Once You're Mine

by Barbara Freethy

  She knew what they were feeling—the same shock and anger she'd experienced yesterday. But underneath that was something else…a remembrance of love, a miracle that this man they had once adored was alive.

  "How could you stay away all these years?" Scott asked. "How could you lie to us, dupe us, play us for fools?"

  They were the same questions Scott had asked her when she'd first told him their father was alive. She'd hoped his anger would have cooled on the flight home, but apparently not.

  Her father drew in an uneasy breath, and she worried that he wasn't up for this. He'd almost died the night before.

  "Well, what do you have to say?" Scott demanded.

  "Give him a second," she said. "He's recovering from surgery."

  Her brother barely glanced at her. "I think I have a right to ask."

  "You have every right," her father said. "I'm sorry for everything, and I will explain. I'll answer all the questions you have." His gaze moved to his wife. "Pamela…"

  She shook her head, putting a hand to her mouth. "I don't know what to say. I can't believe you're alive, Ben. I can't believe Mitch and Jim helped you fake your death."

  "I did it to protect you—all of you."

  "He's telling the truth," she put in. "Henry Lowell's whole family was killed, and Dad knew we could be next. That's why he left."

  "I see you believe him," Scott said harshly.

  "I've had a little more time to understand what was going on. I know the power of the men he was up against. I believe we were in danger back then. I don't know if he made the right decision. But I get it."

  "You get it? Great, but I don't. Why not go to the police? Why not get us all protection?" Scott asked. "How could you even be sure we'd be safe after you died?"

  "Because they wanted to shut me up—they didn't have anything against you," her dad answered. "I did watch over you, though. And I made sure Mitch and Jim kept tabs on you."

  "He was at your wedding, Scott," she interjected. "He was at your baseball games. You did feel his presence. It wasn't your imagination; he was there."

  "You were?" Scott asked, his anger starting to cool as he gazed back at his father.

  "I stayed away the first few years, then I'd sneak into town for a few days, for special occasions. I'd get out before anyone knew I was there." Her father turned to her mother. "I'm glad you found someone else, someone who could be there for you."

  "Ray," her mother murmured, as if she'd just remembered she had a husband.

  "I don't want to make trouble for you, Pam. I want you to be happy, to be loved. Because I loved you so much. I loved all of you."

  Tears sprang into Tori's eyes as her mother put a hand on her father's arm.

  "I don’t understand this, Ben," her mom said. "But…"

  "But?" he asked hopefully.

  "I'm glad you're alive." Her mother paused. "I used to pray for a miracle. There was a tiny part of me that always wondered if there was some mistake. I think that came from not seeing your body. I guess you made sure of that with Mitch's help."

  "The hardest part was seeing you all so sad," he said tersely. "But I had to let you go. I wanted you to be safe, and I hoped the sadness would pass."

  "It never left me completely—never," her mom said. "Part of me is furious that you made me go through that. You changed the course of my entire life, Ben. You changed your kids forever. They mourned your loss, and they missed some of the joy of their childhood because of that pain. I could see it in their eyes every time they looked for you in a crowd, because they just couldn't help themselves."

  Tori felt her heart break a little more at her mother's words.

  "I'm sorry, Pam," her father said again, helplessness in his eyes. "I thought that as long as you were all alive and safe, it was worth it."

  "I don't know if it was," her mom murmured. "But…maybe."

  "Okay, I need more answers," Scott interrupted, squaring his shoulders, putting on his lawyer interrogation face. Dylan might think she was the only Hayden who could grill someone with questions, but her brother could be tough as well. She didn't know if her father was up to it.

  "He's pretty weak, Scott," she said. "Maybe the questions can wait until we all calm down."

  "I don't think they can," Scott said, folding his arms. "Not with a police officer outside the door. I need to know what we're dealing with."

  "It's okay, Tori," her father said. "You go take a break. You've been here all night. Let me talk to your brother and your mom."

  She hesitated, then decided to go along with that plan. "All right. I'm going to see if I can get an update from the police."

  When she reached the corridor, she saw Dylan leaning against the wall with two coffees in his hands.

  "I didn't want to intrude," he said, handing her a cup. "How did that go?"

  "Rough. But it's getting better."

  "I just talked to Sergeant Phillips. They've arrested Gary Kruger for Emma's assault."

  "That's great news."

  "Kruger started talking immediately. He said he was approached by Robert Walker on behalf of Peter Lundgren shortly after he got into the investigator's office. Walker told him how they'd worked with his father and showed him proof of the money his dad had been paid. They said they'd destroy his father's reputation if he didn't go along, and he didn't want that."

  "Even though his dad was guilty of hiding an arsonist?"

  Dylan shrugged. "That's what he said. We'll know more as they question him further."

  "What else is happening? What about Jeff Crocker, my fellow news reporter? He's the one who set my father up yesterday and sent him to that building. I'm sure he knew about my kidnapping as well."

  "They found Crocker at the airport last night, about to skip town. He was also eager to talk and share the blame. Based on the conversations they've had so far with Kruger and Crocker, they've brought in Peter Lundgren for questioning. Eric Litton will not be far behind."

