A Tangled Web

By Rose Francis

Kimberly Jordan never meant to hurt anyone. But once a DNA test reveals her longtime boyfriend, Damien, is her half-brother, plus she finds out she’s pregnant, she will go to any length to hide her horrible secret.
Unfortunately for Kent Davenport, he’s the perfect fall guy for her plan, having recently revealed his love for her. But unfortunately for Kimberly, dirty little secrets always come out.
* * *
'A Tangled Web' is the first book in the Dangerous Secrets series—unrelated new adult interracial love stories where one or more of the main characters has a secret so big, it threatens to derail—or even destroy—their most important relationships, personal character, or their entire lives. The secrets are ‘dirty.’ Scandalous. Taboo. Secrets anyone would be wise to remain tightlipped on. But in these tales, that horrible secret gets out. Let the fallout begin.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Poison Arrow Publishing
• Release date: Jul 16, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301910960

Rose Francis

Rose Francis writes interracial and multicultural romance. She loves reading and writing psychological fiction, particularly stories addressing difficult topics. She has been writing from a very early age and is thrilled to have a platform that allows her to bring her tales to the public!

Book preview

Preface

Originally published as an e-book in March 2013, A Tangled Web has gone through several revisions, and the current edition has been significantly modified from the original. Sections have been added, cut, and even moved from one chapter to another, among other changes (e.g., the addition of chapter titles, a prologue, and an epilogue).

A Tangled Web is Rose’s first published book and the first story in the Dangerous Secrets series. The second (unrelated) book in this series is also currently available. Visit Rose’s author page for more interracial love stories!

Prologue

Paranoia

Oh my god, she knows—she knows it’s not his baby!

Kimberly had to take a few deep breaths to calm herself; she was close to hyperventilating.

No, you’re tripping, she told herself. It’s your own guilt, girl—Catherine doesn’t know anything; she doesn’t know you’re using her son to cover your tracks. She always has that look on her face—that skepticism. She’s always suspicious of everyone and their intentions. She probably didn’t even register you as she spoke to you! So no—she has no idea the child you’re carrying belongs to Damien instead of Kent. Your secret’s still safe.

Are you okay, babe? Kent rubbed her shoulder, bringing her back to the moment.

She smiled up at him and couldn’t help noting, as she usually did, how handsome he was.

Practically everyone who saw him wanted him.

Even if his family wasn’t filthy rich, his California good looks alone—tall, athletic frame, perfectly styled dirty-blond hair, and chiseled features—had women falling all over him.

That a man like him had picked her to be with, out of everyone else, still astounded her.

The best part was that he truly loved her—she never doubted it.

She had made the right choice.

The baby will be just fine, she reminded herself. He or she will be a Davenport.

She followed Kent Davenport into his room.

Part 1

Tangled

Chapter 1

Suspicion & Doubt

The moment Vivian’s receptionist told her Catherine Davenport was there to see her, a knot formed in her stomach. Something was very wrong, and she figured it had to involve her pregnant daughter since it was the only reason she and Catherine had anything to do with each other these days.

Vivian kept Catherine waiting as long as she could, but eventually, as expected, Catherine stormed past her law firm’s front desk and into her office like she owned it.

Vivian closed the file in front of her and stared at the angry, green-eyed blonde—a stranger now, but her best friend in another life.

Vivian, how on earth do you keep track of all your lies? Catherine asked with no trace of curiosity on her face.

The knot in Vivian’s stomach tightened.

Catherine, what are you talking about? Vivian tried to look lost and surprised.

You know exactly what I mean, Vivian Jordan, Catherine said, crossing her arms.

Vivian kept looking at Catherine with slightly widened eyes, hoping she was pulling off the innocence she was going for.

Catherine let out a breath. We both know Kimberly is lying about who the father of her baby really is. I mean, come on—you’re her mother; I don’t expect you to claim it’s someone she doesn’t want it to be. But that’s the problem. Catherine paused for dramatic emphasis, as Vivian had so often seen her do. "Who she wants it to be is my son. Now tell me, is that who it really is?"

Vivian could no longer meet Catherine’s eyes. Instead, she busied herself with refilling her stapler with a block of staples.

How had Catherine figured it out? Vivian was sure only she and her daughter knew the baby’s true paternity, and that no one had reason to suspect otherwise—except, of course, the baby’s real father: her own son and Kimberly’s ex-boyfriend, Damien. According to Kimberly, Damien made his suspicions clear, having figured the time between their breakup and her getting together with his best friend was too short.

Had Damien been talking to Catherine?

When Vivian glanced up, she saw a look of both triumph and disgust on Catherine’s pale face.

I guess that’s my answer, Catherine said, her mouth tight and her eyes hardening to jade.

Catherine, listen…

You know there’s no way I can let my son go through this; I can’t hide this from him.

And why not, Catherine? Vivian said, finally glimpsing a way out—at least temporarily. Although no longer close like in their college days, Vivian had retained much of her old, privileged knowledge. You’re so good at hiding so many other things. Let’s see…well, I suppose you sleeping with some of your professors won’t matter now, or you paying people to write your papers. But don’t forget I know about that hit-and-run accident. Not sure there’s a statute of limitations on hitting someone while driving drunk and then leaving them to die. My goodness, Catherine, since when did you become so honest and upstanding? You have clearly forgotten how many of your secrets I’ve kept. Who knows how many more there are now or how easy they’d be to figure out?

