"This all starts right before I graduated from high school," Tyler began. "Remember how I said I wanted us to be together, then I disappeared for the summer, then we decided to break up?"
"You decided," Regan corrected in a hurt voice. "As if I could forget."
"I didn't go to Europe that summer," Tyler continued, eyes focused in the distance as if he saw it all again reflected in the office window. "I wish I had been touring Europe, but I was in juvie, Regan. I was in jail."
"Tyler, that is not funny," Regan blurted, looking to her brother to correct his friend. "You're not joking," she added in a stunned voice after seeing the looks on the two men's faces."
"I wish I were. I spent the summer from hell hanging out with a highly unsavory crowd that got caught joyriding with me in a stolen car."
“But why would you steal a car? You could have had any car you wanted. Besides, you had the Harley. You loved that Harley.”
Regan’s voice rose with each question, looking at Tyler as if he had sprouted a second head. “This makes no sense.”
"I was seventeen, Ree. It didn't have to make sense. I met a bunch of guys when I was riding. We smoked a little weed, we stole a few cars, just for fun.”
"Yeah, you thought it was just for fun," Wyatt interjected. "May I remind you that those guys were selling the cars, not abandoning them as they promised."
"OK," Tyler continued. "I was young and stupid. I thought we were driving around and then ditching the cars somewhere they could easily be found. It turns out that these guys were hardcore thieves, Ree. Several went to prison; some went to juvie with me."
“But how could I not know this all these years? How could you keep this from me? Why tell me now?”
"My dad covered it up then. He was ashamed of me. He made up the Europe story, and I went off to Cornell thinking I had paid my dues. Ha, what a laugh that is."
"You did pay your dues, man," Wyatt spoke up. "That should have been the end of it if your father hadn't been such an asshole."
"Watch it, Wyatt. You're speaking about my father. He did what he thought would benefit me." Tyler rose to pace the room, coming to stand behind Regan before he continued. He didn't want to see the pity on her face when he continued. "Maybe Wyatt is right. My dad may have been more concerned with the family name than with my safety. Maybe he was a complete asshole, dying of shame as if this was about him. He went on and on about the disgrace that had befallen the family, comparing my downfall with perfect Denny and his achievements. He made me feel like complete shit, and made me promise never to let anyone know."
Regan swiveled in her chair to see Tyler's face. "So I ask again, why are you telling me now?"
"You know how secrets come back to haunt you?" Wyatt questioned cryptically.
"That's it exactly," Tyler continued, resuming his seat, anxious now to look Regan in the eye. He didn't see pity, just interest. Telling her this much had already lifted a weight off his shoulders. The words spilled from him easily. "When the news never came out about me, the guys figured I had covered it up, and they began blackmailing me to keep my secrets."
Regan nodded her head to keep going. Tyler leaned toward her in response and continued his story. "It started as soon as I got to college. They threatened to hurt people I loved, including you, Regan. So I broke up with you, believing they would think you no longer mattered to me, and I paid."
“You knew about this?” Regan interrogated her brother. “You knew and never said a word to me?”
"He didn't know, Regan," Tyler admitted. "I told no one."
Wyatt raised his hands as if to protect his hands from a punch. "I found out last month, so back off, Tiger."
“You didn’t even tell the boys?” Regan turned back to Tyler, astonished. “No one?”
"No one. I put my head down, finished school, my MBA and law school and made those quarterly payments like clockwork. Until they got too big…"
“And too dangerous.” Wyatt completed the sentence.
"Which is where you come in, I'm afraid." Tyler watched the color drain from Regan's face and with it his hopes for their future together. She was appalled by what he had done and where it had led. "The gang is big now, and highly sophisticated. They don’t want a few grand now and then, They are hackers who want millions. And they want it from LHRE."
Regan sat so silently and stoically that Tyler was sure she had not heard what he said. "They want it from LHRE," he repeated quietly.
