Stare Me Down (Stare Down) (34 page)

“I was hurt too, you know. Especially by you.”

Although stunned by that, Aries put the coaster down, prepared to listen.

“Do you remember what you said to me? How you’d always hold Dad’s care over my head? Did you think it was any easier for me to step in and run the business? Do you know how many days, nights that I prayed I’d wake up and find out the pressure and stress was only a nightmare? It was a constant tightrope I had to walk to make sure our stockholders didn’t find out too soon about Dad’s condition. They couldn’t know until they trusted me and in order for them to trust me and for me to prove myself, I had to totally commit. I was 24/7 too. So when you started accusing me of not caring. Taking off. Sticking you with the burden, I’m not going to lie. I wanted to kill you.”

Despite the seriousness of the topic and what Gabe said, Aries found himself grinning, because only Gabe would mention murder so casually…‌and mean it. “You had a choice.”

“Yes, and so did you. You could have run the company, and I could have spent those last years with Dad.”

Aries swallowed and looked away because when Gabe said that, his voice cracked. They both had been close to their father. A man among men. A guy who was larger than life to his children until life intervened and turned that giant into the child and his children into giants. Both Gabe and he had to be better than they were in that moment when his dad was diagnosed. Gabe to run the business, and Aries to care for the father they loved when it was decided there’d be no hospital or nursing home for Jack Taylor. His last few years had been spent here with Aries constantly by his side.

“I’m sorry you didn’t get more time with him before things got so bad.”

“Me too.”

They were quiet then, but it wasn’t awkward. It was peaceful. And Aries wanted to believe if his dad was looking down from up above, he’d be pleased with his boys. Regardless of what came before, they loved one another. That fine line of love and hate? Aries knew for sure he’d just crossed back over it. Looking at his brother now, he couldn’t imagine ever hating him, and yet not an hour ago that was exactly how he felt.

He thought about what had brought him here and was ashamed of himself. What they’d just discussed should have been the reason he’d come home. This was no time to bring up the complex. “I had another reason for coming tonight, but this is more important to me. I’m glad we had a chance to talk.”

As he turned to leave, he was stunned for a second time tonight, when Gabe yanked him in for a hug. “You stupid ass,” his brother whispered.

Aries held on tight until Gabe laughed and released him. “Weird, isn’t it?” Gabe put a hand on his shoulder. “It doesn’t feel like so much time has gone by, does it?”

“No. No it doesn’t.”

“So what was the real reason that brought you here?”

“We can go over it another time.”

“I’ve got time now. I’m not going upstairs until I finish my wine.”

Aries smiled. Gabe always was a nosey bastard. “If you’re sure?”

“Positive.”

When Aries pulled the plans out of his breast pocket and smoothed them out on the bar-top between them, Gabe had his readers on and peered down. “Architectural plans?” He squinted. “Should I invest? Is it another club?”

“It’s a complex.”

Aries waited and held his breath. “The Jack Taylor Clinic?” Gabe examined the papers for a full thirty seconds and then shot a look up. “You’re building an assisted living facility?”

Aries nodded. “Specifically for patients with Alzheimer’s.” He never doubted that Gabe would back him once he knew what the plan was. His only concern was getting through the front door so he could talk with him about it.

“This is brilliant. The location is perfect. Right between two hospitals. You must have scooped the warehouse next door. Probably cost you a pretty penny, but it’ll be worth it once you get this going. I suppose we’ll need to annex the company interest into the newly formed Foundation. Have you spoken to legal about this?”

He wasn’t surprised his brother connected all the necessary dots so quickly. The guy was a brilliant business man. But he was taken aback by… “You know about the warehouse?”

Gabe nodded. “Of course. Just because we were on the outs didn’t mean I wasn’t paying attention. You’re my brother. Never forget that.”

They briefly discussed the broader picture and then Aries said, “I have to get back upstairs, my girl is waiting for me.”

“Yeah, I should get back too. What about these, can I take them?”

Aries looked at the plans and nodded.

“Great, my evening is looking up. I now have some work to do. Maybe I can scare up some possible donors for your venture.”

“Donors?”

