“Don’t come, Daddy! Don’t! I need time to think. I need—”
Shundra took the phone from her ear and looked at Carly. “He hung up on me. That means he’s on his way. He’s probably having Shelton get the jet ready. Now that’s a laugh.”
Carly figured Shelton was the pilot. She’d heard from Aunt Ruthie that Mr. Thrasher had his own jet like Lee did. “Why is it a laugh?”
“Because Shelton is Dad’s pilot and will be the one flying him here. Shelton is also the father of my baby.”
“Oh. Does Shelton know?”
Shundra broke eye contact with her. “No.”
“Any reason you didn’t tell him?”
Shundra didn’t respond at first, then she said, “If he loses his job, it would be my fault. He was instructed to fly me home from college one weekend, and we couldn’t leave the runway because of the weather. So while we waited, I tempted him.” A mischievous smile touched her lips. “I’ve had a crush on him for a while and decided on that particular day that I was going to make sure he knew it. That’s how things started between us, and we’ve been messing around secretly for almost a year. I’m in love with him but he’s never said he loves me.”
After a moment Carly said, “But still, don’t you think he has a right to know about the baby?”
Shundra shrugged. “It won’t do any good since he can’t marry me.”
“Why? Is he married already?” Carly asked.
“No. He’s single, but he’s almost eleven years older. Dad would castrate him.”
Carly had seen Mr. Thrasher’s bad side twice in her lifetime and could certainly see Shundra thinking that way. He definitely would not appreciate his nineteen-year-old daughter having an affair with a thirty-year-old man. “Well, since you’re convinced your father is on his way, you might as well make yourself at home until he arrives.”
“Thank you, but no matter what he says, he won’t force me to do anything I don’t want to do. I’ll be twenty in a month and that should stand for something.”
Carly was about to say that when it came to domineering parents, age didn’t stand for anything, but she couldn’t get the words out for the loud pounding on her front door. She frowned. Mr. Thrasher might be desperate to collect his daughter but he wasn’t that fast.
Moving to the door, she looked out and saw Lee. She opened the door immediately. “Lee? What are you doing here?”
He entered and looked her up and down as if to make sure she was okay. “I got in the elevator with Chef Blanchard and he said you had called in and wouldn’t be working tonight. I was worried.”
“Why were you worried?”
Instead of answering her, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Instinctively, Carly kissed him back, completely forgetting they had an audience until Shundra cleared her throat.
Lee broke off the kiss and looked beyond Carly to where Shundra was standing. He looked at her closely then turned back to Carly. “Your missing sister?”
“Yes,” she said. “She showed up here a few hours ago, so I called in.”
He nodded. “I understand.” And then he called out to Shundra, “Hello.”
“Hello.” Shundra smiled while looking Lee up and down. Her gaze clearly reflected her appreciation for what she saw. “This is your boyfriend?”
Before Carly could answer Lee responded, “Yes, I’m her boyfriend. Why?”
Shundra’s smile widened. “Because you are one handsome dude.”
Chapter 15
Lee tried not to smile. What Shundra had said reminded him of something his cousin Victoria would say. She was probably a few years older than Shundra. He and his cousins were used to Victoria’s girlfriends giving them flirtatious compliments.
“Thank you,” he said.
“No problem,” Shundra said, still smiling.
Carly made introductions. “Shundra, this is Lee. Lee, this is Shundra.” She then looked at Lee. “I insisted that she call her parents to let them know where she was. Mr. Thrasher is on his way.”
Lee nodded. He heard the tension in her voice. It was obvious she wasn’t looking forward to the visit. And it was also obvious there might be more to the story of why Shundra was here. Now that he knew Carly was all right, he could leave and let her deal with her family’s issues. But he had no intention of doing that. They would be getting married this weekend, and as far as he was concerned, her issues were now his issues.
“Then we’ll wait for Mr. Thrasher’s arrival,” he said, holding her gaze.
