by Lexi Hart
I’m not sure where this is heading until Grace smiles through her tears. “But when I met Nick just after your funeral and he helped me through it, and he was a giant sweet goofball, everything just seemed...worth the drama, you know?”
The corner of my lip curls. “Yeah. I think I do know.”
Her eyes widen, she looks so shocked, that the last two years melt away until we’re back in our parent's kitchen, with her trying to find which one of her friends I made out with. “No fucking way, you’re back from the dead, and you’re in love!”
I don’t even bother to deny it.
Chapter 16.
Natalie
My toes are tapping in my boots as I wait, cradling my drink in the hospital coffee shop. My police escort, Julie, is sitting close by, watching me as I try to pretend she isn’t.
I check my watch for the third time in ten minutes and exhale slowly, trying to release some of the tension that’s building in my shoulders.
I see Jemma before she spies me, so I wave a hand, and she hustles over to me on heels not made for speed.
I get up, and she hugs me tightly enveloping me in a cloud of expensive perfume before she takes a seat and looks suspiciously at Julie. “How much trouble are you in?”
I try to sound casual, even though I don’t feel it. “I’m not in trouble exactly. I haven’t done anything wrong. They’re just watching me in case Hunter tries to contact me.”
Her eyebrows rise. “Because he killed the mobsters and the money still hasn’t been found?”
I shuffle uncomfortably on my seat at how loud she’s speaking. “Um, Jack Holloway has already admitted to shooting men who were trespassing on his land.”
A smile flitters at her lips. “Sorry. Right, I forgot. Mom said she remembers him. She says he’s some kind of hero from the Second World War or something?”
I frown at her, not sure if this is a helpful topic to be discussing. I had no idea Jack Holloway was in the Second World War. But, that does make perfect sense that Hunter and both my father would hold him in such high esteem.
Technically I’m not supposed to be talking about Hunter or anything to do with the Falcone family, but I do have permission to visit my family and Jed.
“Can we change the subject? I wanted to talk to you about Mom and the DNR order while I can.”
She eyes Julie before speaking. “Okay, sorry. I’m glad you’re in one piece but sure. Um, he’s had moments of consciousness, he’s in and out, but the doctors think that’s a good sign. The second he’s awake, I’m going to ask him to reconsider.”
Her lips purse as she stares lustfully at the slice of cake I ordered. I push it towards her and take a sip of my coffee. “Good. I’ll come as much as I’m allowed.”
I glance at Julie, who pointedly looks at her watch. Since my time is limited, I look at Jemma. “So, unless we get prior offers, you want to hold an auction for the land?”
Jemma nods and pushes the cake back in my direction. “Yeah, Brett and I figured we may as well do it now the cabin’s gone, although Dad won’t need the money right away thanks to Mom.”
I narrow my eyes, hoping she’ll get the hint that I want her to fill me in on what I missed. “What are you talking about?”
Jemma crosses her legs and twirls the diamond on her finger. “She’s paid all of Dad’s medical bills.”
I’m so shocked, my jaw drops. “How?”
“She married some guy in Denver. A ranch owner or something. He died last year, and she inherited it all.”
I shake my head, trying to work out why my mom would suddenly show up and turn into our savior. “We don’t hear from her in a decade, and out of the blue, she shows up like this?”
My eyes slide to Julie, who’s making a concerted effort not to listen, though Jemma has never been one for discretion.
“I think she wants to try to make it up to us. I know you don’t want to hear this, especially not now, but I’ve been talking to her, and she and Dad weren’t as happy as you thought they were.”
I growl a response. “That’s what she says. And Dad can’t exactly say anything in his defense now can he?”
Jemma sighs and shakes her head. “She isn’t blaming him. She wasn’t well. Like, really not well.”
I frown at her, puzzled by what she isn’t saying directly. “What do you mean, unwell?”
Her lips press together, and she looks everywhere but at me as she starts to fidget in her seat. “She said she was depressed a lot of the time when we were kids. She said she was getting worse and no one would take her seriously. Not even Dad when she tried to explain she was thinking about suicide.”
