Everything She Wanted (21 page)

“You have no clue who my father was, or what he wanted.” Evan stepped closer, his hands fisted at his sides.

“What angers you more? That he found happiness with a woman who wasn’t your mother, that he had another son he adored, or that he meant to cut you
off?”

“I’m his son. He can’t just push me aside and start over with some other kid.”

“He gave you everything. Spoiled you. Let you get away with your tantrums and fights. Protected you when you hurt others. He didn’t want to start over with Alex, he wanted you to finally grow up and be an adult. He wanted you to take responsibility for your life and your actions. Instead, you lashed out
without any thought to the consequences. How did it make you feel to see your father lying on the floor in a pool of blood?”

“I wasn’t there. The blood on the knife proved that.” The fear and distress that flashed in his eyes told her he lied. She knew he lied, but how to prove it. That bloody knife didn’t make sense.

“You were there. You pulled the trigger. You killed them. I won’t let
you get away with this. Your mother thinks she can take whatever she wants. Face it, she always has, Donald’s feelings be damned. She certainly doesn’t think of you. I mean, she ordered you to do this, right? She pushed you, used your volatile temper and needled your sense of entitlement until you believed the only way to handle this situation was to kill him.”

His gaze shot to hers. Bull’s-­eye.
She’d gotten it right.

“You lost sight of who your father really was. Kind. Decent. Always on your side, even when you did the most heinous things. He wanted to teach you a lesson, but he’d have given in if you really needed help. You knew that deep down, but it’s just so much easier to take him out, get rid of him so you could have what you really cared about. The money.”

“Fuck you. It
wasn’t easy.”

The admission stunned her. She didn’t actually believe he’d admit in not so many words that he’d killed his father.

“Living with it must be hard. Knowing you’re going to pay for it one way or another, that jail sentence hanging over your head, it must eat away at you.”

“You don’t know shit, lady. Shut the fuck up, or I’ll make you.”

“Bring it on, asshole. I’m not
someone you want to fuck with. I will put you down and not think twice about it.”

“You’re some tough chick, is that right?”

“You already got a taste of it when I put you on the ground. I’m like no woman you’ve ever known. You killed my sister. For that, I’ll make you pay and I won’t stop until you do. So you keep coming. You’re stupid enough to think you’ll get away with it, but you’re
impulsive and make mistakes. Everything you do, I will use against you. You don’t have your father to bail you out. With the estate in limbo, you don’t have all that money to hire an attorney to get you out of the hole you just keep digging.”

“You’ve a real mouth on you. You don’t know when to shut up.” Evan closed the distance and planted his hands on Donald’s desk and leaned forward, trying
to intimidate her.

“I’d think by now you’d get the message. Back off, or someone is going to get hurt.”

Kate matched his pose, letting him know he didn’t scare her.

“You come after me or Alex, I’ll hurt you.”

His eyes narrowed. One side of his mouth cocked up in a grin that made her want to grind her teeth. Arrogant jerk. He still didn’t see her as a threat. He didn’t see the threat
closest to him either, so she pushed, hoping he’d see this had gone too far and had to stop.

“When are you going to wise up and realize your mother is using you? She doesn’t care if you go down, because then the money will be hers. She’ll be sipping margaritas on a beach while you’re rotting in a cell and she won’t think twice about it. She won’t spare you a moment’s thought while she’s living
the high life, fucking every cabana boy and waiter from here to Monte Carlo.”

That flash of fear she saw earlier filled his gaze.

“You know what I’m saying is true.”

In an instant that fear turned to fury. Evan only knew how to lash out when a problem presented itself. He whipped his hand out and clamped his fingers around her neck, giving her a shake. “You don’t know anything. Give
up the company and the money, keep that damn house and walk away before you really get hurt.”

Kate opened her mouth to answer, but the words were cut off when Ben’s arm slammed down on Evan’s, breaking his hold on her. Ben grabbed Evan by the back of the head, his fingers gripped tight in Evan’s hair, and slammed him up against the wall. Evan tried to push away, but Ben punched him in the
kidney and slammed him back against the wall.

“You ever fucking lay a hand on my girlfriend again, you’ll be begging me for a cell over what I’m going to do to you.”