  "Really?" she asked, surprised it was all happening so fast.

  "Yes. Lundgren has already gotten his very expensive attorney working on his case, but Phillips is hopeful they can mount a solid case against him, as well as Litton. He will be over this morning to talk to your father. And he'd like to talk to you again, but he said we could do that later. He's going to leave the guard here until they have a better handle on the situation, but he feels confident that shutting you or your father up is now the least of anyone's problems."

  Relief ran through her. "That's the best news yet. And I'm glad I don't have to answer any more questions right now. I'm kind of tired."

  "Kind of?" he asked with a small smile. "You didn't sleep all night, Tori."

  "I drifted off a few times. And I'm sure you're exhausted, too. You didn't get any sleep, either."

  "What do you say to going home for a few hours? Unless you want to be part of the reunion in there?"

  "You know—I probably should be in there, but I need some time to catch my breath. I would like to get out of here for a while."

  "And I would like to buy you breakfast. I'm over the vending machine snacks. Do you want to say good-bye to your family before we leave?"

  She looked back at the room, seeing that her mom and brother had moved closer to the bed. "I'll talk to them later." The three of them were having the conversation they needed to have. She'd had her time with her father. Later, they would all catch up.

  * * *

  Dylan thought about taking Tori home, but as he started the car, he didn't think either one of them wanted to go back to her apartment and remember the moment she'd been kidnapped and how close to death she'd come. Going to a restaurant didn't seem like the best idea, either. As he pulled out of the lot, he turned in the opposite direction.

  Tori gave him a surprised smile. "Where are we going?"

  "I think it's about time you saw my place."

  "Your place, huh? I thought we were doing breakfast."

  "The beauty of my place is that I a
ctually have food in the refrigerator, not just ice cream."

  "Can you make me pancakes and eggs and bacon?"

  "I can do that," he said, happy that he'd stocked up a few days ago.

  "Then you're on." She leaned her head back as she gazed out the window. "Everything looks so normal. The city just goes on. It reminds me of when my dad died. I'd see people laughing and talking and going to work, and I just thought how strange it was that no one else was sad or crying or lonely. It was just another day."

  "You've got him back now," he reminded her. "Are you going to be able to forgive him?"

  "It's difficult not to. His heart was in the right place. And it's not like he's been having a fabulous time without us. He's been alone for seventeen years. He told me there had never been another woman, another family. He's been on his own." She glanced over at him. "I want him back in my life. I want him to be there for the big moments, without hiding in the shadows, although I am touched that he was at my graduations, even if I didn't know it."

  "And he was at Scott's baseball games. We all thought Scott was nuts."

  "I know. Apparently, Scott was more intuitive than I was." She paused. "My dad gave me hell yesterday for following him in the first place. Maybe I did know it was him all along; I just couldn't believe it."

  "Well, just don't do it again. You see someone watching you, call the police, call me, do anything but run after the guy."

  "I will. I promise. But…"

  He heard an odd note in her voice. "But what?"

  "I just don't know if I can kick all the bad habits at once, Dylan. I am nosy and impulsive and reckless and sometimes get caught up in a story, and I don't think everything through. If you and I are going to work, you might need to realize that some of my not-so-charming traits aren't going to go away."

  "I like that you're not perfect. It makes it easier on me."

  "So you don't have to be perfect, either?"

  "Exactly. Let's be imperfect together."

  She smiled. "I've heard worse offers."

  He grinned. "We make a good team. We bring out the best in each other."

  "You have made me think a little more before I jump," she admitted. "Consider all the options instead of just choosing the first one. But what have I done for you?"

  "That's easy. You've shown me what courage is really about."

  Her smile faded and her gaze grew serious. "What do you mean?"

  "You're not just brave about fighting off kidnappers or staying in a burning building to save someone else's life. You have the courage to be vulnerable, Tori, to put your heart on the line. That's the one thing I've never been able to risk."

  "I promise if you risk your heart with me, I'll take good care of it."

  "I know you will," he said, reaching out his hand for hers.

  She curled her fingers around his. "I can hardly believe the biggest crush of my life is going to be the biggest love of my life."

  "And I can hardly believe how many questions I'm going to have to answer every day," he said dryly.

  She laughed and let go of his hand to playfully punch him in the arm. "You are going to love talking to me."

  "I already do." He turned down his street. "This is me."

  "Nice," she said approvingly as she eyed the two-story, old Victorian house. "Do you have a view of the bay?"

  "Unfortunately, no. The top floor was out of my price range. But it's a short run to the water. We should go sometime."

  She groaned. "Oh, man, if we start dating, you're going to make me run, aren't you?"

  "There's no if about it—at least not the dating part." He paused. "Things have been moving fast."

  "Well, maybe," she agreed. "But it did take us more than ten years to get here, so fast is good for me, at least some of the time."

  He laughed at her wicked smile. "We are definitely on the same page."

  A moment later, he pulled into his garage. After parking the car, he took her up a short flight of stairs and into his first floor-apartment.