Was that relief he saw in her eyes? He had done his research on Sidney Thrasher. The man was an astute businessman who’d made his fortune in the glass industry. He was one of those wealthy individuals who looked down on those less fortunate and enjoyed intimidating those he considered weak.
Another thing Lee found rather interesting was that Thrasher’s company, Vontage Glass, was one of his suppliers. Both Grand MD hotels were two of the company’s biggest clients, and several resorts that Angelo owned also used Vontage Glass.
“I have a few business calls to make,” he said to Carly. “May I use your office?”
“Sure.”
He smiled back over at Shundra. “Nice meeting you, Shundra.”
She smiled back. “Likewise.”
He then headed toward the room Carly used as an office. As soon as the door closed behind him, he punched in a number for Alex.
“This is Alex.”
“Hey, this is Lee. Not sure if you’ve spoken with Agent Gause yet, but Driskell called today.”
“What did he say?”
Lee sat down behind Carly’s desk. He tried to ignore how the room held her luscious scent. “He wanted to discuss maximizing my profits. As instructed, I put him off.”
“Good. You don’t want to appear too eager. If you had, that would have been a red flag. You have to keep your cool.”
“I know, but it was hard today, considering what I know about Driskell and his group.”
“I know. I know. But we have a lot at stake. Helping to expose these guys will help others.”
After his conversation with Alex ended, Lee happened to glance at a writing pad on Carly’s desk. She’d been practicing writing her name. Carly Andrea Madaris. He smiled. He liked her middle name, but he liked what would become her last name even more. It fit.
He leaned back in the chair and picked up the phone to call his parents. He had a lot of time to kill while waiting for Carly’s stepfather.
* * *
Alex rubbed his chin as he studied the people in his office. He had worked with them before, when a serial killer had been on the loose in Houston a few years ago—Trevor Grant, Drake Warren and Ashton Sinclair. The older man, who looked more like a rancher than a billionaire, was his wife’s uncle, Jake Madaris.
His gaze then moved to the only female in the room. Tori, mother of three, former marine and CIA agent. Her husband, Drake, often called Sir Drake, was also a former marine and CIA agent. Sir Drake had tried keeping Tori out of the action last time. Evidently he had learned his lesson.
Alex had seen Tori in action before, when she’d brought down a villain twice her size and ruptured the man’s jewels in a way that meant he would never be the same. Sometimes he thought that she and Sir Drake lived for danger. Hell, their nanny was even a former CIA agent.
“I noticed when you talked to Lee a few minutes ago that you didn’t mention anything about this meeting you’ve called,” Jake said, sitting in a chair with his long legs stretched out in front of him.
Alex nodded. “I saw no reason to. Lee knows that although he’s bound to keep the sting operation under wraps, I’m not. Considering the risks involved, I’m sure he figured that I would inform all of you of what’s going on at some point. I have all the confidence in the world in the FBI, but there are times when things don’t go as planned.”
Trevor Grant leaned forward in his chair, resting his arms on his thighs. “Only problem is the three of us,” he said, indicatin
g himself, Sir Drake and Ashton, “are headed to Afghanistan. We might be out of the picture for a while. Clark will run things at TDA until we return.”
Alex nodded. Clark Lovell, aka Brent Dawkins, was a former FBI agent, one of the bureau’s best before an assassin put a hit on his wife and daughter, sending him into early retirement. Now he had remarried a woman with a little girl and just last year he’d become father to twins—a son and a daughter. TDA was the name of the tactical operations center the three men...and one woman...had opened a couple of years ago.
“I won’t be going to Afghanistan, so I’ll be available if needed,” Tori said, refusing to look at her husband, who was glaring at her.
“I’m hoping backup isn’t needed,” Alex said quickly when he saw Tori had pushed one of Sir Drake’s buttons. Tori knew just how far she could go with her husband.
