by Katee Robert
She spun on her heel and started for the bathroom. “You saw her?”
“Yeah, Anderson talked his way into the room and we were there when she woke up yesterday. That spark, that defiance, is gone. It’s not just the pain meds and the accident. It’s like she’s given up.”
“We won’t let her give up.” He was closer to Eliza than anyone, but maybe this was a job for a sister, not a brother. Journey dug through the overnight bag Frank had stashed in his bathroom, looking for clean clothes. “I’ll check on her before I go into the office to meet with Anderson. And I’ll talk to her doctor and see if we can get her moved to in-home care. Hospitals suck the life out of even the strongest people, and she’s not in a good place for that shit. If we can get her home, then we can figure out the rest.” She stopped short. Which home?
Bellamy must have sensed the direction of her thoughts. “With Mother gone, her place is empty. I can get people in there to set up the spare suite for anything Eliza needs.”
She took a steadying breath. Focus. One step at a time. “First we need it cleaned out. A total spiff-up job that includes moving Lydia’s stuff into her suite. She didn’t have a lot of knickknacks, but her stamp is all over that town house.” A few years ago, Lydia had edged out the competition in a series of three town houses in downtown Houston, a reasonable commute from the Kingdom Corp offices. She’d combined them into a home with four bedrooms, a library, an office, and half a dozen other smaller rooms for entertaining. A huge space for a single woman—both then and now—but it would more than do for Eliza. “After I talk to the doctor, I should have a list of things we need to bring Eliza home.”
A sound brought her head up, and she paused when she found Frank leaning against the doorframe. “I’ll call you when I know more.” Journey hung up and straightened. “My sister needs me.”
“I gathered. You going into the office afterward?”
“Yes. There’s really only one option at this point, and it’s to agree to Esther’s terms.” She pressed her lips together. “Does that offer to dig up information still stand? I think we’re going to need all the leverage we can find to get her boot off our collective necks.”
“The offer stands. I’ll get Mateo started on it this morning.” He crossed to her and pulled her into his arms. “Promise me you won’t do anything dangerous today, Duchess.”
She smiled up at him. “Only if you promise me the same.”
“Consider it done.” He kissed her, but before she could sink into the sensation of his mouth against hers, Frank gentled it and stepped back. “As tempting as it is to join you in the shower, I have a meeting later this morning that I can’t miss.”
Disappointment was tart on her tongue, but she couldn’t argue with his reasoning. If they got distracted, they could get lost in each other for hours, and there were too many important things going on to hide out in Frank’s house and wait for it all to blow over.
Because it wouldn’t blow over. It would explode in their faces.
Journey ducked into the shower to get the water going. The glass separating the shower from the rest of the room had an abstract pattern etched on it that made her think of snowflakes, but she could see Frank’s indistinct form on the other side. “What’s the plan?”
“I could ask you the same thing.”
She made a face at the blur of his image. “I’m going to get Eliza out of the hospital.” She soaped herself down and resigned herself to using dude shampoo. “All she can do in that room is think about what she’s lost. It’s not good for her.”
“Duchess.”
“Oh, okay, fine. There’s also the fact that it’s not secure and she’s weak and drugged up and it wouldn’t take much to make sure she goes to sleep and never wakes up.” Saying that to Bellamy would send her brother into protective mode, which would lock everyone down. Journey couldn’t afford to have her movements restricted right now, and Bellamy wouldn’t think too hard about her having an ulterior motive for bringing Eliza home because the reasoning she’d given him was sound.
She rinsed off and just let the water run down the tense muscles between her shoulder blades. Epic sex and too many orgasms to count had gone a long way to smoothing her frazzled edges, but it still wasn’t enough to mute the reality of their current situation. She didn’t think even a freaking horse tranquilizer would be enough to actually check her out at this point. Journey shut off the water and stepped out to find Frank waiting with a towel. “I would really appreciate it if you’d spare a team to keep Eliza safe until the end of this.” She should have gotten over her pride and asked him for it from the start. They knew what Elliott was capable of when provoked, and she’d still tried to stick her head in the sand.
She dried off, conscious of Frank’s gaze on her. It wasn’t hot this time, more like he didn’t really believe she was okay. “I’m fine.”
“You’re not.”
They squared off. She had a feeling that any hint of weakness would see Frank wrapping her up and locking her in this house while he went off to battle the dragon. Well, fuck that. Journey had finally found her spine, and she wasn’t about to lose it just because the thought of her in danger made him uncomfortable.
But she wasn’t stupid, either.
“After I handle the Eliza situation, I’ll be going into the office to meet with Anderson and hash this mess out. I’ll take whoever you want to send with me.” She held up a hand. “Two men. I don’t need a small army surrounding me, no matter what you think.” It would be comforting to be in the center of men Frank trusted to keep her safe, but that wasn’t what standing on her own looked like.
He seemed to consider arguing but finally gave a short nod. “Two men, and they go with you everywhere.”
“Fine.” Her stipulations from the night before still stood, but there was no reason to fight about it again. They’d compromised, which was more than she could have hoped for considering how deep Frank’s protective instincts ran. He loved her, and if he thought he failed her…Journey didn’t like to think about what it would do to him.
