Jason nodded, setting his napkin carefully on top of his plate.
“How do I know you aren’t just attaching yourself to Dallas because she’s got a trust fund? Because she can provide you with this sort of lifestyle?” I asked, gesturing around us. “How do I know you aren’t just using her?”
“You don’t,” Jason admitted. “All I can say is that all of that was a long time ago, when I was just fresh out of high school and I had no purpose. But I have purpose in my life now.”
“What’s that?”
Jason looked down at the table, his fingers nervously playing with the edge of his plate. “My mom, she and I were really close when I was a kid. She died just before I graduated from high school and that kind of messed me up. But then I met this guy while I was in county lockup and he … let’s just say he put me straight. Now my purpose is to have a good life, to live right, so that my mom will be proud of me.”
“How have you done that?”
Jason looked up. “I cut myself off from all the friends I had back then. I got a good job, a place to live.” He shrugged. “I don’t make the most money, and it’s not a great place, not like the place where Dallas grew up, but it’ll do for now.”
“And what do you have planned for later? You going to be a car salesman forever? You going to want kids?”
A blush burned over Jason’s cheeks. “I don’t know. I thought about going back to school.”
I nodded, thinking how mortified I’d be if I had to answer questions like this to the father of my girl. He was handling it well.
“Were you ever in a gang?”
Jason’s gaze was sharp when he looked up that time. “A gang?”
“Yeah. You ever sell drugs for a gang? Ever steal cars for someone other than yourself?”
He studied my face for a second, then his gaze dropped, the defiance draining from his shoulders.
“Once,” he admitted. “I worked with them for about six months, hoping they’d bring me in, give me the family I lost when my mom died. But all that ended the last time I went to jail.”
“You don’t see any of them anymore?”
“No … well, I saw this one guy a couple of months ago, but it was just a chance meeting. He came to the car lot I work at, but he didn’t know I’d be there.”
He seemed sincere. I wasn’t sure how recent the information Waverly gave me on him was. Could it be possible that it was outdated?
“I love her, Mr. McKinsey,” Jason said. “I don’t know what else to tell you.”
I nodded. “I can see that.”
“I would leave her if I thought that was what was best for her, but I really don’t think it would be. I think it would devastate her.”
I had to agree, but I wasn’t going to tell him that. Besides, Dallas chose that moment to come back. She was smiling, but there was wariness in her eyes. She’d left intentionally, to allow me time alone with Jason, but now she wasn’t quite confident in the result of her deceit. I stood and took her arms in mine, tugging her close so that I could kiss her cheek.
“I’m going to go now and give you two some space.”
Jason stood and both of them watched me in confusion as I left the restaurant.
“Kevin!”
Dallas caught up with me, tugging me around to face her. “What are you going to tell her?”
I shrugged. “Do you really think my opinion will have much impact on Kirsten? She hasn’t listened to me in a very long time.”
She agreed, I could see it on her face just as I could see the wheels turning in her head.
“But do you agree with her? Do you think I’m making a mistake?”
I took her face between my hands, my heart swelling at the familiar look in her eye.
“I think you’re a grown woman who should be able to make her own choices. And I think you are over the moon in love with that guy and he feels the same.”
She literally beamed, her face glowing like a lightbulb had come on inside her skull.
“Thank you.”
“But that doesn’t mean Kirsten will come around.”
She stepped back, turning to look over her shoulder at Jason still standing awkwardly in the restaurant.
“Then we just need to keep her busy.”
“Excuse me?”
Laughter was dancing in her eyes when she turned back to me. “Would you do it? Would you keep her busy? We’re just waiting on the marriage license to be processed. We’re getting married Monday morning at the church down the street. Could you think of a way to keep her occupied until then?”
All these thoughts instantly flew through my head, but I had to discard them all because I knew Kirsten would never go for them. I wouldn’t go for them. I wasn’t about to put myself out there with her again.
But then Dallas looked at me with those big, sweet eyes, and I couldn’t help but nod in agreement.
“But you owe me bigtime.”
Dallas squealed, jumping up and down against me until I finally had to back away, raising my hands in defeat despite the pleasure that made a huge smile burst over my face.
At least I still had the ability to make one of the Kramer sisters happy.
Chapter 4
Waverly
“You’re going to get yourself in trouble with this, Kevin,” I said, unable to control the laughter that bubbled up in my chest.
“I know. But she’s like my little sister. I can’t help myself.”
I laughed again. “Well, good luck.”
I disconnected the phone and got up, wondering if Hayden was still in his office. And then I reminded myself that he was always in his office. He was one of those executives who was always the first to arrive and the last to leave.
I tapped on the door frame as I pushed the door open. “Kevin just called. He’s going to kidnap his childhood friend to keep her from stopping her sister’s wedding.”
“As long as she doesn’t press charges. The last thing we need right now is another police investigation after last month’s insanity.”
I couldn’t help but agree. I still had nightmares from the shooting that nearly took out half our staff last month. Hayden himself was wounded in the arm, but the injury was already healed. In fact, it was creating an interesting scar that was fun to run my fingers over on when he visited my bed.
