Dirty Little Liars (16 page)

“Like I said, it’s not common knowledge. I grew up with Ty. We’ve been best friends since we were old enough to know what a best friend was.”

It certainly explained why he was so protective of Ty. It was more than a job. He was Ty’s family, his real, true family.

Juliette dropped her head into her hands. “This is all my fault. I should have known I’d make a mess of things.”

“What? Don’t go blaming yourself. Dean used you. That’s what he does.”

“I have to tell Ty. He needs to know the truth.”

“No he doesn’t. Despite what you think and the crazy mess we’ve made of this campaign, you coming into his life was the best thing that has ever happened to him. His father couldn’t have predicted it; he thinks you’re just another pretty distraction for his son. But I knew the moment I saw Ty follow you out of that bedroom that you were different.”

“I can’t just keep lying to him. Not after knowing all this.”

“I’m not saying you never tell him, or that he won’t find out eventually. He will. Dean will see to it. But not now. Not tonight. He can’t walk away from this campaign. If he does, his father wins.”

“Wins what? His pride?”

“No. We suspect Dean paid someone to assassinate Senator Reis as part of a cover-up to stall a federal investigation into his businesses.”

“Wait, what?” She tried to process what he was saying.

“We got Anderson to appoint Tyler to the vacant seat in hopes that we could find enough evidence to connect Dean to the death. But so far…nothing. If Robertson gets elected and we lose the seat, we lose any leverage we have over Dean and he gets away with murder.”

“It wouldn’t be the first time.”

“More importantly, it won’t be the last.”

Winston inched forward in his seat. “We have to win this election. Robertson will never stand up to a man like Dean Covington. Whatever information Senator Reis was hiding, Dean will finally have a chance to destroy it, unless we can keep him at bay.”

Juliette’s phone rang and she jumped at the sound. “I thought you had my calls blocked.”

“Only the ones that aren’t contacts in your address book.”

She looked at the screen. “It’s Ty.”

“You should answer it.”

“I can’t.”

“If you don’t he will assume the worst and be on your doorstep in the next ten minutes.”

Winston was right. Juliette had no clue how much of the truth Ty actually suspected, but she knew he’d be worried about the news of their affair being leaked to the press. He’d want to know for himself that she was all right.

“Hello?” Her voice damn near cracked when she spoke.

“I thought you weren’t going to answer. I’m sorry I haven’t made it over there yet. Is Winston there? Did he tell you what happened?”

Juliette nodded her head and then remembered that he couldn’t see her over the phone.

“I’m fine, Ty. Don’t worry about me.”

“This is a complete and total cluster fuck. Courtney is livid. She wants to personally go after any reporter who dares to air the story tomorrow.”

Oh God. Courtney. She had forgotten all about her. What the hell was her role in this?

Winston waved a hand, drawing her out of her deep, dark thoughts and she struggled for something to ease Ty’s worries. “I’m sure it won’t look so bad in the morning. It’s just a few blogs and Winston and I are working on a game plan now. He’ll send you the CliffsNotes version as soon as we’re finished.”

“What are you talking about? We’re not going to spin this. I’m going to tell the truth. I’m going to call it off with Courtney, make a public apology for my actions, and ask for forgiveness.”

“No,” Juliette said.

“Yes. I’ve already told Courtney it’s over. She doesn’t really believe me yet, but she will when I sit down with Barbara Walters for an exclusive.”

“Please don’t do this. You can’t do this.”

“Why not? I love you. I’m in love with you. I can’t stop thinking about you. When I’m around you, it takes every ounce of my being to keep me from touching you. I want the world to know that you are the woman I love and I don’t give a damn if this messes up my chance in the election.”

Juliette was silent on the other end of the phone. Had he really just said those words? Did he love her? Was he willing to sacrifice everything to be with her? Winston certainly believed so. It was why he wanted her to hold off on telling Ty the truth. But if she couldn’t tell him about her connection to his father, what could she do?

“Are you still there?”

“I don’t love you,” she said. She knew the words were a lie the moment they left her lips. “I’m sorry, Ty. But we can’t be together. You need to make it right with Courtney.”