I huff a frustrated breath. “So, she just left us? Got better, and what, met some rich guy in Denver and never once thought about seeing if we were okay?”
Jemma finally meets my eye. “Um. I think she did try to contact us after she got help. Repeatedly. Dad was so mad at her for leaving; he told the court she was mentally unwell and that she was a danger to herself and to us.”
I’m so stunned I sit gaping until I shake my head at her. “That can’t be true.”
Jemma’s eyes fill. “It is. I found a bunch of letters from her and court documents in his desk.”
I stare at my coffee, watching the black liquid as I try to take in everything she’s saying. Jemma wouldn’t lie to me. Not about this. And there’s something about it that rings true. The way Dad didn’t talk about her. The way his mood would turn sour after a phone call or a letter arrived.
All these years, I thought my mother abandoned us, and there’s so much more to the story than I ever imagined before now.
I frown up at Jemma. “But why not contact us when we were older? We both moved out of home, went to college; there was nothing Dad could do when we weren’t kids anymore.”
Jemma shrugs her narrow shoulders. “Maybe she thought it was too late? Maybe she thought we were better off without her? Maybe she thought we’d never forgive her?”
I sit back a little and pick up the fork so I can toy with the cake I no longer want. Jemma reaches across the table and grabs my plate. “If you’re going to just wreck it.”
She picks up a chunk of cake and groans as she shoves it into her mouth. “Daaaam. This chocolate cake is better than sex.”
I snort a laugh. “Not in my experience.”
Not in my recent experience, anyway.
She rolls her eyes. “Yeah, well, we don’t all have love-starved mountain men tucked away. No wonder he was so attentive. After two years up there, he would have been past desperate to get laid.”
I’m sorely tempted to kick her under the table, even if she does have a point. But I don’t have the time to examine her jealousy, not when Julie is watching me like a hawk and time is slipping away.
“I need to get going. I want to check on Jed first.”
She nods, her mouth filled with cake. “Jed’s been in the same ward as Dad all this time. Funny, huh?”
I don’t see anything remotely funny about it, but it does mean I can visit them one after the other.
When it’s clear Jemma is settled in to eat my cake, I push back from the table and nod at Julie. “Keep trying to get him to cancel the DNR order and let me know if I can help selling the land.”
Jemma gives me a wry smile. “When you don’t have a police escort, you mean?”
I narrow my eyes and ignore her sarcasm. “Do you always have to be such a bitch? This has been a really shitty couple of weeks for me.”
Her smile disintegrates, and she flicks her hair behind her shoulder. “Sorry. I’m tired. Brett and I well, things aren’t great.”
I release a sigh. I don’t have the time to counsel her, and even if I did, what the hell do I know about relationships? I married a man more interested in his job than me, then fell in love with a criminal.
I blink. In love. That is not what I am in. Lust. Absolutely. But love? I shake off my pointless thoughts, and I lean down to give her a side hug. “I’m sorry. Soon as I can,
I’ll come over, and we can talk.”
Her face scrunches up, but she nods. “If you need a place to stay, the door’s open.”
It’s the closest thing to an apology I’ll ever get from her, so I smile and promise to stay in touch, then leave her to her cake.
Julie comes alongside me, looking cautious but as competent as I know she is. At the smile she’s wearing, I take the chance to ask her what I’ve been thinking about. “How hard are the FBI looking for Hunter?”
Julie doesn’t look at me as she pushes the up button. “Hmmm. Well, I’m not a Feeb, but he’s the only person who knows where the money is. And he’s wanted in connection with the deaths of the Falcone family and associates.”
The elevator doors open and she checks it’s clear. “So, they’d be putting a lot of time and resources into finding him then?”
She waits for the elevator doors to close before glancing sidelong. “I really don’t know. The FBI operate on a different level to local cops. You must know that?”
I nod as the elevator opens. She steps in front of me and glances down the hall of the ICU ward.
