Hot on Her Heels

CHAPTER FOUR

JED TITAN HAD KNOWN Brock Lyman since college. Nowadays they were both tall men with graying hair and a taste for the good life. They’d played football together and Brock had introduced Jed to his first wife. Something Jed never held against him. Now some thirty-plus years later, Brock was the chief financial officer at Titan World and the only person Jed was willing to trust.

Which didn’t mean he had to like what his friend said.

“He’s bought even more stock,” Brock said from his place across the conference table.

Jed and Brock were having their morning meeting. In the past, the time had been more about sports scores than any real business, but in the past few months, they’d been scrambling to manage what seemed like a new crisis every other week.

“Did he file with the SEC?” Jed asked, even though he already knew the answer. Damn Garth Duncan. He was always careful to follow the rules. Once he’d crossed the threshold of stock purchases, he’d done all the paperwork required. Just once Jed wanted him to make a mistake.

Brock nodded. “Filed on time and correctly. He’s up to fifteen percent ownership in Titan World. More in a few of the subsidiaries. So far we’ve been able to keep the news out of the media, but I don’t know how long that will go on. A few major stockholders have taken notice.”

Which was Garth’s plan, Jed thought, annoyed by how well he was being played.

By buying large blocks of stock and holding on to them, a case could be made that Garth was planning to take over the company. That made other stockholders nervous. SEC rules required public filings when a shareholder reached a certain amount of ownership, which Garth had done. He wasn’t hiding what he was doing, and that made Jed uncomfortable. He couldn’t go after someone who wasn’t breaking the law.

“If he wants to buy the company, why doesn’t he approach us?” Brock asked, obviously frustrated.

“It’s not his way. He’s waiting until the time is right.”

It was all a game and whoever had the most at the end won. Jed could almost be proud of Garth. After all, the man was his son. But things had gone too far. Garth had to be stopped.

“What about the investigation of the oil rig explosion?” Brock asked. “Why hasn’t Garth been arrested for his involvement in that?”

“I don’t know.” Jed couldn’t figure it out, either. Enough evidence had been planted to indict Garth. What had gone wrong? “He’s smart. Maybe smarter than we gave him credit for. We have to find his vulnerable spot. No target is off-limits.”

“First we have to find one,” Brock grumbled.

“We will. In the meantime, we have to buy back shares. He owns too much of the company.”

“There’s no money.”

“We’ll find it. Borrow it, whatever. I want to start buying back shares from anyone who will sell.”

“If word gets out,” Brock began, then shook his head. “No one can know, Jed. People will think the company’s in trouble and that’ll start a stampede of shareholders trying to sell. Any panic will drive down the price of stock.”

“Then we’ll keep it to ourselves.”

“We’ll need a bunch of cash. I don’t know where we’re going to get it. Unless you’re willing to start selling some of your assets.”

Something Jed had always refused in the past. There were dozens of choices but only a few worth tens of millions. His racehorse farm, the shipping company and Glory’s Gate, the family home.

It was all about winning. Defeating the upstart bastard who was trying to take him down.

“This is war,” Jed said at last. “Sacrifices have to be made. Start making discreet inquires about potential buyers. But remember, this isn’t a fire sale. I want top dollar.”

Brock stared at him for a long time. “It may not be enough.”

“Then we’ll figure out something else. I don’t care what it takes to beat Garth. I want him crushed and swept up with the trash.”

DANA DID HER BEST to sit quietly in the lobby of Garth’s condo. Usually she enjoyed a good stakeout. She found it relaxing. It gave her time to think. But today her brain was not her friend, not when it kept racing from subject to subject, the most annoying of which was the anticipation she felt at the thought of seeing Garth again.

She was actually worried about what she was wearing. She’d thought about changing her clothes. Worse, she’d gone home and put on mascara, which happened to be the only makeup she owned. Mascara. Like she was a sniveling teenaged girl nervous about a date.

This wasn’t a date—it was surveillance, dammit.

She shifted on the comfortable bench, thought about leaving, then tensed when the elevator doors slid open and Garth stepped into the foyer of his condo building to pick up his mail.

