GARTH MET WITH MITCH, Cruz and Nick shortly before five in the afternoon. They’d picked a quiet bar by the freeway. It was the sort of place that didn’t get much action before nine or ten, which suited them just fine. They only needed an out-of-the-way place to talk.
The other three men were already there when Garth arrived. He’d left his suit jacket in the car, but was still the only guy wearing a tie. They were all successful, but completely different. Under normal circumstances, they were unlikely allies, but Jed and the Titan sisters had brought them together.
Four beers sat on the table. Garth took the one in front of his chair and swallowed.
“Jed came by to see me,” he said.
Mitch’s mouth twisted. “Lucky you.”
“He’s having a bit of a cash flow problem. He put his racing horses up for sale. I bought them.”
Nick looked at him. “He found out?”
Garth shrugged. “He wasn’t happy about it. He threatened to take my plan to buy him out to the shareholders, not that they would mind.”
“You think he will?” Cruz asked.
“Maybe. It won’t change anything. I’m more concerned about the other things he said. He didn’t come out and threaten the women, but it was implied. I would say he didn’t have it in him, but after what happened with Izzy…” He shook his head. “He’s dangerous.”
The other men exchanged glances.
Country music played in the background. A couple of guys were playing pool at the table in the center of the room. A few other customers were talking or already so drunk they could barely stay seated.
“We’ll have to take precautions,” Nick said flatly. “Izzy’s at the ranch most of the time, so there’s some distance between her and Jed.”
Cruz drew in a breath. “I worry about Lexi. She’s living with me, so she’s safe at night, but what about during the day?”
Garth knew Cruz was also concerned about Lexi’s advancing pregnancy. “I know a couple of good bodyguards. They’re discreet. She wouldn’t necessarily have to know they were watching her.”
“And when she finds out?” Cruz asked. “Hell, I’ll take the fight. It would be worth it. Sure. Give me the names.”
“Me, too,” Mitch said. “Skye and Erin are vulnerable when they’re away from the ranch.”
Garth wanted to say even Jed wouldn’t hurt his own granddaughter, but he didn’t know that for sure. Not anymore.
“What about Dana?” Mitch asked. “You think she’s safe?”
Garth didn’t have an answer for that. Dana was more capable of taking care of herself than any of the sisters. She was a cop. But she’d also known Jed all her life-she’d stayed in his house, spent holidays with him. Would she be willing to take him on or would she hesitate? Indecision could be fatal.
“I’ll talk to her,” he said. “If I explain the situation, she’ll take precautions. Maybe move in for a while.”
All three men stared at him.
“You want Dana living with you?” Nick asked, sounding stunned.
“It would keep her safe.”
“Dana? Seriously?” Cruz shrugged. “Whatever floats your boat.”
“Hey, back off,” Garth said, a warning tone to his voice.
Cruz raised both his hands. “Sorry, man. She’s great. Not my type, but great.”
Mitch looked at him with a combination of curiosity and pity. “You’re going to ask her to move in with you so you can protect her?”
Why did everyone keep saying Dana wasn’t his type? What did they know about his type? He shook off the question and turned to Mitch.
“She’s smart. She’ll agree.”
Mitch grinned. “Sorry I’m going to miss the explosion. Dana’s not big on being told what to do and she’s always had a problem with men trying to run her life.” He glanced around the table. “I went to high school with her. She’s pretty damned intimidating.”
Garth wanted to get more details. How well had Mitch known Dana in high school? Did they have a history?
“I can handle her,” Garth said. “Don’t worry about it.”
Conversation shifted to their next move. Cruz was working with some of his ATF friends. Mitch had been talking to the FBI.
“That’s going to take too long,” Garth grumbled. “I’m still going after him financially. That’s faster. Once he’s backed into a corner, he’ll do something stupid. Then we’ll get him.”
“You have to be careful,” Mitch warned. “I’ve known Jed all my life. Back him into a corner and there’s no telling how he’ll react. He could hurt someone.”
“Which is why we want the women protected,” Nick said. “I’m with Garth. Taking everything he’s worked for is quick and legal. We’re in control.”
Garth appreciated Nick’s support. Not just because he believed in his plan but because it could be a sign that Nick was willing to if not forgive, then at least give Garth another opportunity to make up for what he’d done.
The men discussed various options for a few more minutes, then Cruz and Mitch left. Nick stayed behind.
