Blindsided (10 page)

She stared at him, her eyes glistening in the light. “You’re wrong,” she said quietly. “This is my shield to protect me from people who would hurt me when they see I’m not whole.”

“No, it’s a shackle, and nothing more.”

* * *

The lights were on, but who would she find at home?

Roni opened the passenger door as she took in the massive family home built by her parents nearly forty years ago, and now left to her alone. All ten thousand square feet and a mountain to put it on. She hoped she would find Cora inside, but did that mean her uncle would be here too?

“Wait,” Ethan instructed. “Let me come on the other side before you get out.”

“I can open my own door.” Her words dripped with contempt. His comment about her scarf bit hard, and she wasn’t up for his kind actions when his words didn’t match up.

“Never said you couldn’t, but I plan to make sure you are alive and well when this fiasco is over. Humor me. I don’t know what I’d do if I let anything happen to you.” Ethan opened his door and closed it on a quiet click.

Roni sat back, irritated that his words curbed her anger a bit. Knowing his past that ate at him explained his all-encompassing need to keep her alive, but the truth was when all this dust settled his life would go on fine without her.

She hoped she hadn’t cost him his job. If she died now, it would all be for naught for him.

For this reason only, Roni stayed put while Ethan came around to the passenger side. She stirred Maddie awake and stepped out to wait for the young woman to exit after her.

When the girl didn’t budge, Roni leaned down and said, “Come on, Maddie. You need to stay with us.”

Maddie looked to the house behind Roni, her eyes wide and frightened.

“Why are you scared? Do you know something? Are we being ambushed?”

Maddie shook her head but still kept her attention on the house. “Your home. Is big.”

Ethan put a hand on Roni’s shoulder. Under his breath, he said, “You can’t blame her. Your home
is
massive, and her only experience with estates like yours hasn’t been kind to her.”

To Maddie, Roni said, “I would never hurt you. You will always be safe here. I promise. This is your home now, for however long you want it to be.”

Roni offered her hand, and after a few moments of indecision, Maddie took it until she was pulled from the car and enveloped in Roni’s arms. Together they were ushered to the back entrance by Ethan’s guiding hand.

He thought avoiding the front double doors was wise, in case they did have unwanted company. It was best to sneak in unnoticed until they knew they were safe.

But the moment Ethan opened the door to Cora’s private entrance, the unmistakable sound of a gun sliding a bullet into the chamber came from inside the dark room. Before Roni could make a move, Ethan shoved her and Maddie down to the ground.

A man’s grunt followed, then the sounds of flesh meeting flesh as Ethan came to blows with the intruder. More grunts could be heard from inside. Glass shattered and something or someone hit a wall.

Maddie whimpered. She tucked her head into Roni’s neck, her small features wet with tears of fright. The girl had just been promised safety, and if Roni couldn’t deliver that to her here, she couldn’t deliver it anywhere.

“This is my home. This ends now,” she said.

Roni removed Maddie’s tightened arms and crawled over the threshold. Cora’s apartment stood in darkness, but the moonlit silhouettes of the two fighting men could be seen, arms entangled, a battle of equal strengths, neither gaining ground nor losing it.

Ethan had plowed forward before the intruder got the upper hand, but he still didn’t have the advantage, and he wouldn’t until he knew who he fought.

Roni had to think if Ethan thought his opponent was his boss, a part of him would hold back, out of respect or even a little fear of taking Pace down. But if Ethan knew for sure the man he fought was one of Ramsey’s men, he would apprehend the man in seconds, not caring if he caused a little extra pain along the way. And if this was Jared?

Well, Roni wasn’t sure if she wanted to be in the room in that scenario. Things would not end well for her ex, knowing how Ethan felt about the...
slim
e? She thought she remembered that to be his description of the man.

Roni reached for the light switch she knew to be beside the window. One flick and the intruder would be revealed, but would the light shed the truth on who set her up in the first place? Did Ethan fight her enemy?

Roni stood up before she flipped the switch. If she was about to meet the person who attempted to take her down, she wouldn’t be starting on her knees. She would take Ethan’s advice and make the first step in. She would be the one in control right from the start and, like her fast cars, if she was under control, then she wasn’t going fast enough.

With her mind and reflexes readied, Roni flipped the switch.

