"It means your father knows who's responsible for 197."
Amanda gaped like a fish at what Nolan had just said, and for several minutes she stayed silent while he steered them back onto the highway, picking up speed and putting distance between them and Lockhart.
Nolan glanced at her and then pressed down harder on the gas. "When we get home I'm calling Denise. She might be able to find out something for us through her source."
Amanda looked again at the tiny scrap of paper. "GG...GG...is it Grayson Global? Dad's company did this?"
It was impossible - David had taken her to several of his work parties, the picnics and barbeques and he'd introduced her to people he worked with and hell, she'd made friends with their children! How could Grayson Global be behind any kind of attack, let alone an act so cruel and devastating to the country?
"It can't be, Nolan. Dad never would have worked with them if they were planning something like this!"
"Well I don't know any other GGs that David is involved with, do you? Could it be the initials of someone he knows?"
"I don't know." She said, and she was telling the truth. Amanda didn't know all of David's contacts, of course, how could she? Her father had worked in several different countries across the world and Amanda wasn't yet even fifteen years old - she was only aware of a bare handful of her father's colleagues...and not one of them had the initials GG.
"Maybe it's someone inside Grayson Global, or one of their clients that has some kind of connection with the Initiative." Nolan reasoned. "I'll ask that Denise talk to her contact in the bureau, we've got to find out what evidence they have against David."
"I want to be in on the call." Amanda declared.
"No."
"What! Nolan-"
"No, Amanda, I've told you from the start that I don't want you anywhere near this." He was firm in this, or, as firm as Nolan could be. He would do anything, absolutely anything, to protect her from the Initiative and its apparent vendetta against the Clarke family.
"And you also promised that you'd be honest with me. Nolan, please. You promised you'd protect me."
Amanda understood how Nolan saw her, as a precious ward, but she had to fight his instinct to keep her insulated from the hard truths of their situation. She had to make him see her as an equal - he'd already voiced that what she'd been through had stripped her of her childhood, but he had yet to fully bring her into the fold with him and Denise.
"Yes. You know I will."
Amanda strived to reason with him. "Protecting me and shielding me aren't the same things. Please, I have to know what's happening. You said it yourself that this - this thing, the Initiative, they're targeting dad and I was already caught in the middle of it."
"Exactly, that's why I don't want you near this." Nolan shifted gears and changed lanes, his car swiftly moving through the surrounding traffic.
"But if you keep me blind to everything going on then I'll be an even easier target! You know that, Nolan. I'm not a kid anymore, you can't keep pretending." She pushed.
"Amanda, I'm just trying to protect you."
Amanda reached over and took his hand, squeezing it tight. "I know you are and I love you for that but Nolan, I'm...I'm not who I was before 197. You said it yourself. I'm different now, this has become my life. I feel like there's nothing else for me until dad can get out of prison and we can be a family again. If you don't let me in then I won't have anything."
Her words were rich, striking Nolan deep in his heart. The instinct was so strong in him to keep Amanda safe - after what had been done to her already, what she was still suffering through, everything in him rebelled against bringing more risk into her life. Yet the man had to admit, grudgingly, that what she said was true. If he forced Amanda into complete ignorance, then he would be putting her at risk himself. The idea of becoming a risk to his girl was repulsive.
Still. He couldn't allow Amanda to be all-in with this. Conditions had to be set.
"Amanda...all right." Nolan hit his palm against the steering wheel, flashing temper. He sighed heavily and looked at her for a moment before returning his eyes to the road. "But the minute, the very second that anything dangerous happens, you're out of it. You understand me?"
Amanda fought the urge to smile - she had won. "All right. I understand."
"No, promise me."
"I promise."
"We can be partners in this, but only to a point. I took you in because I believed I could keep you safe, and I will, whatever it takes. You're David's daughter and I would never, ever be able to forgive myself if something happened to you and what's more, it would absolutely destroy your father. You know it would, you're all David has, you're his whole life. I need you to truly promise me that if anything dangerous happens, you'll agree to step away. No arguing, no fighting, you'll just step away without a word of protest."
Nolan's voice had taken on a hard tone, commanding her word on this.
Amanda hadn't released his hand, but she took it a step further and laced their fingers, squeezing his hand and put her free hand over her heart. "Nolan Ross - I promise you that I will step away, without a word in argument, if anything dangerous happens while we're looking into dad's connection to Americon Initiative."
