Hot on Her Heels (17 page)

Izzy looked at him, her eyebrows raised. “Don't what?”

“Stay safe,” he said instead. “Once Jed finds out, he's going to be pissed.”

The three of them exchanged another look. “We will,” Lexi told him. “Don't worry—we're not interested in annoying Jed for sport. We want to get him out of our lives as quickly as possible.” But she sounded sad as she spoke.

“You don't have to do this,” he said. “I can find another way.”

“After you went to all this trouble?” Izzy pointed to the folders. “They have our name on them and everything.”

Skye smiled at him. “This isn't about you, Garth. We're sad because it's come down to trying to ruin our
father. It's not a decision we've made lightly. But he nearly killed Izzy and we can't forgive that.”

He nodded cautiously, not sure if he was being let off the hook or lulled into a false sense of security.

“You'll take care of Dana?” Lexi asked as she signed the paperwork.

“Yes.”

Izzy looked up at him. “Does she know that?”

“It's an ongoing negotiation.”

 

D
ANA SPENT MOST OF
her afternoon poring over computer printouts. She was doing her best to find traces of Jed's foreign deposits, which sounded easier and more interesting than it was. Fortunately, a distraction arrived in the form of all three Titan sisters walking into the command center.

“Look at you, all businesslike,” Izzy teased as they hugged. “I never thought I'd see the day.”

“Me, either.” Dana hugged Skye and Lexi. “I'm learning how to hack into computers. It's not as fun as it looks on TV.”

The sisters pulled up chairs.

“Not that I'm not thrilled to see you,” Dana said. “But what are you doing here?”

“We came to give you a stern talking-to,” Lexi said grimly. “Dammit, Dana, what the hell is wrong with you?”

Skye frowned. “Lexi, don't make her defensive. It doesn't help anyone.”

“I'm pissed,” Lexi said. “In my condition, that's not a good thing.”

Dana stared at them. “What are we talking about?” These women were her friends. They were never upset with her.

Izzy started to speak, but Skye shook her head. “I'll do it,” she said. “Dana, we know what happened with Jed and we're very upset and hurt that you didn't tell us yourself.”

Dana sprang to her feet and circled behind the desk. “I told Garth not to say anything. I asked for one thing, but could he do it? Of course not. Typical man.”

“Garth is many things, but typical isn't one of them,” Lexi said. “And it's not his fault. We were being difficult about signing some papers. He needed to point out how serious the situation is with Jed.”

“By using me.” She was furious. He could have told them something else. Anything else. She looked at her friends. “I'm sorry. I didn't want you to worry.”

“It comes with the relationship,” Izzy said. “Worry are us. Or something like that.”

Lexi still looked upset. “Dana, Jed is our father. You've been a part of our lives since we were kids. We have the right to know if he's threatening you.”

“Why? It has nothing to do with you.”

“It has everything to do with us,” Skye said, standing and facing her. “We love you and don't want anything to happen to you. If it does, we have a share of the responsibility.”

Dana held up both hands, as if to push them away. “That's crazy. You can't control what Jed does and you're not responsible. I don't accept that.”

“You must,” Lexi said quietly. “Otherwise you would have told us. You knew how we'd feel.”

Talk about a tidy trap, Dana thought, feeling both small and guilty. “I didn't want any of you to be upset.”

“If he divides us, he wins,” Skye said. “We have to remember that. The only way we're strong is if we're together.” She stared at Dana. “We want you to promise that you won't keep any more secrets about Jed.”

“I can take care of myself,” she reminded them.

“This is about more than you,” Skye told her.

“Did you get the
we love you
part?” Izzy asked. “You're one of us. You know—family.”

Because that's what they had always believed. Family. Was it possible?

Lexi struggled to her feet, then waddled over to hug her. “You're stuck with us. You need to stop resisting. It's exhausting.”

Skye and Izzy joined in the hug. The women holding her tight should have made her feel trapped. She should have been wanting to escape. Instead she felt warm and safe and loved. The emotion filled up a space that had been empty for so long, she'd nearly forgotten it was there.

“No more secrets,” she whispered, telling herself the burning in her eyes came from a lack of sleep and nothing else.

“This is so cool,” Izzy said. “Now let's all go get matching tattoos.”

Skye sighed. “Someone hit her.”

 

G
ARTH WALKED INTO THE
condo that night, took one look at Dana and knew his time of being confronted by the women in his life was far from over.

“You're pissed,” he said by way of greeting.

She sat in the living room, dressed in jeans and a sweater, a glass of wine in her hand.

“Hardly a greeting to treasure,” she said. “Especially after I slaved all afternoon, cooking you dinner.”

The words sounded right, but there was something flashing in her eyes. Something that, had he been less secure in his masculinity, would have scared the crap out of him.

“You cooked?”

“I'm full of surprises.” She pointed to the chair opposite the sofa, next to a small table where a second glass of wine waited. “Have a seat.”

He shrugged out of his suit jacket, then did as she suggested. He reached for the wine.

“Are you going to poison me?” he asked.

“You mean go behind your back and do something you've specifically asked me not to do?” she asked, coming to her feet and glaring at him. “You mean upset people you've cared about all your life and then not even warn you?”

