Embracing Danger

by Olivia Jaymes

  She was halfway out of the garage when she stopped abruptly, her hand reaching out to run her fingers over the chrome handlebars of his cycle, a small smile on her face.

  Even after all these years, she remembered.

  “You still have it.”

  He came to stand beside her and patted the leather seat. “This is a different one, but I did the restoration on this one myself as well. I’m trying to get as much riding time in as I can before the snow comes.”

  They were both thinking back to those hot summer rides down to the lake. Skinny-dipping and then making love in the moonlight. Kisses and whispers. Passion and giggles. It had been everything and then it was gone.

  “What happened to your old one?”

  “Wrecked,” he said flatly. “I laid it down when a car turned in front of me. Broke my wrist in two places and got a lecture from Mom so blistering that I can still hear it echoing in my brain. She was madder than a wet hen and begged me not to replace it. But of course I did as soon as I was healed enough to ride again.”

  “Your mother hated that bike.”

  “She hates this one just as much,” Shane assured her. “Maybe more because now she says I should have the good sense not to ride. She’s probably right. When was the last time you rode, princess?”

  Her hand jerked away from the cycle as if she’d been burned.

  “With you,” she whispered before turning on her heel and heading straight for her vehicle.

  Emotion that he had long buried clawed at his heart, making itself known. Images that he thought he had forgotten flooded his consciousness, almost bringing him to his knees with their power. There was a time in his life when he could refuse this woman nothing.

  He hadn’t changed, although he would have sworn he had. He would have told everyone that he’d moved on and his heart was mended. He’d lied.

  “Wait,” he heard himself saying, knowing he’d regret it later. “I’ll help you. Not a full blown investigation but I’ll make a few inquiries, okay?”

  Arden whirled around and for the first time he saw hope in her expression. “You mean it? You’ll really help me?”

  He was an idiot and this female could tie him in knots without breaking a sweat. He’d known his answer to her request at the beginning and had only been fighting the inevitable. Turning her away was a non-starter. Sadly, he had a deep-seated and pathetic need to be her knight in shining armor.

  “I’ll check around but I can’t promise anything. Understand?”

  If Ben was holed up in a hotel somewhere with a couple of hookers and a case of gin, Shane was going to kick his ass for worrying Arden like this.

  “I understand. Thank you.”

  “Don’t thank me yet,” Shane warned. “You may not like what I dig up.”

  “I’ll take my chances. I’m so grateful that you’re doing this.”

  The last thing he wanted was her gratitude.

  “Go home, and if I find anything I’ll call you.”

  He watched as she climbed into her car and left, her taillights fading into the darkness. Chilled, he went back into the house and stood in the center of the kitchen, his brain trying to comprehend his own stupidity. He’d agreed to help Arden and he couldn’t change his mind now. Racing for his cell, he swiped the screen and pressed a few buttons.

  “West? It’s Shane. I need to talk to you about this Ben Cavendish thing. Can we meet? Yeah, that’s sounds good. I’ll meet you at the diner in thirty. Thanks.”

  Pressing the end button, he reached for the keys to the cycle. It was colder than a witch’s tit in a brass bra but that was exactly the kind of weather he needed to slap some sense into him.

  Maybe if he asked West nicely his cousin would punch him right in the face.

  Chapter Six

  ‡

  Shane waited until the waitress had poured them two coffees and hurried away before he spoke.

  “Arden visited me tonight. She wants me to help find her father.”

  West shook his head and sighed. “I know she’s angry with me but my hands are tied. He left a note and he’s only been gone a day. Truthfully, I’ve already done too much.”

  “Did you find anything?”

  West tapped his fingers on the edge of his coffee cup. “The cab company says they never picked him up, which leads us to believe someone else did. That someone may or may not have been the same person that drove Arden off the road. We didn’t get anything at the traffic light, which means they went the other direction toward the highway instead of town.”

  That made sense if Ben was taking a road trip somewhere.

  “Did you run his credit cards?”

  “Now that’s the interesting thing.” West sat back in the booth. “He hasn’t used them. His last transaction was lunch the day of the party, and that is strange. When you look at his transaction history he doesn’t appear to use much cash.”

  “Any large withdrawals?”

  “Nothing that made the police look twice, although they didn’t look closely. I told them not to spend too much time on this.”

  Shane rubbed the back of his neck in frustration. “Have you analyzed his spending?”

  West laughed and shook his head. “Hell, no. The police isn’t even supposed to be working on this case, remember? But it sounds like you’re going to.”

  “I’m a fucking idiot but I said I would help her. I was thinking of calling Jason and getting a full background on Ben. It might tell me where he might have run off to so suddenly.”

  “Why don’t you just hire Jason to do the digging for you?”

  “I thought about that but they don’t really do private investigation work. They’re police consultants, right? I don’t mind asking for a dossier on Cavendish but I’m hesitant to ask for a field agent too.”

  “I’m sure Jason would help you if you asked.”

  West could barely look Shane in the eye and it was getting annoying. “If you’ve got something to say, cousin, just spit it out.”