Gabe folded over the papers and tapped his thigh with them. “Yes, the way I see it, we shouldn’t need to spend all of our own money on building. It’s a good write-off for most of these guys, and all we’ll have to promise is to put their names on a plaque. The more money they contribute, the bigger and closer to the top of the plaque their name gets.”

Aries hadn’t considered that, but now that Gabe brought it up, he was beginning to see all kinds of potential.

“Stick with me. We’ll get you the funds and then you can run with them.” They had just gotten to the door when Gabe stopped and held up the plans, saying, “This makes me happy. You have no idea how proud I am of you right now.”

Heading upstairs, Aries was buoyed by that comment. So much so, he was looking forward to sharing his great news with Jaxx.

Chapter Twenty-Three

“What do you mean she’s not here? She has to be here.”

Maggie stood at her own door and repeated. “She isn’t home, but she will be soon.”

“I was told she’d snagged one of the limos.” He was sorry now that he’d taken that short cut here. He probably could have caught up with them, but then, he wasn’t the one who should be doing the chasing.
Right.
“She’s okay then? I tried calling and texting, but got no answer.”

“Yes. But why did you get here before her? If you were both together I don’t understand.”

Aries wasn’t going to tell her. In fact he was just ready to leave when he caught sight of something moving behind Maggie and his eyes narrowed. “She’s in there isn’t she?”

Her hand went to her throat as she unconsciously tugged on the white jersey material and scowled. “No.”

“I saw something.” He walked forward and craned his neck. “Who are you hiding in there?”

“I’m not hiding anyone,” she sniffed. “If you must know it’s Gunther Kreizeger.”

Suddenly the space behind her was filled up with the form of a fucking Viking gladiator or something. The guy had to be six foot seven. “That’s the German egghead?”

“Mr. Taylor!”

Maggie’s scowl deepened, but the damned Viking smiled. Jesus H. The guy was a heartbreaker.

He snapped out of his man-crush moment and reached around to extend his hand. Oh sure, the guy did all the right things. He shook his hand back, nodded and mumbled some kind of accented nicety, so Aries was totally stumped as to why he wanted to pound the fucker into the ground.

He’s here to steal your girl, remember?

Crush-time was over and in its place came cold-blooded suspicion. “Did you text Jaxx tonight about him?”

Maggie stepped back. It was a defensive move so even if she didn’t answer he had the answer. “I did.”

But not all of it. He could tell. “And?”

Her chin lifted a notch or two and she said, “I sent a picture of him too.” Now she leaned forward and whispered, “You can’t blame me for that. Look at him.”

Aries wanted to wring her neck. No, he wanted to wring Jaxx’s neck. This couldn’t be why she left him tonight. Because of the Viking? It made no sense yet neither did her desertion.

He took stock of the guy and asked, “You’re a nuclear physicist?”

When the Viking nodded a hunk of perfect blond hair slid over an eye. One look at him and even a blind woman would be drooling.

Now Aries really examined the guy. Trying to find some fault but there wasn’t one as far as he could see. No wonder Maggie was trying to get them together. This guy was the perfect, respectable genius Jaxx deserved.

Fuck that. She was going to learn soon enough that he was now the only respectable guy for her. “She’s mine Maggie. I’m not giving her up. Egghead or not, the Viking can go back to Finland.”

“He’s from Germany.” She crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe.

“I don’t care where he’s from. And why are you smiling?”

“Gunther, would you excuse us for a minute?” She didn’t turn around. She just waited for the hulking shadow to disappear before she stepped out into the hall and shut the door behind her. “I don’t want to offend the poor guy,” she whispered, taking Aries by the arm and walking with him to the entrance. “After all, this is his first night in town.”

“Yeah, well, if I have my way it will be his last night. What airline did he fly in on? I’ll be sure to buy him a return ticket asap.” He pulled his arm away from her grasp and growled, “What the hell are you laughing at?”

“Karma.”

“You think Karma’s biting me in the butt. Is that it?”

“No Aries, I know this Karma is mine alone.”

She’d never called him anything, but Mr. Taylor so he was paying attention. “How so?”

“Gunther isn’t the man for Jaxx.”

