Embracing Danger

by Olivia Jaymes

  “Back then we’d never heard of an active shooter situation, son.”

  Good point. Things had changed in the last thirty-plus years.

  “That’s true. Go on.”

  “I stood on my front porch for quite a while, waiting to see if I would hear any more but there was only silence. Then maybe five or ten minutes later I saw a man run from the house and get in a car parked a few blocks down.”

  Arden’s grip had tightened on the couch cushion, her knuckles white with tension. Hearing the story firsthand was turning out to be more intense than reading about it in a police report.

  “Did you recognize that man?” Shane asked, placing a reassuring hand on Arden’s thigh and giving it a light squeeze. She placed her own hand over his and entwined their fingers together. If anyone had told her a few weeks ago she would be spending this much time with Shane voluntarily and even allowing herself to touch and hug him she would have said they were crazy. But in a few short days, he’d managed to sneak under all her defenses.

  “It was dark but most of the porch lights were on all down the street, so I got a good look. It was David Hollis. I’d seen him come and go ever since Ben and Susannah moved in. He and Ben had a difficult relationship but he doted on you, Arden. He never came over empty-handed. He always had a doll or a stuffed animal. He liked to sit with you out in the backyard while you played.”

  Frustrated she couldn’t remember any of this, Arden fidgeted in her seat. Jason’s firm was looking for her uncle but this story made her want to meet him more than ever. Anger at her father bubbled in her abdomen as she thought about all he’d robbed her of. Family. Heritage. Perhaps when she’d been a child she could see the reason but she’d been an adult for a long time now.

  Shane leaned over, his elbows on his knees. “You spent a lot of time with Susannah and Ben?”

  Del scrunched up her face for a moment. “Not Ben. He was traveling so much for work. But Susannah? Yes, I did. She was a new mother and needed the support of someone who had some experience. We’d have coffee several times a week and I babysat many times. If the weather was good we’d sit out on the front porch just visiting. She was a sweet woman but I could tell she wasn’t happy with Ben. You could hear them fighting when the windows were open. I told the police that but they said Ben was out of town.”

  Shane pounced on Del’s statement. “You think Ben had a reason to kill Susannah?”

  Not even realizing she’d been holding her breath, Arden painfully exhaled when Del nodded. Her hand fluttered to cover her mouth as if she was about to say a dirty word.

  “He had a few reasons. One was money of course. From my understanding, she had a large trust fund from her father Charles although I never discussed it with her nor did she act like she had a lot of money. With Ben struggling with his business that must have been tempting to say the least.”

  Arden’s father had never mentioned a trust fund the few times he’d spoken about his wife but then he’d lied so often she couldn’t believe anything anymore.

  “What was the other reason?” Shane asked, glancing quickly at Arden.

  “Everyone knew…you know…about her and David.”

  “Everyone?” Arden heard herself echoing. “Even my father?”

  “I don’t see how he couldn’t have known, dear. It was the talk of Hemingdale society. But I can’t say for sure, of course. Susannah and I never spoke of the situation.”

  “But Daddy was out of town?”

  Del nodded. “Yes, that’s what the police said.”

  “What about David?” Shane queried. “If he ran from the house shortly after Susannah was shot, you’d think he’d be suspect number one.”

  “The newspapers said he wasn’t actually here,” Del replied with a snort. “That he was over at the Lone Wolf Lounge tying one on and playing pool. There were witnesses and even a…ahem…lady of the evening who said he spent the night with her. But I know what I saw. It was David Hollis. I’m sure of it.”

  A love affair gone wrong? Had David Hollis taken Arden’s mother’s life?

  Or had Ben murdered his own wife to get his hands on her trust fund?

  She had to find her uncle and father to get any answers.

  Chapter Sixteen

  ‡

  Aunt Lydia’s cocktail party that evening was in full swing, and from what Shane could see it looked like the entire town of Hemingdale had scored an invite. The house was bursting to the seams with bodies and he’d been introduced to so many that there was no way he would remember their names ten minutes later. Luckily most of the guests weren’t all that interested in him.

