Embracing Danger

by Olivia Jaymes

  Shane seemed to get the hint and slid out of the booth, offering her a hand to help her stand on shaky knees. She’d never stood up to her father in this forceful way before. Yes, she’d told him off many times but this was different. She was prepared to walk away for good if necessary. Cut ties and never look back. Thank the good Lord she had Shane at her side to help her through this.

  They were halfway to the door when she heard footsteps behind her and a hand reach out to capture her arm. She turned to see her father, tears welling in his eyes. He looked old and broken, not like the strong man she’d known all her life, but she couldn’t let pity weaken her resolve.

  “Okay, I’ll go talk to them. I’ll tell them what happened. I love you, Arden. I’d do anything for you.”

  Even keep devastating secrets from her.

  How many were still out there to discover?

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  ‡

  “Do you want me to order some room service?” Shane called from the bedroom of their hotel room.

  They’d gone back to the hospital earlier and been given the news that the surgery had been successful but that David might not wake up for twenty-four hours or more. Due to the severity of his injuries, the doctors were keeping him sedated until his condition improved.

  The police had taken a wait and see approach to her father’s statement, telling Ben not to leave town. The forensics in the case had yet to come back and of course, David wasn’t able to make a statement, so until then it was simply a case of self-defense.

  “I’m not too hungry but I know I should eat,” Arden called out from her more than comfortable spot in the oversized hotel bathtub with the jacuzzi jets. Shane had insisted she take a soak and try to relax after all the crap she’d been through today.

  She hadn’t argued.

  “What do you want? They have fried chicken, I know you love that.”

  Her nauseous stomach actually perked up slightly at the thought of crispy, golden batter fried, artery hardening chicken. She wouldn’t eat much of it but if she was going to try and eat she wanted something that tasted good and wasn’t healthy at all.

  “Sounds good. Also order a gallon of chocolate ice cream and a fifth of tequila.”

  Shane pokes his head around the door, a grin on his face. “Fried chicken, chocolate ice cream, and tequila? I don’t think that’s going to help your tummy, baby girl.”

  Arden pretended to ponder his words. “You’re right. Make it vodka.”

  His laughter was music to her ears. After one of the shittiest days of her life it felt like heaven to retreat from the cruel, cold world and come back here with Shane. He’d been her rock these last few weeks and she could honestly say that she trusted he’d be there no matter what happened to her.

  And so much had happened that she hadn’t yet processed it all. Her day of reckoning was coming and all the emotion she’d been bottling up was going to rush to the surface; then heaven help them all. She’d seen a therapist during her marriage and it might not be a bad idea to do it again. If any situation called for professional help this was it.

  “I ordered dinner and they’re running a little behind.” Shane rejoined her in the bathroom and began plucking at the buttons on his shirt. “They estimate about forty-five minutes.”

  His shirt hit the floor.

  “I can wait.” Arden sat up and folded her hands on the side of the tub where she rested her chin. “May I ask what you are doing?”

  Shane grinned and popped the buttons on the fly of his jeans, the sound echoing off the walls. “Getting naked. I’m going to join you in that bath unless you have an objection.”

  Did she? After the emotionally draining day she’d had Arden wasn’t exactly in an amorous mood. But then every day had been pretty horrible and she wanted to be close to Shane. If she waited for things to be happy and perfect they might never get together.

  “Look at me, princess.”

  His pants flew across the bathroom and hit the door before falling to the floor. His boxers and socks quickly followed.

  “I’m looking.”

  She sure did like what she saw but that glint of mischief was missing from Shane’s gaze.

  “I’m joining you in the bath but I’m not looking to…you know…start something. I just want to rub your shoulders and tell you everything is going to be okay.”

  She scooted up in the tub so he could climb in behind her. Relieved and miffed all at the same time, she relaxed back against his chest and let him play with her hair. She wanted him to want her desperately but she loved that he was a gentleman too.

  “Is everything going to be okay? Right now it’s all shit and every day it seems to get worse. My father is an asshole, my uncle – who really is my father – is in the hospital, my mother was shot by one of them probably, and everyone who said they loved me has lied to me in some way all my life. I’d be furious but I’m not sure who to be mad at first.”

  Shane’s strong fingers kneaded the flesh of her arms, running his palms over the aching muscles of her shoulders. She was tense and cranky and his hands felt like a slice of heaven.

  “Let’s take this one at a time. Your father has always been an asshole, so no change there.”

  Arden groaned as Shane found a particularly tight spot at the nape of her neck. “I can see that you two getting along is never going to happen but you’re not far wrong. My father has always been a difficult person who kept a lot of secrets, so I guess this isn’t any different.”

  “Then the issue of your uncle. I know this is a shock but it’s your decision what you do with this information. You can meet your uncle or not. Get to know him or not. It’s up to you. And honestly from what I read in the case files, your uncle wasn’t capable of being a decent father with his substance abuse issues. He might be clean now but he wouldn’t have been much of a parent. As much as this pains me to say, I think you were better off with Ben.”