Nolan raised a brow. "Wow, Amanda. That was a hell of a promise."
"I meant every word. Do you know that dad told me to be an asset to you, not a burden?"
"That's something from one of his business books." Nolan said, immediately recalling that he had a signed copy as a gift from David upon his first establishing NolCorp, years ago. "You were never a burden to me. I know you might feel like that sometimes, but I mean it. I enjoy the company."
"I enjoy you too, Nolan."
"All right." With that settled, Nolan returned to their original topic. "Denise always answers when I call, but it's a little late and her son has a ball game tonight-"
"How do you know that?" Amanda cut in.
"I hacked her calendar."
Amanda wasn't even surprised by his admission. It was strange how Nolan could so freely admit to things like spying on his friends and neighbors and she still counted him as being on the side of All Things Great and Good. Then again, hadn't she once read that there are no sides in the game of life, only players? "Of course you did."
Nolan raised a brow at her. "You disapprove?"
"It's her private schedule, and it has to be illegal for you to go into her computer. I don't remember you ever being so sneaky."
"It's like you just said, I'm not the same person I was before 197...none of us are." Nolan swallowed and tightened his grip on the steering wheel as he carefully changed lanes. "If there is a connection between Grayson Global and Americon Initiative, then it will be better to be sneaky."
Amanda understood him. "Who was it that said 'trust but verify'?"
"Suzanne Massie, she taught it to Reagan in the 80s during the Cold War when Russia and America were spying on each other but couldn't openly admit to being enemies."
"Denise is your friend, not a spy!"
"You're right, she is. And I have proof of that because she's obsessive about logging in every minute on her calendar." Nolan justified. "Apparently I take up a lot of her time."
"Imagine that!" Amanda scoffed.
"I'm a complicated client, but definitely her favorite."
"You won't be if she finds out you hacked her computer."
"True. But this is the world we live in now, kid, and I hate every rotten inch of it."
"So do I." Amanda sighed and thumped the back of her head on the seat headrest. "Why did this happen?"
"I'm hoping Denise can shed some light on that."
Later that night, after Amanda and Nolan parted after dinner and retired to bed, Amanda found herself awake after midnight and unable to sleep. She always grew thoughtful in the days after seeing her father. She hated to see David in chains and their parting was always painful, but she was so, so grateful that she was able to see him. It had been over three months since this ordeal began; had Amanda been denied all contact with her father she may well have just wasted away in this room by now.
Never mind all of Nolan's attempts at care and cheer, she would have fallen into despair.
On first seeing David, Amanda had woken from her depression and had since felt brighter and more open - but it was as Nolan had said. Her childhood was over. Amanda wasn't as silly and carefree a girl as she'd been only months ago, that had been burned out of her. She recognized the change in herself. To start, she was far less trusting of people; she rarely spoke to anyone when Nolan brought her to town and, when she did, she typically gave nothing away. She'd sunken into the role of Nolan's wayward cousin and was coming to enjoy the lie. She could create her own past, which in turn gave her a sense of control over her future.
Amanda had started looking to odd role models that she'd had no interest in before; female spy characters and femme fatales, women active in rejecting the tropes of helplessness and feminine softness. No damsels in distress, she was drawn to women who fought, who misled and misbehaved. In real life she looked to Nolan's lawyer, Denise Walker, a woman who by all accounts was a shark in the courtroom, commanding respect and terror in equal measure.
Amanda didn't hate herself, but she hated that she was still a child. She often dreamed of the woman she would become, how her body would look once she filled out, how her skin would clear, how she would dress and do her makeup and style her hair. She wanted to be elegant and beautiful, she wanted to draw in attention whenever she strode into a room, full of confidence and class on the outside, but inside, inside she would be ice-cold. A living statue with a heart of bright, flawless diamond; a spine of steel, skin harder than granite. When she smiled her teeth would be fangs, when she spoke her words would drip poison.
No one would ever be able to hurt her or make her feel powerless or afraid ever again. No one would get close enough to even try.
Amanda craved that, the security that power in her own right would bring. She loved Nolan yet she was fully aware that she was nothing without him. She wanted more, she wanted to be his equal. She wanted to save her father and the three of them to escape off to their happily ever after, far away from all of this.