  They wanted to meet Arden.

  She was the star of the party and from the way people were eyeing her up and down, Shane could see why Ben had taken her away and given her a new life. No one had yet been so gauche as to bring up the murder, but he could see it in the way they looked at her, that wondering.

  How much did she know? Did her father do it? Or her uncle?

  Shane’s job tonight was to be a shield between her and everyone else. If anyone stepped one toe out of line he’d be stomping on it with a sledgehammer. Arden was happy and smiling, and nothing and no one was going to ruin that for her.

  He grasped her hand and pulled her off to the side of the room. “Can I get you another drink? Something to eat?”

  She held out her empty martini glass. “I am thirsty but no more alcohol. I don’t want to get drunk or even tipsy in front of a bunch of people I just met. Maybe a soda?”

  Shane’s gaze swept the room before returning to Arden. “I think they’d love it. It would give them something to gossip about. As it is, I think we’re something of a disappointment. You’re too normal and not here with a raving lunatic.”

  “They don’t know you like I do.”

  He bopped her on the top of her nose with a finger. She’d managed to put her melancholy aside for the party and was in a good mood. “You’re becoming awfully saucy these last few days. You have quite the mouth on you at times.”

  One shoulder lifted carelessly in her black cocktail dress that they’d spent the afternoon shopping for in Indianapolis. “You love it and you know it.”

  Chuckling, Shane gave her a triumphant smile. “I do. Now that drink…”

  He left her chatting with Lydia’s daughter Megan while he procured two fresh drinks and a plate of finger foods. By the time he returned, Arden’s sunny expression had turned to storm clouds. Clearly, Shane had been gone too long and needed to intervene.

  Now.

  Setting the two glasses and plate down on an end table to his right, he slid his arm around Arden’s shoulders. “What happened? You look ready to kick someone in the balls.”

  Her lips were tight and her blue eyes gray with anger. “Men are pigs.”

  “Pretty much.” Arguing that point would get him nowhere when she was in this mood. “Did one in particular say or do something that I need to punch them in the gut for? Just point him out.”

  Groaning and rolling her eyes, Arden picked up her drink and took a sip. “I can fight my own battles. It’s just there is always at least one in every crowd. That guy that thinks that every woman wants him and is just waiting for a sign.”

  “Some guy gave you the sign, huh? What did you do?”

  “He said that maybe I might want to go somewhere with him after the party. To…you know…get to know one another better. He leaned close to me and ran his hand down my arm. Ick. I told him that I was planning to wash my hair and read a magazine.”

  “Ouch. Did he back down?”

  “He saw you coming this way and darted outside, probably to lick his wounds. Why are men such jerks? I don’t even know him. Why would he think I’d want to go anywhere with him?”

  Shane could spend the rest of the night and the next day lecturing her about the delicate psyche of the hunter-male but he doubted Arden would be interested.

  “It’s a numbers game, sweetheart,” he said instead. “If he c
omes on to a bunch of women then one might be interested. He doesn’t care about getting shot down.”

  “He was creepy,” Arden declared with a shudder. “He needs to learn to keep his hands to himself.”

  Yes, he did and Shane was just the man to teach him that lesson. He motioned across the room to Lydia who was having an animated conversation with the local banker. Or maybe he was a lawyer. Shane couldn’t remember. It was one of the two.

  Lydia joined them and gave Arden a big hug. “You two look like you’re having fun. I’m so glad I gave this party. Everyone is so thrilled to meet you.”

  Arden hugged her aunt back, the smile returning to her face. “And thank you for having us. This evening has been such fun and so interesting. I’ve met so many new people.”

  “I completely agree. If you don’t mind,” Shane cut in smoothly. “I’d like to circle back around with someone from earlier. Would you ladies excuse me for just a moment?”

