High Passion

CHAPTER 23

The subdued mood in the room was morbidly funereal, and Devon hated it with every fiber of his being. This wasn’t what post-rescue was supposed to be like. They’d never had one of their own injured before. Well, bruises and bumps occasionally, but nothing so serious.

Erin had dropped the team off at Lifeline HQ before bugging out to take Xavier straight to one of the bigger hospitals in Calgary. Anders had gone along to keep everyone updated.

So far the news was skimpy and not very positive.

The RCMP had been and gone, taking their statements, asking questions that in many cases didn’t make sense. Devon fumed when the authorities didn’t seem to understand what the rescue had involved, and he had to repeat again and again what had happened.

By the time the last of the officers had left, Devon wasn’t the only one ready to bite someone’s head off. They gathered in the main room, Alisha curled up on one couch, Tripp on the other, with Marcus sprawled in the chair at the end of the coffee table.

Darkness marred Marcus’s expression. “There will be further inquiries, but I want you all to know I think you’re the best in the business. Accidents happen—I fucking hate that, but it’s true.”

Alisha wiped her eyes. “I keep going through procedure, and I swear I didn’t see anything that we did wrong. He was roped in. We were all going by the book, Marcus. We—”

She broke off, and Devon couldn’t stand it anymore. He left his place by the sidewall and crowded Alisha, pulling her to him as she buried her face against his neck. “I agree with Alisha. There was no reason for Xavier’s accident. He was tied in, he had backup.”

Tripp cleared his throat, then raised his eyes to meet Devon’s. “His belt was flawed.”

Marcus nodded. “That’s my first suspicion. We’ll check all the gear before I write it up as the cause. I had Lana pull maintenance records before I sent her home. We just bought the new shipments. Maybe one of them wasn’t up to standard.”

Devon rocked back, cradling Alisha. “Can we help check anything? This sitting around waiting is crap.”

Marcus shook his head. “We have to go by the book now. I think you should all go home. I’ll call you when I have news, or when I need to talk to you.”

What Marcus wasn’t saying was he’d need to talk to them individually to find out if one of them had contributed to the accident. It sucked, but Devon knew that was the reality.

Devon got to his feet and pulled Alisha with him, because sitting at HQ wouldn’t help time go faster. “Call us when you need us. Call us when you hear anything.”

Marcus nodded, giving them time to gather their things and retreat from the building.

Devon paused with his hand on the car door before motioning to Alisha. “Give me a second. I’m going to make sure Marcus is okay.”

Alisha started the car and turned the heater on high. “If he needs somewhere to come, invite him over. I don’t know if Becki is free.”

Devon shot back through the main doors to find Marcus still seated where he’d left him. “You okay?” he asked.

Marcus snorted. “You mean between one of my team in the hospital, one of them freaking out on me, and having to deal with an emergency inquiry? Fucking aces around here.”

Someone had freaked out? Devon sat opposite him and focused on the first and most important issue. “It was an accident, Marcus. A terrible, tragic accident, but we’ll see it through. We’re a team, and Xavier will be fine.”

Marcus raised a brow. “You’ve been taking optimist lessons from Alisha, have you?”

Devon grudgingly cracked a smile. “She’s contagious.”

His boss sighed. “She’ll be glad to know that the silver lining is Lana won’t be around anymore. Woman went out of control when the news came through that Xavier was hurt, I thought I’d have to sedate her.”

Devon had wondered where Lana had gone. “Good thing she wasn’t out on the actual rescue. What the hell is that all about?”

A shrug of the shoulders was all he got from Marcus. “Seriously, I don’t care how well the woman can climb, if she can’t keep her head in a tight situation she’s no help to a SAR team. When she heard Xav was hurt, she started hyperventilating and things went downhill from there. I sent her home. She was on probation, and this is enough to let me cancel her contract.” Marcus glanced up. “And I’m sending you home. You’ve abandoned Alisha in the parking lot. Get out of here. We’ll deal with the crap later.”

Devon nodded. He paused to rest his hand on Marcus’s shoulder to give it a comforting squeeze, then headed to the car to take care of Alisha. And himself.

The sight of Xavier lying in a tangled heap had broken something inside him. It had always been a possibility, but seeing it happen cut like a rusty, ragged blade.

Superimposed was another image. Another body lying twisted on the ground, dust settling around them as his father lay silent and motionless and the horses shuffled nervously. Devon shook his head as if to clear the memory, then rejoined Alisha.

She’d been crying, but straightened as he sat. “Marcus okay?”

