Straight From The Hip

CHAPTER THREE

HUMILIATION IMMOBILIZED Izzy. She wanted to bolt from the room, but couldn’t figure out which way to go. The last thing she wanted was to trip or run into something.

The unfairness of Nick’s words twisted inside her. If she could have been sure of her aim, she would have thrown her plate at him.

“I didn’t ask for this,” she said quietly. “Not the explosion or the consequences. But then it’s easy to be critical of me—after all, there’s nothing wrong with you, is there?”

Instead of another sarcastic reply, she heard the distinct sound of a slap.

“Hey,” Nick grumbled.

“Norma hit him on the back of the head,” Aaron whispered.

“Go, Norma,” Izzy murmured.

“Don’t be rude,” the other woman said.

“Don’t push me,” Nick told her.

“Like I’m afraid of you.”

Izzy heard footsteps retreating to the kitchen.

Aaron cleared his throat. “Nick isn’t actually a horrible person.”

“Really?” Izzy asked. “Could have fooled me.”

“I don’t need you defending me,” Nick said at the same time.

“Yes, you do,” Aaron snapped. “Look, Izzy, he needs to test your boundaries. Find out what kind of person you are. He sincerely wants to help.”

She looked at the blur across the table. “What does he do for the people he doesn’t want to help? Throw them off the side of a building?”

There was only silence.

“Izzy,” Aaron said, sounding frustrated, “being sympathetic doesn’t always work. But this is done with love.”

“Really?” she asked, both annoyed and embarrassed. “This is love?”

“Absolutely,” Aaron told her.

“Do you always talk for him?”

“Someone has to and I’m good at it.”

Nick continued to keep quiet, which was seriously irritating. Didn’t he get that she was at a disadvantage here? But he wouldn’t care about that. Somehow he would make this all her fault.

She picked at her dinner, not eating very much and not caring that Norma would take her to task for it. But when the meal was over, the other woman didn’t say anything as she cleared plates.

The second Aaron pushed back her chair, she was on her feet.

“I’ll walk you to your room,” he said.

“Thank you.”

“I’ll do it,” Nick said.

“You don’t have to,” she told him.

“I know.”

Aaron faded away. One second he was standing next to her, the next, he was gone. Izzy sucked in a breath. Just a few more minutes, she told herself. Then she would be in her room and by herself.

The blur that was Nick started walking. Izzy went after him, remembering about the step just in time to avoid tripping again. Halfway through the big living room, he stopped and turned. She assumed it was to face her.

“I’m not trying to hurt you,” he said.

She pressed her lips together and didn’t respond.

“Everything is different now,” he continued. “Whatever you were before, whoever you were, it’s all gone. This is your reality. If you won’t have the surgery, then you’ll have to learn to be blind.”

“Neither is your problem.”

“It became mine the second your sisters called me. You’re here, Izzy, and you’re not going anywhere. You can get through easy or you can get through hard, but you will get through.”

Annoyance turned to anger. Who the hell did he think he was? “Gee, coach, when we win the big game will we all go out for ice cream sundaes?”

“Nice attitude.”

“You like it? There’s plenty more.” She could feel him staring at her.

“What you don’t seem to understand is that your way of getting by, of getting things done, is over. You’re going to have to learn to be a different person. Tougher. Stronger. Whatever you were before doesn’t exist. Maybe you liked yourself, maybe you didn’t, it’s irrelevant now.”

“The psychology is interesting,” she snapped, “considering the fact that you’ve known me all of fifteen seconds. Where do you get off with all this? You’re just some guy who enjoys picking on those who are weaker. That must make you really proud.”

“That’s your first mistake,” he said quietly. “Assuming you’re weaker. As long as you’re weak, you can never win.”

“Oh, right. So that’s the big plan? Break me so you can build me up again? That is not going to happen. You’re not going to win and you’re not going to make me grateful for the process.”

“Then we have a problem.”

“I’m glad you’re finally figuring that out.” She pushed past him and started toward what she hoped were the stairs.

“You have it all,” he called after her. “You’re young, healthy. You have financial resources and a family who loves you. But that’s not enough.”

She paused and turned toward him. “I know. I want to see, too. How ridiculous is that?”

“All that stands between you and what you want is surgery.”

Surgery that could leave her permanently blind, she thought bitterly. But no one wanted to talk about that. No one wanted to deal with the risks. Because for them, there weren’t any.

“Have the surgery, Izzy,” she said in a sharp voice. “Just do it, Izzy. Why not? There’s no downside for you or anyone but me, right? When you have something to lose, we’ll talk. Until then, go to hell. I’m not playing your game. I’m not even interested in your game. I’m going upstairs to my room, that I will find on my own. You’re not going to win this one, and the sooner you accept that, the easier it will be for everyone.”