  Both women nodded and launched into a discussion about how no one gave cocktail parties anymore. Shane ducked out of the house onto the back porch and saw his quarry. A lone man puffing on a cigarette leaned against the deck railing, blowing puffs of smoke into the chilly night air.

  Shane sidled up about three feet away, still sipping at his whiskey. “Great party, huh?”

  “Lydia always gives great parties. Best booze and food around.”

  The words were slightly slurred. Arden’s not-so-prince-charming was well on his way to being drunk.

  “I can see that. Plus some beautiful women too.”

  The man’s face broke into a smile and he leaned more heavily on the railing as he tossed his cigarette away. “You’ve got that right but some of them are real bitches. You know what I mean?”

  Shane moved in closer so he was invading the drunk’s physical space. The sandy-haired man was shorter than Shane by about six inches and had to crane his neck to see Shane’s face.

  “You mean like when you touch a woman that doesn’t want you and doesn’t belong to you?” Shane stepped closer, their chests bumping. “Is that what you mean?”

  The man’s mouth fell open, gaping like a fish but no words came out.

  “Because if a woman doesn’t want you that doesn’t make her a bitch or whatever colorful name you’ve come up with to make yourself feel better. It might be a good idea if you didn’t go around propositioning women who don’t show any interest in you to begin with.”

  The drunk was unsteady on his feet as he tried to put distance between them. “Man, she came on to me, not the other way around. If I’d known she was yours, I’d have stayed away.”

  At least the guy hadn’t been doing this to other women all night. He’d singled out Arden for his attentions.

  “She’s a human being, not a dog, so she doesn’t belong to anyone but herself.” Shane got right in his face, nose to nose, to make his point. “And she didn’t come on to you, asshole, and we both know it, so don’t even try that one with me. I really think you should pour yourself into a cab and go home and sober up before you do something else that’s even more stupid. Like punching me. I know you’re thinking about it. That would be a huge mistake, my friend.”

  The drunk’s red face spoke volumes and for a moment Shane thought the man was going to take a swing. Eventually he must have thought better of it and he backed down, muttering a few not so nice words, before staggering into the house.

  Shane chuckled to himself and sucked in a lungful of fresh air, the temperature much more mild than the previous night. He should probably go back in but the evening was pleasant and Arden was in Lydia’s more than competent hands. The older woman was as protective as Shane was.

  “Did you scare that man?”

  Turning on his heel, Shane grinned as he watched a smirking Arden approach. “I did and I don’t regret it. I wasn’t going to hit him or anything. All we did was chat for a few minutes.”

  She joined him at the railing, her light floral perfume mixing with the aroma of freshly cut grass. He didn’t stop himself from reaching out and tucking a stray curl behind her ear and letting his fingertips linger a moment too long on her satin cheek.

  Fuck being a gentleman.

  Fuck getting his heart broken.

  Fuck keeping his distance.

  She was gorgeous tonight and he could barely peel his gaze away from her. Her beauty practically glowed and everyone could see it tonight. Part of him wanted to hide her away just for himself, and the other part wanted to show her off. It was primitive, almost caveman-like behavior and it didn’t make any damn sense. After all, she wasn’t his to hide or display.

  “And then he ran into the house like the devil himself was on his heels. What exactly did you say to him, Shane?”

  “I just said that perhaps he should keep his hands to himself when the lady wasn’t interested.”

  He felt her sigh on the skin of his neck, her breath warm and scented with chocolate. “Did you threaten him? Tell the truth.”

  “Not in the least but I’m pretty sure he wanted to clock me. I did tell him that wouldn’t be wise.”

  “That’s the truth. You had at least four inches and sixty pounds on him, not that I haven’t seen you tangle with someone bigger than you and win. I suppose I should thank you for defending my honor.”

  He let his hand slip from her cheek all the way down to the small of her back where he splayed his fingers and pulled her closer. Her eyes grew wide and her lips parted in surprise but she didn’t protest or try to tug away.

