“I’ll see you around.”
When he reached the door, Justin said, “Doesn’t mean we couldn’t use another guy. We’re still behind schedule.”
Nate paused to look back and Justin nodded.
“I appreciate it,” Nate said.
“Don’t screw up.”
The younger man’s relieved, grateful expression grew serious. “I won’t. Thanks.” He opened the door. As Justin pushed away from the front of the desk to return to his chair, Nate paused again. “Justin.”
He looked up from his desktop.
“Marley doesn’t date much. My dad dated a lot after our mom died, and the women weren’t always very nice, especially after they figured out he wasn’t dating them so much as using them for sex and babysitting.”
Justin lifted his eyebrows but remained silent. Why did this concern him?
“After seeing the way Dad treated them, Marley went the opposite direction. She swore she’d never date unless she…um…found…” He left off that sentence to mumble, “Shit, she’ll kill me for this.” He met Justin’s gaze once more, a hard glint in his blue eyes. “She’s not as tough as she acts, and if you’re just playing with her, I’m warning you now, don’t.”
Nate walked out, leaving Justin staring after him.
Unless she found…what? Justin wanted to know what she wanted with an intensity that shook him. He surged to his feet, but after two steps, he made himself sit back down. He would not chase after her. She’d quit. No notice, no thanks, no see ya later. Just “Get the hell out of my way,” and no looking back.
His intercom buzzed, startling him.
“Justin—you gotta come see this.”
The combination of seriousness and excitement in Jordan’s voice made Justin hurry from his office, but two steps into the hall, he caught movement in his peripheral vision. A quick turn caught Nate being shoved through the doorway to the exit stairwell by none other than his father.
Justin pulled up short. After a glance toward Jordan’s closed door, he strode toward where the other two had disappeared. What did his dad want with Nate Wade? Nearing the exit, he heard his father speaking in a harsh undertone.
“…away from us. You’ve got no business with him—with any of us. And if you’re here for more money, you can forget it.”
Justin absorbed the shock of that statement even as Marley’s assertion that Nate and his father hadn’t met pinged his memory. He put his back to the inside wall and stayed out of sight.
“I don’t want any more of your damn money,” Nate said. “I wish I’d never taken it in the first place.”
“Then give it back,” his father demanded.
“Fuck you.”
Justin frowned at the hatred in Nate’s voice.
“Get out of here,” Dale snarled. “You cause any problems for me, and I’ll make your life a living hell. You’ll wish you were never born.”
“Too late for that.”
Justin could just imagine his father’s reaction to Nate’s flippant statement. Any act of open defiance infuriated him, something Justin took pleasure in doing any chance he got.
Dale spoke again, his anger almost palpable. “Your sister, then. I’ll—”
“Leave Marley out of this, you bastard.”
“Now, listen here—”
Justin heard a thud, as if someone had been thrust against the wall. The sound was amplified in the vast height of the open stairwell.
“No, you listen, Dad. You don’t want to claim me? Fine. I don’t give a rat’s ass. And even though I’d like nothing better than to ruin your family the way you did mine, I’d much rather no one know I’m related to a selfish prick like you.”
Another thud, louder this time, though it barely registered in Justin’s stunned brain. Dad?
“Stay away from Marley,” Nate snarled. “Hurt her in any way and you’ll wish you were never born. I’ve got nothing to lose.”
Heavy footsteps thudded down the stairs and echoed back. Justin tensed when he heard his father curse under his breath before storming through the door. With his gaze focused straight ahead, he didn’t see Justin press against the wall in an instinctive move to avoid detection. When Dale slammed into his office, Justin stepped around the corner to discover Nate had indeed left.
Dad? Nate had uttered the word with enough disdain and loathing that Justin couldn’t dismiss it.
Jordan’s door opened. He started across the hall until his absent glance located Justin at the end of the hall. Justin met his brother’s gaze as he walked toward him, still trying to come to grips with all he’d just heard.