I can’t live my life in a glass box because I’m afraid of him getting hurt.
She’d tried that. She’d failed, and when her father shattered the box around her, it had almost sliced her to pieces in the process. Never again. Journey walked to him and went on her tiptoes to press a soft kiss to his lips. “I promised I’ll be careful, and I meant it. Trust me to keep my word.”
“It’s not your word that I’m worried about, Duchess.” He settled his hands on her hips and tugged her against him. “How are you feeling today? Truthfully.”
“Truthfully?” She considered lying, but he’d see right through it. “I’m stressed that this is going to blow up in my face and that someone I care about will get hurt because I’m not smart enough or fast enough to fix things before they spiral further out of control. I’m worried about a dozen different things, all of which are jockeying for position in the front of my mind.” In addition to all the life-and-death family shit, she still had to sit down with Ronnie and figure out how to get the tech department back within their budget, and then deal with George and his shitty-ass attitude.
Just thinking about it made her want to take a nap.
She braided her hair and pinned it up in a look that was a little boho for her tastes, but since Frank didn’t own a hair dryer, it was the best she had to work with. Journey pulled a dress out of her bag, considered it, and traded it out for a pair of slim black slacks and a red blouse. If I have to run, pants are a better option. Paranoid thoughts, but it wasn’t actually paranoia if people were truly out to get her.
One thing at a time.
First she had to ensure Eliza was safe. That had to be her top priority right now. A close second was getting their company out of the fire, at least for the near future.
Journey straightened her shirt and tucked a stray strand of hair back into her braid. “I’m ready.”
It almost felt like the truth.
&nb
sp; * * *
Leaving Journey on the curb in front of the hospital—again—was the hardest fucking thing Frank had ever done. He kept thinking about what could go wrong the second she left his line of sight. It took everything he had to drive away and leave her there with Ethan and José flanking her. They would keep her safe. There was no other acceptable outcome.
Not to mention she’d never forgive him if he tried to keep her away from this mess.
He checked the time and headed for Morningstar Enterprise. Beck met him as he stepped off the elevator. His friend cast a critical eye over Frank. “You look pretty damn happy.”
“I…am.” The words tasted strange on his tongue. Strange, but not unpleasant.
Beck stared for a long moment and then burst out laughing. “Holy shit, you’re in love. That’s the only thing capable of making this shit show of a situation with my family look even remotely positive.” His dark eyes took on a crafty gleam. “How is my cousin, by the way?”
“Journey is fine.” And she’d damn well stay that way with Ethan and José watching her back. He followed Beck into his office and took the chair across from the desk. “We need to fast-forward on your reconciliation with your cousins.”
Instead of sitting behind the desk, Beck took the chair next to Frank. He frowned. “What the hell is going on, Frank?”
Frank hesitated. He trusted Beck with his life. No question. But did he trust Beck with Journey’s? By telling Beck exactly how bad things were over there, he’d be opening the door to more corporate warfare. Beck knew something big was happening because of the meeting with Frank and Anderson the other day.
Stop second-guessing yourself. You know Beck. You trust Beck. The man is not going to turn mercenary just because you suddenly have more at stake in this situation.
“Esther Bancroft has orchestrated a hostile takeover of Kingdom Corp. She turned the board at some point, and she sent in Elliott as soon as Lydia was gone to soften your cousins up to seeing things her way.” It really was a brilliant plan as such things went. “She offered them a deal—she’ll send Elliott back into whatever hole he was hiding in as long as Journey and Anderson fall in line.”
“Hmmm.” Beck sat back and drummed his fingers on the armrest. “She doesn’t have to play nice with them. If she has the board, she has the company. Even as COO and CEO, Journey and Anderson can only do so much without board approval. She’s hamstrung them.”
“Yes.” Frank had already put some thought into this. “But if she wants a healthy company—and all evidence says that she does for bargaining purposes, if nothing else—then she needs to keep the status quo. I don’t expect she plans to keep them on indefinitely. Once she’s accomplished what she’s set out to do, she’ll kick them to the curb. I’d wager she already has that exit strategy in place.” It was what he would have done in her place.
“What do you need from me?”
Just like that. No hesitation. No trying to figure out how to turn things to benefit himself.
I’m an asshole for doubting him, even for a second.
“Journey and Anderson are meeting this morning to figure out their next step. Getting Elliott out of Houston is worth temporarily agreeing to Esther’s demands. If you’d be willing to work together to oust the Bancrofts, it would be useful.”
“Of course.” Beck nodded. “They’re in this mess in part because of the ultimatum I offered Lydia. I owe it to them to help.”
“That’s bullshit.” Even if he wanted his friend’s help, he couldn’t let that guilty nonsense stand. “Lydia made her bed when she went after you. She wouldn’t have stopped until you were dead, and you damn well know it. I didn’t see any of her kids jumping up to stop her when she was plotting murder. You don’t owe them shit.”