Juliette bit her trembling lip and brushed away a stray tear from her cheek.

You’re doing this for Ty. He needs to win this election. He needs to beat his father at his own game. And he might not love you if he knew the truth— that you were working for his father the whole time.

“I have to go,” she said. Before he could ask any more questions she clicked “end” and dropped the phone. Her hand shook as she scooted away from the table. Winston came over to her and pulled her into a strong hug.

And then, she wept.

Chapter 35: The Disappearing Act

Juliette needed an escape. The secret identities, the lies, the looming threat of Covington slitting her throat in her sleep when he found out she abandoned her mark…it was too much to bear. She needed to get as far away as possible. She needed to leave the world of Jules Everdeen behind.

She threw on a faded sweatshirt and jeans. Then she grabbed a duffel bag from the closet and started tossing in the essentials: shirts, pants, underwear, bra, fuzzy slippers, and a cosmetics bag with small travel-size toiletries already packed. She grabbed a book from her nightstand, her keys from the counter, and a new Entertainment Weekly magazine from her stack of mail and was out the door.

Juliette didn’t bother to call her godparents until she was halfway to the cabin. She had been driving the rental car for an hour and a half and was just nearing Shenandoah National Park. She pulled into a gas station to stretch her legs and dialed her parents on the cell.

“Jewel, love, it’s so nice to hear your voice,” Mimi crooned. “To what do I owe this surprise?”

“I’m on my way to the cabin.”

Her godmother didn’t miss a beat. “I see.”

“I know I should have called earlier, but…it was kind of a last-minute thing,” she said grumpily.

“This is your home. You are welcome anytime. Day or night. You know that.”

“Thanks.”

“I have to say, I am a bit surprised. Is everything going well in D.C.?”

“Yeah, sure. It’s great. I just wanted a little family time. It’s been too long since I’ve been home.”

“Mmm hmm.” Mimi purred into the phone. She suspected Juliette of hiding something, but thankfully didn’t press her over the phone. Though Juliette was certain the topic would come up more than once at the cabin. Mimi was persistent. They hung up and Juliette grabbed a Coke and gassed up. Then she was back on the road, headed to one of her favorite childhood homes.

Juliette pulled onto the gravel drive that led to her parents’ cabin. The place was about as off the grid as you could get. Her parents had owned a beautiful plot of land on the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains. In the dead center they built their dream home. With their passing it had been willed to Juliette, but over the years Mimi and Jean had adopted it as their permanent place of residence. It wasn’t the typical log cabin you would expect to find in the middle of the woods, rather, a beautiful five bedroom house with three levels and an outdoor Jacuzzi and heated pool that they used in the warmer months. The living room overlooked a giant ravine that made the house feel as if it had a living landscape perched on its back wall. Juliette loved to sit on the couch and dream up adventures—all the things she would do to make her parents proud. Now as she approached the house she felt a bit of remorse for letting them down.

But her godparents didn’t feel that way. They took Juliette in their arms with big hugs and lots of kisses and ushered her into her bedroom to shower and change. Then they promised a hot lunch, movies, and perhaps a game of Scrabble, a family tradition on Sunday afternoons. Though it wasn’t Sunday, they seemed to let that slide.

Juliette bypassed the shower for a long bath in the soaking tub. She cranked on the water, added bubbles, and switched on the jets. Then she climbed inside and let the hot water burn away her troubles.

By the time she dried herself off, dressed, and changed she could smell Mimi’s famous beignets frying in the kitchen. She quickly brushed her hair into a loose ponytail and went off to meet her family.

The food was delicious. Mimi was an excellent cook. Jean always claimed that was the true reason that he married her. But she argued it was because she was the only woman he had ever met who could smuggle the same Rembrandt painting past customs twice without getting caught.

After breakfast they filed into the living room and clicked on the TV. Jean was just getting ready to stick in a DVD when Juliette spotted the headline on the bottom of the news screen.

“Wait.” She grabbed the remote and clicked to CNN, hoping she could catch the report.

