Falling For Ken (Blueprint to Love Book 2)

by Giordano, Lauren

  ***

  "I think we have a problem." Harry's clipped voice matched his strides across the hundred acre site. "I couldn't get through to Deborah . . . and now she's left her office."

  "So what? Another ten minutes and I'll have Barker right where I want him," Charlie said. "He's on his way now– meeting with one of my guys. It's perfect."

  The lead weight in Harry's stomach lightened with the glimmer of hope Charlie's words brought.

  "Barker's expanding the business . . . and I'd bet Miami doesn't know about it.

  "Why do you think that?"

  "Barker's setting up a little smuggling op on the side. Why not kill two birds with one stone? He can move all kinds of contraband when he rolls the stolen equipment over the border."

  "Have you confirmed the. . . Miami thing? You're sure it's him?"

  "Yup. Nice piece of detective work there, Cuz."

  Damn, he'd hoped he'd be wrong. Swallowing a lump of despair, Harry forced his attention back. "I think Deb might be heading for the courthouse. She thought I wanted her to see Kendall."

  "Harry– stop worrying. We're gonna pick up Barker in—like . . . ten minutes."

  "Yeah. . . but we didn't want her to sign the papers first, remember?"

  "That was only if we needed to use Ken. I didn't want him tryin' to burn her after she signed the transfer papers. The bastard might've assumed he could kill her and inherit the whole company by default."

  "You've lost him before, remember? He's not exactly in custody." Harry bit back the edge of temper– knew he was overreacting. But, dammit. The last thing they needed right now was Charlie getting cocky.

  "I've got four men at the scene. I've got another six along the route and I've got two in the freakin' room with him. I'm not gonna lose the bastard. Not this time."

  "What if Kendall talks to Deborah?"

  "That soap opera is all yours. Once I've got Barker– you can tell her everything."

  Harry closed his eyes. "Yeah– I'm aware of that. I just didn't want her to find out from someone else." Because once the smoke cleared. . . after Charlie and his crew received accolades for the bust that would surely make national headlines, only he would remain– to pick up the pieces with Kendall. To explain all the lies he'd told. . . the information he'd withheld. He'd have to explain the purchase offer was fake– and that Specialty Construction had been the buyer. He'd have to explain why he'd locked her up in jail– and pray she would understand . . . and forgive him.

  And if Harry ever managed to accomplish that series of miracles . . . he'd have to break the news to the woman he loved that she'd been the unwitting pawn in a hundred million dollar stolen equipment ring. Run by a criminal mastermind named Kenneth Adams, Sr.

  And if Kenny hadn't tossed him to the curb by then, he'd have to confess that he'd been the one to turn her father in.

  ***

  "Thanks for getting me out." Words couldn't describe the exquisite sense of relief throbbing through Kendall's veins. Deborah was a hero. She'd torn them all to shreds with a lifted eyebrow and an expression of incredulity that had to have been perfected before a mirror. Never once had Deborah raised her voice, with the exception of when Officer Doughboy had explained the lame-assed logic behind her arrest.

  "My pleasure. It's all in a day's work." The wind whipping her perfectly coifed hair into a black cloud around her face, Deborah slanted her eyes at her as they flew down the road leading to Kendall's house. "Although I admit to being surprised by the charge of resisting arrest. You neglected to tell me you'd kicked the shit out of two cops when they brought you in, Kendall."

  "It slipped my mind. Besides, I was resisting a false arrest," she shot back. "They should be grateful I'm not suing." For the first time since meeting the cultured, serious beauty, Deborah Lawrence laughed. The bubbly sound made her shockingly human. And very likable.

  "I can see why Harrison is so taken with you. I hope you'll both be very happy together." They were flying toward her home in a sleek BMW convertible that had 'Successful Corporate Attorney' written all over it. Her speed was approaching an eye-popping eighty miles per hour. "Are you all right?"

  "Don't look at me. Keep your eyes on the road," she ordered.

  "Sorry, I'll slow down. Speeding is my one vice. Speeding and shoes," she amended. "Do you want me to stay with you until Harrison gets home?"

