by Nancy Glynn
Running his hands through his hair, his eyes still taking in her formalwear as a second skin, he responded. “This is all too much. I know that house is evil, but now you’re trying to make deals with Jack Red? I’m glad you’re okay and hope Debra is okay too, but I need time to think this through.”
She sauntered up to him, the sound of her heels tapping against the cement, and cupped his face, bringing his mouth down on hers. At first, his lips were resistant and tight, but then they gradually loosened and crushed her mouth, deepening the kiss even more.
“Lana,” he whispered, running his lips to her cheek and down her neck. “What you do to me.”
“Please trust me about Jack. I know what I’m doing,” she murmured against his lips.
He sighed against her neck, wrapping his arms around her to pull her closer. “Fine. I just didn’t like what I saw in there. I’m not a jealous man, but that pissed me off.”
She laughed and kissed his cheek. “No need to be. I really like you, Hunter, in case you haven’t noticed.”
“Ditto.” He leaned his forehead against hers.
“I’m still holding you to that dinner at your house.”
“Wear this dress and you’ll be holding me.”
She laughed. “Hey, you actually came to the door of Stone Manor. Making progress.”
“Really didn’t think about it. Just wanted to make sure you were all right.”
“That’s why I like you so much.” She kissed him on the lips again.
He walked her back to the door. “What did you mean Debra’s life was at stake?”
“She’s in a coma. Was in a car accident.”
“What? You think it was—”
“Oh, I know it was. That’s what this is all about.”
“I don’t want you in there with him. Please don’t make any deals, Lana. Please. He doesn’t do deals.”
“Trust me, okay? I’ll come tomorrow night for dinner and we’ll talk more.”
“Or I can come here.”
“I won’t make you do that, knowing how you feel.”
“Okay. Text me when you go to bed so I know you’re fine.”
“And alone?” she said, smirking.
“And alone,” he admitted. “Goodnight.” He gave her a soft kiss with the promise of more to come.
She smiled and opened the door, watching him trot down the stairs and jog to his truck. As she walked back inside, Jack stood there, golf clapping for her. “That was brilliant, my dear. You got rid of him. Now let’s negotiate.”
“You said upping your ante. How about you pick something else and forget about my soul. Anything you want, Jack.” She stepped closer with a sexy grin.
“Anything? Well, now we’re talking. But it still might cost you your soul even without me taking it.”
“What do you have in mind?”
“Would you…kill for me?”
Her eyes widened and her heart quickened. “Kill?”
“Yes, you heard me. But not just anyone.” He scratched his chin, arching his brow.
Her face numbed. “Who?”
He paced the room, circling her as if to size her up, to see what she was really made of behind her cool attitude. Her eyes tried to follow his moves, but then he was right behind her, his breath on her back. “It’s someone you’d probably enjoy getting rid of, someone who’d make you sick if you knew what really happened.”
She closed her eyes. “Eric,” she said, grinding her teeth.
He chuckled. “Yes, Eric.”
“What really happened that day?”
Jack sniffed, sucking in his breath, enjoying every moment of this. “The car suddenly had died that freezing morning…”
“Thanks to you.”
“…and your father tried Triple A, but no service was available for some odd reason.”
“You.”
“So, Christian called his good buddy Eric who happened to be in town that day, meeting with an investor client. He wasn’t too far from them, maybe an hour or so, and asked if he could give him a jump. Of course Eric said no problem, but then I happened to call him to see how my old buddy was doing, because that’s the kind of friend I am. I try to keep in touch with old friends.”
“Right,” she retorted.
Jack came back to her front, his arm slithered around her waist, tugging her close to him. She stiffened at his gesture, now glaring at him. “I just gave a suggestion and said if he wanted the life Christian was destined for but turned away, then he had to make a choice. Either they lived or you did.”
“But he wouldn’t have the life my father was destined for if he chose for him to live,” she concluded.
“Exactly. He wanted that life, even more than his friendship, even more than his love for Daisy. He knew he would never get her, never have her warm his bed like he had always fantasized about, never hear the words of love spoken from her as a lover. He figured he was better off with her gone and out of his sight.”
“So, he killed her.” Anger burst through her veins, the sounds of pots and pans in the kitchen crashing to the ground, glasses thrown from the cabinets.
“There, there, my Lana. Don’t take it out on your beautiful home. Save that for him.”
“I hate him.” Her fists clenched at her sides, finally allowing the tears to flow.
“Good. Hate is a wonderful thing.” He wiped away her tears and pressed his lips to her fish lips. “What, no love for me? Oh well, for later then.”
“Never.”
“Direct your hatred toward Eric.”
“You’re the one who gave him the option.”
“But he took it. He could have hung up on me.”
“And you would have had him killed in some horrific death.”
“Not at all. I just appealed to his greed. Much easier than threatening.”
“Greed. The thing that keeps this damn town alive.”
“Yes, well…as long as it’s alive, then so am I.” A malevolent grin skewed his otherwise handsome face.
“With you around, it’ll always be alive,” she said, fighting tears. Her chest heaved in and out as she fought for breath.