“If you need backup, you got it,” Ashton reiterated. “We have several trained men at TDA who won’t be going with us either. Hopefully we’ll be back before anything goes down.”
Alex nodded. “I’ll keep everyone informed. Lee’s already been contacted by one of the heavyweights in the East Coast Connection, but he’s put them off for a while.”
Jake stood. “Make sure I’m kept in the loop. If anything happens to his grandson, my brother Lee will never forgive me for it.”
Alex nodded, thinking if anything were to happen to Lee, he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself.
* * *
Carly figured one way to stay busy would be to prepare dinner. She had suggested Shundra take a shower and relax while Carly washed and dried her clothes and got them ready for her to put back on. Carly couldn’t help but smile each time her sister glanced across the living room to the closed office door. Evidently Shundra was anticipating Lee’s return. No one had to tell Carly that Lee was eye candy, especially to a nineteen-year-old who had a thing for older men.
“He evidently had a lot of business to take care of,” Shundra said with a twinge of disappointment in her voice.
Carly didn’t look up from flouring the chicken to be fried. “Probably.”
“What kind of business is he in?”
“The hotel industry.”
“Oh, which one?”
“The Grand MD.”
“I’ve heard nothing but wonderful things about that hotel since it opened its doors. Is he a manager of something?”
“No, not exactly.” No need to tell her Lee owned the hotel. Deciding to change the subject, she glanced up at Shundra and said, “You look better.”
Shundra smiled. “I feel better. I must have looked a sight when I showed up.”
“No, you just looked tired, like you hadn’t got much sleep and hadn’t eaten in a while. You need to remember you’re doing it for two now.”
“I know.”
“So where did you go after overhearing your parents’ argument?”
Shundra nervously nibbled her bottom lip. “I figured they would talk with all my friends, those both away at college and those still at home, so I checked into a hotel. The next day I figured, knowing Dad, he probably had the entire police force in the state of Minnesota looking for me, so after looking you up on the internet, I left the car at the hotel and caught a cab to the airport. And here I am.”
Yes, here she was. “So have you made any plans for the future?”
She could tell by the expression that suddenly appeared on Shundra’s face that she hadn’t. “Not yet.”
“Well, maybe that’s something you need to think about, with a baby on the way and all. Motherhood has a way of making you grow up.”
Unfortunately things didn’t quite work out that way with Gail, Carly thought.
“I do have a lot to think about, don’t I?”
“Yes, you do. Just make sure any decisions you make are your decisions and ones you can live with for the rest of your life.”
“All right. The one thing I am sure about is that I won’t do to my child what Mom did to you, giving birth to a baby and then conveniently forgetting she had a child.”
As Carly fried the chicken, she came close to telling Shundra that her mother didn’t conveniently forget; she chose not to remember. There wasn’t much of a difference, but there was one.
“Hmm, something smells awfully good in here.”
Shundra, who was sitting on a swivel barstool, twirled around so fast Carly was afraid she was going to fall off. “Carly’s cooking fried chicken. And it does smell good, doesn’t it?”
Lee came into the kitchen and placed his arm around Carly’s waist. “Need my help?”
She smiled up at him. “No, I’m almost finished.”
“Then I’ll set the table,” Lee said, rolling up his sleeves and going to the sink to wash his hands.
“I’ll help you!” Shundra said, jumping to her feet.
Lee had placed the dishes on the counter and had opened the drawer to pull out the utensils when there was a loud pounding on Carly’s front door. He leaned over and whispered to Carly, “It seems Mr. Thrasher has arrived.”
Carly drew in a deep breath as she headed for the door. Just knowing Lee was with her meant everything, although she wished she didn’t have to expose him to the ugly side of her family’s issues.
She checked through the peephole and her heart pounded when she saw Mr. Thrasher wasn’t alone. Gail was with him.
“You okay?”
Without her realizing it, Lee had come to stand beside her. He was probably wondering why she was hesitating about opening the door.
