She didn’t pretend for one second she believed that, but instead said, “Thanks for your help, Bruce.” Steam boiled over her making her head feel like it would explode. Just as she suspected, Riley and Dinah were toying with her. Bruce, however, sounded genuine. He was a womanizer and married to his work, but at least he wasn’t spiteful and conniving like Dinah. Even though Bruce didn’t show much interest in family matters, she got the feeling he didn’t have any ill feelings towards her.
When the doorbell rang, she flung open the door. Gracie rushed into her arms. She hugged her tight, inhaling the fruity scent of her shampoo. She was so grateful Gracie was okay. A minute later, Gracie pulled away and held up a doll for Silver’s inspection. “Look, Mommy, what Nana got me.”
“Pretty,” Silver said automatically, looking past Gracie to Riley. She squared her shoulders, needing to clear the air, but not wanting to do it in front of Gracie. “Gracie, why don’t you go pick out a few extra toys to take with us?”
“To Ace’s house,” Gracie said eagerly.
“Yes.” Silver saw Riley’s features tighten at the mention of Ace’s name. But he’d just have to deal with it. She was getting tired of tiptoeing around him.
“Okay,” Gracie said, skipping away.
Silver folded her arms, leveling a glare. “You were two hours late. I thought something terrible had happened.”
He waved a hand. “You must’ve gotten the time mixed up. I was supposed to have her here at eight. So you see … I’m actually early.”
She wanted to rip the smug look off his fleshy face. How could she have even remotely been attracted to him? “You knew I was meeting you here and you intentionally kept me waiting, not answering my calls.”
A sneer twisted over his features. “What’s wrong, Silver? Crying because you had to spend a few extra minutes away from your new boyfriend?”
She wanted to scream. “This has nothing to do with Ace. This is about Gracie. If you can’t be responsible enough to get her here within a reasonable time, then I can’t trust you to take her.” She shook her head in disgust.
His face flushed an ugly red as he stepped forward and got into her face. “Don’t you dare tell me what I can or cannot do with my own daughter,” he yelled.
The hair on the back of Silver’s neck rose, and she felt a tremor of fear when she saw the ruthless look in Riley’s eyes. Was he coming unhinged? She stepped back, holding up her hands. “Lower your voice, so you don’t scare Gracie.” It took all the effort she could summon to remain calm. She glanced toward the door, which Riley had closed when they came in.
He grabbed hold of her wrists and shook her, causing her phone to fall on the floor. “You did this to us!”
“Riley, stop it,” she hissed. “You’re hurting me.”
A grating laugh rumbled from his throat. “Hurt you? You hurt me!” His eyes narrowed. “When I think of you with Ace, it turns my stomach.”
“Ace and I aren’t together that way,” she argued, fear coating her throat.
“Liar,” he snarled. “I saw you together here with that jackleg contractor who wouldn’t know his tail from a hole in the ground … and then at the zoo.”
Her heart dropped. “You’ve been following me?”
“I was keeping tabs on Gracie.” He eyed her with disdain before letting loose a string of curse words.
Riley had a nasty temper, but she’d never seen him this out of control. Would he hit her? Or do something to Gracie? A cold terror iced over her. She had to try and reason with him. “Riley, stop acting this way. Gracie’s in the other room. Are you trying to scare her?” Her voice trembled. “Please, stop this.”
Riley’s lower lip grew loose, as his eyes took on a wounded look. “Why are you doing this? You love me,” he growled, his features tightening. “I know you do. This thing you’ve got going with Ace, it’s all to hurt me, right?” His eyes grew pleading. “I told you I was sorry about the affair.”
Affairs, her mind inserted, but instinctively, she knew it was better to remain silent.
“I want us to make a go of it, be a real family.”
She had to keep from outright laughing at his face. They’d never been a real family. Riley had resented Gracie the minute she was born. How could any father in his right mind resent his own daughter? “Riley, you’re hurting me,” she reminded him, but he only tightened his hold.
She was about to thrust her knee into his groin when the door burst open, and there stood Ace.
