His brows were pulled down with concern and she almost reached up to smooth away the lines in his forehead. “You need to sit down. It’s a long story, honey.”
Arden sank into the cushions on the couch next to Shane, needing his strength at this moment and suddenly exceedingly glad that he’d promised to be her friend. She had a feeling she was going to need one before this day was over.
* * *
If Shane had had any idea what Jason’s team was going to dig up he never would have agreed to help Arden. After reading the information, Shane had wanted to punch Ben Cavendish right in the mouth. He’d lied to his daughter for so long and about so many things, Shane doubted the man knew what the truth was anymore, if he ever had. Honesty had never been a hallmark of Cavendish’s business ventures.
“Let’s start with your name.” Shane cleared his throat, unsure as to how he should proceed. He wished he didn’t care quite so much right about now. “Ben was born Benjamin Hollis in Hemingdale, Indiana. He legally changed it later when he moved to Tremont. I think you would have been about eighteen months old.”
He watched as she took in the tidbit of information, obviously curious as to what it meant. He’d started here because where the story truly began was going to cause tears and heartache.
“Hollis.” She seemed to be trying the name out for size. “Okay, he changed his name and didn’t tell me about his family. Is he an outcast? Did they disown him?”
His sweet Arden. She was desperately trying to make her father some kind of hero in this scenario and in a way he probably was. Although he’d lied to his only daughter, he’d never shirked from his duties as a parent.
“They didn’t disown him. He left after your mother died.”
Another frown. “Mother died here in Tremont. Her grave is in the church cemetery.”
Shit, Shane hated what he had to do.
“Your mother’s grave is in Hemingdale, a little town just outside of Indianapolis.” He pulled the death certificate from the file and held it out to her. “From what they could find out, your father paid for an empty grave in the local cemetery for the woman that you would know as Susannah Cavendish, but she died with the name Susannah Hollis.”
Her shaking fingers pushed back her curls from her face and he couldn’t stop himself from capturing that hand and holding it in his. The least he could do was be there for her because she sure as hell was going to need someone by the time he was done.
She squeezed his hand as if in thanks. “Holy hell, he went to all that trouble? He created a fake grave? What the hell is wrong with him? Why didn’t he tell me the truth?”
“Probably because the truth was ugly.” The discarded death certificate sat on her thigh and he reached for it, bracing himself for her reaction. “You told me your mother died of leukemia but that’s not what the investigation showed. According to the newspaper reports and the death certificate, your mother was shot in her own home.”
Chapter Eight
‡
The room seemed to fall away and Shane’s voice echoed in her ears as Arden struggled to make sense of his words. Her body and mind went completely numb to keep her emotions in check. She couldn’t afford to break down until she knew it all.
“Shot? She had cancer.”
Shane’s thumb caressed the pulse point at her wrist but the action barely registered. “She was shot, honey. I’m so very sorry to have to tell you all this. We can stop here if we need to.”
“No.” Arden shook her head and pulled her hand away from Shane, wringing them together. “Keep going. All of it, please.”
Shane exhaled slowly but didn’t argue, for which she was grateful. “They never found the person who did it apparently, and there wasn’t much evidence and no witnesses to the actual crime.”
I’ve been lied to my entire life.
“Where was Daddy?”
“Your father was on a business trip in St. Louis.” Shane paused, waiting for her to speak but she didn’t have anything to say. She didn’t even know how to feel yet. “From what Jason’s firm was able to dig up your father decided to give you a new life, so he changed his name and moved both of you to Tremont where he started a business here. Your grandmother must have missed you because she followed six months later. Your mother did have a best friend who still lives there, although no other family.”
“I could use a drink.”
She could use several but she’d start with one and go from there. Shane stood and disappeared into the kitchen before returning with a highball glass and a bottle. He sat the glass down on the coffee table and front of her and filled it halfway with an amber liquid.
“Whiskey. Sip it, honey, don’t gulp.”
Wrapping her cold, shaking fingers around the cut crystal, she took a swallow and closed her eyes as the alcohol burned all the way down into her stomach. The pain was exactly what she needed to jolt her out of her emotionless state. Tears of anger and hurt began to well up and she rubbed at her eyes to keep them from falling.
“Is there anymore?”
“We weren’t able to get many details on the shooting other than what was in the newspapers at the time. Jason’s friend Jared is still digging but I’m not sure he’ll find much more.”
More sips of the whiskey and more heat sliding down her abdomen. She wasn’t much of a drinker, so the liquor would go straight to her head if she wasn’t careful. The last thing she needed to do was get drunk in front of Shane.
“There’s more about your father though.”
She held the glass with both hands to keep them from shaking. “Of course there is. Let me guess, he works for MI-6 and he’s licensed to kill by the Queen of England.”
“He’s broke.”
Arden jerked her gaze away from the floor to look into Shane’s eyes. “That’s not possible. My father is a successful businessman. Look at his house. His cars. He travels by private jet. He can’t be broke.”
Shane pulled a few pieces of paper from the file and held them up for her but she didn’t reach out for them, content to keep a hold of the highball glass like a lifeline. When she didn’t take them, he sighed and set them back down on the table.
