The Damaged Heroes Collection [Box Set #1: The Damaged Heroes Collection] (BookStrand Publishing Mainstream)

by James, Sandy

  She nodded.

  “Is he picking you up here? I’d like to meet the guy brave enough to take on Laurie Miller.”

  A wave of guilt rolled through her. She deeply regretted not telling Ross that she was Laurence Miller but saw no way to remedy the situation without losing any shot she had at getting to know him better. And she sure as hell wasn’t ready to quit her job. “Andrew, I think I did something really stupid.”

  She watched the counselor in him take charge. “Wanna talk about it?”

  “Yes, Dr. Greve. Do you have a free appointment?”

  He smiled and winked. “I’ll check my book. Go on then, tell me what you did that was so stupid.”

  “He doesn’t know I’m a Miller.”

  Andrew leaned against her desk. “Excuse me?”

  Putting her purse down, she joined him. “I lied to him. I used my mom’s maiden name.” The chastising look on his face confirmed the notion that she’d made an enormous mistake. “God, I know it was stupid. But I really like this guy.”

  “And why’d you think he wouldn’t date you if he knew your name?”

  “He hates rich people with a passion. Grew up in Gary. Probably didn’t have much when he was a kid.”

  Andrew folded his arms over his chest and wrinkled his brow. “You know, that shouldn’t be a good enough reason to hate rich people. What else?”

  Laurie remembered why she’d chosen Andrew as a partner. He was not only remarkably intelligent, but he could quickly cut through any smokescreen thrown his way. “He thinks he lost the woman he loves to a rich guy.”

  “Loves? Not loved? That bothers me, Laurie. You always chose your words so carefully. Do you think he’s still hung up on her?”

  “Honestly, Andrew, I’m just not sure.”

  He frowned. “How’d he read?”

  Laurie shook her head. “I get nothing from him. Nada. I’d sooner be able to read the wall.”

  “Do I have to tell you to be careful?” He pushed himself away from the desk and turned to look at her. His unease swept into her mind.

  While she appreciated his brotherly concern, she needed to face this on her own. “I’m a big girl, Andrew.” She snorted a small laugh. “In more ways than one.”

  Andrew flashed her a cross look and she didn’t need her gift to tell her he was pissed. “I wish to hell you’d stop that.”

  “Sorry. Force of habit. Look, I’ll be careful. Promise.” Her cell phone rang. Laurie dug it out of her coat pocket and flipped it open as Andrew excused himself and left her office. “Hi, Ross. Where are we meeting?”

  Chapter 8

  Fortune and I are getting closer. Maybe too close. He is a bootlegger after all. But I think about him all the time, and he says that he thinks about me. He comes to several shows a week, and he tells me I sing like an angel.

  One of the chorus girls said she used to go out with Fortune and that he’s bad news. Too many secrets. But I can’t help but think she’s jealous.

  If Fortune went out with another girl, I would be!

  Ross paced nervously in front of the Golden Nugget as he clutched the bouquet of sweetheart roses he’d brought for Laurie. Sheila had called in some favors to get them a table at one of the trendiest restaurants in Naperville. The Wild West theme was popular with clientele, and the place boasted the largest variety of beers in the Chicago area.

  Laurie strode up the sidewalk, and he jerked the flowers behind his back even as a jolt of relief raced through him. For a moment, he’d considered she might stand him up. It wasn’t as if his luck with women had been running hot as of late, and Ross feared losing any chance at getting to know her better. Since returning from Montana, he’d thought of little else.

  Once he found himself back in Chicago, Ross had tried to reason away his infatuation with her. He’d buried himself in work in hopes that his interest in Laurie would fizzle and die from lack of contact. Overwork was, after all, his typical response to anything remotely threatening to his orderly existence. And this woman was most decidedly a threat.

  If he explored all he was beginning to feel, Ross figured he’d find himself back in the place he’d been when he’d wanted Katie. Alone.

  But hours and hours of overtime had done absolutely nothing to cool his fascination. He remembered Laurie’s humor and the ease he felt in her company. Every time Ross recalled their kisses, his mind whirled and his groin tightened. Flashes of her in that tub haunted his dreams and plagued his thoughts. This woman had him absolutely bewitched.