“No, you have that backward. Or is it one of those the chicken or the egg concepts?” He chuckled at his own joke. “I don’t invoke these thoughts in people’s minds. Humans are too smart for that. They destroy their own worlds. I just step in and finish it.”
“And you’re good at that.”
“Oh, I’m good at a lot of things, Lana. I might even visit you in your dreams tonight and show you.”
“Don’t you dare.”
“Saving yourself for Mr. Bane?”
“No, I just don’t want your vile hands on my body.”
“But they’ve been there before, you know.”
“What?”
He chuckled, running his finger along her jawline. “Why do you think you started having those insatiable cravings, my pet? I sparked them with my…touch.”
“You disgust me.”
“Oh, and when Christian walked in on you in that way with a man, now that was fun. I played with his mind. There were times he wanted to kill himself for such impure thoughts.”
“You punished him for leaving your precious town, didn’t you?”
“Maybe. I didn’t like being sent back to hell by your mother. I stayed put until you were born, and then as you grew, I became alive, invading your dreams and so many others. All because of their greedy fathers. But this town was always meant for you. It belongs to us. You kill Eric, and I’ll let you run this town without any say from me, unless you want it. A silent partner.”
“And let Debra wake up and not remember anything.”
He rolled his eyes and huffed. “Yes…Debra. So, I take it we have a deal?”
She thought about Diana and how devastated she’d be losing Eric. But he had let her parents die, freeze to death. Her heart grew black for him and no longer cared. “When?”
He clapped his hands and laughed. “Th
at’s my girl. The day of his wedding.”
“His wedding? But how?” she stammered.
“You have your ways. Remember, your mother killed Charlotte. It’s in your blood to do this. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”
Charlotte reminded her of Hunter. How could she be with him knowing she murdered someone? How? But an innocent woman’s life was at stake, one with children and a husband that needed her. That meant more than her own selfish needs. Her head fell. “Fine.”
He lifted her face to his. “Good girl. You know, you can use that pen any time you want. Make a list of a life you’d like to have. Well, thanks for the dance, love. I’ll be going now. See you at church on Saturday?”
“Sure, why not. I fit perfectly there,” she replied in a flat voice.
“You fit perfectly in Golden Hills as I’ve always known you would.” He snapped his fingers and vanished.
After he left, she ran upstairs and grabbed her phone to call Debra’s husband. She wanted to make sure Jack stuck to his part. “Mr. Holding? I just wanted to check on Debra. How is she?”
“Ms. Stone, it’s a miracle. Her eyes fluttered open about five minutes ago. All her vital signs are perfect. How’d you know?” His happiness poured through the line.
“I didn’t. I just wanted to check on her. I’m so happy. Please have her keep in touch with me as soon as she’s feeling better.”
When she hung up, she knew she had to keep her part of the bargain, for Jack had kept his. Debra was awake and doing well. Her husband was happy. Her kids would be thrilled their mommy was back; that’s all she could ask for. Now she had no choice but to keep her end of the bargain. Jack had kept his.
A string of howls echoed in the night, knowing her wolf was probably out there, staring up at her room. His golden eyes hoping to catch a glimpse of hers. But she decided not to go to the window. Shame filled her, and she knew what would be in those eyes.
As she lay down in bed that night, she thought of the last day she saw her parents alive. They had asked her to drive with them because they hadn’t seen her much with her busy school schedule. She wanted to drive herself, but they had asked her to go with them to visit Marissa as a family. Now she wondered if Jack had planted that idea in their heads.
They had fun laughing and singing the songs on the radio. She told them stories of her students, and how she’d been proposed to by a few of the senior boys. Her mother would snuggle up next to her father and nuzzle his neck. He’d whisper something sweet in her ear and she’d giggle. His arm would hang over the headrest, his hand playing with her red hair. He had turned and winked at his sleepy daughter in the back.
Love lived in that car and their home her whole life. No matter what thoughts Jack had put in her father’s mind, he was still crazy about her mother. Every day, he’d bring her a fresh bouquet of flowers, especially daisies when the season was right.
At least Lana knew her parents died feeling love, died in each other’s arms. She remembered her mother being so worried about her being cold. She took off her coat and wrapped it around her grown daughter, warming her with her kisses, and then returning to her husband’s side in the front. The temperature dropped lower as the sun dipped. Unseen coyotes howled in the woods. Her father slammed his fist against the wheel, cursing Eric for not showing up.
Eric not showing up.
Her eyes narrowed and a fresh hatred infiltrated her soul. She’d find his wish list and add a special date on it for him.
Chapter 11
Swiveling in his chair toward the picture window in his Michigan Avenue office, Hunter gazed at the five o’clock traffic below. The sun lingered a little longer in the early spring, but began its descent, bringing darkness over the city. Shoppers and workers hustled along the Magnificent Mile, bags or briefcases in their hands, trying to catch a cab that would zoom past. Normal-appearing people who had lives, families, jobs, who would never realize their thoughts were being monitored. They could be next on Jack’s list of victims if they weren’t careful.
