“An unexpected pleasure,” he said, motioning to the sofas by the window. “Can I get you ladies anything?”
“No, thanks. We’re here to talk,” Izzy said as she plopped down on a sofa cushion. “Lexi had other obligations. That’s what I’m supposed to say. Reality is, she’s still not sure about you. I said you were fine, but only Skye really believes me.”
He turned his attention to the curvy redhead in a tailored suit and pearls who had taken a seat near her sister. “You’re sure about me?”
Cool, green eyes stared into his. “I said I was willing to consider you weren’t completely evil. There’s a difference.”
“I agree.” He turned his attention back to Izzy. “What are we talking about?”
“You. Saving you from yourself.” She frowned. “You don’t remember? We discussed this before.”
Izzy had said some sentimental things about him being her brother and the sisters being his family—a fact that didn’t change anything. He’d dismissed her comments as the babblings of a broken heart.
“You were upset about Nick,” he said.
“Oh, please. That didn’t affect my brain.” She settled into a more comfortable position and patted the cushion next to hers. “Come on. Join the party. As I said the other day, you’re family. This path of destruction you’re on is just plain stupid. So we’re going to save you.”
“Against my will?”
“If necessary.” She smiled. “We can be very persuasive.”
“Izzy wants you to join the family,” Skye said.
“By Christmas,” Izzy added.
He remembered her saying something like that before. “Thanks, but no.”
“You don’t get a choice.”
“Part of saving me against my will?”
“Uh-huh. Come on, Garth. We’re your sisters. Didn’t you ever wish you had someone to braid your hair?”
“I’ll pass.”
“Ignore him,” Izzy told her sister. “He’ll come around.”
“And if he doesn’t want to come around?” Skye asked. “This is not a well-thought-out plan.”
“When has that stopped me before?”
Garth couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so uncomfortable in the presence of two women. Just as strange, he couldn’t define the cause of his unease.
He forced himself to walk closer and take a seat.
Skye turned to him. “While Izzy can be wild and impetuous, she’s actually a fairly good judge of character. She says you’re worth it.”
“I’m not,” he told her, knowing that the further the conversation went, the harder it would be to ruthlessly take over the Titan world.
Skye studied him, staring intently, as if she tried hard enough, she could read his mind.
“I understand why you went after Jed,” she said after a few seconds. “What he did was horrific. I’m ashamed of his behavior and I apologize on his behalf. Not that my apology has any validity.”
“None at all,” he said easily.
“Fair enough. But why us? What did we do to deserve your contempt?”
He didn’t like the word contempt. It implied emotion, not rationality. “You were easy targets,” he said. “If I hurt you, I hurt Jed.”
“By now you must be aware that Jed doesn’t give a damn about any of us. He’s not much of a father.”
She said the words easily, but he heard the tight pain in her voice. She might have accepted the truth about her father, but it still had the power to wound.
Garth shrugged. “If it distracts him, that’s enough for me.”
“No, it’s not,” Izzy said. “Come on. You didn’t mean for it to get this messy. That’s not your style.”
Her assessment annoyed him—probably because it was true. “You don’t know my style.”
“I can guess. You want a clean victory,” Izzy told him. “When you started this, you thought we were one happy family. Cut one and we all bleed. You thought you could weaken Jed by going after those he loved most. Which was quite the miscalculation, big brother. Feeling a little foolish now, are we?”
“No.” Foolish didn’t exactly explain what emotions he’d experienced.
The ruthless side of him said that he should tell them the truth. That their father had come to him, offering him the chance to run Titan World on the condition that all three of Jed’s daughters never get a penny.
But he didn’t say the words. There was no reason to hurt them further. Jed would do that well enough without any help.
“We’re not your enemy,” Skye said. “We don’t want anything from you.” She glanced at Izzy, who was shaking her head, then sighed. “Izzy wants you to be part of the family, but that’s different. We’re not after power or money. We just want to live our lives in peace. Is it that you can’t believe that, or you’re in too deep to back off now?”
Before he could answer, Izzy moved from her sofa to his and sat next to him. She angled toward him and touched his arm.
“We’re sorry about your mom. I don’t understand how Jed could be so callous and cruel—which I guess are the same thing. Or maybe I do understand and it scares me. He’s my father, too. Why does he have to be so bad?”
Garth didn’t want to think about his mother or what had happened to her. He drew back. “This isn’t going to work. I’ve made my decision. I know what I want and I’m going to get it.”
Izzy only smiled. “You can’t. We’re your family. Not Jed. He deserves what he’s going to get, but not us. You know we’re innocent. You know we don’t deserve what you’re doing to us. Every time you act against one of us, you’re becoming more and more like Jed, and that’s not who you are.”
He felt the truth of her statements but didn’t say anything.
“You’re pressuring him, Izzy,” Skye said. “You have to stop. Enough with the emotional blackmail. Let’s deal with facts. If you didn’t arrange the explosion on the oil rig, who did? Or was it an accident?”