  What if she didn’t feel the same? The question caused him more anxiety than he’d admit.

  At least when he’d called her, Laurie seemed to be genuinely happy to hear from him. Ross dragged his feet about dialing her number for several days because he was utterly paralyzed with fear that her feelings toward him might have cooled.

  “Ross!” she hollered as she walked up to the door.

  He smiled and whipped the flowers out to present to her.

  “Aw. That was so sweet of you.” He savored her beautiful smile.

  Laurie took the bouquet and breathed in the scent of the flowers. All he could smell was her. Apple blossoms.

  “Thank you. They’re beautiful.”

  He felt as tongue-tied as a kid on his first date. Accustomed to being a formidable opponent in a courtroom or on a gridiron, it was more than a bit disturbing to suddenly find himself so tentative. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he stared at his feet. “You’re welcome. Wanna go inside?”

  Laurie nodded and followed him to the door. He held it open for her and ushered her into the waiting area, putting his hand on the small of her back. She glanced over her shoulder and smiled at him the moment he touched her. That had to be a good sign.

  After Ross talked to the hostess, a waiter came to lead them to a table tucked into a quiet part of the restaurant.

  Taking her coat and pulling out her chair, Ross doffed his overcoat and joined her at the table. “This place okay?”

  “Oh, yes. It’s wonderful. I wanted to come here, but I’m always too busy. I’m amazed you were able to get reservations.”

  As Laura let her gaze wander the restaurant’s interior, Ross looked around too. The large wooden bar had a brass foot rail. An upright piano on a raised platform sat amongst a sea of wooden tables and chairs. The walls sported authentic pictures of the frontier days and old-fashioned “Wanted” posters. Spurs, boots, and lassos were mounted all around.

  Laurie captured his attention again. “History was one of my favorite subjects in school.”

  “Mine too. Sheila thought you’d like this.”

  “Sheila?”

  “My secretary. Or assistant. Or whatever the hell she’s calling herself today. She’s the one who snagged the reservation. She’s a hell of a lot more resourceful than I am.”

  Laurie’s laughter weaved around him, snaring him like a fisherman’s net. “Tell me about your work.”

  Happy to have a topic he could spend days discussing, Ross launched into stories of his relationship with Sheila.

  Drawing him out of the nervous shell that encased him inside when she arrived, Laurie was happy to listen to him talk about how much he loved being an attorney. She enjoyed their easy conversation until a sudden, intense shudder raced up the length of her spine. Gripping the table until her knuckles turned white, she couldn’t stop trembling. Shit, now what? She tried to settle her turbulent mind and find something to ground herself.

  Ross reached out and touched her arm. “Laurie? What’s wrong?”

  She shook her head, trying to calm her mind and still the shaking of her limbs. “Nothing. Just a... Never mind.”

  “No. Tell me,” Ross encouraged.

  Laurie wasn’t sure exactly how or what to tell him. Positive he would never understand, she tried to brush the sixth sense aside. “Really. It’s...it’s nothing.”

  His eyes burned holes through her. “I want you to tell me what’s wrong. I don’t like being lied to, Kitte
n.”

  Friggin’ lawyers. They could never just take a lady’s word for something. This wasn’t how Laurie wanted to tell him about her gifts, he’d probably think she was crazy. But he obviously wouldn’t let this drop. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t lying to you. I really don’t know what’s wrong. My mother and I have a kind of...intuition. We sometimes know when something... important is happening. But it could be as simple as a flat tire.”

  Ross knit his eyebrows for a moment. “Intuition, huh? What exactly do you think happened?”

  “Nothing. Really. It was probably just a cold chill. So how long have you lived in Chicago?” Laurie asked, hoping to deflect any further questioning along those lines. She knew if this relationship had any chance, she’d eventually have to tell him about her psychic abilities. But she would choose the time very carefully.

  Probably after we’ve been married for twenty years.

  “I graduated from Chicago Law, and Arthur recruited me. It sure was flattering to have a big partnership like that interested in me. Mom wanted me to stay close. I’ve tried hard to get her to move here—away from Gary.”