Thank heavens, was Silver’s first thought.
A savage expression crossed Ace’s features, his black eyes flashing like steel blades. “What’re you doing?” he thundered.
Riley dropped her wrists like they were poker hot, turning his vehemence on Ace. Silver tenderly rubbed her wrists. Never had she been so glad to see anyone in her life.
Ace scoped her face. “Are you all right?”
“Yes,” she said weakly.
“Silver’s none of your concern,” Riley muttered.
A couple of inches taller than Riley and solid muscle, Ace was a formidable adversary. And when he stepped up to Riley and looked him in the eye, Silver could feel Riley’s fear. Ace’s hand tightened into a fist. “You need to leave,” he ordered, through clenched teeth.
“Only when I’m good and ready,” Riley fired back, but his voice had lost much of its bravado. Then Silver saw him straighten his shoulders and knew he wouldn’t go down easy. “Stay away from my family.”
“Silver’s no longer your wife,” Ace flung back. “You need to stay away from her.”
Riley shoved Ace, but Ace barely moved, holding his ground. Surprise flickered over Riley’s face, and he drew back his fist to take a swing when Gracie stepped into the room. She halted in her tracks, her eyes rounding. “Mommy?” she squeaked, darting to Silver’s side. “Daddy, Ace … are you mad?”
Riley stepped back. “It’s okay, sweetie.” He looked at Silver, shaking his head. “This was your first and last warning.”
“You have no right to threaten Silver,” Ace said. “Step outside, and we’ll settle this like men.”
Riley only shook his head and laughed, stepping backward toward the door. He pointed at Silver. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Silver’s stomach knotted, alarm trickling over her. “What’re you talking about?”
A malevolent smile flitted over Riley’s lips. “You’ll see, darling.” He winked. “All in good time.” With that, he was gone.
Silver’s knees buckled. “Mommy,” she heard Gracie cry before Ace caught her. She fell against his chest. Then straightened, trying to get her bearings.
Ace looked concerned. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” she said, unable to stay the tremble in her voice.
“I ought to go after him and beat the living daylights out of him,” Ace said, eyeing the door.
“No, it’s good that you didn’t.” She motioned with her eyes. “For her sake,” she finished quietly.
He nodded, his lips forming a taut line.
She looked into Ace’s eyes, gratitude gushing over her. “I’m so glad you got here when you did.”
“I should’ve listened to my instinct and come with you earlier.”
Ace had tried, but she asked him not to. She could only nod.
“Do you want to call the police?” Ace asked, his jaw hard.
“No,” she said instantly.
“It might be good to have a record of this,” he insisted.
“And bring down Dinah’s wrath on my head? I don’t think so.”
“You can’t keep running from this, Silver.”
Her head shot up. “I’m handling this the best way I know how.” She lifted her eyes to his, not backing down an inch. “And you need to respect that.”
His jaw started working like he was going to argue, but finally he nodded. “Okay, we’ll do it your way.” He took hold of her arm. “Let’s go home.”
The implication of what Ace was sa
ying—them going home … together—flashed through her mind. She probably should’ve corrected him, but at the moment, she wanted nothing more than to get out of here and go somewhere where Riley couldn’t touch them. “Sounds good to me. Let’s go.”
Chapter 12
Ace pulled at his collar, trying to put on a good face for Natalie Sweeny, the lady who’d won the auction bid for the date. The whole thing was absurd and more than a little awkward. Gracie was at Los Tios with his mom. Ace and Silver had taken her there before riding together to The Perch an upscale French restaurant where he was to have his date with Natalie. They were in a private room with candles, a centerpiece of fresh flowers, and their own wait staff to assist their every whim. Music played softly in the background. And according to his request, Silver was there, overseeing it all. She’d been cool to him on the drive over, and he could feel her icy stare across the room—as if this were all his fault. Granted, it probably wasn’t the smartest idea to insist that Silver orchestrate the date. But at the time, Ace didn’t realize she’d be staying at his house and that they’d be getting close.