He looked good. The stubble on his jaw, the slightly loosened tie all suited him. There was a weariness in his eyes, as if it had been a long day. She felt a definite quiver low in her belly and did her best to ignore it. She wasn’t the type of woman to quiver for any man and if she pretended it wasn’t happening, eventually it would go away. At least that was the plan.

“Hope you like Italian,” he said, holding up two shopping bags.

He’d stopped for dinner. One part of her brain said it was no big deal. He wasn’t the kind of man to cook for himself and he’d known she would be here. The other part of her brain wanted to know if he’d bought dinner with her in mind. If he’d thought about what she might like. As if this were…

Nothing. It was nothing. He was nothing, they were nothing. That’s the way it was going to be.

She stood and walked toward him without saying anything. Garth collected his mail, then walked back to the elevator. She took the food from him and followed. George wished them a good night.

The elevator ride was silent. When they reached his floor, he pulled out his keys and they stepped into his condo. She collected plates while he chose a bottle of wine. She set the table, he flipped on a CD. Their actions were familiar, which should have been comfortable but instead made her nervous. It was only the second night. There was no way she could be comfortable around Garth.

Finally they sat across from each other. He poured the wine, then toasted her silently before taking a sip.

He watched her, as if assessing her. She felt the weight of the mascara on her lashes and wondered if he’d noticed. If he thought it was about him, which it was, but she would rather die than have him know. Which made her feel like a girl. Time to get the attention back on him.

“Where’s your girlfriend?” she asked. “I’ve been here two nights in a row. Aren’t I getting in the way of something?”

“If you’ve done your homework, you know there isn’t a girlfriend.”

“Just a string of willing beauties,” she said, remembering what she’d read. “You favor smart and pretty, but if you have to pick just one, you go with pretty. Typical and a little disappointing.”

He pulled out covered containers from the bags and passed her one. “Be careful, Dana. Do you really want to talk about our personal lives? I’m not the only one with a string of easy conquests. What about the men you date?”

Touché, she thought, refusing to apologize for her romantic choices. Maybe she did like men who weren’t especially powerful or challenging. Maybe she did find them just a little boring. But that was her business, not his.

“I gave the information to Lexi,” she said, to change the subject. “She wasn’t happy.”

“Neither is Jed, if that’s any help,” he said as he opened a carton of salad and passed it to her.

He’d brought lasagna and salad. The delicious scent made her stomach growl.

“I’ve been buying up stock,” he continued. “Large blocks of stock. It’s all legal.”

“Are you sure? You love the gray area.”

He smiled. “More than most, but not this time. I’ve filed the paperwork. The only thing I haven’t done is announce what’s going on. But word will get out and the other stockholders will get nervous.”

“Is that your plan?”

“Yes. I’m going to back Jed into a corner and force him to do something stupid.”

“He’s a dangerous man when cornered.”

“I’m dangerous all the time.”

“You forgot modest,” she said before taking a bite of the lasagna. It was so good, she nearly moaned.

“I don’t care what people think of me. I want to win.”

This wasn’t a moment she could have predicted—having dinner with Garth in his penthouse. She could see all the lights of Dallas glittering around them. The meal was excellent, the man more interesting than she could have imagined. If his dark eyes seemed to see too much, she would just have to learn to keep herself disguised.

“What happens if Jed starts to buy back stock himself?” she asked.

“To do that, he’ll need cash and right now he doesn’t have any.”

“Do I want to ask how you know that?”

“Not really.”

“Okay. So he’ll sell something to raise…” She got the big picture. “That’s what you want. Him selling off assets. Then you’ll buy them, one by one.”

“A Titan yard sale.”

She thought about Jed Titan’s holdings. Which would Garth covet most? The shipyards? The oil field? “You want Glory’s Gate,” she said. “It’s been in the family for generations.”

“I’m family.”

His sisters had grown up there. It was home to them. Well over a thousand acres of prime pasture and cattle. A huge house and all the prestige that went with owning it.

“Jed will never risk Glory’s Gate.”

“You may be right.”