  “I take it your father isn’t...around.” Laurie hesitated in asking about his family situation, but he’d made it fairly clear that only his mother still lived in the blighted city.

  His face lost all emotion. “Dad died fifteen years back.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate that. What about your family? Tell me about them. Do they live near here?”

  The counselor in her knew a diversion when she heard one. Ross’s family, especially his father, was a sore spot and Laurie figured he deserved to guard a few of his own secrets. She hoped trust would come in time. “Live near here? Merde, no. They’re in Paris most the time. Mama’s an artist. She swears she can’t paint anywhere else in the world. Daddy wants to retire. He still works for the—”

  She stopped so abruptly, Ross looked up from his salad plate. “Laurie?”

  Damn. Keep your stories straight, Bonehead. “Um. He works part-time for his old company.” She breathed a sigh of relief when Ross didn’t question her further. Laurie had almost blurted out that her father stayed active in the Miller Foundation and would remain in charge until she took over. What would Ross think of her if he knew that she had lied to him about something so important as her name and heritage?

  When the main course arrived, Ross thanked the waitress and then turned back to Laurie. “You know, all I’ve done is talk about me. Tell me about you. Tell me about the clinic.”

  “My partner and I started working there five years ago. Never a dull day, I’ll tell you that. I’ve got a million stories, but none I can share.”

  Ross nodded and grinned. “I know what you mean. Patient confidentiality must be as strict as client confidentiality.”

  “You’ve got that right, Sport. I don’t think some people realize how hard it is to keep all those secrets.”

  Dinner ended much sooner than either Ross or Laurie would have hoped. After paying and leaving a tip, he helped her back into her coat. He handed her the bouquet of flowers, and they left the restaurant.

  “I’m not ready to let you leave. Want to go for some coffee? There’s a Starbucks near here.” His laugh was warm. “Hell, there’s a Starbucks near everywhere.” Ross reached for her hand.

  Laurie felt one of those delicious shivers when they made contact. “I’d love to. Can we go to my car and get my gloves?” Then it dawned on her that she still couldn’t get a read on him. “Shit,” she muttered before she could stop herself.

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “Sorry. Um...just thinking about something I forgot to do at work.” Damn it! I’ll never be able to read this guy!

  Ross gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “I have trouble leaving work at work too. Lead me to your car. We’ll get your gloves, and then we can take my car to the coffee shop.”

  The only other person who’d ever given Laurie any difficulty in reading was Alex, and that problem appeared to be caused more by his skill at masking his emotions rather than her inability to discern them. Ross, on the other hand, was an absolute void.

  They walked slowly through the parking lot, taking their time and chatting. The droning sound of a car alarm in the distance grew increasingly louder as they approached where Laurie had parked her car. “You hear that?” she asked. “People are so desensitized to those things they don’t even notice them anymore.”

  Ross chuckled and they walked past a few more aisles of cars.

  The recognition came on her suddenly. This particular alarm sounded a bit too familiar. “Ross,” she began as she dropped his hand and picked up her pace, “that might be my...” She stopped abruptly when her battered Honda Civic came into view. Laurie finally understood the flash of intuition she’d had in the restaurant.

  The driver’s window had been shattered and beads of glass littered the seat and the pavement. The trunk was open and its contents, including a sack of new clothes she’d bought over her lunch hour were strewn around the ground. She took a few hesitant steps closer. The glove compartment stood wide open and the owner’s manual, papers, and receipts she had stuffed inside were scattered. The upholstery on the front seats looked like it had been run through a shredder. All four tires had been slashed.

  “This is your car?” Ross asked, raising his voice above the alarm’s noise. He’d whipped his cell phone from its belt clip and was already dialing before she could answer. After a brief, loud discussion, Ross flipped the phone shut. “I know the police chief here. He’s sending out a cruiser. Did you have anything valuable in there? House keys or anything?” He had to shout to be heard over the insistent whine of the alarm.

  Laurie shook her head and shouted back. “Why would someone break into an eight-year-old Honda?” She kept trying to press the keychain remote to turn off the alarm, but the damn thing wouldn’t cooperate. She finally gave up and jammed her keys back into her coat pocket.