  "No, thanks. I called him before we left the courthouse. He'll be home any minute. It's the next street on the right," she directed, trying to keep the relief from her voice.

  Deborah nodded, distracted while wrestling the wheel to make the turn into her lane. "Call me if you have any questions when you read through those papers." Kendall glanced down at the folder clutched in her white-knuckled grip. "Technically, I represent Specialty in the deal, but since you and Harrison have worked it out together, I see no harm in answering any questions you might have."

  Specialty? "I don't understand- It's the gray Victorian," Ken pointed out, ". . . there on the right." She couldn't have heard her correctly. Why would Specialty be in on the deal? Harrison had made it sound as though Deborah's firm was performing the service as a favor to Specialty.

  "Aren't we talking about the same thing?" Gravel flying, the BMW screamed to a stop in her driveway. Deborah's hand hesitated on the shift, her pert nose wrinkled in confusion. "The acquisition. . . A & R is being purchased by Specialty Construction."

  Chapter 14

  He was in serious trouble.

  Harry knew the moment he pulled up in front of the house. She was sitting on the front steps . . . waiting for him. One look at Kendall's face told him she knew . . . maybe everything. Swallowing hard, he crossed the grassy front lawn. Her molten eyes bored through him with the intensity of sulfuric acid on metal. In his suddenly constricted chest, his heart flopped uncomfortably.

  "Let me explain-"

  "Deborah took care of that. I think I've heard enough– from everyone but you."

  "Kenny, I was terrified for you." There was a finality to the ice in her voice that sent a ripple of fear down his spine. He'd anticipated her fury– ready to smooth it over. Cajole her into understanding his reasons. His fear for her safety.

  "You have a funny way of showing it."

  "Lance was desperate. He didn't just want A & R. He wanted you dead." Rising to her feet, Kendall showed little reaction. Intent on reaching the door, she would have ignored him, had he not blocked her. Harry realized his fatal mistake. He hadn't prepped for devastation. He hadn't anticipated . . . resignation. As though Kendall had already moved past anger into the arena she knew best. Her default expectation was that she couldn't trust anyone. And he'd played right into it.

  "Get out of my way, Traynor." She jerked free of his grasp.

  "Ken– I would have done anything to keep you safe."

  "You had me arrested and thrown in jail." Her eyes widened with disbelief.

  At least it was a reaction. "That was strictly for your safety," he argued. "The bastard wanted to kill you. Did you actually expect me to do nothing?"

  The flicker of animation in her eyes died. "I expected you to be honest. I expected you to keep me informed. This is my life. A & R is my company. How dare you decide what's best for me?"

  "I tried . . . but you wouldn't listen."

  "When was that? When I begged you to tell me what was wrong?" She advanced on him, fury heating her eyes. "I knew you were holding something back."

  "Charlie . . . felt it would be best for you not to know-"

  "Charlie! You let Charlie decide what was best for me? You're both assholes." She threw up her hands.

  Annoyance flared. He'd done it for her. "You're so hell-bent on doing everything yourself– you won't accept help. I've offered my help a hundred times . . . but you'd rather wear yourself out than admit you need someone-"

  "You're blaming me for this?" Kendall shoved him out of the way and slammed into the house.

  "You were in danger." Hot on her heels, he trie
d to rein in his anger. "He'd already gotten his hands on you once. And he'd tried several times before-"

  "What's that supposed to mean?"

  "My fall into the pit was meant for you. Barker's already admitted he loosened the safety railing, hoping he'd catch you . . . not me. For God's sake-" Releasing a tortured breath, he experienced a wash of shame when she flinched. "The fire was meant for you, too." The accusation in tear-drenched golden eyes knifed a jagged hole in his heart. If Harry hadn't known better, he would have sworn his chest had been flayed open.

  "How do you know that?"

  "Charlie connected the stolen equipment ring he was investigating to our job site. I'd spoken to him at the picnic . . . because I knew Lance started the fire."

  "That was weeks ago," she shouted. "You've known since then?"

  "I didn't like Barker." He shrugged. "I asked Charlie to check him out."