  All be damned.

  “You don’t have to thank me, princess. It was purely my pleasure.” His phone vibrated in his pocket. “Sorry, I need to see who this is. I’m expecting a call from Jason.”

  He stepped back to answer and saw Wyatt’s name displayed on the screen. Swiping his thumb, he lifted the phone to his ear and prayed the man had good news for Arden.

  “Wyatt, how’s it going?”

  There was music in the background as if he was in a bar or nightclub. “Not bad. I wanted to check in with you and let you know what’s going on.”

  “Any leads?”

  The sound of a door opening and then the music stopped. Wyatt must have stepped outside wherever he was. “Sorry about that racket. I was meeting an informant but he never showed. That’s one of the two things I wanted to talk to you about. I have a few leads on Cavendish’s whereabouts but nothing concrete. I think he’s in Chicago based on some sightings, but he’s still using cash so I can’t pinpoint his location. Yet. But I will. It’s only a matter of time.”

  Wyatt had the instincts of a prize bloodhound so Shane had no doubt that the man would succeed. “I appreciate all the work you’ve put into this. You said that was one of two things. What’s the other?”

  “Hold on while I get in my car.” The sound of a door opening and then slamming shut was heard, then an engine firing up. “I was working on a lead with Jason and he had some information you might want. Since I was calling you anyway, he asked me to give you the particulars. He found the detective that worked on Susannah Hollis’s murder investigation.”

  That was great news. The case file had been a joke. “That’s terrific. Where does he live and I’ll go talk to him.”

  “The last address he found was in Plainfield, just outside of Indianapolis. I’ll text it to you. I hope he can help.”

  “I hope so too. Thanks for passing that on. I think I’ll go talk to him tomorrow.”

  “I need to get back to work. I’ll call when I know more.”

  Shane hung up and slipped his phone back in his pocket, giving Arden a smile. “Good news. Wyatt’s connections have sightings of your father in Chicago. That means he’s alive and well, at least for now. We’re closing in on him.”

  Tears sparkled in her eyes and her fingers pressed against her lips. “Thank God. I’ve been so worried, Shane, and honestly I really still am. He’s into something bad and I don’t think he’s safe.”

  “I can’t argue t
hat but let’s hold on to the good news part. He’s alive right now but he’s still using cash, so he is determined to stay under the radar.”

  “I’m scared,” Arden whispered. “After everything I’ve learned since he left, I need my dad more than ever.”

  Shane didn’t even hesitate, drawing her back into his arms. She laid her head on his chest while his fingers played with a few silky curls at the nape of her neck. “We’re doing everything we can to find him and get him back to you safely.”

  “I’m angry with him.” Her voice was soft and he barely heard her over the cicadas chirping in the background. “I’m so mad that he kept all of this from me and then when I need him the most he’s gone. I’m not sure how much longer I can hold myself together and act normal.”

  “You’re doing awesome, just amazing. I just need you to hang in there a little while longer.” He tipped her chin up so he was looking into her eyes. “You can always lean on me. I’ll be here for you no matter what.”

  Her chin quivered and her arms tightened around his middle. “I can’t expect that of you.”

  She meant because of their past but all Shane could think about was this moment, right now. He had the woman he loved in his arms and every instinct inside of him had welled up to protect her with everything he had, even if it meant giving up his own life.

  “I’d be a real bastard if I left you to deal with all of this yourself. My mother raised her sons better than that, Arden.”

  Their gazes clashed and something hot and elemental passed between them so quickly he might have thought he imagined it. But no. It had been there. She might not still love him but she still wanted him. There had been remembrance in her eyes, and he knew without a doubt she was thinking about all the nights they’d lain in the back of his truck looking up at the stars under a homemade quilt.

  Naked as the day they were born.

  His heart accelerated under her palms when she didn’t drag her gaze away, instead looking at him boldly. “I always liked your mother. She was sweet to me.”