  After dropping her purse and flowers on the roof of the car, she crouched down to retrieve some of the objects from the ground and throw them back into the trunk. She picked up the sack and began to shove her strewn clothes into it.

  Ross stooped down to help. He retrieved a lacey red bra and held it up as he gave her a saucy smile. “I love red,” he shouted.

  Laurie blushed and grabbed it from his hand before shoving it in the bag. They had the majority of her personal belongings gathered and pushed back into the trunk by the time the police arrived. She was grateful when one of the officers finally opened the hood and silenced the car alarm.

  After filing the police report and watching her car being hauled onto a flatbed to be towed to a garage, Laurie flipped open her phone and began to dial.

  “Who are you calling?” Ross asked.

  “My partner Andrew. He lives close to here and can come pick me up.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. I’ll drive you home.”

  “But you have to go back to the city, and it’s getting late.”

  “I’m taking you home, Laurie,” Ross insisted in a fairly stern tone.

  “You don’t mind?”

  “I insist.”

  She nodded and flipped the cell phone shut. “Thanks, Ross. I’m sorry to put you out.”

  “It’s fine, Kitten.” Ross picked up her sack of clothes and ushered her back across a few aisles of the parking lot to his car.

  Laurie whistled when she saw the silver Lexus’s lights blink as he punched the button on his remote. “Mighty fancy.”

  He shrugged. “Makes me feel bad. I’ve got this,” he said as he inclined his head toward his car, “and you’ve got to drive a piece of—”

  “Hey! I like my car. It’s paid for, and it gets great gas mileage.”

  “Sorry. I guess if I’d have seen it before it got trashed...” He turned off the alarm and opened the passenger door for her.

  “Would you believe it didn’t look a whole lot better? You know what? I’
m willing to sell it now. If you want it, I’ll make you a special deal. Really, really cheap.” Ross laughed as Laurie slipped inside his car. She watched through the back window as he walked back to put her sack in the trunk and then come around to plant himself in the driver’s seat.

  “Where we heading?” he asked.

  “Bolingbrook. I’m really sorry about this.” She buckled her seatbelt.

  “Don’t be," Ross replied as he started the car. “Gives me an excuse to see your place. I don’t like thinking the moron who trashed your car might have your address. I want to make sure the...um...apartment?”

  “House,” she corrected.

  “The house is empty.”

  Laurie was grateful for his concern. She couldn’t remember exactly what had been in her car, and knowing she wouldn’t be going into the house alone was comforting.

  * * * *

  “The place should be dark. Deepika is still at the hospital.” Laurie nodded as she pointed at the huge Victorian house.

  “Deepika?”

  “Deepika Sen. My roommate. She’s from London, but she’s Indian. We’ve been roommates since college. I know it sounds silly, but we both hate living alone. Deepika has a huge family and can’t stand it when the house is too quiet.” Laurie pointed him toward the driveway. “I’m an only child, so I crave having someone around. Works for us. We bought this house together a couple of years ago. We’ve been pouring money into it ever since.”

  Ross took in her home. The house was obviously very old, but it had been carefully and lovingly restored. The exterior had been painted warm beige while the shutters were a deep forest green. An enormous wooden porch, also painted the lush green, wrapped around the entire structure. There was even an old-fashioned two-person swing dangling from long chains. He had no doubt the women would have the place decorated with hanging baskets full of flowers come summer.

  Ross couldn’t help but compare it to his own Lake Shore Drive condo. His entire place had been done in chrome, black, and white. A big, black leather sofa occupied the majority of the living area where it faced an enormous plasma television mounted between two black enamel bookcases. The kitchen sparkled with its shiny faucets, hanging silver pans, and gleaming black countertops. Even the appliances were chrome—and not a single fingerprint was visible on any of their surfaces. Ross knew that the spotless white carpet would still bear the marks the vacuum left in its wake. The place never got dirty, but he still had it cleaned once a week. It was a masterpiece to his success in rising out of the cesspool of poverty that was Gary, Indiana.