by Lexi Blake
“Yep. That’s how curious she was. And that’s another reason you should thank me. You didn’t have to pretend to like them.” Adam threw a glance back toward the bedrooms. “So, we didn’t manage to terrify her? Serena said Ally had a talk with Kai after the party was over.”
“Yes, Kai is a sneaky fucker, but he means well.”
“He told me you’re going up to the VA with him a couple of times a month.”
Macon hadn’t mentioned it to Adam. He wasn’t sure how good he’d be at it. He’d gone three times and it seemed to be working all right. He knew he got something out of it. “I’m just there to talk to what I like to call the ‘recently relieved of limb.’”
He talked to them, gave them advice on what he’d found worked. From skin issues to keeping the muscle he had remaining on his impaired leg, he could talk about the problems they faced all day. But sometimes, they simply needed to talk, and talking to someone who understood helped.
And he’d found it helped him in immeasurable ways.
“Do you have any idea how proud I am of you, Macon? How proud she would be?” Adam’s hand patted the cookbook their mother had left behind. Adam had looked through it a few times, but he’d left it with Macon.
If he didn’t watch it, his brother was going to make him look like a crazy person, crying over his waffles. “I don’t know. I think I gave up the right when I treated you the way I did. I think she would have been extremely disappointed in me then.”
“I think if she’d lived we wouldn’t have ended up the way we did. I wonder about it a lot. I think the old man loved her. There’s not really another explanation. He had all the money. He had the connections. I think he loved her and the only good part of him died when she did. He got cold after that. He turned away from everything, including us. He married, but someone who had nothing in common with Mom. If Mom had lived, we would have been a family, not three males being raised to honor a name that really means nothing without some love behind it. You’re going to hate me for saying this, but sometimes I’m glad you had to come here.”
Macon understood. Adam wasn’t saying he was happy he’d gotten injured, but it had led to a good thing. “I cursed it for so long, but I know what you mean. If it hadn’t happened, we wouldn’t be brothers again. I wouldn’t have a family. Sometimes it’s too easy to curse the place we’re at in life because we can’t see where the road is going to lead us. I wouldn’t have found Ally.”
Adam’s smile put him at ease again. “I’m glad she’s making you happy. She seems like a great woman. She’s good with Tristan and she’s become Serena’s white board buddy lately. I’ve heard them plotting sex and murder three times this week. By the way, if you see either woman playing around with a chainsaw, hide. They’re really creative.”
He hadn’t realized how the simple act of connecting with his brother could change his life, his perspective, his everything. Having Adam as a brother fundamentally made his life better. “I promise. And have I said thank you lately?”
“There’s no need. Not ever. You’re my brother and you always have a place here.” Adam sobered. “I came over here to talk to you about family actually. Our very fucked up one. I got a call from Dad about twenty minutes ago.”
Macon set down the whisk and felt his shoulders tighten. “What’s wrong? Did he take a turn?”
Adam shook his head. “No. He’s still in remission. You know I think the old goat will likely outlast the rest of us. He was looking for you. He said he doesn’t have your new cell number.”
“Why? He said everything he needed to say when I tried to come home.” He relaxed a little. It didn’t matter. What mattered was Ally and she was getting ready for breakfast and then they would go down and help out with the cleanup at Top.
“It seems that Elise has had a change of heart. She left Alan three days ago and dear old Dad thinks she’s on her way down here.”
Warmth spread through his system. This was what revenge felt like. Big Tag talked about it a lot. Now he got it. “Oh, she figured out Alan went through his trust fund years ago. This is a good day.”
Now he could go back to his waffles. He started to warm up the iron and opened the fridge to grab the blueberries for his compote.
“He asked about you. About how you’re doing with the leg,” Adam said.
Macon shrugged. “He didn’t care before. I’m not sure why he does now.”
“I know why he cares. A private investigator called asking him about the incident that cost you your leg.”
And just like that his appetite was blown. “That was a year ago.”