I studied Hayden as he sat silently, watching me with those wounded eyes. He was a devastatingly attractive man. Half the female staff here had a crush on him. But walked around like he’d forgotten what it was like to be human.
He worked harder than everyone else, drank harder, and cared more than anyone I’d ever worked with. But he never seemed to allow anyone in, never acknowledged his weaknesses or admitted that he wasn’t made of stone. Only Megan seemed to get through his barriers, and that was because they shared a connection to his fiancée. I guess the woman had been Megan’s best friend since they were children. But I suspected it was more than that.
I was pretty sure Hayden was in love with Megan, and the reality of that killed me.
I would give anything for him to see me on those nights when he came to my place, when he took from me what he needed. He was too good of a man to throw it in my face, but I knew he resented me for taking his woman’s place in the company. Just as I knew that he only wanted physical comfort from me, though he was kind enough to try to offer at least a little more.
Recently he’d held me slightly longer after our lovemaking, and when he thought I was asleep, I sometimes caught him whispering that he was sorry. I accepted what we had. I just … sometimes, late at night, it would be nice …
“Are you going to be around a while longer? I thought maybe you could come over tonight.”
Hayden’s attention had shifted and he didn’t answer, now staring at whatever it was spread over the top of his desk. I walked around, curious to see what had him so fascinated. I was a little disgusted by what I saw.
“Is that from that murder in Louisiana? How did you get those?”
> Hayden finally looked up in surprise. “What do you know about it?”
“I saw the articles on your phone. Why are you so interested in this case?”
“You were on my phone?”
“Yeah, the other night when I was looking for the number to that Chinese place.”
“Don’t mess with my stuff, Waverly,” he warned. There was that edge to his voice, the one that told me he had a whole lot more to say but was just barely holding himself in check. I hated that self-restraint as much I was sometimes grateful that he at least cared enough not to eviscerate me with his obvious rage at the cards life had dealt him.
I could have argued that my seeing the stuff was completely accidental, but there was no point. Instead, I muttered a “Sorry” that I definitely didn’t mean and stalked out of the office, angry at him and at myself for jumping heart-first into a relationship that I knew stood no chance.
I marched back to my office, grabbed my bag and headed for the elevators, my hands shaking like I’d just drunk a gallon of coffee or something. The elevator doors opened and Megan stepped out, a polite smile on her thin lips as she faced me.
“Calling it a night?”
I didn’t trust my voice. I just inclined my head and boarded the elevator, trying not to make eye contact as I waited for the door to close. Megan seemed a little puzzled, but then something like sympathy softened her features.
“Give him time,” she said just as the doors closed.
I shook my head, my chest burning with each breath. I couldn’t believe she knew! But, again, I shouldn’t have been surprised. He probably told her everything. He probably told her in the hopes that it would make her jealous. But she had a husband of her own, a dark god who wandered these halls like the ghost of Heathcliff.
I gave myself a minute to be hurt, to feel betrayed. And then I pulled it together, heading out of the building like nothing could touch me, like nothing could ever hurt me. It was a skill I’d learned long ago, when my father created such a mess that our lives became a living hell for years. It was a skill that had come in handy too many times to count over the years.
No one could hurt you unless you let them.
Chapter 5
Kirsten
I watched him walk toward me, that familiar shuffle of his feet, the same proud posture that I’d seen in my dreams a million times over the years. Seeing him again brought so many memories back to me that I thought I’d put away and forgotten long ago. The multiple times he’d watched me from a perch on top of the fence while I rode my mother’s prized thoroughbred, Sir Kingston.
The times I’d watched him working with the jockeys and the trainers, watching him work with the horses like he was born to be exactly where he was. The night he walked toward me just as he was doing now, after the bus dropped us at the school and everyone else was gone or leaving.
“I’m too wound up to go home,” he’d said that night. “Want to hang out here for a while?”
That was a choice I both regretted and treasured. Fifteen was awfully young to be making choices like that. I often wondered what would have happened if he’d waited another few months to make that request, or if I’d been older the first time he touched me that way. Or if I’d had the strength to slow things down just a bit. But he didn’t and I didn’t and things were just … it was what it was.
He dropped into the chair across from me at the little outdoor café where I sat, sliding down so that he looked—again—like the boy I used to know.
“What did you think?”
He shrugged. “He’s not a bad guy.”
“He has a criminal record!”
“Yeah, but it’s old. And he swore up and down that he had good intentions toward Dallas.”
“So that’s it?” I demanded, leaning toward him over the table. “You think they should get married?”
“Not necessarily. I mentioned that they might wait a while …”
“Wait?” I shook my head, disgusted by what I was hearing. “I brought you here to convince her to break up with him completely.”
“I thought it would be better if we do it together. I arranged for us to meet Dallas for dinner tonight, just the three of us.”
Kevin had this self-satisfied look on his face as he straightened up, crossing his arms over his chest as he studied my face. And I had to admit that it was a good strategy.
“You could have led with that.”
“I could have, but it wouldn’t have been as much fun.”
I tossed a napkin at him, pleased when it hit the side of his head.
