Everything She Wanted (20 page)

Chapter Twenty

B
EN STOOD AT
the back of the building staring at the damage to the massive six-­foot-­by-­twelve-­foot-­wide windows. He’d purposely made the room the day care because of the brightness the windows provided for the children.

“I’ll go into the office and start making some calls to replace the glass,” Kate said.

Even with the cops standing beside him, writing
their report, Ben hated to let Kate out of his sight. “Kate, come right back. Don’t go anywhere else.”

Kate gave him a soft indulgent smile, but he read the underlying message. She could take care of herself.

Maybe so, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have to take care of her.

“Mr. Knight, any idea why you’ve been targeted?”

Ben rattled off the same tired story about Evan, Donald,
and Margo mixed with the threats from Christina toward Kate and Alex. He hated this mess, this unyielding threat against them, Evan’s constant pursuit of Kate. It had to end. He needed to find a way to stop it. Them.

The police officer folded his notepad and walked back to his patrol car.

Ben turned to Jill and the other staff members who’d set up a kickball game to distract the children.
He needed to clean up the glass and board up the window.

“Jill, keep everyone out here until I finish inside.”

She waved to let him know she heard. He walked back toward the building, but caught a movement outside the gates. He turned and caught sight of a woman walking on the other side of the street. She looked his way for a second, then dashed into the alley between two other buildings.
She wore large dark glasses that obscured her face. Long blond hair hung down over her shoulders and chest. He swore she looked just like Kate’s sister.

A cold shiver raced up his spine, warning him of danger.

Ben ran for the back door of the building. It slammed against the wall as he burst through and ran down the hall, calling, “Kate!”

He ran through the dining room and stopped
short when Kate ran toward him, her expression dark with concern.

“Ben, what is it?”

He smelled it first, but the surprise and fear registered on Kate’s face a second later. He turned and scanned the kitchen, saw the line of emergency candles all lit up on the counter, and beyond to the broken gas pipe just over the restaurant-­size range.

He ran for Kate just as a whoosh split the
stunned silence a second before the explosion. His body flew into Kate’s. He took her down to the floor, shielding her with his body, blocked from the brunt of the blast by a low stone wall wrapped around a bank of booth seats. Debris hit his back along with a blast of heat, but the wall held. He didn’t look back, just grabbed Kate by the arm, scrambled to get up and pull Kate with him to get away
from the crackling flames consuming the building. They stumbled over pieces of wood and metal and ran out of the room, along the wide hallway where the windows had blown out along with part of a wall. They pushed through the door that led to the lobby and out the front of the building.

Kate patted her hands all over his back as they ran; she didn’t stop when they got outside. He finally registered
what she was screaming at him. “You’re on fire.”

Ben tore off his heavy coat and dumped it on the concrete, thankful the thick material hadn’t burned all the way through to his shirt and skin.

“You’re okay. You’re okay,” Kate said, checking his back, then launching herself against him, wrapping her arms around his waist. “You’re okay.”

“I’m okay, but what about you?” He had to yank
her arm to bring her around his body. He checked her out from head to foot. She seemed fine. He brushed his thumbs over the redness on her hands from trying to put out the flames on his back. She hissed and pulled her hands away.

“That stings.” She held her palms up and studied them. “They’re okay.”

“Oh, God, I can’t believe we made it out of there alive.” If he hadn’t gotten to her in
time, that blast would have killed her. The office Kate used to make the calls sat right behind the kitchen. Judging by the flames and damage to the building, she’d have been blown to bits.

His stomach soured. He leaned over, planted his hands on his knees, and dragged in several deep breaths, trying to erase the disturbing images in his mind. He coughed to clear the clog in his throat. His
heart clenched at just the thought of what could have happened to Kate.

She rubbed her hand over his back. “Just the gas and smoke. Breathe, honey.”

He did, but it wasn’t easy, knowing how close he’d come to losing her.

B
EN STARED AT
the wreckage of all he’d built. The south side of the building survived the fire, but the north side smoldered, sending up plumes of smoke. Firefighters
continued to pour water on the hot spots. He’d have to close the place until he could rebuild. He’d have to find a place for the displaced families living here. All twelve of them. The task seemed monumental, but Jill was already speaking to the Red Cross workers who’d arrived moments ago.