There he was, Dean Covington, in handcuffs.

Juliette couldn’t believe it. What the hell had gone down in the last twenty-four hours? Had Winston and Ty found what they needed to connect Dean to the murder?

The network didn’t have a mug shot of Covington, though she was sure they would have sold their souls to get one. Instead they used an enlarged headshot from his corporate website. Running beside it was a video clip of him being escorted from his downtown D.C. office in handcuffs beside a frenzied looking attorney who worked in vain to shield his client from the cameras. The video faded and was replaced by another photo of Senator Tyler Chase.

“Early reports indicate that Senator Chase may somehow be connected to Mr. Covington, though at this time the FBI has refused to release any further details of their investigation.”

Juliette ran to the kitchen and grabbed her phone. She hit redial without thinking as she jogged back to the living room.

She supposed she should have called Ty. But after last night she couldn’t bear to speak to him. So she called Winston, the man with the plan, to ask him what the hell had happened after he left her apartment.

But Winston didn’t answer and her call went straight to voicemail. She left an awkward message asking for him to call her and mentioning she wanted to know if Tyler was okay. While she was rambling, the video on CNN changed. Winston was standing in front of Tyler’s private residence in Richmond, VA and a bevy of TV anchors were throwing mics in his direction.

“At this time Mr. Chase appreciates your concern. He wants to take some time to be with his loved ones as he processes this shocking news and will plan to address the press himself at a later date and time.” He thanked the group and turned away, ignoring the catcalls yelled out at him, pleading for more time and information. As Winston opened the front door to the house he pulled out his cell phone from his breast pocket. Her phone began to ring before he even dialed the number.

“Winston?”

“Sorry I couldn’t talk when you called. I was kind of in the middle of something.”

“No, I just saw you on TV.” Juliette clutched the phone tighter as she ran to the stairs and locked herself in her bedroom. “What the hell is going on?”

“I don’t know. The Feds swarmed in this morning around five and arrested Dean. Somehow during that process the secret of his connection to Tyler Chase made its way to the newsroom and those news leeches latched onto it like a dog with a bone. I think a few of them suspect he is Dean’s son, but they haven’t found enough evidence to run it on air.”

“Oh my God. Is Ty okay?”

“He’s doing as well as can be expected, considering the last few hours he’s had.”

“Should I come over?” She offered without thinking. She was almost three hours away. Would she really just turn around and drive to Richmond just to comfort Ty? Juliette held her breath as she waited for Winston to answer.

“I’m not sure that is a good idea. He was distraught when I got here. Your declaration last night really hit him hard.”

“I…” She didn’t know what to say. “I thought it was the right thing to do. I didn’t want to become more of a distraction.”

“I get that. He will too. Eventually. You should stay off the grid today. You shouldn’t get any stray calls, because I’m still blocking them, but people might show up at your apartment.”

“Let them. No one is home. I’m staying with my godparents and my roommate is still out in New Mexico.”

“Good. I’ll call you later, when I have more news.”

The two of them hung up and Juliette tried to make a non-conspicuous entrance into the living room. But Jean leapt from his seat the moment he spotted her.

“How bad is it?”

Chapter 36: Daddy Issues

It took Juliette the better part of an hour to convince her godparents that she was not in any danger. They still didn’t believe her, but gave up when they realized she was never going to admit to anything. “You are just like your father,” Mimi muttered as she went into the kitchen to start a fresh pot of coffee.

Juliette insisted the family continue on with their day as planned so they put in the movie—Oceans Eleven, the original—and snuggled up on the couch.

When it was finished, Jean was ready to start in again, but Juliette distracted him with the request to build a fire. Then she set to a game of Scrabble on the square coffee table. They were just dividing up the letters when there was a knock on the door.

The three of them froze, and then Jean snapped into action. “Juliette, go to your room.” He said it as if she were six years old.

“Père, I’m sure it’s nothing.”

“Now.” The look on his face told her not to question his authority in his own home and she didn’t really have the energy to fight him this time. She pulled herself to her feet and headed for the stairs.