Out of Turn

CHAPTER TWELVE

Blane and Kade were still and silent, Kade at my back and Blane in front. I strained my ears, hearing the faint sound of footsteps on the stairs, coming closer and passing by our hiding place.

The closet was warm, too warm, it was stifling. I couldn’t move. I was trapped. How long would we have to stay in here?

“Take it easy,” Kade breathed in my ear, his voice a bare whisper of sound. His hands settled on my hips. “Breathe.”

I closed my eyes—not that it made a difference in what I could see, it was so dark—and tried to concentrate on breathing. I felt Blane’s fingers curl over mine as he took my hand. Only then did I realize that tremors shook my whole body. I was breathing too fast and too shallow. Hyperventilating.

I felt the same way I had in the ambulance. It was hard to concentrate. And when I opened my eyes, I kept seeing the faces of the men who’d taken me, felt the horror of being utterly at their mercy. In some detached way, I knew I was fighting a flashback and panic attack, but that didn’t mean I could stop it.

Kade’s arm curved around my stomach, holding me tight. “Don’t think about it,” he whispered. “Think about something else. You know how many women would sacrifice a limb to be stuffed in a closet with two hot guys like me and Blane?”

His words penetrated my haze and my lips trembled in a faint smile.

Blane had both my hands in his now, then took my arms and wrapped them around his waist, as though to ground me in the present. He rubbed my arms, gently and methodically moving up to my shoulders and back down to my elbows. I rested my forehead against his chest and closed my eyes, breathing in and out. Rinse, lather, repeat. Kade pressed his mouth to my bare shoulder, the kiss gentle and silent. His hands lay low across my abdomen as he held me.

Blane’s scent clung to his skin, leaching through the thin fabric of his T-shirt. I inhaled greedily. Breathe in. Breathe out. But it was still too fast. My head swam.

Fingers lifted my chin, turning my face upward, and I felt the barest brush of Blane’s lips in a kiss. His palm cupped my cheek, a thumb brushing my cheekbone as his mouth moved gently over mine. It was unexpected and I gasped in surprise. Blane took the opportunity to deepen the kiss, forcing my breaths to slow.

Kade’s touch was warm against my shoulder, the slide of his tongue on my skin sending a shiver through me. His hand had crept under my tank, the heat of his palm like a brand.

I couldn’t see a thing, I could only feel. And gradually, as I stood wedged between the two men whose entire focus was on me, who made me feel the safest and most protected that I’d ever been, my tremors eased and breathing was no longer a chore.

Distantly, through the haze of forbidden desire they’d woven around me, I heard footsteps pass the door, heading back downstairs.

Blane slowly eased back, our lips clinging together. I was breathing fast again, but this time for a completely different reason.

“I’m going to see who it is,” Blane whispered. His lips brushed my temple. “Keep her here.”

My heart shot into my throat and I clutched at Blane’s shirt. What if he got hurt?

“I should go, not you,” Kade protested.

“No time to argue.” Blane gently but firmly disentangled his shirt from my clenched fingers, then he was out the door, closing it behind him.

“We should go after him,” I said, turning to face Kade. His hands slid around my back.

“No can do,” he replied. “We’ll wait here. Neither of us wants you hurt. Blane will be fine. He’s good at this, remember? Have a little faith.”

I chewed my lip, my anxiety easing somewhat.

“Why do I feel like we’re in a grown-up, slightly more dangerous version of spin-the-bottle?” Kade murmured. His voice was close to my ear now, his breath warm against my skin. “In which case, my time is short.” His mouth began searching in the dark, trailing kisses along my jaw.

I turned my head away, trying to keep my wits about me. Kade’s lips drifted down my neck to where my pulse was pounding.

“You should stop,” I managed to say.

“I don’t want to,” Kade murmured against my skin. “Blane kissed you. Now it’s my turn.”

Cradling my head, he held me still as his lips found mine.

Kade kissed like he needed me more than he needed air to breathe, as if it was agony to have been apart these past few hours. He overwhelmed me, his tongue tangled feverishly with mine until I was lost to everything but him.

A sharp whistle pierced the silence and Kade pulled back with one last brush of his lips against mine. “That’s our signal.”

I was reeling, but Kade didn’t seem fazed as he opened the closet door and carefully peered into the hallway. He had his gun in his hand when he turned to look back at me.

