After shedding her clothes, Beth took a hot shower, taking her time getting ready. She had neglected to RSVP to the party, unsure if she’d attend. Now she was glad her family wasn’t expecting her. Her arrival would catch them off guard, and she would relish witnessing her brother’s reaction.
Beth had gotten along with Kyle just fine. He was her younger brother, and she’d tended to look out for him. But once he’d gone to work at the company, he’d changed. Now he had an arrogant tone and an aloof manner, which hadn’t concerned her until the false accusations had turned her life upside down.
It was important to discover Kyle’s real intentions, and what part he played in the destruction of her family reputation. Certainly his role was integral, since he was the acting CEO. It annoyed her that her own brother behaved so badly towards her.
After she dried off and redid her makeup, Beth went to her closet to pick out an outfit. The party would be dressy. It would be a big deal, since it was her brother’s birthday. If she didn’t miss her guess, a lot of friends and business associates had been invited. It should be a real bash.
She opted for mesh stockings and a short leather skirt with matching jacket, over a crimson lace top. Her knee-high boots and chunky silver chains accessorized nicely, matching the silver studs that trimmed her jacket collar. Surely, Wyatt didn’t expect her to emerge in a simple black cocktail dress, and her family would consider her outfit rather conservative, compared to some she’d worn.
Beth went to the library to find her date. Wyatt wore charcoal slacks that stretched over his thighs, showing off the lean muscle. He thumbed through some books on the shelf, providing her with a nice view of his firm ass, and her body responded.
“I’m ready,” she said, walking over. Wyatt’s musky cologne had an effect on her, but she did her best to conceal it.
Wyatt looked her over. “Leather suits you.”
“Glad you approve. Did you find everything you needed in the room?” Beth struggled for small talk, not a skill she’d perfected. Yet it steered the attention away from the electricity radiating through her.
“Yes, the room was fine.” Wyatt’s deep brown eyes pierced into her. What a heartthrob.
“I called a cab. My uncle would have sent a limo to pick me up, but he doesn’t know I’m coming to the party.”
“That will be interesting.”
“Very,” Beth said. “The element of surprise will be on my side.”
*****
The driver pulled up to the residence. “My uncle has come up in the world since my aunt divorced him. He fancies that he’s a billionaire, and if one is to go by appearances, he is.”
Wyatt helped her out and looked up at the brightly lit mansion. “As I recall, Martin received half of your grandfather’s fortune.”
“One would think that would do it, but the divorce hit him hard. And I wouldn’t be surprised if his extravagant lifestyle has drained a good part of what he had left.” Beth took Wyatt’s arm. “But who am I to say? I’m the black sheep of the family, so my uncle certainly doesn’t confide in me.”
Beth had taken care to arrive fashionably late. The party was in full swing. A uniformed butler opened the front door and allowed her to enter with her date. Inside was a crowded affair, but she didn’t recognize many of the attendees, and assumed valued business contacts had filled out the guest list.
Kyle was nowhere in sight, so Beth followed Wyatt to the bar to get a drink. The bartender gave her a glass of champagne and handed club soda to Wyatt. “Can’t drink on the job?”
Wyatt lifted his glass. “No alcohol. It’s a bad mix with protection duty.”
Music was playing loud enough to make conversation unnecessary. As Beth walked through with Wyatt in tow, she garnered glances from a few of the guests. Her style of dress was noteworthy, but she ignored the attention, intent on finding the guest of honor.
Walking down a carpeted hallway, Beth heard voices. She looked up at Wyatt and nodded toward the open door. Then she strode into the room. Her brother stepped back from her uncle, tongue-tied. It appeared he’d been in the midst of a private talk. Beth was curious what it had been about.
Her uncle was not thrown off by the interruption, and went on the attack. “What are you doing here?”
Beth smiled and went over to give him a light hug. “I’m your niece, remember?” She laughed, more from pleasure at needling her uncle than from her lame joke.
