by C. M. Steele
“Yep, he likes his solitude on most days.” Trent was a quiet and private guy.
“Sounds like my dad.” I heard the pained sound in her voice. She felt bad not spending the holidays with them, but I sure as hell liked this arrangement better. I wasn’t spending it with my family either.
“Have they left for Aspen yet?”
“Nope. Thanks to someone I know,” she paused and looked pointedly at me. I put out my hands and shrugged. “He’s planning to work one more day at the office. The police are finally trying to hunt Jerry Kroll down to question him.”
I wanted to fucking jump up and down. We were going to nail those bastards finally after all these years. Lily would have the peace she was looking for. “Good. It’s about damn time. I felt like I was running around in circles trying to get your dad to act.”
“You know very well it’s not the simple. The wheels of justice are not as swift and it’s a holiday season. Adding extra work isn’t something most departments are in for at this time of the year.” I knew the system was slow, but Russell dragged his feet because I wanted to bang his daughter. He had no freaking clue what depths I would go through to make her mine. By the end of our first meeting, I knew she was the one and he would give me hell, but it didn’t matter because nothing was going to change my mind about her.
“I know, but it’s still about damn time. Lily has been anxious for this to be resolved for a long time.” Her expression changed and I knew that look. It was the same one I’d seen when a woman was jealous. Silly girl. She’d learn that no woman could hold a candle to her.
“I know. And you seem eager to please her,” she remarked her tone giving her away. I didn’t say anything about the fact that she was jealous. Now that I saw it first hand, I knew I had her. All I had to do was break into her heart. One fucking step at a time.
~~~~~
Trent wanted details on the case and how it was going. I knew that it was only a matter of time before he cornered me, and it happened shortly before his other guests arrived.
“So, please, tell me you got a chance to talk to Jerry Kroll,” Trent pleaded, dropping down on his office sofa. I saw the worry run across his face. The man loved Lily so much that he had a hard time dealing with her pain. I would feel the same with Miranda. If she was hurting, I knew it would crush me. She was having minor family tension and I wanted to drop her father on his ass, district attorney or not.
I nodded, letting him know I did have something. It wasn’t a done deal until her father got them talking, but I had a feeling that Russell was going to make it happen. “I did and the DA is working on finding a legal way to get the evidence I gathered. It shouldn’t be long because Kroll has agreed to a plea deal if they can nail Mason as well.”
“Did Kroll tell you what happened with her mother?”
“Yeah. He gave a sworn statement and as an agent for the victim’s family, I was able to listen in. He claimed that the former maid, now Mason’s wife, was the one to make the initial contact. She wanted Mrs. Mason out of their lives. After several meetings with her and once with Mason, he made the final deal. For the hit, he would receive shares in the company, along with a hefty signing bonus. The thing is, he never worked for the company. It was all on paper, but no one was any bit the wiser because Kroll supposedly worked in a small satellite office. It was all bullshit, but no one caught on because he quit after a year, and with all the commotion about the horrific death, his leaving wasn’t a big deal.”
“What a fucking prick. Do you know why they did it that day?”
“Yeah, after looking at your woman’s ID. When you were looking for her, I noticed the date. It’s insane, so I asked him about it. He said that Ted Mason wanted to cause his daughter as much grief as he could. That way she’d never want to celebrate a birthday again. According to Kroll, it gets worse. Mason didn’t just want his wife dead.” Mason was a sick fucking son of a bitch to want his own kid killed. I wanted to gut him myself. I knew it would send the usually calm Trent into a protective rage.
“Don’t tell me what I think you’re going to say because I’m already ready to murder that man.” His face iced over before he scowled with rage. With his fists clenching and releasing, I wondered if he’d attack me for being the messenger.
“It’s true. He wanted her to be with her mother and to meet the same fate, but Kroll refused. He didn’t kill kids so that was out of the question. Then after the wife’s death, there was too much heat on him to have his daughter killed.”
~~~~~
Despite the house having a bunch of swarming cocks during last night’s Christmas eve party, Miranda stayed around the women. It was like she was afraid to test my caveman instincts. She always got pissed at me anytime I would slide my hand around her waist. I managed to sneak it in about three times. She could protest all she wanted, but I felt her shiver when I whispered possessively in her ear, “You’re mine, regardless of what you say. If they so much as flirt with you, I’ll crush them. By the way, you look fucking gorgeous.” I gave her a squeeze and walked away.
It was Christmas day and we were all lounging around watching movies, cooking laughing and joking. I even managed to make Miranda smile. I was telling her a story about my younger sister going on her first date and how I almost coldcocked the motherfucker for checking out her ass. Her eyes lit up with laughter and I wanted to kiss her. Fuck, making her laugh was a dumb move on my part because now that I had done it, I wanted to do it again.
“Duke, I have to take this call,” Miranda said, getting up from the sofa and looking oh so sexy in her flannel pajamas that were just the right amount of snugness in the right areas. I swallowed down the lump in my throat. She dressed down today; we all did, but something about the way she looked made me feel all freaking warm and fuzzy inside. I didn’t care that that made me sound like a little bitch, but she opened up something in me that I knew only she could do.
