by Clarissa Yip
“I know. It’s not fair.” His heart squeezed painfully. His throat constricted.
“Kane, nothing is fair. Life isn’t fair. It’s what you make of it. You push your mother aside but you hurt her the most, thinking you’re actually helping her.”
“She’s moved on. I would only hold her back.” His argument suddenly sounded weak to his own ears. If his mother had moved on, then why hadn’t he?
“She’s done nothing but try to love you, but you won’t let her. Just as you refuse to let me.”
His head jerked to her face. Lauren took his hand and pressed it to her chest. “No matter for what reason you left me four years ago, I only want to look to the future. And if you don’t want to do that with me, I understand. But you need to let Lily go. You shouldn’t feel guilty over her death. It wasn’t your fault. Your father was a bad man.”
“He died of a heart attack.” His vision blurred as the old rage whipped through him. His fingers clenched at his sides. “I waited for him to serve his time so I could confront him face-to-face, but it was too late.”
Her palm reached up and cupped his jaw. “And you know he got what he deserved. I’m sure Lily wouldn’t want you to stay like this. She’s not going to come back. Your mother needs you. I need you.”
He stilled. “I don’t deserve you, Lauren.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
He blinked. He’d expected her to hear his story, see that he was weak and pathetic, and walk away. Instead, she stood staring up at him. A glint shone in her eyes—love. His heart tightened. He wanted her to love him more than anything, but was he ready to let go?
Lauren lifted and brushed her lips over his. “Let me protect you for once.”
Her words warmed him to his toes. The corners of his lips curved. Of course she’d surprise him. Nothing was what he expected with her. “I’ll let you as long as you promise me you’ll never change.”
She smiled. “Deal.”
He hugged her tight and covered her lips. A sense of peace stole over him. He had everything he’d ever needed in his arms. But his mother teased his thoughts. The many awkward encounters, arguments over his distance and neglect—he needed to make it up to her, make it up to Lily.
She would have wanted that.
Chapter Seventeen
Even though aggravated with studying Daniel’s financial statements, she hid her smile as she sat at the dining room table. Ryan showed up with Chinese food not long after she and Kane had taken a shower together and had gone downstairs in search of food. After they’d eaten, Kane and his partner watched the baseball game from the couch and every so often, she’d laugh at their ridiculous banter. They were definitely a pair.
“The Yankees seriously need better batters.” Ryan looked at Kane, raising his beer bottle to his lips. “Maybe we should switch careers and become professional baseball players instead. Remember that baseball player we caught chasing that other guy down the street with a bat?”
Kane chuckled. “Yeah. We were rookies, and you got whacked in the shins and fell flat on your face.”
Ryan frowned. “That would have been you if I hadn’t stepped in.”
“Nah. You’re just more clumsy than me.”
“How about that one time we stopped that bar fight, and the bouncer accidently clipped you in the jaw?”
It was Kane’s turn to frown. “That’s ’cause that woman bodyguard held you to the floor, and you were screeching like a girl.”
“I was not. She was a big woman!”
Lauren laughed, drawing Kane’s attention. He gave her a wink and got up, striding to the fridge for another beer. On his way back, he handed Ryan another bottle before moving to her side. “What are you doing?”
“Going over Daniel’s records and stuff. I have to call all his banks and credit cards and whatever bills he had now that he’s deceased. But I—” She stopped at the look Kane exchanged with Ryan.
Kane’s partner returned his gaze back to the television. Kane set his bottle on the table and crouched next to her. Maybe it was wrong of her to hope that the body was really Daniel, but did that make her a bad person? Anticipation and fear gripped her insides at Kane’s dead-serious expression. Not good.
“Lauren,” he started. He took her hands in his. She knew what he wanted to say before he said it. “Burke’s not dead.”
Air rushed out of her lungs. Kane stood up and pulled her into his arms.
“The body we identified is Mack O’Connor.”
