Susan Mallery - Hot On Her Heels

“Not a problem. I’m sure there’s a Titan mausoleum somewhere.”

Jed had created this enemy, Dana thought, almost able to feel sorry for the old man. He had earned whatever happened to him.

After getting Kathy, Garth’s mother, pregnant, he’d set her up with enough money to take care of her and her baby. It beat marrying her, at least from Jed’s perspective.

Everything had been fine until Kathy developed a brain tumor. Aggressive treatment and surgery burned through her insurance and Jed’s money. Fourteen-year-old Garth had been desperate to save his mother and had gone to Jed to beg for enough to cover a last-chance surgery. Jed had refused and had thrown his bastard son out on the street.

That fourteen-year-old boy had grown up into the man sitting across from her. A man determined to exact painful vengeance. Garth had finally found a doctor willing to do the surgery for free, but by then it had been too late. While Kathy had survived, she’d been left mentally challenged. A friendly, simple woman who adored Garth but in no way realized she was his mother.

“What happens if you win?” Dana asked. “What do you want? The company? Your name on the letterhead? Are you going to run Titan World?”

“No. I’ll break it up and sell it off. When I’m done, nothing Jed worked for will exist anymore.”

“It’s not about the glory?”

“I was never in it for that. I want Jed to pay for what he did, nothing more. You should respect that. It’s all black and white. You like absolutes. It’s why you’re a cop.”

A lucky guess on his part, she told herself. He didn’t really know her that well.

“You’re breaking the law to get what you want,” she told him. “That makes it gray. And going after the sisters is pretty sad. Come on. They’re girls.”

He laughed. “Would you let them hear you say that? They think of themselves as powerful women.”

“They’re powerful in ways you can’t understand, but what you’re doing is wrong.” She eyed him over her glass. “And you know it.”

“Now you’re reading minds?”

“You claim to know me. Why can’t it work both ways?”

“Because I’ve been studying you. Can you say the same?”

“You’re not that interesting.”

“Now you’re lying. You find me very interesting.”

Was it hot in here or was it her? Dana put her wine back on the table and grabbed her fork. Only she wasn’t that hungry anymore and the sensations in her stomach had little to do with the food she’d eaten.

She knew he was playing her. He was good at it and she wasn’t. She didn’t do the game thing. She was direct, maybe too direct. In her personal relationships she said what she wanted. If the guy didn’t want to hear it, he was gone.

But being with Garth was anything but straightforward. Like a perpetual game of cat and mouse.

“Are you in for the night?” she asked as she came to her feet.

He stood. “Yes.”

“Then I’m going. I’ll be on your tail tomorrow, annoying you. You’re heading to the office at the usual time?”

“Yes.”

His dark eyes seemed to see more than they should. Talk about unnerving.

She reached in her jeans pocket for her keys and turned to leave.

“Or you could stay.”

Four little words. Four syllables. Taken apart, they meant almost nothing, but together…

Or you could stay.

Was he asking what she thought he was asking?

Stupid question.

It was a joke, she told herself quickly. It had to be a joke. He wanted her to say yes, so he could laugh at her. He wanted her to consider for even a second that he wanted her. Because men like him were never interested in women like her. It was one of life’s rules and didn’t bother her a bit.

She turned back and met his dark gaze, then raised her eyebrows. “I don’t think so. But thanks for asking.”

Nothing about his expression changed. “If you’re sure.”

Sure that she didn’t want to have sex with him? Oh, yeah. She was beyond sure. She had very specific rules and one of them said she was always in control. He would never allow that and she would never accept anything else.

There was also the issue of not being sure if he’d tried to blow up Izzy and knowing he was doing his best to ruin his sisters, which she probably should have thought of first, damn him.

“I’m sure,” she said.

“Another time, then.”

“Again, I don’t think so.”

He gave her a slow, sexy smile. One that spoke of confidence. It was the smile of a man who knew women.

“I do.”

He was trying to rattle her. He wanted her to react, to question herself, to engage. That so wasn’t going to happen.

She walked to the front door and let herself out without saying anything. But all the way down the elevator, through the lobby and out to her truck, she had the feeling that he was still with her. Not in a scary, stalker kind of way, but almost as if the essence of him lingered.

“He’s just a guy,” she muttered as she started the engine. “Nothing special.”

The good news was there was no one else around to point out it was very possible that she was lying.

GARTH HAD ARRANGED THE meeting for ten. At thirty seconds before the hour, Agnes buzzed to let him know Dana had arrived. Garth stood, interested in seeing her again. If he didn’t know better, he would say she’d been disconcerted the night before. Or maybe that was wishful thinking on his part. Dana was a strong woman-she wouldn’t let herself be vulnerable for any man. Not an unexpected reaction, considering her past.

She walked into his office, her head held high, the set of her shoulders determined. She wore a plain blue shirt tucked into jeans, and boots.

“No uniform?” he asked by way of greeting.

“I wasn’t kidding about taking a leave of absence.”

She didn’t wear makeup or earrings or anything remotely feminine. There was a toughness about her. A wariness. He wondered if she knew her determination to never show a soft side only made him more aware that there was something she was trying to hide.

She was the kind of woman who gave as good as she got. Which made him think about her naked. Not just because he was intrigued by the concealed curves, but because she would expect to take charge. It would be a battle of wills…which was the kind of battle he most enjoyed.

“I hope the Titan sisters appreciate all you’re doing for them,” he said, leading her to the sofas by the corner of the large office.

“We look out for each other. That’s what friends do. Not that you would know anything about that.”

“Speaking of which…” He glanced at his watch. “Nick should be here soon.”

Something flashed in her brown eyes and was gone before he could read it. “Nick’s not coming. Izzy called me while I was driving over. Something came up.”

Garth knew nothing showed on his face. He was a master at keeping his thoughts to himself, so she couldn’t know he was disappointed. Nick had every reason to be pissed as hell at him, but Garth had hoped to lure his former friend to his office with news about Izzy. He’d thought they would have a chance to talk. Apparently Nick wasn’t ready to move on.

Garth knew he only had himself to blame. He’d crossed the line and betrayed a friend. He might regret what he’d done, but he couldn’t change what had happened.

“Then it’s just the two of us,” he said, motioning to one of the sofas.

Dana sat down. He settled next to her and reached for the folder on the glass coffee table.

“I’ve been investigating the explosion on the oil rig,” he said, passing Dana the latest report from his private investigator. “I don’t have proof yet, but I suspect that Jed is at the heart of this. The guy who set the explosion is Cuban-a known expert. Currently he’s working out of Mexico. My people are tracing the payments. He didn’t use a Swiss bank, so that’s in our favor. We should be able to get information on who paid, but it’s taking time.”