Julie lowers her voice as we walk. “Between you and me, no cop, federal or local, is going to lose sleep over the deaths of a mob boss and his son.”
Her expression brightens as we approach Jed’s room. “Jed might know more than I would since he’s just been promoted to second-grade detective. I’m just a lowly grunt. And as per my instructions, I’ll be right outside if you need me.”
I chuckle at her good-natured jab and ease open the door to Jed’s room to find him propped up in bed, chest wrapped in a bandage.
His lips curl upwards into a smile. “Hey,” he croaks.
I take a seat on the chair beside him. His eyes are on me so intently I start to fidget. “Congratulations on your promotion.”
He tries for a shrug but pain tears across his face. “I’d enjoy it more if you weren’t the reason I earned it.”
I’m not sure what to say to that, so I just get out what I came to ask. “No one is telling me whether this is over.”
He adjusts himself, so he’s angled towards me. “That’s because it’s too early to tell. It could take weeks, months even.”
I lean back on my chair and fold my hands in my lap. “Wonderful,” I mumble.
Jed snorts. “Yeah, well. It could be a million times worse. I thought you were dead when I saw that guy drag you away. What happened? And what happened in the mountains? Please tell me you weren’t involved in that too?”
I can’t say anything, even if my lawyer hadn’t advised me to be careful with what I say to him and to Julie. “I can’t talk about that.”
Jed’s eyes narrow. “Right. Sure. But you’re okay?”
I manage a shallow smile. “I’m fine. How are you?”
He smiles crookedly and shakes his head. “I’ll survive. You, on the other hand, need to rethink your lifestyle choices.”
I bristle, ready to argue this was hardly my fault when he leans across and takes my hand. “I’m serious. This was a mistake. One I could have handled better. And I am sorry for that, Nat, I really am.”
He squeezes my hand and releases it, looking exhausted as a yawn starts to overtake him. “The morphine is kicking in, we’ll have to pick this up later, but if I were you, I’d find a new place to live, change my cell, email, maybe get a dog, do everything you can short of a name change, hell, maybe a name change too.”
He sinks back into the pillows and closes his eyes. When he starts to snore, I quietly get to my feet, ready to move on to visit my dad while I’m still allowed to.
Maybe Jed’s right? Maybe moving somewhere else, changing a few things might be sensible. And maybe a change of scene will help me get over Hunter?
I close the door to find Julie ready to walk me down the hallway to where Dad’s room is. Dad’s door is open a crack, so I tell Julie I’ll be a minute and ready myself to enter, preparing to see Mom again when I hear Dad’s faint voice.
I’m so happy; my hand goes to my mouth, I’m at the door ready to push it open when I hear Mom talking to him. “Now’s not the time. It’s in the past. The girls need you. You need to rescind this foolish order you gave the hospital.”
Dad’s voice is so faint I almost miss it. “As soon as I get this out. That night was a mistake; I didn’t consider what it would do to our family. She wasn’t worth losing you. Losing what we had, it was—”
“We both made mistakes. I should have gone for help sooner. And you’ve done a wonderful job with them both. I’m not here to dredge up the past, I want to help, you and the girls. I want to get to know them again—"
My eyes widen as more pieces of the puzzle start to fall into place. An affair. Dad had an affair. No wonder Mom had a breakdown and left. If she was already depressed, that would have been horrendous.
I can’t listen anymore, and Julie must be wondering why I’m hovering in the doorway, eavesdropping, so I turn on my heel and sneak away.
I give her a weak smile and motion for her to join me. “I think I’ve had enough drama for one day.”
Julie’s smile is empathetic. “I’d imagine you’ve had enough for a lifetime.”
I snort a tiny laugh. “You’re not wrong. I just want things to go back to normal.”
And I do. The trouble is, after meeting Hunter, I’m not so sure I know what normal is any more.
One thing I do know. I can’t stay living at the same address anymore. As soon as I get back to my apartment, I’ll contact my landlord, explain my situation, and see if I can look for somewhere new to live.
