Any Way You Want It (Brand Clan #2)(81)

“Take care of her, Norman,” he growled.

“Yes, sir. You know I always do.”

After the Phantom pulled off, Remy climbed into his truck, slammed the door and roared away from the mansion, determined to get some answers from Keegan.

Robyn, Racquel, Lena, Morgan and Skylar converged upon Zandra’s penthouse that evening. They surrounded her with their arms wrapped around her waist, their eyes full of gentle concern and righteous anger as they fussed over her bruised cheek and hissed scathing invectives at her father.

Since Cora was on vacation, Robyn bustled into the kitchen and whipped up a chicken casserole that soon had the whole apartment smelling like heaven. Under normal circumstances Zandra would have been the first in line to get a helping, but tonight her voracious appetite was nowhere to be found. She had to be prodded and bullied into eating the modest portion that Robyn served her, then she’d curled up on the sofa with her legs pulled up to her chest. Someone draped a warm blanket over her at some point, and a glass of red wine on the table beckoned her to sip and soothe her frayed nerves.

Though no one turned on the television, the conversation centered around the story that had headlined the day’s local news broadcasts. The women were so outraged at the injustice Zandra had suffered, she wouldn’t have been surprised if they simultaneously broke into a chorus of Helen Reddy’s rallying anthem “I Am Woman.”

Throughout the spirited discussion, they cast worried glances at Zandra as she sat with her head leaning back against the sofa, staring vacantly at the ceiling. They weren’t used to seeing her like this. They were used to her being a tough, feisty fighter—the first to smear on the war paint and charge into battle.

But Zandra didn’t have much fight in her tonight. She felt like she’d been ambushed, because she’d never seen Remy’s betrayal coming.

He knew better than anyone how much her escort agency meant to her. When she’d decided to open Elite For You Companions, he was the first person she’d told, and over the years he’d been her sounding board when things didn’t always go smoothly. Yet none of that had mattered to him when he’d decided to conduct his secret investigation.

And that, more than being publicly humiliated or losing clients, was what devastated Zandra the most.

“Honey, do you want to go lie down in your room?” Skylar asked, gently touching Zandra’s knee.

She shook her head, trying to smile. “I’m fine.”

Lena frowned sympathetically. “Sweetie, we can all see that you’re not fine.”

Zandra made no reply. She hadn’t told them about Remy’s role in this whole nightmare. The pain of his betrayal was too raw, and she didn’t feel comfortable bashing him around his sisters.

Especially when Robyn curved an arm around her and gently guided Zandra’s head down to her warm shoulder. “Everything’s gonna be all right,” she murmured soothingly, comforting Zandra as she’d done in those dark, disorienting days following her mother’s death. “You’ll get through this, too.”

Zandra wished she could share Robyn’s optimism. But the truth was that even if her agency came through the scandal unscathed, her relationship with Remy would never be the same again.

Racquel glanced around at everyone and frowned. “We need to do damage control. Where should we start?”

Skylar’s lips tightened with anger. “I know where I’d like to start. By digging up some dirt on that smart-ass news anchor at Channel Five. She seemed to take just a little too much satisfaction in repeatedly flashing that picture of Zandra and Remy.”

Zandra grimaced as the others grumbled in agreement.

“She’s just doing the mayor’s bidding,” Morgan said with grim pragmatism. “He’s obviously the one who leaked the story to the press. He has the most incentive to eliminate his strongest competitors as quickly as possible. If that means going after his rival’s daughter, so be it. That’s what politicians call collateral damage.”

“Bastard,” Skylar hissed furiously. “All of them.”

“They can be pretty despicable,” Robyn agreed, gently stroking Zandra’s hair.

“You won’t get any argument from me,” Morgan asserted. “But like it or not, ladies, that’s how the game is played. When Zandra’s father held his press conference to announce his candidacy, he portrayed himself as an upstanding city council member, a pillar of the community, a family man—”

Several rude snorts peppered the room.

“—and a devout Christian. He all but declared himself on par with the Pope. Going after Zandra’s escort agency and sullying her reputation is the perfect way to attack her father’s character and integrity, even his parenting skills.”

“Of which he has none,” Zandra muttered caustically.

This elicited angry murmurs of agreement.

Morgan grimaced at Zandra. “Unfortunately, your father and his people are probably gearing up right now to throw you under the bus.”

Zandra smiled bitterly. “It wouldn’t surprise me.”

Racquel scowled. “That’s really f*cked up. Hasn’t he done enough to her?”

“You would think,” Robyn said with withering scorn.

Lena frowned at Morgan. “So what you’re saying is that Zandra could be fending off attacks from the mayor and her father?”