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“Summer’s sixteen. That’s not her job.”
The words came out more harshly than she’d intended. She deliberately softened her tone. “I mean I’ve already depended on her too much as it is. She’s dealing with things, too. She’s still a kid.”
His gaze settled on her face. “Are you all right? Is Erica being a bitch?”
“No. She’s been—” Allison searched for the right word “—amazing. Peter, she’s opened her home to Jackson and me. She’s generous and thoughtful. I’m not saying she’s warm and fluffy, but she’s been incredibly kind when she didn’t have to be.”
She looked at her husband. “She’s nothing like you described.” She thought about asking about his claim that Erica had kept his half of the house even though Erica had bought it on her own, but didn’t know how without risking a fight.
Peter dismissed her comments with a wave of his hand. “I’m glad she’s treating you well, but don’t buy into the act. At her core, she’s coldhearted and calculating.”
Allison wasn’t convinced but nodded to keep the peace. She tucked the business card into her pocket. “I’m really happy about the lawyer.”
“Me, too. I need you to call him as soon as you get back to your car and arrange to see him.”
“Why?”
“He’s insisting you pay the retainer.” His expression hardened. “Given the charges, he doesn’t trust me to pay him later.”
Allison stared at him. “Pay his retainer? With what?”
“The money Cappy gave you.” He glanced around, then lowered his voice. “You said he gave you cash.”
“He did. Ten thousand dollars. I used some of it to pay for my medical insurance. Is the lawyer going to be more than that?”
Peter’s face went white then red. “That bastard!” he shouted loud enough to cause everyone around them to turn and stare. “That fucking bastard. It was supposed to be fifty. I gave him fifty thousand. When I get out of here I’m—”
Guards hurried up and grabbed him.
“You know better,” one of them told Peter. “You were warned.”
Peter tried to shake off their hold. “I’m fine. I’ll be quiet.”
He continued to pull against their hold. Allison wanted to tell him to stop. It was obvious they were getting annoyed, but she didn’t want to make trouble for him.
One of the guards looked at her. “You’re done here, ma’am.”
Peter glared at her. “Don’t you dare leave. This is our visit and I didn’t do anything wrong.”
The guards half dragged, half carried Peter from the visitors’ room. He shouted at them the entire way. Allison stood and quickly made her way to the exit. Her heart was pounding and she felt oddly vulnerable. Telling herself there was no reason to be afraid didn’t help at all.
Once she was outside, she breathed in the cool, damp air and walked to her car. She went as fast as she could, then got inside and locked the doors. Her breathing was ragged, her body damp with sweat. Baby Bethany kicked and turned as if she sensed her mother’s unease.
Allison pulled the business card from her pocket and stared at it before pulling out her phone. She would call the lawyer and find out what...
“He said it was supposed to be fifty thousand dollars,” she whispered to herself. “He gave some guy fifty thousand dollars to hold for him.”
Why would Peter do that? Didn’t he trust her? All of this could have been so much easier if she’d had access to that kind of money. She could have actually slept at night instead of worrying. She could have made plans. But he hadn’t said a word about it so there was no way to know his associate had stolen from him.
Maybe he’d been afraid the police would get a warrant for the house, she thought. If the cash had been on the property, it would have been seized.
It was the best explanation she could come up with. Anything else meant she didn’t know her husband at all and she just couldn’t go there right now.
She dialed the number.
“Collins, Greenwall and Smith,” a female voice said.
“Raymond Collins, please. This is Allison Jenkins.”
