by Lexy Timms
Luke snorted and turned away from her, facing the building. He jutted his elbow out and she placed her hand on the crook of his arm. “My pleasure, Ms. Linnear.” He could play the game. As long as he bloody knew what it was.
“Tell me, Mr. Milligan,” Katie said as the taxi crawled at a snail’s pace through downtown traffic, “what’s your interest in Dani?” Thus far the trip had been in silence. Now that they were closer to home Katie had relaxed somewhat, as if the very proximity of other people had enough measure of safety to speak.
What the hell has David done to her? And why in the world would she go rock climbing with that group?
“What’s your interest in Dani?” she repeated. “Other than the obvious, I mean. I know that she and you… that is, the walls are noticeably thin in the conference rooms of that hotel.”
“Heard it, did you?” Luke smiled, refusing to be embarrassed.
Katie colored, her cheeks blossoming a delightful pink that looked good on her. “Yes.” She bit her lip and looked away. “I’m sorry if I’m embarrassing you.”
“No, you’re fine.” Luke couldn’t resist the urge to tease at least a little bit. “I’m not the one blushing.”
Katie put the back of one hand against the side of her neck. The light pink color grew deeper, more of a dusky rose. “I see…” She coughed delicately. “Nonetheless, I stand by my original question, Mr. Milligan.”
Mr. Milligan was going to stay. No Luke until he told her something. “I would really prefer if you used my first name,” he said. “If you’re going to Mr. me all day, we’ll never get anywhere.”
“Fine, but stop avoiding the question.”
“I’m not avoiding…” The look on her face told him she wasn’t buying it. “Fine. I’m…” I’m what? What the hell can I tell her? I am not blowing my cover, whatever’s left of it just to calm her nerves. “I met Dani at the party, we… were loud. And, to be honest, I’ve kind of fallen for her. I’ve never met anyone like her.”
Her eyes held a solemnity that made her seem much older than her years. “I wish I could believe you, Mr. Milligan.”
“I wish you could, too,” Luke said, but there was a small voice in his head that wondered if there wasn’t more than a little truth to that. The fact was, under the façade of work, of pretending that everything had a professional, non-involvement to it, he was unable to stop thinking about Dani.
She was nearly primal. Whatever training she may have had, however she’d used it, it worked with her. It was like seeing a wild animal that deigned to act politely in civilization, but was only biding her time. The way she moved… She was holding back, holding down the wildness in her limbs.
And damn, such fine limbs.
“I’m sorry?” He realized Katie had said something.
“I asked where you were going, so the driver can take you home.”
“I’ll be going back to the Rineharts’,” he said. When he saw her expression, he explained, “My car is still in their driveway.” He glanced at her again. “Unless it’s been towed as being an eyesore.”
Katie looked at her feet. “I suppose I deserve your scorn, Mr. Milligan,” she said, and paused. “Luke.” She smiled at his reaction. “I just…” She swallowed and faced forward. “David’s not a pleasant person at times.” She stared straight ahead. “But Dani… I like Dani; she’s a good person, but…”
“But she has a blind spot about her brother,” Luke finished. He’d been thinking it all day, and hearing someone else say it helped. At least his own judgement wasn’t completely off. Just…partially. “How long have you known them?”
Katie flinched. “David and I went to summer camp together. We went a number of places together, to be honest.” She gave a short laugh. It sounded almost painful. “I used to scribble his name in my notebook, back when I was…” She thought for a moment. “I was innocent.”
Luke held his breath. Innocent. The way she said it, rushed and in one breath, he knew the whole of it without her saying another word. He kept his eyes carefully ahead, not looking at her, not wanting to embarrass her further. A real man wouldn’t make her say the rest, but it was his job, wasn’t it? To find out the secrets of the Rineheart family? Wasn’t this part of it?
He never felt lower in his entire life than he did right now.
Bastards.
Seemingly unaware of his struggle she continued, each word falling from her lips a barb that burrowed beneath his skin.