Oh my God. Mack. No wonder he hadn’t shown up for work. Her employee had been murdered, burned to a crisp. She closed her eyes then lifted her head. “But he had on Daniel’s watch. And the dental records confirmed everything…”
“The dentist sent the wrong files. They claimed it was coincidence…” His expression told her he didn’t believe that. He reached up and stroked her cheek. “We’ll find the truth once we find Burke, but right now we don’t have anything about his whereabouts. We don’t know if…”
She drew away. “What?”
He shoved a hand through his hair. “Peters won’t say anything, and we think he might have kidnapped and stashed Burke somewhere. Assuming he called to warn you about Peters.”
“Our captain’s pissed we don’t have anything to tell the DA, either,” Ryan added from couch.
Her gaze flew to Ryan, then back to Kane. “Let me talk to Gabe. I’ll ask him.”
“No.” The fierceness in his expression stilled her. “You’re not going near him. We have him in custody, locked away from you.”
Frustration ran through her. “If Daniel is alive, then where is he?”
“We’ll find him. Trust me.”
The knot in her throat made it hard to breathe. She inched closer and laid her head on his shoulder, taking comfort in his strength. His hand rubbed over her back, soothing her a little, but it didn’t stop the panic taking over her mind.
Daniel is alive.
Which meant… She pulled away again and stared up at Kane. “I’m still married.”
He frowned. He tried to draw her into his embrace again, but she sidestepped his touch. She was back to square one. Her freedom once again put on hold because of her selfish cheater of a husband. When was this ever going to end?
She sat down in the chair. “I’m never going to get my divorce from him. And it was all a lie. No wonder he took out the money he promised me.”
“What money?”
She looked up at Kane and waved her hand over the papers on the table. “The money the lawyer said Daniel willed me after…he supposedly died. The statement shows it’s a zero balance. The money had been there but it was taken out. The rest of Daniel’s money is all held up in stocks and bonds and his business.”
Kane sifted through the pile until he pulled the bank statement out. “Ryan.”
Ryan got up from the couch and moved to stand next to Kane. “I checked all his financial records. None of his cards have activity or anything. They haven’t been touched.”
Kane shoved the paper at Ryan. “Look at the date the money was taken out.”
Ryan’s eyes widened. “Holy hell. No wonder we didn’t see anything. This account is under Lauren’s name.”
“Look at the date.”
His partner gasped.
Lauren stood up. “What? What’s going on?”
Kane turned to her, shoving his hand through his hair again. “Burke took the money out the day of the fire.”
She stilled. She didn’t get it. “So, what does that mean?”
“He may have staged his own death and is running around with a hundred thousand dollars.”
Her fingers reached behind her. Her legs trembled. “Why would he stage his own death?”
“We won’t know unless we find him.”
“Crap. So he is trying to frame his partner!”
They both jerked their heads to Ryan, who gave a sheepish shrug. “It’s a possibility since Peters’s adamant about not admitting to th
e crimes. He claims he doesn’t know how his scalpels appeared at O’Connor’s apartment. Or how the murder weapon and tools used to set Burke’s house on fire were in his car. Or how all the pearls were found in his trunk.”
Lauren fell into the seat. Her heart pounded loudly to her ears. “That doesn’t make any sense. And why would Daniel call to warn me to leave town then?”
Kane’s jaw hardened. “Because the killer is someone else.”
Chapter Eighteen
Lauren gazed out the window, down onto the busy street from her office. They still hadn’t found Daniel. And she was getting antsy. Fear that his suspicions were true and the killer wasn’t Gabe, Kane had objected to her returning to work, but he’d given in when she’d convinced him that she wouldn’t leave the store or go anywhere without him.
His protectiveness was endearing yet irrational, in the sense that he watched her like a hawk. Not that it was a bad thing at all—she reveled in his attention. In the past five days, he’d opened up and talked quietly about his sister when they were lying in bed together each night, and she’d listened, hanging on to his every word. She loved him more for the courage he displayed, and each mention of his mother and sister showed her he was finally letting go of his guilt.
