Janus did the math quickly in his head. Four years ago…that would have meant that she’d gotten pregnant…in September five years ago? No! That seemed impossible! He remembered that time period painfully well. That was about when he’d gotten slammed to the ground by that ass Rockwell!
Every moment of that day and the following week had been seared into his brain. It had taken him months to recover, not only from Rockwell’s ambush but also Stevie’s betrayal.
Janus suddenly realized that the disgusting slime ball was watching him. Wiping all emotion from his face, Janus leaned back in his leather chair and dropped the pictures. “How do you know these are my kids?” He pressed a button on his phone, starting the recording app.
The guy’s toothpick almost fell out of his mouth. “Are you kidding me? They’re the spitting image of you!”
Janus shrugged. “I have brothers, Jerry. They could have been fathered by one of them.” At least, that’s what he’d heard. He hadn’t tried to contact his brothers, assuming they were just as vicious and amoral as his father, Edward Meyers. He had no interest in muddying up his life by bringing desperate, pathetic, money grubbing family members into his world. He liked his life just fine the way it was. Over the past five years, he’d grown his businesses into an empire. He was part owner of Seattle’s premier football league, plus he owned at least five bars and restaurants around just about every stadium in the country. He’d started out taking over small, unprofitable establishments and converted each one into a massively profitable business. Now he was building his own restaurants, using the same methods but applying a different theme for each, depending on the city.
Five years ago, he’d been a silent business owner, but had been powerful due to his celebrity status and his skill on the football field. Now, he was a powerhouse.
There was no way a slime ball like Jerry was going to control him with this information. Not a chance!
“Your old man did a DNA test. Those kids also did a DNA test.” Jerry nodded towards the pictures. “Your housekeeper gave me a bit of your hair and,” he splayed his fingers out wide, “voila! The kids are a match to you, my friend.”
Janus was disgusted and made a mental note to fire his housekeeper immediately. “And you’re working for Edward Meyers?”
The guy shrugged. “Your old man paid me to find you. I’ve already given him copies of those pictures, as well as your contact information.” The guy turned smug. “The big question is, how much are you going to pay me to keep quiet about your kids and your little lover?”
Janus’ eyes narrowed. “Are you trying to blackmail me?”
The guy snickered. “Let’s just say that, if you make it worth my effort, I’ll keep the press from descending on you. I remember how bad they were five years ago. You couldn’t even step out of your ritzy buildings without being mobbed by a horde of reporters after being tackled on the football field. Just think what might happen to those little cuties if the world knew that you were their daddy?”
Janus had only known about the toddlers for five minutes, but he felt an almost overpowering need to protect them. From the world, yes, but also from this man. Thankfully, Janus was well-schooled in dealing with the scum of humanity. With effort, he kept his revulsion off of his face and stared blandly back at the man, all the while, pressing a button on his cell phone.
“How much would you charge for your silence?” he asked.
The guy shrugged again. “I think a cool million would suffice.”
Janus hid his hands under the desk. “You’re willing to keep my children a secret from the press if I pay you a million dollars. Is that what you’re saying?” This guy was an absolute idiot!
“Hey, you’ve got lots of money. And my silence is very expensive. I have needs and those pictures are worth much more than that if I sold them to one of the tabloids.”
Janus stared at him, disgusted. He’d do it. This ass would sell his children’s pictures, their contact information, to the press if he didn’t pay up.
“I’ll get back to you,” Janus said, standing up. “I appreciate your silence on this issue.”
The guy must have thought that he’d won, because he extended his hand. “When will you get me the money?”
“I’ll contact you.”
“When?”
“Soon.” Janus stood there, staring him down. Slowly, the guy nodded, pulling his hand away when he realized that Janus wasn’t going to shake it.
“Fine. I’ll be in touch.” A moment later, he sauntered out, wearing a cocky grin.
Janus pressed the button on his phone, saving the recording. “Mary!”
His personal assistant immediately stepped into his office. “Please tell me that you’re not going to do any sort of business with that jerk,” she said, shuddering with revulsion. “I feel like I need a shower after talking to him!”
Janus agreed. “Can you get Tom on the phone?” he asked, referring to his personal lawyer. He could use the company lawyer, but this was a personal issue. Janus kept his business and private affairs completely separate, guarding each with an intensity that bordered on reclusiveness.
“Absolutely,” Mary replied already turning on her heel.
“Tom,” Janus greeted when Mary put him through. “I need your help on a couple of issues.”
“What’s up?”
“First of all, I just had a visit with a private investigator claiming to work for my father, Edward Meyers.”
Tom groaned. “You knew that your father would find you, eventually. What does he want?”
Janus shook his head. “I haven’t spoken to my father, nor do I plan to. But my father has discovered that I have two children. Twins. They’re about four years old.”
There was a