“Get the fuck off me. I’ll have you arrested for assault.”

“Go ahead and try. You threatened Kate. You had your hands on her. You’re a murderer and a menace with a record.”

“What is going on in here?” Christina said,
stepping into the office.

Cameron and Bill stood just outside the door.

“You and your son are leaving. We’ve settled the business for now.”

“Let go of my son.”

Ben pulled Evan from the wall and shoved him toward the door. Evan immediately turned to go after Ben again, but Christina jumped in front of him and planted both hands on his heaving chest, holding him back. He tried to
shake her off, but she held tight.

“Don’t give them the satisfaction or a reason to take this further. We still have the estate to settle. We can’t resolve anything like this, not in public.”

“Yes, Evan, not with so many witnesses.” Kate pointed out what his mother was really trying to say.

“You may have gotten your way today, but don’t think I won’t be watching everything your man
does at this company. These ­people know me. They’ll keep me informed about even the smallest change.”

“If these ­people know you, they know all you care about is the bottom line.”

“Yes. It’s a business. A very lucrative business. Their job depends on the bottom line. Alex’s future depends on it.”

Kate reacted without thinking and stepped out from behind the desk to lunge at Christina.
Ben blocked her at the last second.

“Don’t.”

Christina’s mouth pulled back into a feral smile. “I heard about what happened at that shelter. Terrible thing, really. First you’re attacked by some madman, then almost killed in a gas explosion. It’s a good thing Alex didn’t get hurt.”

Kate fumed, but held her temper. “I kept him safe then. I will continue to keep him safe. No matter what
I have to do to ensure his future.”

“As any mother would do for her son.” Christina took Evan’s arm and pulled him toward the door.

“You keep telling yourself you’re doing this for Evan, but we both know you want it for yourself.”

Christina and Evan kept walking.

“She’s one cold bitch,” Cameron said, watching them leave.

Ben cupped her face and made her look up at him. “Are
you okay?”

“I’m fine. Just pissed.”

“What did he say to you?”

“He admitted he killed his father and my sister.”

“He told you that?” Cameron asked.

“Not in so many words. He feels guilty about it. I taunted him. Baited him.”

“Why would you do that?” Ben’s concern came through beneath his angry words.

“Because I wanted to know the truth. He didn’t go after them on his
own. His mother pushed him. She’s using him to do her dirty work. Like just now, she claims she’s doing it to protect her son and ensure he inherits, but it’s all her.”

“I didn’t like her comment about the attack on you and the explosion at Haven House,” Ben said.

“You weren’t looking at Evan when she said that. I don’t think he did those things. You can see everything on his face and
in his eyes. No wonder he’s such a shitty poker player.”

“Then they’ll both go down for all of this.”

“They’ve gotten away with everything so far. The fire burned up any evidence either one of them was there. The guy who attacked me refused to say who hired him to kidnap Alex. Valentina and Mariana disappeared.”

“Valentina probably took the money her husband was paid and left before
anyone could take it back.” Ben frowned, as frustrated as her that nothing had been resolved.

“Are we at least all set here at the company?”

“Yes,” Cameron said. “Bill will start work tomorrow. You’ll get a weekly report, plus a quarterly update from all departments.”

“Christina agreed to this?”

“For now. She said once she inherits the full estate Bill will be out.”

“Never
going to happen,” Ben assured her.

“Then make her the offer to settle. What are you waiting for?” Kate feared Evan would come after Alex again. Or her. Or Ben. She didn’t want anyone to get hurt over this. Donald wouldn’t have wanted that either. He’d understand that she wanted to hand over part of what he’d left behind to keep his son safe.

Ben’s frown deepened. “Kate, you knew I planned
to make the offer after we got things settled here at the company.”

She raked her fingers through her hair. “I’m sorry. He pissed me off, and I’m taking it out on you.”

“Relax. We’re almost there.”

“Almost isn’t good enough. I want results. I want my son safe.”

“I want you to be safe, not meeting with a murderer in an office alone. What were you thinking?”

“That I want this
to be over. That I want him to pay for everything he’s done.”

