by Brower, Dawn
“I don’t have anything for you,” Sullivan said.
“You’re not holding back, are you?” Carter asked. “Because I’d hate to see you taking the law into your own hands. That never ends well.”
Sullivan was no vigilante. He was more than willing to play by the rules where law and order was concerned. His personal life was a different matter entirely. For Lana, he threw out every rule book and made a new set to make her his. “If I find the files, you will be the first person I call.”
“Good,” Carter said. “I’m glad you see that working with us is for the best. Do you have any idea who could’ve been embezzling from the foundation?”
He wished he did. Wilson had argued against talking to the head of the foundation. Perhaps there was another solution. “Do you want me to set up a meeting?”
“With your staff?” Carter asked.
“Colleen O’Callaghan runs everything, but there is someone else there I trust more—Sienna Kent and I are long time friends. If you don’t like that idea we can get the entire foundation staff together,” Sullivan said. “Or we can keep it quiet a little longer if you think that would be best. Wilson believed it would prevent the culprit from skipping town.”
“He might be right,” Carter said. “At some point, we will need to speak with Colleen or your friend, Sienna, but hold off a little longer. I want to watch without them realizing we have them under surveillance. They might slip up.”
Most of the time Sullivan could be patient. It was one of his strong suits. When he told Lana earlier he could wait for her to be ready, he hadn’t been lying. She was too important to him to mess things up. With Wilson’s murder, he wanted to bulldoze through it all until he had the killer in hand. At this point, it wasn’t about the money. A man had died working for his company. He owed it to him and his family to find them and see justice done.
“All right,” Sullivan said. “I will hold off speaking to anyone a little longer. Let me know when you think it would be a good time to speak with her.”
“Will do,” Carter said. “And you let me know when or if you locate those missing files.”
Sullivan rolled his eyes. “Detective, I wish I could say it’s been a pleasure, but you know how it goes. I must end this titillating conversation.”
Carter’s chuckles echoed through the phone. “By the way, your office has been cleared. You now have permission to enter it.”
As if he wanted to ever go back into that room again. He would hire an interior decorator and have the whole thing gutted. Maybe, with a new look, he’d be able to forget a man had died in there. Somehow, he doubted that was possible, but at least it was worth a shot—for his, as well as Ali’s, peace of mind.
“You’re nothing but kindness,” Sullivan said mockingly. “Have a good day.” Then he hung up the phone before Carter could reply. The detective needed to do his job and find the killer. Sullivan had plans of his own to see though. First being to make sure Lana had a phone to use. He didn’t like that she had no way to call for help. After seeing Wilson’s dead body, he didn’t want anyone he cared about to ever be helpless if he could prevent it.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Jessica came over, but they never left the house. Lana was too keyed up to do anything other than pace her house. Before long, it was early evening and going anywhere had seemed out of the realm of possibilities. Perhaps a glass of wine would help... No, that was a stupid idea. With her pain pills, she’d be loopy and asleep in less than an hour. She’d taken one of the strong ones because her pain level had risen. Lana couldn’t wait for the day she no longer needed the damn things.
“Could you sit down,” Jessica said irritably. “You’re driving me batty.”
“Can’t do something that is already a known fact,” Lana retorted. “I have to ask you something.” She held up her hand to stop Jessica from interrupting her. “Before I start, you have to promise to listen to everything and answer after you have all the facts. It’s sad that I’m even asking, but I don’t know what the hell’s going on in my life right now, and I need another person to tell me if I’m crazy or not.”
“That’s easy,” Jessica said. “Definite yes.”
Lana stopped and glared at her. “Ha ha. That’s not what I meant. Now, can you let me tell you what’s going on?”
“If you insist,” Jessica answered flippantly. “But I don’t understand what the big deal is.”
