When You Dare - Lori Foster [136]
Bishop worked his jaw. “Exactly. This is hardly the time for chatting about her outrageous career choice.” In clear recrimination, he watched Kathi a moment longer before turning back to Dare. “I say again, I would never get involved in such a thing.”
“Stick with that story if you want. My goal now is to keep Molly and Natalie safe, whatever it takes.”
Kathi made a rude sound. “Why ever would Natalie be in any danger?”
“Why wouldn’t she be?”
Kathi waved a hand at Molly. “You said whoever took her wanted Molly.”
“No, I didn’t.” Softly, Dare told her, “We don’t yet know why she was taken. If it wasn’t Bishop, then the threat could be to any or all of you. But I promise I’m going to get to the bottom of it, no matter what it takes.”
“Fine.” She dismissed his warning as unimportant. “As long as you accept that Bishop wasn’t involved.”
She wanted verification that her husband was in the clear. She wouldn’t get it from Dare.
Molly stayed rigid beside him; for her sake, he needed to end this and soon. “I think my next course of action is to go to the law. This wasn’t done by one person. Whoever arranged it had help. Once the story breaks, someone will talk.” He leveled a look on Bishop. “Someone always does. And then we’ll know the truth.”
Putting his head in his hands, Bishop whispered, “I’ll be ridiculed, ruined…”
“A little useless gossip is all you care about, right?” Dare tugged Molly into his side. She was too silent, and it worried him. But when he looked at her, she appeared more thoughtful than hurt. “The fact that Molly was taken doesn’t even factor in?”
Sighing, Bishop lifted his head and looked up at his daughter. A flicker of genuine emotion showed. “I can still see the bruising,” he said quietly. And then, “You’ll be okay?”
“Yes.” Molly positioned her chin as she always did when on the defensive. “Thanks to Dare, I’m fine now.”
“She was damn near dead when I found her,” Dare said. “Drugged. Tortured. Dehydrated and starved.”
Molly gave him a sideways glance at how he played up her mistreatment. She had been tortured, but probably not in the way her father and Kathi now assumed.
“Molested?” Kathi asked.
Molly shook her head. “Don’t sound so broken up over it, Kathi. They spared me that humiliation.”
Her sarcasm was wasted. “Well, I would assume…that is, if you were truly treated so badly, why would they not have raped you?”
“Goddamn it, Kathi! Shut up.”
Startled by Bishop’s rebuke, she was quick to say, “I’m glad you weren’t subjected to that.”
Sitting back in his seat, Bishop ran both hands through his hair. He took a steadying breath, and locked gazes with Molly. “You might not believe me, but I’m truly sorry for what you’ve suffered, and you need to know that I had nothing to do with it.”
Molly said nothing.
“If you go public, no one will believe that you weren’t used sexually. You realize that, I’m sure.” Bishop shook his head. “Your life will be under a microscope, Molly. Not only will you damage me, but your sister’s livelihood as a teacher could be at stake, and you’ll ruin yourself, as well.”
“Natalie only wants what is best for me,” Molly told him.
Dare admired her aplomb under fire. “And, you know, I think it’d work as publicity for Molly’s novels.” No way in hell would Dare let that happen, but Bishop couldn’t know that. His opinion of Dare was not favorable.
And that suited Dare’s purpose just fine.
“Think about it,” Dare said. “Every newspaper and magazine out there will be talking about her and, by association, her books. Her sales are already through the roof with the movie deal, but this would bring a real focus to her and her work.”
Incredulity widened Kathi’s eyes. “Monster,” she whispered with venom. “You would destroy my husband and all he’s worked for to promote her?”
Dare lifted a shoulder in negligent disregard. Molly, God bless her, held her own council. “It’d be a by-product of finding the truth, but what the hell? All publicity is good publicity. Isn’t that what they say?”
“I can’t stop