Private Lives. Karen Young

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СКАЧАТЬ sake, Diane. The whole world can hear you!”

      “It’s too damn bad you can’t hear me, Ryan.” She shoved her sunglasses back on her face and turned away, lips trembling. “Oh, hell, I know I’m wasting my time.” She drew in a shaky breath. “I’ve been trying to reach you since early this morning.”

      “I’ve been in court. Which is why my cell phone was off. What’s going on?”

      “It’s Jennifer, of course.”

      Ryan looked at the ground as though taking a moment to count to ten. “What now, Diane?”

      “She’s really done it this time, Ryan. She stole a car. Can you believe that?”

      “What!”

      “It gets worse. She had an accident.”

      Ryan’s attitude went instantly from shock to concern. “Is she hurt?” He looked at the car as if expecting to see Jennifer. “Where is she?”

      “She’s not hurt. She’s at your house. I dropped her there and told her I was going to find you.” She pressed a hand to her lips. “She’s in serious trouble, Ryan.”

      “Are the police involved?”

      “I haven’t called anybody yet.” She pushed her hair back and looked directly at him again. “She left the scene. She hit somebody who was biking in Hermann Park. There was no other car involved. And then she—she just drove off, Ryan.” Diane spread her hands in a gesture of pure bafflement.

      “Jesus Christ.” He leaned against the car, then turned to see Elizabeth watching. Straightening, he caught Diane’s arm and moved out of earshot. “Go back to my house and wait for me there. I’ll clear up what I’ve got going here and be there within an hour. Don’t talk to anybody else about this. I’ll do that when I get home.”

      “I called the hospitals to try to get some information about the—the victim,” Diane said hesitantly. Her face was tight with strain. “No luck. I—I didn’t call the police to see if he was—”

      “I’ll handle it.” Ryan reached out and squeezed her shoulder. “Try not to worry, Di.” His jaw went rigid. “And tell Jennifer—” He stopped, waited a moment or two as if reconsidering. “Tell her to sit tight and we’ll talk when I get there.”

      Diane’s face was bleak as she met his eyes. “I can’t believe she did this, Ryan.”

      “Yeah, she’s out of control. We’ve both seen it coming.” He shook his head. “I don’t know what to tell you.”

      “You’re going to have to take her. She needs a stronger hand, Ryan.” She pushed a hand through her hair wearily. “I’m just at the end of my rope.”

      “It’s okay,” he said, nodding. “We’ll work something out. Go back now and stay with her. She shouldn’t be left alone too long under the circumstances.”

      She nodded wordlessly, then as she stepped off the curb to go around her car, she glanced about and saw Elizabeth. “I’m sorry,” she murmured. “I guess your friend heard everything. Or is she a client?”

      “Neither. Drive carefully now.”

      He stood watching as she walked back to the BMW, got in and started it. He lifted a palm and waved her off, his face troubled. Finally, he turned where Elizabeth was waiting. “Sorry about that.”

      She gave a small shrug and smiled sympathetically. “Looks like you’ll have your hands full for a while.”

      “I’d like to keep this private, Elizabeth. My daughter seems to be going through a bad patch.”

      “Certainly. Consider it forgotten.”

      “Thanks.”

      “You were saying that Gina dismissed Maude when you left. I can’t believe that.”

      “See for yourself.” He looked beyond her as Austin’s Porsche pulled into a parking slot across the street from the coffee shop. Gina got out and even from this distance, Elizabeth could tell she was flushed and animated. At a signal from Austin, she waited for him to come around the car. He bent and said something in her ear. She nodded, not quite smiling, but she looked far less fragile than she’d been in the courtroom less than two hours ago. Tucking his hand beneath her elbow, they started across the street. There was no sign of Maude Kennedy.

      “Hello,” Ryan murmured, watching them. “Looks as if they’re all made up.”

      “Thanks to you,” Elizabeth said bitterly. “Once Austin got her alone, he would have wasted no time convincing her that they didn’t need anybody to help them work this out. So now he’s got a free hand to persuade her to anything he wants. Trust me, it won’t be to Gina’s advantage.”

      Ryan looked down at her. “You really despise him, don’t you?”

      “He’s a despicable human being.”

      Both were silent as the couple approached. Gina’s smile, when she spotted them, was a little too bright. “Lizzie, I’m glad I caught you. Hi, Ryan. Are you two getting acquainted?”

      “Mr. Paxton was just leaving,” Elizabeth said, then added coolly, “Hello, Austin.”

      “Liz.” Austin’s pale eyes sliced over her.

      “Austin and I are going to lunch, Liz. We’re going to talk this over ourselves, try to put something together without the…the lawyers.” She gave a quick, embarrassed half laugh. “No offense, Ryan. So, Liz, you needn’t wait around to give me a lift home as we’d planned.”

      “What are you doing, Gina? You know why the judge directed you to work out an agreement with the help of your lawyers. These things are handled best with people who aren’t emotionally involved.” She gave Austin a quick glance, unmoved by the venom in his glare. She expected Austin to try an end run around the judge’s order, but why would Gina give him the opportunity after the abominable way he’d treated her? “If you go with Austin now, you give up any advantage you might have in negotiations. You know how he is, Gina.”

      “Oh, Lizzie—”

      “Yeah, Lizzie,” Austin said, with sarcasm, “however Gina decides to work this out is none of your business. And even if she wants advice from her lawyer, that’s Maude Kennedy, not you. So butt out. Now.”

      Ignoring him, Elizabeth focused on Gina, but it was a struggle to keep the edge from her voice. “Does Maude know you’re going to handle this without her and does she approve, Gina?”

      “She—she was a little reluctant, but—”

      “C’mon, Gina. I’m ready for some fresh air.” With his arm around Gina’s waist, Austin’s razor-sharp smile included Ryan as well as Elizabeth. “That judge was so full of shit that it’ll take me and Gina a while to shovel through it and come up with a reasonable plan, but we can do it, can’t we, honey? And without the help of lawyers.”

      He took a step or two, but stopped as another thought struck him. There was no smile on his face when he addressed СКАЧАТЬ