Lana silently prayed for patience. She counted to ten and then turned her attention back to Jessica, deciding to ignore her last statement. It was a much better option than slapping her on top of the head. That would hurt, and Lana believed in not causing herself unnecessary pain. Which was why she needed someone to talk to. Sullivan made her forget she was afraid of heartbreak and total devastation. She still didn’t quite understand his complete turnaround.
“Sullivan wants to date.” There she got it out. Jessica stared at her in total silence. “Me,” she said for clarification. Why wasn’t she reacting to that news?
“I’m waiting for the punch line,” Jessica finally said. “To be honest, I’m surprised it took this long. You mentioned you used his phone to call me earlier. I suspected something was up a long time ago, and him visiting you first thing in the morning made my eyebrows raise a bit—what has him coming by so early? What is the problem?”
Lana stared at her in bewilderment. What in tarnation was she talking about? Why on Earth would Sullivan have wanted to date her sooner? More importantly, why wasn’t Jessica surprised at all? Every time Sullivan came to see her, touched her or, put his lips on hers, Lana was baffled by it all. None of it seemed real.
Perhaps that was the problem. Her teenage self had adored him and put him on a pedestal no one belonged on. That girl would have been in heaven to find out Sullivan wanted to be with her. Truthfully, that young girl was still alive and well inside of her. She wanted out to experience the one thing she’d always craved and never had a chance to gain. Here Lana was, on the precipice of being loved by Sullivan, and she questioned the veracity of it.
“Sullivan Brady would put Don Juan to shame,” she said flatly.
“So, he’s a skilled lover?” Jessica raised a brow. “I’d always wondered. You go girl. It’s about time you gave in and sampled what he had to offer.”
Lana’s mouth fell open. “I did no such thing.” How could she think... Well, if she were to be honest with herself, she did want to. The fact remained though that she hadn’t.
“Then what’s with the Don Juan reference. He’s supposed to be synonymous with being a wonderful lover.”
Lana blew out an exasperated breath. “I meant the womanizer part. Don Juan, while fictional, went through more women than I do disposable gloves at work.”
“That’s a weird analogy,” Jessica said and wrinkled her nose. “But appropriate, I guess. To the master lover, the women were disposable after he was done with them.” She tilted her head. “I suppose I can see the comparison to Sullivan too. He doesn’t seem to date a woman long before he’s tossing her aside.”
“Exactly,” Lana said. Now Jessica was finally on board with what she was trying to say. “I’m trying to decide if I’m nuts for giving him a chance.”
Jessica stood and crossed over to Lana. “I can’t answer that for you. Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith. If you want my two cents—Sullivan truly loves you. You should have seen him when you were unconscious. He was devastated.”
Lana wanted to believe in him. Truly she did. If they could find something together... She’d lost all hope of finding love for herself. Somehow, she’d managed to be content with her life the way it was. Working as a nurse was a fulfilling career, and she’d bought her own house. The thing missing was a family of her own and someone to love.
Who was she kidding? She’d always loved that charming bastard. As much as she wanted to push him away, she never really could. Not that she was ready to admit that much to him. She wanted to believe his love was true, and b
ecause of that, she was giving him a chance. But she didn’t want to wake up one morning missing him because it hadn’t worked the way she had hoped. It would be a living hell to have him and then lose him. Sullivan had said he kissed his heart goodbye a long time ago because she owned it. What he didn’t know was that he’d held hers for far longer than she wanted to admit. Maybe one day she could trust him with that particular truth.
“I don’t know...”
“Don’t think too hard; you’ll give yourself an aneurysm or something,” Jessica said. “Take things slow and see where it goes. I’m here if you need to talk, but I think this is a good thing.”
“Fine,” Lana said. “But if he hurts me...”
“I’ll have a shovel ready to help you bury the body. Though we might want to yank all his teeth out first and burn his fingerprints away. Identification would be too good for any rat bastard that hurts my friend.”
Lana laughed and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “You’ve been hanging around me a little too much. You’ve gone and gotten a tad bloodthirsty.”