“You all right?” he asked.

Sure. I was hunky-dory. Making out with Blane, and moments later, Kade—I’d absolutely lost my mind. Guilt and self-loathing crept over me. What kind of person was I to do something like that?

I followed him down the stairs to where the glow of lights showed Blane with someone else. A woman. Older, perhaps in her mid-forties, she was Hispanic and was wringing her hands. Her face was lined with worry as she watched Kade and me approach.

Blane’s gaze drifted over me, banked desire in his eyes. My cheeks flooded with heat, remembering what had transpired in the closet with the two of them.

“This is Maria,” Blane said. “She’s Kandi’s housekeeper.”

“Why is she here at this hour?” I asked.

“Kandi hadn’t paid her,” Blane answered.

“She pay every month,” Maria answered, her accent thick over the broken English. “Now this horrible thing happen to her.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I know is terrible, but I must have pay. I have grandchildren. Rent is due, bills.” She shrugged helplessly. “I was hoping maybe Miss Kandi have money here somewhere.”

She started crying in earnest now, covering her face with her hands. “I should not have come. Is dishonoring the dead to steal from them. Here.” She rummaged in the pocket of the long skirt she wore, handing something to Blane. “I am sorry.”

It was some kind of jewelry. Blane looked at it, then handed it to me. He pulled out his wallet. “It’s okay, Maria. How much did she owe you?”

“Three hundred dollars,” she said.

Wow. Kandi had gotten off cheap for a housekeeper.

Blane dug twice that amount from his wallet and held it so Maria could see it. “Can you tell me if Kandi’s been seeing anyone recently?”

“Other than you, Mister Blane?” she asked.

Ouch.

Blane’s fist clenched. “Yes,” he said stiffly, “other than me.”

Maria nodded, wiping her eyes. “Yes, but it was secret. Kandi told me not to tell.”

“I need you to tell me,” Blane said.

Maria’s eyes started leaking again. “But if I do, he said he would send me back to Mexico. My grandchildren are here. Who will take care of them if I go?”

“I promise, no one is going to send you back,” Blane assured her. “We need to know who it is. Who was seeing Kandi?”

Maria hesitated, her indecision apparent. I waited, barely breathing.

“It was Mister James,” she finally said.

I sucked in a breath. It couldn’t possibly be—

“James Gage?” Blane asked.

She nodded.

“How long had he been seeing her?”

“A while,” she replied, “on and off.”

“Okay. Thank you, Maria. You’ve been a big help.” Blane handed her the money. She gave him a nod, glanced at Kade and me, then hurried out the front door. A moment later, I heard a car start in the driveway.

“Oh my God,” I breathed, sinking down into a nearby chair. My legs wouldn’t hold me any longer. James Gage was a bad guy, I knew that. He and I’d had several run-ins and he’d not hesitated to use violence and force to get what he wanted.

But murdering Kandi? Why? And what he’d done to her after she was dead? It didn’t make sense, even for someone like him.

“Well, that was unexpected,” Kade said. “I wonder if we’ll find his DNA on the tie and scarves.”

“I have a buddy on the force,” Blane said. “He’s supposed to come by in the morning and bring the case file. I can see if he can get the tests run. In the meantime, we need to go.” His eyes met mine, then flicked away as he headed for the kitchen.

I avoided Kade’s gaze as I hurried after Blane. What had we been thinking? What had I been thinking? Did Blane know Kade had kissed me, too?

The ride back to Blane’s was filled with tension, and guilt turned my stomach into a pit of churning acid. Kade parked the car in the driveway and turned off the engine. I was slow in climbing out as they both loitered by the car.

I felt as though I was suffocating, the weight of their gazes made me want to cringe. Did they expect me to choose? How could I choose between a man I loved but didn’t trust, and a man I wanted but didn’t love?

“I-I think I’ll stay out here for a while,” I stammered, backing away slightly.

Hurt flashed across Blane’s face before he masked it. He said nothing, just gave a curt nod, throwing a quick glance at Kade before turning to disappear inside the house.

Someone nearby was shooting off fireworks. Illegal, at this time of night, though it was technically the Fourth of July. I wandered over onto the lawn to get a closer look. It seemed like a better idea at the moment than going inside.

Kade followed and I felt his eyes on me as I gazed upward at the sky. The whoosh of a rocket launching reached my ears, then the sparkle and crackle of the firework as it exploded.