“What else did Jed say?” Nick asked.
“He threatened me. I’ve got the conversation recorded.”
Nick nodded. “He’s dangerous, mostly because he’s too arrogant to believe he can be caught or he can lose. That’ll make him unpredictable.”
“Agreed. We’ll plan for what we can and take the rest as it comes.”
Nick finished his beer and set the bottle on the table. “Izzy thinks you’re coming along just fine. A few more weeks and you’ll be domesticated. That true?”
“Izzy’s determined.”
“Must be a family trait.”
“Maybe.” Garth still had trouble thinking of the Titan sisters as family. He knew he was related to them, but that was different. There was more distance when one spoke of “relations” than family.
“I’m sorry,” Garth told him. “About everything.”
Nick’s gaze was steady. “I believe you. Izzy is convinced this is all going to work out. Is she right?”
“Maybe. I’m not sure of what it means to have them in my life.”
“They’re going to help you figure that out.”
Garth chuckled. “Whether I want them to or not.”
Nick grinned. “You gotta love ’em.” He picked up his empty beer bottle. “Want another one?”
“Sure.”
DANA ARRIVED AT GARTH’S place at ten Saturday morning. She’d already taken her truck in for an estimate and had winced at the high price of the repairs. Not that she had a choice. Her insurance would cover most of it, but there was still the deductible, not to mention the pain and suffering of her truck. Damn Jed and whoever was working for him.
She parked her rental-a nondescript pale gold sedan-and hoped Garth would offer to take his car. She didn’t plan to tell him what had happened. Not yet, anyway. Maybe it had been a one-time thing. Maybe Jed was stupid enough to think she would be too scared to continue investigating him.
As she walked toward his condo building, she fought down some fairly serious guilt. In the spirit of everyone working together, they deserved to know what had happened. But she believed that everyone, including Garth, would overreact. The last thing she wanted was her friends worrying about her. She was a big girl-she could take care of herself.
The elevator rose swiftly to the top floor. She crossed to his door and braced herself for the impact of seeing him. Chemistry, she thought as she knocked. Nothing but great sex and chemistry. Garth was little more than a new ice cream flavor. After a few more tastes, she would get tired of him. At least that was the plan.
“Right on time,” he said as he opened the door.
All the bracing in the world didn’t stop her stomach from doing a little hula at the sight of him in jeans and a Texas A &M sweatshirt. The worn boots were a nice masculine touch that made her feel all gooey inside.
“I believe in being prompt,” she said, pushing past him, then wishing she hadn’t as they touched. She took a deep breath. “So what’s the plan?”
“First we talk.”
“Because you’re turning into a girl?”
“Nice,” he said, leading the way into the living room. “Very nice. Jed paid me a visit yesterday. He’s miffed because I bought his racehorse farm.”
She stood in the center of the room and raised her eyebrows. “I’m thinking ‘miffed’ doesn’t completely describe his mood.”
“Probably not. He threatened me-all of us, really. Last night I met with the guys. We’re worried about everyone staying safe.”
She assumed “the guys” meant Cruz, Mitch and Nick and that “everyone” meant the women.
“Did you come up with a plan?” she asked.
“That’s what I want to talk about.”
She patted her purse, which was more small backpack than fashion statement. “I’m armed, so you don’t have to worry about me.”
“I’m not the only one who’s worried, Dana. This is serious. I want you to move in with me. Temporarily. Until Jed is under control.”
Move in with him? Was he serious? She opened her mouth to yell her displeasure, then saw by the look on his face that he was expecting that.
“What do you think you can do that I can’t do myself?” she asked instead. “I’m the trained professional in the room.”
“Safety in numbers.”
“Or a really convenient booty call.”
He actually looked amused. “I don’t have to trick you into my bed.”
Maybe not, but she would like to pretend he did.
“This is a whole egotistical male thing, isn’t it?” she snapped. “You’re going to go all macho and protect the poor helpless women. Worry about Lexi and Skye and Izzy, but I’m fine. I can more than take care of myself.”
“No one questions that,” he said reasonably. “But you should consider there are other people involved. Lexi’s pregnant. Do you think it’s good for her to worry about you? What about Skye? Isn’t she already dealing with enough?”
“Guilt won’t work on me,” she told him.
“It’s not guilt. It’s the truth. We all want to know you’re okay.”
