by Cynthia Eden
“Fuck.” Jason’s voice was a low snarl.
Tears slid down Catherine’s cheeks. “You’re mistaken. I-I…give me a minute. I’ll call him.” But she didn’t have a phone. Frantic, she turned, trying to take Jason’s phone from his pocket. “Give me your phone!”
A muscle flexed in his jaw. “Cat…”
She snatched the phone from him. Called her father. “He’s angry at me.” The line kept ringing. “If you just give him a moment, he’ll answer…I-I know he will…”
“No, ma’am,” the cop’s handsome face still reflected his sympathy. “He won’t. From what the ME could estimate, your father was killed at least five hours ago.”
The phone fell from her fingers.
Five hours ago…? I was at the airport then. Cameron had called me. He was coming to get me…
“We’ll need you to come down to the station with us,” the cop continued. “You’ll need to officially identify the body.”
Her gaze tore from him and locked on the patrol car. Her brother was in that car, trying to shout something to her through the raised car window. She couldn’t hear him clearly because voices were raised as a crowd gathered on the street. Couldn’t understand—
“I’m sorry for your loss,” the cop told her. “From what we can tell, your brother…he just snapped.”
I…protect you.
She rocked back, hitting Jason’s strong chest.
“You never know what’s in a man’s heart,” the cop exhaled heavily. “Even the people you think you know…they all have secrets.”
The tears wouldn’t stop. They fell down her cheeks.
“Cat…” Jason’s arms were tight around her as tremors ripped through her body.
I…protect you.
***
“No!” Cameron yelled as the cop car pulled away from the sidewalk. “Cat, no, get away from that bastard! I didn’t do this!”
“Settle down back there,” the cop in front barked.
He couldn’t settle the hell down. His gaze was still on Cat, held tightly in Jason August’s embrace. That SOB. Did he think he’d gotten what he wanted?
“I didn’t kill him!” Cameron shouted. His head was throbbing, nausea twisting his guts. Nathaniel—dead? No, he’d been fine when Cameron left him. His usual, cold-blooded self.
“Get away from him, Cat! Don’t trust August!”
“If you don’t quiet down,” the cop snapped. “I’ll quiet you.”
“Then come and do it!” Cameron slammed his head into the window. “Don’t trust him!”
Because Jason August was evil, straight to his core. He was using Cat, playing with her…and soon enough, Cameron knew the other man would try to destroy his sister.
The same way he’s destroying me.
Chapter Seven
Cat was too pale. Her eyes were stunned, hurt, and dark shadows lined the beautiful blue. She seemed too delicate, too damn breakable, and Jason wanted to pull her close and protect her from the whole bloody world.
Except…Cat wasn’t letting him get close. Every time that he tried to touch her, she tensed.
“You need to prepare yourself,” a woman in a white lab coat was telling Cat. “The nature of your father’s injuries…it’s not going to be a pretty sight.”
They’d been at the police station for over six hours. Answering questions—again and again. Cat still wore the gown he’d bought for her. Jason had long ago ditched his tux jacket and vest.
He wanted out of that place. He wanted to take Cat and vanish.
Why won’t she look me in the eyes?
“I-I’m ready.” The stutter was back in her voice. It kept slipping in and each time he heard it, Jason’s fist wanted to drive through the nearest wall. She was hurting, and there was nothing that he could do to stop her pain.
She followed the woman in white toward the door. Jason’s hand lifted and curled around Cat’s shoulder. “You don’t have to do this alone,” he told her. “Look, I can come with you. I can-”
Cat shook her head. She straightened her shoulders—and pushed his hand away. “I’m okay.”
Lie.
She left the small room. An interrogation room. And he was tired of being interrogated. Jason’s breath heaved out. Cameron killed his father? Hell, he hadn’t seen that coming. Sure, he’d been pushing and pushing against Donnelly Dining, but he hadn’t planned for this to happen.