“The PI thinks there’s something you’re covering up,” Adam explained. “Apparently he got information from Private First Class Rowe’s family. They don’t believe that things went down the way you said they did.”
“I told the Army everything.”
Adam’s voice went soft. “Macon, you were trapped underneath that car for two days.”
That was only supposed to be in the official, classified report. “How do you know that?”
Adam’s eyes rolled. “Do you know who I am? Do you think I can’t get hold of a couple of non-sanitized reports? Hell, I didn’t even have to hack anything. Big Tag got them for me. I read them on my way to pick you up.”
Macon’s chest felt too tight. Adam had known all along. “You read them months ago and you’re only now asking about it?”
Adam shook his head. “It didn’t matter before. Now it does. Now it looks like some PI is going to come after you. I need to know if you lied on that report, Macon. I need to know what happened so I can clean it up for you.”
“There is nothing to clean up. We got hit by an IED and then attacked by a small group of insurgents. They took apart my whole team and I was the only one left alive. We were so deep in enemy territory that I wasn’t extracted for days. I was the only survivor. Why would I lie?” Because the truth would be too painful for everyone, including himself. Because Rowe deserved better than what happened to him out in that desert.
“They did a good job on the reports. They pushed them through very quickly. Someone was watching out for you, but I wish they’d fudged that one bullet. The bullet that killed Private First Class Rowe wasn’t the same as the rest of your unit. They were killed with AK-47s, typical of the Taliban. Rowe was killed with a nine-millimeter handgun.”
“Don’t push me Adam.” He wasn’t ready for this. Not even close.
“You need to talk to his mother.”
“I know.” He needed to face the mother and the sister. What was her name? Sarah. Carla and Sarah Rowe. He would explain everything to them. Everything except the truth. They didn’t need to know that. Maybe once he talked about how brave Ronnie was, how much he’d liked the man, maybe they would back off. As for the investigator, he didn’t even know how to handle that.
“You know what Dad thinks, right?” Adam stared at him, the ugly truth sitting between them.
He nodded. It was one more reason for his father to hate him.
“You know I understand,” Adam said, sympathy plain on his face. “I know why you’re being quiet. You have to tell them. You have to tell that family why you lied. No one who understands what it’s really like out there would think twice about doing what you did. It’s exactly the reason they pushed that report through as fast as they did. Everyone knows what really happened and why you would lie about it.”
“Rowe’s mother and sister don’t know and I can’t tell them, Adam. I can’t fucking tell them the truth.” At least his brother didn’t think the worst of him.
A long sigh came from Adam as he obviously decided to give up the fight. For now. “All right. I’m going to put Ian on the investigator. He’ll get it all shut down and I’ll look into the family. I’ll see what I can do, but I still think you should talk to them.”
“Find out if they’re okay.” Guilt sat in his gut. He should have talked to them before now, but he’d been so lost. He knew beyond a shadow of a d
oubt that he couldn’t really move on with Ally until he’d dealt with the Rowes. “Find out about them. I know he was born in Alabama, but I think his family moved all up and down the Gulf.”
“I’ll get started on it tomorrow.”
“Or maybe I should reply to his sister’s e-mail.” She hadn’t written him for weeks now, but he could find the address.
Adam shook his head. “You could have done that in the beginning, but not now. They’ve complicated the situation by bringing in private detectives. Let me handle this part. Let me and Jake figure out exactly what their situation is. I think it’s best if you go in knowing what to expect.”
“Let me know what you find out.”
The door opened and Ally walked out, her hair in a towel. Her body was wrapped in a robe and she gave Adam a smile as she headed straight for the coffee. There was something so right about having Ally walk through the house in a robe. Like she belonged here with him. “Good morning, Adam.”
“Morning, Ally. I’ll talk to you two later.” His brother pushed off from the bar. “And I’ll get back to you by Wednesday, Macon.”