“Even you?” she asked before she could stop herself, then wished desperately she could call back the words. Why did she set herself up? Why? Was it a brain injury she couldn’t remember? Being just plain stupid?
“Even me.”
“Oh.”
She didn’t know what to do with the information so she ignored it. A part of her thought maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to stay with Garth for a while. At least she would have backup. But agreeing felt a little too much like giving up. She’d fought hard to be strong and independent. But at the first sign of trouble, was she going to go running for a big man to solve the problem?
“No,” she said. “I can’t move in here.”
Garth looked more resigned than surprised. “I won’t fight you on it, but I want you to promise me that if anything happens, you’ll pack your bags and stay here until Jed is in jail.”
Would Jed come after her again or had that one stunt been enough? Only time would tell.
“As of right now, if Jed in any way attacks me, I’ll come live here with you. You have my word.”
“Good. Want to go visit Kathy with me? I usually stop by and see her on Saturdays.”
“Sure.”
He moved toward her and put his hands on her waist, then lightly kissed her. “What are the odds of you letting me drive?”
She thought of the rental car parked on the street. “Better than you’d expect.”
“Going soft on me?”
Keeping secrets, she thought, but instead said, “Making you feel like you’re in charge.”
“Meaning I’m not?”
She laughed. “Oh, please.”
GARTH PARKED BY THE Starbucks in Titanville. When they’d picked up their order, they walked toward the pet store.
“When did you buy the business for Kathy?” Dana asked.
“About ten years ago. She didn’t like staying home all the time and there weren’t a lot of places that would hire her. She tried volunteering, but she had trouble there, too. She’d always loved animals, even when I was a kid, so this seemed like a good fit.”
She sipped her latte, wondering how many other sons would have taken the trouble. “Were you even in high school when she had her surgery?”
“Barely. One of the social workers at the hospital went out of her way to help. She got the word out about the surgery and our bills. The town held a few fund-raisers. A bank set up an account where people could donate. For a while, no one was sure she would even survive the surgery. Once she was conscious, I figured out pretty fast that most of her had been lost.”
Talk about terrifying, she thought. All that responsibility, all at once. How had he done it?
“Did you have help?” she asked. “Other family?”
“No family. A few neighbors came in to do what they could. Jed had already thrown me out once. I wasn’t going back to him.”
“He wouldn’t have bothered,” she said, aching for the teenager forced to grow up too fast.
“We were lucky in some ways,” he said. “Her recovery was easy-she needed a little physical therapy, but nothing too intense. It was her brain that had been damaged. My first plan was to quit school and get a job. My school counselor talked me into staying in school. She pointed out I would make a lot more money in the long-term, if I went to college.”
How had he known how to survive? Just the basics, like buying groceries, paying bills, cooking? Not to mention caring for a suddenly mentally disabled parent.
“What about social services?” she asked. “They didn’t try to take you away from her?”
“No. I don’t think anyone was willing to report what had happened. They all felt bad. She got disability payments,” he continued. “That covered the bills, but not her care. She couldn’t stay by herself. I worked after school for a while, but that meant more time I needed to pay someone to be with her, so I got a night job as a janitor. I worked while she slept.”
She swore under her breath. “When did you sleep?”
“When I got older. I could only pay for someone to be around so many hours a day. We had great neighbors. They would look in on her. College was harder, because I was gone during the week. I could drive home on weekends to check on her and I did, but those years were tough.” He hesitated. “She went into a group home for a while. My last two years of college. She seemed to like it, so that was something.”
He didn’t sound convinced.
“Garth, you can’t blame yourself for that. You’d done more than most people. You took care of her when you were still supposed to be a kid. You were totally alone. You can’t beat yourself up for that.”
“I don’t. I blame Jed.”
“He deserves it.”
She’d known for a while why Garth wanted to destroy Jed, but listening to his story made the reasons more real and immediate. The money to save Kathy Duncan would have meant nothing to Jed. It was pocket change. He’d once cared about her enough to sleep with her and later set up a trust fund that should have taken care of her for the rest of her life. If tragedy hadn’t struck. Now all their lives were different, because of one thoughtless act.
“Where does Kathy live now?”
“Around the corner from the pet store. I bought her a little house with a garden. She has someone stay with her when she’s not at work. Her caretakers take shifts. They’ve been with her seven or eight years. It works.”