“Hey, man. While she’s on the phone and Lily’s in the kitchen, let me talk to you in the study.” I got up and walked behind him into his home office. I knew that he wasn’t going to stop asking questions. Like somehow from yesterday to today I was going to have the answers.
“Okay,” I said, taking a seat.
He didn’t hesitate to question me again.
“So, do you have a plan if the DA can’t make things happen? What about the explosion? Anything on that?” Trent was a trigger happy about making this happen. Today wasn’t a day for it, but I guess keeping Lily happy and safe was his priority.
“Don’t worry. We’ll nail them all.”
Someone knocked on the door and by the meekness of it, I assumed it was Lily. Miranda wasn’t afraid of interrupting people. She was going to be a lawyer after all. Interrupting people was part of the job.
“Bunny, can’t this wait?” he asked Lily anxiously.
“No, it can’t,” she responded, pushing her way into the room. Lily looked back and forth between us. “Listen, I overheard you on last night. I know about my mother’s death. What I want to know is what you’re going to do about it?”
“At the moment, we’re working on nailing them on the explosion,” Trent told her. I saw her expression change. She gulped in some air before calming herself.
“So you know it wasn’t an accident then?” Lily took a deep breath and absorbed what we all had suspected. His threats about Trent had been serious. If Lily wasn’t going to be useful for him, she was a waste of space. What kind of father was he? For that matter, what kind of human being was he? He had this Machiavellian way of thinking. The problem was the ends didn’t justify the means. Mason was a sick son of a bitch and would be going down. It didn’t matter if it was for his wife’s murder or the attempted murder of Lily.
“Yes. I contacted the gas company and they had been out the week prior. It wasn’t the day you knocked on my door,” Trent informed her.
“But I saw the guy and his credentials!” Lily replied completely dumbfounded. They planned it all out
. Lily was destined to be their next victim.
I added the rest, “They hired that man to come in and supposedly inspect the line and the gas hookups in the kitchen. He was fired from the gas company six months ago, but he stole the credentials of another employee. With the help of Mason, his wife, and some acquaintances, they pulled off the explosion.”
“I want him to pay. Can I kill him myself?” Lily asked, her eyes changing from sweet to vengeful in a heartbeat.
“No, you can’t. I won’t lose you to prison for that scum,” he said, squeezing her to him.
“I hate him,” she whispered into his chest. Poor Lily.
There was a knock at the door. Trent stepped away from Lily to open it. It was my lovely friend, Miranda. “What’s the matter, doll?” I asked.
“I told you not to call me that,” she hissed at me. I loved that fiery look in her eyes. It was sexy as hell. I couldn’t wait to get her in my bed every time she whipped a glare in my direction.
“I heard ya, but I don’t care,” I replied dismissively.
“Whatever. I came in here to tell you that the DA just called me,” she said, looking at Trent for permission to say what she has learned in front of Lily. He gave her a nod.
Lily let her jealousy show. Any woman around Trent set her into a snit, so Trent had to make everything better and went all mushy. Pulling her into his arms, he started to kiss and caress Lily.
“Are you two done?” I asked with a chuckle.
A blushing Miranda was telling. I made a mental note of the reaction she had to their open affection. “The DA told me that your father will be arrested tomorrow morning along with his wife. They are being charged with the murder of your mother and conspiracy to commit murder,” Miranda informed us in her professional tone.
“They found a way to get the evidence?” I asked.
“Yes. Kroll wants his deal, so he called Ted and Dora Mason. He told them that a private detective knows all about the fake employment and hit. He gave up all the evidence they needed to open his books and incriminate all of them,” she said with a smirk, looking at me with an arched brow.
So we managed to wrap up the cases in a day after getting here. Now it was time to try and woo Miranda.
“I’m sorry everyone, but I think I have to cut my vacation short. With the case moving this quickly I’ll need to be in Phoenix in two days.”
“Don’t worry. We understand and appreciate it,” Lily said, pulling away from Trent and giving Miranda a big unexpected hug. Immediately, Miranda stiffened like she was completely uncomfortable. I was starting to think my woman didn’t know about friendships at all. I wondered how many friends she had growing up or if she had any at all.
Chapter 4
The strong, sexy devil steamrolled his way into the heart I thought I finally iced. With the years of systematic forming of my life and career by my father, I forgot what I wanted actually mattered. Spending weeks alongside Duke told me that I was missing more than just a life of my own. I was missing a love I didn’t know existed. I knew I loved him. It may have been from the first time he kissed my hand in the conference room or following him to Washington instead of joining my parents in Aspen for the holidays. Whenever it was, I still denied it. Duke was too much of a man for an innocent girl like me to handle. I was scared out of my wits. It took seeing him around Lily Mason to make the woman in me feel completely and irrationally jealous. The way he would pull me against his side whenever one of Trent’s friends were around sent butterflies fluttering in my stomach.