He slipped from the room. Watched Cat as she entered an elevator. He didn’t want her viewing that body alone. He wanted to be at her side. Protecting her from everyone and everything possible. He—
“Haven’t you done enough?” Brock Mayer demanded. His eyes blazed at Jason. “You’ve destroyed that family. Let Cat keep the pieces of herself that are left.”
Jason’s back teeth locked. “Get out of my way.”
“No, no, I won’t.” Brock seemed to brace himself. For what? Did the guy think Jason was dumb enough to attack him in a police station? “You want to go in there and gloat over the dead?”
“Are you insane—”
“It’s not happening!” Brock said, voice fierce. “Nathaniel Donnelly might have been a cold bastard, but he was her father. Give her time alone with him.” He moved forward, coming to stand toe-to-toe with Jason. “You took everything else from her. The company. Her family. Just let Cat have these last few minutes.”
Rage pumped through Jason’s blood. “I didn’t do this.”
“You didn’t push Cameron Donnelly until he broke? Didn’t go after his livelihood, his company, every single day? What did you think would happen? That he would just walk away? Just give up?” Brock gave a hard shake of his head. “You push some people too far, and they snap.” His fingers snapped together. “And they turn on those close to them. They attack.”
The elevator doors had closed. Cat was gone.
“It’s all over the Press. You were wining and dining Cat last night while her brother was killing her father. Not like that scandal will be dying down any time soon.” Brock’s voice was a low, furious rumble. “Did you know…I found the body. Sprawled in the office. All that blood around him. The ME said…he lived for a few minutes. That Nathaniel didn’t die right away.” His head sank as he stared at his hands. “Maybe if I’d gotten there sooner…”
Jason’s own past shoved through his mind and he growled as pain merged with the fury.
Brock’s head snapped up. His eyes met Jason’s. Surprise—then understanding—lit his gaze. “After yesterday…I did some checking on you—your father—”
“Put a gun to his own head.” The words were savage. “And I found him. He had a few minutes left, but it did no good. He just died in my arms.” His blood had been all over Jason.
Brock backed away. One stumbling step. “Maybe you think it’s fitting…”
Jason tried to unclench his hands.
“It’s fitting…” Brock said, his voice dropping, “That they both went out that way. You got your revenge, didn’t you? You got everything that you wanted.”
He hadn’t wanted this.
All he wanted…all he wanted was Cat.
“Let her go now,” Brock said, expression stark. Almost desperate. “Before you break her completely.”
Jason stared at him. “If I let her go,” Jason asked, “what the fuck do you think will happen to me?”
I’ll break. I’ll be lost. I need her too much.
Brock’s eyes widened in stunned surprise. “You—”
The elevator doors dinged. Jason’s head whipped up just in time to see Cat rush out of the elevator. Tears were on her cheeks. He hated the sight of her tears. Jason shoved past Brock and hurried to Cat.
But when she saw him, Cat froze.
No, no, no. He pulled her into his arms anyway, ignoring the stiffness of her body. Jason held her close. “I’m sorry, love,” he whispered against her ear. Because Brock was right. This nightmare was on him. He’d put the wheels in motion. He just hadn’t realized what the end res
ult of his twisted plan would be.
I wanted her…and I wanted to destroy her father’s business.
Now he realized…Cat had been right before. Maybe he was more like Nathaniel than he’d thought. He hadn’t cared about collateral damage. He’d taken what he wanted.
“Get me out of here,” Cat whispered.
He pulled her closer and started walking with her at his side.
But of course, Brock was still there. Still in his way.
“Cat…Cat, I am so sorry.” Brock stepped toward her, as if he’d embrace Cat.
Jason was holding her. She didn’t need anyone else. “I’ve got her,” he told the other man.