He’d solved the problems he could, she thought. The logistics. But there was nothing he could do to get his mom back. Not to the way she’d been.
They walked into the pet store. The teenager in front greeted them.
“We have new puppies,” she said with a grin. “Kathy’s taking care of them.”
Garth nodded.
Was it always like this? Did he have a coded conversation every time he came in, finding out from people how his mother was doing? What happened on a bad day?
They headed for the rear of the store. Kathy sat beside a large pen watching three black Lab puppies tumble and play. She looked up and beamed when she saw her company.
“Garth!” She scrambled to her feet, then took the latte he offered. “You came to see me.”
He kissed her cheek. “It’s Saturday.”
She nodded, her eyes wide and happy. “You always come on Saturday.” She turned to Dana. “You’re friends now. I knew you would be.”
Dana blinked and tried to smile.
Kathy was casually dressed in jeans and a bright pink polo shirt. A green smock with Titanville Pet Palace on the front covered her from shoulders to knees. She held her coffee in both hands, still smiling, as if her day couldn’t get better.
“The puppies are nice,” Garth said. “Have you found homes for them yet?”
“Two,” Kathy said. “They’ll be by later to pick them up.” She looked at Dana. “You’ll need a dog, but not for a while. You’re still not ready.”
Dana shifted in place. “I’m, um, not really a pet person.”
“You will be.”
There was a scary knowingness in Kathy’s happy expression, as if she could see dimensions the rest of the world didn’t even know existed. Determined not to be totally freaked out, Dana smiled back and shifted so Garth was between her and Kathy.
Kathy put her coffee on a shelf by the pen and took one of his hands in both of hers.
“You’re not so sad today.” She released him, then returned her attention to Dana. “I’ve known Garth a long time.”
“I know. He loves you very much.”
Kathy’s smile widened. “I’m lucky.”
“Yes, you are,” Garth said quietly, then kissed her cheek. “I’ll be by to see you later this week,” he promised.
“Okay.”
Kathy dropped down by the puppies and spoke softly to them. Dana studied her for a moment, wondering if they were forgotten now, until the next time she saw one of them. Did Kathy remember or dream or long for something different? Or was she happy in her own world?
Garth had gone out of his way to give her a good life, but what had he given himself? What were his dreams and longings when it came to Kathy? That she could be herself? The parent he’d lost so many years ago?
“God, I hate this,” he muttered as they left. He tossed away his half-finished coffee. “Seeing her like that.”
“I was just thinking you’ve made her a lovely life.”
“I have money to spend on her, so I’m one of the lucky ones. I know that. But this isn’t her. My mother was a vibrant, funny, smart woman who saw the ridiculousness in life. She loved to argue politics and read a book a day. She talked about wanting to travel. We were supposed to go to Europe for the summer when I graduated high school. Every week we put twenty dollars into a special savings account. By the time I graduated, it would have been enough.”
His pain was a living creature breathing down the back of her neck. She didn’t know what to say-how to help him feel better. Then she realized there would never be the right words. Telling him no one deserved this wouldn’t make a difference at all.
Not knowing what else she could offer, she reached for his hand and laced her fingers between his.
He looked at her, his dark eyes clouded with hurt and anger. “You don’t strike me as the hand-holding type.”
“I’m not. So I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention this to anyone.”
“I won’t say a word.”
DANA GOT HOME A lot earlier than she’d planned. After visiting Kathy, Garth had announced he needed to go into the office. She suspected he mostly needed some time alone to bury himself in work so he could forget…at least for a little while. He’d promised to call her later so they could go to dinner, but she wasn’t holding her breath.
Her relationship with Garth was confusing at best and not easily defined. Distance between them wasn’t a bad idea.
Dana parked her rental in her space, then walked toward her apartment. She’d barely pushed the door open when every sense in her body went on alert. Without thinking, she shoved her hand into her purse and pulled out her handgun. The purse dropped to the floor and she kicked it out of the way. Then she stepped into the room.
Everything was exactly as she’d left it, with one very real exception. Jed Titan sat on her sofa, reading a magazine.
He glanced up at her, then showed her the front of the magazine. “Time,” he said. “Impressive. I’m glad you’re keeping up with current events.” He looked from her face to the gun in her hands. “Are you planning on shooting me?”
“That depends on why you’re here.”