I tried to back off from him after we got back to Phoenix, although it was hard as hell to pull off. Especially because I knew the only reason he was still in town was because of me. He had a job in Seattle but ended up working from a laptop in his hotel room. With the cases going to trial, there was no reason for him to be here anymore. My father warned him to walk away a couple of times, but he ignored it. Duke would show up at the office when my father was in court or in meetings. I wondered if he searched through my father’s computer system, which was beyond illegal, but when I saw Ashleigh yesterday, I knew she was in on it. Her face blushed when I mentioned that Duke only showed up when my father wasn’t there.
She giggled, “I’m sorry. I let him know every day where your dad was going to be. If a man like him wanted to be with me, I wouldn’t hesitate. Girl, life is too short for that. And Duke Wyatt is too fine to walk away from. If he turned his eyes on me, well, let’s just say I wouldn’t even bother with wearing panties.”
I rolled my eyes at her. Ashleigh was a sweet girl, but if she made a move on Duke she’d be a missing person. I had to keep an eye on her.
My classes started back up after the holidays, and Duke was there to walk me back and forth between them. Then he would check in on me daily at the law firm or the law library. There wasn’t a place he didn’t follow me to. It was like we were dating but not.
Yesterday, while I was studying he showed up at the law library and helped me prep for an exam. Despite his sneaky ways of getting information, he knew his shit. This man was proving to be everything I could ever want. I knew he wanted to make me his, but I would have to give up a lot to make that decision. My father already forbade me to see him.
I was studying hard when he sat down across the table from me. Ignoring the people around he asked the usual question. “Have dinner with me,” he said again. Every day it was the same thing, but today I was caving.
“Okay,” I replied, biting my lip.
“Okay?” he asked, his eyes widened in surprise.
“Yes, just dinner.”
“Of course just dinner. I just want some time where there’s no cases to talk about. Just you and me,” he said, smiling with that dimpled grin. I had a feeling that the only time he smiled was when he was around me.
“Fine. Pick me up from here in an hour.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He got up from his chair and walked away with a genuine smile. For the first time, all my resolve to push him away was gone.
I walked outside waiting for Duke, but he was late. That was surprising, but then my phone rang.
“Miranda.” My father’s voice was stern as always. I was scanning the parking lot looking for Duke while I waited for whatever it is that my father wanted to yell about. He hadn’t been as nice ever since Duke arrived. I knew it was because he wanted Duke to stay away from me. When he learned that I went on vacation with Duke, he was mad. I had to remind him that I was a grown woman and went as his friend and nothing more. My heart didn’t believe that though. I wanted to be with Duke.
“Yes, father,” I muttered.
“You’re not going on a date with Duke. If you want that internship, you’ll stay clear of him,” he threatened. I couldn’t believe he just said that to me. Knowing him, I should’ve expected it.
“What do you have against him?” I asked belligerently. He had been a Marine, he was smart, and he worked hard. What the hell was there not to like about him? I couldn’t find anything, anymore.
“Nothing more than he’s not good enough for you.” That was all he offered, which was a terrible excuse, especially when it came to Duke.
“You don’t think anyone is good enough for me,” I griped.
“Well, I’m your father.”
“Yes, but you’re not my keeper. I will see him if I want to. I’m not going to break our dinner date because you have this need to turn me into you.”
“Goodnight,” I huffed, hanging up on him.
That was when Duke pulled up in his rental. “Sorry, I’m late. Had a call from your father about an hour ago looking for a way into another case.”
“Oh really?” I asked. I knew that my father was full of shit. He just wanted me to stay away from Duke.
“Yeah, but he didn’t give me the details yet. I had to move around my schedule with the guys, but it will work. Ready?”
“Actually, yes, I am.”
I hopped in his truck before he could get out. “Let’s go. Where are
you taking me?” After my argument with my father, I didn’t want to chicken out.
“Is there some place you’d like to go?” I arched my brow at him.
“Oh my gosh. You don’t have a place picked out after asking me night after night?” I was stunned. I couldn’t believe that he didn’t have anything planned.
“I didn’t say I didn’t. I was just trying to see if you had a favorite. Just buckle up and sit back, doll.”
Did he have to call me that? It made my body buzz with desire every time.
“So, did you get all your studying in for the week?”
“Yes, I did,” I said.
“Good, then maybe we could go out this weekend exploring the desert.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, I could use a tour guide so to speak, and a beautiful one like you would be perfect.”
“Whatever.” I knew that I was considered attractive, but something about the way he said it had my heart thumping hard.
“You don’t take compliments well, do you?”
“No. Not about my looks.”
“Well, get used to it. I’m going to keep it up.”
“Look, I know that you want me, but I’m not able to handle a man like you. I wouldn’t know where to start. I have a career and I don’t want to end it because some alpha male strolls into my life and demands it.”
“I haven’t demanded anything from you—yet.”
“See. The yet is there. I’m not that experienced, but I know what you’re about.”
“Then it’s only a matter of time before you’re mine.” He pulled up to my favorite place. I couldn’t imagine my dad telling him, so how did he figure it out? I hope he didn’t go through my bank records.
“How did you know this was my favorite restaurant?” I asked accusingly. “Did you sneak into my bank records? Because I know my father wouldn’t give you that information.”
“Hell no, that old bastard didn’t. I didn’t break into your personal information. I just asked the receptionist.”