Garth didn’t sound worried.

“You think he will?” she asked.

“It depends on how much he wants to win.”

“How much do you want to win?”

“You really want me to answer that?”

He didn’t have to. She knew. She could feel it. Garth would do anything to settle the score. Lethal and ruthless—a dangerous combination.

“I’m surprised all this talk doesn’t scare off your women,” she said. “Or do they like this side of you?”

“They don’t see it.”

“Because they can’t handle it? But it’s who you are.” She picked up her wineglass. “Is that the trick? Don’t let them inside?”

“Do your conquests see the real you?”

“We weren’t talking about me.”

“We are now.”

His gaze was predatory, his expression knowing. She shivered, then did her best to conceal it by shifting in her seat. She knew she could hold her own with him, as long as he didn’t touch her.

Something happened when she had felt his skin on hers, even through a protective layer of clothes. She didn’t like it and couldn’t explain it. Therefore the only logical solution was to avoid it. Not that Garth was begging for a little one-on-one time. But caution was always smart.

The CD ended. He got up and walked over to the player concealed in the buffet. He moved stiffly, as if his leg bothered him.

“Are you all right?” she asked before she could stop herself.

“Old war wound,” he said, putting in another CD.

Not exactly. She remembered the scars she’d seen and that both his legs had been broken while he’d been held hostage all those months.

“Did you have to have surgery on your legs after you and Nick escaped?”

“Some. The breaks had started to heal badly, so they re-broke my legs and set them.”

“What did they do for the knife wounds?”

“Treated the ones that were infected and left the others alone to heal.”

“A big price to pay for oil.”

“Nick would tell you it was the price we paid for being wrong.” He returned to the table and sat across from her. “Did Izzy tell you what happened?”

“Some,” she said. Izzy had told her pretty much everything but she wanted to hear Garth tell the story.

“We knew there was oil in the jungle, but it was nearly impossible to extract. That’s always the bitch of it. People think it’s hard to find, but it’s a whole lot harder to get it out of the ground. Nick had some ideas on new ways we could drill.”

“Did it involve raping and pillaging?”

Garth grinned. “Not my style. I prefer a nice, quiet seduction.”

Her throat seemed to close in a little. “Back to the story, please.”

“You’re the one who changed the subject.”

“I won’t do it again.”

For a second, she thought he might continue to challenge her. Instead he started talking.

“The land was owned by a guy named Francisco. He was the head of the village and while he told his people and family he would never negotiate with us, he really wanted the money. He had a fair idea of the value and pushed for every penny. Local legend said not to take the oil, but Francisco dismissed that as bull and cashed the check. We started work. A few weeks later, we realized we were poisoning the water. By then it was too late—three people had died.”

“Does that bother you?” she asked. Izzy had said Nick had been emotionally devastated by what had happened and blamed himself. Did Garth?

“I didn’t set out to kill them, if that’s what you mean. I’m sorry it happened. We made an honest mistake. Knowing what I know now…” he hesitated “…it would be different, but life isn’t that tidy. We don’t get a do-over.”

“Do you want a do-over with Nick?”

His gaze sharpened. “The question of the day.”

Garth had used his best friend to get to Izzy. Nick hadn’t known what was going on and when he figured out he was being played, he had been furious.

“You have to have regrets,” she said. “Nick was your best friend.”

“I made a tactical error.”

“Stop being such a guy,” she snapped. “It wasn’t an error. You set up Nick to hurt Izzy. Then you completely miscalculated the fact that they were falling in love with each other. You expected Nick to side with you instead of Izzy and when he didn’t, you got angry. You lost a friend. A good friend.”

“You don’t need me here to have this conversation,” he told her. “You’re doing fine all on your own.”

“More guy-speak. You lost Nick and now you’re sorry. Was it worth it?”

“What do you think?”

His expression was unreadable, but she could feel his pain as if it were her own. He was strong, powerful and dangerous. But he was also alone. He had no one. His mother was as much of a responsibility as a small child. He’d set himself on a course to destroy his father and alienate his sisters. It was a battle of one against the world.