Tonight was the true test: Sara’s wedding.
Hope for reconciliation between Kane and his mother warmed her. If Kane was ready to move forward with his mother, then she’d have her answer whether or not she should gamble her heart once again.
Closing her eyes, she pressed her forehead against the cool glass. Fortunately, her return had surprised her employees since they all expected her to continue mourning her supposedly dead husband. She didn’t know whether to feel fear for Daniel’s safety or find him herself.
She couldn’t stand the wait.
“Ms. Burke.”
Lauren whirled around and smiled at her assistant. “What’s up?”
“I just need you to sign these forms for the new employees Trina hired.” Kerry entered the room and slid the papers onto the desk.
Lauren sat down in her chair and picked up her pen, quickly scribbling her name on the dotted line. “I told you to call me Lauren. You’ve been working for me for over a year now. You’re the only one who calls me that.”
A shade of red covered the redhead’s cheeks. “But you’re my boss. I don’t want to be unprofessional. My last workplace was very formal.”
Lauren chuckled. She recalled that Kerry worked for a few medical offices before she’d hired her. “It’s fine. We’re not stuffy like those doctor’s offices.”
Her assistant gave a shy smile as she picked up the papers. “How are you feeling?”
“Fine. It feels good coming back to work. I missed it here.”
“We miss you here, too.”
Lauren smiled. She knew her employee’s concern was genuine. One good thing she’d done in her life was hiring the right people for her business. An image of Mack rushed to her conscience. Okay, maybe not all her employees were a blessing. Good thing Mack didn’t have family. Maybe he had a girlfriend… “Thanks. How are the wedding plans coming?”
Kerry’s blush deepened. “I’m working on them.”
“If you need help, let me know. Everyone gets their discount here, you know that.” Lauren watched as excitement lit her assistant’s eyes.
“I know. I bought my dress the other day. Mary said she’s going to do alterations for me. I just need to pick out some accessories and do some research on honeymoon spots. We’re definitely eloping.”
“Congratulations.” She mentally ran through her mind what she could buy Kerry for her wedding. If it hadn’t been for her assistant, she probably wouldn’t have pulled off Daniel’s funeral so quickly. “What do you want for your wedding? I’d love to get you a gift.”
Kerry’s hand fluttered to her chest. “Oh—”
“Whose wedding?”
Lauren looked past Kerry to see Trina stride in. “Kerry’s.”
Trina’s mouth fell open. “You’re engaged?”
Her assistant’s gaze dropped to the floor. She answered in barely a whisper. “Yes.”
Lauren gave Trina a warning look. Her assistant manager quickly composed herself and smiled. “Congratulations. Lucky man.”
Kerry nodded. “I should go downstairs. We have some appointments scheduled.”
Watching her assistant disappear from the office, Lauren turned her attention to Trina, who was staring at the empty doorway. “That wasn’t very smooth of you.”
Trina grinned, then asked, “Did you know she was dating?”
Lauren shrugged. “No. She’s usually so quiet about everything.”
“Yeah, but”—Trina sat down—“I don’t think I’ve ever even seen a guy come in here looking for her or calling her. I knew she was talking to Mack for a while, but then they stopped, I think.”
Lauren’s chest tightened at the mention of her dead employee. She moved the computer mouse to wake the screen. “She has her private life. Don’t be so nosy.”
“I’m not. Besides. Me and you need to talk.”
“About what? You already hired two new people. No more.”
“There’s a hunk of testosterone downstairs waiting for you and he’s drawing attention from all the brides-to-be who are suppose to be shopping for their own weddings.”
Lauren smiled and stood up. “Guess I have to go.”
“Not so fast. You’re not leaving till you tell me what’s going on.” Trina crossed her arms over her chest.
“Nothing.” Lauren shoved her day planner and iPad into her briefcase.