Vivian, Catherine said, her voice suddenly gentle, believe me, I can see where you’re coming from; after all, your entire family has been destroyed. My god, my ex-husband is the only person you’ve got left, and I’m sure there’s nothing you’d love more than to have Kimberly accept you again and forgive you for breaking up your family to be with him. Look, I know this was an opportunity to get in Kimberly’s good graces, and also—I mean, I’m a mother too—you wanted to protect her. That’s what good mothers do. She nodded her head approvingly. So surely you can see why I want to protect Kent from the tragedy we all know will come of this when the truth comes out, however it comes out. She paused a moment. "Don’t you think it’ll be better sooner than later? I’m sure Kent will be more understanding if he’s told about it as soon as possible and preferably from Kimberly herself. And I know you’d want to protect her from the consequences of him finding out later down the line and possibly from some other source."

Vivian watched Catherine with what she hoped was a stony expression, observing her scrutinize her face to see if she was getting through.

She hated to let her see that she had succeeded.

Oh, Catherine, she said, her voice breaking a little, what has my little girl done?

I don’t know, Vivian, but it’s up to us to help our children—to fix this before it gets any more broken. I truly believe our children love each other, and I’d hate to see my son’s heart shattered. Lord knows I’ve crushed him enough for this lifetime and the next. She sighed. I really don’t want to see him hurt again, Vivian. And I do so badly want to be a good mother to him; he deserves it.

Vivian witnessed Catherine’s moment of weakness and felt better about her own.

It almost felt like old times again, when they could lay their souls bare to each other and talk about anything. Almost, but not quite—not since Catherine decided, way back then, to date and then marry the man she’d known Vivian was in love with: James Davenport, father of Catherine’s son, Kent, as well as a baby boy Vivian secretly gave up for adoption all those years ago—a son she had only recently been reunited with.

They both held their composure.

So what do we do? Catherine asked.

Vivian sighed. I’ll talk to Kimberly and I’ll try to convince her, once again, to do the right thing and tell Kent the truth about the baby. But we both know what she thinks of me now; I doubt she’ll listen.

Her thoughts drifted to her last conversation with her daughter.

She didn’t blame Kimberly for feeling like her life fell apart because of her; she was the only one responsible for giving up her baby with James Davenport long ago. James never even knew she was pregnant since he had moved to another state once he broke off their relationship, unable to take the pressure from his family’s disapproval of her.

Unfortunately for all of them, that baby grew up not knowing his origins, and by some cruel joke of the universe met his half-sister, Kimberly—Vivian’s daughter with the man she married three years after James left her—and the two fell in love.

Now they had an incestuous baby on their hands.

Vivian didn’t want Kimberly to make the same mistake—to give up a child she couldn’t bring herself to abort and risk the whole thing happening all over again.

She was so happy when Kimberly agreed not to go for adoption, but her happiness was short-lived—Kimberly decided to find a man who would accept the child as his own without him knowing that it wasn’t.

Vivian had tried talking her out of that too but had no answer to her daughter’s question, Well, what else do you expect me to do?

Kimberly hadn’t told Damien about the baby and never planned to—she was immediately embarrassed about carrying her brother’s child and had only revealed the truth to Vivian while throwing in her face that the whole mess was her fault.

Vivian let out a heavy breath, not looking forward to the exchange.

I’ll do it though—I’ll talk to my daughter. For all of us.

Catherine looked satisfied.

She turned to go but then whipped back around, blonde hair swinging.

Vivian, when’s the baby due?

Vivian shook her head. I don’t know, she said.

A look of horror came to Catherine’s face.

You can’t be serious—she hasn’t been examined by a doctor yet? Who knows what could be wrong with that baby?

Vivian looked away. I’ll bring that up again too, she said, but she knew the chances were slim; she had a hard time getting her daughter to listen to any of her advice these days. But beyond that, she wasn’t about to tell Catherine her suspicions—that Kimberly seemed to be withholding prenatal care in perhaps a subconscious attempt to kill the child she considered a monster in her belly.

Chapter 2

Responsibility

"Why should I listen to you? I don’t want the advice of a selfish whore!" Kimberly screamed at her mother.

She couldn’t believe her mom had called her over to her apartment for such a reason, and she certainly couldn’t believe she came.

Now, Kimberly, you listen to me and listen good: Kent is a good man—he doesn’t deserve this. And from what I’ve observed, he really does love you.

Mom, it’s you who made me do this to him!

When did I make you have premarital sex, Kimberly? When did I force you to have unprotected, premarital…

Damien and I were always careful.

Then how do you know…?

Because I took a test, Mom. I was feeling sick for a few days, so I took a test and it came out positive. This was before I slept with Kent. There must have been an accident with Damien somehow, so I had to do this—I didn’t have a choice!

"Of course you had a choice, Kimberly. You could have told…"

No! No one needs to know, and especially not Damien—he’s obsessed with me as it is.

But Kimberly, honey, you’ve seen my life—what more do you want? Your secret will come out. Don’t you think it’s better sooner than later? Look what happened to the two of us—did my secrets protect you?

Kimberly saw the opportunity to blame her mother again. Damned right, they didn’t. She watched her mother look away, and she decided to keep digging. I’m glad you see it, Mom. I’m glad you realize how you’ve ruined my life.

"That may be partially true, but you’re doing a superb job of actually ruining it all on your own."

No, Mom! This is all your fault!

Suddenly, Kimberly saw a look come to her mother’s eyes that had sent the fear of God into her as a little girl. It still made her apprehensive now, and she found her emotional state veering.

"You listen to me, Kimberly Daphne Jordan: I might not be able to put you over my lap still, but dammit, I am your mother—show some respect! Here you are, pregnant by

Reviews for A Tangled Web

[Colleen best · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Kind of a off the chart. I too loved it