  Tori walked around the living room, noting the two big leather recliner chairs and the super comfortable couch, all set up around a big-screen TV. "This is definitely a bachelor pad," she said.

  "It certainly has been, but I'm happy to put those days behind me. Hunter used to live here, but when he decided to travel, he moved his stuff out, and I am thrilled about that."

  "I can see wanting to live alone, but are you really done with bachelor days?"

  He pulled her into his arms. "Yes. I think I've just been waiting for you, Tori."

  "I like that. You didn't really have to wait this long, though."

  He laughed at that. "Yes, I did. We weren't ready before."

  "But we are now." She licked her lips. "What do you think Scott is going to say about us dating?"

  "I don't know, but I don’t care. You were right. This was never about him. He's just going to have to deal, because I'm not letting you go."

  She put her arms around his back. "I'm not letting you go, either." She leaned in and pressed her mouth against his.

  The brief taste of her lips was all he needed to want a lot more. But he forced himself to breathe past the rush of desire. "Let me cook you breakfast, Tori. You need to eat. And then you need to sleep."

  She shook her head, her eyes glittering with humor and desire and love. "What I need right now is you. Everything else can wait. Love me, Dylan."

  "For the rest of my life," he murmured, as he took her into the bedroom.

  Epilogue

  Eight weeks later…

  "So what do you think?" Tori asked impatiently, looking at her father across the kitchen table in her apartment.

  "One second," he said, holding up a hand, as his gaze moved across the hard copy version of the news article they'd been working on the past two months. She knew it was good, but she wasn't sure it was great. And anything that her father was going to put his name on had to be excellent.

  As she waited for him to finish reading, she couldn't help thinking how much better he looked now. He'd recovered from the injuries he'd sustained during the fire, and since he'd started to reclaim his life, he'd gotten his hair cut, bought better-fitting clothes, and rented an apartment. He was slowly becoming Ben Hayden again.

  He still seemed to spend a lot of time looking over his shoulder, but with the cases building against Peter Lundgren, Litton, and the others, he'd finally started to believe that justice was going to win out after all these years.

  Soon everyone would know the story, because this article would be the first of three in a series that would cover the long-running, multi-million-dollar scheme that had been cooked up and carried out by some of San Francisco's most prominent citizens off and on for twenty years. The crimes had carried through two generations, but they were officially done and the entire truth could be told.

  Her father set down the paper and gave her a smile. "It's perfect."

  "Are you sure? Nothing is perfect." Her heart was swelling with pride at not just her achievement but theirs.

  "This is. You told this story better than I could have told it."

  "I have a bit more objectivity—"

  "No," he said, cutting her off. "You have a way with words that's magical."

  She loved the compliment, but she thought he might be a little biased. "If I do, I got it from you."

  "Let's just agree that we're both great."

  She laughed. They'd gotten to know each other again through the research and writing of the article, and he felt like her dad again. They'd even had a few arguments, having managed to get past the point of tiptoeing around each other to just be themselves. "Fine. I agree. We're awesome. And the Examiner is going to sell a lot of copies and get a lot of online traffic with this series. It's the scoop of all scoops."

  "Truly a career-making story," he said. "It only took seventeen years. But I'm glad we did it together. I wish you'd consider taking my name off it, though, unless you think it will help you generate mor
e traffic."

  "I want your name on it, because it's your story more than it is mine."

  "You might get a bigger cubicle after this."

  "Stacey already gave me Jeff's cubicle. He's not going to need it since he's in jail." Jeff had made a deal to save himself from a trial and a list of charges going all the way up to accessory for murder. He hadn't gotten completely off, though. He would still be in jail for at least ten years, and Tori was very happy about that.

  The rest of the staff at the Examiner had been cleared of any involvement, and Jeff had insisted that he'd had no idea Tori had applied or gotten the job until she showed up for work. At first, Jeff had thought she was there to spy on him, but quickly had realized she didn't even know her father was still alive. He'd decided to keep an eye on her and wait for a chance to use her to his advantage.

  "Crocker was my biggest mistake," her father said. "I thought I could read people, but he played me from the very beginning. I thought I was giving him the chance to help me on a big story. But he didn't care about that. He was the one who told Lundgren seventeen years ago that I was on to him. He was the one who also gave up Henry's name, which led to the death of four innocent people. And he did it all for cash and access to the power players. They fed him stories over the years. He made his name through their exclusives."

  "But even with their help, he was never that successful," she said. "He couldn't even buy his way to greatness. And when you came back to life, and he realized you might eventually discover his betrayal along with everything else, so he had to get rid of you. Taking care of me as well was added protection. But I think he also wanted me off the paper. I was going to be competition. It's always about greed—whether it's money or position or power, isn't it?"

  "Maybe not always, but often," he agreed.

  Her doorbell rang.

  "Is that Dylan?" her dad asked. "I thought you were meeting him at his parents' house for the engagement party."

  "I am," she said, pushing the button for the speaker. "Hello?"

  "It's Scott."

  "Why are you here?" she asked in surprise.

  "Just let me in."

  She buzzed her brother in, then glanced over at her dad. "Do you know what this is about?"