“I won’t say I’m sorry, because I’m not,” Kade said.

I shrugged. “It’s not a big deal. It doesn’t mean anything, right?” Hell, we’d done more than kiss in Vegas and that hadn’t done a thing to change our relationship.

No. I wasn’t being fair to Kade, after all, he had no idea how far things had gone between us. But I did, and my body did. Maybe that was why it had taken little more than a furtive encounter in a closet for me to fall under his spell.

I felt dangerously close to bitter, which was not how I wanted to remember Kade.

Another firework was launched, exploding into a brilliant show of color, then fading to ashes. Kind of like Kade and me, I supposed.

“I think we both know that’s not true.”

I jumped, not realizing Kade had moved directly behind me, his voice in my ear.

“Then what does it mean?” I asked, turning and looking up into his eyes. “Enlighten me.” And perhaps part of that bitterness I was feeling leached into my voice.

Kade’s fingers caressed my jaw. “It means you’re beautiful. Desirable. That I can’t keep my hands off you any more than I can tell my heart to stop beating. It means I listen for your voice when I know you’re near and love it when I can smell your perfume on my clothes at the end of the day.”

I couldn’t breathe and the knot in the pit of my stomach grew to the size of my fist.

“Stop it!” I cried, shoving at his chest. I’d taken him off guard and he stumbled back a few steps. “Stop saying things like that! You can’t… tell me all of that and then walk off like it’s no big deal! You’re killing me.”

He stared at me, silent.

I took a breath and swallowed the lump in my throat. “Offer me something or offer me nothing, but stop trying to play both sides.” Because that’s what he was doing. Pushing me at Blane, telling me we should reconcile, then getting upset when he saw the ring on my finger. Kissing me, touching me, then saying it could lead nowhere.

Yes, he’d told me he loved me in Vegas, but he’d been drunk at the time and didn’t remember saying it. Unless it was an emotion he was willing to own up to sober, it didn’t really matter, did it?

I searched his eyes, not breathing, and hoped for… I didn’t know what. To my disappointment, Kade turned away without a word. I watched his form be absorbed by the darkness as he walked to the house.

Two steps forward, three steps back.

I remained outside, unable to bear the thought of going inside just yet. I slumped down on the grass and watched the fireworks. I could hear the people laughing and talking as they shot off rockets. The frugal part of me cringed at every explosion, adding up the dollars in my head. I’d never seen the point of buying fireworks—it was literally like setting your money on fire. But I liked watching them, and if other people wanted to blow their money in that fashion, who was I to judge?

I thought about Kandi. She’d been having sex with Blane… and James. Why? Had she been hoping to make one of them jealous? Had she known how much James hated Blane? What if she hadn’t told James and he’d found out she was sleeping with Blane, too? Could he have flipped out enough to kill her? Maybe accidentally?

My eyelids were heavy when I finally decided to call it a night. I brushed the grass off my jeans and went inside. I showered and wrapped myself in a towel, my wet hair clinging to my shoulders. I hoped I was tired enough to sleep. Part of me ached for my own apartment, but another part of me was glad to be here, glad to be with Blane and Kade, despite the tension between the three of us.

I walked out of the bathroom and froze.

Blane was sitting on my bed, the dim glow of the bedside lamp casting pools of light and shadow on his body.

He was silent, his gaze steady on mine before it dropped lower, taking in the damp towel I wore. Memories of our kiss earlier tonight assaulted me. My breath caught in my chest and I had to swallow before I could speak.

“What are you doing in here?” I asked.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to intrude. I just… need to talk to you.”

I shifted my weight from one bare foot to the other, acutely conscious of my nakedness. Was this about Kade, or about us? I didn’t know if I was ready for either conversation.

Yet, if it was important enough to make him invade my room at this hour, then I should probably hear him out. “It’s okay. What is it?”

He approached me, stopping when he was close. “I wanted to tell you that you were right about my uncle. I confronted him with what you told me while you were in Vegas, that he had tried to pay you off. He admitted it quite openly.”

Vindication. It was a good feeling.

“I’m so sorry, Kat,” Blane said, his voice a husky whisper. “I had no idea, never thought for a moment that he would do something like that. Which also explains why, when you didn’t take the bribe, he resorted to lying to me about you.”

Yes, I could have told Blane all that months ago. Too bad he wouldn’t have listened.