“Yes, I’m aware of that,” Martin said. “But you could have had the courtesy to respond to the invitation, so we’d know you’d be coming.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Are you concerned you’ll run short of food? That the bar will be low on cocktails?” Beth shook her head. “You needn’t have given it a thought. From what I saw, you’ll have provisions for the next month.”
Wyatt stood back, watching.
Kyle took a step in his direction. “What an unexpected pleasure,” he said. “Wyatt?” They shook hands. “I didn’t know you were in New York.”
“I recently arrived,” Wyatt said. “I heard congratulations are in order. It looks like quite the birthday party.”
“Yes, Uncle Martin insisted.”
Then Beth’s uncle moved toward Wyatt like a vulture to its prey. “I thought you were in the Navy. When did you get out?” His questions were nothing more than accusations, making it obvious that Wyatt was unwelcome.
“I’ve been out for a while.” Wyatt stood immobile, as if daring Martin to push it.
Beth caught her uncle’s eye, and he glared at her. “I see you two have reunited.”
His harsh tone was typical. Of late, Martin had been irascible and borderline rude. Beth had grown to expect it of him. “I thought it would be nice to bring him to the party, considering that he’s a family friend.”
Martin motioned toward the door. “We should get back to the party. The guests will wonder what’s happened to you.”
Then Kyle followed him into the hallway. “I’ll see you out there,” he called back.
“And that…is my loving family,” Beth said.
Wyatt’s expression was serious. “Martin seemed to take issue with me tagging along tonight, or being with you at all.”
“I’m sure he prefers to isolate me, all the easier to control matters. He’s a bully.”
“And Kyle…I don’t know,” Wyatt said. “He was friendly enough, just hadn’t expected me to show up after so long.”
“Yeah, well, we’ll see about my brother. Success has gone to his head. Moving into the position of CEO at Foster has swollen his ego. He behaves as though he’s entitled.”
“He didn’t seem much different than I recall.”
Beth headed back to the party. “Stick around. You’ll see.”
*****
Wyatt followed her out, with his eyes on her hips. The tight leather skirt hugged her petite form, and it was a damn sexy look for her. He’d better stay focused on the task at hand. Tonight was a chance to see her family in their element, and determine what threat existed. Whatever urges Beth stirred, Wyatt didn’t intend to do anything about it.
He planned to keep tabs on Martin and Kyle, just to satisfy his curiosity. Beth was convinced that one or both meant her harm. Yet on the surface, the situation involved no more than family squabbles—unsettling but not dangerous.
Wyatt accompanied Beth back to the bar for a refill. Then a late arrival to the party caught his attention, and his heart sank. His sister Jessica entered the room with a man he didn’t know, clearly her date. Although Wyatt hadn’t seen her since he’d gone into the Navy, she was still his younger sister. He had a surge of brotherly love, and looked at the guy she was with to see if he was acceptable.
Then Jessica spotted him and smiled. It was just like her not to hold his bad behavior against him. His sister crossed the room, went right into his arms, and gave him a big hug. “Wyatt, it’s so good to see you. I didn’t even know you were in New York.” She put both hands on his shoulders and looked int
o his eyes.
A pang of guilt stabbed Wyatt in the gut. “I meant to get in touch.” It wasn’t true, but, seeing Jessica, he wished he had contacted her.
“You weren’t very good at staying in contact,” Jessica said. “I didn’t hear from you while you were away. At least you let me know when you got out. Are you working?”
“I’m in the bodyguard business. I hooked up with some other SEAL buddies at Stealth Security.”
“That suits you. So I suppose moving back to New York is out of the question?”
“Pretty much.”
Jessica looked over at Beth. “You didn’t warn me that Wyatt was coming to the party. You should have mentioned it.”
Beth gave her a hug. “Sorry, I didn’t have much notice.”
“Well, you look stunning. Crimson is your color.” Jessica introduced her date, who’d stood back from the fray. “Michael is an attorney. We met at work.” She smiled up at Wyatt. “Oh, you don’t know. I graduated law school.”
“I’m impressed,” Wyatt said, and shook hands with Michael.
“I’m parched,” Jessica said. “We’ll catch up with you later.”
