All That I Desire (30 page)

“Take him to the ambulance. Tell them to do the eval on the road. There’s been enough
talk and speculation already.” Dakota handed the man to one of the uniformed officers.
“Put out an APB on Tennyson. Rio, can one of your men give my office the particulars?”

“I will.” Shane stepped forward and followed the police put of the room.

“According to my contact guarding his house in Chicago, Tennyson is supposed to have
been there since late last night.” Rio’s mouth tightened. “I bet anything he’s not
there.”

Blade stepped forward. “He has a private plane. He could be anywhere.”

“With the FBI involved, we’ll have a better chance of running him to ground.” Dakota
turned to Skylar. “You’re something. You got him to talk.”

“Unlike the man who broke into my room.” Skylar handed the gun to Rio.

“This one was sweating a lot more,” Dakota said. “I took a chance that he’d break,
and he did.”

Skylar smiled. “I’ve always wanted to play good cop/bad cop.”

Dakota chuckled and glanced at Rio’s hard face. “I think it was bad cop/baddest cop.”
He went to Ruth. “Glad to hear you weren’t involved. Thanks for the invite. Best party
I’ve been to in a long time.”

“I’m glad you could come, Dakota,” Mrs. Grayson said. “Please join us here for brunch
around nine in the morning.”

“I’ll be here.” He tipped his hat to Sierra and Blade. “’Night.”

“Conner, I want everyone to stay on high alert. He and his pal got information from
someone working here. Until we find out who it is, we don’t take chances,” Rio told
him.

“Got it.” Conner and the three other men left the room.

Skylar sighed. “I guess I should go talk to the family about what happened.”

“You can use my office,” Blade offered.

“Thanks.” Skylar sighed again. “If you hear shouting, just ignore it. It will be my
father.”

Chapter 19

“What!” Beau Dupree shouted. “I can’t believe you were in danger and no one told us!”

“Baby.” Meredith enfolded her daughter in a hug. Her grandparents wrapped their arms
around both of them.

“I’m fine,” Skylar told them for the umpteenth time. “The men responsible are in jail,
and the authorities are searching for the man who hired them.”

“Which might take days or weeks,” Beau said. “In the meantime, this nut could hire
someone else.”

“His assets have been frozen,” Rio said.

Her father rounded on Rio. “How do you know that? It takes time and a court order
for that to happen.”

“Rio has contacts,” Skylar offered. Rio was in one of his moods. He wanted Tennyson
in the worst way. Skylar could only hope the authorities found him before Rio’s people
did.

“I think your father might be right about you coming home,” Meredith said.

“Not happening.” Skylar pushed out of all their arms. “I’m safer here with Rio than
in Boston.”

“Safer!” Beau yelled. “A man held a gun on you!”

“And there’s not a scratch on me because Rio made sure that I wouldn’t be helpless.
He even went so far as to put a mini microphone in these earrings and tracking devices
on my gown.” Skylar stared at her family. “I’m staying here.”

“He also had two bodyguards who left you,” her father reminded her.

“Because I insisted they look for Rio,” Skylar explained.

“They’ll be dealt with,” Rio said, his voice flat.

Skylar turned on him. ““If you do more than talk to them,
we’re
going to have a talk. I was worried sick about you and—” She took a deep breath to
try to stem the tears. “They saw how upset I was.”

Rio’s glacial eyes warmed, comforted.

“Baby.” Her mother pulled a tissue from her small purse and dabbed her daughter’s
eyes. “It’s all right.”

“How can you say that, Meredith?” Beau asked.

“Because she is fine, thanks to Rio,” Meredith told him.

“She wasn’t a victim like I was,” her grandmother said. “I’m proud of you, Sky.”

“Me, too,” her grandfather added. “Rio, I’m liking you more and more.”

Beau threw up his hands. “Are you all crazy? Did you hear what I heard? Skylar was
almost killed.”

“We could ask you the same thing, Father.” Skylar clenched her hands. “Why do you
continue to act like I have no sense in my head? That I can be easily led? So I come
back to Boston, then what? You drop by once a week, if your schedule isn’t too busy.
What about the other days when I don’t see you because you and Mother are divorced?”

He flinched as if he’d been sucker-punched.