“But how could you do that to me, Blane?” I asked, unable to stop the question from tumbling out. “How could you believe I’d cheat on you? The man I was supposed to marry?” It was a question I’d wanted an answer to for months. “You risked your life to track me down and rescue me from Summers. How could you think I’d betray you?”

“I have no excuse, Kat,” Blane said. “I could stand here and tell you I’ve never loved a woman before, not like I love you, and it terrified me. I could tell you that I was too afraid to believe we could be happy, that it all wouldn’t disappear in smoke and lies. So when I saw those photos, it was almost a relief after waiting for my dreams to shatter, when they finally did.”

His voice was choked, his eyes too bright and vividly green, but he kept talking.

“But those are just excuses,” he said. “I believed the wrong thing. I made a horrible mistake. I thought the two people I loved the most had betrayed me in the worst possible way, and I couldn’t handle it. I couldn’t see or hear anything but what I thought was the truth. I sabotaged our happiness. My uncle had never lied to me before. Why would I doubt him?”

“Neither had I, but you doubted me,” I said.

My stomach churned and my chest ached. I hadn’t felt this much pain since the day it had gone so wrong between us.

“Can you forgive me?” he asked.

I looked at him. Who was I to withhold forgiveness? Everyone made mistakes, hurt the ones they loved, and I was no exception. If the situation were reversed, I’d want absolution, too.

“Yes,” I said. “I forgive you.”

Relief swept his features, and it felt like something inside me had echoed that feeling, like a knot tied too tight finally loosened. Forgiveness was good for the soul, my soul.

Blane took my hand in his, glancing down at the ring on my finger.

“How do you live with a regret so deep it cuts through every part of you?” he murmured.

I didn’t know what to say, and perhaps wouldn’t have been able to speak even if the right words had come. The lump in my throat felt as though it would strangle me.

Blane leaned down and pressed his lips to my forehead for a long moment, then he was gone.

Somehow, I knew sleep wouldn’t come easy tonight after all.

The doorbell rang as I came downstairs the next morning, and I swung by to answer it. A man stood on the doorstep with a large manila envelope in his hand.

“Can I help you?”

“Is Mr. Kirk available?”

“Hey, Jared, come in.”

Blane had come up behind me. Apparently, he knew the guy. I stepped back to let him in.

“Jared, this is Kathleen, my… fiancée.”

That was like a punch to the gut.

“Kathleen, this is Detective Jared Jones.”

Ah. Blane’s friend in the department. We shook hands.

“Let’s meet in the den,” Blane said, gesturing to the door. Jared headed that direction. Blane turned toward me.

“You don’t have to come,” he said. “The photographs… I’m sure they won’t be pretty.”

“I want to,” I said simply.

He searched my eyes, then nodded and took my hand, following Jared into the den. Kade was already in there. Blane introduced Kade, mentioning that he was a private investigator rather than his brother.

“What do you have?” Blane asked.

Jared handed him the envelope. “It looks bad,” he said.

Blane dumped the pile of papers and photos onto the table. Kade picked up a few and started reading.

The photos were what jumped out at me. I picked one up. Kandi’s eyes were open, staring sightlessly. I’d never seen her without makeup and she looked softer, younger without it.

The livid marks on her neck drew my eye as Jared spoke.

“Initially, we thought the cause of death was strangling,” he said. “Turns out she was smothered.”

I glanced up at him, then back at the photographs, choosing another that showed bruises on her upper arms, like someone had grabbed her. I was more interested in a close-up of her neck, visible in one corner of the photo.

“What is that?” I asked, pointing.

Blane peered over my shoulder and frowned, taking the photo from me to look more closely. He handed it to Jared.

“Those two marks,” he said, pointing to what I’d seen on her neck. They were tiny, maybe only a quarter of an inch long, and close together.

“The ME thinks they’re from a stun gun,” Jared said. “It would have immobilized her, then he smothered her.”

More photos, some I couldn’t look at, of injuries and bruises on more intimate parts of her body.

“The killer was dumb, though,” Jared said. “Left semen, so we have DNA.”

Blane’s head jerked up at that, which confused me. He’d told the cops he hadn’t slept with Kandi that night, although he had, but he’d used a condom so the semen couldn’t be his. It had to be James’s.

“Who are they thinking did it?” Blane asked.