Ally looked at him over her coffee mug. “Get back to you about what?”
The screen swung shut and Macon tried to let the tension leave with him. He didn’t want Ally looking into this. She could be very bossy if she thought there was a problem. He needed to get his ducks in a row and then he would sit her down and explain what he’d done and why he needed to ensure Ronnie’s family never knew. She would see that he was right and help him. He knew it. She was the one. “Just some business we’re dealing with. Come here. I need you to stir while I get the griddle ready. I think Sunday waffles are a new tradition.”
Her arms came around his back and flattened against his chest. She pressed herself against him and he was glad he’d left off the shirt. He’d put on a pair of shorts for the first time in forever. He was actually comfortable for once and all because Ally had convinced him he wasn’t a freak. Well, he kind of was, but that was a good thing.
He felt her kiss his back. “I like the sound of that, Miles.”
She kissed him again and then got down to serious whisking.
He worked beside her, listening to her hum.
It was going to be all right. For the first time since the accident, he had real hope for the future.
* * * *
Three days later, Ally wiped down the last of the new tables and breathed deeply. Chef was breaking in some of the new appliances. She could smell the heavenly scent of braised short ribs. The kitchen doors opened and she got the briefest glimpse of her hunky guy. He was leaning over his station, patiently decorating the strawberry Napoleons he was testing out tonight.
“Okay, what if her partner somehow managed to get the information uploaded to her GPS before he was murdered. Then she’s got the location of the reports in her navigation system and all she has to do is follow instructions,” Serena said as she walked back from where she’d been hanging new drapes.
Serena had been combating writer’s block for days. She claimed doing tasks like cleaning or decorating helped get her head back in the game.
“Does a GPS work like that?” Deena asked.
Serena shrugged. “It could be a new GPS.”
“So the GPS takes over and sends her to someplace she wasn’t expecting? That sounds more like a horror novel to me. This is why you can keep your fancy cars. Bessie never talks back and she doesn’t tell me where to go.” Ally was wary of some satellite telling her what the roads were like. She’d driven all the way from small-town Georgia to Dallas without the aid of some robo voice telling her where to go. Of course, she’d also made a wrong turn in Louisiana and was almost certain she’d nearly been murdered by cannibalistic bayou dwellers, but she’d made it out of that, too.
“I don’t know. I kind of like it,” Deena said, sitting down next to Serena.
They started talking about plots, but Ally’s head wasn’t in the game. She’d gotten herself into trouble again and there wasn’t a road map out of this one.
How long could she go without telling Macon the truth? She was in love with the man. One hundred percent, fallen in crazy, no going back love. He was the man for her and she knew deep down that whatever he was hiding about Ronnie’s death couldn’t be so bad. Macon was honorable.
Of course, he also claimed he was a changed man. He talked about the fact that he’d been different before. She hadn’t known that Macon.
She glanced down at her watch. They were T-minus forty-five minutes to dinner service. Of course it was family dinner service, as Chef Taggart liked to call it. He was prepping dinner to thank all his friends and family who had come in this week to get Top back into shape for the upcoming weekend. They’d only been forced to close for two weeks thanks to the Herculean efforts of staff and Taggart’s friends. Big Tag had been in most afternoons with a tool kit and at least one baby strapped to his chest. It had been kind of fun. They’d set up playpens and the kids had gnawed on wooden blocks or each other while the adults worked.
She’d fit in. Ever since that night at the play party, Macon’s relatives had treated her like one of their own. She was closest to Serena, but she was getting to know Grace and Charlotte and Avery. She and Avery were trying to teach Eve McKay how to knit. The gorgeous psychologist knew how to curse, but she was trying to be patient.
What would they think of her if they knew she was lying?
“Hello?” A soft feminine voice brought Ally out of her thoughts. She looked up and a stunning blonde stood in the lobby. She was tall and willowy, like she’d stepped out of the pages of a fashion magazine. Dressed in a yellow sundress that had to be designer, she glanced around Top curiously.