Her voice softened. “I’m sorry if what I said hurt. I love you both, but perhaps it’s
time I told you the reason I left Boston. It was because you, especially you—and you,
too, Mother, but you’re not nearly as bad as Father—put me in the middle. You made
me feel as if I was being disloyal because I still loved and wanted to be with both
of you.”

Her mother briefly closed her eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I was just so angry
at him for cheating.”

“I didn’t cheat! That woman lied!” he yelled.

“Pictures don’t lie,” she shot back.

A muscle leaped in Beau’s jaw, but he remained silent.

Skylar held up her hands. “Please. No more. I thought you should know what happened
tonight so you wouldn’t be blindsided by reporters or friends. As for me, unless Navarone
Resorts and Spas moves its headquarters, I’m staying in Tucson.” She took her mother’s
and grandmother’s arms. “I have an auction to run. My mother and grandmother have
things to buy.”

Rio opened the door. “Don’t forget Mr. Carrington’s signed baseball.”

Her grandfather smiled. “Yep, more and more. Let’s go.”

Rio fell in behind them as they left. Skylar urged her family to go on in. Seats were
waiting for them in the front row beside Mrs. Grayson. Speaking briefly with the headwaiter,
she took Rio’s hand and squeezed. “I have plans later for you.”

“Behave,” he said.

She grinned and walked to the front where item number twenty-six, the NASCAR package,
had just sold for fifty-one hundred dollars. Skylar applauded the sale and reached
for the microphone from the auctioneer.

“Good evening once again, and thank you for coming. I guess you got a little more
excitement than you expected.” She winked to laughter from the audience. “Thanks to
the excellent security of Mr. Navarone, the intruder is in custody and we can get
on with tonight’s events.” She lifted her hand. Waiters came in bearing trays of champagne,
sparkling water, and hors d’oeuvres.

“I’m going to relax one of my rules and let you eat in here. The buffet line is still
open and the band will play softly if you have what you came for and want to romance
that certain someone. Delivery can be arranged. In the back of the room, St. John’s
honors music students can answer any question or assist you in any way. Now, let’s
go to our next item, number twenty-seven, a painting by the very talented Kara Simmons-Landers.
I see the current bid is thirty-five hundred. Remember, some invitees were unable
to attend, so there could be bidding online as well as in this room. So, let the bids
begin.”

*   *   *

Skylar was sensational. She had the audience in the palm of her competent hand. Rio
couldn’t have been prouder of her. It was difficult to believe that earlier she had
faced down a gunman and threatened to put a bullet between his eyes. The announcement
of the final total—$2,789,000—brought screams from the students and applause.

Blade and Sierra came to the microphone. “Sierra and I would just like to add our
thanks to all of you here tonight; to Skylar, for doing such an incredible job organizing
this wonderful event; and of course to my fantastic mother-in-law, Mrs. Ruth Grayson,
department chair, for her dedication and pride in sharing her love of music with the
outstanding Music Department of St. John’s College.”

There was more applause that grew as Ruth stood and waved. She started to sit down,
but Blade beckoned her. He stepped aside so she could stand between him and Sierra.
“I’ll make this quick. Sierra and I believe in you, the students, and St. John’s.
All of your children earned their degrees there. So Sierra and I would like to donate
two million, two hundred and eleven thousand dollars to make tonight’s total an even
five million.”

Ruth’s eyes widened. She turned to hug her daughter and Blade, then Skylar. Everyone
was on their feet cheering. The students chanted, “Go, Professor Grayson,” over and
over.

Skylar spoke into the microphone. “What do you say we have one last dance, one last
trip to the buffet, and one last drink if you’re not driving—to cap off this extraordinary
night. Ladies, grab your dance partner because I’m grabbing mine.”

Rio met Skylar halfway. “I suppose you want to dance?”

“It will do for a start.” She grabbed his hand.

She had a reckless look in her eyes. Rio felt his body harden and couldn’t wait until
he had her alone. In the hall, he saw her father, his face tight with disapproval.
He wasn’t finished with them.

*   *   *

They’d bid the last guest good night shortly after midnight. All the hired help was
gone and just the family and close friends were relaxing in the great room. Women
had kicked their shoes off, the men had loosened their ties and pulled off coats.
Upstairs, the children slept peacefully.

“I’d like to speak with you, Skylar.”