“Where you been? Get in here.” Jordan held his office door open with impatience. Justin walked in without a word.
“I finally broke Granddad’s password for that last file. Wait till you see this.”
Jordan pulled his arm until they were in front of the computer monitor. Justin skimmed what looked to be a scanned document, signed by both Dale Blake and Karl Hunter. One more shock to pile on top of the rest of his morning.
“It’s an agreement between Dad and Granddad,” Jordan said when Justin continued to stare at it silently.
“No shit.” Justin sank down into Jordan’s chair. And after what he’d heard in the hall, it made perfect sense. “Can you tell when it was created?”
Jordan leaned over, maneuvering the mouse to bring up the date as Justin buzzed Bonnie and asked her to get him Mark Wade’s hire date and Nate Wade’s birth date from human resources. Jordan gave him an odd look.
Justin leaned back in the chair, scrubbed his hands over his face, then said quietly, “You need to sit down.”
Chapter 17
Jordan’s amazed expression told Justin exactly how he must look.
“This is un-frickin’-believable. Nate Wade is our half-brother.” With a sudden sharp look at Justin, he asked, “What about Marley?”
Justin didn’t even want to think about that. It made him sick to his stomach. Then he recalled Nate’s warning not to hurt her. Surely, if there were any chance he and Marley were related, Nate would’ve said something—right?
Right. He’d make sure Justin never went near her again instead of giving his blessing in that roundabout way. Relief filled him, and with confidence, he said, “No.”
“How do you know?”
“I know.”
“Just because you don’t want her to be your sister doesn’t make it so,” Jordan accused.
Glaring at him, Justin bit out, “I know because Nate interrupted us last night, and he came by to apologize this morning. If she were related to us, if I had been kissing my own damn sister, he would’ve said something.”
Jordan made a sound of annoyance. “I thought we agreed you weren’t going to pursue her.”
“I didn’t agree to anything. Besides, it hardly matters now that she quit.”
“Because of you—you’re thinking with the wrong head, man.”
“Get off my back already.” Justin surged to his feet and started for the door.
“You’re jeopardizing the company, Justin!”
He swung around. “How the hell do you figure? You’ve got the damn design and the Jenkins job. You said it’s what the company needed and I helped you get it.”
Jordan started to reply, recognized the truth in Justin’s words, and sighed instead. Justin felt some of his own tension ease as his brother’s expression registered remorse.
“I’m sorry,” Jordan said, turning back to his desk.
Justin ran a hand through his hair before dropping into a chair. “It’s a hell of a lot to deal with in one day.”
“You can say that again.” Jordan looked at his computer screen again. “I can’t believe Dad stayed with Mom all these years because Granddad paid him. Harder still to believe he kept our half-brother a secret.”
“Protect the family name and its connections at all costs,” Justin said with bitter sarcasm.
Jordan didn’t respond. Typical, Justin thought.
“Wonder what Cassie will say,” Jordan said.
“As long as it doesn’t affect her money, do you really think she’ll care?” Justin thought of their sister, who’d left for Europe without a goodbye and hadn’t called since. Well, she hadn’t called him. Maybe because he could never completely hide his cynicism toward her—she was just like the rest of them.
Elevating the family name, and maintaining their social status and high bank balance to ensure elite standing in the community was top priority. To hell with what a person might want or hope or dream of for them.
It scared him that Jordan became more like them every day. Too worried about what their parents might say, or how people in general would view him or his actions. Justin didn’t want to lose his twin—his best friend—to relentless demands and impossible expectations.
“You think Mom knows?” Jordan asked.
Their gazes met across the desk, and they both thought back over the years of their childhood. In public, Mom and Dad had portrayed the picture-perfect long-married happy couple, but at home you could’ve skated on the ice in the house on the Fourth of July.
