I swallow, suddenly cold, because he's right.
"He'll keep at it until he gets enough proof to arrest me, and once that happens, I'm done. Hell, I'm essentially done now, because he damn sure has me under surveillance."
"Dallas, no." I understand what he's saying--it makes perfect sense--and yet I can't quite process it. This is who Dallas is. What he is. And yes, I understand the irony of that thought. Because god knows I believed Deliverance was vile in the beginning. But that was before my eyes were opened, and now I understand what Deliverance does, not to mention how Dallas's role in that mission has shaped the man he's become.
"If he can prove this," Dallas says gravely, "he'll have me in a cage so fast it makes both our heads spin."
I swallow and cling to his arms. He bends forward, then pulls me to him and holds me tight. "After all this," he says, "after everything we've been through, I can't stand the thought that this is what breaks us."
"If it comes to that, we leave," I say recklessly. "We run." I can't bear the thought of being without him, either.
But Dallas only laughs. "Break another rule? Embarrass the family again? Take you away from Lisa forever? From Brody and Liam and Archie? Baby, I said I would protect you always, and I meant it. Even if that means protecting you from my mistakes."
"It won't happen," I say firmly. "I'll talk to Bill. I'll fight. We'll make Daddy hire the best attorneys, and--" I cut myself off on a sob.
"We have to tell them," I say. "About Colin and Adele for sure. Maybe about everything."
Dallas nods. "I know. Even if Adele's flown the coop, we still need to tell Mom and Dad about her. And about Colin. They need to know."
"Dad will feel vindicated," I predict. "But Mom--Dallas, it's going to completely wreck her."
"It will," he agrees, looking as miserable as I feel. "But what choice do we have?" he asks, and I have no answer. Because he is right.
It is time. Time to break our mother's heart.
He learned from Archie that his parents were spending the week in their Park Avenue apartment, and he said a silent thank-you that they didn't have to drive all the way to the Hamptons.
Then again, when the taxi pulled up in front of the stately pre-war building, Dallas almost wished they still had a few hours to go. He wasn't ready to dump this truth on his parents. Hell, he doubted he'd ever be ready. From the way Jane was sitting beside him, her fingers twined so tight in his that her knuckles were white, he knew she felt the same.
"Come on," he said. "Let
's do this."
Considering the width and breadth of his father's banishment of them, he almost feared that Charlie, the doorman, would turn them away, even though Jane had called from the car to tell Lisa they had something to talk about and were on their way over. But while Dallas was certain the man he'd known for years had pity in his eyes, his professional demeanor never faltered. He rang the apartment to announce them, nodded in confirmation, then called the elevator for them.
He and Jane stepped on together, and the moment the doors closed she lifted herself onto her toes and kissed him. "For luck," she said.
Lisa stood in the foyer when the elevator door opened, her arms wide to draw them both in. She hugged them tight and whispered, "Just give him time. Give him time."
She was talking, of course, about Eli, who stood behind her, his arms crossed over his chest, and a scowl cut deep into his face. "I assume this is about your relationship," Eli said as he led them into the den. "And your inheritance."
"No, sir," Dallas said. He glanced at Jane, who gave him a small smile as if for strength. "It's about Colin. And it's about Adele."
Lisa's eyes darted between the two of them. "Is he dead? Oh, dear god, did something happen to Colin? Adele must be a wreck. She's called almost every day wondering if I've heard from him. I can't say I've ever liked that woman much, but I can tell she's scared to death for him."
"He's missing," Dallas began. "But not in the way you think."
"What do you mean?"
"Bill told us the FBI is after him," Jane said. "We figure the FBI's either found him, someone he crossed found him, or he's on the run."
"What did I say?" Eli commented. "Didn't I tell you he got his hands into something dirty again. What is it? More tax fraud?"
"Kidnapping," Dallas said flatly, as Jane moved to sit by Lisa and take her hand. "Our kidnapping."
"What?" Lisa blinked, confused. "What do you mean your kidnapping?"
"He was behind it, Mom," Jane said gently. "Colin was the man behind our kidnapping."