Come Home Again (The Donovans) (21 page)

“Ah, I see you still have a thing for her. I, personally, don’t see it, but whatever.”

Nate couldn’t even turn to face his brother. But his voice was steely when he spoke. “What do you want?”

“I’ll tell you one thing, what you have in your wallet isn’t going to cover it.”

He turned to glare at Trent. “Name your price, and I expect you to disappear.”

Trent’s smile morphed his already haggard face into a sinister smile. “Let’s start with an even hundred grand. You’re a big time CEO now, you can afford it.”

He whipped around to face his brother. “Are you insane? It doesn’t work like that. I can’t just give you a hundred thousand dollars.”

“Sure you can.” Trent nodded. “I know you have it. Don’t you think I know what a Dodge Tomahawk costs? I’m the one who taught you about bikes, remember? You pay, or I tell your little girlfriend all the fun details about how you killed a man. I’m not fucking around, Nate. And if that’s not enough incentive, imagine what the media will do with that information. No more cushy CEO job for you.”

A bead of icy sweat trickled down his back. He’d warned Chase not to put him at the helm, now his past threatened everything. “I’ll pay it. You just stay the hell away from Delilah.”

Trent grinned. “Whatever you say, Little Brother.”

A
fter a week of dealing with the Michael Ross debacle, Delilah needed a break, so she’d taken the day off. Jake hadn’t look pleased about her taking a Friday off, but she had over five weeks of vacation stored, so he could kiss her ass. She’d also decided to go home for her mother’s birthday after all. A little family time would do her some good.

A news brief for the E! Network came on, and immediately, there was a photo of Michael on screen. “Damn, I can’t even escape you at home,” she muttered.

After the news of Michael’s arrest broke, she’d had several closed-door meetings with Michael’s representation and his handlers. He’d been arrested for allegedly hitting his girlfriend Reesa Daniel. The media didn’t have her name yet, but they’d get it eventually. Someone from Reesa’s camp would no doubt leak it.

The real clincher would be whether or not she pressed charges. He’d been arrested because Reesa’s assistant had called the cops, but without her statement they couldn’t hold him. Delilah knew Michael was her client and she wasn’t supposed to root for Reesa, but she hoped the starlet did press charges.

She shook her head. No more Michael Ross. She was going to take a much needed break. Besides, there wasn't much she could do now. She’d called in every favor she’d ever garnered with the New York Press core to bury the story as much as they could. And some had managed to come through for her. The rest was up to Michael and his lawyers. She’d tried to convince him that he needed a mea culpa to his fans and to start doing something positive to counterbalance the negative, but she’d been shot down. But for now at least, the maelstrom was over. Reesa hadn't come forward with a statement, so now it was a waiting game. Now Delilah finally had a break.

And tonight she would finally see Nate again. Like clockwork, the moment she thought of him, her whole body warmed. She was in so much trouble. Screw Jake and his rules. She was in trouble with herself, because she knew where this was headed. If she and Nate kept going like they were, she would fall in love with him.

She didn’t want to get hurt, but she couldn’t stay away from him.
Like last time.
But he was so different. The way he was working was like a man putting down roots. And he’d trusted her with his image.
But he doesn’t trust you enough to tell you about those mysterious emails he gets.

She squelched her natural inclination to poke and prod. Some things she wasn’t meant to fix. If it was major or affected her, he’d tell her. He’d texted once to check on her. The thrill that ran through her at just seeing his name on her phone screen should have been a warning. But instead, she picked up her phone again, her thumb hovering over his name in her contacts. What would she say?

There was a loud knock at her door, and her heart revved into gallop. Maybe he’d been thinking about her too.
No dumbass, he doesn’t know where you live.
Sweeping her curls behind her ears, she went to the door. When she checked the peephole, ice crawled down her spinal column. Making sure her chain was engaged, she opened the door a crack. “What are you doing here, Michael?”

“Delilah, can I come in, please?”

“No. What are you even doing here? This is wildly inappropriate.” Him on her doorstep, and she without her own personal linebacker.

“Look, I just had to see you. I had to say sorry.”