As if he’d read Justin’s mind, Jordan gave a self-deprecating half-laugh. “Yeah, okay, stupid question. So now what?”
Justin tapped out a beat on the arms of his chair. A sudden thought stilled his hands and he locked his gaze with Jordan’s once more. “This puts Dad front and center. Obviously he didn’t know Granddad was going to leave the company to us. That’s why he was so mad at the reading of the will.”
“I know,” Jordan agreed. “I just didn’t want to say it. I mean, Dad? Involved in Granddad’s death? He couldn’t be.”
Exactly what Justin would’ve said before he’d heard the conversation in the stairwell. Now he wasn’t so sure about anything. “We’re going to have to figure out what happened all those years ago,” he said as he stood.
Jordan’s resigned expression told Justin he didn’t particularly like the idea, and he didn’t speak again until Justin reached the door.
“I’d like to meet him.”
Justin paused. Nate. “They don’t know I overheard them. I just rehired him, so let’s let things settle down for a few days. Then we can take him out for a beer or something.”
****
Marley’s lungs burned as if they’d burst. She pushed harder. Ran faster. Longer. Farther. Because when her body screamed at the punishment, she didn’t feel the empty ache inside that refused to go away.
It’d been three days since she’d quit. Three long days with restless nights and not knowing what the hell to do with herself. Nate tried to talk her into going back, but she ignored him. She liked that he took work seriously again, but he didn’t have to deal with a rogue pulse every time he saw his boss.
Damn, there it was again. Run faster.
At the midway mark of the run she’d chosen, about five miles up, she stopped for a desperate drink of water. With her hands braced on her knees as she dragged air in, she wondered if Justin would’ve been able to keep up with her today.
The thought elicited a dismayed groan. Two weeks. Two lousy weeks, and she’d completely turned into one of those women who used to moon over her father. She hated the irony of it. The unfairness of it.
Who ever told you life was fair, Marley?
She straightened, stretched her hands over her head, pushed against a tree to extend her calf muscles, then started back down. Time to run him out again, for a few hours at least.
She’d only gone about a half mile when her cell phone rang. She thumbed the ‘send’ button to answer and got an earful of static.
“Yeah?” she panted, half-heartedly jogging in place.
“Marley? It’s Chuck.”
“Hey, what’s up?” She looked at her watch, thinking she only had about another two hours before dark.
“Where are you?”
“About ten thousand feet—I’m in the middle of a run. Why? You need help with something?”
“There’s been an accident.”
Even through the static she heard the unnatural strain in Chuck’s voice. She stopped jogging. Oh, God, Nate. She didn’t want to know. She closed her eyes against the pain that constricted her chest and leaned against a tree.
“I’m with Nate at St. Mary’s. He’s in with the doctor right now, but I don’t know how bad it is.”
Her eyes snapped open. She started walking, then running. “I’m on my way.”
“How long before you can get here?”
She increased her speed. “Hour, hour and a half.”
She disconnected and extended her stride. She’d wanted to ask what happened, but knew it’d only slow her down. The drive to the hospital took longer than she’d expected and by the time she reached the parking lot she was frantic for news. Chuck met her at the door. Nate had been rushed into emergency surgery an hour ago for internal bleeding, but he hadn’t heard anything since.
On the way to the waiting room, Marley asked what had happened. All Chuck could tell her was he’d returned to the job site for some paperwork and found Nate lying unconscious on the basement floor of the house. He assumed Nate had slipped and fallen, breaking a leg and hitting his head in the process.
As the minutes dragged on, Marley sat, then paced, and finally had to go down the hall for a cup of coffee as fatigue began to set in. Mid-reach for an insulated cup, she blinked at the sight of dried blood on her hand. She had a vague recollection of tripping on the way down and sprawling on her hands and knees. Looking at her other hand, then her knees, she saw her palms had taken the brunt of her momentum.