ELEVEN

E
than curled his shoulder in and heaved forward just as lights illuminated around him. His opponent’s head bent forward, taking the hit with resistance and pushing back. All Ethan could see was the top of a black-haired military cut. Not Pace with his shaved head. Holding back in this fight was over. If that meant this would be to the death, then that was what it would be.

Ethan twisted and used his arm to lift the man’s head just enough smash his forehead into his opponent’s nose.

Blood splattered everywhere. The man hollered out in pain, his grip on Ethan’s arms slackened.

Ethan spearheaded forward, taking the inch in this fight. He lifted his arm and broke free of the hold at the same time he jammed his elbow in the man’s solar plexus.

“Stop!” a woman shouted from somewhere, but Ethan only zeroed in on his next move and took it. However, his opponent had anticipated the move and instead of the guy groveling on his knees, Ethan found himself hunched over, taking a hit to the gut.

He rushed forward at full strength. The guy slammed against the wall so hard that Ethan reverberated with him.

“I said, stop! Right now! Both of you! Stop!” The woman’s voice registered as belonging to Roni. Ethan stepped back from his opponent, though not sure why he felt the need to listen to her and not finish the man.

His opponent groaned and lifted his head, his eyes also trying to focus on their surroundings.

The two of them heaved with crashing adrenaline, both unsure of why they were stopping from killing each other.

Except, Ethan knew why he stopped.

Because it was Roni who begged him to.

Ethan looked at the man and thought maybe he was her ex-fiancé. He tried to remember the head-shot of Jared Finlay he had in her file. This man didn’t look like Jared, but still, something in him sickened at the thought of her harboring feelings for the man who used and abused her so badly. She may not see it as abuse, but abuse came in many forms, and any man who made her feel as though she had to cover herself up was someone who used his influence to keep her down. That was abuse in Ethan’s book.

His fists curled. Didn’t she see Jared wasn’t the man for her? That she deserved someone who loved her completely, mind, body and soul. A whole person, just as she wanted to be viewed. Someone who saw her beauty and intelligence and wanted to show her off, not hide her away.

If this wasn’t Jared, was there another man in her life? Were his intentions legit? A desire to protect her from another man’s schemes to use her overcame Ethan.

“Who are you and what do you want with Roni?” Ethan said, his voice low.

The man sneered. “I could ask the same of you.”

Ethan studied the man’s face at his confusing words.

Blue eyes that sparked in the same icy hue as Roni’s looked back at him.

This man was related to Roni.

Family.

Another headshot from her file resurfaced in his mind. A military man absent from her life.

Her brother, but blood didn’t mean he was devoted to her. After all, he’d left her behind at eighteen.

“Did you set her up?” Ethan asked point-blank. “Are you the one who betrayed her trust by putting a hit on her?”

The man turned his head to look behind Ethan. Anger flashed in the man’s blue eyes, more lethal than when they had been fighting.

The next second the guy pushed Ethan away and reached an arm out. Before Ethan righted himself, the man had Roni in his arms. Ethan nearly pulled him off her, but quickly saw how Roni clung to the guy just as tight. No one would be strong enough to break that connection.

It appeared his file had more than one thing wrong. Roni wasn’t guilty, and she was loved.

Ethan did what he never did.

He stepped back.

The next moment, Roni’s hand shot out and grabbed his forearm. She disengaged from the guy and said, “Ethan, this is my brother Wade.”

“I figured as much,” Ethan said. “But you’ll have to excuse me if I don’t cross him off the list of suspects.”

“Suspects?” Wade said. “For what?”

“One of her so-called loved ones set her up to take the fall for cloning cars at her track, then planned to make it look like she escaped to some country with no extradition to live on the lam, but really they hired someone to kill her. She was nearly shipped off like a piece of merchandise, never to be heard from again.”

Wade searched his sister’s face for what Ethan wasn’t saying. Shipped out for a life of despair and darkness.

At her nod of confirmation, Wade’s lips frowned and twitched. He clenched his fists and shouted, “Promise, come!”

Before Wade finished, a golden retriever wearing a red service vest bounded into the room. Without direction, the dog plowed into Wade’s fisted hands and put her paw on his thigh. Wade sunk his fingers into her fur, his lips pressed tight.