She turned back to the stairs and grabbed the railing. After fumbling for the first step, she got her foot on it and climbed until she reached the landing. She had no idea if Nick was watching her or if he’d already left the room, nor did she care. She was pissed and tired and sore and still thirsty. Her shoulders, arms and back burned from her time in the sun. Worse, she was completely alone. The two people she’d loved and trusted more than anyone had abandoned her and she would never forgive either of them.

She squinted, trying to bring the long hallway into focus. When that didn’t work, she had a second of sweat-induced panic. How was she supposed to find her room? Then she remembered Nick telling her it was the first door on the left.

She took a step in that direction and held out her arm to help her judge the distance to the partially open door. She pushed it open as she went inside.

The sun had long since set, leaving the room in darkness. She ran her hands along the wall until she found a switch and flipped it. Lamps on either side of the bed came on.

The furniture was little more than blurry shapes. She identified them through their obvious placement in the room. The bed was easy—as was the dresser. She guessed the rectangular shape on the foot of the bed was her suitcase, packed by Lexi or Skye. No TV, which was fine. She couldn’t really see it anyway and listening wasn’t all that fun.

There were two other doors. One led to a closet, the other, a bathroom. She turned on the lights, then returned to the bedroom, where she fumbled with her suitcase zipper until she got it open.

She had no idea what had been packed, so there were no memories to help her figure out what clothes were there. The jeans she identified by touch. The same with the bikini panties, thongs and bras. But the T-shirts all looked similar. Was that one white or pale pink? Blue or green? In bright light she could see the difference, but two lamps on a nightstand weren’t enough for that.

She carried a makeup bag into the bathroom, then clipped her hip on the dresser on her return trip. The sharp pain made her cry out, then tears filled her eyes and she just wanted to crawl into a dark hole somewhere and be lost forever.

The fear returned. Fear of the darkness, of the unknown. Anger joined it. Anger that this had happened to her. It wasn’t right, wasn’t fair. She didn’t deserve to suffer. Now Lexi and Skye had dumped her with a guy they didn’t even know.

The sharp emotions bled away, leaving behind only despair. What was the point? She couldn’t win this battle. There was no reason to try.

She pushed the suitcase onto the floor and crawled onto the bed. There weren’t any tears. She’d cried herself empty for the past month. She curled up on her side, hurting on the inside from the feelings churning within her and on the outside from the sunburn. She closed her eyes, then quickly opened them to make sure the light was still there.

It was going to be a long night.

Some time later, maybe only a few minutes, maybe an hour, she heard a knock on her bedroom door.

Great. Because Nick wasn’t done being a total bastard.

“Go away,” she yelled.

The door opened.

“I couldn’t hear you,” Aaron said. “It was muffled, but it sounded like ‘come in,’ so I did.”

Izzy sat up. “Did he send you? I’m serious. You can just leave.”

“By he, I assume you mean Nick. No, he didn’t send me. I brought some aloe vera for your sunburn. Do you always throw your clothes on the floor? Won’t that make you trip later?”

His shape stiffened, then bent. She felt the weight of the suitcase on the bed.

“You’re nearly unpacked,” he said. “I’ll just finish up so we can put your suitcase away. How does that sound?”

He was annoyingly cheerful, but for some reason she couldn’t seem to snap at him. Maybe because Aaron was so obviously happy and caring. Maybe because he wasn’t her enemy in all this.

“I’ll put a pair of pj’s on the dresser here,” he said as he carried clothes across the room. “The drawer next to your panties and bras. Socks are right below. There are a few shirts to hang. Oh, this red one is nice. But you probably look best in green. It would bring out the color in your eyes. True hazel. So they can look blue or green, right? I have brown eyes. Bor-ring.” He sighed. “Okay, that’s everything. I’m going to zip up your suitcase and tuck it in the back of the closet.”

He disappeared into darkness, then reappeared. “That’s done. Now let’s take care of that sunburn. Pull off your tank top.”

She sat up and looked at him. “Excuse me?”

There was a snort, followed by, “I guess I have to tell you I’m rolling my eyes. Izzy, please. You’re sweet and I like you but, honey, I couldn’t be less interested. I want to put on the aloe. Now take off your shirt. Oh, we’ll need to pin up your hair. You have something in the bathroom?”

He disappeared again. Izzy didn’t know what to think, then decided she didn’t care. She pulled off her tank top.

Aaron returned. She knew because she heard him wince.

“That has got to hurt,” he said. “Ouch. If your skin blisters, we’ll need to get you to a doctor. Did you take anything? I’ll get you some aspirin. But first let’s get this on. I’ll be as gentle as I can.”

