Janus Meyers lifted a hand, stopping her next words. “I’m sorry, Ms. Winward, but I can’t discuss pending legal issues.”
Frankie read between the lines and leaned forward, her voice dropping with anger. “What did he do? Did he threaten Stevie? Did he…?”
His gaze sharpened suspiciously. “How do you know Stevie?”
Frankie pressed her lips together. “If you try to hurt Stevie, I will stop you!”
Janus stared at the woman, his gaze moving over her features carefully. She was a strikingly beautiful woman who obviously tried to hide her beauty behind a tough veneer of strength. But those copper curls framing her pale features combined with the emerald eyes…it wasn’t working. That kind of beauty can’t be hidden.
Unfortunately, she left him cold. Ever since he’d seen Stevie again, other women hadn’t done a thing for him. He wasn’t sure if he should be upset or relieved that everything he remembered about Stevie had been right and not a figment of his imagination.
Still, this woman knew Stevie. That meant that she knew about his children. “What have you done?” Janus demanded. “Did you…?”
“No! Never!” she replied quickly. Was that relief he saw in her eyes? Relief over what? “I haven’t told anyone about Stevie. In fact, I only told Stevie about…” she hesitated.
“I know about my children.”
“Good. That’s probably why Stevie called me last night, furious with me for going back on my word.”
“What did you do?” he growled.
Frankie laughed, shaking her head. “Nope. Sorry, buddy. But I didn’t do anything. But your father did. He’s the one who hired the unethical private investigator. I was just in Edward’s office and…”
“Did you tell him about my children?” he demanded in a thunderous voice guaranteed to scare the bejeezus out of anyone. Anyone but Frankie. In fact, his anger over the possibility of someone endangering his children was just the clue that she needed.
“No,” she replied calmly. “I spoke to Stevie a few days ago. I explained that Edward was looking for you.” She emphasized that she was an intermediary. “I haven’t told Edward anything about your relationship. Nor will I ever tell anyone about your children. I’ll tell you the same thing that I told Stevie: your kids, your rules.” She straightened up. “But I’d recommend not allowing Edward Meyers anywhere near those children.”
“I wasn’t planning on it. And if you’ll keep this quiet, I’ll pay you for your assistance.”
Frankie laughed, shaking her head. “You don’t need to pay me to keep quiet about your children, Mr. Meyers. Just…protect them from your father.” She sighed and shook her head. “Actually, Edward hired me to find you. Not your children. So any information that I have about your kids is irrelevant to my investigation.”
“I don’t want him near my family.”
Frankie lifted her hands into the air. “I will respect your wishes.” She shifted on her feet. “On another matter, Edward is interested in meeting you. But I told Edward when he hired me that I would only find his sons and let them know that he is interested in meeting. I wouldn’t force you to meet him.”
He snorted. “As if you could!” His eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “You said sons? As in, plural?” He leaned closer, trying to mask his interest, and failing. “I have brothers?”
Frankie heard the plaintive note in his voice and reacted to it. “Yes. From what I understand, there are three sons that Edward decided weren’t worthy of his notice. Three mothers who were kicked out of his life at the first mention of their pregnancy.”
Janus bowed his head, shaking it slightly as he muttered something under his breath. “Please,” he whispered, then cleared his throat. “Will you…can you, tell me who they are?”
Frankie hesitated. “Are you a good man?” she asked, looking directly at him, her gaze unwavering.
“I try to be,” Janus replied back.
She stared at him for another long moment, then nodded. “Fine. Yes, I’ll give you their information. But I have to clear it first. I’m not giving you anything unless they want to be in contact.”
“That’s fair,” Janus replied straightening his shoulders. He rubbed his face, looking exhausted all of a sudden. “I didn’t know about my kids,” he told her, then reached into his desk drawer. “This other guy, the private investigator that your client,” he sneered with disgust, “hired is about to be arrested for blackmail. He gave me these,” he explained, tossing a wrinkled envelope on his desk. “And said that he wouldn’t tell the press about my kids, if I paid him a million dollars.”
Frankie gasped and grabbed the envelope, looking quickly through the pictures. “How did he get these?” she demanded, noticing the age range of the photos.
“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “I just assumed that he’d taken them.” He sighed. “To be honest, I was overwhelmed by the idea that I had two children that I didn’t know about. I forgot to ask for details about anything else at the tie.”
Frankie looked up at him, noticing the exhaustion and wariness in his features now. “Stevie is a wonderful person and an incredible mother,” she said firmly. “I’m guessing that she tried to tell you and something happened.”
Janus lifted his hands in the air. “I know. Stevie…,” he shook his head, smiling faintly. “Yeah, she’s a good mother. And she did try to contact me. It was my fault. I was going through…some stuff when she got pregnant.”
Frankie nodded slowly, thinking back to the headlines five years ago, quickly connecting the dots. “It was just after the illegal