“Honey, from what they were able to find your father has always lived on the edge. He’s taken big chances in business and leveraged the hell out of himself. That’s great if you win, but if you don’t it can wipe you out. The economic downturn in 2008 hit everyone hard and your father wasn’t immune. He lost pretty much everything and has been holding on by a thread. He has assets but he also owes a lot of money.”
Arden knocked back the rest of her drink and reached for the bottle to refill that glass but Shane’s hand stayed her movement.
“I’m a grown woman.”
“Unless you’ve changed, you’re also a lightweight who could get tipsy on one glass of wine. You always were a cheap date.”
Reluctantly she placed the glass on the table. She hated it but he was right. “Do you think that’s why my father disappeared? That it has something to do with his finances?”
“I’d say that’s the best guess at this time. We only know what he owes through legitimate sources. He might have borrowed money under the table from some less than ethical people.”
This evening was getting better and better. All she needed was some pestilence and plague to make everything perfect. “You’re saying he’s hiding out. That they might want him dead.”
Shane’s warm, strong arms slid around her, pulling her next to him as a finger tipped up her chin so she was looking into his eyes. At first she struggled; it had been so long since she’d been held with such tenderness. She and Michael’s physical relationship had ended long before the separation and divorce. But Shane’s implacable hold didn’t allow any protest and she settled back against the cushions and let herself luxuriate in someone else being strong.
But just for a moment. That’s all she would allow.
“You knew this was a possibility. You said you were aware of B
en’s actions.”
“Not specific incidents but I had a pretty good idea. Still, it’s one thing to know them and another to realize that he might have to face the consequences of those decisions. I’m even more worried now, Shane. He could be in real danger.”
Shane’s lips were pressed together and his brows pulled down. “I hate to break this to you but you could be too. If he owes money to the wrong people they might figure that you are Ben’s one weakness and he’d do anything to keep you safe.”
It was all too much and her mind and body rebelled. The whiskey and her lunch suddenly pushed into her throat and she was up and off the couch, bolting for the powder room off the foyer. Kneeling in front of the toilet, she emptied the contents of her stomach as strong, soothing hands lifted her hair out of the way and stroked her back.
With hot tears rolling down her cheeks, she slumped against the vanity while Shane flushed and then wet a cloth with warm water. He bathed the cold sweat from her neck and face before tossing it into the sink and scooping her into his arms and laying her gently on the couch.
“Stay here. I’ll get you some ginger ale for your stomach.”
Where was she going to go? Her legs were too weak to take her anywhere and besides, everything she thought was true about her life was a total lie. She didn’t even know where to begin to make any sense out of it.
And now she might be a target.
Shane came back into the living room and placed a tumbler in her hands, wrapping his own around hers to steady them. “Here you go. Just sip it and see if it will stay down.”
With his help, she took a small drink and then a few more, clearing the sour taste from her mouth. “Thank you for taking care of me. You didn’t have to.”
Smoothing her curls back, he gave her a gentle smile. “That’s what friends do.”
She placed her palm over her aching heart and rubbed at the spot, trying to ease the pain that was currently in residence. “I’m glad I’m your friend.”
“We’ll figure this out. I’m going to find your father and I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
“I know.”
She did know. Even if he hated her guts he wouldn’t let anything hurt her. That’s the kind of man he was and always had been. She’d spent her entire adult life comparing other men to Shane and he’d always been head and shoulders above anyone else. He probably always would be.
“You’re going to be okay, honey. You can handle this.”
But it felt good not to have to handle it alone.
* * *
Arden had fallen asleep on the couch, worn out emotionally and physically after being sick and having a good cry. Shane had felt like ten kinds of shit telling her about the contents of the file, but there was really no good way to tell someone they’d been lied to all their life. He’d carried her into his bedroom and laid her on the mattress, covering her with a light blanket.
With her head on his pillow, she looked like she belonged in his bed.
He’d better not get any fantasies or funny ideas just because she showed a little weakness and let him cuddle her for a few minutes. She’d wake rested and ready to be prickly as hell again and he might as well make peace with that. She wasn’t going to suddenly turn to him and say she’d made a mistake all those years ago when she left. He wasn’t one of her regrets.
Now he was sitting at the kitchen table with Wyatt Stone who had agreed to help Shane look for Ben Cavendish. The man worked for Jason’s law enforcement consulting business but he had a real knack for finding people that didn’t want to be found. Not long before, he’d found a fugitive that had tried to frame a friend of Travis’s for murder.
“We don’t have much to go on,” Shane admitted. “He’s not using his credit cards and we have no idea even which direction he may have gone. We don’t even know why he left. I only have suspicions.”
Wyatt scratched his chin as he leafed through the file. At six-foot-three inches and two hundred and thirty pounds, he was a big man that made the chair he was sitting in look tiny. As powerfully built as he was, Stone had a gentle manner about him that was quiet and unassuming. It was an excellent combination for getting people to talk – intimidating and caring all at the same time.