“He’ll be fine. Let’s head home.”

They washed up. Ate a little. Waited for the phone to ring to find out news about Xavier, but nothing came. By the time they gave up and headed to bed, Devon was going crazy.

Alisha crawled in, her eyes filled with tears. Devon tugged her against him, and for the first time since the accident he felt something other than lost.

“He’s going to be okay, isn’t he?” Alisha rolled to face him, tilting her head to stare up, her eyes all the way grey, not a trace of blue in the depths.

Devon couldn’t speak for a moment. He’d told Marcus some positive, happy crap, but he couldn’t say the words anymore. “I don’t know. God, I don’t know.”

They held each other tightly, the pain and uncertainty horrific, but being together making it tolerable. Memories swirled around him and he couldn’t take it any longer. “I need to tell you something.”

She paused in the middle of stroking his neck, her fingers gentle on muscles that had grown weary from remaining tight and clenched.

“My dad—he’s . . .”

Her eyes narrowed when he didn’t continue. God, how could he continue? He had to.

“You know how my siblings are a pain in the ass? They don’t think I’ll ever grow up. Ever amount to anything.”

Alisha shook her head. “They’re idiots. We’ve established that.”

Devon shook his head. “They’re not completely. They’re going on what they know. On what I’ve done. Dad’s in that wheelchair because of me, and we all know that’s the truth.”

Alisha leaned on her elbow, staring in confusion. “How is it your fault?”

Devon stared at the ceiling, unable to meet her eyes any longer. “I was riding with him when it happened. We were far out from the house, just farting around. It wasn’t anything different than a hundred times except it was. We were the only ones riding that day.” Devon laughed bitterly. “You know how often that happened in a family the size of mine? There was always someone else around, but that day it was me and him, and it was special. Then I decided we should have a race. I jumped the gun, you know, one of those, ready, set and then leave before you say go?”

She leaned over and he couldn’t avoid her eyes unless he actually twisted away. “Go on.”

He didn’t think anymore, just said it. “For some reason, his horse spooked. I didn’t even notice he wasn’t with me until I was at the top of the next ridge. I thought he was kidding around and left him behind. Heck, I unsaddled and curried down my horse before I figured something was wrong. When I finally went to look, he wasn’t moving.”

Sorrow filled Alisha’s face. “That must have been devastating.”

“It gets worse. I went back and he was just lying there. Dust on him, his horse waiting uneasily.” Pain squeezed around his heart as he remembered what came next. As he wished he could turn back the clock and change what he’d done. “God, Alisha. I moved him.”

Her eyes widened.

“I didn’t know how stupid it was, but I should have. Should have realized going to get help was the better solution, but no, I woke him and while he was still dazed got him to sit and then stand. He could barely stay upright, but I was all eager to be helpful after feeling guilty for abandoning him.”

He’d had no idea what real guilt felt like until later.

Alisha sat up beside him. She cupped his cheek tenderly. “How old were you?”

“Ten.”

She frowned. “Oh, Devon. There was no way you could have known to leave him. When I was ten, if someone had fallen down I would have done the same thing.”

Devon continued. “It was one reason I went into search and rescue. I took all my first-aid courses and learned what to do so I wouldn’t make stupid mistakes anymore. Working with Lifeline has been such a rewarding experience.” He let out a long slow sigh. “But it doesn’t change the past. Doesn’t make my father able to walk, or allow the family to forgive me. They don’t trust me—whether that’s right or wrong, I don’t know. But it was a turning point in my life. Losing their trust changed me. Changed my direction in life.”

He sat up and pulled her into his arms, needing the warmth of her against him as he continued.

“I told you that to tell you this. Being a part of Lifeline was another turning point. But the bigger one was meeting you. Having you toss my lazy-ass don’t give a shit attitude in my face? You made me take notice of the stupid things I was doing.”

Alisha tilted her head to one side. “You weren’t stupid.”

He gave her a look.

She smiled softly. “Well, maybe a little.”

“I was wasting my time. Cruising through because I had the talent to get by without working, and as my family liked to tell me, I wouldn’t get it right anyway. Why should I try harder? I’d slack-assed my way through swim team, and it cost me making the national team. Even though I came to the search-and-rescue school for the right reasons, I was stuck with that shitty attitude. Putting out minimal effort, getting by. Somewhere in the top half of the class, but nowhere spectacular. You challenged me. Told me to grow up, and I did. We kicked ass at school because of you. That top placing got us on Lifeline, and for the first time in my life since my dad’s accident I could honestly say I was in the right place.”