Brock’s hands fell. He swallowed. “They…they found out that Cameron had a concussion. The cops told me that he was transferred to a hospital for evaluation. Maybe…maybe he wasn’t even aware of what he was doing. When folks are pushed too far, reality can—”
Cat turned in Jason’s arms. “Please,” she begged him, staring up at him with tear-filled eyes, “get me out of here. I keep seeing his body…it’s all I see…”
Brock blanched. “I know…I-I see it, too.”
Jason’s arm slid around Cat’s shoulders. Her tears were ripping through him. “Get out of my way,” he told Brock.
The guy hesitated. Then backed off. But as Jason passed him, Brock warned, “I won’t let you destroy her, too.”
Jason didn’t bother responding. Cops were all around him, and that moment wasn’t the time to deck the prick.
Later.
That moment…that was just the moment to hold Cat close and to get her the hell out of there.
***
Grief made Cat numb. She stood in Jason’s penthouse, near one of the large windows, looking out of the city and she saw—
Blood. White skin. Death.
Her eyes squeezed shut, but the image wouldn’t leave. It was burned into her mind.
Did Cameron really do that? She’d suspected that Cameron hated their father for a long time, but…
Hating someone and killing him—those were two different things.
She pulled her robe tighter around her body.
A phone rang—the peal sounded like it came from Jason’s office. He picked up the call almost immediately, but his voice was hushed, so she couldn’t make out his words.
Jason. He kept staring at her as if he expected her to break. Silly man. Didn’t he realize that she’d already broken? She’d broken when the ME had pulled back that white sheet and she’d seen her father’s face. Guilt and regret had swamped her.
Regret because no one should die like that. Regret because she wished things had been different between them. Wished they’d been able to connect the way others had seemed to—so easily.
Guilt…because she didn’t feel more. She cried and she hurt but…there should be more.
The ME had said something about Cat being in shock. She didn’t feel as if she were in shock. It was more like being in hell.
“Catherine.”
If I’m in hell…does that make Jason the devil?
She turned toward his voice. He stood in the doorway, face tense, his expression so guarded. She hated that. She wanted to be able to look at Jason and tell exactly what he was feeling.
Do you feel anything for me?
When Cameron had been throwing out his accusations against Jason, she hadn’t believed him.
Cameron had to be wrong. I-I couldn’t love a man who’d do that to me.
But…wouldn’t she have also known if her brother was a killer?
“I think we should leave the city,” Jason said as he hurried toward her.
His words pierced through the numbness around her. “What?” She couldn’t leave. She’d have to…have to make funeral arrangements for her father. With Cameron in jail, someone had to take care of the Donnelly Dining employees and—
Jason caught her hands. “I have a private plane. We can leave within the hour. We’ll go somewhere warm. Somewhere…some place where people don’t know us.”
Her laughter was bitter. “People will know us everywhere now.” She’d once worried about a few naked photos? That was so beyond where she was in that moment. Her brother’s image was in every paper. Son Shoots Father…Inside the Donnelly Dynasty of Death…all the Press stories carried dumb headlines like that one.
But Jason shook his head. “There are islands we can visit, places where we’ll be totally alone. We can forget the rest of the world for a while.”
Was he serious? “You know I can’t leave.”
“I know we need to leave.” He took her hands in his. “Now.”
Something was wrong. “What’s happening?”
“I want to be alone with you. I want to get you away—”
“What don’t you want me to know?” She cut through his words. She didn’t want any more secrets or lies.
His lips compressed into a thin line.
“Tell me.” What else was she going to learn? Had she been wrong to trust him instead of Cameron? To follow her heart? She didn’t want to be proven a fool again. “Jason…”
“Your brother is…missing.”
Those weren’t the words she’d expected. “What?”
“His guards thought he was sedated at the hospital. He got out, Cat. He slipped away from them. That phone call I just received was from the police. They wanted you aware because they think…” His words trailed away.
She pressed toward him. “What is it—exactly—that they think?”
“That he might come after you.”
She shook her head. “He would never hurt me!” He’d saved her before.