Garth appreciated the change in topic. “The preliminary reports all suggest a man-made cause. Someone did it on purpose.”
“If not you, then who?” Skye asked.
“I’m working on that.”
“Why do you care?” Izzy asked.
“I’ll take responsibility for what I did, nothing else.”
“With all you’ve been doing,” Skye said, “you’re a likely suspect.”
He nodded. “I know, but it wasn’t me. Explosions are too dangerous. There’s no way to control all the outcomes. I always know the end game.”
“I don’t suppose you’d take a lie detector test,” Skye said.
He chuckled. “No.” Although he would be open to intense questioning by Deputy Dana, he thought humorously. She intrigued him with her determination and irreverence.
“When you find out who was responsible, will you tell us?” Skye asked.
“Be careful what you ask for. You may not like the answer.”
She frowned. “Do you already know?”
“I suspect. There’s a difference.”
Skye looked stricken, as if she had thought of something impossible to believe. “Will you tell us?” she asked again softly.
“Yes.”
“Just like that?”
“I’ll tell you,” he said firmly.
She stood. “Then I guess we’ll wait to hear.”
He and Izzy rose.
Izzy looked at him. “About the family thing. I’m not kidding. You’re one of us now. Quit being mean.”
Then, before he could stop her, she wrapped both her arms around him, leaning against him. The embrace was uncomfortable and unfamiliar. He was used to having women in his arms, but this was different.
She released him, then stared into his eyes. Her mouth curved into a slight smile.
“Next time you’re going to hug me back,” she whispered. “You need us, Garth. And we need you.” Then she raised herself on her toes and kissed his cheek. “It’s going to be okay.”
Skye eyed him. “I’m not comfortable with the whole embracing thing just yet.”
“Not a problem.”
“I hope Izzy’s right. I hope you are worth saving. We’re about to find out.” She smiled. “You may not like the process.”
The women left.
He stared after them, wanting to call them back and say he wasn’t worth saving. That they were ridiculous to waste their effort this way. At the same time, he had the strangest feeling that they had just won this round and that the unexpected victory had put him behind.
IT WAS NEARLY NINE that night when Garth rode the elevator from his condo building’s parking garage. He was tired, not surprising after a nearly fifteen-hour day, but his weariness seemed to be deeper than usual. He’d brought home a briefcase full of work he had no intention of looking at and he was oddly reluctant to spend the evening by himself.
If he had to define his mood—something he rarely bothered doing—he would say he was lonely.
It wasn’t as if he usually spent evenings playing poker with the guys, but lately the emptiness seemed more profound. Maybe it was because he’d lost his best friend. Or maybe all he needed was a drink and some TV time in front of a football game.
When the elevator stopped on the main floor, he got out and crossed to pick up his mail. On his way to the bank of locked boxes, he saw someone sitting in one of the overstuffed sofas. A familiar someone, watching him.
Dana Birch stood. “You’re keeping late hours.”
She wasn’t in uniform. Instead she wore jeans, a leather jacket and boots. Nothing stylish or upscale, yet the no-nonsense clothes suited her.
Garth swung his attention to George, the evening doorman for the building. The older man shifted uncomfortably.
“You, ah, have a visitor, Mr. Duncan.”
“So I see.”
Dana moved toward him. “Don’t blame George. His nephew is a new recruit in the Titanville sheriff’s office. I’ve helped him out a couple of times. George owes me.”
“Does he?”
Garth got his mail and tucked it under his arm. He had his briefcase in one hand and a bag of Chinese takeout in the other. “Why are you here?”
“Because you are.”
Not that he minded—Garth wasn’t intimidated by a powerful woman. In fact, he found the challenge appealing. There was something about Dana’s mouth, though. The fullness of the bottom lip, the slight curve at the corners. It spoke of sensuality and promise. Or maybe that was wishful thinking on his part.
“Starting a fan club?” he asked.
“Not exactly. I’ve taken a leave of absence from work so I can follow you. I’ll be on your ass until I figure out who and what you are.”
“You already know who I am.”
“Not really. Izzy thinks you’re brother material. Skye and Lexi aren’t so sure.”
An unexpected twist. “You’re the deciding vote?”
She smiled. “I’m here to test your character. Think of me as a trial by fire.”
He would give the Titan sisters points for creativity. “You don’t scare me, Dana.”
“Give it time.”
He chuckled and held up the bag of takeout. “You hungry? I have enough for two.”
“Lucky me.”
“Is that a yes?”
She paused for a second, before grabbing the bag. “Sure. Why not?”
They walked toward the elevator.
As they passed the main desk, George gave him a thumbs-up. Garth bit back a laugh. Given the fact that Dana was both prickly and determined to see the worst in him, the odds of him getting lucky that night seemed close to zero. But he was a man who enjoyed a good challenge.
CHAPTER THREE
THEY RODE THE ELEVATOR in silence. Dana hadn’t realized she was hungry until she inhaled the scent of the takeout and her stomach growled. Just as disconcerting was her awareness of the man standing next to her. Garth hadn’t bothered to look even slightly concerned about her showing up for the second time in two days. Why couldn’t he at least pretend to be nervous?