But underneath Amanda's newborn sense of suspicion, underneath her cravings for control and power - Amanda wanted more than anything to absolutely destroy Americon Initiative. She fantasized about being the one to expose them, forcing them into the spotlight of the nation's rage. She dreamt of storming into whatever stronghold the Initiative had and attacking whoever she found, beating them, tearing into them with her fists, nails and teeth, slaughtering these cold, calculating monsters who had ruined her family.
In her heart, darkness had taken root.
Beyond anything, Amanda Clarke craved revenge.
The next day, the call between Nolan and Denise was succinct. Amanda didn't say much outside of explaining that David had slipped her the scrap of paper to give to Nolan at the end of their visit.
"It says GG=AI, Denise. It has to be Grayson Global, someone inside the company or one of their clients. David must at least have a lead, if he doesn't have a name. Do you know what he's told his lawyer so far?"
"That information is priveleged."
"Don't I know it." Nolan scoffed. "I've been trying to bribe associates in his office for the last two months and so far it's been a dead end."
"Sir you can't keep doing things like that! I'll have my hands full with keeping you out of jail." Denise warned him. There was a bottle of vodka that Denise kept in a locked drawer of her desk, for emergencies only. Thanks to Nolan's constant pushing where David and Amanda Clarke were concerned, she would need to replace the bottle within the week.
"You worry too much Denise, it's not like I've been going to them directly."
"If you truly believe that Mr. Clarke is innocent, if you believe he is being framed, then it should be enough of a warning that no one is untouchable. Mr. Ross, I promise that I'll keep pressing my source and I will continue to reach out to Mr. Clarke's lawyer, but as your attorney, I am begging that you step away from this. Think of your company, your employees." Denise then played her trump card. "Mr. Ross, you need to think of Amanda. You're all she has now."
Nolan clenched his jaw and looked at Amanda, who had just been listening in on the call. She looked back at him, her expression worried. "I am thinking of her. Every day. That's why I have to help her father."
"As I said, I'll keep pushing for answers, but none of this can trace back to you."
Amanda kicked a rock out of her path. "It wasn't dad. Someone he worked with has to be framing him, it's the only thing that makes sense."
"Hmm. I don't think it's any one person, something this big can't be just one person."
"But it's also too big to be all of Grayson Global, someone would tell."
"So a small group of very powerful, very deranged people. It makes sense in a horrific, Illuminati kind of way." Nolan remarked as he rolled up the ankle of his jeans so they could walk on the beach. "Flight 197 goes down, David takes the fall and you, you're just some collateral damage that got packed off the Millhouse to keep you quiet. I don't know what they planned to do with you there - maybe keep you there until you aged out or maybe transfer you somewhere else, just keep you bouncing around in the system."
Amanda felt a chill pass through her at the thought.
She knew Nolan never meant his words as any kind of pointed reminder, but all the same she felt her sense of gratitude swell for the man. Nolan was her hero, sweeping in to rescue her from that sterile, sick place, delivering her to his glass fortress on the shore and reuniting her with her father.
The man had such a big heart, always giving and expecting nothing in return. Amanda wanted to give to him, regardless of his lack of expectation. Something, anything. All she had to offer was her loyalty, her side of the partnership they'd developed.
Amanda looped her arm through his as they continued their trek on the shore, gritty sand sinking under their bare feet.
"That makes sense, but why would anyone do this? All the crime shows say to follow the money, so who would have gained the most from a plane crash?"
"That side of it is worth looking into, but what concerns me is the evidence the other side claims to have against David. I want to talk to him, talk to his lawyer, but I can't. Denise has been pretty clear about that, my friendship with him is a risk to my company and I can't threaten my employees' security, not after 197."
"I understand. I do, Nolan, please believe me. You are the only thing I don't resent or flat-out hate in this entire situation. "
Nolan laughed at her, "That's a huge compliment, coming from a sullen teen who hates everything!"
"I don't hate everything."
"No, just everything except me and David. I don't blame you, he and I are the last two good men on the planet, which, sorry to say, leaves your dating options pretty slim." Nolan was relieved to see Amanda smile. In the ruin of her life, he was glad to bring in a bit of levity here and there.
"Funny enough, dating isn't high on my priority list, and dating dad is never going to happen!"
"Guess that just leaves us, huh?" Nolan nudged her as they walked. "Here's a promise, once you turn 18 I'll take you for a night on the town."