If her father hadn’t looked so miserable, so alone, Skylar might have refused. Her
father was a strong man. Tonight, he looked as if had lost everything and wasn’t sure
how to get it back. She felt even more certain that he loved her mother.

“Beau, please,” her mother said quietly from beside Skylar on the sofa. “Just let
it go.”

“I can’t. I’m sorry,” he said.

Her mother seemed as shocked as Skylar. Her father wasn’t the apologizing type. He
was a bulldozer in a Tom Ford suit. Skylar got to her feet. “Say what you have to
say, but I won’t change my mind.”

He glanced around the room. “I’d like to speak to you in private.”

“This will have to do, Father. They all know about what happened tonight,” she told
him.

“All right.” He placed his untouched cup of coffee on a side table. “I’m asking you
to come back to the hotel with me. You can have my bed. With Tennyson still free,
it would make me feel better.”

“He’s not free for long,” Rio promised

“But the fact remains that he is now,” her father said. “I’m concerned about your
safety.”

Meredith stood. “Beau, can’t you see that she’s safe with Rio and that’s where she
wants to be, here with him?”

“Mother is right.” Skylar rounded the sofa to stand by Rio. “I’m staying here with
Rio. If it hadn’t been for him, I’d be dead. I should have trusted him to take care
of himself and stayed inside. My fault. Not his. I love my family, but my life is
with Rio.”

Skylar kept her head held high in the ensuing silence. She had to believe and trust
in Rio, but just in case, she looked up at him. His face told her nothing. “If you
make me regret what I just said, I’ll make your life miserable.”

“Skylar, I…” His voice faltered.

She took his hand. “I trusted you, now you have to trust in me.”

He gazed down at her. Strong, fearless, the woman who had slowly stolen his heart.
“Can we talk for a minute?”

Her mutinous gaze narrowed, but she allowed him to lead her away from the others.
Once he stopped, she pulled her hand back. Rio was in trouble and knew it. She was
slipping away from him.

“Skylar, you’re asking for something that I can’t give you.”

“Bull,” she snapped, fighting the pain in her heart. “You can give me everything.
If you love me.”

Love
didn’t begin to encompass all that he felt about her. She was his everything. That’s
why he had to let her go. Eventually he’d fail her. He didn’t know anything about
keeping a woman happy.

“Skylar—” He faltered when he saw tears in her eyes. Anguish seared him. “Don’t.”

“You’re going to miss me.” Her chin lifted. Angrily, she swiped away the tears. “But
you better not wait too long to come to your senses. Good-bye.”

The pain worsened. “No!” He didn’t know if he shouted the word or desperately needed
to. He just knew he couldn’t let her walk away from him. He reached for her.

She whirled, even in the wide skirt, her right hand going up to knock his hand away,
and then she aimed at his face with the heel of her palm. Surprised, Rio’s instinct
took over. He blocked her hand as gently as he could. She aimed for his chest.

“Skylar, stop. You’re going to hurt yourself. I still have on the Kevlar vest.”

She didn’t stop. For every chop he countered, she came back with another that pushed
him backward. “Skylar.” She was royally pissed at him. “Stop before you hurt yourself.”
It wasn’t happening.

“If I didn’t have this dress on, I’d put you on your stubborn butt!”

“Blade. Shane. If she hits me, she’ll hurt her hands.”

“I never interfere between a man and a woman,” Blade said.

“Same here,” was Shane’s response.

Rio glanced up to see if her father would help, but her family held him. She caught
him square in the nose.

“Got you.”

She said the words with such pride, he dropped his hands. Perhaps she deserved to
give him a few licks.

She dropped hers. “You fight, or I’m going to play dirty.”

She already had. She’d swooped in and stolen his heart.

Her eyes softening, she moved closer. “Didn’t the Man With No Name teach you to reach
out and fight for what you want?”

His hand lifted to touch her face, then curled into a fist instead. “Strong, courageous,
beautiful. You deserve so much.”

Her smile trembled. “And that’s what I’ll have with you.”

“I—”

“There’s probably not a couple in this room who hasn’t hit a bump or two, but look
at them now. Happy. Deeply in love. Think about the children sleeping upstairs, Rio.”
Her arms slid around his neck. “That’s what I want for us. I want to be the mother
of your children.”