“Love you too,” Jessica said. “I might not be here if not for you pushing me to see my doctor. That forged a friendship that’ll last through anything.”
“Thank you,” Lana said. “I needed this.” She leaned in and hugged her. “Maybe now I can stop pacing the house like a caged tiger.”
Sometimes being with a good friend was the one thing guaranteed to put life into focus. Jessica had talked her off a ledge of sorts. She wanted to be with Sullivan, and she owed it to herself to find out if it was something that would last. Love only comes once in a while. It was knocking at her door, and it might be scary to let it in, but what if she didn’t and regretted it? Happiness she might never know could be waiting for her on the other side, and all she had to do was take that chance? Lana wanted to find out if they had the possibility of forever. She had to stop letting her fears dictate her actions and thoughts.
“Somehow, I think you’ll keep those claws out for a while,” Jessica said. “Please refrain from using them on me while you work through this.”
Lana laughed. “I learned to never make a promise I can’t keep.”
“Touché,” Jessica replied. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to leave you. I think you need a little time to figure out what your next move is. Besides, I have a hot doctor waiting for me at home, and I am looking forward to having my way with him.”
“A little too much info there,” Lana replied, slightly appalled. “Go. I would hate for you to deprive yourself of some sexy time.”
Jessica winked. “I’m sure you’ll be having a bit of your own in no time.”
Lana sure hoped so...
Jessica walked out of the front room. The click of the door shutting a moment later was the only indication she had left. Lana did have a lot to consider. If she was going to do this thing with Sullivan, she needed a plan. At the top of that list was how to get him naked and in her bed.
He’d been a little too comfortable with kissing and nothing else. She wanted more, damn it. Unfortunately, that wasn’t happening tonight. It was already late, and she was getting rather sleepy. Her pain meds made her so tired. So instead of devising a strategy to make love to the man she desired, Lana changed into her pajamas and crawled into bed where she had her way with him in her dreams.
IT WAS LATE. HE REALLY shouldn’t be going by Lana’s place. She was probably asleep and would be mad if he woke her, but Sullivan couldn’t help himself. He had to see her—even if it was only to kiss her goodnight and then leave. He was afraid to do more than that. She’d been out of the hospital a week. What if doing any extra activities put her back in the hospital? He really should talk to Preston about what she could or couldn’t do. He wanted so much more with her, but he’d promised to go slow. Sullivan would go at a snail’s pace even if it killed him.
He turned down her street and his heart almost stopped in his chest. Smoke billowed in the sky and blanketed it down her entire block. He hadn’t noticed it before because he’d been so caught in his own thoughts. Please don’t let it be her house. If he lost her... No, that wasn’t going to happen. He refused to believe something happened to her before they had a chance to even begin. He was not too late.
His worst fears were answered when he drove up to her house. One entire side of it was blazing. The fire glowed against the night sky in a brilliant yellow and orange hue. He parked his car and then ran toward her house. Why hadn’t anyone called the fire department? He yanked his phone out of his pocket and dialed the emergency number preprogrammed into his device.
“Hello, what is your emergency?” a female said as she answered the line.
“There’s a fire,” he said breathlessly. He had to get inside to save her. Sullivan yanked on the front door and yelped as it burned his hand. The fire was engulfing that side of the house. Her bedroom was on the other side. He had to find a way inside.
“Where’s the fire,” the operator asked.
Sullivan rattled off the address to Lana’s house and put the phone back in his pocket. He didn’t have time to wait for the fire department to rescue Lana. She’d die before they arrived, and he wasn’t losing her. He rounded the corner to the side of the house. The doors would be locked, so he had to find access through a window. He tugged on the one he believed to be her bedroom. It wouldn’t budge no matter how hard he pushed on it. Lana must have locked it from the inside.