It had been five days since the incident with Riley, and Silver refused to talk about it. Every time he brought it up, she instantly shut down the conversation, saying she didn’t want to discuss it. Silver was drawing into herself, going through the motions, her mind somewhere else. He could tell she was hurting. A few times, he’d caught her staring at him, could see the longing on her face. She cared about him the same way he cared about her. But he didn’t know how to break through her shell—get back to the point they were the night Ariana dropped by. Silver was so afraid of Riley and Dinah that she could hardly make a step. It was like she was waiting for the knife to fall. Ace had never been one to sit around and wait. He wanted to do something, but what could he do? The only thing he could think of was to contact Gracie’s school and offer a sizable donation, so he could get in their good graces in case Dinah tried to interfere with that. But he knew if he said anything to Silver, she’d balk, not wanting to be a burden.
“Welcome to The Perch,” a waiter in a white tuxedo said as he stepped up to the table and offered a curt nod. “We have a splendid array of dishes tonight specially prepared for you.” He pointed to the wine list on the table. “But we thought you might like to choose your own wine. Order anything you would like.”
Natalie picked up the menu and perused it, her manicured finger trailing down the list. “I’ll start with a glass of Merlot.”
“Very good choice, madam.” The waiter turned to Ace. “And you, sir?”
“Club soda with lime.”
A momentary flicker of surprise wicked through the server before he nodded.
Amusement danced in Natalie’s eyes as she trailed a slender hand through her hair. “Club soda, huh,” she drawled in a husky voice. “Living on the edge.” She leaned forward, caressing his hand with hers, a look of innuendo in her eyes. Her sleeveless dress with the plunging neckline left little to the imagination, and it sort of freaked Ace out, because he kept half-expecting her boobs to fall out any minute. He could only imagine what his mother would say if she were here. Natalie batted her eyelashes which were thicker than spider legs as she flashed a confident smile. She reminded him of a molded plastic Barbie who’d probably had more work done than Joan Rivers. Ace felt frozen, glancing guiltily at Silver, who leveled a death glare. She was leaning against the wall her arms tightly folded over her chest. As unobtrusively as he could, he removed his hand.
“Playing hard to get,” Natalie purred. “I like that.”
Silver scoffed, then masked it with a cough.
Natalie whipped around, glaring at Silver. “Did you say something?”
Ace was taken back by the fire that flashed in Silver’s eyes as she lifted in her chin and said, “I was just wondering if you might be a little cold …” she looked Natalie up and down “… in that dress.”
“Excuse me?” Natalie drew herself up. “What’re you trying to say?”
Silver flashed a sweet smile. “Mr. Sanchez wanted me here tonight to ensure that you’re comfortable. I was just asking. Forgive me for the interruption.”
“No, I’m perfectly fine,” Natalie harrumphed, turning back around. “Can you believe that?” Her lips formed a pout. “You’d think the help would have enough sense to keep their mouth shut and stay in the background where they belong.”
Ace nearly choked on his own saliva as he glanced at Silver who looked like she was about to blow her cork. It was flattering and he was hopeful that she was jealous, but now wasn’t the time to cause a scene. He wanted to get this stinking date over with so he could move forward with Silver. “It took a lot of work and effort to put this dinner together tonight. Like Silver said, I asked her to be here personally to oversee things, and she had to rearrange her schedule to be here.”
Natalie raised an eyebrow. “So, you’re on a first-name basis with her? Interesting,” she sniffed, fluffing her hair. “I didn’t realize you circulated amongst the working class.”
Had she really just said that? He didn’t need to look at Silver to feel the animosity radiating off her. Wow. This woman was a piece of work. Ace drew in a breath and let it out slowly, mentally counting to ten. Then he fixed on a friendly smile. “Natalie, do you know anything about me?”
Before she could answer, the waiter returned with their drinks. Ace reached for the club soda and sloshed it around in a circle before taking a long drink. Another server, a young girl in her early twenties, stepped up and placed an assortment of appetizers on the table. “Enjoy,” she said, then turned to leave, but Natalie stopped her.
