by HELEN HARDT
“We will, but you have to understand.” He paused a moment. “This isn’t the first time Riley has taken off.”
I lifted my eyebrows. “It’s not?”
He shook his head. “The third time, actually, and when she goes, she doesn’t want to be found. She’s an adult, Rock. An adult with…issues.”
Issues? Of course she had issues. Our esteemed father had violated her for God knew how long. Did Reid seriously not know that had happened?
“Then we should get her help,” I said.
“We’ve tried. Dad tried while he was alive.”
“Dad? Dad’s the reason she’s fucked up!”
“I know he wasn’t the most attentive father in the world, but—”
“Attentive? He was a little too attentive to Riley.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Oh my God. You really don’t know. Did you and Roy just close your eyes to everything going on in that godforsaken house?”
“You’re one to talk. You weren’t even there once you turned fourteen. Roy and I kept to ourselves. We sure as hell didn’t want to be shipped off to military school.”
Man. My brothers didn’t have a clue. “Military school wasn’t my choice.”
“Of course it wasn’t. You were a pain in the ass, Rock. Mom and Dad couldn’t handle you.”
“That’s what they told you, huh?”
“It wasn’t hard to believe. You were…”
“I was what, Reid? How much do you even remember? You were nine when I left, and Roy was eleven. Roy spent all his time in his room anyway. What exactly do you remember about how I acted before I left?”
“You were…you know. Boisterous.”
“So were you, as I recall.”
“You came in late. You missed curfew.”
“Uh-huh. It might surprise you to know that most kids don’t get sent to military school for missing curfew.”
“I guess… I guess I was too young to remember.”
“Exactly. And Roy doesn’t remember because he didn’t pay much attention to the rest of us. What exactly did Mom and Dad tell you about why I was sent away?”
“They said you were caught stealing, and that…”
I resisted the urge to grab my brother’s shoulders and shake him. “That what?”
“You got into a fight and nearly killed another guy. With a knife.”
I curled my hands into fists. “Those assholes.”
“You’re saying you didn’t pull a knife on someone?”
“I’m saying I never did what they told you I did.”
“They lied?”
“Hard to believe, isn’t it?” I scoffed sarcastically.
“I know Dad was no saint, but—”
“Dad was an evil piece of shit,” I said.
“Why did they send you away, then?” Reid asked.
“That’s not my story to tell,” I said.
“Whose is it, then?”
I didn’t respond. Instead, “Suffice it to say that while you and Roy got pampered at prep school, I got the shit kicked out of me by wannabe heroes who liked to pummel the students to make themselves feel better for being military school failures.”
That was the first year. After that, I took part in the pummeling. Not my finest moments.
“First of all, we weren’t exactly pampered. Roy had it especially hard. He was a huge target for bullies.”
“A Wolfe heir was a target at a fine prep school?”
“You really think being a Wolfe meant anything there? They were all from powerful families. The first-year hazing was brutal.”
I shook my head. I could tell him horror stories about hazing at military school, but I didn’t particularly want to relive it at the moment.
“But I’m sor—”
I held up a hand. “Don’t. Just don’t. It’s over, and I try not to think about it.”
Reid nodded. “I get it. I do. Don’t worry about Riley. She’ll turn up when she’s ready. I hate to see her fuck up her career like this, though.”
“Yeah, I do too.” I sighed. “I still think we should look for her.”
“We’re using our resources in the best way,” my brother said. “If these PIs can’t find her, she doesn’t want to be found. Go ahead on your trip. There’s nothing else we can do here. I wish there were, but there isn’t.”
I nodded. I still felt shitty about leaving, but the reality was that I hadn’t had a clue the two other times my baby sister had gone missing. I’d divorced myself from this family long ago—something I deeply regretted now. I had reason to hate my parents, but my brothers and sister had done nothing wrong.
I owed them my loyalty. I’d go to Montana with Lacey as I’d promised.
Then I’d leave my beautiful home behind for the last time.
40
Lacey
The Wolfe private jet was even more luxurious than I’d imagined.
And yes, there was a bed.
Rock, though, was oddly distant. He hadn’t mentioned the bed, or joining the mile high club, which, from the little I knew about him, seemed out of character.
I sipped Champagne from a crystal flute and ate strawberries dipped in chocolate.
Rock sat next to me, his drink sitting on the table in front of us, and he hadn’t touched the fruit.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“I’m good. Just a lot on my mind.”
“Anything I can help with?”
He smiled. “No. I want to have a nice weekend with you.”
“I’d like that too.” I returned his smile and took another sip of Champagne. “This is delicious.”
“Only the best for the Wolfes,” he said, a little sardonically.
The attendant walked toward us. “Mr. Wolfe, the pilot says we’re going to start our descent soon, so you’ll need to fasten your seatbelts. I’ll clear away these dishes.”
Rock nodded. “Thank you.”
I clicked my seatbelt closed.
Montana, here I come.
One limo ride later, we arrived at Rock’s secluded cabin. It was small and cozy, and I loved it immediately.