If she believed him for even a second, she’d be a bigger chump than he thought she was. She’d heard this all before. Every time he’d been arrested. Every time she’d helped him out of a mess. She wasn’t buying it. “Okay, you’ve said you’re sorry, now you should go.”

He listed to the side a little, and the smell of bourbon made its way to her nostrils. “Just let me in, Delilah. What if someone sees me out here and calls the rags? You’re supposed to protect me.”

Oh no
. There was nothing going to make her open this door. Not even guilt. She pulled her phone out of her back pocket and hit record. Maybe now, Jake would see how dangerous he was. Showing up to her place like this. He had to let her drop him. “You’re doing this to yourself. You’re the one who’s shown up at my door unannounced. I’m not obligated to protect you.”

“I bet if I was Nate Williams you’d let me in.”

She narrowed her gaze. What the hell did he know about her and Nate? “Not a chance. You have to go home.”

“You know, you’re a real bitch. I just want to talk to you.”

Delilah ignored the spike of anger. She wasn't going to engage. “You have thirty seconds to get off my doorstep or you’ll be taking another trip to jail. You really want to head back so soon? I’m sure they’re keeping the bed warm for you.”

His face grew even redder with the veins at his temples throbbing. “We’re not done.”

“Yes, Michael, we are.” She closed her door with an audible click and made sure all her locks were engaged. First thing in the morning, she was having a conversation with building security. There was no way he should have been allowed to walk right in.

Dragging in steadying breaths, she slid down against her door. She needed off this client, but talking to Jake wouldn’t help. There had to be another way. She scrolled her contacts and called the one person who she knew she could count on. Willow answered with her characteristic sass. “’Sup, girlie? You done with your Lost Girl marathon and want to join the land of the living?”

“No, I need all the dirt you can pull on Michael Ross. That asshole just showed up on my doorstep.” It was time to get some leverage.

“Shit, I’m in Connecticut right now. I can’t get back there for at least another couple of hours.”

Delilah hated the fact that she didn’t want to be alone. It made her feel weak. “No, sorry, I should have remembered. You need the days off as much as I do.”

“Stop being an asshat. My girl calls with an asshole problem, and I’m supposed to ride to the rescue.”

A smile tugged at Delilah’s lips. “I appreciate the sentiment, but right now you need the downtime. The dirt-pulling can wait until Monday.”

Willow was silent for a beat. “Actually, it might not have to. Look, I’m good, but you have a real live reformed hacker on your speed dial. He’d be able to pull a lot more shit than I would, despite my awesome status. And with muscles like those, he can give you a little protection. I don’t like the idea of you being there alone. Maybe you should call your brother.”

“No!” She was not dragging Dylan into this. She was in no mood for a lecture. “Dylan will put a protective detail on me, and that wouldn’t be fun for anyone. But you’re right. I can call Nate to look into Michael.”

“Why don’t you do one better and go see him? Then maybe you can stop pretending that you don’t want to jump his bones.”

She scoffed. “Yeah, right.” Jumping his bones was the least of what she wanted to do to Nate.

###

L
ach glared at Nate. “If you're going to do this, then you have to let me make the drop.”

Nate scowled at his friend as he grabbed his helmet. “You're insane. You don’t know my brother like I do. He's a mean little shit. At least I'm guaranteed he won't hurt me.”

Lach rolled his eyes. “You mean, the guy who threatened Delilah—you think he won’t hurt you? And you seem to forget he has all kinds of ways of hurting you right now. The current CEO of Synth Games can’t be seen paying off some lowlife. What if he's called the media for a photo-op? Or worse, what if he's managed to get a member of the board down there? You don’t know what you’re facing. It's better to send me.”

Nate hesitated. What the hell was he supposed to do here? It wasn't in his nature to stand by and let someone else do the hard shit. But Lach had a point. “Look, you don't know Trent. He's a thug and mean as an alley cat. I’m not giving him all the money. Just enough to get a car and get started. He’s not going to be too happy about it. Don’t turn your back on him.”

Lach met his gaze. “I'm not an idiot, you know. I've got two older brothers who've been duking it out for my father's fortune since I was a teenager. I know how to deal with mean. Besides, you might be the genius, but I'm smarter than you are.”

Nate cocked a brow.