"I heard you, Tyler. I am just processing the fact that we are talking about destroying everything my family and I built to cover up a stupid mistake you made when you were seventeen. Why is this even up for discussion? Twenty years ago you pulled a teenage prank, went to juvie and did your penance. So what? Let people talk. Who the hell cares?"
"It's not that simple, Regan," Wyatt spoke from the couch where he was no longer lounging. In fact, he looked like a cat ready to spring. "Now it’s pay or die, Ree."
“And I would die, sweetheart, if I believed it would protect you. But it won’t. They have targeted you, Regan. That’s why I am telling you now.”
Chapter Twenty-nine
Regan
Regan suspected that she was being tailed immediately upon her return to Washington. It took less than a day to notice the shadow and another day to eliminate congressional assignees as possible tails. That left either the bad guys or a protection detail. They didn't look threatening to her, so she assumed Tyler had hired them. Of course, what did she know?
She had been numb since her meeting with Tyler. And scared. For herself, sure, but especially for Tyler. What he was doing was dangerous, If he got caught these people would kill him. How on earth could this have happened to a kid from Lake Forest, born with a silver spoon in his mouth?
Focusing on work as much as possible, and avoiding Brandon, for his good as much as hers, she dug into her job and stayed busy. The weeks passed until she gratefully acknowledged the approaching Christmas holiday. The DC party circuit had been torturous. She wondered about every strange face. Were they the bad guys? Were they friend or foe? Add to that, constant pressure from Brandon to announce their engagement and set a date, and Regan’s nerves were frayed to breaking.
Finally, the recess forced Brandon to return to Rhode Island for meetings with constituents and town halls that he could not avoid.
She was thankful for the reprieve. The Hockneys had welcomed her for a weekend visit early in December and pressured her to return for the Christmas holidays, but a significant fundraiser in Chicago and the excuse of some vital LHRE work provided ample reason to decline. Which brought her to this December day; Regan, along with at least one of her protection detail were on their way back to snowy Chicago.
Unable to tamp down her excitement about being home, Regan longed to be back in her apartment, and her calendar was filling with social activity, a girls’ night out, the Children's Hospital event, and of course, Christmas with her family.
The butterflies in her stomach had nothing to do with seeing Tyler, she assured herself again. That boat had sailed. He had told her his sad tale, pulled her into the periphery of the proposed solution, and promised to keep her safe.
Safe. Damn it. While that was reassuring, it was not the promise Regan wanted to hear from Tyler. Did she want him to profess love? Regan understood he couldn't in the middle of this mess, but was that even what she wanted? Regan, the woman who ran a major government agency and a multi-billion dollar business, could not get a clear reading on her own life. What kind of intelligent woman got herself engaged to one man while still longing for another? Who in their right mind, traded a handsome, powerful US Senator who loved her and wanted to marry her, for a man who could end up in jail, or worse?
But of course, that was the issue, Regan reminded herself for the 1000th time. What was her right mind? She was away from Brandon, and within Tyler radius for the next nine days. She vowed to decide in that time.
Wrapping her coat tightly around her before s
he even exited the jet way, Regan moved quickly through O'Hare despite the Christmas crowds clogging the walkways. She spotted her limo driver standing at the bottom of the escalator, her name in block letters on his sign. The driver took her bag from her shoulder and walked with her to the baggage carousel to await its matching pieces.
As they walked, Regan scanned the crowd looking for anyone suspicious, quickly finding the goon who followed her everywhere. Definitely protection, although with his jacket pulled up around his ears, his earpiece was less noticeable. She watched as he made eye contact with two other men and a woman. Four people to protect her. Things must be speeding up. Her pulse did too.
In Washington, it was easier for Regan to forget the threats to her safety. Here in Chicago, surrounded by strange faces moving past her quickly, it was easier to remember. She took a look at her limo driver through new eyes. Was he one of them? How could she be sure?
She pointed out both pieces of luggage coming toward them on the carousel, their red ‘priority’ tags fluttering. Ah, the perks of flying first class, she thought as her phone chirped.
