Temporary (Indelibly Marked #2) (21 page)

“Is there anything else?” Dillon asked.

“Well…” Billy gave the mouse another click. The screen
flashed with images of naked women.

“Well he is a typical guy, I guess.” The only naked woman
Ivan wanted to see was Emily. He turned away from Dillon. “Do we have
everything?”

“Yes, I want to put everything back how I found it. Ivan,
you do the same.”

He stood, glancing over the apartment once more, and caught
sight of the magazine he’d dropped. A few papers had fallen and were scattered
about the faded tan carpet. “Hold on.” He stomped over and picked up the
magazine and the papers. A quick scan told him what he had without reading
further.

“Unbelievable.” He folded the papers, returned the magazine
to the drawer and joined the two of them.

Dillon did a final walk through and nodded.

“I got everything. Did you find anything else?” Billy held
up the flash drive.

Ivan handed him the papers. “These belong to you; just make
sure you file them.”

Billy took the papers and unfolded them. “The consents.”

They stared at each other.

Ivan exhaled and put his hand out. “I apologize, and I’ll
never doubt you again.”

With a nod, Billy shook his hand. “Let’s get out of here.”

Together, they left. He shut the door and Billy slid the key
back under the mat.

“I can’t believe this,” Dillon said with a groan.

“I can. He made himself sick on purpose, but he didn’t need
to bother, ‘cause I’m going to kill him.” Billy’s tone was one of a bear let
free of a trap and on a rampage.

“We need to talk to James first. What we did was illegal and
we can’t jeopardize anything.” Dillon guided them both away from the apartment
building. “You all right?” He patted Ivan on the back.

Before they rounded the corner to the car, Ivan took one
more look behind him. Gary Lipson may have made a desperate, illegal move that
almost killed him and ruined Permanent, but the man acted to get what he
wanted. All he had done with Emily was sit by the side lines terrified of
losing more people he loved.

“I need to talk to you, Dillon.”

Chapter
Nineteen

“At last we are alone.” With files in hand, Emily
practically skipped into the living room to join Lindsay. Carson was out, Shane
was off running errands, and Ivan had kissed her twice then told her he needed
to do a few things for the shop before leaving. She knew he didn’t have a
tattoo scheduled, but not wanting to turn into the kind of woman who
micromanaged her man, she decided not to pry, at least not until later.

Her sister-in-law gave her a weak wave.

“What’s wrong?” She dashed over and joined Lindsay on the
bed. “Are you feeling okay? Is everything okay?”

Lindsay exhaled, puffing her cheeks out. “That’s all
everyone asks me, and I feel obligated to say everything’s fine.”

“Just let it out.” Emily waited.

“I feel disgusting. All I do is lie around like a big
whale.” Lindsay pulled the cover off her. “Look at me! How is the baby going to
get out of my body? When is the baby ever going to get out of my body? I’m just
one big, stagnant incubator.”

“You’re totally not.” Emily wondered how it had taken so
long for her poor sister to break down. She wrapped her arms around her and
hugged her close. Lindsay wasn’t used to having to sit idle. “Pregnant women
are beautiful, and it’s only temporary.”

Lindsay hid her face in her hands.

“Hey.” Emily grabbed her purse and poured out the contents
all over the bed. “Look what I have.”

“I don’t remember the last time I carried a purse anywhere.”
Lindsay picked up a pen.

“Well, once you’re done incubating, Ivan and I will come
over and baby sit and so that you can take your purse and your husband out to
dinner or something.” She dug through her wares, locating her makeup bag. “I
have just the cure for you.”

“You and Ivan?” Lindsay dug through the clutter and lifted his
earring up, holding the small gold hoop between two fingers.

Without answering, she gave Lindsay a toothy grin and
plucked the earring away, glad the errant jewelry had been located at last. He
took it off when it got caught in her hair the other night. Not wanting to lose
it again, she put it in one of the holes in her ear she that wasn’t using at
the moment.

“Sometimes actions speak louder than words.” Lindsay
laughed. “If you share earrings, what else do you share?”

“I am glad I’m amusing you.” She rifled through her makeup
and started work. “After I’m done, I brought what you needed from the
accounting office.”

“Don’t change the subject” Lindsay said and tilted her head.
“Tell me something from the outside world. I want to know why you put Ivan’s
earring in your ear. It took me over a year with Shane to share earrings.”

She wrinkled her nose at the image of them sharing earrings
or anything else. “You can’t tell Shane.”

“I didn’t tell him when Ivan told me.” Lindsay pressed her
lips together until they lost color.

Emily dropped her eye shadow brush. Ivan acknowledged them?
“What did Ivan tell you?”