  “Do you think this is a good idea?”

  Shane started laughing so hard a few heads whipped around at the other tables. “I certainly do not but I couldn’t say no.” He immediately sobered as an image of Arden’s worried face appeared before him. “She’s terrified for him, West. Now that she knows what her father has done and the company he keeps, she’s afraid something bad has happened to him. Frankly, I don’t blame her, although I’m not convinced that he’s anywhere against his will.”

  West leaned forward, his expression strained. “Mark my words, Shane. Nothing good can come from this. Either you find out he’s playing roulette and drinking scotch in Vegas or even worse, you find out he’s gotten in with some bad dudes that don’t play. It won’t end well for anyone, and Ben sure as hell isn’t going to change his mind about you. He’d never bless a union between you and Arden.”

  Shane sucked in a sharp breath. “There isn’t going to be any union. That’s all in the past.”

  “You’re just helping her as one fellow Tremont resident to the other, I suppose,” West jeered with a grin. “Don’t bullshit a bullshitter. You’re still in love with her.”

  Done. Shane was done with this conversation. All of it. He stood and threw down some bills to cover the coffee. “Thanks for your help. I’ll take it from here.”

  West was up and out of the booth before Shane could move past him. “Hey, I didn’t mean to piss you off. I’m just saying that you need to be honest with yourself as to why you’re doing this or you’re going to end up in a world of hurt when this is all over. I hate to see that happen to you, man.”

  Shane simply shrugged into his coat and palmed his keys.

  “I’m already in hell, West. This isn’t going to make any difference.”

  * * *

  The next evening, Arden shouldn’t have been surprised by Shane standing at her door holding a brown paper bag but she was. Somewhere in her over-emotional brain she’d fooled herself into thinking that him helping her w
ouldn’t mean they’d be thrown together in close proximity.

  Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

  “We need to talk,” he stated, holding up the bag. Mouthwatering aromas wafted from its contents and her stomach growled in response. “I brought dinner. We have a lot of work to get through.”

  Stepping back to let him enter, her hand automatically shot up to smooth her still damp curls. She’d showered after school but hadn’t bothered to do her hair or put on any makeup.

  “What did you bring to eat?”

  Shane smiled over his shoulder as he headed straight for the kitchen. “All your favorites. I know you love breakfast for dinner. Pancakes, biscuits with some fresh honey, hash browns, and of course, bacon.”

  She was practically drooling. The years had added a few pounds here and there and she had to watch her figure now, unlike the young girl she’d once been. She had a vivid memory of the two of them demolishing an order of chili cheese fries right before eating the largest hot fudge sundae she’d ever seen.

  She closed the front door and trailed after him. “I’ll get fat.”

  He emptied the bag while she pulled plates and silverware from cabinets and drawers. “I doubt you’ll get fat from one hearty breakfast.”

  “I don’t burn calories like I used to.”

  Stealing glances at him, Arden poured two glasses of water before settling in at the table. He was dressed casually today in jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt that showed off why women in six counties couldn’t keep their panties on when he turned on the charm.

  She’d been one of them once.

  “No one does, princess. It’s all part of the aging process.”

  Shane sat across from her and dug into his food, paying little attention to her, which was fine. He’d filled her plate and she found herself eating most of it, her appetite sharp despite all the turmoil she’d been through in the last twenty-four hours. She’d thought the silence would be filled with tension but it was surprisingly comfortable. This wasn’t the first meal they’d shared and Shane had never been much of a talker when he was filling his belly.

  When she couldn’t eat another bite, she set her fork down on the plate. “What do you want to talk about? Have you learned anything about where Dad went?”

  “No, but I’ve got Jason and his men doing some digging into your father’s business dealings.” Shane pushed his plate away and wrapped his hands around his glass. “If we have any hope at all of making this partnership of sorts work then we need to set down some ground rules. Otherwise one or both of us are going to end up saying something we regret. I don’t want to argue with you about the past.”

  “What kind of ground rules did you have in mind?”

  “We leave the past where it is and start fresh. Try to be friends or at least two people who don’t hate each other.”

  It sounded tempting and too good to be true. She didn’t want them to have that kind of animosity between them.

  “You won’t bring up that summer?”

  His eyebrows lifted and the corner of his lips turned up in a smile. “What summer?”

  Smirking asshole.

  “And this is a peace treaty?” she pressed. “No throwing the past in my face?”

  “Not now.” He leaned forward in his chair and she caught a whiff of his body wash mixed with his own masculine scent. Her bare toes curled against the cold tile as a shiver ran down her spine. “But after we find your father it will be a different story. We’ll have it out then and I’ll want the truth, Arden. You owe me an explanation as to why you left without a word and I think it’s time you gave it to me. Until then though we’re the best of friends. Deal?”

  She did owe him. Dammit.

  “Deal. When does this friendship start?”

  “Why, it already has, princess. I brought you breakfast, didn’t I?”

  “I suppose I’m doing the dishes?”

  She was pleased and surprised that she managed to keep her tone light-hearted.