They exited on the top floor and she followed him to his penthouse. He unlocked the door, then waited for her to go first.
She walked into the dark space. Seconds later Garth flipped on lights.
Yesterday morning she’d been more interested in the man than his home and hadn’t noticed much beyond the open floor plan and killer view. Now she ignored the display of city lights and instead concentrated on the surroundings.
The condo had been built in a loft style, with a huge open room. The living area was in front, a dining area to the right. A half wall separated a restaurant-sized kitchen with sleek cabinets and gleaming granite from the rest of the room. The furniture was large, the colors subdued and masculine, the carpeting plush. The space looked expensive and comfortable, a rare combination.
“You had a good decorator,” she said.
Garth tossed his leather briefcase and mail onto a table by the door and shrugged out of his suit jacket. “Thanks. He did a nice job.”
“Not a woman? Color me surprised.”
“I appreciate talent in either gender.”
“Aren’t you Mr. Open-minded?”
He came up beside her and pointed to the large, wood dining room table. “Shall we?”
She walked to the table and set down the bag. He crossed to a built-in wine cellar tucked in the wet bar between the dining and living rooms.
“Wine?” he asked. “Or are you on duty?”
“Wine is fine.”
He returned with two glasses and a bottle of red. Dana didn’t recognize the label, which wasn’t a huge surprise. She was more of a beer drinker.
“Plates are in the kitchen,” he said, walking to a buffet, opening a drawer and pulling out a corkscrew.
She walked into the big kitchen and hit the lights. There was counter space for twenty, double sinks, double ovens and a warming drawer.
“Your caterer must love working here. All you need are minions.”
“I have minions. It’s their night off.”
She turned away so he couldn’t see her smile, then opened cupboards until she found plates. The flatware was in the drawer below. After grabbing a couple of paper towels for napkins, she returned to the dining room.
He’d put the now-full wineglasses at one end of the table, across from each other. While she set out the plates, he put containers of Chinese food in front of them.
“It’s a historic occasion,” he said as they sat. “Did you want to say a few words?”
“None would be fit for polite society.”
He winked. “I’m not that polite.”
“True.”
He offered her what looked like kung pao chicken. “You’re serious about the leave of absence?”
She scooped the spicy chicken onto her plate. “Absolutely. My new job is you. I know that makes your heart all quivery.”
Instead of serving himself, he rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt and took a sip of wine.
“I wouldn’t describe any part of me as quivery, but I am curious as to your plan.”
“I told you. Watch, follow, catch you being bad.”
He gave her a slow, sexy smile. “There will be so many opportunities.”
“You think you’re all that, don’t you?”
“I know I am.”
The man had balls, Dana thought as she reached for the egg rolls. Really big ones. And an ego the size of the Titanic. Both of which could work in her favor. If he didn’t think she was a threat, he would be careless. And that’s when she would see the real Garth Duncan.
He served himself from the containers. The overhead lights flattered his dark good looks and his easygoing personality made him an appealing dinner companion. He must have women lining up five deep to get a shot at him and his fortune. Fortunately, she was immune. She could
certainly appreciate what she saw, but she wasn’t interested. He wasn’t her type.
“You must be disappointed,” he said. “My interview with the Dallas Police Department didn’t include questionable practices. They were polite and didn’t once beat me with a pipe.”
“Another hope crushed. I’ll get over it. There’s always tomorrow.” She sipped her wine. It was a smooth red that would probably be described as saucy or impatient or something else equally stupid. She just thought it was good.
“Izzy and Skye came to see me today,” he said. “Izzy’s determined to save me from myself.”
“She has more heart than sense.”
“Not a fault you share?”
“I’m heartless,” she said cheerfully.
“Then we have that in common.”
“Lucky us. You might have snowed Izzy, but the rest of the sisters won’t be so easy.”
“I wasn’t trying to snow anyone. Izzy’s decided this on her own.” He leaned toward her. “How do you play into all this? If Izzy’s convinced I’m to be brought into the arms of the family, why are you so determined to throw me in jail?”
“I’ve always liked sports. Besides, Izzy hasn’t convinced me or Lexi that you’re interested in changing your plan. The theory is if you’re really who Izzy thinks, you’ll understand my need to protect my friends. If you’re not, you deserve what you get.”
“You’re not a big believer in gray area, are you?”
“No. I’m not. And neither are you.”
He raised his glass to her. “Be careful, Deputy Dana. If we have much more in common, we’ll have to be friends, and neither of us would be happy with that news.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll never like you.”
He smiled. “Is that a promise?”
“Sure.”
“Good. A challenge. And here I thought it was going to be a dull evening. My mistake.”
There was something in his eyes. Something predatory that made her want to squirm in her seat. She had to remember Garth was just a guy. He put his pants on one leg at a time.
“You expect to get away with things because of your position and your wealth,” she said. “That won’t work with me.”
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