He cupped her cheek, stroking his thumb along her jaw. “People trust me with their lives, and I don’t let them down. And you’re part of why I got there. You made a difference, and I never thanked you for it.”

She blinked hard, her eyes wet with tears. “If I pushed you, you brought me up to the top at the same time. I don’t think either of us would be where we are if it weren’t for the competitions, and the never-ending challenge to do more. So, thank you.”

They clung to each other for a moment, Alisha soaking in his warmth. The kindness of his words. She tried to put it all in perspective with the crash and the accident and the uncertainty of Xavier’s future.

When Devon lifted her chin and pressed his lips to hers in a tender kiss, her heart skipped a beat. Passion flared again, heating them as he stroked a hand down her back to pull her against him as their tongues lazily explored.

It wasn’t wrong, this sharing. A celebration of life and togetherness even as they were scared and nervous for Xavier. Emotion enveloped her as Devon stroked and teased and brought her to the point where she was quivering with the need for release.

Then he slowed, slipped his cock into her, and she sighed. The blue of his eyes shone like a summer’s sky over her as he slowly rolled his hips and made love to her. Not frantic sex, not a ravishing, but a perfect sharing.

Devon kissed her, his tongue teasing gently. When he pulled away, it was just far enough to look her in the eyes. She was being consumed by the intensity of his gaze. By the emotions right there, undeniable and potent.

“I love you.” The words whispered out as he continued to take her, their bodies intimately connected.

Alisha clutched his shoulders harder, being overwhelmed by the intensity. “Oh, Devon.”

He said it again, this time against her cheek. “I love you. I love your fire, your courage. Your giving heart.” He kissed her ear. Her neck. Over her face and body as he gathered her in his arms and continued to pepper her with kisses.

She knelt on either side of his hips, still connected, still rocking over him. Their bodies so tight together nothing seemed able to separate them. Tension rose; pleasure spread through her core and threaded over her body in a powerful way. When he tugged her back far enough to look into her eyes again, she held on for dear life as her climax hit and took him along, the two of them wrapped in pleasure and a type of unity she’d never expected to find.

She laid her head on his chest and let their racing heartbeats settle. Bodies slick together, panting breaths easing. Alisha had never felt this way before, and allowing the joy to spread through her as she soaked in his words and his actions—it was right.

Was it love? It was pretty incredible, whatever they wanted to call it. She didn’t think she needed to say anything, just snuggled tight against him and slowly relaxed into slumber.

When she woke earlier than Devon, it was to warm limbs tangled with hers, his arms enfolding her as if he would never let her go. She listened to his breathing, the strong, even sound grounding her in spite of her fears about Xavier.

She slipped from the bed and pulled on a T-shirt, pacing to the kitchen to turn on the kettle. Outside the sun hadn’t reached over the mountain yet, the sky bright but shadows filling the backyard. It seemed an eerie place between worlds with the light blocked from the corners, and she shivered.

It was tempting to hurry back to bed. To wake Devon and let him chase the ghosts from her mind. Only she wasn’t going to wake him simply to comfort her, like some kid. She could wait.

To distract herself she checked her phone messages and e-mail, frowning to discover a message from Vincent. She’d thought she’d ditched him and the whole issue of leaving Banff. She clicked it.

Meet me at eight. My suite.

God. He was still in town? Or in town again?

She opened the attachment. Stopped in shock. It was an engagement announcement for Alisha Bailey and Vincent Monreal. All the information organized like a press release, and the accompanying picture—them at the Banff Springs that first evening, his head intimately close to hers as if leaning to whisper secrets.

This was total and utter bullshit. Vincent’s continuing to bother her when she had far more serious matters to deal with did nothing but piss her off.

There was nothing in the e-mail to take to the police in terms of being illegal, but God, it was wrong to the very core. He’d had someone secretly take a picture even way back then? Outrageous. Alisha swore a blue streak and stomped into the kitchen to make coffee, hoping some caffeine would inspire her. Help her to deal with this . . . insanity.

She checked her watch. Thirty minutes until Vincent expected her to meet him. She glanced in the bedroom. Devon was still asleep, one arm over his head as his chest moved slowly with each breath. If she woke him she knew he’d come along in an instant. Be backup support—a safety net. Part of her wanted that so badly. To allow him to be the block between her and Vincent’s continuing crazy ideas.

Devon said he loved her. She was pretty sure she loved him, and the thought made her smile in spite of her anger at Vincent. In spite of her fears for Xavier.

Love. It had snuck up and wrapped around her.