  She trailed her fingertips up and down his muscular thigh, enjoying the feel of skin and the planes of his body. “I hadn’t thought of it that way. I’ve been concentrating more on the feeling that I was deprived but you’re right. If David had all those issues then he probably wasn’t someone that I wanted in my life. I wonder if he’s better now.”

  “I don’t know, but remember that you don’t owe him anything. If you decide that knowing him will complicate your life too much then don’t let him guilt you into spending time with him. And for damn sure don’t let Ben guilt you into not getting to know David if that’s what you want to do.”

  Her father definitely could put the pressure on when he wanted to. He liked to get his way and he wasn’t bothered by things like ethics or rules.

  “I won’t. I do think I’d like to at least meet and talk to him. Then I’ll make the decision if I want to get to know him more. It’s weird though to kind of have two fathers.”

  “Then let’s get to number three. We think that perhaps your mother was shot by one of them. It is possible but it isn’t for sure.”

  Arden sat up and twisted around to look at Shane. “Tell me the truth. Do you think Ben did it? Be honest.”

  He sighed and let his head fall back on the edge of the tub, clearly not wanting to answer. Arden didn’t back down, simply waiting him out. She wasn’t going to say anything until he did.

  “Maybe,” he finally conceded with a groan. “I’ll admit the evidence doesn’t look good but as much as I dislike him, I saw his face in the restaurant today. He seemed pretty sincere that he didn’t do it and dammit, I actually believe him. In his own weird, crazy, self-centered way he really does love you and I think that means he wouldn’t shoot your mother.”

  For Shane to say he thought her father was probably innocent was huge. “I’m sure my dad is capable of killing someone but I’m with you on this one. After talking to him today I just don’t think he shot my mom. Does that mean David did it?”

  Shane shrugged. “He lacks real motive. Ben said that David want
ed her to leave your dad for him and she wouldn’t so he shot her. But that doesn’t make sense to me. Did David love her so much that he didn’t want anyone to have her but him? But someone else did have her. And the someone else was also raising his daughter, so he doesn’t seem like the obsessive type to me. Past behavior is the best predictor of the future. If he didn’t kill your mother when she stayed with Ben after she had you, then what was the trigger that pushed him over the edge that night? I don’t see it.”

  “Maybe she wasn’t going to see him anymore,” Arden suggested. “Maybe she wanted to make her marriage work.”

  “Possibly, but that’s one of those things that we will never know for sure. David can tell us whatever he wants and we won’t be able to confirm it.”

  Arden laid back down on his chest, Shane’s arms wrapped tightly around her in the cooling bathwater. “So if Ben didn’t do it and David didn’t do it, then who did?”

  “It’s a long shot but perhaps it was someone else. A random stranger. A robbery gone bad. Or even another person with a grudge that no one knew about. The detective asked the right question…who would benefit from her death? The answer was Ben, of course, because she was cheating on him and she had a trust fund. But did he look deeper? Maybe there’s someone else.”

  Strong hands pushed her to a sitting position and then Shane quickly climbed out of the tub, drops of water spilling down his naked chest and legs.

  “What are you doing?”

  He grabbed a towel and roughly dried off before throwing it around his lean hips. “I’m going to call Wyatt. I’m going to have him pull your mother and father’s finances.”

  Shane had that intense expression again; not happy, not sad, just focused. “You’re kind of scaring me a little. What are you thinking?”

  He paused at the doorway, shaking his head. “I’m not thinking anything specific. I’m just doing what West always says to do when you get stuck. I’m going back to basics, and what are the basic motivations for murder? Greed, love, revenge. We know your father’s finances are a mess now so maybe they were then too. Maybe your mother wasn’t the target that night.”

  Realization of what Shane was trying to say jolted her heart. Had Ben been the intended victim that night so long ago and her mother simply in the wrong place at the wrong time?

  She’d wondered for years when her father’s shady business deals might catch up to him. Perhaps they already had…with deadly consequences.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  ‡

  Arden hadn’t eaten the gallon of ice cream nor drank a fifth of vodka. Getting hammered sounded like a good idea but she knew from experience she’d be sorry in the morning. Consequently she had two perfectly respectable glasses of white wine with her chicken and mashed potatoes. The bath and the comfort food was just what she needed to make herself feel better, and now she and Shane were snuggled up on the bed watching a movie on television to try and unwind from the day.

  Sprawled out with her head on his chest, her attention wandered from Reese Witherspoon’s legal antics and to everything that had happened since her father had left Tremont.

  “Honey…don’t.”

  She looked up to see the man she loved gazing at her with concern. His brows were pulled down and his forehead was wrinkled so she reached up with her fingers and smoothed the lines. Not that they marred his handsome face. He was gorgeous no matter what.

  “I can’t concentrate on the movie,” she sighed. “My mind is going a thousand miles an hour. You’d think I would be exhausted but I’m not sure I’ll be able to sleep.”

  His fingers raked through her hair, massaging the scalp and making her purr like a kitten.

  “I can run down to the drugstore on the corner and get you something to help you sleep.”

  “I don’t like taking things but I appreciate the offer. You’re pretty nice to have around.”