“He’s been picking you up and dropping you off every single day that you’ve returned. That is not nothing.” Her assistant manager raised her eyes in challenge.
Lauren squelched the urge to confide in Trina all that had happened to her since Kane first showed up. Her girlfriends from college had moved on with life away from her, and all had disappeared by the time she’d married Daniel. She definitely missed having friends to confide in and gossip with. “It’s his stepsister’s wedding tonight. We’re just going together.”
Trina frowned, her lips pursing, then surprisingly she shot up out of her chair and grabbed Lauren’s coat. “Then you better get going.”
Lauren chuckled. “Okay.”
“Stay out late and don’t come home so early.”
It was Lauren’s turn to blush. “It’s a wedding we’re going to.”
Trina pushed her toward the door. “Oh, come on. There has to be more going on. Don’t lie. I’ve seen the way he looks at you. Definitely smitten.”
Lauren slipped her coat on in between Trina’s gentle shoves. “You’re insane.”
“I’m serious. You need a good man in your life. Your husband is out of the picture, has been for the whole year. You need to start living. As much as I like the Lauren who’s returned, she could be much happier.”
They walked down the hall together. Lauren stilled as they reached the stairs and turned to Trina. “I do feel happy.”
Trina smiled. “I can tell. That man is good for you. And that no-good husband of yours deserved what he got.”
Lauren frowned. She was supposed to act the grieving widow, but maybe her joy these past few days had been too apparent. No one knew Daniel was still alive. “Thanks.”
“Go have fun.” Trina wrapped her arms around her in a quick hug, and Lauren hugged her back for once.
With a nod, she descended the stairs. Even though she and Kane had gotten closer in the past few days, she wasn’t ready to ask for more. What she felt for Kane was never in question, as she’d realized with every passing moment she spent with him that her love hasn’t changed since she’d first met him. Maybe grown and evolved into something more mature and past infatuation. Her heart pounded steadily as he came into view. Just like the first time he’d returned to announce Daniel’s death, he stood in front of the window, staring past the mannequin.
His suit jacket hugged
his broad shoulders, slacks fitted perfectly over his butt and legs. Desire teased her. She squelched the urge to run and throw herself into his arms and give him a proper greeting. They’d been making love every night, and it only got better each day. He was like a drug she could never get enough of and didn’t want to.
He slowly turned as she approached. His eyes lit up and his smile deepened as she drew closer. “Hey.”
“Hi.”
“Ready to go home?”
Her chest tightened and she nodded. Waving good-bye to her employees, she followed Kane out of the building. Once they reached outside, Kane took her briefcase and held her hand. “How was work today?”
She couldn’t stop staring at their laced fingers as he led her to the passenger side of his car. “Good. Busy. It’s going to get worse in the next few months with the fall brides.”
He gave her an amused look. “Are those the scary ones?”
“No, it’s the winter ones who scare me more, the ones who want to freeze their butts off out in the cold because they think snow is so romantic.”
Kane laughed. He pulled open the car door and turned to her. She just smiled—something she’d been doing a lot of. “Would you want a winter wedding?”
She stilled. She’d promised herself she wouldn’t go down that road again, but with Kane staring down at her, eyes darkening—she wanted everything. “Maybe a fall wedding.”
He leaned in, his lips brushing ever so gently over hers. She sighed as she slid her hand over his nape to draw him closer. “What if I don’t want a fall wedding?”
Her breath hitched. She willed her heart to still. It was Kane. As much as she wanted to jump the gun, she needed to tread lightly. She slid into the car seat. “Who said anything about you?”
Kane frowned. “Do you have another option?”
She waited until he rounded the car to the driver’s side and got in. “Don’t you know I have a whole of line men waiting to marry me once I’m free?”
His eyebrow lifted. “Do I need to show them my gun?”
With a laugh, she leaned in and kissed him. “We’ll see. But I do have to say you’re ahead in the running.”
