Eternally Yours - Brenda Jackson [100]
She had met Senator Harris a couple of years ago when he had come into her travel agency to arrange a cruise for him and his wife. It didn’t take long for him to figure out that in her profession, since she came in contact with a lot of people, especially by planning trips for those in political circles, she could be an asset to him.
At first he had only been interested in inside information on some of his supposedly close friends. She had passed information to him about Senator Mat Williams’s affair with a woman young enough to be his daughter, Senator Paul Dunlap’s daughter’s abortion, and Senator Carl Booker’s son’s drug addiction.
He had paid her well for the information she had obtained with Emery’s help. But this assignment involving Braxter had been the first that she had gotten personally involved with to the point of going so far as to sleep with someone to get information. And since the day Braxter had discovered the truth, her life had not been the same. Somehow his pain had become hers, especially knowing she’d been the cause of it.
She picked up the phone to make the call to Senator Harris and then slammed it back down. She just couldn’t do it. The amount of money he had paid her no longer mattered. She would pay back every penny of it to him.
She went into the bedroom and slipped into her coat. Going back into the living room she picked up the packet, grabbed her purse, then walked out of the door.
Nedwyn Lansing leaned back against his desk chair as he released a long-drawn breath. Suddenly all the anger he had ever felt in his entire lifetime hit him with the force of a tidal wave.
How could this have happened? How could such a mistake be made? How could Jan’s child be turned over to the authorities when her father was very much alive and would have wanted her had he known about her?
He shook his head to calm his temper. There was no doubt in his mind that Syneda Walters was Jan’s child. The report clearly named Jan as Syneda’s biological mother and gave the reason she’d been placed in a foster home after Jan’s death. Her father had not come to claim his child.
He picked up the phone knowing the one person he had to call immediately. He paused when there was a knock on his door. He then remembered that Braxter had not yet left.
“What is it, Braxter?”
Braxter opened the door and came in. He immediately noticed the intense expression the senator wore. “I just got a call from security downstairs. Clayton Madaris is here to see you.”
“Clayton Madaris?” The senator shook his head slowly, glancing down at the report before him. He sat silently for a moment before saying, “Have security send him up.”
Clayton frowned when he stepped into the senator’s office and saw the other man standing there. “I was hoping to get a chance to speak with you privately, Senator.”
The senator nodded. He then proceeded to introduce the two men. “Braxter is my top aide, Clayton, and we can talk openly in front of him. Besides, it’s about time I let him in on what’s going on, since I have a pretty good idea as to why you’re here. Let’s sit down.”
Once everyone was seated, Clayton began. “I’m sure by now you’re aware someone is trying to ruin your political career, Senator.”
The senator’s gaze didn’t flicker from Clayton’s. “Yes, I’m aware of it. What I would like to know is what’s your connection, and how do you know so much about it?”
Clayton breathed an annoyed sigh but calmly contained himself. Although he had known the senator a number of years due to the senator’s close relationship with his late uncle Robert and his uncle Jake, Clayton understood his need to be cautious in certain situations. This was one of those situations.
“My connection is the woman I plan to marry. Someone is planning to use her as a weapon in an attempt to destroy your