Having the two men meet right now would only tangle the issues further, but she wasn’t about to make the same mistake she’d made the first time Vincent had frightened her.

She dressed quickly before sitting on the edge of the bed and stroking Devon’s arm gently. “Hey, wake up. I need to talk to you.”

His eyelids fluttered open, his gaze sharpening as he rolled to a sitting position. “Xavier?”

She shook her head. “No news yet. I got another e-mail from Vincent, and I’m ready to kick his fine-suited ass back to Toronto.”

All the sleep haze vanished. “What did he do now?”

“More of the same. Sent me a stupid engagement announcement, as if he’s planning on handing it out to the media. I’ve had enough of the asshole jerking me around, Devon. I’m going to talk to him and tell him he can shove his threats up his ass. He can make any bloody announcement he wants—I’ll deny it, and that’s it.”

Devon held her hands to stop her from flailing them in the air. “What about your dad? The company?”

“Nothing. I don’t care.” She took a deep breath and calmed herself, slipping one hand free to cup his face. “You said it last night. Focus on what’s important—the people who are important. I’ll call my father and give him a warning, but beyond that I don’t owe any of them anything.”

“I’ll come with you,” Devon said.

She pressed her fingers over his mouth, gently stroking his lips. “I’ll meet him in the lobby, or somewhere public, but I want to do this by myself.” His face tightened, and she frowned. “I mean it. I’m not being stupid, but I don’t want you to come with me and have this end up some kind of public brawl.”

“You don’t trust me to keep my temper?”

Alisha growled in frustration. “I don’t trust Vincent not to take the first swing, then find a way to pin it on you. Please, stay here. I’ll be back within the hour.”

She kissed him before he could protest again. He crushed her closer, his hands curling possessively around her lower back before setting her free.

“I don’t like it,” he complained.

Alisha backed away, letting his hands slip from hers. “I know, but thank you for letting me do this my way. I’ll call you if there’s any trouble. I promise.”

She tried Marcus’s number, but his phone went to messages. The rest of the short trip she fretted about Xavier and planned her approach with Vincent. More diplomacy was required than storming up to him and hitting him on the head with a large, blunt object.

She phoned him from the courtesy phone in the lobby. “I’m here.”

“You know my suite number.” Vincent spoke in clipped tones. “Stop wasting my time, and get up here.”

Bullshit on that. “I’m not going into your suite alone.”

He made a rude noise. “You don’t trust me?”

“Not one bit. If you want to talk, it’s in public.”

“You risk the media discovering us before we make the announcement official,” he pointed out.

Her anger shot higher. “I will not meet with you alone, Vincent.”

“Very well. Wait for me in the foyer.”

“No. I’ll be outside the teahouse restaurant.” She wanted some semblance of control headed into this façade. Besides, people passed that location regularly, but the chairs were far enough aside to allow a private conversation.

She might want witnesses, but she didn’t want to be overheard.

Waiting in the elegant setting made her skin itch. Devon texted her, but she ignored it, not ready to answer him while she still had to face Vincent. Her brain ached. Her heart was equally filled with hope from her time with Devon and her fears for Xavier. With so much uncertainty before them, both good and bad, the only undeniable point was that this ongoing stupidity with Vincent had to stop.

He strolled in, suited and groomed to the nines, and she took a sadistic pleasure in having pulled on her rattiest pair of jeans, most holey runners, and an old coat of Devon’s.

Alisha held up her phone with the link to the engagement announcement. “Is this your idea of a joke?”

Vincent was so smooth and calm she wanted to shake him. Or kick him, or do something physically painful and devastating. But he sat there like some untouchable statue, examining her with disdain. None of the façade of attraction he’d attempted during that first dinner meeting.

“It’s no joke. You will return to Toronto with me. I need to return, and there is no cause for you to remain any longer.”

“You’re being an idiot, Vincent. I have a job, I have—”

“Yes, your job.” Vincent leaned back and assessed her again, the fancy chandeliers around them reflecting flashes of light in his dark eyes. “How is Xavier?”

Alisha went cold through and through. Had there already been a news report about the accident? She didn’t think so. “How did you know he’s been hurt?”

“You were warned.” Vincent ignored her question, ignored her, instead meticulously straightening the cuffs of his suit jacket to lie smoothly. “Search and rescue is a dangerous line of work. Such a terrible thing that accidents can happen in the blink of an eye.”

She went to stand, but he shot forward, catching her hands and holding her in place. He tugged her to a sitting position and leaned in closer.

“Ropes failing at the wrong moment. Could happen to anyone, couldn’t it?” he asked.