A battle he could never win, because even in winning he would lose.

Oddly enough, that made her want to go to him. Part of her wanted to tell him that everything would be all right. Which made her stupid, or at the very least confused.

“I suppose you’ll ignore me if I tell you to apologize,” she said. “That saying you regret what happened might go a long way to healing things with Nick.”

“I might listen if you tell me naked.”

She rolled her eyes. “Do you really think a comment like that will distract me?”

“It’s worth a try.”

“You need a better game plan. I’m not your average bimbo.”

“I don’t date bimbos. Marly was a Rhodes Scholar.”

“Then what was she doing with you?”

“Use your imagination.”

“Doesn’t being on the defense all the time get exhausting?” she asked.

“I’ll answer that question when you do.”

Oh. Right. That was kind of her thing.

They looked at each other. He’d taken off his jacket when he’d first walked into the penthouse. Before dinner he’d rolled up the sleeves of his white dress shirt. Now he pulled off his tie and tossed it onto the table next to him.

The act was nothing. His fingers unfastened the knot at his throat, then he pulled the length of fabric free and threw it to the side. Yet the movement was unbelievably sexy and masculine. It made her think about undoing buttons and hands on bare skin. It made her want to squirm and reach and get lost in whatever magic Garth possessed. It made her want to be taken—an ironic longing considering she never allowed herself to lose control. To be taken, one had to surrender. Something she would never do.

“Dana?”

She blinked slowly. Time for another subject change. Dining with the man was not particularly restful.

“Izzy’s serious about her plan,” she said. “Whether you’re willing or not, she’s determined to have you in the family.”

“Let me guess. They’re going to love me into submission.”

“If that’s what it takes.”

“Is that what happened with you?”

“They’re my friends and my family. They have been for years. There are worse places to be.”

“I’m not a family kind of guy.”

“You don’t know that. You’ve been on your own since you were fourteen. Maybe you should give this a try.”

He poured her more wine. “Because you’re so concerned about my well-being?”

“Not really, but if you do start to think about them as your sisters, you’ll stop attacking them. And that’s what I want. You know they’re innocent in all this. Admit it. Move on.”

“They’re lucky to have you.”

“And I’m lucky to have them.”

And with those words once again came the reminder that Garth had no one. He faced his demons alone. Fate and Jed Titan had conspired against him, leaving him solitary and angry.

“I should go,” she said, pushing away from the table and standing.

She expected him to make a joke about her staying again, but he didn’t. Which was how she wanted things—at least that’s what she told herself.

He followed her to the front door, then shifted so he was between her and the handle. She found herself staring into his eyes.

He was taller than her, with broader shoulders and plenty of muscle. Intensely male. If she had to overpower him, she would need surprise on her side, and possibly a solid two-by-four.

“I, ah, thanks for dinner,” she murmured, feeling uncomfortable. This felt way too much like a date, which it wasn’t.

“You’re welcome. Tex-Mex next time?”

“Sure.”

She tried to inch around him, but he wasn’t moving. And she couldn’t seem to push him out of the way. Well, she could, of course, but it would be awkward, especially if he resisted. She should just say goodnight then stand there looking expectant. He would figure it out and move aside.

But as she opened her mouth to speak, he took a step toward her. Before she could move back, he reached up and lightly stroked the side of her face with the back of his fingers.

The unexpected contact glued her to the floor. She couldn’t run, couldn’t turn, couldn’t do anything but stand there feeling helpless and exposed. As if he had the power to control her.

She told herself he didn’t. He would never hurt her and should he try, she could nail him in the balls, draw her gun and change him from a stallion to a gelding in two seconds.

If she had to.

His dark eyes stared into hers. She had no idea what he saw there, but she hoped it wasn’t anything he could use against her. Despite his slow, gentle touch, she felt tense inside. What was he doing and why?

She told herself to step away, to push past him and get the hell out. But her body didn’t respond to the command and then he said the most extraordinary thing.

“Your mouth drives me crazy.”

She’d barely had time to absorb the words before he lowered his head and pressed his mouth against hers.