Amanda rolled her eyes lightly at his promise. A date with Nolan - a real date? What would that even be like? Amanda hadn't any experience in dating yet and besides that, she'd never thought of Nolan in that way. Being that she knew he was still grieving Marco, Amanda very much doubted that Nolan would have any interest in dating her, even when she was old enough.
Amanda looked at him as they walked on, taking in his face and tried to see him obectivley, as just a man and not the friend she loved so much. He was handsome, she supposed. Nolan had high, prominent cheekbones, bright blue eyes and thick sandy hair that he'd let grow out. It gave him a carefree, boyish appearance that she liked. Aside from his physical charms, the man was everything warm and wonderful under the sun. She could hardly remember a time when Nolan wasn't in her life; he'd always been there, a familiar solid presence.
"A night on the town? We already go into town all the time." She reasoned. Going into town with Nolan was something of an adventure, he was always keen to buy her new clothes or take her out to eat, encouraging her to try foods she'd never had before. His way of distracting them both from everything they'd lost in the past few months.
"Those, my dear, are day dates." Nolan waved his hand, dismissing them as child's play. "I'm talking about a real date, I - wait, has your dad talked about any of this with you?"
"No, not really." David had been hoping the day might never come when his baby girl announced she wanted to start going out with boys.
"I'll leave it alone, then. God, I can barely date now, so who am I to even talk about it?" Nolan shrugged it off. "Still. I'll take you for a special 18th birthday and that's a promise."
It was a strange thing to consider, but the bell in her mind could not be unrung.
It was another several weeks before Denise had anything to tell them. While Nolan returned his company to working order and Amanda built the foundation of her future self, Denise had been pushing David's lawyer and her friend in the bureau for the evidence against David.
"...as far as the evidence against Mr. Clarke, the prosecution has bank transfers from accounts abroad, email messages and coded texts lifted from his cell phone. Perhaps the most damning will be the eye witness testimony." She explained from her office. It was well past nine in the evening, Nolan and Amanda were huddled in close on the living room couch, the phone set between them so they could both hear every word.
Since being allowed onto these calls, Amanda usually let Nolan and Denise do the talking - Nolan knew which questions to ask, while Amanda was still struggling to divorce her emotions from the situation. What Denise had learned from the opposition all sounded damning, as if the odds were stacked so high against her father that it was hopeless to even try fighting back. She gulped in air, trying to force away the tightening in her throat - she had to remind herself that crying was useless.
"Is it confirmed that David set up the accounts or that he was made aware of the bank transfers?" Nolan asked.
"Unconfirmed as of now, but I am sure that the bank statements will be connected with any security footage, recorded phone calls or IP addresses to show who initially opened the accounts."
"How large were the transfers, I'll guess we're not dealing with a few bucks here and there."
"Correct, sir. Several million dollars at a time. Ten million was transferred the week before 197, another ten million was transferred the day after."
"Making it look like he took half the payment as a kind of deposit and then the rest once the job was done." Nolan rubbed a hand over his face. "Can they tell where the money came from?"
"That is under investigation. The current line of thinking is that Mr. Clarke acted as a freelancer, that he was essentially hired by the Initiative to carry out the attacks rather than being a member of the Initiative himself."
Nolan raised a brow. "Does that mean they're open to cutting some kind of deal, immunity in return for information?"
"Not unless Mr. Clarke can actually provide something to the investigation - so far he hasn't been able to produce anything other than a claim of innocence."
"He is innocent." Nolan asserted. He knew Denise was still on the fence in her own opinion and was only looking into this under his order, but he wanted her to believe what Nolan knew to be true. "What about the witnesses? What exactly did they witness him doing?"
"I don't have access to their statements, but I will press my source again sir."
"Can I make a wild guess and say they're all connected to Grayson Global in one way or another? Tell me I'm right, I already know I am." Nolan sat back and waited for her confirmation.
"You are, sir. I don't have a list of names but I can confirm that they all are, or were, employed through Grayson Global."
Nolan wrapped up the call and turned to Amanda. "Looks like there's some detective work to do."
It was hours after their call with Denise that Amanda was once again laying in bed and staring at the ceiling in the dark. She hadn't slept a wink, rolling the conversation through her mind again and again, recalling each question and answer, every rumored piece of evidence that Denise had brought to them. It was a conspiracy against her father but she had no idea why.
