Dangerous Liaisons Read Free Page A

doors to Berkline Hall for Autistic Children opened, Jesse stood at the entrance waiting to bring her sister home.
    Berkline Hall for Autistic Children . Jesse mentally sneered. Their mother never minded telling people her daughter lived at Berkline. The title leant respectability to the fact she had abandoned Amanda in an institution. When Jesse joined the military, she found a home, not an institution, for Amanda. Jesse had purposely neglected to inform her bosses the last few times she had moved Amanda. Where Amanda lived was none of their business.
    Fear unlike any she’d known since her father’s death settled in Jesse’s gut. Lanton had torn down all but a narrow rope between her and Amanda. Now, with her sister's only identification gone, Jesse would have to perform a balancing act unlike any she’d ever imagined in order to get Amanda to safety. Even then, how easy would falling off the radar really be? Robert Lanton wouldn’t give up looking for Jesse as long as he believed she could hurt him, which meant Amanda would never be safe.
    Jesse flipped open her cell phone and dialed her attorney’s number.
    “Ms. Evans,” Jason Barrett said once his secretary put her through. Having a four million dollar trust that needed management had its perks. “Where the hell have you been?” he demanded. “We’ve got a problem.”
    She tensed. “What problem?”
    “Your assets have been frozen by order of a federal district judge.”
    Amanda’s trust fund. Jesse choked back a cry. “When?”
    “Day before yesterday. They also served a subpoena for the records.”
    “Can you file an injunction?”
    “Already tried,” he replied. “No go. The records are sealed for reasons of national security. What have you gotten yourself into?”
    Jesse cast a glance at the cabbie. His eyes were straight ahead. “I can’t say right now. What else can we do?”
    “I’ve filed an appeal, but it’ll take time.”
    “Can they seize the assets?”
    “Not while appeals are pending. We can keep this tied up in court for years, but you can’t access the funds either.”
    Years! Amanda’s ninety thousand dollar yearly bill at Houghton House came due in three months. What if she couldn’t prove Lanton’s guilt before then, or worse, he permanently silenced her? Without the trust fund, the state would stick Amanda in another institution.
    “Do what you can,” she said.
    “How do I get a hold of you?”
    “You can’t. Call Harris.”
    “All right.”
    She heard the understanding in his voice. Harris was her inside man at Houghton House and had power of attorney if anything happened to her.
    “I’ll need you in court to get the order lifted,” he said. “Oh, and keep in mind, don’t touch any of the funds.”
    Her heart rate increased. He wasn’t talking about the trust fund, but was covertly warning her away from the endowment she’d set up four years ago to fund research for autistic kids. Barrett had insisted he not be put in charge of the grant in case he was compromised as her attorney. Seems he’d been right.
    “You don’t want to lose control,” he said.
    So Lanton hadn’t found the endowment fund—yet.
    Jesse recalled the two hundred thousand dollar Cayman account under her name—an account that wasn’t hers. She’d discovered the account while digging through Lanton’s financials along with a two million dollar Swiss account in his name. She had yet to connect the two accounts, but there was no doubt he had set up the Cayman account to look like she’d taken a payoff.
    “Understood,” she said into the phone.
    “Keep in touch,” Barrett said.
    “Thanks.” She closed the phone.
    Jesse stared out the window as if deep in thought, her attention on the nearby motorists. She had known her covert lifestyle would catch up with her, but hadn’t expected it to be so soon, or so violent . At thirty, she couldn’t imagine doing anything else. That’s what she got for watching all those old spy