The good news was he stopped touching her face. The bad news was they were kissing.

The second she felt his lips on hers, it was as if someone had set the world on fire. There was heat and need and fiery sparks she could see even with her eyes closed. There was no contact anywhere else, which was fine with her. This was enough. Actually it was too much.

Her skin practically sizzled. She would swear she could hear music and feel the floor tilting. She wanted to throw her arms around him, pull him against her and shove her tongue in his mouth. She wanted to be naked, pressed up against the wall, being taken hard and fast until she screamed her surrender.

Dana reached out both hands, shoved him back and sucked in a breath. She’d never screamed in her life. She barely allowed herself to breathe hard. What the hell was going on?

Not that she planned to find out. She ducked around him, heading for the door, only Garth got there first. He grabbed her arm and held her still. She could have broken free easily, only she didn’t and that scared her more than anything else.

“Wait,” he said.

“No.”

Something hot flared in his eyes. “You felt it, too.”

“I didn’t feel anything. It’s late. I need to go.”

“It’s barely eight and you need to be here.”

She hated the fear. It reminded her of being young and terrified of what her father would do next. It made her feel powerless and that was the worst thing of all.

Her emotions must have shown on her face or Garth was a hell of a guesser because he dropped her arm and moved away from the door.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “You’re right. It’s late.”

He picked up her hand and kissed her palm. It was as if he branded her. She knew in her gut she would carry the feel of his lips on her skin with her forever. When he released her, she curled her fingers closed.

She hesitated for a second, then turned to leave.

This time he didn’t stop her. She walked out into the hallway and the door closed behind her. She stood there, alone, aching with desire for the one man she could never have. Life, as always, had a killer sense of humor.

THE NEXT MORNING DANA followed Garth to work, but didn’t try to speak with him. She hadn’t slept much the night before and wasn’t up to one of their cryptic exchanges. Once she knew he was at the office, she returned to Titanville, thinking she would either try for a nap, or a really jumbo coffee to go.

But on her way to Starbucks, she passed the Titanville Pet Palace and saw Kathy Duncan entering the store.

Fifteen minutes later, Dana parked in front of the Pet Palace with her own coffee and a latte for Kathy, then went inside. She nodded to the young woman at the cash register and made her way to the rear where Kathy was talking softly to a large white bird.

“Good morning,” Dana said, handing over the coffee.

Kathy, a pretty woman in her late fifties, smiled broadly. “Dana. You came to see me. Thank you for the coffee.”

There was delight in her voice, along with a studied slowness. As if every word had to be considered before it was spoken and the act of speech itself was vaguely unfamiliar.

“You’re welcome.” Dana passed over the paper cup. “Extra foam. Just the way you like it.”

“I do like it.” Kathy tilted her head, her soft brown hair falling over her shoulder. “You need a pet. Not today. You’re not ready. But soon. Maybe a puppy, but you need a yard first. Don’t worry. You’ll get one.”

Dana did her best not to run screaming into the morning. Kathy was known to have an extraordinary sense about people and pets, putting unlikely pairs together. She’d insisted Lexi take home a kitten. Lexi had agreed with the idea, thinking she would give the animal away. But somehow that hadn’t happened and C.C. was as much a member of her family as Izzy or Skye.

“I’m not really a dog person,” Dana said. “I’m not home very much.”

“You will be,” Kathy said calmly. “When you have children.”

Dana resisted the need to make the sign of the cross and instead took a step back.

“Okay, then,” Dana muttered. “Ah, how are things?”

“Good. We have new birds. Not that you want one.” Kathy smiled. “But they’re very pretty.”

Dana smiled back, searching Kathy’s face for a hint of the woman who had existed before the tumor that had stolen her intellect. She looked for whispers of Garth. What had he inherited from his mother? If those echoes had left her, were they still in her son?

How could this all have been different? If Jed had agreed to pay for the surgery back before the need was so desperate, would Kathy still be herself? And if she was, how would Garth be a different man? Dana knew the need for revenge had changed him. Once he had won, would he change back? Or was he forever trapped by the need to exact compensation for a debt that could never be repaid?