by Mandy Harbin
“Yep. Sorry. I really thought she wouldn’t fuss about me staying in town.”
She could sleep in the same bed as him. They were adults.
Adults who’d had sex the last time they were in the same bed together.
But still…adults.
“She seems really, um, friendly.”
He laughed. “Yeah, you’d think. But don’t let that fool you. If you cross her, she’d cut you and not break a sweat.”
“Great. So when she figures out this is a big fat lie, I’ll have a contract on my head,” Anna said, frowning. That was just what she needed. One pissed off little woman gunning for her.
Blade’s smile slipped. “Don’t worry about it. I won’t let you take the fall,” he murmured as he got closer to her. He cleared his throat when he reached her. “You haven’t looked at the ring.”
“It’s not real,” she said, looking away from him.
“I beg to differ, darlin’. It’s very real.”
She huffed out a partial laugh at what he was saying, and decided to lift her hand to get a look at it. She didn’t want to be rude, after all.
“That’s not what I mean—oh. My. God.” It was huge. Like carats. It was a teardrop shape with round diamonds all around the massive stone. “I can’t wear this.” It was bad enough she knew he wanted her to wear something that belonged to his family, but this was too much. “It’s like eleventy carats! You can buy a house with this thing.”
“Possibly,” he said casually. “Well, not this house.”
“Blade, I’m serious. I already feel bad about this whole thing. I can’t risk losing something like this.”
“Then don’t lose it,” he said with a shrug. “My mom and everybody in my family probably expects my future wife to wear that ring. It helps solidify the cover. I’ll have to meet with my mom, aunt, and cousins since they’re all part owners. You’ll be there. If you’re wearing something from a mall jewelry store, it won’t seem real to them. If it doesn’t seem real, they won’t take what you have to say seriously.”
“Blade,” she said, breathing, looking down at the ring. It seemed as if with every passing day the hole of lies just keeps getting bigger and bigger. She already knew she’d never escape its depths unscathed, but at this rate, she’d get buried alive.
“Anna, it’s okay. Really.”
“But what about your future wife? She won’t like you making a mockery of her ring.”
He didn’t say anything, and when she looked up, he gazed into nothingness, seemingly lost in thought. When he looked at her, he didn’t say anything else about it. Instead, he said, “Let’s go downstairs and find something to eat. At least Mom got everyone to come here this afternoon. Maybe we won’t need to be here all week after all. Figure it’d take days to gather everybody and get on their schedules. She actually saved us time without even realizing it.”
She nodded, though she didn’t think she’d be able to eat anything right now.
Jesus, when his mother and family learned the truth that Blade and Anna were not getting married, they’d hate her for getting Blade—and his family—mixed up in all of this.
Earlier, she’d thought Blade was the devil in her hell, but if there was an evil incarnate in this scenario, it wasn’t the man disturbing his family life under the guise of helping the government. He was just an innocent man who got sucked into all of this
No, if there was a devil here, she wore sandals and a rock the size of a prize-winning ear of corn on her left ring finger.
Chapter Six
When Anna walked out of the en suite bathroom later that afternoon, having showered and changed into something more conservative—her words, not his—Blade almost swallowed his tongue. When he didn’t think she could be any more beautiful, she surprised him again and again. Capri slacks, heels, almost sheer blouse.
And his grandma’s engagement ring. His chest tightened at the sight of it on her finger. He liked it way more than he should. When he told her about his plan, he’d almost laughed at how big her eyes had gotten. He knew when he’d mentioned having a family ring she’d wear she had no idea just what he had in store for her. The only reason he felt comfortable with it being out of a locked safe was because he knew it was insured. Granted, it held more sentimental value than any monetary one placed on it, but still. If something awful happened to the ring, they were covered.
“You look beautiful.” He rocked back on his heels and pushed his hands into his pockets to keep from reaching for her.
“Thanks. You look nice, too.” Blade had changed into some jeans and a short-sleeved button-down. He hadn’t showered again since, once the meeting was over, he intended on going out and walking around some of the property. It’d take days to scout everything, so he’d start today to make sure he covered everything. And there was one spot in particular he wouldn’t put off going to.
“You ready to head down? They should be here in about twenty minutes.”
“Yeah. I need to check in with Rick sometime,” she said as she grabbed her cellphone and walked toward him near the door.
“How long do you need?” he asked softly before opening the door.
“Probably ten minutes. Not long.”
He nodded and opened the door. “You can go outside and call when we get down there.”
They walked down to the first floor, and he placed his hand on the small of her back to guide her into the den.
“Jesus, are there any small rooms in this house?”
“We don’t do small, sweetie,” his mom said.
He turned toward her, tugging Anna with him. “Enjoy your nap?”
“Of course. I think everyone should sleep for an hour in the middle of the day. Keeps you young.” She giggled.
“You have a very beautiful home, Mrs. Young.”
His mom tsked. “I told you to call me Mom.” At Blade’s glare, his mom added, “Or Bernadette, but none of this Mrs. Young business. Makes me feel old.”