He handed her several clips. She twisted her long hair into a coil, then clipped it to her head. Aaron sat next to her on the bed.

“I’ll do your back first,” he said.

She turned away from him and felt the coolness of the gel, followed by the intense pain of his fingers rubbing her skin. She knew he was working carefully, but every stroke was agony.

“Arm,” he said, touching her left one.

She held it out.

“I know this is hard,” he said. “Being here, not knowing anyone. The thing is, Nick isn’t such a bad guy. He comes off as a little gruff, but you have to look past that.”

“I can’t look past anything.”

“Not literally. It’s a figure of speech. Honestly! I’m talking here. Nick is doing some real good.”

She didn’t want to hear about Nick at all, but liked Aaron. Which made being rude more difficult.

“We have corporate retreats,” he continued. “Management types come and explore the wilderness. We teach them how to swing from trees, start a fire with a couple of rocks. You know. Team-building stuff.”

“That’s hardly going to qualify your boss for sainthood.”

“It pays the bills,” he said as he tapped her other arm. “The real work is with kids who have been through something traumatic. A shooting. A violent crime. Parents fighting for years, then finally killing each other. They come here all shut down. It’s sad. We put them on the horses, take them outside. Show them how to climb a tree. It helps. That’s what he does. He helps fix them.”

She didn’t want to think about Nick being anything but the devil. “Which is great, but doesn’t have anything to do with me.”

“And it’s all about you, right?” Aaron asked, sounding amused. “Honey, you’ve got some attitude on you.”

“I know. It used to look good.”

“It still could. Now face me.” He rubbed the cool aloe on her chest. “You’re going to be peeling like a snake in a few days. Okay. I’ve done all I can. You’re going to have to sit like this until you dry off. Let me get the aspirin.”

He disappeared for a minute or so. Izzy sat there in her bra and jeans wondering if anyone was walking by the open door and enjoying the show. Did she care?

Aaron returned. “Aspirin and water. Because that’s just the kind of guy I am.”

She took both. “Why are you here? Why Nick? Why this place?”

“I’m a Texas kind of guy.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I could be. I try.” He hesitated. “I like it here. This is where I belong.”

She knew there was more to the story, but didn’t know what and she wasn’t interested enough to push.

“Thanks for your help.”

“You’re welcome. Now get some sleep.” He bent down and kissed her forehead. “I just love your hair. See you in the morning.”

Then he was gone.

She heard the door close, and the sense of being totally alone made her skin crawl.

She ignored it, the need to panic and every other emotion washing through her. After patting her arms to make sure the aloe had dried, she found the nightie he’d left on the dresser, slipped out of her jeans and bra, then pulled it over her head. She made her way back to bed and crawled between the sheets. She didn’t bother turning off the lights. It was better if they were on all the time. Anything was better than the dark.

NICK SAT IN HIS downstairs office, staring at his computer, but he didn’t see the words on the screen. Instead his attention kept shifting to the woman upstairs.

Izzy was in a bad place. All fear and attitude. Both could be channeled, used to get through. Or they could defeat her. Right now he couldn’t tell which way she was going to fall.

She wasn’t his usual type of client—he didn’t take on long-term care or individual cases. The corporate types came and went with forgettable ease. The kids…they came in groups of two or three, a weekend at a time. He’d once thought they should expand to week-long camps, but until they had the staff in place, that wasn’t possible. Besides, it was always easier if he didn’t get involved. If Izzy stayed, that was a risk. One he would have to control. He couldn’t be emotionally responsible for her…or anyone.

There was also the added challenge that she wasn’t a kid. She was a beautiful woman. He would have to be as blind as her not to notice that and coughing up his last breath not to be aware of the possibilities. Not that they mattered. She was off-limits.

So what happened now? Had he pushed her too hard? Would she rise to the challenge or snap in two? Sometimes the line between pushing and being a real bastard was hard to see. He tended to err on the side of being a bastard.

His phone rang.

“Hollister,” he said.

“How’s it going?”

“About the same,” he said, pleased to hear his friend’s voice. “With you?”

“Making a killing,” Garth Duncan joked. “It was a good day.”

Nick looked at his computer screen. “The market was down.”

“Not for me. Not for you, either. At least not your shares in my company. I can’t speak to what other crap you might have in your portfolio.”

Nick laughed. “I wouldn’t expect you to.” He glanced at the clock on the wall. It was nearly ten. “Still at the office?”

“Sure. I’ll head home in a few. Tomorrow I’ve got a charity dinner, so I’m getting things done tonight.”

Garth had been born to be a tycoon. They’d met on their first day in college, when fate had thrown them together as roommates. Garth had been a charming, good-looking eighteen-year-old who made friends easily and walked with the confidence of someone who knew he was destined for greatness. Nick had been a skinny, frightened fifteen-year-old scholarship student, in theory the smartest kid on campus, but clueless when it came to real life.