He winced. “They came by.”

“You bet your ass they came by. What the hell is wrong with you? First, you told them what happened with Jed, then you didn't even have the grace to warn me.”

“I, ah, didn't think they'd say anything. At least not that fast.”

“Because you've never met a woman before? Dammit, Garth, I had my reasons. I trusted you and you betrayed me.”

He stood and faced her. “Look, I'll accept that I screwed up, but betrayal is going too far. I didn't have a plan. I needed them to sign some papers and they were resisting.”

“So you sold me down the river.”

“That's dramatic.”

“It's the truth!” she yelled.

“It's what had to be done. I thought we all had a goal here—to take down Jed Titan. At least that's what everyone is saying they want. But when it comes to action, no one is showing up. I asked them to sign some paperwork to buy shares of his stocks. They resisted.”

She watched him warily. “Why would they do that?”

“For the same reason you will.” He reached for his briefcase and pulled out a folder. “I have the same thing for you. I'll be buying nearly a million dollars' worth of Titan World shares in your name.”

She jumped back as if he'd burned her. “What?”

“That's what they said, too.”

“I'm not taking your money.”

“I've already had this argument today,” he said, rubbing his forehead. “Look, Dana—”

“No,
you
look. This is bullshit. It's bad enough I have to live here, but I'm not taking your money.”

He told himself she was upset—that her complaint about living with him wasn't personal. But he felt the sting, all the same.

“Then go back to your own place,” he said, his voice low and angry. “I'll get you a full-time bodyguard.”

She stood very still. “That's not what I meant.”

“It's what you said.”

“I'm sorry.”

Two words he'd never expected her to say.

She drew in a breath. “I can't take your money. I sleep with you. If you give me money, then I'm your whore.”

“Dana, we have a plan here,” he said, doing his best to stay calm. “We're trying to back Jed into a corner. Having him know everyone is buying into his precious company is going to seriously piss him off.”

She tucked her hands behind her back. “No. And while we're negotiating—”

“Saying no and changing the subject isn't a negotiation.”

She ignored that. “I want to go back to work.”

He tossed the folder onto the coffee table and swore. “Sure. Why not? Spend your day totally in the open with no protection. That's smart. When the bullets
come, what are the odds you won't be the only victim? What happens when they take out your partner or some innocent citizen?”

She looked uncomfortable, as if she hadn't thought that part through. Not that he was prepared to accept victory. He wasn't that clueless.

“I'm supposed to be a deputy,” she snapped. “I want my career back and my life, as well. You don't understand. You have a life, a place to go, people to see. Probably women. By the way, who else are you dating?”

If he lived to be five hundred and eight he would
never
understand women. “Who else would I be dating? Are you serious? When would this happen? If I'm not at the office, I'm with you. We're sleeping together. Are
you
seeing anyone else?”

“Oh, please.”

That pissed him off. “So it's fine for you to accuse me, but not the other way around? That's fair.”

“We're not talking fair,” she yelled. “You're this rich, successful guy. We were in the society pages after Skye's fund-raiser. My picture was in there with you. That doesn't happen to me.”

He still didn't understand the problem but was thinking wine wasn't going to be close to enough. It seemed more like a Scotch night.

“I don't control the press. I didn't even know there were society pages.”

“Me, either,” she snapped. “So you'd better fix this.”

“Fix what?”

“Everything.”

They stared at each other. Tension filled the room. There was anger and frustration and something else he couldn't figure out.

He had no idea what to say, so he settled on the truth. “I'm not seeing anyone but you. I wasn't seeing anyone before I met you. I want you to sign the papers because it's the next logical step in bringing down Jed. Signing them doesn't say anything bad about you and when all this is over, you can sell the shares and give the money to the charity of your choice.”

He watched her watching him, trying to read her expression, but he couldn't. For all he knew, she was going to pull out her gun and shoot him.

“I get that it's frustrating for you to be stuck here. Going back to work is dangerous, not just for you but for everyone around you. Nick needs some help out at the ranch. You'd be fairly isolated there and probably safe. If you're interested, I'll ask him. But I'd want you to have a driver or a car tailing you on the trip there and back. It's a long drive that would leave you exposed. Or you could stay there. Which wouldn't be my choice, but as you've said, this isn't about me.”

“Damn straight.”

He held up both hands. “I'm not trying to run your life. I just want to keep you safe. I don't want anything bad to happen to you.” He lowered his hands. “That's it. You can yell at me now.”

One corner of her mouth twitched. “I'm not a yeller.”

“Right. You're calm and diplomatic. An iceberg of emotion.”

The twitch turned into a smile. “You can call me Ice if you want.”

“Can I?”

The tension eased from the room, leaving them alone. Dana walked toward him. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

“I just want you safe,” he repeated.

“And Jed in jail.”

“I've always been a high achiever. Is this okay now? Are you going to turn on me again?”

She looked into his eyes. “I won't turn on you. At least not for this.”

“At the risk of making you froth at the mouth, are you going to sign the papers?”

She glanced at the folder, then back at him. “Yes, but I won't like it.”

“Duly noted.”