“You don’t look a day over thirty.”
His mother beamed. “I knew I liked her.”
“She’s likable,” Blade said as he gently rubbed circles on her back.
His mom clasped her hands together. “Okay, a quick family lesson. Come over here.” She walked to the side of the room where several photos were on display. She pointed out generations of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.
“Here’s Blade in his wild days.” She chuckled.
“Just because I rode a motorcycle with a group of friends doesn’t mean I was in a gang.” Blade practically rolled his eyes with that statement.
Anna bent over and got a closer look. “You were adorable.” She smiled up at him.
“I was badass.” He narrowed his eyes playfully.
“Language,” his mother muttered before she continued on pointing out various family members within the collage. When she got to the family photo taken when Blade was even younger, he stiffened.
“…And here’s Blade again. Younger than his biker days. Wasn’t he so cute? That’s me and his dad. And that right here was his sister, Brenna.” His mom’s voice held a touch of sadness, and he knew it wouldn’t escape Anna’s keen observation.
Anna leaned her head against Blade’s chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. He instinctively wound his arms around her, holding her. “She was a beautiful girl.” He hadn’t missed her use of the past tense, which meant she caught on that his sister was no longer alive.
Blade held her tighter, and said, “Yeah, she was.” He dropped his head to her hair and kissed her. “Don’t you have to check in back home, babe?”
She nodded against him before pulling away. “Sorry,” she said to his mom. “I was supposed to call and let them know we made it okay yesterday, but after the flat tire debacle, I totally forgot. I’ll just be a few minutes.”
“Oh, no worries, sweetie.”
Blade pointed to the French doors at the other end of the room. “You can go out there and make it. It won
’t be too hot in the shade.”
“No alligators on the porch, are there?” she asked with a quirked eyebrow and a small smile.
“No, smarty pants. Just don’t go down into the grass. Last thing I need is you thinking one of the lawn ornaments is the real deal and start breaking stuff.”
She chuckled. “Don’t karate chop the garden gnomes. Got it.”
Blade watched her walk out, unable to wipe the smile from his face.
“I can see how much you love her,” his mom said.
Blade took a deep breath, and said the truth. “Yeah, Mom. I do.” There was no other explanation for how gutted he’d been for the last six months without her. He’d known her for several months before, worked with her, became friends, and then lovers. It was the right order of things. The right order for the right woman.
Not that they were really together. He knew they weren’t, but after that kiss last night, he’d decided to treat this time with Anna as the gift it was. He’d worry about what would be left of his mangled heart once this mission was over.
“Well look what the gator dragged in,” a male voice he knew all too well boomed from the front door before he came into view.
Blade laughed. “Damn, Justin, when did you get so big?” he asked, stepping up to him and giving him a quick hug. He’d been his favorite cousin growing up, but they were also close in age.
“Wheaties for breakfast.”
“Pfff, you need a good creole breakfast, yeah,” his mom said, sliding into her accent.
“Where’s Lauren?”
“He’s right behind me. Wanted to drive his own truck ‘cause he’s got a hot date later.”
“Stop talking about me, fuckers,” Lauren said from the entryway, playful with an edge. That guy was always high-strung and moody as fuck. One minute he was a charmer and then next he’d have clouds in his eyes. But Blade figured everybody had their demons. Lord knew he did.
When he walked in, Blade’s mom said, “Language, Laurent.”
“Sorry, ma’am.” He hugged her, and stepped over to shake Blade’s hand.
“Where’s your mom?”
“She’s not coming.”
“What?” his mom asked. “That cranky ol’ hag.”
“That’s my mother you’re talking about,” Justin said, fighting a grin.
“And my whiny baby sister,” his mom added with a shake of her head. “No matter. We’ll chat and fill her in later.”
Blade suppressed a groan. It might not be that easy. Aunt Barbara owned the equivalent shares of the estate as his mom did. Those in Blade’s generation also received a share, but it was divided among their respective siblings. His father had tried to write Blade out of his portion and take controlling interest in the estate, but Blade knew he could fight it and win. He never did because it wasn’t worth it to stir up trouble for his mom by pissing off his dad. Plus, he’d never done anything drastic to warrant Blade stepping in. After his dad passed, he’d gotten his rightful portion allotted to Bernadette’s children, and since Brenna had died, the entire share went to him. Justin and Lauren had to split their portion. Even though all were all Beauregard grandchildren, Blade had the largest share of the three. But their mothers had more. There had to be a majority vote to implement changes, which meant they could overrule Barbara’s stance if everyone here agreed. Otherwise, he’d need Barbara’s support. And proposing to sell part of the land would definitely take some major convincing.
Even though he had no intention of actually selling.
“So why the sudden family meeting?” Justin asked. “Got any beer?”
“In the kitchen.” His mom waved in that direction.
“I want to talk about the advantages of countering the Bartholomew Acquired Development offer to purchase some of our acreage.”
Justin stopped walking away and faced him. The others froze.
“I know this go against my previous stance—”
“Everybody’s stance,” his mom said. “Why would you want to entertain it, sweetie?”