Kate stood by his side, her hand in his, their fingers linked. The paramedics gave her some salve for
the minor burns. They didn’t seem to bother her at all. She squeezed his fingers to get his attention. He hadn’t really moved or said anything since this happened an hour ago.

“I’m so sorry, Ben. Everything you’ve worked for to do for this community. Those women and children who needed your help.”

He gritted his teeth and shook his head. “The place is insured. I’ll rebuild.”

“I know
you will. I’m sorry, this is all my fault.”

Surprised she’d say something so stupid, he glanced down at her. “What? No, it’s not.”

“Yes, it is. If I hadn’t stayed here, none of this would have happened. I heard what you told the police. Someone intentionally set this fire. They wanted to kill me. Now they’ve destroyed this place.”

“Kate, none of this is your fault. You can’t take the
blame for what the Faradays do.” He pulled her into his side. “I don’t blame you for this. I blame them.”

“Ben . . .”

“No. We are not going to let them win by putting a wedge between us.”

“Then I guess my first order of business as the new director of Haven House is to work with the insurance company to push through the claim. I’ll need to hire a contractor. Once we know the extent
of the damage, I’ll figure out what we need to replace and what we can do better this time. I’ll let Jill handle finding places for the current residents. The rest of the staff will be on paid leave until we are up and running. Once we have a new structure, they can help with the decorating and furnishings.”

Ben stared down at her, dumbfounded she’d made the decision to take the job, especially
now that it was so much bigger than just running the place.

“What?” she asked. “I’m your girlfriend. Your partner. This place is important to you. It is to me too.” She squeezed him tight. “We’ll fix it, Ben. Together.”

Ben crushed her to him and kissed her hard, then settled into it and the comfort she offered. He broke the kiss and pressed his forehead to hers. “I like the sound of that.”

“You know what else? I’m tired of reacting to everything the Faradays do. It’s time we made things happen.”

“What do you have in mind?” he asked.

“Well, if Alex owns the majority share in the company, then someone should be heading it like Donald did that has Alex’s and the employees’ best interest at heart.”

“You want to hire someone to run the company?”

“Yes. Someone we can
trust. Someone who doesn’t have an agenda, or can be bought or manipulated by the Faradays.”

Kate pressed her lips together and considered the one thing she hated to do, but realized needed to be done to stop this madness. The heaviness in her heart wouldn’t go away. What if someone got killed today? What if Ben got killed because the Faradays wanted all that money? She’d never live with herself
if she didn’t at least try to put an end to this.

“I also think we need to make Christina an offer. Settle the estate once and for all. End this before someone else gets hurt.” Kate’s gaze shot to the burned-­out rubble. A sickening chill ran up her back. “It’s pure luck no one got killed here today.”

“Whether luck or design, I’m glad everyone got out.”

“You don’t think they meant
to hurt anyone?”

“The fire started in the kitchen. Breakfast was over long before the fire. No one was in the dining room. All the residential rooms are on the other side of the building.” He left off that she was the only one close to the fire’s origin.

“Makes sense. Still, you can’t count on everyone staying clear of that part of the building. The rec room and day care are on that side
of the building.”

“Except all the kids were outside playing games Jill set up because of the broken window.”

“A distraction to get me here and do this.” Kate shook her head. “We can’t let anything like this happen again. If we take away their reason for coming after us, then we end this.”

“That’s if the Faradays accept a settlement.”

“What alternative do they have? Spend the next
several years in court fighting over this. Christina will lose. Her lawyer has to have told her that it’s futile. Plus, we still have the murders. If they’re convicted, they’ll get nothing.”

“We still don’t know whose blood was on the knife. If they hired someone to do the crime, we might not ever find that person,” Ben pointed out.

“You’ve turned into a real pessimist, you know that?”

“You’re right. Let’s start doing something to stop them, rather than waiting to see what they’ll do next.”

“There you go, lawyer man. What do we do first?”

“Call my cousin, Cameron, and arrange a meeting with the executives of the company.”

“Why Cameron?”

“He’s the president of Merrick International. He’ll know what we need to do to run Faraday Electronics.”

“Excellent.
And he’s family. You trust him, so I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.”

Ben laughed. “Look at you all optimistic and trusting.”

