a Touch of Revenge (Romantic Mystery - book 6): The Everly Gray Adventures (3 page)

A forensic accountant, Jayne was usually focused enough to cut through glass with her tone and her words. She definitely wasn’t a woman who diluted the sharp flavor of her coffee with cream or sugar. Certainly not with any added flavorings. Prickles danced on my nape. “Coffee would be fine. I’m sure you’re probably in the throes of jet lag.” It was the best explanation I could come up with for this new side of Mitch’s sister.

Parker stood. “I’ll make it. They forgot to stock Jayne’s favorite coffee on the plane, and since Mitchell turned three months old she’s been drinking her allotted sixteen ounces every day.”

Jayne had a favorite coffee?
I’m
the one who stocked cinnamon in large quantities for
my
coffee, she’d always taken hers black. This whole situation was totally skewed, but apparently pregnancy did that to a woman. I shuddered.

Parker’s attitude told me the lack of Jayne’s favorite caffeinated drink hadn’t been a pleasant discovery, but she grinned at him. “It’ll be fixed before we board for the flight home. Eight ounces now. Eight then. It’s my God-given right as a semi-new mom.”

“Damn right it will,” Parker said, selecting a flavored Keurig cup from the basket on my kitchen counter.

Jayne wiggled into the corner of the sofa opposite me, her stare boring into me. “I want you to think back. Remember the day we met? Mitchell was missing and I was positive you had something to do with his disappearance.”

I nodded. No way could I forget
that
episode.

“He’d told me that something about you unsettled him. Now that we know how deeply he was involved in spying on you, it makes perfect sense. He as much as admitted to me that you were very different from what he’d expected. But Everly, he didn’t stop. Didn’t tell the higher-ups to go to hell with their assumption that you were hiding secrets from the government, and that you knew all about your mother’s formula.”

The old anger blasted through me. “I haven’t been able to forgive him, Jayne. He married me while I was his
job
and still under surveillance. Our entire relationship was a huge lie.”

“Umm. No. That’s not exactly true.”

My hands fisted. Her jaw was right there, vulnerable. I could practically feel my fist connecting…

“Stop glaring at me. There was a sinkhole of deceit, yes. But Mitchell loved you. The travel, pretending to leave you when you needed him so he could tail you, watch your every move—he paid a high price for that.”

How dare she excuse his actions. I opened my mouth.

Parker shoved a cup of coffee into Jayne’s hands and she sipped, keeping her gaze locked on me. “Let me finish. It was wrong. He knew it was wrong, but Mitchell and I were very close. Please trust me when I tell you that he’d started looking for ways to prove your innocence. When he was in the hospital, still woozy from being drugged, he rambled on about how you weren’t guilty, but he had to stay with his assignment because it was the only way to protect you.”

My rage collapsed into a knot of grief. “I…know. It’s part of the reason I’m not…that things aren’t right with me.”

Jayne set her coffee down, manacled my wrists with her hands, and held on. “I loved my brother. Still do. You know that better than anyone…but Everly, what he did was wrong. In the beginning it was an assignment, and yes, he handled it appropriately. When he fell in love with you, the game changed, but he didn’t. Had I known, I would have kicked him in the arse. I’ve forgiven him for keeping the truth from me. Granted, I was only tangentially injured by Mitchell’s actions in this situation, but nevertheless, I want revenge for his death. You’re the woman to do that. Parker and I can’t, not with a six-month old son. Plus we lack the training necessary to do it right. I’m depending on you to avenge my brother’s death.”

I jerked my wrists free and sat back. When had I turned into a clone of a comic book super-heroine? Not that I didn’t want revenge, but only on my terms, in my own time, and in my own way. This was personal.