Blade sighed. He’d prepared this story, but just because it sounded good in theory to him didn’t mean it’d be convincing enough for his family. “The area they’re interested in is part of the higher plain of the property. If we sell them that, then we could go after the tract for sale south of our border. That area is more conducive for gators. I’m thinking, if we get the land to the south, we could build a lodge and take in more people during gator season. We’re already booked years in advance for that time of year. We could command the same prices we do now but take on twice the amount of guests without sacrificing the area of land per hunter we advertise.”
Lauren raised an eyebrow. “Hmm…not a completely terrible idea. The only hunting shack on that end of the property is dilapidated because there’s not enough wetlands up there for our guests to use anyway.”
“Oh there used to be a producing swap up there, but the hatchlings died off years ago, and no new congregation formed. Just as well since it dried up,” Justin said. “Doesn’t matter. Mom would never go for selling any of the family land.”
“Sweetheart, I don’t know about this,” his mom added, frowning.
“Look. I get it. I do. And I’m not even saying this is something we should do. I just think it’s something we should seriously look into, rather than sticking to an outright no like normal. If after we look at everything and it seems like a bad idea, we’ll walk away. No harm no foul. But if it seems like a great financial move for us, then we can sit down and decide if that’s a step we want to take.”
His mom’s frown didn’t leave, but she nodded slowly. “I guess there’s no harm in analyzing it first.”
“That’s all I want to do at this point. I have no hope one way or the other how it turns out. Just want to dig into it.”
“I don’t have a problem with that,” Lauren said.
“Mom might,” Justin muttered.
“What about you, though?” Blade asked him.
Justin sighed. “What do you plan on looking into exactly?”
“Their offer and their financial records. See what their intention is with the land and if they’re financially viable to fulfill their business plan…to start. Worst case, we can check out their methodology and maybe figure out a way to buy the land to the south without sacrificing any of our family land.”
“It’ll cost money to hire the right people to comb over that shit.”
“Language,” Mom muttered, glancing at Justin. Then she looked at Blade. “He’s right. Professionals aren’t cheap.” His family was technically loaded. Plus, the business earned everyone a nice chunk of change every year. But the reason his family had money for generations was because they were frugal and their money was all tied up in trusts, which were separate entities in the eyes of the government. Everything was tracked, but it also kept their money separated from them individually. And that was good for both business and privacy.
“I happen to know an excellent CPA who focuses on forensic accounting and will help for free.” He smiled at his mom.
She gasped.
“Who?” Lauren asked, eyes narrowing.
“Anna Sue?” his mom asked at the same time, but he could tell by the small smile forming on her face that she already knew the answer.
“And just who is Anna Sue?” Justin asked in a teasing tone his brother lacked.
“My fiancée.”
Anna stepped onto the grand porch and quickly pulled out her cellphone. Rick answered on the first ring.
“McMillian,” he barked.
“Good afternoon, sir. It’s Fisher.” Whenever anyone on their team was on an op, they used burner phones. She had his contact information on her personal cell, but he was a stickler for following protocol.
“It’s about damn time you checked in. What’s the status?”
“Were you aware that Bayou Beasts isn’t just an investment for Blade, but a family business with land that’s been in said family for generations?
”
Rick didn’t respond right away, then said, “I was not aware of that. I do know the company is owned by several trust entities. I wonder if the SEC realizes this?” he asked, but she didn’t get the feeling he was asking her, rather wondering out loud. It made her feel a little better knowing her boss hadn’t kept information from her. “Any intel on Mason Showalter?”
“No, sir. We just got here today. His family is on their way now, so I hope to learn something once they get here or in the next few days when I’m given access to their books.” And that was assuming the SEC’s mark was even connected to Blade’s business. At this point, that connection felt flimsy at best and farfetched at worse.
“Any news on Young?”
Oh, yes. He’d been arrested for murder. An arrest we have no flipping record of. But she didn’t say any of that. She kept her mouth shut on that little tidbit, the reaction immediate and instinctual. That didn’t mean she understood it. She was in law enforcement. It had been ingrained into her to divulge all details on a case, so why did she have the need to protect Blade’s past from her boss? She hadn’t hesitated in deciding to keep that information to herself. Deep down, she knew no matter what happened with this investigation, she wasn’t going to risk Blade’s freedom or his job. She’d follow her assignment as best she could, but she refused to sacrifice him to the federal gods of the U.S. government. She tried not to think too heavily on the meaning behind all of that.
Instead of the truth, she said, “No, sir. He’s been polite, courteous, and helpful. Not even smoking cigarettes, which is odd since he was practically chain smoking on that op in Dallas.”
“Keep an eye out and report anything you even think is suspicious.”
“Yes, sir.”
He ended the call, and without wasting any time, she immediately called Shelby since she wasn’t sure when she’d get another chance to check in with her colleague.
“Hello?”
“Hey, girl, it’s Anna. How’s it going?”
Shelby chuckled. “You’ve been gone one day. I promise I’m not going to curl into the fetal position and cry until you return.”