How could someone who appeared so sophisticated sound so menacing? Alisha glanced around, but the nearest people were too far away to hear his words or see anything other than a couple holding hands. Perhaps having a lovers’ quarrel.

God, she wished Devon were with her.

Vincent didn’t allow her to speak, instead sending her a hard-edged smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Or maybe the next terrible accident won’t be on the job. Your pilot—Erin, correct? Such a lovely woman. She lives alone. She should be more diligent in locking her doors.”

This wasn’t making sense. “You’re threatening my Lifeline teammates if I don’t marry you?”

Vincent lowered his voice and darkness rasped over her eardrums, setting her hair on end. “I allowed you to make the right decision on your own, and you chose to ignore me. I’ve had enough, Alisha. Your time here is done.”

She struggled to make sense of what seemed total nonsense. “Are you claiming you caused Xavier’s accident?”

“Don’t be stupid. How could I cause an accident?” His gaze tightened, his pressure on her fingers increasing to the point of pain. “I’m a businessman, not a petty thief. Not a person willing to accept money to place drugs in someone’s cup. Not a desperate creature willing to damage a sturdy harness in strategic places.”

The blood drained from her head, leaving an eerie echo in her ears. “Vincent—”

“I didn’t want to do this, but you forced my hand, Alisha. You. Your stubborn resistance is the reason that until you cooperate, I’ll find ways to encourage you to come to your senses. Perhaps that sweet Jonah—he’s a friend of Tripp’s, isn’t he? He shouldn’t walk to work at the school over the next while. I’d hate to have a car lose control near him and cause another tragedy.”

Her chest was so tight she couldn’t breathe. He knew her teammate’s names, their friends, what they did for a living. What had begun as a meeting full of frustration and anger at his idiotic refusal to leave her in peace had turned into a nightmare.

“This isn’t how the real world works,” Alisha stuttered. “If you did something to hurt Xavier, or anyone else, you’ll be caught. I wouldn’t lie down and obey your insane orders simply because you’ve done some research into the people in my life, as infuriating as that is. You’re not above the law, Vincent.”

“But I am,” he said. “There’s nothing you can blame on me because everything is untraceable, yet I’ve got the resources to make accidents keep happening. What I don’t have are the shares you own, and until I do, I won’t stop. I’m not enjoying this—I’d far prefer to get on with our lives, and I’d imagine the rest of your team feels the same way. I’d hate for something to happen to anyone else. Especially . . . what’s his name? Ah, yes. Devon.”

Alisha stilled. The words escaped in a bare whisper. “No, Vincent. No.”

He shrugged. “It’s up to you. I need you to return to Toronto. Once you’ve satisfied the conditions of your inheritance, I can take the steps to ensure a smooth transfer of business matters. It’s not that great a hardship, I think, marrying me. Rejoining society for a year should be a nice change of pace for you—you won’t be required to do anything but act as my companion. I don’t even expect you to sleep with me so long as you make the proper noises at the proper times in public.” He waved a hand. “We’ll arrange things in the prenuptial so once I’m satisfied the shares are permanently in my name, we can split up. You could return to your climber then.” He paused and narrowed his gaze. “Or . . . you can continue to fight me, and there might not be anyone to return to.”

She was going to be ill. “Xavier is lying in a hospital because you can’t stand the thought of losing a business? What kind of a bastard are you?”

“One who’s had enough. It’s your choice. I assumed it should be an easy one to make.” His eyes were cold. “If you think I’m stupid, don’t. As far as any records or investigations will show, my only sin is waiting far too long for you to come to your senses and accept my proposal. I will have what I need. Now.”

How had she stepped into such an impossible situation? She searched for words to deny him, but images of Xavier’s broken body lying on the ice filled her head. Picturing Devon as motionless dragged a whimper from deep inside that escaped before she could stop it.

Her wrist would be bruised from his grip. “This isn’t some game, and it’s time you woke up. I want Bailey Enterprises. I’ve put too much into it over the years to allow my money to get flushed away by a fading old man or his rebellious daughter. I have the resources, and now I’m calling the shots. The sooner you cooperate, the fewer people will suffer for your mistakes.”

He finally let her free and stood, pulling an envelope from his pocket and dropping it on the coffee table in front of her. His gaze drifted over her, his outside presentation still polished, which made his examination colder and more disturbing.

Vincent walked away without another word.

Alisha’s hands shook as she picked up the flat envelope and opened it to find a first-class ticket to Toronto in her name, dated for the following Saturday.