“That summer at camp… I lost that innocence, in a bad way. I…” She took a deep breath and spoke to the back of the driver’s head, but low enough that Luke had to strain to hear her. “It’s not easy breaking up with a boy whose father is in business with yours. There was a great deal of pressure for me to reconcile…” This time it took longer for her to continue. “Even now, coming home for the summer… I’m here because my parents want to form an alliance… it’s hard to explain.”
“No,” Luke said, understanding far too much. “Not at all.”
Katie looked at him. He met her eyes awkwardly, realizing what a blessing her smile was. That she was able to smile after a day like this one. The girl had an inner strength that he admired. I will protect this girl. And those like her. Everyone that this damned family has victimized…
And what if Dani is part of this? What if she knows, and looks the other way?
She cleared her throat. Her next words stronger, though no less filled with pain. “It’s not like he…” Her hands fluttered like trapped birds. “He was… someone came in before he could… but it was close.” She colored again and stared out the window. “But you don’t discipline someone like David.” Her eyes reflected in the glass were sad and haunted. “No one said anything.” She turned and looked at Luke, eye to eye. “Not even me.”
“You were scared,” Luke said. It wasn’t a question. Hidden by his leg, the hand furthest from her balled into a fist, and relaxed and clenched and relaxed and clenched. Luke kept calm, kept his expression neutral, but the rage he felt against such an animal... “How old were you?”
“I was 12. He was 14.” Katie looked at her feet, but her eyes focused on something far away. “I wanted to try my first kiss.” Her voice was barely a whisper and Luke thought that maybe she was talking to someone else, someone from a decade ago. “He said I asked for it.”
Luke’s fist trembled and the knuckles turned white. Only with great effort did his face register only concern. Attentiveness.
Given half a chance, he would kill him and feel no regret.
Wouldn’t he?
“Luke,” Katie said, turning to face him, “I’m studying psychology as well as sociology. I’ve known Mr. Rinehart all my life. If you’re not a friend of David’s, and I believe you’re not, then you can only be investigating the Rinehart family.”
Luke had been sucker-punched once. It felt a lot like this. “I haven’t… I’m not…”
“Please, don’t bother; I won’t tell a soul. I don’t know or care what agency you’re with, Mr. Milligan, but please remember Dani will kill for her brother. And she will never ever admit that he was in the wrong.”
Luke bowed his head. He’d already come to the same conclusion, but hadn’t yet decided what to do about it. Why…why did good people have to suffer like this?
Why would he have to be the one to tear Dani’s world apart? He could picture the battle now in his mind’s eye, and knew with what agony the choices would have to be made.
“We’re almost there, Mr. Milligan.” She reached for him, a tiny hand as gentle as a butterfly landing on Luke’s arm. “Luke.” She smiled. The first genuine smile he’d seen from her. “You might want to unclench your fist now… I mean, before the circulation cuts off.”
Luke smiled. “I’ll work on it.”
He left Katie at her house, another mansion in the back of the woods and off the road. Luke began to wonder what sort of world he’d landed in. It would take teams of gardeners to trim that lawn and maintain that la
ndscape, and yet the people in those places seemed less grand somehow than the people who worked for them.
It wasn’t a realistic thought, was it? Not that everyone didn’t have problems. But people like the Rineharts—theirs were on a grander scale, weren’t they? With a lot more collateral damage.
When he arrived at his car, it was blocked in by three limos. He walked to the house to see about getting it moved, but was scooped up in a frenzy of panic and chaos.
A frenzy of panic and chaos that met him at the door, grabbed him by the arms, and had him on the floor before he’d even finished knocking.
“What the hell’s going on?”
These weren’t the rent-a-cops Rinehart had used at the party. These were professionals. Luke was maybe a match for one, possibly two, but there were four of them leading him into the inner sanctum. Since that was his destination anyway, he didn’t need to blow his cover. Yet.
It was Dani who played rescuer to his damsel in distress. “Let him go!” Dani called imperiously, storming at the group. One looked at her, appraising her with close scrutiny that lingered a little overlong on the shorts she wore, before turning to the others and nodding once. They let go so quickly, Luke staggered and almost fell.