I glance at Julie as we arrive at the elevator again. “Don’t suppose you know where I can get a guard dog?”
NATALIE
Three weeks later
After a stern lecture from the FBI, and nothing beyond circumstantial evidence to tie me to either crime, I’m finally able to travel unaccompanied.
Since all my belongings are currently inside my truck, and I’m in no rush to take Jemma up on her offer to stay in her spare room, I’ve volunteered to make the drive back up to the cabin.
My new dog is slobbering over the window, trying to stick his nose out the crack I opened.
I park my rental and smile despite how unsettled I feel returning here. The dog probably isn’t what Jed had in mind. But when Julie took me to the pound, and a four-year-old mutt, with massive paws and strong hind legs was sending me puppy dog eyes and wagging, I knew I had to give him a home.
I lean over to scratch his floppy ears. “Okay, okay, I’ll let you out.”
I’m rewarded by a lick as he wags so enthusiastically, his entire body shakes. I hop out of my rental, inhaling the faint scent of charred wood, and mountain air and open the passenger door for him.
He bounds off sniffing and exploring as I grab my purse. As I wait for the potential buyer to show, I check my phone.
There are two messages. One from Jed saying he’s out of the hospital and thinks he might know of an apartment for me in a safe neighborhood.
The other is from Mom. It’s a picture of Dad; he’s eating casserole she cooked him and took into the hospital to celebrate his continued progress.
His mood is the brightest I’ve seen it since his diagnosis. I haven’t mentioned overhearing what she and Dad talked about. There doesn’t seem to be any real point. Dad’s oncologist thinks my mom is having a positive effect, and thanks to her, the DNR order has been overridden, and I have no intention of rocking the boat.
I hear a car pulling slowly up the track and spin around, my purse pressed against me, as my heart starts to tap a little faster.
I hold my breath, nerves creeping higher as a slender woman with tight dark curls, no make-up, and a warm smile gets out of the vehicle.
She’s dressed more casually than I expected, carrying a briefcase, but in jeans and boots, which makes me a little on edge.
I hold my purse tighter as she approaches. “Natalie? Wow, Hunter wasn’t wrong, it’s a gor
geous spot up here.”
All the breath leaves my lungs as her grin grows. “I’m Grace, his little sister.”
I stare at her, shaking my head and trying to find the right things to say. All that comes out is strangled noise.
When she leans against her car and looks in the direction of the mountains, I finally find my tongue. “I was meeting a potential buyer.”
Grace nods her head. “That’s me. Hunter couldn’t risk coming himself, so he asked me to see you in his stead.”
I’m so flabbergasted that I just gape like a moron while she looks around.
Grace inhales deeply. “I forgot how clean the air is.” She shakes her head and gestures to her briefcase, “Anyway, I did come to give you an offer. I have the paperwork right here. It’s all legal.”
I’m still so confused, so completely bewildered that Hunter’s sister is standing here talking to me, it takes me a second to connect what she’s saying. “Wait, Hunter is putting in an offer?”
“Yep. He really wants the land. But that was always his dream when we were kids, build a cabin, live off the land,” she says.
I gulp, wondering where I’m supposed to fit into all this, and then the realization hits me. “He has the mob money, doesn’t he?”
Grace holds my gaze. I expect her to deny it, but she just shrugs. “I think you need to talk to him about that.”
My frown is close to turning into a scowl, and since it’s not really meant for her, I quash it and focus on the contract she’s withdrawing from her briefcase. “I would talk to him about it. But I have no way of contacting him.”
She digs around in her pocket and hands me a key. “He’s staying at a cabin just out of the valley. Couple miles up past Pikes Road. Just turn left at the yellow letterbox, and make sure no one follows you, okay?”
Her eyebrows rise as she hands me the documents. “Well, sorry to rush off, but I need to get back to my kid before his Dad puts him on e-bay or something.”
I must look horrified because she laughs. “I was joking. Nick’s an incredible Dad.”
The dog, useless as he is, decides now is a good time to come bounding out of the trees with a dead skunk in his mouth.