“I’m turning over a new leaf. Enough is enough. I want to take them down. Short of that, I’ll settle for taking away their reason to come after me and Alex. Whatever it costs.”

“Let’s hope we can make a deal.”

“We will. We have to. I’ve had enough
cruelty and ­people taking things from me my whole life. I won’t let them. We have to stop them.”

Ben hugged her tight. She’d been so strong, but the cracks in her armor showed. She let them show to him, because she trusted him to help her make this right. To see her quest through to the end and keep her and Alex safe while he did it.

“Let’s take that bastard down.”

Chapter Twenty-One

K
ATE
AND
B
EN
met Cameron and his associate Bill Pratt outside the Faraday Electronics offices. They’d spent all day Sunday studying the company papers she dug out in Donald’s office, the company literature, and everything they could find on the internet. Kate had no idea how to run a company the size and scope of Donald’s. She didn’t have the technical or engineering
expertise. She didn’t have the business acumen to pull it off well, at least not without a huge learning curve. So she took Ben’s suggestion and made the call to his cousin, Cameron, herself. They spoke for an hour on the phone Saturday night. Cameron made some calls to colleagues within Merrick and Knight Industries, which he held a huge stake in, and found the perfect candidate to take
the job at Faraday.

“Ben, so good to see you.” The dark haired man with the gorgeous blue eyes held his hand out to Ben. They shook and Ben pulled the man in for a quick back-­smacking guy hug. “Is this your girlfriend?”

“Kate, meet Cameron Shaw, my cousin.”

Kate shook his hand. “Nice to meet you in person. I really appreciate you doing this on such short notice.”

“My pleasure.
Anything for family. Besides, Bill owes me a favor, but I seem to be doing him one.”

“Yes, you are.” Bill stepped forward and shook her hand too. “Thank you for trusting me with this job. I won’t let you down. I’ll look out for Alex’s interests.”

She liked Bill right away, but when he said those words, she liked him even more. Still, that part of her that remained guarded warned her to
beware. If protecting Alex’s interests became second to Bill’s interests, she’d fire his ass. She’d give him the benefit of the doubt because she needed someone on the inside at the company, but she’d watch him.

Cameron and Bill headed for the double doors leading into the building’s lobby.

Ben squeezed her hand, leaned down, and whispered in her ear. “Stop glaring at him. He’ll do a good
job. He won’t steal you blind. Cameron and I will be overseeing everything too.”

Yes, they would. She took a breath, told that suspicious voice in her head to relax, and walked beside Ben into the building. They stopped short when they saw Christina and Evan Faraday talking to three gentlemen across the large open space.

“What are they doing here?” she asked Ben.

“Someone from the
company must have contacted them about this meeting.”

“But they don’t have a say in what I do. Donald’s will left everything to Alex.”

“We’re still waiting for a judge to rule on the prenup and divorce that Donald filed for before his death. Kate, they may get to keep a large stake in the company and gain most of Donald’s assets if a judge rules in Christina’s favor. That’s why it’s important
to get Bill situated in the company now, so that Christina and Evan don’t undermine what Donald built.”

“Do you think she’d do that?”

“What I don’t want her to do is sell the company out from under Alex. I don’t want her to decide that she doesn’t give a shit about the ­people who work here, the customers, and she just shuts this place down.”

“She can’t be that stupid. This place makes
a ton of money. They made over a twenty percent profit last year alone. That was in a bad economy.”

“And because Donald knew how to run a business. Christina and Evan have no idea what to do with this place. Unless they appoint someone like you’re doing to oversee the operations, they’ll drive this place into the ground. A company needs leadership and vision. Donald had both. Bill can fill
that slot. He’ll work with the executive team to keep things moving in a positive direction.”

“Let’s go see what they want.” Kate scowled openly at the Faradays.

“You know, it really pisses me off to see that asshole still walking around and not locked behind bars after everything he’s done.” The fierce look in Ben’s eyes surprised her. He always seemed so in control of his emotions. The
attack on her and the fire at Haven House upset him, but the look in his eyes said a lot more. He feared that if Evan wasn’t locked up soon, they might not be so lucky the next time Evan came after her and Alex.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and tingled. She shivered and shook off the eerie sensation.