Amanda's thoughts were interrupted and she lifted her head, listening. She was sure she'd just heard something. Amanda held her breath and listened again, hearing the sound once more. Curious, she threw back her blanket and left the bed, creeping her way down the hallway toward the living room. The overhead light was on, and Nolan was sitting at the table with his laptop and a printer. Behind him, several pages were taped to the wall with hastily scribbled Post-It notes attached.
It looked like the conspiracy webs from mystery films.
"Nolan, what are you doing?"
He didn't look up from his rapid typing, he'd been at this for hours and was far too focused. "I'm going through all the Grayson Global pictures I can find - a lot of these are from magazines and the company website. Oh, look who it is!" Nolan smiled and held up a candid picture he'd just printed of Amanda herself from the previous summer at a company party, filed on the Grayson site's public album - Company Kids. Amanda remembered that party, in the picture she looked so happy, she and two other company daughters smiling at the camera, their mouths stained purple and green thanks to the party sno-cones.
Amanda moved to sit down across from him and sorted through the most recent pile of pictures he'd printed, until one caught her eye. "Nolan, who is this?"
Nolan glanced at the picture, "That would be the Queen of the Hamptons."
"No, no, I mean, who is she?" Amanda pressed. "I've seen her before."
"You've met her? Probably at one of the company parties, right?"
"No, she's been at the beach house. I saw her a couple times but I never spoke to her."
"She was at your house, when?"
Amanda cleared her throat, not sure if she should be talking about this, but she reasoned that if this could be important, she should tell Nolan. "A few times I would see her late at night when I was supposed to be in bed - when I can't sleep sometimes I'll go sit on the porch swing. I've seen her go into the house, but I never said anything because I didn't want to get in trouble for being outside at night by myself. Every time I saw her, dad met her at the door and they kissed and...then they would go into the house..." Amanda trailed off, deeply uncomfortable voicing what she'd seen. Already she could feel heat rising in her cheeks, embarrassed, and she couldn't meet Nolan's eyes when he looked at her.
"Hmmm. I'm getting the picture." Nolan said. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I don't know! I didn't think it was important, I just thought dad had a girlfriend he didn't want to tell me about. The last time I saw her, she was leaving in the morning, it was so early the sun hadn't even come up yet. That was a week before 197."
"Oh, wow...Amanda, she's Victoria Grayson, wife to the CEO of Grayson Global." Nolan told her.
"She's married?!"
"Oh, yeah. She is very married, they even have a son about your age. Amanda, you're sure, 100% positive that she's the woman you saw with David?"
"Yes, it's her. I thought maybe dad didn't want to tell her about me...but she's married, do you think dad knew?"
Nolan could see that she was desperate to give her father the benefit of the doubt, but he had promised the girl a measure of honesty. He could no longer shield her from the truth. "Amanda, there is no way he couldn't have known. David worked side by side with her husband."
"I didn't think he'd do this."
"I know David can do no wrong in your eyes, but if what you saw is right then this whole thing is becoming more clear. I guess David isn't as boring as I thought." Nolan sat back and whistled. "An affair with the boss's wife. Kinda cliche, but I can see the sexy angle of the whole thing. The thrill of sneaking around right under Conrad's nose, all the secret looks when they see each other at company parties and pretending innocence the whole time..."
Amanda scowled, repulsed. "Nolan, stop!"
"You're right, sorry. I know what you're thinking, but it's too easy - Conrad pins 197 on the guy nailing his wife-"
"Ugh."
"-and gets away with mass murder? He might be involved but something as big as what happened, it can't be down to one man blaming the crime on another man over an affair. No woman is worth that. There has to be another reason and there have to be more people involved, which brings us back to that eyewitness list Denise was talking about."
"Did she give you the list?"
"Not yet, that's why I've been going through all the pictures I can find." Nolan gestured to the wall where all the pages had been taped. The Post-It notes he'd attached to the pictures show hire and promotion dates, former employers, reasons for termination, a bit of everything. Small details that may fit into the bigger picture going forward. "I'm less curious about the names and more curious about what it was they supposedly saw and what they'll say once it's time to take the stand."
Amanda looked through the other pictures. "Do you think Denise will be able to get it to you?"
"A man can dream." Nolan said. "Do you recognize any other people?"
Amanda held up a picture of a pretty blonde woman. "Her. I think. I don't remember her name."
"Lydia Davis. She is or was, David's assistant. Anyone else in this picture jumping out at you? Take your time."