She forced a smile. “Yes, I’m fine.” Bracing herself, she opened the door.
Sidney Thrasher walked in without waiting for an invitation, as if he owned the place, and Carly’s mother followed behind him. He turned blazing eyes on Carly when she closed the door behind them. Ignoring Lee, the man asked in a voice loud enough to shake the rafters, “Where is my daughter?”
Shundra moved forward from the breakfast bar. “I’m here, Dad. I told you not to come.”
Sidney Thrasher’s expression changed when he saw his daughter. Carly swore she saw the man’s features soften. “Sweetheart, your mother and I are here to take you home. It’s all been a mistake.”
Shundra came closer. “What’s been a mistake, Dad? All the mean things you said to Mom?” Looking at her mother she said, “There’s Carly, Mom. You haven’t even spared her a glance. Is she or is she not your daughter?”
Gail nervously tightened her hand on the shoulder strap of her designer purse.
When she looked at her husband, Shundra quickly said, “No, I don’t want him to answer for you. I want to hear you speak up for yourself, Mom.”
When Sidney spoke up, Shundra turned her razor-sharp gaze on her father. “No, Dad. Let Mom tell me.”
Gail lifted her chin. “I gave birth to Carly, but I don’t consider her my daughter. She was adopted by my aunt years ago.”
Shundra crossed her arms over her chest. “And why was that, Mom? Couldn’t you and Dad afford to raise her? If you couldn’t afford her in the beginning, why didn’t you go back and get her? Why did you tell Mike and me that she was a distant cousin?”
“Her existence wasn’t anything I felt needed to be discussed,” Gail said tersely.
“Well, evidently you and Dad changed your minds about that since she was being discussed the day I overheard the two of you arguing.”
Sidney Thrasher stiffened his shoulders. “Now listen here, young lady. I don’t know what that woman has told you about us, but—”
“That’s just it, Dad. She hasn’t told me anything. In fact, if it wasn’t for her pressing the issue, I would not have called you. She spoke decently of the two of you. If I were in her shoes, I would not have.”
“And why not?” Thrasher all but yelled. “We haven’t done one thing to her.”
“Nor have you done anything for her. She made it on her own without the two of you, just like I plan to do.”
Her father waved away her words
. “Don’t be silly, Shundra. You don’t know the first thing about taking care of yourself. You have college to complete. Then law school and—”
“And I will do those things on my own. Later. None of it matters now.”
“Sweetheart,” Thrasher was saying in a softer tone. “Why are you letting one silly argument between me and your mother about that woman cause you so much stress and worry?”
“Mainly because of what you said, Dad. I heard enough to know you have little tolerance or respect for a woman who makes a mistake and has a child out of wedlock. So how are you going to handle knowing I’m pregnant?”
Gail gasped and Sidney Thrasher turned purple. Veins appeared in his neck.
“Pregnant!” he screamed at the top of his lungs. Carly figured even her neighbors heard him. “Who dared touch you? Who got you pregnant? I want a name.”
Shundra glared at her father. “You’re not going to get one from me.”
Carly was certain she saw smoke coming out of Mr. Thrasher’s ears. She watched him breathe in slowly, as if trying to control himself and gain power over the situation. Gail, she noticed, was quietly sobbing into a handkerchief.
“Come on home, baby,” Sidney Thrasher said, his voice going soft again. “Your mother and I will make all the arrangements. No one will ever know.”
“That’s what you and Mom are good at, Dad, covering things up, making them disappear. Well, it won’t happen in this case. I’m not getting an abortion. I am having my baby.”
“Don’t be a fool, Shundra. Of course you’re getting an abortion. Why let one mistake ruin your whole life? Hell, if your mother had been smart enough to get an abortion twenty-eight years ago, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation.”
* * *
Lee had heard enough. Anger flared within him. He hadn’t needed to feel Carly stiffen beside him to know how Thrasher’s words had affected her. The man’s words had even affected him.
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