“If he’s on the run I’m guessing he would go somewhere familiar, someplace he’s been before and felt comfortable. I’ll look at his travel history and see what I can find.” Wyatt looked up from the papers. “What’s your gut telling you?”
Shane chuckled at the bald query. “I’m not a cop so I don’t think my gut instinct counts. But if you’re asking then I’ll say that Ben Cavendish is a total asshole who has never been afraid of pissing off anyone. At least not that I’ve been aware of. So running away doesn’t seem in character for him. But he isn’t a man that is filled with courage either. He gets other people to get their hands dirty instead of him. He likes to stay separate from the little people.”
“Little people? Who is he? Napoleon?”
Memories of the day Ben had told him Arden left for the East Coast filled Shane’s mind like it was yesterday. The older man had been so triumphant, so fucking smug while Shane had been filled with anger and a sense of helplessness. The bastard had clearly enjoyed the hands-on delivery of that message. It still filled Shane with rage all these years later.
“Not a bad comparison, actually. Ben loves the trappings of success. He likes to feel special and he loves people to cater to him. How Arden turned out so normal I’ll never know. It was probably the influence of her grandmother. They have a close relationship.”
It hadn’t escaped Shane’s notice that Elaine Graham would have had to know all about her daughter’s murder and Ben’s changing his name. Arden hadn’t put that part of the puzzle together yet but she soon would, and she was going to be hurt and probably pretty pissed about it. She trusted her grandmother implicitly even when she didn’t trust Ben.
“Do you think she’s in danger?”
Shane shrugged helplessly, still trying to wrap his mind around what he’d learned. “I just don’t know. Part of me wants to wrap her in cotton wool and keep an eye on her and the other part knows that will only make her mad and frustrated. I need to find some happy medium where I’m assured that she’s safe but she has her freedom too.”
“You could get Jason to put a tail on her,” Wyatt suggested with a gleam of mischief in his eye. “She’d never have to know.”
“I’m tempted,” Shane admitted with a groan. “But if she finds out my testicles will be in a jar on the mantle. She may not look it but she’s got a temper, my friend.”
“Afraid of a bitty thing like her? I think you can take her, Shane.”
“She fights dirty,” Shane retorted. “Now where do we stand? Do you have enough to get started on? I wish I had more.”
Wyatt laughed and stood tucking his notes into his pocket and pulling on his coat. “I’ve started with less so this isn’t actually that bad. I’ll check into his known haunts and with his friends, discreetly of course. I’ve got a friend at TSA that might be able to help us out as well if Cavendish flew under an assumed name. We’ll find him. If his habits are as expensive as you make out, he’ll have to surface eventually. In the meantime, take care of your woman. She’s got a lot to deal with.”
“She’s not my woman,” Shane replied automatically. “Not even close.”
Chuckling and shaking his head, Wyatt slapped Shane on the back. “I’ve spent my life studying human nature and let me tell you something. You’ve got the look of a man in love. If she’s not yours then you need to do something to fix that situation as soon as possible.”
Christ, did it show that clearly? Did Arden see it too?
“This isn’t something I can fix,” Shane said simply. “This goes back a long time. We’re just friends now. I was the only one she could come to for help.”
Wyatt gave him a shrewd look. “Could come to or wanted to come to? I’m not telling you your business, Shane, but take i
t from someone who knows what they’re talking about. The past can be an anchor if you let it. Shake it off, man. If you love her don’t let anything stand in your way. Go all out. If I were in your shoes that’s what I’d do.”
Wyatt left and Shane padded softly into his bedroom to check on Arden, who was still sleeping peacefully. Relaxed and serene, he listened to the sounds of her breathing and watched the rise and fall of her chest, his fingers gripping the molding on the door until his knuckles were white.
He simply wasn’t sure he was strong enough to go there. If she walked away again…hell, he’d barely survived the heartache last time. Round two would be even more painful and devastating.
The fact was he’d never been as happy in his life as he was that summer with this woman. He’d pretended that everything was great but deep inside he’d missed her more than he could articulate. Now he’d agreed to help her because, let’s face it, he was weak and wanted to be with her even though he knew it was stupid as shit to see her and spend time with her. He was dumb as a bag of doorknobs.
He’d never stopped loving Arden.
Chapter Nine
‡
Arden was making herself crazy. One second she hated her father and then the next she wanted to hug him after all he’d been through. Clearly he’d been trying to protect her from growing up as the “girl whose mother had been shot” and that was admirable, but he should have told her the truth when she became an adult. As it was, she had so many questions and there was only one way to get the answers.
After her last class on Friday, she’d stopped into the principal’s office for a chat. Keith Centers was a good man and admitted he’d heard that her father had left town under somewhat mysterious circumstances. When she filled in few details he was more than willing to give her what she asked for. Time off. She was only a substitute, after all.
Dammit, she hated herself for asking. She’d wanted this job and now a month into the school year she was asking for a leave of absence, but this was important. If she was fired, so be it. Finding her father and learning about all that had been kept secret from her had to take priority over everything else in her life.
Embracing Danger Page 5