"I don't know, I don't know!" Amanda burst out, frustrated. "I'm sure I met everyone but I can't remember their names or anything-"
"Hey, hey, Amanda it's okay."
"No it's not okay, they framed my father and I can't do anything about it!" Amanda pounded her fists on the table, surprising them both.
"Amanda, you've already helped a lot just by recognizing Victoria." Nolan tried to soothe.
"What good is that going to do? So I saw her a few times, it might not mean anything and who's going to listen to me anyway?"
"Amanda you are more powerful than you realize. I think you were stashed away in Millhouse because of what you'd seen - you were a threat, you still are."
"Let me take the stand, then! I'll tell the whole world what I saw if it would free dad!" Amanda took a deep breath, dousing her temper. She couldn't do this, let her emotions get the better of her. She wanted to build herself into a woman who had complete control. She had to start now.
"There - right there, that's what makes you dangerous, Amanda!"
Dangerous.
There was power in danger.
"What can I do, Nolan?"
"We'll tell Denise what you saw. If she can pass it along to David's lawyer then that might assist the defense."
"I'll do anything to help."
Nolan considered her, and then asked, "Amanda, I hate to ask you this, especially when your time with him is so short, but I need to speak with David."
"I understand." Nolan watched as Amanda took a deep breath, and he could see her resign herself. "Do you need all the time?"
"No, no." He said, quick to reassure her. "Half. Give me just ten minutes with him, it might be enough."
"All right."
It took Denise several hours over the phone with Lockhart's warden, but she managed to move up the date for David's visit. The adjustment to the prison calendar, however, came at a price. In exchange for changing the date, Amanda would have to skip the following month's visit. It was a one-sided deal, and Denise accused the warden of petty cruelty, while the warden reminded her that David was no ordinary prisoner. They growled back and forth over the phone, insults were shouted and threats were made, but in the end Nolan and Amanda had agreed to the terms.
Amanda looked forward to the visit with her father nonetheless, and tried to put it from her mind that this month's visit would be shorter than normal and that she would be deprived of her father's company for double the usual length of time. She was glad that Nolan would get to see him, and it was possible that in speaking with her father Nolan might learn enough to unravel this awful conspiracy.
So, with only ten minutes to see her father, Amanda swallowed down her anger and disgust - such strange feelings that she'd never had against him before. It made her feel unbalanced, as if this man, her father, it was as if he somehow wasn't. There was an invisible crack in the veneer of Amanda's image of him and she didn't know how to reconcile it. So while they talked as they had before, he asked her questions about how she was faring and Amanda answered with general truths, she was not wholly present in the conversation. As they spoke, Amanda took in the sight of her father, this man who had engaged into an affair with another man's wife. Victoria Grayson, his secret lover. How many other secrets could David be keeping, not just from her, but from Nolan and everyone else?
She hated to think that way, but doubt had been planted in her mind. She so wanted to question David, find out why he had done it, why he hadn't told her...but there was no time. Maybe on their next visit, then. Or the visit after that, or the visit after. Perhaps David would want to explain himself when she was older. That was fine. Amanda decided that she could wait.
So, she hugged her father and told him how much she loved him, he told her how much he loved her, and they parted company once again.
Moments later, Nolan strode in and took Amanda's seat across the table from David.
Nolan took in the sight of the man, the striking signs of stress. How thin he'd become, the dark circles under his eyes, the faded bruise on his jaw - gift from a vindictive guard, no doubt. This was Nolan's beloved mentor. The man looked like he was in hell, and just on seeing him, Nolan was sure that poor David was. Amanda was the only thing keeping him going now. Amanda and the hope that he'd make it out of this mess to see life again on the outside.
In turn, David took in the sight of Nolan Ross, the only friend he had left in the world. Lanky, silly, odd-ball Nolan Ross. Of course, that was just one side of the man. From what Amanda had told her, Nolan had not only rescued her, he had sacrificed his lover to keep her safe. The man was a hero, and David jumped at the chance to tell him so. "Nolan! Nolan, thank you so, so much for taking in Amanda. She's told me everything, how you found her and how you've been looking after her, I'll never be able to thank you enough."
Nolan only shrugged at David's gratitude. There really wasn't any time for pleasantries. "You can thank me by shedding some light on just what the hell is going on."