Beck gave a half smile. “They’re family, Frank. I meant it when I said I wanted to mend bridges, and so I’d offer to help solely for that reason. Plus, Samara and Journey are friends—and apparently Journey matters a lot to you.” He shrugged. “The whys are less important than the hows. I’ll reach out to Anderson this afternoon.”
“Thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me.” Beck shook his head. “And you also didn’t have to come in here with your reasoning all laid out as if I was going to tell you no. Fuck, Frank, you don’t ask me for shit. You never have. Short of murder, I’m going to do whatever I can to help you.”
Part of him had known that, but hearing it spoken aloud still startled him. “I’ve asked you for shit before.”
“No, you haven’t. Not since we’ve been adults. We’re friends, but you are always there when I need you, and you haven’t asked me for a single damn thing.” Beck met his gaze directly. “You didn’t even want me around after your mom passed, Frank.”
“Beck—”
“I get it. I do.” He pushed to his feet and ran a hand through his dark hair. “And I didn’t need you to reach out just to make me feel better, but it set the tone for our friendship after that.” He smiled. “My point is that it’s nice to finally be the one helping out.”
Frank opened his mouth, reconsidered, and shut it. He pushed slowly to his feet, feeling as ungainly as he had as a stupid teenager. Before his world went up in flames. Before everything had changed. He hesitated, but Beck was his family. The only family he had left.
“Losing her broke me, Beck,” he said quietly. “I begged her to take treatment. I guilted her and pleaded and yelled and cried, and she never wavered. She chose death, and kept choosing death every single fucking day from her diagnosis until she took her last breath.” Even after all these years, it hurt to say it. “I couldn’t face anyone after that. Not even you. The ground was gone beneath my feet and up was down and down was up and all I wanted to do was destroy the last few things in my life that mattered to me. If I’d reached out then, it would have been to burn our friendship to the ground.”
Beck didn’t seem to breathe. “I wouldn’t have let you.”
“Maybe. Or maybe I would have done something unforgivable.” Frank shrugged. “I don’t know. But even in the midst of all that shit, I knew I didn’t want to lose you. So I left first, at least until the world stopped spinning on its head.”
Beck crossed the space between them and pulled him into a rough hug. “You stubborn asshole.” He released him and stepped back. “We’ll get through this.” His grin turned wicked. “Samara mentioned something about a double-date vacation.”
Frank snorted. “Yeah, yeah. Let’s survive this shit before you start planning out the rest of my life.” Though he kind of liked the picture that presented. Spending time with the two people who he cared most about in the world when things weren’t burning down around them. Some relaxation and a break from Houston—and Journey in a string bikini.
Focus on dealing with the enemy and then worry about the aftermath.
He clasped Beck on the shoulder. “Thanks. We’ll talk more soon.”
“Hey, Frank.”
“Yeah?”
The amusement drained from Beck’s face, leaving concern in its wake. “Be careful. Esther Bancroft isn’t someone to fuck with. We’ll get her out of Houston, but in the meantime…just be careful.”
“I will.”
He took the elevator down to the parking garage. Frank headed for the SUV he’d chosen to drive today, rather than his Audi. Eliza King’s hit-and-run was at the forefront of his mind when he and Journey left his house this morning, and as much as he enjoyed the Audi, it wouldn’t take a hit the same way the SUV could. He checked his phone, but other than a text from José saying that Journey was still at the hospital and safe, there was no news.
The vehicle chirped as he unlocked it, but the sound was immediately drowned out by the wail of an alarm several cars down. Frank hesitated. There was no reason to think that alarm had anything to do with him, but he recognized Beck’s silver BMW as the source of the sound. Strange coincidence, if someone believed in that sort of thing.
He didn’t.
Nothing.
He keyed in the code—Beck had been using the same goddamn PIN since he was sixteen—and the lights and sound obediently died. Frank hissed out a breath and shook his head at himself. Car alarms were the biggest waste of fucking money in existence, and he needed to be careful going forward because he was obviously jumping at shadows.
“Put the gun down.”
Frank froze. The voice came from behind him and to the left—near the front of the car next to Beck’s BMW. Elliott’s voice. Fuck. “That was a cheap trick.”
“You’d be surprised how often cheap tricks work. Put the gun down or I’ll put two in your back. Imagine how prettily my daughter will cry over your casket.”
Frank weighed his options. He could try to turn and shoot, but Elliott had the drop on him. He’d get at least one shot off before Frank could turn fully, and one shot was all Elliott really needed.
Too risky.
He set the gun carefully on the ground. “There.”
“Kick it away—under the car…Good boy.” Elliott chuckled. “Now, let’s go for a drive.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
It took longer than Journey would have liked to get the doctor to see things her way, but when she badgered him about how he was going to guarantee Eliza’s safety, he’d finally agreed to sign the transfer papers. All that was left to do was bring Eliza around.
She stopped inside the door to Eliza’s room, shock derailing her drive. Her sister looked just as terrible as Bellamy had said. Bandages wrapped half her face, and a cast encompassed the left side of her lower body. Oh, honey. Her sister stirred, and Journey wiped all sympathy off her face. Eliza wouldn’t see it as sympathy. She’d see pity.
And she’d hate Journey for it.