“This isn’t the way to do it. Pissing him off so he’ll come after you is not the way to end this. If I hadn’t come in when I did . . .”

“He’d have a broken nose right now. I can take care of myself.”

“That’s not the point.”

“Then what is the point?”

“You scared the shit out of me seeing him with his hand wrapped
around your throat. You just stood there, like it didn’t mean anything if he hurt you.”

“I wanted him to keep talking. When he’s upset and angry, he makes mistakes.”

“Yes, and ­people get hurt. ­People die. If something happened to you . . .”

“Nothing happened to me. I had him right where I wanted him.”

“I bet your sister thought the same thing when she fought him. That she could
take him, but he got the upper hand and he killed her. Don’t you get it? He wants you pissed, so you’ll make a mistake. Then he’ll have you, Kate. He’ll kill you. What will happen to Alex then? What am I supposed to do without you?”

“I’m doing this for Alex.”

“You’re acting out of anger. You need to be smart.”

The wind went right out of her sails. “You’re right.”

Ben leaned back,
his eyes wide. “I’m right.”

“Don’t look so surprised. Look, I needed to know what I’m up against and how he thinks. I’ve got a read on him now. He’s all brawn and ego. He doesn’t think so, but he’s easily led. Christina is the mastermind behind all of this. I clued Evan in to that fact.”

“You don’t think he knows his mother is pulling the strings.”

“I think he doesn’t want to admit
that his mother is using him. Having me, his enemy, point it out pissed him off. If I can pit him against her, maybe he’ll turn himself in and make a deal to take her down.”

“I don’t see that happening.”

“Me either. But I do think Evan will think twice before he blindly follows his mama’s orders again. He won’t be so easy to manipulate anymore.”

“Well, I guess that’s something.”

She stepped close to Ben, needing his comfort now that this was all over. She tapped him in the gut with her fist. “I can’t tell you how sexy it was to see you thump Evan into the wall. His head bounced.”

Ben pressed his lips together to hide a smile and shook his head. “You’re not the only one who can kick ass.”

“Where’d you learn those mad skills?”

“You know how I grew up. I feared
my father, felt inadequate to protect myself or my mother. Once he was gone, my mother enrolled me in some self-­defense classes and boxing to build my confidence. She wanted me to know how to protect myself and direct my anger in a more positive way.”

Kate ran her hands up his flat belly to his hard chest. “You still work out, don’t you?”

“Four days a week at the gym. Sparring matches
once or twice a week to keep my skills sharp.”

“So, not just a smart guy, a tough guy.”

“When I have to be.” Ben swept his hands over her shoulders and down her back, pulling her close. “You didn’t say anything about what I said.”

“That you can’t live without me?”

“That’s not what I said, but it is what I meant. You’ve got to stop, Kate. Let the cops do their job.”

“The cops
can’t even tie them to the murders or the gas explosion.”

“Damnit, Kate. Give them time to sort through the evidence and make their case.”

“That’s what lawyers do. Someone needs to take him down now.”

“It doesn’t have to be you.”

“Who, then? Who will see justice done? Who will make them stop?”

Ben touched his fingertips to her cheek, wiping away the tears she hadn’t realized
ran from her eyes. “We’ll get them, Kate. I promise. But we’ll do it without putting your life on the line. Alex needs you. I need you.”

His lips met hers for a soft kiss. His way of soothing her and dampening her building ire. It worked. Whenever he touched her, she melted. The tension in her eased away with every featherlight kiss. She sighed against his mouth and he took the kiss deeper
just for a moment. Just a taste of what they’d shared last night. A promise of what was to come when they were home and alone. A vow of what they’d always have in the future. If she lived to see it.

“Okay, I’ll stop pushing so hard.”

“You’ll stop poking the lion before he takes a bite out of you. I’m the only one who gets to bite you. Right on your gorgeous ass. Maybe the inside of your
thigh before I lick my way up to your . . .”

Kate pressed her fingers to his lips. “Stop, or we’ll never leave this office.” She squeezed her thighs tight to ease the ache he’d created with those suggestive words that evoked images of them naked and in bed together. He knew just how to distract her. Very creative and lovely ways to erase everything from her mind but him.