The Secret Heiress by Susie Warren Page B

generalizations, but she looked so powerless and fragile that he didn’t want to push her.
    Still, he asked, “Did he have a compromising photograph of you or a story?”
    “He drugged me when I was nineteen and had one of his friends take a video while he sexually assaulted me.”
    “He raped you?” He kept his voice neutral but anger surged through his body.
    “I have no memory of what actually happened. He sent me short video clips that show him undressing me but not an actual rape.”
    He leaned forward. “Did you go to the police?”
    She shook her head. “Not at first. I went to a clinic then home to see my mother. He was from a powerful family and she didn’t want to file a report.”
    “But you eventually went to the police?”
    She touched her wine glass. “I hired a private detective to find out more about him. He wanted a large sum of money, but I didn’t tell my mother because she would have paid it.”
    He kept his tone light. “Had he done something similar to Frances Casey?”
    A few tears slid down her cheeks and she wiped them away. “A year after my incident, he drugged and assaulted her younger sister. The girl didn’t want to press charges, but around that time the private detective put me in touch with Frances.”
    “Nothing happened to him?”
    Her voice wavered. “Charges were filed by someone else. Frances and I had approached the girl and explained the history. It went to trial, but he is smart, powerful and his family had money and connections. He was acquitted of the charges and his family had him go through an anger management program.”
    He was amazed by her strength. She hadn’t allowed herself to use money to buy her way out of the problem. She had been young to deal with the issue all by herself. “Has he approached you recently?”
    She shook her head. “No. I saw him at Blackly Simonson, but he pretended not to know me. He has the video somewhere. I’ve paid private detectives to look for it, but he is too smart for that.”
    He reached out and placed his hand over hers. “What do you intend to do?”
    She sat back. “Nothing. I spent five years trying to seek revenge, but in the end it was just hurting me.”
    A few moments of silence passed between them.
    Anna continued, “He has done this a dozen times. It’s how he acquires large sums of money for his other pursuits. The women victimized were all young, from wealthy families, and didn’t want to face an embarrassing scandal.”
    “How is Frances Casey’s sister doing?”
    She held his gaze. “She joined the Peace Corps and is in India for two years.”
    Anna was so much more complicated than he expected. “I’m sorry this happened to you. But you were brave to face it and not pay him.”
    She wiped away a few more tears and stood up. “It’s hard to talk about it. It was a very painful time. My father had died and I was completely alone.”
    He stood up and stepped forward, gathering her in his arms. She stiffened slightly and he let her go.
    “I wish I could offer you words of comfort. It was more than an unfortunate experience, it was hideous. But it is behind you and you are moving forward.”
    She nodded. “Goodnight, Alistair.”
    He watched her leave the terrace. She was sensitive and strong at the same time. Now he understood why she had chosen a different path. The fighter in him would not let this go. He would destroy the man. Not in an obvious way but would make sure he lost his job and would face a few consequences.
    He’d thought she had an easy life being a Bolles prodigy. But she was surprising him at each turn. She hadn’t become bitter or destroyed by the incident; instead it had made her stronger. She had hired a private detective to help find the evidence and he guessed to prevent the man from doing something similar to other young women. She had taken a risk. If the man suspected, he could have come after her.
    With every moment Alistair spent with Anna, he was falling further under