“Make yourself at home,” he said. “I’m going to take your suitcase into the bedroom.”
“Thanks.”
Yes, he was definitely off. I still knew so little about him, so I didn’t feel comfortable pushing it. The living area was furnished with a leather sofa and two recliners flanking an oak coffee table. The fireplace was huge, and the mantle above it was made of white granite.
“Too bad we can’t have a fire,” Rock said.
“Probably not in spring.” I smiled.
“Would you like anything? A drink? Something to eat?”
“No. I’m good for now. I think I’ll change, though. Get out of these work clothes.”
“Help yourself.” He pointed toward the room where he’d taken my things.
I left, and he made no move to follow me. Again, odd. Was he sorry he’d brought me? I doubted it. This was Rock Wolfe. If he’d wanted to bail, he would have.
If only I didn’t love him. This was starting to hurt a little.
I changed into some loose jeans and a tank top and walked barefoot back out to the living room. Rock had poured himself a drink and was sitting on the couch. I sat down next to him.
“Everything okay?” I said, and then wanted to take back the words. The last thing I wanted to be was a nag.
“Fine. Just a rough day. I’m worried about Riley.”
I placed my hand over his. “I’m sorry. Is she still missing?”
He lifted his brow. “You know?”
Uh-oh. He didn’t sound pleased.
“Yeah. I guess I just assumed you knew, and I didn’t think it was any of my business.”
The spark of anger in him dissipated, and I silently thanked the universe.
“We’ve got PIs looking for her, but according to my brother, this isn’t the first time she’s gone AWOL.”
“It isn’t?” Her Paris trip crossed my mind briefly. Was she really going to walk out on Dominique Cosmetics?
He shook his head. “Apparently she’s struggling. And I haven’t been here. I feel helpless right now, Lacey. This is my little sister. How could I have stayed gone all those years?”
I caressed his forearm, wanting to go further but not sure what to do. This was the most he’d ever opened up to me. I didn’t want to jinx it.
“She seemed like she wanted to talk to me about something that night we went to dinner, but then she ended up leaving.”
“That’s the last time I saw her,” he said.
“Me too. She was supposed to meet with me regarding the transfer of personal items from the will, but she didn’t show.”
He nodded. “She’s been through a lot.”
“I think you all have.”
He pursed his lips into a flat line. “I don’t want to talk about this.”
I squeezed his hand. “Okay.”
“How was your day?”
“Busy, but fine.”
He nodded but said nothing.
I wasn’t sure what to do, so I did nothing. A few minutes passed, and then he held up his arm. “Come here.”
I smiled and snuggled into his shoulder.
He kissed the top of my head.
We stayed there, silently, the only sound our breathing.
Rock was in a better mood the next morning. We’d gone to bed together, and he held me, but we hadn’t made love.
Really weird, but it was also nice. I was feeling closer to him, which was what I wanted, but I fought myself. I didn’t want to enjoy it too much and end up heartbroken.
I took a quick shower and then found him in the kitchen, frying up bacon and hash browns in a cast-iron skillet. He was wearing a pair of old jeans and nothing else, his newly cut hair was in disarray, and he looked absolutely edible.
We hadn’t so much as kissed since we’d gotten on the plane. He must really be worried about his sister.
“Hey.” I put my arms around him and kissed the back of his shoulder. “Anything I can do to help?”
“Nope. Coffee’s done, and the mugs are in the cupboard above the brewer.”
“Great. You need a cup?”
“Already got one. I hope you’re hungry. I make a great breakfast.”
“I know. You left me eggs the morning after my overindulgence, remember?”
“Lace, this is going to be so much better than cold, clammy eggs.”
I inhaled. “It smells divine.” I took a drink of coffee. “So where are we riding today?”
“Everywhere,” he said. “I can’t wait to get back on my bike.”
“Sounds good.” I hoped I sounded sincere. The bike still scared me a little, but I had no doubt that Rock would be in solid command of it. The man could take solid command of everything, including Wolfe Enterprises.
Including my body.
Including me, God help me.
I missed the furious lovemaking, but I was also enjoying this side of Rock. He seemed more real to me, and I liked it.
I liked it a lot.
I took a seat at the small oak table in the kitchen and inhaled again.
“Ready?” he asked. He handed me a plate of what appeared to be a breakfast casserole.
“Hash browns and bacon topped with two eggs over easy and green chile.”
“It looks amazing,” I said, “but I’ll never be able to eat all of this.”
“Sure you will, once you see how good it tastes.”
I laughed and brought a forkful to my mouth. It was indeed delicious, but a little spicier than I had anticipated. I took a sip of coffee.
“Best chile in Montana,” he said.
“Where’d you learn to make it?”
He looked at his plate. “Nieves, actually.”
Did he expect me to react? I’d show him. “Well, she must come from a line of good cooks.”
“True. Just because she’s a pain in the ass doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy her chile.”
I tried to ignore the stab of jealousy. Nieves wasn’t here. I was, and Rock had made it clear which one of us he preferred. I could have done without him mentioning her, though I was the one who’d asked about the chile.