“If you think you can take over my husband’s life work, you’re wrong. This
is my company now. You can’t call meetings and put someone in my husband’s place,” Christina spat out.

“No matter what happens with the estate split, Alex has a stake in this company. Bill will take over where Donald left off. He will ensure the company is run well and Donald’s legacy continues and thrives for both his sons.”

“I say what happens to this company and the estate. I’m Donald’s
wife.”

“The only reason he stayed was for Evan’s sake. He didn’t love you, but he loved his children.”

That something strange that came into Christina’s eyes in the police station flashed in their depths again. Kate didn’t understand it, but wished she knew what Christina feared, or was hiding behind that look.

“Yes, he did, which is why I am looking out for my son.”

“As you should.
As will I. So if you want to attend this meeting, let’s get it started.” Kate looked to the gentlemen standing by watching the whole sordid exchange.

One of the men swept his arm out toward the elevator. “This way, please. We’ll use the conference room on the third floor.”

Kate followed behind everyone. Bill and Cameron walked in front of her, blocking her from Christina and Evan. She
wondered if Ben put them up to that with some silent signal to protect her. The three executives from Faraday Electronics, Christina, and Evan all stepped into the elevator. Bill, Cameron, and Ben held back, blocking her from entering.

“We’ll take the elevator up next and meet you there.” Ben’s words came out casual, but his posture sure wasn’t; he looked ready to strike down any threat that
came her way.

The second the elevator doors closed, she grasped Ben’s shoulder and turned him toward her. “What was that all about?”

“You think I’m going to give that guy another shot at killing you?”

“What’s he going to do here, in front of so many witnesses?”

“He shot his own father, tried to kidnap a baby, and burned down Haven House, hoping to kill you. I wouldn’t put anything
past that murderous asshole. They won’t quit, Kate. Never turn your back on them. Never give them an opening to hurt you.”

Kate wanted to dismiss the warnings, but couldn’t. Still, something about Evan’s behavior today, holding his mother back, tweaked something in her mind. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but it circled her mind with other thoughts she couldn’t quite grasp or put together
with their odd behavior.

“When will the DNA tests come back on Christina and the knife?”

“The lab is backed up. Detective Raynott is hoping to have them soon.”

“Something doesn’t add up.”

The elevator doors opened. They rode up to the third floor in silence. As usual, Kate’s thoughts were a jumbled mess with her grief taking center stage. She wanted to avenge her sister, but so
far all she’d done was hide and hire a business executive. She needed to come up with a way to prove Evan committed the crimes. She needed to figure how big a role Christina played in all the events.

“Kate, we’re here.” Ben stood with his arm out, hand on the door, blocking it from closing on them.

“Sorry. Lost in thought.” She walked out ahead of him.

“Ways to kill Evan and get away
with it?” he asked.

“Something like that,” she whispered back as they approached the conference room.

Everyone took their seats. The Faraday executives sat at one end of the table facing them. Christina and Evan sat on either side of the execs. Ben, Cameron, and Bill sat at the other end, facing the other side. Just to piss off Christina, she sat right next to her, but turned her chair
to square off with everyone on that side of the table.

“Miss Morrison,” the man at the head of the table began.

“It’s just Kate.”

“I’m Pete. I’ve worked at Donald’s side for the last fifteen years. I knew him better than most.”

“Did you ever meet my sister?”

Pete glanced at Christina, then met Kate’s gaze again. “Yes. I met her several times. Donald seemed very happy with her.”

“Seemed happy?” Kate pushed.

Pete eyed Christina again, sighed, and answered, increasing the tension in the room. “He was happier than I’d ever seen him.”

“This is ridiculous. We’re here to discuss business.” Christina glared at her.

“She’s right, Pete, so here is the deal. Donald left everything to Alex. Now, because of a legal muddle between Alex, Christina, and Evan the company
may be split. I want Alex’s interests protected and the company is lacking a president. So, I’ve hired Bill to fill that slot.”

Pete frowned. “Kate, it’s not necessary to bring someone else in. We can run the company as we’ve been doing. Everything is running smoothly without Donald here. I don’t say that to be callous of his absence. Believe me, it’s felt by everyone here and in every facet
of the business.”