Wyatt’s sister disappeared in the crowd, and Beth glared at him, as if he’d committed a crime. “At least I kept in touch with your sister.”
“Don’t rub it in,” Wyatt said. “I already feel like a heel.”
Food and drink flowed, and the noise level rose as the evening progressed. Beth ran into a couple of people she knew, and introduced Wyatt. But he could tell that she was no more interested in partying than he was. After a few bites of caviar, several glasses of club soda, and roast beef paired with unrecognizable side dishes, Wyatt was ready to go.
“I need to get my brother alone,” Beth said. “I’m not leaving without some answers.”
A birthday party didn’t seem like the right time for true confessions, but that didn’t deter Beth. She strode past a table laden with gifts, and plowed through guests in search of Kyle. Then she pointed to the terrace. Her brother was chatting with a small group, and Martin was among them.
If Beth intended to make a public challenge, the evening would get a lot more interesting. She walked outdoors with Wyatt a step behind. When Martin saw her, he furrowed his brow. “If you’ll excuse me, I have an important call to make.”
That left Kyle with his friends. He smiled at Beth. “Are you having a good time?”
Beth didn’t respond. Instead, she plunged ahead with her agenda. “I need to speak with you, Kyle…alone.”
The other guests took the hint and vanished inside, leaving Kyle to face his sister. “You are welcome tonight, Beth. I know Uncle Martin can be harsh sometimes. It’s just his way. Don’t take it to heart.”
“Don’t try to placate me,” Beth said. “You know damn well that I’m upset. You conspired with our uncle to boot me out of the company and deprive me of my inheritance. And I want to know why.”
Kyle flushed, and Wyatt wasn’t sure if it was from anger or embarrassment. “You’ve got it all wrong. Just because you messed things up, you can’t blame me. I didn’t do anything.”
“Oh, but you did. You set me up. It was you, Kyle, who had access to the books. You’re the CEO, for Christ’s sake. And you have a whole accounting team. Yet you were so quick to tout that I was guilty.”
“What was I supposed to think?” Kyle said, raising his voice. “Uncle Martin is trying to look out for us now that Dad is sick. Would you have me call him a liar? He told me that he had evidence against you. I mean, embezzlement isn’t hard to prove. The numbers don’t lie.”
Beth let out a heavy sigh. “It’s that easy, huh? Martin tells you I committed a crime and you don’t even question it?”
Kyle stared at her.
“Did you consider asking me if I did it?” Beth shook her head. “I guess that was too much to expect.” She moved closer to her brother. “If the books have been tampered with and I didn’t do it—which I didn’t—then you better take a closer look, because someone committed the crime. Or maybe it was your doing, and you’re pointing the finger at me to escape the guilt.”
“You’re assuming a lot.”
“How would you feel in my place?” Beth crossed her arms. “Does an unconfirmed charge of embezzlement justify writing me out of the will?”
Kyle didn’t reply.
“It hurts me to think that you’d conspire to gain the inheritance all for yourself. You’re my brother, Kyle. It shouldn’t be this way.”
“You’ve got it all wrong. It’s not like that.”
Beth took Wyatt’s arm. “Let’s get out of here.” She walked through the main room and out to the front steps, then asked the attendant to call for a cab.
Wyatt was unclear about the situation. Beth’s relationship with her family was untenable, but he wasn’t convinced that either her uncle or brother wanted to hurt her. The way she’d been treated was unfair, but not life-threatening—unless Beth knew something he didn’t.
Once inside the cab, Wyatt broached the subject. “What did you gain by that encounter? If your brother wasn’t against you before, you’ve given him reason to be now.”
Beth glared at him, her brown eyes like daggers. “That’s just great. You’re the one person who is supposed to defend me, and you’re on their side.”
“I’m not on anyone’s side,” Wyatt said. “And it was a good thing that I was with you tonight. That’s not the sort of thing you need to be doing alone.” He took a breath. “But I don’t get why you fear for your safety.”
Beth stared at the back of the seat.
“Is there more? Is there anything you haven’t mentioned, something that makes you think they mean you physical harm?”