Garth had taken one look at him and left the room without saying a word. Nick hadn’t cared. He’d been grateful to be out of the horrors of foster care and in the relatively safe world of college. That relief had ended two weeks later when a few fraternity pledges decided that beating the shit out of him would secure their place in Greek Row history.

Garth had stopped them before they could do much more than bruise him. He’d dragged Nick back to their room and told him to stay out of trouble, then he’d left. By way of a thank-you, Nick had completed Garth’s calculus homework and left him a study cheat sheet.

Eventually, they became friends, drawn together by proximity and similar backgrounds. Nick had grown up without parents, Garth had grown up without a father. In the four years it took Garth to get his bachelor’s degree, Nick completed a bachelor’s in petroleum engineering, a master’s and most of his Ph. D. Garth taught him how to make friends and get girls. Nick got Garth through his classes with a respectable B-plus average.

That was a long time ago, Nick thought grimly. Back when everything had seemed possible.

“Your friend got here,” Nick said.

“Who?”

“Isadora Titan. Izzy. The one you told me about.”

Nick had taken on Izzy at Garth’s request. One of Garth’s former assistants had gone to work for Skye Titan and Garth had pushed her to suggest that they consult Nick. Garth had kept his name out of it, though. To hear him tell it, the Titans were his business competitors and he needed them in good shape so that they could continue to challenge him at work.

Nick knew better, though. Garth was one of the good guys—always had been. And he hated taking credit for anything nice, if only to preserve his reputation.

“So how’s she doing?” Garth asked.

“She’s having a tough adjustment.”

“I would imagine getting used to being blind takes time. You’ll work your magic. That’s what you do.”

“It’s not magic. It’s reality. She needs to get her head in the game. Otherwise she won’t have the surgery that could restore her sight.”

“Better you than me,” Garth told him. “I don’t have the patience.”

“Most days I don’t, either.”

“Still, you’re doing it. Thanks for that. I know you didn’t want to do this, but it’s important. Just don’t let them know she’s there because of me.”

“Your reputation as a ruthless bastard in business and life will stay as solid as ever,” Nick joked.

“A reputation based on reality,” Garth reminded him. “You see the new Car and Driver? What is it with those guys and BMW? As far as they’re concerned, the Germans can’t build a bad car.”

“Not everyone has a thing for old British cars that never run.”

“Not old,” Garth corrected. “Classic. There’s a difference.”

“Sure. It’s all a matter of how much money you want to sink into it. You can afford to have someone drive behind you with a tow truck. Most people can’t.”

“If you’d come to work for me instead of starting your own company, you could have your own tow truck driver, too,” Garth pointed out.

“No, thanks. I like my truck.”

“Typical Texan.”

“And proud of it. Go home. It’s late.”

“Yeah, I will. See you next time you’re in town?” Garth asked.

“Sure. I’ll call.”

Nick hung up and returned his attention to the computer.

So much had changed since that first meeting with Garth, he thought grimly. Too much. They’d shared a lot over the years. A lifetime. The one thing he’d never asked his friend was how well he slept at night. Had Garth conquered the past or did he, too, wake to the sound of the screams?

GARTH DUNCAN REPLACED the receiver and turned his chair so he could see the Dallas skyline. Lights beckoned from dozens of other offices, all several stories below his own. No one else had as high an office or perfect a view. He’d made sure of that.

It had taken a long time…nearly twenty years…but he was finally ready to destroy the Titans. Everything was in place. The lines were set. It was just a matter of reeling ’em in. Even Izzy had cooperated and become a player. That damned explosion.

Who would have thought fate would be on his side?

He knew the Titan sisters believed he was behind what had happened at the oil rig. But he wasn’t. His destruction of the Titan empire was subtle, untraceable. He wasn’t interested in bodies, he counted his victories in dollars and bragging rights. He wanted Jed Titan broken and shunned by the society he valued. If the Titan sisters lost everything along the way, better for him.

Who had arranged the explosion? The investigation wasn’t complete, but Garth was confident the authorities would find that the blast wasn’t an accident. Coincidences like that didn’t just happen. Someone had done it on purpose. To put the blame on him? Or was there another Titan enemy looking to hurt Jed’s family?

Either way, he would find out. And in the end, he would take everything from Jed Titan and not have a single regret.

Well, maybe one.

He hadn’t wanted to use Nick. But when Izzy had turned up blind, the opportunity had been too tempting to ignore. When Nick figured out he was being played, he wouldn’t be happy. Garth was counting on their years of friendship to see them through.

Besides, it was worth the risk. He had to win. Win at any price. Even the trust of the man who had once saved his life.