Although he was surprised, he nodded anyway. “I’m glad to hear that.”

“I think he’s a man with your kind of… how should I put this? Sexual tastes?”

Great. This was all he needed. Now he was going to have to kill the guy.

“Well don’t you have anything to say to that?”

He didn’t as it wasn’t prudent to discuss the crime before, during or after you commit it. “No. Yes. Did you just find this out about him?”

She made a face. “Of course. Do you actually think I’d want Jaxx to be with…?”

Perfect. As if he didn’t feel like shit enough already. “So what did you do, ask him? Or was he wearing a sign when you picked him up at the airport?”

“That is not funny, Mr. Taylor.”

“Well something is because your eyes are dancing with gleeful delight.” He was trying to keep his aggravation in check. Would she ever spit it out?

“I made the mistake of talking about you in the hopes of‌—‌never mind about that, but you can imagine my surprise when I told him you were the owner of a sex club. I fully expected him to be disgusted and what did he do?”

Aries narrowed his eyes and shrugged.

“He asked me if I could get him an invite.”

Now his eyes widened. “This is why you are practically glowing?” The woman was warped and that Viking wasn’t getting an invite to anywhere, but a ticket home.

“Oh, no. I’m pleased as punch over something else.”

He pulled open the door and growled. “What?”

“You said you weren’t giving Jaxx up.”

“I’m not. So when she gets back here tonight I want you to tell her I’m at home. And if she knows what’s good for her she’ll march her little bottom right to my door with an explanation as to why she left tonight without telling me. She better not stay here with that guy at your place. That’s all saying.”

“I’ll tell her,” he heard Maggie call after him, but he was too angry to respond. All he could do was simmer. Whatever the hell Jaxx was doing she better work her shit out tonight. Tomorrow it would be too late because he fully intended to call her on it if he had to come back here to collect her himself, he would. Hopefully it wouldn’t come down to that.

He got back into his car and turned things over in his mind as he headed home. Sure, he knew things had been a little strange between them the last couple of days and he also knew that much of that was his fault. He should have told her he was anxious about his meeting with Gabe. Yeah, he could have blamed his bizarre behavior on that, but he wasn’t one to lie. If only she hadn’t bolted. How could he have the crucial discussion he planned on having with her when she didn’t have faith in him?

She doesn’t trust you.

Once she showed up all that was going to change. Big time.

“What the hell?”

He’d just turned onto his street and saw the flashing red lights from the fire truck while the strobe of blue and white that came from the cruiser nearly blinded him. He eased his foot off the gas and whispered. “Betty.”

Jaxx had plenty of time to think as a fender-bender had traffic backed up for a half a mile on the highway leading into the city. What a nightmare. But then worse, was an hour later when they pulled up to her house and she saw how Maggie’s side of the building was all light up. Seeing this she knew for sure she didn’t want to go in. And when she checked her last text from Aries confirming that he was on his way home, she made her decision. She was going to his place and have it out with him. How dare he use her to get into his brother’s good graces!

She was in fine form by the time the limo turned on his street. She thought she was ready for anything, but then she saw the trucks and as they rolled by she spotted Aries arguing with a cop. At least he looked like he was. He was pointing and making gestures. “This is fine. You can let me off right here.”

After tipping the driver and getting out she decided she’d been right about one thing. Aries was mad. He was currently pleading with the policemen to no avail.

“Look, I may only be a neighbor, but I know Betty. More importantly—” he shot a look over at the crying caretaker, “—I know the young girl who watches her. Sometimes she gets distracted, and Betty runs away.”

The guy pushed his cap back and scratched his forehead. “I can’t talk to anyone other than family members or someone who’s responsible for her care. I’m sorry. Maybe if her son gets here and gives me the okay, then I can talk with you.”

“It’s her grandson. Have you checked the porch? She usually sits on the porch, and there may be a clue to what triggered her into leaving this time.”

When the cop shrugged Jaxx took note of his name on the badge that jiggled, when he sighed. “All I can tell you is we’ve got divers out in the pond.”

And when she saw the distraught look on Aries’ face as she came closer, she made another decision. “Officer Howley, did I get here before Betty’s grandson?”