“Well,” Jared said with a sigh, “you. They’re working on a warrant for your DNA.”

“It’s not mine,” Blane told him.

“I believe you,” Jared replied, “but like I said, it looks bad.”

Blane went to his desk, retrieving the tie and scarves from last night and handing them to Jared. “We found these last night among Kandi’s things,” he said. “Can you test for DNA against the semen you found?”

Jared nodded. “I’ll get this cataloged as evidence, say I found them or something. You think the guy was someone she was seeing?”

“Yes, and she’d been secretly seeing James Gage.”

“The district attorney?” Jared asked with surprise.

Blane nodded. “We’re not sure exactly how long, but it had been going on for a while.” He hesitated, then added, “James has a track record of violence, especially against women.”

Yeah. I could vouch for that.

Jared’s eyes got even wider. “You’re kidding.”

“I wish I were.”

“Well, even if the DNA does match, we have no way of proving it’s his,” Jared said. “He’s not in the database.”

“If we got a sample from him, you could match it,” Blane said.

“Yeah, but how do you plan on doing that? You’re the prime suspect in a murder that he’ll no doubt prosecute. Everyone knows there’s no love lost between the two of you. He won’t let you within three feet.”

“I’ll think of something,” Blane said.

Jared left a few minutes later, leaving Blane, Kade, and me studying the file.

I took a deep breath before speaking, already knowing how this was going to go. “I could get the DNA.”

The “No” was resounding and simultaneous from both men, neither of whom even glanced up from the papers and photos they were studying.

I blew out a frustrated breath. “I’m not going to just sit around and do nothing while James does all he can to ruin you,” I said to Blane.

“He’s not going to ruin me,” Blane said, flipping a page of the report in his hand.

“I want to help,” I insisted.

“You’ve already helped. You lied to the police to give me an alibi.” Blane’s tone said he didn’t appreciate that overly much.

“You let her lie for you?” Kade interjected.

Blane looked up. “I didn’t ‘let’ her do anything. I locked her in my bedroom to keep her away, but she got out. I don’t suppose you know who taught her how to pick a lock, do you?”

Kade flipped him off and Blane gave a disgruntled snort before resuming his study of the case file.

I waited a moment before adding in an undertone to Blane, “By the way, I really didn’t appreciate being locked away like the crazy aunt. That really ticked me off.”

“Did it? I hadn’t noticed.” The eye roll was implied.

I kicked off my shoes and tucked my feet up under me as I thought. There had to be a way to get DNA from James without it being too dangerous. I just needed some bodily fluid or hair.

“Do you work tonight?” Kade asked.

I nodded. “My shift starts at six,” I said, and I had an idea.

It was a holiday, so the bar would close by 9:00 P.M. Romeo bitched about it every year, saying people wanted to have a drink after watching fireworks, so why should he close? But Kade and Blane wouldn’t realize the bar closed early.

“Whatever you’re thinking about doing, forget it,” Kade said.

I shot him a dirty look. “I’m not thinking of doing anything,” I lied. I jumped to my feet before either of them could read anything more from my face. It was unnerving to realize just how well Blane and Kade knew me. “I’m going to go help Mona in the kitchen.” Surely she needed help doing… something. So long as it wasn’t actual cooking, I’d be fine.

Blane glanced up, his lips curving into a soft smile. When I walked by, he reached out to brush his fingers against mine, pressing a quick, gentle squeeze to my hand.

Mona was in the kitchen when I got there, thank goodness, busy making something with peaches. Maybe a cobbler. I loved peach cobbler.

“Can I do anything to help?” I asked.

She glanced at me with a smile. “That’s sweet of you,” she said. “I have some green beans that need snapping, if you don’t mind.”

“I can do that.” No cooking required, right up my alley.

Mona handed me a large brown bag of fresh green beans and an empty bowl. I glanced outside. It was beautiful and sunny. “Do you mind if I snap these on the patio?”

“Not at all,” she said, wiping her hands on a towel. “I think I’ll join you for a short while.”

Mona and I went out to the patio and settled onto a wicker loveseat situated in the shade of a large oak tree. A slight breeze was blowing, so although it was hot out, sitting in the shade was relatively comfortable. I had on a pair of cutoff denim shorts and a red baby-doll T-shirt.