  Hands fisted at her sides, she stared at him, her gaze unforgiving. "Is that what you do when you start sleeping with someone? Spy on everyone around them?"

  Harry's blood pressure spiked. Damn it, he was willing to grovel if that's what it took to convince her. But he would not be insulted. "The first time I met Lance he was attempting to break your arm. Twenty minutes later he was the prime suspect in the firebombing of your building." He advanced a step closer. "I tried to convince you Barker was dangerous, but you dismissed my concerns. Don't you see? It was a game to him– even at the end."

  She smirked. "You told me very little. If you hadn't withheld information, I'm pretty sure I would've been onboard with the plan."

  He shook his head. "You would've made yourself the target. You wouldn't have been able to resist throwing it in his face."

  Fury flared in her eyes. "Damn straight I would. For six months that bastard has ruined my life-"

  "You would have played right into his hands. Lance would've taken off."

  An eyebrow quirked. "So? Problem solved."

  "Charlie's investigation would've gone up in smoke."

  A flicker of anguish crossed her features. "And that was more important-"

  He reached for her. "All I knew– was that I had to keep you safe." His heart sank over the finality in her expression. Defending himself was useless. What he'd done was unforgivable.

  Kendall studied him, the silence growing thicker with each passing second. Soon the gulf between them would be a yawning chasm of anger and recrimination. And Harry was helpless to close the distance. Because he wouldn't have changed a thing.

  ***

  "The purchase offer . . . that was fake as well?" As her life crumbled before her, a corner of Kendall's brain was marveling over her control. When she wanted to fall to her knees and weep . . . her perverse need for a display of strength held the tears at bay. She would not allow Harrison the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

  "Let me explain why-"

  "So you admit Specialty is the buyer?" Kendall felt the implosion reverberate through her frame as her heart detonated. It was all true. The doubting voice in her head had been accurate. Why the hell had she chosen not to believe it?

  "Sort of. I approached Jake about a financing deal to get you out of trouble."

  "You approached Jake? What about me?" she cried, unable to hide her anguish. "Why didn't you consult me?"

  "You wouldn't let me help you. I-I thought if I could bail you out, you'd get back on your feet and everything would work out for the best."

  "The best for who? Me? Or you?" Kendall dragged in a shuddering breath. All this time . . . he'd acted solely on Specialty's behalf– and Specialty wanted A & R. Her head swimming, she sank down on the couch before her legs gave out. She was going to be sick. Thirty years of history, of blood and sweat and devotion. And she'd failed. She'd done everything she could to please her father . . . and he'd never loved her.

  And neither, apparently, did Harrison. A & R would be absorbed into Specialty Construction . . . purchased by Traynor for pennies on the dollar and a couple tumbles with the owner. "Was Lance in on this? Or was the acquisition simply a score for Specialty? Pick up a site contractor on the cheap."

  "That was never the plan and you know it," Harry replied, his voice harsh at her implication. "We did it to catch Barker."

  She was cold . . . so very cold. Suppressing a shiver, she absently scrubbed the goosebumps raised on her arms. The trickle of anguish pumping through her veins only added to the pervasive chill washing over her limbs. Her heart had iced over, leaving only a desolate hollow sensation in her chest.

  "I don't know anything, remember?" Ken experienced a brief jolt of heat when he visibly winced. Her arrow had struck the mark. "So, what was I? The consolation prize?"

  "Don't be ridiculous-"

  Ignoring the whiplash of his anger, Ken felt nothing. A thick blanket of desolation protected her from his barbs. "Deborah was right about our relationship. So perfect– mixing business and pleasure. After all . . . the plan might not have worked if you hadn't been sleeping with me."

  Harrison's eyes iced over with something dangerously close to violence. She experienced a moment's panic, wondering if she'd finally pushed him beyond the limits of his control. But Harrison Traynor was the master of control. He'd carved her open with the icy precision of a surgeon– taking what he'd wanted and leaving the rest for someone else to clean up.

  He shook his head. "We're not going there, babe. Not tonight . . . not ever." His voice was deceptively calm, but his expression seemed to be chiseled from a block of granite. "I'll be damned before you paint me with that brush. I don't use women to get what I want . . . especially not the woman I love."

