She inclined her head. “He’s quite a public figure, isn’t he?”
Doug heard the love and caring in her voice. “He’s one of the few politicians who can claim a good political and moral record. I can see a lot of you in him,” he said softly.
“That’s a nice compliment.” She smiled. “You haven’t made the connection yet. Could it be the news hasn’t reached Michigan?”
Another lie coming back to bite him. “You’re Chicago’s infamous Runaway Bride. I made the connection, I just didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
“You didn’t recognize me then?” He couldn’t mistake the hope in her tone.
He grasped on to his first day on Secret Fantasy and fingered one spiral curl with his finger. “The hair’s different than the pictures.”
She glanced down. “Everyone thinks I bolted because I got cold feet. Or I had a lover on the side. Did you know local radio stations in Chicago are holding contests? It was ridiculous. I couldn’t leave my house without being followed. Don’t people have anything better to do than focus on my life? I’m not even a celebrity.” She shook her head in disgust.
“You never know what’s going to strike people’s interest.”
She lifted her head and met his gaze. “You haven’t asked me why I ran.”
“If you want me to know, you’ll tell me.” When she looked back on this conversation he wanted her to be able to remember she’d revealed without being pushed or prodded. That he hadn’t forced or directed the conversation in any way.
Because when she found out the truth, not only didn’t he want her hurt, but he wanted her to be able to forgive him.
“I do want to tell you. I just don’t know where to begin.”
Her pain was palpable and Doug had no desire to prolong the revelation any longer than necessary. “I know about the newspaper articles fingering your ex’s business partner in a money-laundering scheme.”
She winced. “Then you know the article was retracted due to lack of proof.”
He merely nodded.
“I believed Stuart was innocent. I believed his partner, Congressman Haywood, was innocent.”
“So the retraction must have been a blessing.”
“At the time it only confirmed what I already knew. But later…”
Doug held his breath. Here it was, the answer to his story. The one that would put him back on top, ease his father’s emotional unrest and fix the damage he’d done to the Tribune’s reputation. That damned guilt warred with anticipation deep inside him.
Juliette stared off into the distance. “We’d gotten to the church early to do that last-minute family thing. But I was getting claustrophobic and I left my mother and sister in the back chamber because I needed air. The church wasn’t filled yet but I didn’t want to run into anyone, so I went out the back to a place Stuart, Gillian and I used to hang out when we were kids. That’s where I saw them.”
Adrenalin rushed through his veins. “Saw who?”
“Stuart, Congressman Haywood and Paul Costa.” She clenched and unclenched her fists. “The article in the paper alluded to Mob connections and money laundering but it didn’t mention anyone by name. But Costa is an alleged boss and there’s no way I wouldn’t recognize him. And then there was the snippet of conversation I overheard. Something about the retraction being taken care of and the reporter silenced.” She shivered. “There was no question what Stuart was involved in.”
Doug listened to her in disbelief. His gut had told him she knew something to link Barnes and Haywood to illegal dealings. He’d never once thought she’d been an actual eyewitness.
“Did they see you?” At the thought, his stomach began to churn.
“Would you miss a bride in her fluffy white wedding dress?” she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Actually Stuart caught sight of me and excused himself. I’d already ducked back inside and he grabbed my arm and led me to someplace private. We had a huge argument. I called off the wedding and he…” She inhaled deep.
“He what?” Doug grasped her hands, warming them inside his. He had his story. Now he needed to take care of Juliette. And later he’d figure out how to tell her the truth without ripping her heart and trust to shreds. “Did he threaten you?”
She shook her head. “I don’t think I’d be as torn or confused about what to do if I’d been his target. He said if he went down, he’d make sure he took my father with him. An implicit threat to keep my mouth shut.”
And knowing Juliette’s strong feelings for her parent, something Stuart Barnes had to have known, he’d easily guaranteed her silence.
Doug squeezed her hands tighter. “Forgive me for asking this, but is your father involved in anyway?”
“No. But if Senator Stanton’s handpicked protégé is arrested, it’ll taint my father’s record and any good he’s accomplished in his term. He might be innocent, but he’ll go down in history as leaving office surrounded by scandal and suspicion.”