And Rock was right. Before I knew it, I’d gobbled up the whole plateful.
He laughed. “Told you.”
“It was amazing. You’ll have to give me that recipe.”
“Good luck finding chile peppers like that in New York.”
Did that mean he wasn’t going to give me the recipe? I wasn’t getting a good read on Rock at all this morning. Then again, when had I ever? The only time I’d ever read him accurately was when we were having sex, and that hadn’t occurred yet, which was in itself really weird.
Rock finished his plate and took the dishes to the sink. “I need to shower, and then we’ll be off. Jeans today for sure, and long sleeves if you don’t want to get sunburned. And no open-toed shoes.”
I dropped my mouth open. “That’s all I brought.”
“We’re going riding, Lace.”
“You didn’t tell me I needed anything special.”
“I assumed you knew.”
“Why would you assume that? I’ve never been riding in my life.”
“For Christ’s sake!” He raked his fingers through his hair. “We’ll stop at the Harley shop and get you what you need.”
I sighed. This weekend wasn’t turning out at all as I’d imagined.
When Rock’s phone buzzed, and he narrowed his eyes and left the room to speak privately, I felt it get a little worse.
41
Rock
“Any news?” I asked Reid.
“Not about Riley, no. I’m calling about something else.”
“What?”
Silence on the other end. I counted to ten.
“For God’s sake, Reid. What?”
“That detective is sniffing around. He called me at home this morning, at six fucking a.m.”
“So?”
“He has questions,” he said, “about Roy.”
“Roy? What about him?”
“I have no idea.”
“Shit. I told you I shouldn’t have left town.”
“I know. You were right. But we had no idea this guy would be in my face this morning. Has he called you?”
“Not that I know of.” I took a quick look at my phone. “No, I don’t see any missed calls.”
“He’ll get to you eventually. I told him you were out of town until Tuesday.”
I cleared my throat, thinking. “Do you think Roy is hiding something?”
“I don’t know. He’s really hard to read. Always has been.”
“Agreed, but I’ve been gone for so long anyway, I wouldn’t know how to read any of you. I did get the feeling, though, that he was hiding something the other night in the bar. What was the guy asking you about him?”
“Mostly about his mental state. Weird shit, like had he ever had any psychotic tendencies.”
Roy? Psychotic? “Seems pretty far off.”
“I know. Roy’s an introvert for sure, but psychotic? Not in this lifetime. Also, he was asking me about Roy’s art. He seems to think some of his paintings show signs of psychosis.”
“I’m no art expert, but I think the detective is the one who’s psychotic.”
Reid chuckled but then said, “This isn’t a laughing matter, Rock.”
“Then why are you laughing? And as far as Roy’s art goes, I haven’t seen any of it. I assume you have. Do you think it’s psychotic?”
“No. But I’m no art expert, either. He does a lot of portraits, but he also does abstracts. Some of it is pretty dark, but some isn’t.”
“I’m not sure this detective has a clue,” I said. “I do think Roy knows something—something he wanted to tell us at the bar the other night. But our brother is no psycho. That’s a term reserved for the bastard who fathered us.”
&nb
sp; “You think Dad was a psycho? I don’t know, Rock. He was an asshole for sure, but I don’t think you could call him psychotic.”
Of course Reid didn’t. He didn’t know what he’d done to our sister. Did that make him psychotic? Probably not. Sociopathic, for sure.
“Reid,” I said. “You were nine when I got shipped off. What happened during those years?”
Silence met my ear.
“Reid?”
“We don’t talk about it.”
“We meaning who?”
“Roy and I.”
“What about Riley?”
“Riley was fine. She was Daddy’s little girl. He doted on her.”
Wow. A lot my brother didn’t know. “He did, huh?”
“Yeah. Nothing was too good for her. She had the best of everything. He even took her on special trips. He called them princess trips. Roy and I didn’t get anything like that.”
My brother didn’t know how lucky he’d been. I knew exactly what went on during those princess trips. Damn. My poor baby sister. But my brothers? How could they have missed everything? Had they seriously been too preoccupied with envy that they couldn’t see what he was doing to her? Unreal.
“Have you ever wondered why Riley struggles so much?” I asked. “Why she runs away from time to time?”
“She’s a spoiled brat, Rock. I know she’s had her issues with depression and all, but damn, if she didn’t live such a coddled life, she wouldn’t have time for such self-indulgence. God knows I don’t.”
Wow again. Reid was truly ignorant. And naïve.
“Dad used to beat the shit out of me, Reid. Many times because I took it when he went after you. Did you know that?”
“I know. I suppose I should thank you, but after you left, who do you think he took it out on? Roy some, but mostly me. Roy was always closed up in his room working on some painting. I was the one who tried to gain favor with Dad, the only one of us who was truly interested in learning the family business. And for that I was punished.”
I cleared my throat. “I’m sorry.”
And I was. I should have been there to protect not only my sister but my brothers as well.
Instead, I was banished for my efforts.