“You’re an ass.”
“And you’re gorgeous when you’re pissed.” He stood up and stretched, not giving me the opportunity to react to that casually dropped compliment. “Since we have some time on our hands, why don’t we tour the city? See the sights.”
I felt a little stupid as I rushed after him, following him as he strutted down the street, insisting on walking so that we could truly enjoy the culture of the city. I wasn’t really dressed to be walking through a city like Miami. We were passing women in bikinis and guys in Bermuda shorts and flip flops while I was sweating in linen slacks and flats, my silk blouse sticking to my chest. Kevin, on the other hand, looked like he belonged despite his jeans and dress shirt.
And I couldn’t help but notice the number of women who smiled at him, their interest not even disguised despite the fact that I was standing right next to him. Clearly, I was with him. What kind of a woman flirts with a guy when he’s with another woman?
We were halfway down one block and Kevin grabbed my hand, pulling me into a souvenir shop that was clearly intended for idiots who wanted to spend a fortune just to take a T-shirt back home to prove they were here. Kevin didn’t seem to care about the prices. He kept picking up these little trinkets, putting on sunglasses and hats, staring at himself in the mirror like he was a teenager shopping at the mall with Mommy’s money. I stood at the back of the store, more annoyed than I could possibly express, watching him act the fool.
“Try these on,” he said, holding up a pair of white sunglasses.
“No, thanks.”
“Why not?”
“Because I have a perfectly good pair of sunglasses at home.”
“You don’t have them with you?”
“No.”
“Then you need some.” He walked over to me and slid the glasses onto my face, cocking his head as though he was trying to assess how good they looked. “Maybe a different color.”
I shook my head. “I’m good.”
“You’re not. The sun is pretty bright here, in case you hadn’t noticed.” He grabbed another pair off the display after a moment’s consideration, these sillier than the ones before. They had metal frames, but the lenses were almost bigger than my face. He slid them on, stepped back, and smiled. “You look like Jackie O.”
“I’m sure.”
“No, you do. Come look in the mirror.”
Reluctantly, I stepped forward and looked in the small mirror on the display. I had to admit, they didn’t look nearly as bad as I thought they would, but it was still comical.
“I run a business, you know. I can’t be seen wearing something like this.”
“Who’s going to see it?”
I took them off and turned to Kevin, sliding them onto his face, my fingers lingering on his skin. I couldn’t help but let my finger slide over the curve of his jaw, to press my fingertip to the dimple in his cheek the way I used to do when we were young, back when I had a right to touch him. He didn’t move for a long moment, but then he grabbed my wrist, pulling my hand from his face.
“Maybe you’re right. You don’t need sunglasses.”
He put the glasses back on the display and disappeared back out onto the sidewalk. Once again, I was rushing to keep up with him. I found him outside a closed travel agent’s office. From the look of the brochures in the windows, the place had been shuttered for a long time, but the brochures were still readable. Kevin was st
udying one about the Keys.
“I’ve always wanted to drive over that bridge.”
“What bridge?”
“Seven Mile Bridge. Don’t you think that would be an interesting drive?”
“The Keys are over an hour from here.”
“What else are we going to do until it’s time to meet Dallas?”
He had a point. We had nearly six hours before we had to meet her, but the idea of being in the car for such a long time wasn’t appealing, either.
“We could get a hotel room and have massages. Or go for a swim.”
“How many chances are we going to get to do something like this?” He turned toward me, excitement lighting his face. “Let’s do it.”
I couldn’t help but get a little caught up in his enthusiasm. “Okay. But we have to be back here before seven so we can get changed.”
“Not a problem.”
He tugged his phone out of his pocket and dialed before I understood what he was doing. Minutes later we were sitting at a rental counter, signing papers for a rental car.
“We could have just taken my car.”
“I want to drive. What’s the point of doing something like this if we aren’t in control?”
“Whatever.”
There was no point in fighting him, that was pretty obvious. He was like a child with a toy, determined to get as much use out of it as possible. But in a day or so, he’d be over it, moving on to something else.
Or someone else.
They pulled the car around and it turned out to be a convertible. I wanted to scream. The man clearly had no idea how complicated a convertible was for a woman with hair as thick and curly as mine. I dug in my bag for a scarf, afraid I didn’t have anything suitable. But, luckily, I found a silk scarf I’d worn the last time I headed to the mall with my girlfriends. I tied it around my head and settled in the passenger seat, tense and annoyed. He climbed behind the wheel, a great big grin on his handsome face that only grew when he saw how rigid I was.
“It’ll be fun,” he assured me.
Yeah. Sure.
Turns out it was a three hour drive from Miami to Key West. Three hours of wind blowing against my face, three hours of the radio turned up to the highest volume, the same songs playing every hour or so, over and over again, until I wanted to beg Kevin to turn it off. And that wasn’t the worst. The worst was him, singing at the top of his damn lungs, laughing at me every time I shot him a dirty look. And then he got louder, not really caring if he got the words right.
DRAGON SECURITY: Volume 2: The Complete 6 Books Series Page 36