“You wouldn’t understand.”
Wyatt closed his eyes and raked a hand through his hair. Frustrating woman. Why wouldn’t she confide in him? After all, he’d accepted the role of protector. But he sure as hell couldn’t do his job if Beth kept secrets from him.
The atmosphere was tense, and Wyatt couldn’t wait to get back to her house. He was going to hash this out and get to the bottom of it. Or he was damn well flying back to California and putting this behind him. He wasn’t about to follow her around, in the dark about the alleged danger—if there was any.
The cab pulled up to the curb. Wyatt checked out the lighting, not liking that it was so dark.
“I’ll have to call maintenance. The outside light should be on. It must have burnt out,” Beth said.
Wyatt was instantly alert. When a circumstance was unusual, there was often a reason. He scanned the building, but saw no motion. It was quiet. Yet it was too dark to see well.
“Driver, back up so your headlights shine on the entry.” Then Wyatt took Beth’s hand to help her out, watching for any disturbance.
Beth punched in her code and put her palm on the door to push it open. The cab rolled away, leaving them on the darkened sidewalk.
Wyatt stood close, wary. Then a stranger soundlessly emerged from between the buildings and came toward them. A glint of steel flickered, but before the man could draw his gun, Wyatt reacted. His training kicked in; defense was second nature.
With one powerful blow, Wyatt knocked the gun from the guy’s hand and it clattered into the street. In a flash the attacker produced a knife, and crouched, ready to pounce.
Wyatt growled, “Don’t do it, asshole.” He stepped forward, just as the attacker dove past him toward Beth. She screamed, but the blade had struck fast. Blood spurted, and Wyatt couldn’t tell how badly she was hurt. He yanked the bad guy’s coat, hauling him back, then grasped his wrist in a death grip. The knife dropped, and Beth gasped.
There was too much blood. Wyatt’s attention was riveted on Beth. The killer butted hard enough against Wyatt to knock him aside, then took off running.
“Beth…” Dropping to the ground to see how badly she was hurt, all he saw was blood. He looked closely to examine the cut. The knife had grazed her head, but the gouge
wasn’t too deep. It was a good-sized gash, though. “You’ll be okay. It’s a scalp wound. They bleed like a son of a bitch, but it’s not fatal.”
Wyatt helped her stand up, keeping his arm around her. He had to get her to a hospital. She might need stitches. Fortunately, cabs were easy to get in this town.
*****
At the hospital, Wyatt procured some gauze to soak up the blood, until the nurse took Beth back. He was allowed to go with her. The nurse cleaned the wound and the doctor took a look at her injury. “You are a lucky lady. If it had been any deeper you’d require stitches, but I can dress the area so it will heal up.”
“That’s a relief,” Beth said. “There won’t be any scar?”
“There shouldn’t be,” the doctor said. “But you need to file a police report.”
“We’ll take care of it,” Wyatt said. “Right now I just want to get her home.”
While the nurse gave Beth instructions and prepared her to leave, Wyatt called Stealth. After a few rings, Travis answered. “What’s up, Mercer? I’m having a late dinner with Melanie, and the girls are sleeping over with a friend. So this better be good.”
“Some idiot tried to kill Beth.”
“Shit. How did that happen?”
Wyatt relayed the highlights, then said, “We’re at the hospital now. It’s fortunate that I was there. Beth wouldn’t have stood a chance.”
“Any theories on who is after her?”
“She’s on shaky terms with her uncle and her brother. Until this happened, I couldn’t make the connection between that and a threat on her life. But we just left a family party, where Beth confronted her brother Kyle on some touchy matters. Not an hour later, some asshole tries to kill her. So…you tell me.”
“I’ll fill the team in on what’s happened. Killers attack for a reason. Somebody paid the dude, and we need to find out who did.”
“The sooner, the better. Beth’s life is at stake here.”
“I’m all over it. Stick with her, and I’ll contact you tomorrow.”
When Wyatt hung up, Beth was waiting for him. “I heard you on the phone. Was that Travis?”
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