Broken Ground: (Broken Series Book 1) (46 page)

He looked totally nonplussed in his tailored suit, the slight sheen of the fabric reminding me of a snake's skin, and he walked with an air of authority that only came from a lifetime of self-importance.

I stared him down as he approached, the set of my jaw letting him know I was less than impressed.

The automatic doors swishing closed at my back barely registered until Brant stepped to my side, his eyes following mine. Shepard's arrival snuffed out any attempt at conversation.

I stood there rigidly as the bastard took his time sizing me up, totally oblivious to Spencer and Brant, who flanked me protectively. His attention never wavered from me as he spoke. "I assume you know who I am, given your recent correspondence." There was an edge to his voice that belied his anger though he gave no outward signs.

Spencer and Brant stood there looking like they knew exactly what was going on though neither was privy to what I'd done. Looking him dead in the eye, I stood my ground, "And I assume you finally realized who you were dealing with when you opened that
correspondence
."

Apparently, he'd decided not to directly acknowledge the contents of the envelope I'd sent. Photos my investigator had obtained for me of Marissa 'paying' Shepard for his help. Most of which occurred with her head in his lap. Luckily for me, his face was much more recognizable than hers.

He huffed softly. "I suppose you think I'm concerned about your little threats? But what would Alison say about you breaking up her mother's marriage?" His cocky smile told me that, like so many others, he didn't know Ali at all.

"Actually, she said it would serve you both right. Eileen would lose her loveless marriage, and you would lose half your shit. No prenup, Holden? Rookie mistake for a man of your standing." Being addressed by his first name obviously rankled, that was exactly why I'd used it. I leaned a little closer, brandishing a cocky smile of my own. "She also saw the pictures and wasn't at all impressed. Guess money can't buy everything, huh?" I was surprised that Ali hadn't wanted to expose the affair to her mother, but she reminded me that Eileen expected certain 'eccentricities' and probably wouldn't leave him anyway. Luckily for us, Shepard didn't know that.

He almost succeeded in hiding his fear, almost.

Spencer cut in, speaking to me but never turning his eyes from Shepard. "Surely you're mistaken about the prenup, Clay. A cutthroat business man such as our friend here would never forget a thing like that."

Shepard spared him a fleeting glance as one might to acknowledge a gnat hovering at the edge of their vision, but returned his attention to me without comment. 

I nudged Spencer in a conspiratorial way and said, "Oh, I'm sure he thought about it after the fact, but he was in such a hurry to steal Eileen from the man who she was engaged to — Holden's business rival — that once he had her on the hook, he whisked her off to Vegas before common sense had a chance to set in."

There was a flicker of genuine hatred in Shepard's eyes before his mask slipped back into place.

Apparently, Spencer saw it too because he snickered softly. "Maybe he's not the formidable opponent everyone thinks him to be. I mean, hasty decisions don't work out for him as evidenced by his lack of forethought in his marriage, but meticulous planning hasn't worked out well for him lately either. He had quite a few months to work on his little plan to bring us down and look how that turned out. Here we stand, three nobodies who currently have him by the short-and-curlies. That must be a real blow to his pride." 

Shepard's fists were clenched at his sides, and I could practically hear his blood pressure skyrocketing. 

It was glorious.

Brant cleared his throat, drawing Shepard's attention. "And just so you know, it was never going to happen. Ever. I'd sooner sleep in a viper's nest than do business with you."

Spencer stepped in, nodding. "That contract was never going to be enforced. Ever. No matter how or why it was broken. We'd rather stand shoulder to shoulder with Clay on a sinking ship than cruise away with you on your fancy yacht. We wouldn't leave our company and we damn sure wouldn't walk away from our brother. Not for your money or anything else, you smug bastard. That's what friendship is. And, for all your business savvy, that's something you wouldn't have a fucking clue about."

I wanted to take pleasure from the indignant huff Shepard uttered as he walked away, but all I could do was stand there in awe of my partners. My friends. My brothers.

I was so much luckier than I ever realized.

Brant nudged my shoulder. "Blackmail, huh? I'm impressed."

Spencer chuckled, stepping over to the courtyard vending machines and getting the three of us water. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"You're too damn scrupulous for your own good," I observed, heading for the small garden area to our left. A large flowerbed filled with deep reds and purples sat at the center of the space, a small koi pond in the middle. Tall, boxy shrubs created a circular border, blocking out most of the parking area from view. "Luckily for us, I'm still capable of being an asshole when necessary."

"Good to know falling in love didn't take that from you." He teased, sitting on one of the stone benches that flanked the flowerbed and taking a long drink from his water bottle.

"Yeah. I'm hoping marriage won't either."

Spencer choked and sputtered, spitting water everywhere just as I anticipated.

Brant just laughed and slapped my back.

Yeah, I was still an asshole.

SPENCER AND I
stayed outside for a while making phone calls and trying to track down Keith. My investigator was having no luck so far and whoever the hell Spencer was speaking to in a hushed voice was having no luck either. It was like the bastard had fallen off the face of the Earth.

We should be so lucky.