“Unlike you, golden boy, I wasn't going to go into the dark alley alone. I'm taking back up.”

“And what if Trent has back up?”

“Then your big brother won’t get his money. Would you relax? This is not the first negotiation I've had to deal with.” He shrugged. “Though, I think it's a mistake to pay him.”

“I don't really have any choice. I’ve tried to think of every scenario. Twenty grand will buy silence for a little while.”

Lach’s voice pitched low. “I know you’re freaked out about your past coming out, but maybe it wouldn’t be the catastrophe you’re thinking. And honestly, I think it’s a bluff. He breaks the news, and he has nothing to hold over you ever again for more money.”

Nate scrubbed a hand over his face. “I’m not going to risk this. Chase is counting on me.” And for the first time in years, he felt like he could live a life where he didn’t hide himself from everyone. He’d pay to protect that. Even if it was only for a little while.

“Fine. It’s your call, but at least tell your fixer. She needs to know to cover your ass. She's not going to like being blindsided if this does blow up.”

“It’s not going to blow up. You pay him, he walks away, at least temporarily. By the time he comes back for more, Chase will be back in his rightful seat.” Nate frowned. “I thought you said you had this under control?”

Lach sighed. “And I do. But you said it yourself—your brother's got an ax to grind. As far as he's concerned, this is just the first payment of many. Delilah will want to get in front of something like this.”

Nate set his jaw. Delilah wasn’t going anywhere near this steaming pile of shit. “She doesn’t have to be involved. I have this under control.”

Lach crossed his arms, and the firm set of his lips spoke volumes about his real feelings, but he said, “Fine. Now give me the money. It's time for me to go and play clandestine operative.” He paused at the door. “I’ll let you know how it goes.”

Nate hesitated before handing over the briefcase.
It's only money
. And it meant his brother's silence. He handed the briefcase to his friend. “Be careful.”

Lach smirked. “If I didn’t know better, I'd say you cared about me. You wanna hug this out before I go?”

Nate scowled at him. “What do you think?”

Lach chuckled. “You know, we're going to have to work on you expressing your emotions more.”

Ten minutes after Lach left, there was a knock at his door. Nate called out, “Let me guess, you've changed your mind and want me to go to the meeting?” But when he opened the door, it wasn't Lach waiting on the other side, it was Delilah. An exhausted looking Delilah.

“Sorry to just turn up.”

Every word out of her mouth was like she stroked him. He should be used to his body’s automated response, but he wasn’t. His pulse thrummed, and his cock lengthened and pushed against the fly of his jeans. Mind scrambled worse than an omelet. Just like always, his body gravitated toward hers. And just like always, the moment he tried to fight the feeling, it felt like someone carved his heart out with a dull instrument.
Danger
.

“Are you kidding? This is my favorite kind of surprise. Come in. I thought I wasn’t seeing you until tomorrow?”

“Yeah, I had this whole plan for date night, where I got waxed and polished to perfection, but alas, I’ve got to deal with something that won’t wait.”

He stepped back to give her some room, but it was no use, her cinnamon and vanilla shampoo still wrapped around him and hit him hard. He cleared his throat. “So what’s up?”

“I hate to ask, but I need your help with something.”

His mind immediately conjured up a dozen images of her in various states of undress as he helped her come over and over and over again. He shook his head to clear the imagery.
Easy
. That's not why she’d come here. Right. He prayed he was wrong.

“What kind of help?”

“Michael showed up on my doorstep today.”

“Shit. Are you okay?” Fury roared through him as his gaze swept over her for any indication she was hurt.

“Yeah. I’m fine. I know Jake’s not going to listen. Every time I talk to him, he treats me like I’m a whiney child who doesn’t want to keep a friend or something. But I’ve got to find a way to make this guy back off. My hands are tied too because he’s a client of mine. I guess, I’m asking for your help finding a little bit of leverage.”

The corners of his lips tugged into a grin. “You want me to dig up dirt on Ross?”

She smirked. “I need the stuff Willow can’t find. Nothing criminal; I just want enough to make him back off.”

He chuckled. “Just call me your friendly neighborhood hacker.”

“Thank you. I appreciate it. You're sure you don't mind doing this? Feels like I’m crossing a line.”