“You don’t know what he could be capable of doing. Right now, the cops think he killed your father.”
Blood. White skin…
“I’m not letting him get anywhere near you ever again.” He gave a grim nod. “I’m getting my plane ready. We’ll be out of town within the hour. The cops can find him and—”
“And what? Stop him? Shoot him?” Her heart pounded like mad in her chest. “He’s my brother! I know him! He wouldn’t ever hurt me.”
Jason just stared at her.
“I trust you,” she whispered. “Why can’t you trust me?”
“Because your father is dead.” He glanced away from her. “And we both know it’s fucking on me. I pushed your brother until he broke. I did that.”
“Jason—”
He glanced back at her. Emotion blazed on his face. No mask to hide his feelings. Just—
“I won’t let you break.” A dark promise. “I’ll do anything, anything, but you won’t break. He won’t hurt you. No one will hurt you, I swear it.”
She searched his eyes. “Tell me.”
He blinked at her. “What?”
“Tell me that you love me.”
“Catherine—”
“Tell me that it wasn’t some game for you. That you didn’t hire someone to film us. That you didn’t send those pictures to the guy at the Crimson Star.”
His words were echoing through her mind. I pushed him until he broke.
“You’re not part of a game,” he bit out.
She’d asked him to tell her more.
The phone rang then. Only this time, it wasn’t Jason’s phone. It was hers. The phone she’d carefully placed on the nearby table earlier.
She backed away from Jason as she headed toward the phone. Would it be the cops, calling to say her brother had escaped? First they alerted Jason, then her?
But when she bent to pick up the phone, she recognized the number on her screen. It wasn’t the police. Cat swiped her finger across the screen and then put the phone to her ear. “Hello?”
“Is Jason August with you?” That was Brock’s voice. It had been his telephone number flashing on her screen.
“Yes.”
He cursed. “Cat, listen carefully…he set up your brother. Do you hear me? That man is twisted. He’s sick. I got access to the video footage that the cops have.
It’s fake. Do you hear me? Fake.”
She glanced over her shoulder. Jason frowned at her.
“August hired someone—he freaking hired a lot of people—to make this mess go down. His team spliced the video, played it in such a way that Cameron looked guilty, but he’s not. I swear, he’s not.”
“Can you…can you prove this?” Her voice was a hoarse whisper.
“I can…we can. Cameron is with me now. We’re at the main office…your father’s office.”
She glanced out at the dark city. The cops should have shut down Donnelly Dining. They’d told her that the place was a crime scene.
“We’ve got one of our computer techs—George Straud—working with us. August hacked our accounts. He’s been in our system for years. That’s how he was able to always underbid us. And that’s how he could make it seem as if your brother had sent the photos to the Crimson Star.”
“Catherine…” Jason’s voice sounded too close. Her gaze slid to him.
“He’s right there? Cat, you have to get away from him!” Brock had obviously heard Jason’s voice. “He hired someone to kill your father, someone to set up your brother and send him to prison for life. What do you think he will do to you?”
Jason’s head tilted as he studied her. “Is everything all right?”
“Come to us, Cat. Get here, as fast as you can.” Brock disconnected the call.
Her fingers were trembling when she lowered the phone.
“Who was that?” Jason asked.
She tilted her head as she studied him. “You didn’t tell me.”
He surged toward her. “I’ll tell you anything you want to know.” An edge of desperation hardened the words.
“Then tell me you love me,” she whispered. Because she had to hear him say those words. She had to find out if she was being a fool for him…or if she could truly trust the man who was her husband.
“I love you, Catherine,” he said immediately. No hesitation.
The words…they matched up with the emotion she saw in his eyes. The emotion he was showing to her.
“Then help me,” she told him because she was so afraid of what would come next.
Chapter Eight
Jason hadn’t been inside of Donnelly Dining before—and as he walked down the hallways, he realized…the decoration in the place sucked.