I kept my voice steady. “Now, I know you don’t want to testify against your father—no child does.” Color rose in her cheeks at the word “child.” “But can you tell me anything about his lifestyle that would give us a stronger case?”

  “No,” she said.

  “Why are you keeping his secrets?” I prodded.

  “I’m not keeping secrets.” The lie was evident in her voice.

  “Then give me all the information you have on Hannah Dade,” I said.

  She broke my gaze and picked up her pen. She doodled a figure eight on a note. My gaze shifted to the words on the note and I read it upside down. It looked like RuSat 11. It didn’t make any sense to me.

  Hannah finally spoke. “I was betrayed. In the most personal of ways. Everything I knew about my father, about my life, about the world … is a lie.” She looked at me, her eyes sad. “There’s no recovery from something like this. My foundation is crumbling. When people look at me, they don’t see me—they see the spawn of a monster. So I’d like to get what normalcy I can back in my life.”

  I nodded in understanding. I knew quite a bit about betrayal. And about parental units being criminals. But I couldn’t leave with nothing.

  “So who is Heather Dade?”

  Hannah stood up and said curtly, “This meeting is over.”

  “Miss Williams, a good way to bring peace into your life is to help others along—”

  “This meeting is over, Miss Steele!” Hannah pushed a button on her desk. A moment later, two guards walked in and I stood. Guards? She must be more jumpy than she let on.

  “Very well. If you change your mind, here’s my card.” I left one on the table. “Hope you find the normalcy you’re looking for.”

  ON MY WAY THROUGH the reception area, I stopped at the front desk. A young woman clicked away at a keyboard and looked up at me when I cleared my throat.