Parker leaned toward me. “I’m not a nice man, Everly. I pushed Jayne to do whatever was necessary to have you in place when Steele Management ran our fund-raiser séance. I don’t regret that decision, but I made it without any consideration of how it might affect your life. My memories of you were faint, and, honestly? I didn’t care about your feelings. I couldn’t see any reason not to use you to mend the breach in my company’s financial integrity. But I would not have married you without telling you the truth about myself. Even to a bastard like me, marriage is a sacred vow. Hunt fucked that up, and you have to accept—”

Jayne stopped him with her infamously imperious hand. Probably knew that telling me what I had to do was a serious mistake. Then she turned her attention back to me. “When Mitchell stepped in front of you, it was a way for him to heal. The man I watched grow up to become one of the best photographers in the world had been in a horrific battle over the lies he told you. They were eating his soul, and honestly I don’t believe he would have been able to recuperate from the loss of his self-respect. Holding onto the guilt and anger like you’re doing is disrespectful to Mitchell. Let him go, Everly. Let his death become the healing he so desperately needed.”

The walls I’d so carefully built cracked wide open. Tears flowed down my cheeks, and there wasn’t a damn tissue anywhere. I stood, covered my mouth, and stumbled to the bathroom. Some way, somehow I needed to scrape up the emotional mortar to stop my guts from leaking out the cracks in my psyche.

It took ten minutes of practically soaking my head in a sink full of cold water, but I got myself together. And as soon as I caught a full breath, I’d face Jayne and Parker, and tell them to get out of my house. My sanctuary.

I tied Mitch’s t-shirt around my waist so I didn’t look so much like a refugee, opened the bathroom door, and stepped into the bedroom.

Jayne’s carry-on was lying open on my bed.

My dresser drawers were askew, and she was haphazardly folding
my
clothes into the suitcase.

THREE

MY MOUTH DROPPED OPEN, AND
then rage kicked in. “What the hell are you doing?”

Jayne didn’t so much as glance at me. “Packing, of course. Parker and I need to get back, and we’re bringing you with us.”

My hand dug into her shoulder, and I spun her to face me. Images flashed through my fingertips, but I shut them down before they showed up on my internal monitor. I wasn’t ever going to look at anyone that way again. My fingers were in permanent retirement. “I’m not going anywhere, and certainly not back to your house.”

Mitch’s grave was there, visible from almost every window overlooking the woods and grassland behind the house. His final resting place. I shuddered. And I was nowhere near ready for final. Not that I would ever attempt to explain that to Jayne.

My pulse pounded in the pit of my stomach. I was done with that life. Didn’t need or want the memories. Demanding things, memories. And they had a voracious appetite that feasted on my soul, one freaking, agonizing bite at a time.

Jayne sighed. “I’m sorry, but it has to be done. Honestly, I’m surprised you’ve waited this long to make the trip.”

She was making as much sense as a bobblehead doll. “What? Why?” Never let it be said that I couldn’t come up with the right questions when faced with total insanity.

“To search Mitch’s study, of course. How else are you going to find the person who hired him? Surely you realize that his boss, if not personally guilty of murdering your parents, has a great deal of information about both you
and
them. I know you, Everly. You’ll want to confront him and demand answers.”

My knees broke into a wobble for the gazillionth time in less than two hours. It was a record.

Pierce had been sure it was Eamon Grady who’d murdered my parents, and I thought chasing him down, exacting revenge, would be enough. But Jayne made an excellent point. Whoever hired Mitch knew things no one else did, and since I had no idea where Grady lived or how to find him—yet—it made sense to search Mitch’s study. Precise, obsessive-compulsive Jayne would, of course, think through all the details and execute her plan without bothering to let me know, assuming I’d fall right into line.

Damn, but I hated when she was right. Except… “Chad Burr is dead. I killed him.”

Jayne blew out an exaggerated sigh. “Burr was Mitch’s handler,
not
his boss.”

She had a point. I’d buried the horrific memory of that day so deeply that… “Okay. I get it, but I have clients today, and I’d prefer to do my own packing.” I snatched the pair of scarlet panties from her hand. Jayne touching my underwear was…wrong. Besides, she was hovering on the brink of certifiable with this stunt. “Why did you bring a suitcase?”

She smiled. It didn’t reach her eyes. “I have a stun gun and handcuffs as well.” She yanked a palm-sized bit of plastic from her pocket and held it up. I had the identical model in black. It was pretty much useless, and Adam had given me a TASER X26P Smart Weapon when I subbed for him on an overnight Maddie-sitting gig. Maddie had made sure I earned the gift, not that I’d ever used it, or even had time to practice with it.