Serena and Deena were deeply engrossed in a discussion of whether or not the GPS could easily be hacked via cell phone, so Ally stood up. “I’m sorry. We’re not actually open to the public until Friday.”
The woman laughed. “Oh, I’m not here for dinner. I’m sure it’s a fine establishment and all, but no. I’m looking for my husband. I’ve been told he works here.”
Who among the guys was married? Most of the line chefs were single. “What’s your husband’s name? I’ll go in the back and get him.”
Somehow, she couldn’t imagine any of the rough-and-tumble guys who worked here being married to the supermodel. She was the graceful type who screamed money and good breeding. She wasn’t the type who married dudes who ended up in the military unless they were officers.
“Macon Miles,” she said with a smile.
“Holy shit.” Serena was suddenly at her side. “Are you Elise?”
Elise Miles. Macon’s ex-wife was standing right here in the middle of Top looking like an angel. Every hair was perfectly placed, her makeup artful but not overdone. She was wearing a pair of five-inch heels that would have caused Ally to break her neck, but naturally Elise Miles walked perfectly in them. She kind of floated across the tile.
She held out a manicured hand. “Why, yes, I am. I see Macon’s talked about me.”
“Only using four letter words,” Ally said with a frown.
Serena elbowed her. “I’ve seen a picture. My husband had a picture from your wedding. I believe Macon sent it to him back before Adam was cut off from the family.”
“Yes, I’d heard Adam had married. It’s so good that he finally realized he could be normal,” Elise said.
Jake chose that moment to step out of the men’s room where he’d been fixing a leaky sink. He walked right up to Serena and planted a kiss on her cheek. “I’m going to grab a beer, baby. Tell Adam I’m out back when he gets here with Tristan.”
Serena smiled. “Jake, don’t you want to meet Elise?”
He shrugged. “Sure, who’s Elise?” He turned to the newcomer and his eyes went wide. “Holy shit.”
“That’s what I said. She’s happy Adam’s finally normal,” Serena said under her breath.
That brought a snort from Jacob Dean. “Yeah, we’re t
he most normal threesome here. I’m going to go make a phone call. Nice to meet you. Looking forward to the drama.”
Jake practically ran into the kitchen.
“Well, is someone going to get my husband? I need to speak with him.” Elise’s shoe tapped impatiently.
“Ex.”
“Excuse me?”
“You’re divorced. Macon is your ex-husband.” Ally couldn’t stand the way the beauty queen possessively called Macon her husband. “The last he heard, you were busy getting ready to marry his brother.”
The angel’s eyes turned cold and narrowed as she looked down at Ally. “That was a mistake and absolutely none of your business. Look, I can tell from your sad waitress eyes that you have a thing for my husband, and maybe he’s even given you hope that you can be with him, but I’m telling you to step aside. This isn’t going to go your way. That man has been mine since we weren’t even old enough to drink. I get that I hurt him and he’s been slumming, but I assure you, he’ll go home with me.” She looked up and a glorious smile crossed her lips. “Hey, babe. You look good.”
Ally turned and there was Macon looking all hot and masculine in his chef’s whites and khaki slacks. He stood in the doorway, a hand on his hip. “You look here. Why are you here, Elise?”
At least he wasn’t melting at the sight of her. He was frowning, but he looked more confused than angry. He didn’t look at Ally at all. There was no welcoming smile on his lips, nothing at all that would calm her down. He only had eyes for his ex.
“I need to talk to you.” Elise’s eyes picked up the light and there was no way to miss the shimmer of tears there. “It’s been a long time.”
Macon kept frowning, but he nodded toward a table in the back. “All right. Come on.”
Elise’s heels didn’t even clack across the floor. It was like the woman didn’t weigh a thing. No pair of her shoes would ever be so gauche as to thud or squeak when she wasn’t actively trying to make the sound. Oh, no. Not Princess Elise.