“I’m not inserting someone because I don’t believe you can do the job you’ve done exceptionally well these last years. I’ve read over all of Donald’s papers, including the financials on the company.”

“Then you understand that we will continue in Donald’s stead and ensure this company remains as successful as it was when Donald ran it.”

“I believe you, Pete. I have
no cause to think otherwise. Bill has experience running a company of this size and scope. While he’s got the business background this company needs, he’s an engineer at heart. He can bring a fresh perspective on both fronts of the business.”

Kate turned to Bill. She appreciated that the men allowed her to take the lead. After all, Alex owned the business and it was her duty to oversee it.
“Bill, if you wouldn’t mind giving these gentlemen a synopsis of your background and what you bring to the table. I’m sure once you start working together, they’ll see what an asset you’ll be to the company.”

“Of course. Thank you, Kate.” Bill ran through the jobs he’d held over the years and the degrees in business and electrical engineering he’d earned. He spoke of other projects he’d worked
on, most of which went straight over her head, but the Faraday execs, including Pete, all perked up at many of the things Bill elaborated on, using technical language she just didn’t get. To be truthful, she didn’t really understand what Donald’s company did, but by the end of the conversation it was clear that Bill got it and had several ideas he’d like to implement. Pete and he went back and
forth for twenty minutes talking about a project that had been stalled for weeks.

Kate took the opportunity to study Evan. While he listened to the conversation, it was clear he didn’t understand all the technical jargon tossed back and forth. He did add a few comments when they discussed sales and revenue. She didn’t give him too much credit. She figured out what they were talking about in
that respect as well. Still, Evan didn’t object to Bill working at the company. He didn’t demand to take his father’s place.

Evan lost focus on the ­people around them and stared back at her. If they were wild animals, they’d be circling each other. Kate didn’t turn away from his intense stare. Instead, she tried to see past the nonchalant facade to the real man beneath.

His gaze swept
down her face to her chest. She’d been checked out before. It didn’t bother her. Much. He did it to piss her off and make her feel like she was just an object. His eyes filled with lust, but she saw past that false and practiced gaze to the calculating man who wanted the money but not the business. Certainly not the work that went with running the company. He wanted his life to remain as carefree
and filled with luxury as it had always been. She wouldn’t put it past him to try to make her an ally. He seemed the type to keep his enemies close.

Ben’s hand settled over hers on the table. A show of possession that Evan didn’t miss. His gaze shot from her hand beneath Ben’s to her eyes. A slow smile spread across his handsome face. If looks could kill, the one Evan sent Ben would see Ben
bloody on the floor. She caught Ben’s glare out of the corner of her eye. Yep, he was much better at this silent conversation. While Evan’s glare said he’d like to kill Ben, Ben’s cold eyes said, “Bring it on. You’ll lose.”

She loved the air of confidence he wore as easily as the shirt on his back. When they’d worked together in the past, she’d thought him cocky and arrogant. Now, she understood
he’d earned it. He only wielded it against those who deserved it. The ­people who needed his help got it. Evan deserved Ben’s ire.

She’d made up her mind recently to set aside her grief and bring Evan to justice. Now, that compulsion to end this grew within her, blocking out everything else.

She couldn’t sit here any longer. She’d leave the business to those who knew what they were doing.
She needed some air.

“Please excuse me,” she said, interrupting the group.

Ben held her hand, preventing her from leaving when she stood. She squeezed his hand to let him know she was okay.

She walked out of the conference room and down the hall, glancing at all the offices along the way. She stopped outside Donald’s closed door and traced her fingers over his name. She stared through
the glass window. The office remained dark. Pulled in by some unseen force, she turned the knob and walked into the dim room. Light from the outside windows spilled in and across his desk. Files, a discarded pen, and a half full cup of coffee sat on his desk. No one had touched anything since his death. She walked around to his chair and smiled at the photos of Margo and Alex. She picked up the
picture of Margo holding Alex in her arms, a bright smile on her face.

She didn’t so much see Evan come in as sense him standing by the door.

“You have no idea what you did when you killed her. She was warm and kind and gentle. She loved your father in a way I’d never seen someone love another. Your father soaked up that love and returned it. I don’t know how you grew up in that house
with your parents living their separate lives, hurting each other rather than admitting it was over and going their separate ways.”