“Oh, a negotiation. I’m feeling better already.” Lindsay put
both her hands out like a scale. “Seems we both have something the other
wants.”

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re turning into my
brother?”

Lindsay strummed her fingers on the blanket.

She gently pushed her sister-in-law back against the pillows
and proceeded to apply makeup, adding in some color and some fun to give
Lindsay a bit of what she needed. “He helps me do the dishes, he sings in the
shower where he pretends he’s a drummer, the tattoo right by his—” She lifted
her eyebrows. “Well, in a spot that you’ll never see, is a comet, and he gave
me this after he said he designed it after a night with me.” With her admission
out, she lifted her shirt.

“Oh my God, Shane is going to kill you.” Lindsay leaned
forward.

“Why is that the first thing everyone says?” She glanced
down at her tattoo.

“It’s beautiful.”

“The violet is for his mom.” She bit her lip.

“And your favorite flower.” Lindsay sat back and pointed to
her face. “I’m surprised he didn’t come with you today.”

“We needed some girl time.” Emily shrugged, finished
Lindsay’s eyes and added a little blush to her cheeks. She really wanted to
know where Ivan had gone. On a normal day they were either together, or he told
her his schedule down to the minute. “Are you going to tell me what he said?”

“I think you already know.”

She added the final touch with a bright fuchsia lip and
handed her mirror to Lindsay. “Here, look.”

“You know, I do feel better. A little less whale like.”
Lindsay slid her ponytail over her shoulder and posed. “I love it when you do
my makeup. I always feel special after.”

The smile on Lindsay’s face was what her career was all
about. Making people feel special. Not bitchy models. “Can I ask you
something?”

“Anything.” Lindsay lowered the mirror.

“Do you love being an accountant?”

“I do.” She pursed her lips. “I think it’s really amazing to
see what the numbers can do, and I love to help people who need it. That’s why
Shane and I opened up my business, so I could be more personal with clients,
not just a pencil pusher.”

“Yeah.” She remembered when they first took Lindsay under
their collective wings, and how at that time, she had wanted to be a corporate
mogul. Little did their Ohio transplant realize, she would become the business
manager for all the top tattoo shops in greater Los Angeles. Lindsay would
understand her next question. “You know how I always wanted to do makeup for
designers and stuff?”

“Did you book something?” Lindsay’s voice rose with
excitement.

Emily hated the hopeful tone everyone took whenever she
spoke about getting a real makeup job, probably as much as Lindsay hated being
asked if she was okay. Of anyone, Lindsay would tell her the truth. “I did and
I hated it.”

Rather than a groan, pat on the back of the hand, or share
an encouraging word, Lindsay simply nodded.

“Never mind, it’s a stupid thought. I just have to give it
another go.” She scooped up of her belongings and tossed them back in her
purse.

“Emily!” Lindsay put her hand over the bag.

Feeling embarrassed, Emily stared down at the bed.

“First, if I ever hear you call yourself stupid again, I
will personally knock you out…when I can get out of this stupid bed. That is
the only thing stupid here.”

“Whatever.” She peeked up at Lindsay.

“Second. I think what you do is amazing. No matter what you
do, if you do your best, you’re a success.” Lindsay wore the same expression as
she did when she gave them all financial lessons. Part smile, part intense
glare.

“Even if that means just assisting at Permanent and the
accounting office, and making sure everyone always looked their best?” Emily
held her breath. She’d just let her desires be knows, and if it passed
Lindsay’s test, Shane would follow.

Lindsay pressed her hand to her chest. “It would actually be
a big weight off Shane and me. We didn’t know what we would have ever done if
you left.”

“Really?” She blinked, needing a little more reassurance.

“You don’t even know.” Lindsay held her arms out.

She allowed her sister-in-law to encompass her in a hug and
set her hand on her belly. The baby gave her a little kick of approval.

“See, even the youngest Elliott agrees.”

“Lindsay?”

“Go ahead and ask the rest.”

“How do you know these things?” Still holding on to her, she
turned to Lindsay’s ear. “What if maybe Ivan and I opened up a second location
for Permanent?”

Lindsay pushed her back, holding her at arm’s length. “I’ve
actually researched another location before, and I think the two of you would
be perfect! You are the only people we could trust.”

Once more the women hugged. Like a perfect mosaic,
everything seemed to be fitting into place. If they saved the shop from the
lawsuit, maybe all her dreams could come true.

~~*~~

“We did good today.” Dillon patted Ivan’s shoulder and
reclined in the front passenger seat. “I’m glad James could come to the shop so
we can tell him what happened.”

Ivan didn’t know if he would call their expedition
good
,
but it had produced the desired results. Strangely, he was in the car with
Dillon Elliott and had not desire to punch him in the face. The man had even
treated for lunch, even if it was fast food.