My mom and I had spent many summer evenings shucking corn and snapping green beans. Those memories came back to me as Mona and I sat in companionable silence, snapping beans and enjoying the weather. Neighborhood kids were setting off fireworks, illegal bottle rockets from the sound of it, but I doubted anyone would turn them in. Shooting bottle rockets was one of those rites of passage in Midwestern adolescence.

“It’s good to see you and Blane back together,” Mona said after a while. I caught her looking at the ring on my finger. “I was afraid he’d driven you away for good.”

I hesitated, unsure what to tell her about the reasons behind my wearing Blane’s ring again. “Mona, we’re not back together,” I said. “I’m Blane’s alibi for the night of Kandi’s murder. It’s more believable if the police think we’ve reconciled.”

She stopped snapping beans for a moment, glancing at me with some surprise. “Oh,” she said, “I didn’t realize…”

Now the silence wasn’t quite as comfortable. After a while, I couldn’t take it anymore.

“I’m sorry, Mona,” I said. “Blane and I have talked and we’re friends, but I don’t know if we’ll be… more… again.”

Her smile was a little sad. “No need to apologize, Kathleen. It’s just too bad, that’s all. He loves you, you know.”

I swallowed, reaching into the bag for another handful of beans and avoiding her gaze. “I do. I love him, too.”

“And Kade?” Mona asked quietly. “How do you feel about him?”

My eyes flew to hers, but her gaze was steady, sympathy written on her face.

“Kade and I are friends,” I said carefully.

“I’ve never seen Kade quite like this before,” Mona said.

I snapped another bean, dropping it into the rapidly filling bowl.

“What do you mean?”

Mona continued working on the beans as she spoke. “Kade has always been… difficult to reach. I remember when Blane first brought him home. He was just a little thing. Too thin for his age and wearing clothes that were too big. I could tell he was terrified, but he always could put on a brave face. Show no fear. He’s lived by that ever since his momma died, God rest her soul.”

It wasn’t hard to picture Kade as Mona described him. Sometimes it seemed, if I just looked hard enough, I could see that same scared little boy in his eyes.

“He kept us all at arm’s length for so long,” she continued. “If he didn’t care about us, then we couldn’t hurt him. Caring about someone left him vulnerable. And he’s never forgotten that.” Mona looked at me. “Now I see him with you, the way he looks at you, and I realize how in love he is, though he may not yet know it himself. And I cry inside, for him and Blane and you, because I don’t know how this can end well.”

I looked at her, stricken. Mona and Gerard had worked so hard for years to build a family with Blane and Kade, and now I was destroying it. What had I done? “I-I’m so sorry,” I stammered, dropping the beans I held back in the bag and clenching my fists to stop them from shaking. “I’ll go. Right now.” I made to stand up, but she grabbed my wrist, holding me firmly.

“No, Kathleen,” she said kindly. “I didn’t say those things to make you leave. You’re a part of this family, I’m just not sure yet what path you’ll take. My heart hurts for you, too. I know you didn’t intend for any of this to happen.” She shrugged. “Who can say when or where love will grow? It’s no more your fault than Blane’s or Kade’s. I don’t blame you.”

The ache in my chest eased a little. I’d been afraid of what Mona had been thinking all this time, seeing me with Blane one moment and Kade the next. But she was right. The future terrified me.

Her hand reached down to grasp mine. “I just want you to know that I’ve grown to love you like I would a daughter, so I’m going to give you some advice, if that’s all right.”

I cleared the lump out of my throat. “Yes, ma’am,” I said softly, reminded strongly of how my own mother would have talked to me.

“It sounds trite, like a cliché, but follow your heart. Don’t let anything else—the past, the future, the what-ifs or ramifications, mistakes made or past hurts—don’t let any of it stop you from going where love leads you. Love is the only thing worth living for, and you’d be surprised at how love can heal all wounds, if given some time.”

I didn’t have the heart to tell her that love wasn’t in the cards, at least not for me. Fear made me shy away from Blane, and Kade had already made his decision. If I was less selfish, I’d go stay with Alisha rather than soaking up being here with both of them for as long as I could.

“I’m sorry, am I interrupting?”

I turned. Charlotte stood at the edge of the patio.

“No one answered the front door,” she said, her gaze falling to Mona’s and my clasped hands. She looked back up to Mona. “Is Blane around?”

“He should be,” I said, getting to my feet. “I’ll take you to him.”

