Carlton rubbed his hands together. “Don’t be so rude. As you know, I’m here to do you a favor.”
“I don’t need any favors from you.” Byron glared at Dominic. “You brought him here?”
Dominic shook his head. “No. I’ve kept tabs on him. When I found out he was in town, I followed him here. Stopped him before he went in there to confront you.”
“I’m not confronting anyone,” Carlton said with the nerve to sound affronted. “I’m just here because I’ve got an offer I think the future senator can’t refuse.”
“What offer is that?” Byron asked.
“The offer to keep what I know to myself instead of telling all those happy people out there.” Carlton pointed to the closed door. “About you being a deadbeat dad.”
Byron’s stomach flipped and sweat ran down his back, but he didn’t flinch. He hadn’t become a defense attorney and served a term in the state house without knowing how to hide his shock. “I’m not a deadbeat dad. I don’t have any children.”
“That’s not what I’ve heard,” Carlton said, sounding like he’d gotten the gospel truth on everything Byron Robidoux. “You see, after you sent me on my way, I did a little digging on my own. Turns out the woman you told me to stay away from also told a few people you were the father of her kid.”
Byron gritted his teeth. He should have known this would come back. He didn’t have any children, but thirteen years ago he’d agreed to help a friend out by keeping her secret and going along with a lie. The image of Zoe in his college apartment, her face bruised, and tears in her eyes as she’d clung to him, played like a bad movie in his mind.
Byron, please say the baby is yours. He’ll kill me if I stay with him. This is my only way out.
Even now the memory filled him with rage and helplessness. Zoe had been his best friend. His homegirl. He’d loved her with everything he had, but when he’d told her, she’d tossed his love back at him as if playing hot potato. She’d been in love with someone else. A guy Byron had never thought deserved her. A guy Byron discovered way too late that he’d been right about. So he’d kept her secret. Said the child was his and promised never to say anything.
“You’re coming to me with rumors,” Byron replied coldly. He wasn’t playing his hand without knowing exactly what Carlton knew and wanted.
Carlton shrugged. “Rumors can do a lot of damage. You see, I doubt you’re really the father. The person who originally sent me to find the old girl was pretty sure someone else was the father. Now, I took your money to lead them off her trail, but then I got to thinking why so many people were interested in this one woman and her kid. Did a little research and here we are.” He sounded pleased with himself.
“Get to the point,” Dominic said in a deadly voice.
“My point is regardless of who is the baby daddy, I think word getting out about everyone’s favorite candidate possibly being on the birth certificate won’t be good for this campaign you’ve got going so well. You know the early polls show you’re going to beat the other guy. Be a damn shame to lose because people think you’re an absentee father.”
Byron didn’t have time for this. “What do you want?” he asked instead of going with the urge to shove Carlton into the wall.
“A million dollars,” Carlton said without missing a heartbeat. “I know you’re good for it. Your family is known for its wealth.”
“I don’t have a million dollars.” He did, but he’d be damned if this guy got any more of his money.
“Oh, I don’t want it tonight. I’ll give you say...two weeks to come up with the money.” Carlton spoke as if he were a debt collector who’d done a client a favor by extending the deadline. “Bask in this win. Let it sink in a little what you stand to lose.”
Byron was well aware of what he had to lose. He was also shrewd enough to realize that paying Carlton anything wasn’t going to make this problem go away. He needed to know how far this guy was willing to go.
“What if I say no?” Byron asked. He crossed his arms and sized up Carlton. “A DNA test will prove I’m not the father.”
Carlton sucked his teeth and shook his head. “But the scandal it’ll cause. That, and your playboy ways. Oh, I’m sure there are dozens of other women willing to come forward and claim you’re their kid’s dad.”
The greedy gleam in Carlton’s eyes made Byron’s stomach churn. He wouldn’t doubt Carlton already had women lined up to say they’d slept with him. Even if he had a dozen paternity tests to prove his innocence, the stigma would follow him and cost him the campaign.
“I thought you’d see what I mean,” Carlton said. “Just think it over. But not too long.” Carlton put two fingers to his brow in a mock salute and walked out.
Byron punched his fist into his opposite hand. “Fuck!”
Dominic frowned. “You can’t pay him. Guys like Carlton never go away. I never should have taken his first deal.”
Byron paced back and forth. His mind raced with what to do next. He couldn’t dwell on previous decisions. They were already done. Byron had agreed with all the choices he’d made, and he’d deal with the results of those decisions.
“Protecting Zoe is what matters,” he said. “Carlton just proved what I feared. Her ex is about to get out of jail and he’s looking for her. There’s no way that man needs to get close to her.”
“If you pay him for this, you’ll