“What the hell?” Luke asked again, this time genuinely mad.
Dani grabbed him by the arm and towed him down the hallway toward the office. “Daddy’s missing.”
Chapter Twelve
“Benny Bianchi is here?” Luke asked for the third time.
Dani stared at him, trying to figure out why Luke was asking again. Had he banged his head on a rock? He had to have heard her correctly. She’d told him enough times.
“He’s here?” Luke asked again.
“Yes!” Dani yelled and lowered her voice. The place was an absolute madhouse, with people rushing back and forth and no one sure of what everyone else was doing. Benny had taken over the place, and for the first time in her memory he’d been too busy for her. For her! All because her damn father had taken off without telling anyone where he was going. She was being ridiculous. She knew it. But everything was so screwed up now, she didn’t know what to think. Or how to think straight.
Stupid Daddy.
She caught herself. Daddy. Like a little girl. When in the hell was she ever going to grow up? Even now, without him even being in the place, he was manipulating her. Getting her all upset for no reason at all. Obviously he’d had some kind of spat with Benny, that’s why Benny hadn’t been invited to the party. Now he was having second thoughts. Or wanted to avoid the confrontation. Whatever. Why did that have to get everyone upset, when it was obviously David who should have gotten all the attention? He was the one being threatened. Why couldn’t her father man up and see that his son was in danger? She was tired of everyone treating this like it was some stupid joke.
And now, in the meantime, he’d gotten Benny all upset. Why the hell would he go and do a thing like that?
Here she was, trying to explain all this without knowing why she needed to be saying anything at all. That was the problem with Luke. He listened too well. She just found herself talking, and next thing she knew she’d talked too much.
She stumbled past a stranger, and drew Luke with her into an alcove as another horde of men rushed by in a way that was reminiscent of an army unit heading out on recon duty. They were just that tightly focused. Runners. Benny had been sending out runners since the helicopter had landed. First Marcus had been called into her father’s office, and then David. Whatever Benny had said to Marcus, he came out of that room like a man reborn. He mobilized the men under him, such as they were, and sent them off to every corner of the earth, or at least Atlanta, on various errands. Dani had overheard enough of the conversations to understand that Uncle Benny was hell-bent on finding her father. Not that he’d bothered to call her in or talk to her. What was with everyone?
So now this. Luke. And why was he even there? He’d been turning up far too often lately, and seemed a little shell-shocked; whether it was because her father was gone or Benny was here, she had no idea. But he seemed a little too eager to…listen. And she sure as hell was done being the one doing all the talking.
“Maybe you can tell me why you’re here.” They were standing in a little nook outside the office, the door of which was still stubbornly closed. Putting her back to the room, she crossed her arms under her chest and opened her mouth to speak only, damn it all, the man couldn’t stay focused long enough to save his life. I swear, if he’s ogling my…
Which, of course, he was. She lowered her arms with an angry little huff. “Focus, Luke. Why the hell are you here?”
He had the grace to at least look awkward, shuffling his feet a little and avoiding her eyes. “My car’s here,” he said, pointing toward the driveway, which was unfortunate because that meant he was pointing at her and his finger just about touched her… She batted his hand away. “I’m blocked in. Why is he here?”
It took Dani a minute to catch up. “Benny? He wants to talk to my father.” Her eyes narrowed. “How do you know him?”
“Benny Bianchi? I don’t,” Luke said, but the way he said it sounded like a little boy caught in a fib. She used to catch her little brother like that when they were children. “I mean,” Luke sputtered, “I know of him; his name is in the papers a lot and…” He shrugged.
“And.” Dani made it a statement, not a question, moving her hand in the sort of winding motion used when particularly stupid people are slow in adding in all the details. Not that he would at all. Luke had to be the worst liar in the history of the world. “I might be an idiot,” she said, glaring him down, trying not to scream in frustration, “but even I figure things out eventually. I know who and what you are now.”