Was that…?
I blinked. “Is that Hello Kitty stenciled on your stun gun?” I hid my grin, and then reality squashed the happy thought. The idea of Jayne with any kind of stun device, the thought that she’d ever need a weapon, shut my brain down. It was almost worse than her touching my underwear.

Jayne wiggled the pink plastic stun gun in front of my face. “Yes. Parker’s idea of a…never mind.” She blushed and stuffed it in her pocket. “I was concerned that, since it had taken you this long to figure out the simplest course of action, you’d be difficult.

“I WANT THE PEOPLE BEHIND
my brother’s death punished.” She waved her hand dismissively. “Not the gang members who shot him. Their boss is dead, and the rest of them are already logged into the justice system. My attorneys and I will see to it they don’t have a prayer of gaining freedom in their lifetimes. It’s the people behind his murder that I want caught and executed—specifically whoever Mitchell worked for.” She straightened, stretching her back with a loud crack. “Parker and I could only get away for two days, so we don’t have time to wait for you to catch up.”

Insults aside, Jayne Hunt Steele was one scary woman. “Pink really isn’t your color.”

“Like I said. Parker’s idea of a joke.” Her jaw clenched.

The woman was hell-bent on revenge. But then, so was I. “Right. I’m catching up, but I have things to take care of here. Maddie is coming over tonight for a sleepover, and I haven’t seen Annie, Sean, Adam, or Ben for over a week. I’ll need to check in and let them know what’s going on.”

Jayne waved me off. “There are excellent internet and phone connections on all the Steele Management jets. Communication issues are not a viable excuse. Nothing is.” She wrinkled her nose. “Although, it would be best if you change into something less…grungy. This is a business trip for Parker, and collecting you is simply an added benefit.”

She added an elegant sniff that made it ever-so-tempting to only pack my frayed, faded, comfort clothes. But my ego wouldn’t allow it. If I had to face my former home, and deal with the crush of emotions attached to it, I’d damn well be dressed in full feminine splendor. Or not. Definitely not. That would be playing Jayne’s game. I pointed to the bedroom door. “Out. I’ll pack a few things and change.”

“Ten minutes, Everly. We have a flight plan to follow.”

I threw my favorite blue jeans, some long-sleeved Henleys, and an array of colorful tanks into my suitcase. Then I added a couple of dresses, in case North Carolina was hit with an early autumn heat wave. And, finally, I sorted through the clothes Jayne had tossed into her carry-on, put most of them back into the dresser, and selected some flip-flops, sneakers (to wear on the plane), and strappy high-heel sandals. You just never knew when you’d need the power of a sexy pair of shoes. I zipped the suitcase closed, and then tucked my computer and adaptor into the easy-access outside pocket.

Sweats. I grinned. Exactly
not
the thing to wear on a Steele Management jet when Parker was working, but it would irritate Jayne and bring out the tiny creases that circled her pinched lips. Small payback for her attempt to take over my life, but it was enough to cheer me up. Dressed and ready to go, I detoured through the bathroom for a last minute check-in, collected my makeup bag and, toothbrush, then scooped my watch off the counter. I’d need to keep it set on Hawaiian time or I’d lose track of when my clients were scheduled.

One last room check. Did I want to pack my weapons? No, Mitch had all sorts of useful and high-tech items in his study, items I’d be shipping home to Hawaii. I couldn’t leave them with Jayne and Parker, not with memories of the many hours Mitch and I had spent training together embedded in every one. And certainly not with little Mitchell growing up in the house.

Time had run out, so I stomped toward the door, rolling both my suitcase behind me.

Parker glanced at me, did a double take, and then broke into a muffled coughing fit. Jayne glared. Very proper people, Parker and Jayne. They were both dressed in pressed khakis, wrinkle-free shirts, and had spit-polished shoes on their feet. Yep. I’d done good. And I’d even chosen my best sweats. No holes or anything.

Parker was the first to find his voice. “Do you have coaching appointments you need to cancel before we leave?”