After a few minutes, Wade seemed to collect himself. Ethan wondered at the extreme differences Wade Spencer fluctuated between and remembered the man suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. His dog helped him cope through his shakes.

“Where’s the girl?” Wade asked, still fighting against his body. “The news said you kidnapped a girl.”

Roni walked back to the door. She could be heard consoling Maddie. Then she pulled the reluctant young woman inside.

“This is Maddie. She was sold to Ramsey and has been his servant for three years. I wasn’t leaving without her.”

Roni lifted her head as if she had to defend her choice to her brother. Ethan thought it strange she felt that way. Did her brother control her every move?

“And I’m sure you didn’t think your cause through. Like you might be arrested for kidnapping, or worse, trafficking. That’s what they’re saying about you, Roni!”

The dog, Promise, pushed harder into her master’s hand, quickly bringing him back down.

“I know what they’re saying about me, Wade. I’ve seen the news. It’s all lies. And now I’m running for my life from people who want me to die so I can’t reveal the truth about them.”

“Who?”

“That’s the problem. I don’t know. But it’s someone close to me. Someone I trust. I called Cora and told her to come back here. Is she here? She could be in danger if someone wants to hurt me.”

“Yes, she’s here, but who would want to hurt you?”

Ethan locked his eyes on Wade, and after a few beats the brother shrank back. Ethan crossed his arms with an unrelenting stare.

“You still think
I’m
the person who set her up?” Wade pointed at Roni. “I would never hurt her.”

“Perhaps you have hurt her indirectly. Perhaps your absence has left her unprotected by people like your uncle and her ex-fiancé.”

Wade turned to Roni. “You know I couldn’t be here. You know what this place does to me.”

“I know,” Roni said. To Ethan she explained, “Wade’s PTSD was caused by the accident when we were kids.”

“Murder. It was murder, Roni, and you know it,” Wade said.

“And I also know Uncle Clay knew the killer. Doesn’t that concern you, Wade? Doesn’t that make you wonder if you’re wrong about him?”

“He was lied to and taken advantage of. He feels horrible about what happened. We’ve forgiven him of any wrongdoing. Haven’t we?”

Roni dropped her gaze and gave no answer.

“Roni, answer me. Have you forgiven him for his past choices in friends?”

“Sure, but I haven’t forgiven him for everything else. For every attempt to put me down, and for his unsupportiveness. He was supposed to be our guardian, but once you left for the army, Uncle Clay took over the business and never planned on relinquishing it.”

“So you think Uncle Clay set you up for cloning cars so he could own the track? Do you know how absurd that sounds?”

“Not any more absurd than an uncle who treats me like a nuisance and tries to marry me off around every corner. Yes, I think it was a ploy to keep his CEO spot at the track. He pushed me to reconcile with Jared. Got real angry when I said no. He wanted me to marry Jared so he could stay on to run the place. And we both know how Uncle Clay encouraged you to stay away. I think for the same reason.”

“That was different. I needed to be away. I couldn’t function here. Clay understood.”

“Right. And I didn’t.” Roni shook her head and walked to a closed door. She opened it and Ethan caught a glimpse of a wide-open kitchen with the largest island he’d ever seen. She paused to tell Maddie to come with her. To Wade, she said, “Uncle Clay has been driving a wedge between us for years, and you have been blind to it. You’ve put him on this pedestal as a father figure when he’s not your father, but I
am
your sister. We’re stronger together, and he knows it. If Uncle Clay can separate us, then he wins.”

“You’re wrong. He loves us, Roni. He wants us to have each other. In fact, he’s been helping me search for Luke. Why would he help me find our brother if he wanted to separate us?”

“Appearances. But something I’ve learned along the way is appearances are lies. I appeared to be Jared’s girlfriend, not his trainer. Lie. An enemy in our midst has been appearing to love me. Lie.”

A white-haired man dressed in suit pants without the matching coat stepped up to the door. His crisp white dress shirt was open at the collar and the sleeves rolled to his elbows. Ethan recognized the man from his file.

Clay Spencer, acting CEO for Spencer Speedway.

“And you think it’s me?” the uncle said. “You think I’m the enemy?”