“Are you all right?” Dillon asked.

He nodded.

“Are we talking?”

“I don’t know.” Ivan didn’t know where to start.

“If we’re not talking maybe we should get to the shop to
meet everyone else.”

“Dillon?”

“Okay we are talking.” He sat back.

Ivan rubbed a hand over his face. How many showers would it
take to wash today off?

“Are we talking, or are we going, or are we sitting?”

“Tell me what it’s like.” He stared out the windshield.

“I would if I had the faintest idea what you were talking
about.” Dillon chuckled.

“Being on the outs with your family. Not talking to your brothers
and sister?” The question hurt, even stung his throat like vomit.

Silence took over the car.

“Horrible. Still is.” Dillon seemed to let the words out
fast, as if he was trying to pull a bandage off. “But you know what?”

Ivan turned to him.

“I lived.” He held out his arms. “I’m better than ever.”

Living and enjoying life were two different things. “Are you
happy?”

“In case you’re asking something else entirely, I made a ton
of mistakes, but I moved to follow a woman.” Dillon strummed his fingers on his
knee. “The fact I didn’t have to face my family after what I did was only a
bonus.”

“Was it worth it?”

“Taking the money? No. Leaving for her? Yes.” Dillon
answered without a hitch.

For the first time in a long time he really studied the
eldest Elliott, a refined version of his best friend. If Shane grew his hair
out and put on a suit, the two would look like the brothers they were.
Alternately, if Dillon got some ink and a little edge, it would net the same
result.

“I loved her…or I thought I did.” Dillon shrugged.

Apparently a recap was in order. “But you’re not together
now, and in the process you pissed off your brothers, disappointed your
parents, lost your job, and hurt your sister.” He didn’t want to end up where
Dillon was, alone and on the fringe of the other three. It had happened to
their own brother, why wouldn’t they do it to him? Everyday he was with Emily,
he risked losing all of them.

“I remember the day your mother died.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” The same sick
clammy sweat broke out over his body anytime someone spoke of his mom.

“I came home from class, and the house was so silent. My dad
told me what happened and only two things went through my mind.”

He forced himself not to turn away.

“First I remember being a little jealous of Shane and
Emily’s devotion to you. They never left your side.” Dillon’s chest rose with a
deep breath. “But then I thought of you…”

“How so?”

“The rest of your life would be defined by that day and all
the what ifs that surrounded it.”

Chills ran through him. “I ask that every day.”

“Of course you do. How can you not?” Dillon stared at him.

“You’re the first person not to tell me not to live my life
by the what ifs.”

“How can you not always wonder what would have happened if
you did one thing different?”

“Every day.” That summed everything up.

“You couldn’t do anything about your mom, but I could take a
chance on something I thought would work. If I could follow Courtney, I would
never have to wonder what if.”

Ivan squeezed his eyes closed, trying to shut out the what
ifs and clear his mind.

“You don’t want to look back twenty years from now and have
wishes instead of what ifs.”

“No.” He opened his eyes, blinking to focus.

“I don’t want my sister to live that way either.”

“What?” At the mention of Emily, he froze.

“I’m not Shane who only sees a baby sister he took to
Hollywood and swore to protect. I know what’s happening between the two of
you.”

Except for Lindsay, he’d never spoken about their
relationship to anyone. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

“Don’t deny it. I know you’re together.”

He held back the fact Emily lived with him.

“Today you broke into someone’s house for Shane and Emily.
When people care, they do extreme acts.”

Ivan held his breath.

“If Emily went off to New York, would you leave Permanent
and follow her?”

With Dillon’s simple question, the whole world gelled. There
was suddenly a bit of sense in all the crazy. Most importantly, no what if
marred his thoughts. “I would.” No matter what, even if Shane hated him, he
belonged with Emily.

“Before we get back to the shop to meet with James, let me
tell you something.” Dillon moved toward him.

With newfound confidence, he stared his one time enemy down.
Having to tell Shane about Dillon didn’t seem nearly as horrible. “What would
that be?”

Dillon flicked his shoulder. “I may not be the caveman my
brother is, but if you hurt her, I will make sure you suffer.”

With a laugh, he took Dillon by his sleeve and gave him a
friendly tug. “Let’s have no misunderstandings here. If you or anyone else
hurts her, that person will spend every second begging for me to kill them
rather than torture them.”

“That’s what I wanted to hear.” Dillon patted him and
pointed forward. “Now let’s go forth to tell our attorney about the crimes we
committed.”

A small nauseating twinge rang through him at having to
reveal to Emily how they saved the shop. He inhaled and started the car.