On One Condition
Chapter Ten
Damon stood outside the house, bracing himself for the coming confrontation. It might have only been a few days since he’d left, but it felt more like a lifetime.
Entering the house, he strode past his shocked butler, heading straight into his library. Someone had cleaned up, fixing the demolition he’d left in his wake.
Jeff stood, eyes wide. “You’re back? That was fast.”
“What are you doing here?” Damon asked.
“I’m looking for the file on May’s shipment for the accountant.” Jeff came around the desk and clapped Damon on the shoulder. “Welcome home.”
“Thanks. Where’s Johanna?”
Jeff’s gaze slid to the floor. “Uh, look. There’s something I have to tell you.”
“Can it wait?” Damon headed for the door. “I’m looking for Johanna.”
As he passed the table where she often sat, he saw the papers she’d been marking still sat there—over a week old.
Dread crept into his mind and refused to leave. Why would those papers still be on the table?
“It’s about her,” Jeff said quietly. “She’s gone.”
Damon froze, his gut wrenching painfully. “Gone? Gone, where?”
“No one knows. She left the day after you.” Jeff came to his side, handing him a tumbler of whiskey. “I’m sorry.”
“Gone,” Damon repeated. He handed the glass back to Jeff. “I’ll go to the school in the morning and see her there, then. Once I explain—”
“She quit.” Jeff shoved the glass into Damon’s hands and backed away. “When I say she’s gone…I mean completely.”
Damon sank into the nearest chair, misery squeezing the air out of his chest until he wondered if this was how he would die, heartbroken and abandoned. “She left me.”
“Well…you did leave first.”
“No, I didn’t.” Damon snapped. Then…oh, then it hit him.
He’d left. After all the things she told him about her past, after all her fears…he’d left her. Bloody hell, he had done this. He’d pushed her away by abandoning her. By rousing all the fears she’d tried to lay to rest because he had to be a cold, callous idiot and retreat.
How could he be such a fool? How could he forget, for even the slightest second, that she would be devastated?
Betrayed? She wouldn’t see it for what it really meant: a time out. She would assume he’d left her for good, just like everyone else in her life.
Shit, shit, shit.
“I need to find her, Jeff.” He met his friend’s gaze, determination straightening his spine. He rose to his feet, narrowing his eyes. “I will find her.”
…
Damon stared at the red light, hands tightening on the steering wheel. A week. A whole useless, sleepless week searching, and still no trace of Johanna. He’d stalked the school parking lot so often the principal had threatened to call the police. Still he went.
If anyone knew where Johanna was, it would be Sara. He’d begged, cajoled, and pleaded for any scrap of information, but she’d sworn she didn’t know. She was probably lying.
But if he didn’t find Johanna, and soon, he didn’t know what he’d do. When his house came into view, a groan dragged out of him. The familiar thrill of coming home was gone. Johanna had taken it with her. He dragged himself out of the car, but walking seemed to take too much effort.
The clack of a woman’s heels echoed as he entered the foyer. He stopped, for a split second frozen by euphoria.
She came back. His Johanna was back.
Gripping the banister, he whirled to face her. When she rounded the corner, he took an eager step in her direction, only to freeze mid-stride.
It wasn’t Johanna. It was her.
“Why are you here?” he snarled.
Cecile smiled, sashaying to his side. “I heard she left you.”
Damon tensed. “Oh? Where did you hear that?”
“A friend.” She waved her hand. “Who cares? He’s not important. What is important is the fact that you need a wife.”
“I have a wife,” he growled. “Get out.”
“Not anymore you don’t. You need a wife in this house with you, or you’ll lose everything.”
Damon shrugged “I don’t give a damn.”
“Are you insane?” She gripped his shoulder. “You need your money. You can’t let it go to waste.”
He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Honestly? I really don’t care.”
“You’ve gone mad.” She stared at him.
“No. For the first time ever, I’m seeing clearly. I don’t need to be rich to be happy. I just need her.”
“You’re a fool,” she spat, shaking him. “She left you and ran all the way across the country…and you want her back? After she abandoned you and cursed you to a life of poverty?”
“I won’t give up. I’ll find her someday and—” He broke off. “How do you know where she is?”
“What?” She blanched. “I-I don’t.”
“You lie.” He gripped her shoulders. “Tell me, and tell me now, or I’ll call your parents. I’ll let them know you’ve been sleeping with every servant you can get your hands on, and you’re drinking again. I’m sure they’d love to hear the truth about their darling daughter. In fact, I’d wager they’d send you straight back to rehab—and cut off your stipend.”
“They won’t believe you!” she cried.
“Won’t they?”
She trembled in his arms. “Fine. Have it your way. Your slut is in California.”
“California?” He shook his head. “Why the hell would she go out there?”
“She got a letter from her father. Or…” Cecile shrugged free of his grip. “She thought she did.”
“Get out,” he snapped. “And pray that I never see you again.”
Her heels clacked on the floor in rapid tempo as she fled.
…
Johanna lay on the hotel bed, torn between bawling her eyes out and vomiting. Maybe both. Why in the world would anyone do this? What kind of sicko would fake a letter asking her to bail her father out of jail?
And why didn’t it hurt more?
She missed Damon. Had he come back yet? Did he even know she’d left? Would he care? She couldn’t bring herself to call and find out. Couldn’t make herself dial the number to the house. What if he answered? Worse, what if he hung up on her?