“And who is he?” a voice said behind her.
“UNCLE BENNY!” she screamed, and whirled around to fling herself at the portly man in the pinstripes. Benny hadn’t changed much, constantly twenty pounds overweight, never more, florid face, grey at the temples. At some point Benny had apparently allowed himself to age to early middle age and then refused to continue.
“Hello, princess,” Benny said, and returned the hug. It was like being engulfed by a short bear.
Which was nice and all, right up until she remembered that she was supposed to be mad at him. And sneaking around? Since when had Benny taken to sneaking around? She’d never even heard that office door open…
“Where’s my 100-grand?” Dani said in mock severity, holding the man at arm’s length, falling back on what came naturally while she tried to puzzle out the pieces that weren’t fitting. It was somewhat like opening a jigsaw puzzle box and finding it filled with dominoes.
“Ain’t you a little old for that?”
“I get 100-grand when I see you,” she pouted, lower lip sticking out with a tremble to it that was actually a little more real than she would have liked to admit to. “It’s tradition.”
“All right,” he smiled. “Next time I’ll bring it, okay?”
“Okay.” Dani kissed her uncle’s forehead, still a little unsettled, and not knowing quite what to say. Why she suddenly distrusted Benny, she wasn’t sure. But something…no, everything…felt off. “You know I’m teasing, right, Uncle Benny?”
“So, who’s your friend?” Benny asked, waving his hand. “The one you just figured out what he is.”
“Uncle Benny,” Dani said, and turned around as though she’d forgotten that particular conversation entirely. “This is Luke Milligan.” She paused and cocked her head to one side. “He’s Daddy’s therapist.”
“Dr. Milligan,” Benny said, and shook Luke’s hand. While not letting go, he said to Dani, “Why don’t you go into the office and wait for me. I’ll be right along.”
“Uh, sure, Uncle Benny. Um… Mr.—Dr. Milligan’s car is blocked in. Can your boys move their vehicles for him?”
“Is that so?” Benny turned to Luke, “We’ll see that you’re well taken care of.”
Dani l
ingered a moment but the two men still held hands, not in any friendly way either. The look Luke gave her was pure evil. There was an undercurrent of testosterone in the air, and Dani decided on the spot that was the last thing she needed to deal with. She nodded to Luke and headed into the office. Let him take care of things from here.
It might be interesting to see what he did next.
One of the most… no, the most dangerous man in America was currently holding his hand in a death grip. It was just shy of being painful, but so very close. Benny tightened his grip as he got rid of Dani. A warning, then, but a warning for what? To say nothing? To avoid Dani? Luke stood still, replying in kind, but not ready to start a game of one-upmanship with this person, of all people.
So, he bided his time and refused to allow the vise-grip around his hand to show in his face. He was figuratively holding the tail of a giant tiger, and yet, when Dani walked away, he was still caught up in watching her tight ass swaying in those amazing shorts.
Things like that ought to be illegal.
“One thing I do know,” Benny said, a smile on his lips as he shook Luke’s hand. “Smile, boy, smile. If we’re not happy, then no one’s happy. If no one is happy, then people go a little trigger- happy, get me?”
Luke smiled and nodded. The grip was more painful. He could break free but the goons were watching, and some of them held their hands half inside their jackets, likely keeping weapons within easy reach.
“Another thing I know,” Benny said, leaning in to talk confidently. Friend to friend. “You’re not Edwin’s therapist. That weasel didn’t have feelings to talk over. No one with any feelings treats his children like he did. The other thing I see? Dani has some sort of attachment to you. If she didn’t care about you,” Benny’s free hand came up and clouted Luke’s shoulder, “then she wouldn’t have lied.”
There were a dozen things he could say in this moment. Hell, hadn’t they trained him for something like this? But remembering them in a situation like this just wasn’t happening. For all the things he’d been prepared for, being made by the most ruthless mobster in America hadn’t been one of them. He opened his mouth and shut it again. Really, in the end, perhaps it was better to say nothing at all.