He searched the ground and found one of the large rocks lining her flower bed. He picked it up and threw it at the window. The glass shattered on impact. Sullivan pulled his suit jacket off and used it to help block the sharp shards from cutting his skin. He heard the fabric tear as he slid it inside to slide the lock open. He pushed the window up and then carefully slipped inside. Smoke was already filling the room, but the flames hadn’t made their way to her room. Sullivan had to act fast before there was no escape for either one of them.
He made his way toward the bed. Lana was asleep and not moving. He would not let his fear paralyze him. If he failed her now, there was no saving him. He would be a shell of a man if he lost her. Sullivan rushed to her and pulled her into his arms. “Lisanna,” he said urgently. “I need you to wake up.” He got no response and started to panic. A tear slipped from his eye and traveled down his cheek. “Baby, please, open your eyes for me.” He leaned down and kissed her lightly. Smoke poured into the room, making it more difficult to see. He started to cough.
Lana opened her eyes and coughed too. “What the hell, Sully?” Her voice was either hoarse from sleep, smoke inhalation, or maybe even both, but it was barely audible.
“Thank God,” he said and hugged her tight. “We need to get out of here.” He pulled her up and helped her out of the bed. She stumbled a little bit as she gained her balance. He led her toward the open window and said, “Watch out for the broken glass. I had to break your window to get inside.”
She didn’t say a word. Just slipped on a nearby pair of slippers and then slid out of the window. He followed close behind her, making sure she got out first. Lana was his first priority. Once they were far away from the house, she turned to look at it.
“How is my house on fire?” The confusion echoed through her voice. “There should be no reason for this. I didn’t cook, I have no candles... What could’ve caused it?”
“Faulty wiring?” Sullivan suggested.
“No, my house is up to code. I made sure of it before I bought it.”
Sullivan didn’t have any answers for her. The fire truck’s sirens wailed in the distance, followed closely by the ambulance. He’d have to make sure she was checked out when they arrived. “I’m afraid the house is going to be a loss. I don’t know how anything can be saved from a blaze that large. How did you sleep through it?”
“The pain meds,” she said. “They knock me out like nothing else can.”
He nodded. “After the paramedics check you out, I can take you to the mansion. Your mom will be worried,
and you can stay there.”
Sullivan wanted her someplace he knew she’d be safe. Something about this didn’t sit well with him. He wasn’t sure what had caused the fire. It could have been an accident, but he was not taking a chance with Lana’s life. Especially, after Wilson’s murder. There was someone out there who had no problem killing, and he didn’t want Lana to be their next victim.
“No,” Lana said. “I’m not staying at the mansion. You tried that when I was released from the hospital. I’ll never live there again.”
The vehemence in her voice made him stop and take notice. How had he never realized she hated living at his family home? What had made her dislike it so much? He wouldn’t push the issue, but one day he’d ask. “If that displeases you, how do you feel about the corporate apartment?”
She frowned. “That’s not much better.”
He didn’t want her to stay at a hotel, but if she wouldn’t stay at the mansion or the apartment he’d arrange one. Before he offered it though, he tried again. “It’s not nearly as luxurious, but you’ll be comfortable.”
Lana sighed. “Fine. I’m too keyed up to argue with you.”
The ambulance and fire truck rolled down the street. They parked and a flurry of first responders jumped out of the vehicles, immediately getting to work combating the fire. A squad car pulled up behind them.
A male paramedic came over to them. “Are you the owners of the house?”
“I am,” Lana said.
“Do you need one of us to examine either one of you?”
Lana opened her mouth to answer. Sullivan jumped in before she sent him away. “Yes,” he said. “She was released from the hospital a week ago. She had major surgery and should be examined.” Lana turned to glare at him. He would not apologize for looking after her.
“Come this way,” the paramedic said.
Sullivan stared at Lana’s house as the firefighters extinguished the blaze. They might have to work on it for a while. It appeared to grow the more they sprayed water on it. He couldn’t help thinking, for the second time, that it didn’t seem like an accident.