“Oh, I don’t do seafood.” She motioned at the plates of coconut shrimp and calamari, then shuddered. “I can’t stand the sight of it.”
“No problem,” the girl said, reaching for the plates.
What a diva! Ace held up a hand. “Wait a minute. Don’t touch those plates.”
The server looked confused … worried.
“I’ll eat it,” Ace explained as he shuffled the plates. “I’ll just keep them on my side.”
Natalie shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
Ace motioned. “There are plenty of other options here.” He smiled. “I’m sure you’ll find something to your liking.”
She rolled her eyes in response.
The more time he spent around Natalie Sweeny, the more he disliked her. She was spoiled and entitled—two things he found hard to tolerate. “Back to what we were saying. Do you know anything about my background?”
She took a sip of her wine, looking thoughtful. “Hmm … what do I know about Ace Sanchez? Well, you’re an important member of the famed Triple Threat and you look hot in a tuxedo.” She chuckled at her joke. “Aside from that, what else matters?”
He looked at Silver who was trying hard not to laugh. It was at that moment that he realized any words he said to Natalie would be wasted. So, he decided to take the one avenue that was sure to carry him safely through this date. “Tell me about yourself.”
A bright smile curved Natalie’s lips, then her mouth started moving at warp speed. Ace’s mind went on autopilot as he occasionally inserted the proper response when she paused long enough to take a breath or bite of food. By the time the servers brought their main courses, Natalie had progressed to her college years. A dull headache was forming over the bridge of Ace’s nose. To his dismay, Silver had stepped out of the room during the appetizer portion of the meal, and he keenly felt her absence. He wondered where she’d gone, longed to jump up from the table and check on her. When dessert was served, Ace felt a wave of relief, knowing it would be over soon. Then it hit him. It was cold … really cold. He looked across the table at Natalie, who was hugging herself. If they sat here much longer, her lips were sure to turn blue.
Silver came back into the room. Ace couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly, realizing what was happening. She’d turned the air on full force, freezing them out … just to spite Natalie for the earlier
comment. Silver was spunky, he thought admiringly. With any luck the cold would prompt Natalie to end the date early and leave.
Silver stepped up to the table, a professional smile fixed over her face. “How is everything?”
“It’s cold in here,” Natalie muttered, giving Silver a dark look.
“Oh, you’re cold?” Silver said, making a point of looking Natalie up and down. “Must be that dress.”
“No, it’s because you blasted the air! You could hang meat in this place,” Natalie barked.
Silver wrinkled her nose. “Yeah … about that. Sorry, they’re having problems with the system.”
“Well, tell them to turn it off,” Natalie snapped.
“I’ll see what I can do, but like I said, it’s been having problems. I’m not sure there’s anything they can do. I can bring you a coat, if you’d like.” Her gaze settled on Natalie’s cleavage. “It might help if you covered up.”
Natalie looked at Ace in disbelief. “Can you believe this? Considering the exorbitant price I paid for this date, I expected more.”
“I’m sorry to disappoint,” Ace said dryly. He’d done his duty, sat through the painful dinner, but enough was enough. Time to bring this charade to an end.
Her eyes widened. “I didn’t mean you, I meant the restaurant.” Her lips turned down. “And her,” she said, motioning at Silver.
Silver pointed to herself, her mouth forming an exaggerated O. “Me?”
“Yes, you,” Natalie said irritably. “Your lack of professionalism is astounding. I felt like you were back there heckling me the entire night.” She gave Ace a pointed look. “Don’t you agree?”
Silver rocked back, her eyes sparking with a hard amusement as her hand went to her hip, waiting for Ace’s response.
Ace was starting to feel like a helpless mouse caught between two angry cats. “I thought dinner was excellent. Thank you, Silver for putting this together.”
Natalie’s face fell, then color blotched up her neck. “I’ve had enough,” she spat, looking back and forth between Ace and Silver. Then she directed her vehemence at Ace. “All night long, you could barely take your eyes off her.” She lifted her chin, eyeing him. “Don’t try to deny it, buddy.”
The Persistent Groom (Texas Titan Romances) Page 14