"Chckd out drivr," the text from Wyatt informed her. "Go str8 to offc. Ty will brief u then get u home." Regan felt a vice release from her heart at the words. She had been more concerned about the driver than she realized. One less thing to fret about. Ty was waiting. Regan's excitement was palpable.
Her bags loaded on the cart, Regan and her entourage exited the airport. She was impatiently inching into the city through holiday traffic, happily ensconced in the warm comfort of the limo wondering how her security detail knew where to go when her phone rang.
"Everything ok?" Tyler's voice sent shivers up her spine. It had been only a week since they last spoke, but she never got enough of his honeyed tones and that way he had of making even a business discussion sound sexy.
"A-okay," Regan replied, laughing at her detective-movie lingo.
"I am waiting for you with baited breath," Tyler told her, his voice dripping sex appeal and stopping her heart.
"Is anything wrong?" Regan was delighted when her voice sounded reasonable to her ears. She felt breathless.
"Only that you aren't here." She felt her heart start beating again in double time. "I'm anxious to see you with my own eyes, safe and sound."
So it was just about her safety. Again. That was all they ever discussed. Tyler wouldn't share what they were doing to protect her. Tyler wouldn't see her alone while she was in town unless it was business. God forbid anyone might think Regan mattered to him. Did she matter?
"I want to get to my apartment at a reasonable hour, Ty. I have a girls’ night, and I want to change before I go out."
“You’ll have plenty of time, Ree. But I need to know where you ladies are going. You understand.”
"But I don't know where. Sloane made reservations."
“No problem,” Ty reassured her. “I’ll check with Randall and see you shortly.”
He disconnected without a goodbye. All business. Not what Regan had hoped. Stop it, Regan Howe, you are an engaged woman. Stop wishing for what you will never have and learn to love Brandon. He's terrific, and he wants to marry you. Regan repeated those words in time to the tires turning on the roadway, watching the skyline grow larger, swelling her heart with pride. She loved this city.
Tyler was standing on the sidewalk without his coat, the wind buffeting his dark hair. He stepped forward to open her door. When he helped her exit the car, she felt the comfort from his touch spread through her whole body. His face was more etched with concern than she remembered, but his smile was warm and welcoming. He gave her a perfunctory kiss on the cheek and ushered her into the building as he took her bags from the driver.
Once the elevator doors closed behind them, Tyler was a different man. He took Regan's face in his chilled hands and demanded her kiss. He leaned into her, moving his mouth over hers, snaking his tongue between her teeth, drawing the breath from her body. She couldn't help but respond to his urgency, his passion. She felt her body, urgently pressing against his, her mouth open to his as a small moan of pleasure escaped from her.
He pulled back as the doors opened, bending to retrieve her bags and following her down the corridor as everyone stopped their work to welcome her back. Walking down the hallway, greeting everyone, Regan wondered if anyone else could see what she was feeling. It had happened so fast. Tyler had been a man possessed. If her heart wasn't pounding, and she didn't feel the moist readiness between her legs, Regan might convince herself that she had imagined the whole episode.
The man was a chameleon, suddenly professional and aloof. What the hell was she supposed to think? She was moving past her former assistant when Donna cornered her. The women caught up quickly while Donna reassured her that she had prepared the apartment for Regan's arrival.
"That's great," Regan said, paying attention with half her mind, admiring Tyler's retreating form with the other half, "It will be so much nicer staying in my place." She listened and nodded at the appropriate times as Donna told her when the cleaning staff would arrive, what groceries were in the kitchen, the temperature at which she had set the thermostat until Regan wanted to scream with frustration.
"I'm sure it is all perfect. Thank you for handling this for me.” Regan's tone was final and dismissive. The conversation was over.
At last, Regan followed Tyler into his office and shut the door behind her. He was staring into her face, waiting for her reaction, she supposed. She stood with the safety of his massive desk between them.
Just what was her reaction? She had kissed him back, she couldn't deny that, and he wouldn't buy it if she tried. But, she should scold him, tell him she was engaged, all the clichés about overstepping his bounds. Regan stood there, examining her feelings, staring at his handsome face, doing nothing.