Hunter sucked on his pen, a graduation gift from his mother, after seeing Alan Brady, an old client, out. His head was imbued with thoughts of Lana Stone. When he first heard she was coming to Golden Hills, he knew a prophecy was being fulfilled. He knew the whole Stone history and what had happened that day at Stone Manor. He understand more than she believed him to know.
He also knew that was how the town operated, on greed and lust, and the legacy of William Stone. Then he would remember Jack Red in his father’s life and how material possessions began to appear. The truth hit him hard.
And then he turned twenty-one two months later.
After deciding to go to architect school at IIT, he wanted to be part of the designing committee for Golden Hills, helping it grow and prosper the legal way, and helping residents find jobs on the construction sites. He wanted to end all the greediness that cultivated this town and build real workmanship, real team effort, and get rid of Jack Red for good. He had turned his back on what Jack had offered before he left.
When he came back home with his degree and told his father he wanted to work at his firm, he was delighted. He had declared that Jack would be thrilled to have him on board. Hunter balked, and told his father he’d work for another firm if that was the case and that he wanted Jack out.
One night, Jack came to Hunter to strike another deal. He said he’d let him build whatever he wanted and employ as many workers as he could if Jack could be a silent partner. He promised he’d have no input in any projects, would only fund it and pay everyone’s salary plus bonuses and retirement, the best healthcare plans, and tuition for their children’s education.
That was a hard one to pass up on. Hunter struggled against himself, thinking the pros and cons. What if Jack really meant it and would stay out of it? Hunter wasn’t exactly rich yet as a new graduate of the architect college. His father weighed in and pressured him to go for it, that what did he have to lose?
Advice he’d wished he’d never taken from his father, losing him in the end. When Jack saw how successful Hunter was becoming, he had no place for Reynold Bane who had started drinking and sleeping with the office staff, especially his secretary. Hunter had warned him to stop or that he’d have to consider giving his father an early retirement.
Horns blared down below, bringing Hunter back to the present for a moment. He glanced at the gold name plaque on his desk. With his name before Principal on his door and on his cards at only the age of twenty-seven and two hundred employees, he had a lot on his plate. When his father died, he knew Jack was behind it. Jack wanted Hunter to run Bane Group, LLP, not his lush of a father.
He spun around in his chair to see his secretary at the door. “I’m leaving now, Hunter. You okay? You don’t usually stay this late,” the pretty older woman asked, concern etching her face. She had almost quit because of his father’s sexual advances toward her, but Hunter talked her out of it and begged her to stay. She was too much of an asset to them.
“I’m fine, Sarah. Go home and tell Jake hello for me. He feeling better these days?”
“His arthritis is still bad, but he’s getting around. Thanks, I’ll tell him. You must come for dinner sometime again. You always make him laugh. Don’t work too hard.” She closed the door.
Debra Holding was also on his mind, so he picked up the phone to call Northwestern Hospital to see how she was. Guilt riddled him, knowing he sent her in that car with those horrific scratches and feeling upset like that. He took responsibility as well.
When the nurse on the line told him she was fine and out of her coma but was sleeping at the moment, he thanked her and hung up. What had happened after Lana told him she was in a coma? Comas can last for days if not months, maybe even years in some instances. But a day? That was some miracle and suspicion moved in.
Someone knocked on his door, snapping him out of his thoughts. “Come in.” He sat back in his chair when he saw Jack Red walk in, carrying a smug smile on his lips. “Jack
. What do I owe to this surprising visit?”
“Just came to see how my favorite architect was doing. How are the plans for the train station on Lockport going? Have any blueprints for it yet?” He sat in the chair across from Hunter’s desk, assessing him with eyes of hope and something else. A warning?
“You really here to talk about the train station? Or Lana Stone?”
“The train station, but since you brought up the lady of the hour, sure. What do you have to say about her, my friend?”
He chuckled, shaking his head. “First of all, don’t call me friend. Second of all, she’s not up for talking about. Lana’s a grown woman and can do as she chooses. I hope you’re not trying to influence or threaten her in any way. I won’t let it happen again.”
“Happen again?” Jack leaned in closer with interest.
“Where shall I begin? All the way back to William down to my father. It bugs you that you can’t do the same with me. I may have let you be a silent partner, but I don’t allow you to chew my brain cells. I’m not that weak.”
“Let’s be honest here, Hunter. No matter what you do or say, I do own you, and you know exactly what I’m talking about.”
He scoffed. “In a sense, I guess you do. But you don’t own my mind. Again, I’m not that weak.”
“So, you’re saying the ones you love are weak? Nice.”
“No, but you know I don’t need you anymore. I can easily run this firm with my own money I’ve earned the old-fashioned way. That drives you nuts. Oh, and I really hope you had nothing to do with that Debra Holding’s miracle.”
Jack stared at him and then laughed. “I really enjoy you, Hunter. I can’t believe you’re single, a hunk of a man like you? The women are going crazy over you around here. You should hear some of their thoughts. One would like you to bend her over your desk and draw a blueprint on her back…”
“Not interested.”
“I can see how you’re not interested now what with Lana in town. My God, the woman is nearly perfect, especially in bed—”
Hunter slammed his fist on the desk. “How would you know?”