Frustrated, I told Spencer to keep trying while I went to talk to Ali. When I got back to the room, Ali was trying to convince Talia to go home to D.C., knowing she had an event scheduled at her restaurant that night. Thinking that the best thing for everyone would be to leave Denson for a few days, I had to concur. We eventually wore her down, and she grudgingly left with strict instructions that she be provided with regular updates.

Once we were alone, I suggested to Ali that we go spend a few days with Gran after her discharge from the hospital, using the excuse that we had been going there anyway, and now we needed to decide how to proceed with the build. There was still no word from the fire marshal on the cause of the blaze, but I didn't need to know how it started to know that it was a total loss. Ali was hesitant to leave, as I knew she would be, but mentioning the house stopped her objections. She would want to help Gran and I come up with a plan. It was a dirty trick, but I didn't give a damn. She had to get the hell out of town until I could find out how the fire started and where the fuck her psycho ex had disappeared to.

I had just finished telling her that I was stepping out to talk to Gran about our visit when Eileen walked into the room. The scathing glance she tossed my way indicated her displeasure with what she'd heard. Her expensive heels clicked on the tile floor as she sauntered over and took Ali's hand. Her unwrinkled wrap dress and perfectly styled hair seemed out of place; cold somehow given the situation. Maybe I would have respected her more as a mother if she'd looked disheveled and haggard, or at least given some outward sign that nearly losing her daughter had shaken her even a little.

She looked down at Ali, raising a perfectly plucked brow as she surveyed her only daughter. "Why would you go stay with strangers when you can come home with Holden and me? We have your room all ready and an entire staff to look after you. You wouldn't have to lift a finger."

Of course she would assume Ali needed a damn staff. I'd only known her a few months, and even I knew better than that. How did this woman not know her child at all? I watched with thinly veiled distaste as she smoothed Ali's hair back and tried to wipe a smudge of soot that was still on her face. The gesture was awkward and obviously unnatural to her. Was she putting on a show for my sake? Even Ali looked surprised at her behavior. "Mother, why are you acting so oddly?" Ali reached for me, so I walked over and slipped my fingers through hers, locking them together in a show of support. "You haven't even spoken to Clay since you walked in. Isn't it somewhere in your etiquette handbook that it's rude to ignore someone's presence? Have you even bothered to speak to him this whole time while I was being treated?"

She pursed her lips but said nothing, knowing Ali didn't need verification.

Ali blew out a frustrated breath and pulled away from her mother's hand. "Mother, this is Clay McGavran. Clay, this is my mother, Eileen Shepard."

Eileen scowled but offered a manicured hand in my direction, looking less than impressed. "Ah, yes, I remember. The construction worker." She sniffed rudely. "Ali has mentioned you in passing, I believe."

I shook her hand quickly and made a point of wiping my hand on my pants when I answered. "Yes, I believe I was there when she told you about me." I quirked a suggestive brow just to piss her off. "Sorry if my hands are rough. It's the price you pay when wielding a BFH all day."

I could see Ali smirking out of the corner of my eye when Eileen took the bait. "And what exactly is a BFH?" She asked coolly.

I cocked my head to the side, hoping to look confused. "I thought you would have been able to glean that from what Ali told you. A BFH is a big hammer. I'll let you figure out where the 'f' factors in while I go make arrangements for our stay at my grandmother's. If you need help figuring it out, ask your daughter. She knows all about it." I leaned down to kiss Ali briefly, and she nipped my lip playfully, thoroughly entertained by my interactions with her mother. I nodded to Eileen on the way out and told her, "Thanks for the offer to take Ali in, but I think she'll be better cared for by us strangers."

GRAN AND VANESSA
were still lingering at the hospital, waiting to find out when Ali would be discharged. I tracked them down to the cafeteria and got myself a cup of coffee before joining them at their table. Vanessa seemed to be faring better this morning, so Gran must have taken my threats seriously.

They inquired about Ali's condition, and I told them what I had in mind, leaving out the part about Keith and the possibility that the fire was intentional. No need to worry them unnecessarily. When I suggested that we stay at Gran's for a few days, the two women eagerly agreed and started planning everything from the dinner menu to what clothes Ali would want to bring, volunteering to pack our things for us so that we could leave immediately. It was nice watching the two of them chat animatedly about all the things we could do while visiting and joke about how Daniel, who was with his father for the weekend, was going to fawn all over Ali when he returned.

Seeing them back on solid ground made me happy.

I gave them the entry code for the cabin, telling them to go get some rest and hash out the details over dinner. There was no way Ali was leaving the hospital at least for one more day so I didn't see the need for everyone to cram themselves into that tiny waiting room another night. I hugged them both and set off to look for Jeffrey, hoping he was more receptive of my plans than his ex-wife had been.

It made no sense to me that the two of them had once been married. They say opposites attract but damn...

On my way up to Ali's room, I ran into Lauren. She had gone back home to work on getting Teach out of town for a few days, and I assumed by her reappearance that she had been successful. She smiled tentatively as she joined me in front of the bank of elevators, and I returned the gesture. It was unsettling to be in this position, to look at her as a possible ally. I couldn't be sure of her intentions, but I could find nothing in her admission that would benefit her in the long run. She had a lot to lose by talking to us. Did she do it just to keep from being implicated in the fire? I had no way of knowing for sure, so I wasn't ready to trust her yet. I'd never be foolish enough to tell her so, though.