“Cat got your tongue?” Tyler prompted, those soft lips tilting up into a smug smile. It was the catalyst Regan needed.
"What did you think you were doing back there? I do not understand what has gotten into you all of a sudden. I am an engaged woman, Tyler." They both heard the words coming from her mouth, while Regan hoped Tyler couldn't recognize how much they lacked conviction.
He moved from behind the desk, prowling toward her like a lion with its prey in sight. He had undoubtedly heard her vacillate. Damn.
“Are you Regan? You haven’t set a wedding date. What are you holding out for?" He was standing too close. Regan took a step back only to find the door behind her. Tyler lifted his hands to either side of her head, caging her. "I'm fighting back, Ree. I see an end in sight to everything that kept us apart, and now I want you where you belong. With me."
Regan's temperature steadily climbed as she felt his warm breath on her face. He smelled of coffee. If I fixate on the coffee… Regan tried to think about dark roast as his head bent closer, but her traitorous mind could only think of those lips claiming hers. And then they did, and she thought of nothing. She simply responded.
Regan's arms circled Tyler's waist, pulling him tight against her. She felt the muscular weight of him pinning her against the door as his mouth descended to touch her lips gently, begging permission for more. Her response, her mouth pressed to his, her tongue flicking along his bottom lip, signaled her okay to take more, and he did.
Tyler leaned into her until his elbows rested against the door and his lips molded to hers. He sucked her lips then licked the edge of her teeth and finally invaded the honeyed warmth of her mouth, swallowing the sigh of pleasure that escaped her as she sank into the kiss. It had been six long months since he had kissed her like this and she was savoring every sensation, every touch.
When she was dizzy with longing, her body clinging to Tyler's like a lifeline, he raised his head. "That's more like it," he whispered, his voice husky with desire. "But we have business to discuss, you have a girls' night to get to, and I plan to do this in a better place, and all night."
His words roused Regan from her stupor like a face full of i
ce water. She couldn’t have Tyler thinking they would pick up where they left off, not while she was engaged to Brandon.
“Ty, you can’t expect us to be together while I am here.”
Regan scooted out from under Tyler's embrace and moved across the room to look out the windows. "I love this view," she mumbled under her breath, ignoring her pounding heart and confused mind. "I love this city," she said as she turned around to face Tyler. "But I live in DC, where I am engaged to another man, Tyler. That hasn't changed."
"Not yet, Ree, but it will. I promise you. It will."
“Don’t make promises about things you can’t control, Tyler. We have a long way to go to rebuild the trust between us, for starters.”
“But I have told you everything.” Tyler strode across the room, grabbing Regan’s elbows and turning her so she couldn’t help but make eye contact. “I have bared my soul to you, Ree. Don’t you understand why I did what I did all those years ago?”
"I understand you were young and stupid, Tyler. And you stayed stupid, paying blackmail fees all those years. But, still, you aren't sharing everything."
“That’s not true,” Tyler challenged.
“Goons, you put a goon squad on me night and day and never thought to mention it?”
“I told you I would protect you, remember?”
“You’re thinking defies logic sometimes, but there is so much more. Look at our history. Don’t you understand how much you pushed me away? How you broke trust with me over and over again? I have another life now. So do you. We don’t magically find our way back to each other.”
A knock on the door caused the couple to jump apart. The guilt must have been evident on Regan's face from Donna's response. "I'm so sorry to interrupt," the assistant said, blushing. "You have a call on line one, Tyler, and they are very insistent on speaking with you."
A look of understanding flashed between the couple. Regan retreated to the sofa, curious about this call and questioning her behavior, how quickly she had fallen into Tyler’s arm. Tyler moved with purpose toward the desk phone. "They have started calling here instead of my cell," he explained to Regan. "More brazen. More invasive. When the FBI went to tap the phones, they found them tapped already. These guys are ruthless.”
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