Roni spun around in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“Sweetheart, we’re all here. Where else would we be? Our Veronica has been missing. We’ve gathered as a family to try to find you and for support.”

“I called Cora’s cell today. She said you were out of town.”

“Yes, looking for you. She didn’t want to give anything away in case the phones are tapped.”

“Why was she at your house?”

Clay leaned in. “You would rather her stay in this big house and on this mountain alone? Come on, Roni, think.”

Roni looked at Ethan. Conflict warred on her face. She didn’t know what to think. She offered a reluctant shrug. “I suppose it would be safer for her to stay in town. But I’m back now. Is she here?”

“You’ll find her in the safe room. When you pulled up, we didn’t know it was you. We had the ladies lock themselves inside.”

“Lacey’s here? And she agreed to be locked up? That’s so unlike her. I would have expected her to pick up a gun and greet me.”

Wade huffed. “It took some convincing, but she went. She’s pregnant.”

Roni’s mouth dropped. Tears sprang from the corners of her eyes. “Oh, Wade, you’re having a baby?”

“I wasn’t supposed to tell you yet. She wanted us to all be together to make the announcement. I would say act surprised when she tells you, but after your stance on appearances, just be happy for us.”

“Of course I’m happy for you.” Roni reached for Wade, and brother and sister held on to each other. Ethan had to think if Clay Spencer thought to break the bond between these two, the man would have an easier time breaking into Fort Knox.

Ethan studied the uncle from the corner of his eye. A full head of white hair, neatly combed, topped a robust, healthy man in his sixties. He looked on his niece and nephew with what appeared to be adoration.

But as Roni said, appearances could be lies.

Ethan needed cold hard facts. He needed information that would shine the truth on how Clay Spencer really felt toward his wards.

Was he the good and understanding man Wade saw? Was Clay Spencer’s continued position as CEO a selfless act for his nephew’s sake? Did he just understand Wade’s injury of PTSD and want to help him by staying on at the track so his nephew could heal? Or did he understand his nephew’s wound because he was there and saw the fiery car crash firsthand?

Roni said the man was only a friend to the killer of her parents, but that could have been just another one of the lies posing as an appearance.

* * *

Roni held Maddie’s hand and led her to the plush sofa in the great room. At first, Maddie sat on the edge of the seat, stiff and upright.

“Come on, I know you want to kick back and relax,” Roni said from where she had sunk into her favorite spot in the house. She tugged on the girl’s hand to encourage her to relax here. “I want you to feel comfortable here, Maddie. I meant what I said. This is your home for however long you want it to be. I’m hoping you choose forever, but I don’t want to be one of those pushy friends.” She smiled at the girl and tugged again.

Slowly, Maddie pushed her herself back, and before long, a sweet sigh escaped her lips.

“See? What did I tell you? Comfy, huh?”

Maddie turned to face her, and Roni saw tears pool in her eyes. “It’s all so beautiful. I’ve never seen such a wonderful place. You have hanging glass from your ceilings like the Boss’s home, but his home was cold. Big and cold. Yours isn’t cold.”

Roni looked up at the crystal light fixtures as though it was the first time she’d ever really paid much attention to them. A funny thing for Maddie to notice.

“He’s not your boss anymore, and he never will be again. His name is Lyle Ramsey, and he’s nothing but a sick little man, undeserving of being anyone’s boss. A person in charge has to earn that title. They can never force others to treat them as such.”

“But he did.”

“And he will pay dearly for it, Maddie.” Ethan stepped into the room and the conversation.

Roni followed him with her gaze as he went to each closed blind and peeked out from the edge. Full darkness had descended, so she wasn’t sure what he could be seeing. There was no moon to shine light on anything. It was also pretty dark in the house, too, so Roni could only make out shadowy features on his face from across the room.

“Do you think they’re out there?” Roni asked.

“If not yet, they will be.”

Maddie pushed closer to Roni, tucking her head into her shoulder. Roni rubbed her gently to soothe her fears.

“It’ll take some work for them to break in. My mother had this place built to withstand an army. Or at least until all inhabitants could get into the safe room.”

“I see that. I checked every square foot of the place and know we only got in because we were allowed to. Your brother was ready and waiting, and I will be, too.” Ethan stepped up to the couch, checking the barrel of a different gun than his Glock.