A mistake, that’s all it was. He’d fixed it the only way he could. Even that part had been an accident ... a mistake.
He’d done exactly what he had to do. Things just hadn’t gone as planned.
It should have worked.
Whatever. He opened his cell to make the call. Unlike his sister, he didn’t give one damn how this all turned out.
Dane just needed to stop the pain ... and the memories.
15
7:00 p.m.
Birmingham
The Tramont
Annette stepped from the private elevator to the fifteenth floor. Her floor. The entire floor belonged to her. Her private rooms were separated from her offices by a vast entry hall and lobby.
Not classic like the Fleming mansion but every bit as lavish. Annette preferred modern to classic, austere to warm and cozy. Lots of white, glass, and metal; fluid, sparsely furnished spaces.
She was glad to be home and have this day behind her.
“Good evening, Ms. Baxter.”
She placed her purse and keys in the hands of her assistant, Daniel Ledger. “I’m not taking any calls or returning any this evening.” She was tired. She wanted a glass of wine, maybe two, and a long, hot soak in the tub.
Another unexpected element had cropped up. She now had someone else following her besides the feds. She hadn’t recognized the dark sedan, but it didn’t take any serious powers of deduction to know what was going on. Someone had decided to end this. Not really surprising. She’d actually wondered why they hadn’t chosen that route in the first place.
Killing her would certainly be a lot simpler. But then, knowing those behind this scheme, they would prefer the public humiliation route.
“You have a client standing by via Zoom in your office, ma’am.” Daniel looked less than pleased to have to make this announcement.
“A client?” She glanced at the delicate platinum watch on her wrist. Irritation furrowed her brow. She needed to think. The Dane Drake situation was nowhere near under control. And she needed to plan her next move with Carson Tanner. Time was not on her side. “I don’t recall having any appointments this evening.”
“Dr. Holderfield insisted on standing by until you returned.”
Holderfield. Perfect. She rubbed at the ache forming behind her brow. This moment had been inevitable.
“Tea,” she instructed Daniel as she headed for her office. She needed tea and then perhaps a martini instead of wine. She cleared her mind, opened the door, and breezed into the room. “Dr. Holderfield.”
He glared at her from the large screen mounted above her conference table. The empathetic expression she pulled off did nothing to diminish the fury pulsing behind that hard expression.
“I want the truth. Where is my son?”
Annette ushered sympathy into her tone as she prepared to respond. Considering her knowledge of Zac Holderfield’s exploits, doing so didn’t come naturally. “I heard the news, Dr. Holderfield. I know this must be a difficult time for you and your family, but I’m sure Zac will turn up or the police will find him.”
That simmering fury detonated. “I want you to find him!” He grappled to regain his composure. “This has something to do with Dane Drake. Zac mentioned him the last time we spoke. Something about a meeting or business of some sort.” His nostrils flared with a harsh intake of air. “I can only imagine what kind of business.”
Hospital administrator Dr. Dwight Holderfield would, of course, never utter aloud the exact nature of his son’s dealings with Dane Drake or almost anyone else. The sale of illegal drugs was not exactly what he’dhad in mind when he’d sent Zac to Auburn to become a pharmacist. Life often went awry in the best of families.
“If Dane and Zac had anybusinessdealings, I’m sure they were carried out with the same finesse as with all Zac’s customers.” Usually involving covert rendezvous and handguns.
“Fuck you,” Holderfield snarled. “I know—”
Daniel arrived with the tea, interrupting whatever he would have said next.
Annette settled into a lush white chair, the delicate china cup and saucer in her hands. As long as she appeared in control, her client would believe she was. At moments like this, the outward show of being collected was crucial.