  His eyebrow quirked up and that smile hovered around his well-shaped lips. “I am, huh? It’s nice to be around, actually. Maybe you should take advantage of having me here.”

  “Um, in what way?”

  He’d assured her he wasn’t pressing for sex earlier but when they’d been together before he’d had a high sex drive. From what she’d heard about his love life, that hadn’t changed.

  “You could ask me to give you a back rub.” He raised his hands in a sign of surrender. “Only a back rub. It might relax you enough so you could sleep.”

  No woman would say no to that offer.

  Arden pulled off the t-shirt she’d stolen from Shane and plopped belly first on the mattress. Looking over her shoulder, she gave him a smile. “There’s some lotion on the counter in the bathroom.”

  Chuckling, Shane pushed himself off the bed. “I guess that’s a resounding yes. I’ll get that lotion, don’t move.”

  She wasn’t going anywhere. She was going to lie here and let Shane massage her knotted muscles and feel pampered and loved. Nothing could be better.

  He returned and squirted some of the liquid in his hand, the scent of vanilla filling the room. Kneeling on the bed next to her, he rubbed his palms together to warm up the lotion.

  “Are you ready?”

  She closed her eyes and pillowed her head on her arms. “Absolutely.”

  His hands – those strong, firm, beautiful, and talented masculine hands proceeded to turn Arden into a quivering mass of jelly, head to toe. He started on her back and shoulders, kneading the tight muscles until she was sighing in contentment before moving on to her bottom, legs, and feet.

  Oh, her feet!

  His fingers dug into her arches, rubbed the heels and ankles, and even massaged her toes. It was magical and by the time he was done she felt like she was floating on a big, fluffy cloud. She couldn’t help but think that if everyone had their feet massaged on a regular basis there would be no wars or crime. People would simply be too darn happy and content.

  “I think someone liked her back rub.”

  Arden buried her face in the bedspread. “Shhhh, no talking. This is a stress free zone. I’m in a bliss state and any little thing could topple that apple cart.”

  Shane softly chuckled and ran his large hands up her thighs, over her bottom, and then up her spine to rest on her shoulders. “Sounds more like a bossy zone to me. Is there anything else you’d like other than for me to shut up? Some tea, perhaps? Ice cream?”

  Lifting her head, Arden peered over her shoulder. “Is there really ice cream or are you pulling my leg?”

  His smile was indulgent and he didn’t even need to answer. She already knew there wasn’t ice cream. “I can order some.”

  She narrowed her eyes and scrunched up her face. “It’s not nice to tease me in my bliss state.”

  “Duly noted.”

  “I really am grateful. I feel a lot better than I did earlier. It’s just a lot to take in, you know? I always knew that my family was different but this takes it to a whole new level. A really messed up level.”

  Shane sucked in a breath and leaned back against the headboard. It didn’t take a genius to realize she was about to be on the receiving end of some tough love.

  “You have every right to be upset about all of this. You should be angry and feel betrayed. You should stomp your feet and tell off Ben, and then your uncle when he gets better. And don’t leave out your grandmother, although at her age you might want to be a little more gentle. The fact is, a lot of people in your life have let you down and you should be pissed.”

  “But,” Arden prompted. “I hear a but at the end of that sentence.

  “But you can’t let this take over your life. Many people have family that let them down, lie to them, and are basically pains in the ass. The sun will come up the next day and you’ve got to be ready for it. You came back to Tremont to start a new life and honey, we can have that new life. Don’t you want to?”

  More than anything.

  “Everything feels so up in the air.” Arden didn’t know how to explain the u
nsettled feeling she’d had since her father disappeared and she found out her mother was murdered. “Nothing is the same.”

  He leaned forward, criss-crossing his legs. “That’s not true. I’m the same and I love you. I want to have a future with you. I think you want that too.”

  She did. So very much. “I do want that. More than you can know. But I feel like my new life can’t start until I bury the ghosts from my old one.”

  Shane nodded and then tugged on a lock of her hair, giving her that Anderson smile. “Then we better get busy digging some holes because we’re going to bury every one of them sons of bitches. This time, honey, no one is getting in the way of our happily ever after.”

  That’s what she was counting on.

  “I’ll get a couple of shovels.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  ‡

  The next morning, Shane left a sleeping Arden tucked up in a warm bed while he met Wyatt in the hotel restaurant just off the lobby. The other man was already sitting at a table sipping his coffee while the waitress tried to flirt with him. Clearly from the patient expression on Wyatt Stone’s face, the poor girl wasn’t getting very far.

  “Shane, glad you could make it. Have some coffee.”

  The waitress poured Shane a cup while he settled into his chair opposite Wyatt. Both of them quickly ordered – Shane the scrambled eggs and bacon, Wyatt the waffles also with a side of bacon – and the waitress bustled away to put in their orders.

  “I got your message this morning.” Shane dumped some cream in his coffee. “What’s going on?”

  “First, the ballistics came back on the bullet in Arden’s uncle’s chest. It matches the gun used in Susannah Hollis’s murder.”