Charlotte’s smile was stiff.

I felt her eyes boring into my back as I led her inside through the kitchen. “Would you like a cup of coffee or something?” I asked to be polite.

“You don’t have to play the fiancée for me,” she replied. “I know the truth.”

The curt words took me aback. “I wasn’t trying to ‘play the fiancée,’ ” I snapped. “I just have manners. Something you obviously lack.”

Charlotte stood right in front of me. “I saw what you did to Blane,” she hissed. “You broke his heart, and it doesn’t matter if you weren’t sleeping with Kade. There was obviously enough going on that he didn’t consider the possibility that it wasn’t true.” She paused, raising one perfectly arched brow. “That tells me all I need to know about you. Why he’d ever want you back is beyond me.”

Now that we were alone, Charlotte didn’t bother to hide her venom and contempt. All my roiling emotions boiled over into fury at this provocation, and I lashed out.

“You’ve tried everything, and he still won’t sleep with you, will he?” I sneered. I moved closer, my next words low and said with a cold smile, “It takes more than a fancy law degree.”

Her dark skin flushed and her eyes flashed. I stood my ground. If this was going to descend into a catfight, I could hold my own.

“Should I get some popcorn?”

We both turned to see Kade leaning against the doorjamb, a crooked smirk on his face. Blane stood behind him, his face unreadable. I really hoped he hadn’t heard what I’d just said to Charlotte, but there was no way to tell.

Kade cocked his head, saying in an aside to Blane, “I got twenty on the redhead.”

“Blane,” Charlotte said, taking a step away from me, “I was looking for you. Is there somewhere we can talk?”

“In the den,” Blane replied evenly.

Charlotte nodded, preceding him out of the kitchen. Blane glanced back at me before following her but said nothing.

I released a pent-up breath when they were both gone. “I really don’t like her,” I said. “I know she’s supposed to be helping Blane, but I don’t trust her.”

“You don’t trust her because you know she wants to fuck him,” Kade said, pushing himself away from the door and grabbing a can of Coke from the refrigerator.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” I snorted, taking a loaf of bread from a cabinet. “Blane can have sex with whoever he wants. I don’t care.”

“Sure you don’t.”

“I’m not talking about this anymore,” I said, getting some deli meat from the fridge. “You want a sandwich?”

“Sure.” He popped the top on the Coke and took a long gulp. “So where are we going to watch fireworks tonight?”

I looked at him strangely. “I have to work.”

“After that.”

“There won’t be any fireworks that late.”

“Then I’ll go buy some,” he said.

I set two plates on the table, grabbing my own Coke before I sat down, a little disappointed there was no Pepsi in the fridge. “Don’t,” I said. “It’s a total waste of money.”

“But you like them.”

I took a bite, shrugging. “So?”

Kade wolfed down his sandwich, while I cut mine and ate half of it. He eyed my other half until I pushed it toward him.

“You don’t want it?” he asked, already picking it up.

I shook my head, smiling as he ate the rest of it in a few big bites. Glancing at the clock on the wall, I said, “I’d better go study. Finals are next week.”

“I could help you study,” Kade said, leaning back in his chair. He wore a white T-shirt and it clung to him in a way that made my mouth water. His hand rested on his stomach as he sprawled, drawing my eye. My gaze fell lower, lingering, until I realized it and hurriedly looked back up.

His blue eyes were staring into mine, the tilt of his lips saying he knew exactly where I’d been looking and exactly what I’d been thinking.

But he was wrong. I hadn’t been imagining… I’d been remembering.

I jumped to my feet. “That’s okay. I’ll be fine on my own.” Which felt patently untrue, but Kade probably thought I meant studying, because he just shrugged and took another drink of his Coke. I watched his throat move as he swallowed before I caught myself staring, then turned and hurried upstairs.

I went downstairs when it was time to go to The Drop, but sneaking by the den didn’t work this time. The door was open and I heard Kade call my name. With a sigh, I walked into the room, straightening my spine, anticipating the disapproval I was bound to get from Blane.

“Seriously. That outfit never gets old.” Kade’s appreciative once-over had me glaring at him, even though a dozen or more men would probably do the same thing to me tonight as they checked out my “holiday” uniform.

Blane’s expression wasn’t disapproving. I couldn’t read what it was, exactly, but his gaze lingered on my thighs, bare midriff, and breasts before our eyes met.