  “I think it’s only fair.” He stood and refilled his glass, leaning a hip against the counter. “Now let’s get down to business, shall we? I need to know everything you know about your dad’s life. No detail is too small or too off the wall. Anything might tell us where he might have gone.”

  She opened her mouth to answer but then closed it, realizing she didn’t know all that much about her own father. He’d made a point not to expose her to his business dealings and only superficially to his personal relationships.

  “I don’t know much.”

  “You know more than you think you do. Let’s start with recent events. Tell me anyone you know he’s talked to since you’ve been home, whether on the phone or in person.” Shane dug his cell out of his pocket and pressed a few buttons before laying it on the table. “If you don’t mind I’ll record this.”

  Arden had been home less than a month so this first exercise wasn’t too bad. “On my first day home, he was in the office with Sheldon Court. I think he’s in construction or something but I don’t know what they were talking about. He stayed for about an hour and then left.”

  “Good girl. This is exactly what I need. Keep going.”

  She shouldn’t have this warm feeling inside from simply being praised but then it had always been like that. She’d glowed under his approval, blossoming under his tender loving care and attention.

  She couldn’t help the small pinch of longing to feel that way again.

  Chapter Seven

  ‡

  By Thursday night, Arden was exhausted and more worried than ever. She hadn’t heard a word from her father and according to the police he hadn’t used any of his credit cards or his cell phone. Every passing day with the same deafening silence only made things worse.

  So she’d been thrilled when Shane told her he had the background check from Jason’s firm. It felt like they were spinning their wheels with no new information and her nerves were stretched thin. She wanted something – anything – to happen.

  Which was why she was knocking on his front door after school was done for the day. She’d been waiting since lunch time when she’d seen his text and patience had never been her strong suit.

  The door swung open and Shane stood on the other side looking too handsome for words. They’d spent every single evening together this week going over the smallest of details she could remember about her father, so she ought to be used to how sexy and masculine he looked. He’d matured into a gorgeous man.

  A nice one too.

  Once they’d put aside the past and decided to be friends their time together had been rather easy and jovial. His sense of humor was still as wicked, and coupled with his keen intelligence he could make her laugh at will.

  “Come on in. You look cold.”

  “That’s because I am cold. It’s freezing out there today. I’d forgotten how early it gets cold here at home.”

  Toeing off her boots, she hung her coat on the peg next to the door before joining him in front of the fireplace.

  “Are you hungry?”

  Shaking her head, she held her frozen hands closer to the flames, sighing as the heat penetrated her cold bones. “Not right now. Honestly I want to hear what they dug up.”

  Shane’s expression had been bland so far, giving away nothing, but then he would have been an excellent poker player.

  The asshole.

  “Can I get you a drink?”

  He’d tipped his hand just a little.

  “You said we needed to meet but you don’t seem to want to talk. Shane, that worries me.”

  He picked up a folder from the coffee table and sat down on the couch. “I know that you and I have been talking about your father all week, and I know that you are aware that your father’s business dealings are at best unethical and at worst possibly illegal. I assume you’ve made your peace with that.”

  If he thought he was going to shock her with a story about bribes or under the table deals he was sadly mistaken. “I have, and for all he�
��s done he is still my father. I can love him for how he took care of me after my mother died but not condone the way he has lived his life otherwise. You’re not going to send me into a fainting spell. I know what my father is, Shane.”

  He opened the file and laid it flat on the table, his fingertips making circles on the pages, and his gaze deliberately averted. Finally, he looked her in the eye and picked up a photo, handing it to her.

  “Do you know who this is? Does he look familiar?”

  It was a picture of her father but…not her father. This man was a few pounds heavier with more gray hair.

  “I don’t understand. Who is this?”

  She studied the picture, trying to see all the differences between this man and Ben Cavendish and ended up seeing all the similarities.

  “It’s your father’s brother, David Hollis. Are you sure you’ve never seen him before?”

  Frowning, she shook her head in confusion. “My father doesn’t have a brother. He was an orphan. His parents were killed by a drunk driver and he lived in and out of foster homes until he was eighteen.”

  The man did look like Ben Cavendish, but they say that everyone has a twin somewhere.

  Shane snorted but didn’t laugh. Clearly, what he had to say he didn’t think was funny. “Of course he’d tell you some heroic tale of pulling himself up by his bootstraps. Your father does have a brother though. He came from a rather wealthy family actually and went to the best schools. His parents did pass away but from cancer and heart disease, and only after he was an adult.”

  Arden’s hand shook as she looked at the photo again. “I really have an uncle? Relatives?”

  Her entire life she’d been brought up to believe she and her father and grandmother were alone in the world. Raising her gaze back to Shane, she could see the battle he was fighting within himself. There was more and she wasn’t going to like it. Setting the photo back down, she took a deep breath to slow her racing heart.

  “I have a feeling that old saying about the truth hurting is going to apply, isn’t it? The best way to remove a bandage is to rip it off, so you might as well just spill it. I can take it. I promise.”