Dirt was ground into the bloody scrapes. For the first time that she noticed since her fall, they began to sting. She turned around to search for a bathroom and stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of Justin striding toward her. Her mouth went dry. She felt lightheaded from an instant increase of her pulse.
His expression was wreathed in concern, his hazel gaze locked on her as he came closer.
“Justin,” came a woman’s voice. “The waiting area is this way.”
Marley’s attention shifted past him to a petite brunette who trailed around the corner after him. The sight of the beautiful woman in a summer halter dress reminded her it was a Friday night, and of course, he was probably on a date. Marley became painfully aware she’d just finished a ten-mile run. She was dirty and sweaty and dressed in her cut-off sweat pants and an old gray tee shirt that had holes worn along the seams.
When Justin stopped in front of her, she lifted her chin and strove for a cool tone. “What are you doing here?”
“Chuck called. Any word yet?”
She shook her head. He took her hand in his. Frown lines cut into his brow, but when he started to look down, she snatched her hand away to press her stinging palms against her thighs.
“He’s still in surgery.” She cast a glance at the woman who’d come to stand by Justin’s side. Why did she have to be so damn pretty? And almost the exact opposite of Marley. Dark hair, dark eyes, flawless make-up, tiny…everything—except her chest. The top of her head barely topped Marley’s shoulders, much less Justin’s.
Justin looked at the woman, too. “You didn’t have to come in, Kendra. Jordan’s on his way. I’ll ride home with him.”
The woman laid a hand on his arm. Marley battled the urge to yank it off.
“Colton’s parking the car. We’ll wait with you,” the brunette said.
Justin reached to cover her hand with his own. “Thanks, but it’s really not necessary.”
Marley couldn’t watch any more, especially if he gave her a goodnight kiss. She brushed past with a mumbled, “Excuse me.”
“Wait.” Justin caught her arm. “How is Nate?”
She spun around, dislodging his grip in the process. “I told you he’s in surgery yet. The doctor hasn’t come out to give me a play-by-play—which is fine by me—I’d rather he concentrate on Nate!”
She got out of there, hating the snippy,
jealous tone of her voice. In the bathroom, she took one look in the mirror and groaned. It was worse than she thought. Her cheeks were red and chapped from her run, she needed some lip balm and more desperately, a brush.
The hot water and soap stung her hands, bringing the pain to the forefront again. Marley met her own gaze in the mirror and suddenly felt awful. Nate lay in the other room, God only knew how bad, and she was stressing over her hair. She straightened her shoulders and flicked her tangled ponytail back over her shoulder.
There were more important things to worry about right now.
After splashing cold water on her face, she returned to the waiting room where Justin sat on a couch across from Chuck with Kendra at his side. The petite brunette rubbed a hand over Justin’s shoulder.
Marley walked up to them, meeting Justin’s wary gaze head on. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have vented my anxiety on you.”
Compassion flooded his eyes as he rose. “Marley, it’s okay. I understand you’re worried about Nate. You don’t have to apologize.”
She shrugged and looked away. Where was the doctor? Why was it taking so long? She didn’t want to stand here, wanting Justin to take her in his arms—Kendra or no—and assure her everything would be okay.
From opposite directions, two men entered the room; Marley only had eyes for the one wearing blue surgical scrubs.
“Ms. Wade?” He looked between her and Kendra.
Marley forced herself to step forward. “I’m Marley Wade.”
His smile ignited hope in her chest.
“I’ve set your brother’s leg, and we located and repaired the site of his internal bleeding.”
Marley swayed with relief as her knees threatened to buckle. A steady pair of arms lent support from behind. Justin’s sandalwood cologne filled her senses, and she felt some of her energy return. His presence was a great remedy for exhaustion.
“He’ll have to stay for a few days so we can make sure the internal bleeding has completely stopped, but I’m fairly certain after his leg heals, he should be good as new.”
“When can we see him?” Justin asked.
“A nurse will come get you when he’s out of recovery.”
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