“I’m going to take you to work,” he said.

I was quick to protest. “That’s not necessary.” Just thinking about being locked in a confined space with only me and Blane, no one else for a buffer, had my nerves on edge.

Blane’s jaw grew tight. “It is necessary. Kade would do it, but he has to go break in to James’s house tonight.”

“What? Why?”

“Need DNA,” Kade replied. “Blane’s lawyer came by to say that James is pushing hard for the cops to arrest Blane.”

“A friend of Robert’s, a judge here, is holding off on signing the warrant, but he can’t stall much longer,” Blane continued. “We need to tie James to the crime or they’re going to arrest me.”

And Blane’s entire career, maybe his life, would be destroyed. No one said it, but it hung in the air like a prophecy.

“Who’s going with you to James’s?” I asked.

Kade cocked an eyebrow. “I work alone, remember?”

How could I forget?

Kade walked toward me, and as he made to pass by, I grabbed his arm. Under my fingers, his skin was warm, the muscles hard. He paused.

“Be careful,” I said quietly.

His mouth lifted in an almost smile. “Kiss for good luck?”

I felt Blane’s stare like a weight pressing against my back, and Kade must have as well, because his eyes flicked from mine to look behind me at Blane. His smile turned cold.

“Maybe later,” he said. Then he was gone.

Great. Now I was going to be a nervous wreck, worrying all night.

“C’mon,” Blane said, taking my elbow. “Let’s go.”

His touch made me shiver, but we both ignored it. I sidled away from his hand and we walked in stiff silence to his car.

We’d only been on the road for a few minutes when Blane spoke.

“I want you to do something for me,” he said, glancing my way.

“What?”

“If I get arrested—”

“That’s not going to happen,” I interrupted. It just… couldn’t. Anxiety poured through me at the thought and I fidgeted in my seat, chewing on a nail until I tasted the tang of blood.

“Just hear me out,” Blane said quietly. “If I get arrested, and the worst should happen—if I go to prison—I want you to stay. In my home. For as long as you’d like.”

I stared at him, stunned. Finally, I found my voice. “Stop talking like that, Blane,” I said, not sure what else to say. “Everything’s going to be fine. You’ll see.”

“It’s better to prepare for the worst,” he said. “You know that. And I don’t want you to have to worry about where you’re going to live. My estate will take care of the house and grounds. Mona and Gerard will still be there, too.”

I swallowed hard. “I couldn’t do that, Blane,” I said, my voice thick. “I couldn’t live there, not without—”

The you got stuck and I broke off, turning to look out the window so he wouldn’t see the tears in my eyes. This nightmare had to end. Kade had to get that DNA so Blane could clear his name.

His hand gently grasped mine, which lay on the seat between us. Blane slotted our fingers, pressing our palms together. I didn’t look at him, but I held tightly to his hand.

A few minutes later, we pulled up at The Drop. Blane had driven around to the back door, where the employees entered. He let go of my hand to turn off the car and we sat there in a silence that wasn’t uncomfortable.

I didn’t want to get out of the car, didn’t want to let him out of my sight. What if they came and took Blane away when I wasn’t there?

“If I get out of this,” Blane said roughly, “if I still have a name worth giving to you, please tell me you’ll give us another chance.”

Our eyes met, blue to gray. Regret and guilt were twin knives tearing me apart from the inside out. I’d put the final nail in the coffin of Blane’s and my relationship the moment I’d decided to sleep with Kade. I couldn’t take that back, and neither could I form the words to tell Blane. I couldn’t bear to see the look in his eyes turn to one of loathing and disgust.

I shook my head. “We—we can’t,” I stammered. “I—Vegas… It’s too late.” I couldn’t manage any more, my throat had closed up. I jumped out of the car before I broke down completely.

“Kat, wait!” Blane called, but I ignored him, hurrying for the entrance. He followed me and was quicker, slamming the door closed just as I started to pull it open. He spun me around until my back was against the metal door, his hands closing on my upper arms to hold me in place.

“Listen to me,” he said, his voice low and intense. “I don’t give a damn about what happened in Vegas. I know you still love me. Don’t give up on us because of Kade,” he implored. “Let me back in. Let me prove to you that I’ve changed, that I still love you. I can offer you more than Kade ever can or will. Please, Kat.”

His desperation leaked into me. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think.

Then he kissed me.