  "Love?" Her voice rose, incredulous. "You don't know anything about love." Loving someone meant trusting them– it meant confiding in them. Her voice broke on a sob that made her cringe. She hadn't wanted to break down in front of him. With a discipline she hadn't known she possessed, Ken forced the anguish back. There would be time enough later to dissolve in a shattered, hysterical mess.

  "It never crossed your mind to involve me in decisions that directly affected me." She ignored the stab of pain in her chest. She couldn't possibly love him. This couldn't be love . . . because it hurt too much. This was betrayal at its heart shattering, razor sharp best. "You're just like my father," she whispered. "I wasted my life trying to make him proud of me. And look where it got me. He gave away half of my business . . . and now you're here to steal the rest of it."

  "Your father is one of the reasons we're here," he agreed.

  It was an effort to keep speaking. "He's fifteen hundred miles away."

  "Your dad is the brains behind one of the biggest insurance thefts of the decade."

  Her next several breaths were excruciating. Kendall waited . . . for him to gloat over the knowledge he so clearly possessed. But instead of triumph, she read only defeat in his gaze. "What are you talking about?"

  "He's been arrested for causing nearly forty million dollars in losses from fourteen different insurance companies."

  "You can't be serious-"

  "The equipment thefts you experienced? That was his network. Lance worked for him. That was the true reason your father handed over a chunk of A & R." He hesitated. "It wasn't personal, Ken. Adams and Rey was the perfect cover for the theft ring. He needed a legitimate front to hide their activities. What better company than the one he knew best?"

  She lasered him with her eyes. "Is that supposed to make me feel better? My father destroyed me– but that wasn't his intent?" To her horror, hot tears welled up, blurring her vision before spilling over to trail down frozen cheeks. "After all these years, do you think I c-care how he feels?"

  "I think it means everything to you." Harrison moved cautiously toward her. "Do you think I wanted to tell you that about your father? It was bad enough his actions nearly got you killed."

  "All this . . . you got from Charlie."

  "He'd been investigating the theft ring for months. When I approached him about Lance– it turned out to
be a break for them."

  A lightbulb went off over her head. "Him showing up here . . . after the break-in. I questioned how Charlie would know anything about it. Stupid me. . . I thought it was coincidence." The hard knot of anguish had settled in her chest, not as painful now. Almost comforting. "You both must be very proud."

  "I'm not proud of lying to you. It's not who I am, Kendall." He dragged a hand through his hair.

  Even in despair, she managed to chuckle over the unbelievable statement. "At least you discovered my criminal roots before anything got too serious." The pain was agonizing. No one could hurt this much and not die from it.

  "I'm not even going to dignify that with a response." His voice sounded weary. Of dealing with her. "He turned himself in, Kenny. When I called him-"

  "You called him?" Alarm bells clanged in her pounding head. "What right- What possible reason-"

  "I suspected-" He eased down on the couch next to her, his expression uncertain. "From the things you said about him– the contract he forced you to sign when he turned over the business . . . it didn't make sense."

  "He's a bastard. It makes perfect sense."

  "To you, it was one more attempt to control you," he explained, his tone gentle. "But from a purely business perspective, I viewed the contract differently. I saw the terms for what they were."

  "And?" She tried not to despise him for sounding so calm and rational when she was slowly bleeding to death– when her heart was suffocating under the weight of his betrayal.

  "A business opportunity. If he'd truly wanted to hurt you, he would have sold the company out from under you."

  His voice was persuasive, eager to explain everything away– to somehow convince her his actions were justified. Harry may have destroyed her, but her dignity remained intact. She raised a brow in silent question. Why should any of this matter?

  "Give me a break, Kenny . . . please? Just let me explain."

  Damn him. The agony in his voice reached out to tangle with her own. The anguish she read on his face could only be mirrored in her expression. Defeated, Kendall released a deep breath, hoping for a sense of calm to descend and wash away some of the bitterness. Instead, she felt empty and more desolate than she'd ever thought possible. "Go ahead."