"Nolan, I didn't do this, you have to believe me." David reached across the table and took Nolan's hand into a hard grip. A grip, he was thankful to feel, that Nolan returned.
"You know I don't believe it, I never did." Nolan reassured him. "I know it wasn't you. I know you, David, and the man I know could never be involved in something like this. Not knowingly. I don't know anyone who could. 197...it was...sick." Nolan took a deep breath and swallowed, shrugging off the memory of that day, of the crash, the fire, the death... Nolan cleared his throat. "There's no other word for it, it was a sick crime committed by sick, horrible people."
"I'm so sorry about Marco." David told him. "Amanda told me your roommate left when you refused to send her away."
"Thank you, David." Nolan took a deep breath and forced himself not to think of Marco. He ignored the pain spreading in his chest. Marco was gone, it was over. "I thought he would come around to her being in the house, but...losing his twin, it was too much for him. He couldn't stay. Which brings us back to why you're in here."
"Did you get my note, that scrap I gave to Amanda last month?"
Nolan leaned forward, having lowered his voice and put a hand over his mouth to keep their discussion a secret from the overhead camera. "Mmm. GG=AI. The GG being Grayson Global, and the AI being Americon Initiative. Tell me, who in Grayson Global is part of this? Is it Victoria?"
David raised his brows, clearly found out. "How do you know about her?"
"Amanda!" Nolan declared. "David, your kid is an insomniac and an accidental spy. She's seen Victoria sneaking over to your house more than a few times, not to mention Vicky's walk of shame back up the beach."
"Amanda knows." David lowered his head as shame rose up and clawed at him - Amanda had seen Victoria and at this point knew of his affair. It didn't matter that he'd loved Victoria, it didn't matter that they had made plans for a life together once she'd left Conrad...Amanda knew what he'd done, the weakness that had lead him down this path of ruin.
"Oh yeah, and while the idea of her father having sex is disgusting enough on its own, she was more upset at the realization that you've been hooking up with a married woman, and I can't say I blame her! The boss's wife, David. I'd be impressed if it wasn't such a stale cliche, I mean, what were you thinking?" Nolan demanded.
"I wasn't thinking, Nolan, that's the problem! At least, not until it was too late. Not until I saw 197 on the news and couldn't get either Grayson on the phone, then the next day a SWAT team storms the house and you know the rest." David finished miserably. He hadn't wanted to tell Amanda about Victoria, not until the time was right - after the arrest he'd hoped against hope that Amanda would never learn of his weakness, his straight stupidity where Victoria had been concerned.
Now, to learn that Amanda had known all along! She'd just left their visit and she hadn't said a word about it - why? Was she angry with him? Disgusted? Ashamed? He didn't know, and it would be some time before he saw Amanda again so that he could try to explain himself.
God, what will I tell her? I did this. I've ruined her life and it was all for a lie!
"David, I'll tell your lawyer! My legal eagle doesn't want me anywhere near this but let me get into contact with your guy so I can tell him about this-"
"What do you think I've been doing this whole time, Nolan?" David demanded. "I've told him everything I know, but I can't bring Victoria into this. Your lawyer wants you to stay away from this and so do I."
Nolan frowned. "What? David, I can-"
"No, you listen to me. The Graysons have framed me, they've paid damn near everyone in the company to testify against me, but think of what they did to Amanda." He stressed. "Nolan if you get involved, it could be made public that you have her and we already know what these people are capable of."
It seemed every argument always came back to Amanda.
The potential threat against her, the impact one course of action or another might have on her. Nolan understood. The girl was the perfect pawn for the Initiative. They had manipulated circumstances to keep her caged in Millhouse. They had to know that she'd been taken from the facility, though the news hadn't been made public and no one had come to Nolan to find her. Perhaps the Initiative had no active use for her now, but the idea of a threat against her was enough to keep David relatively under their control. He will proclaim his innocence but he won't name the true culprits.
Americon Initiative were some clever bastards - but Nolan was a bit clever himself.
He would find a way.
"David, what do you want me to do?"
David took a breath and squeezed Nolan's hands again. "Stay out of this and above everything, keep Amanda away from the Graysons. Promise me Nolan, I'm begging you, please."
Nolan dipped his head. What could he do but agree when the man was begging him to protect his daughter? The man felt torn all over again.
Amanda had pleaded to be included, David was pleading for her protection.
Nolan had to find a way.