Dani
“Marcus drives me crazy, Harper. I don’t understand why he’s even here,” I confided to my sister on the phone the next day.
Harper was the only person who really understood how I felt. I’d finally broken down and told her everything about what had happened to me while I was in captivity, right after I’d resigned from my network.
“Maybe he’s right, Dani. Maybe you shouldn’t be mixed up in any of this. Maybe dating Gregory Becker isn’t a good idea,” she answered in a concerned tone.
I flopped onto the sofa in the condo. My sister was an architect, but she operated far outside of corporations. And her husband was a US Senator. So she’d probably never heard any of the rumors that I knew circulated in the world of big business. “You’re starting to sound just like Marcus,” I told her in a disgusted voice.
“Marcus has been in the business world since he became an adult. If he’s heard that this guy is bad news, I’m sure he knows something. He certainly isn’t the type to overexaggerate.”
“I’m not going to stop seeing Greg,” I informed her stubbornly. “Do you know why Marcus is here?”
“I don’t,” she admitted. “But Blake mentioned that Marcus has real estate all over the world, so I’m not surprised that he owns property there.”
Honestly, I wasn’t surprised, either. I just wished he’d go spend time somewhere else. I found his presence unnerving when I was trying to establish a relationship. Especially when he was dragging me away from my dates. “I’m hoping he leaves soon.”
“Don’t bet on that,” Harper warned. “He’s obviously trying to protect you, and from what Blake has told me, he can be pretty stubborn.”
“Why would he even care?” I asked desperately. “I barely know him. He did save my life, but it’s not like we’ve kept in touch.”
Truthfully, Marcus had been supportive when I’d shared some of what had happened to me during our long flight from Turkey to the US. Granted, I hadn’t shared every single detail, but what I had confessed to him had been difficult to share. But I’d poured enough of my heart out to him that I couldn’t quite seem to look at him as just an acquaintance. That description didn’t quite fit. He’d ended up staying with me until I was finally exhausted and fell asleep on the bed in his private jet. When I woke up, we’d been landing in DC. But then, I couldn’t honestly say Marcus was a friend, either. We hadn’t seen each other since we’d parted ways in Washington.
“He’s protective of his family,” Harper answered. “And you’re family to him now. I’m married to his twin brother.”
“That’s kind of a stretch,” I replied. “I’m the sister of his sister-in-law.”
“Obviously, that’s close enough for him to be concerned.” Harper sighed before she continued. “Despite his rather irritating arrogance, he’s a good man, Dani. He lost his father when he was little more than a boy, and Blake says he’s always felt like it was his responsibility to pick up the mantle for his father. His childhood was pretty much lost. He and Blake started to grow apart after their father died. Marcus went to college and then traveled most of the time. It’s only recently that they’ve started to build their relationship again.”
Even though I was angry at Marcus, I felt a twitch of pain in my heart for the young man who had lost his father way too early. I could see Marcus trying to fill the void in the family. And he was the only one who had continued his father’s legacy in international business. “Are the two of them close again?” I asked curiously.
“It’s better than it used to be. But Marcus still keeps to himself way too much. Even Blake isn’t privy to what he’s thinking most of the time.”
“I hope Blake has a better sense of humor than Marcus,” I commented. “I’m not sure I’ve ever seen Marcus crack a smile.”
I hadn’t seen a lot of my sister and Blake. We’d talked at Harper’s wedding, but it had been chaotic with all of the family around. After they’d married, I’d gone back to traveling in Europe for my job. I hadn’t been back to Rocky Springs since I’d left my network. I’d come directly to Miami.
“Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Marcus smile, either,” Harper observed. “And Blake has a wonderful sense of humor. I think he’s taught me how to have fun again.”
I sighed. I wished I could remember what it was like to laugh. Honestly, I’d been pretty damn glum for months. “I’m glad,” I said sincerely.
Harper deserved to be happy. My sister did so much for other people. Since she had tons of money like every other Lawson, she didn’t have to work for a living. But she spent most of her time building homeless shelters around the country to help make a difference in the world.
At one time, I thought I’d been making my own mark on the planet. I let the world know about the atrocities that were happening in other countries and at home—up close and personal. Most of the reporting was pretty brutal, and I did it to bring awareness of what was happening in places most people probably rarely thought about.
Once…that had been important to me, more critical than my own safety. But after my experience in Syria, I couldn’t do my job the same way anymore, and I hated it.
“Are you okay?” Harper asked in a kind tone.
“As okay as I can be, seeing as I quit my job,” I answered honestly.
“How’s the therapy going?”
“It’s good. I still have flashbacks and nightmares, but otherwise I’m okay. I think I just need time.”
“I worry about you. I wish you’d come for a long visit here in Colorado. Come stay with me. I’ll be home for a few months. The Senate is out of session.”
Although we’d grown up close to the Colters, we didn’t have a home there anymore. After my parents had been killed in a traffic accident, we’d sold our childhood home. None of the brothers, me, or Harper could stand the pain of staying in our old home. There were too many memories and reminders that we’d lost our parents way too soon.
“I’ll get there as soon as I can,” I answered noncommittally. Right now, I didn’t want to make any promises. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen with Greg. “You could always feel free to come visit the condo that we bought but you never see,” I teased.
I had used Miami as my home base most of the time when I was actually in the States. Either that, or I’d crashed at Harper’s place in California, a home that she’d now sold to live full-time with her husband in Rocky Springs.
“I’ve seen the Miami condo,” Harper argued. “I just don’t spend as much time there as you do.”
“It would be a comfortable flight on your husband’s private jet,” I pointed out.
Harper sighed. “I’d love to come there, but I don’t get as much time with Blake as I’d like, and he’s home until the Senate is back in session. I kind of miss the ocean. When we were growing up, I never missed the water. But now the lack of water is the only thing I don’t like about Colorado. What people consider lakes here are actually ponds.”
I smiled because I knew exactly what she meant. “Well, the ocean is here waiting for you when you’re ready.”
“I’ll get there eventually, especially if you’re still there. I need to meet this boyfriend of yours.”
“Greg isn’t exactly my boyfriend,” I denied. “Not at the moment, anyway.”
“He’s still seeing other people?” Harper asked, sounding confused.
Actually, I was pretty sure Greg was still fucking other people. He wasn’t really the faithful type. “Yes.”
“Are you?” Harper questioned.
I hesitated, wondering if being so damn attracted to her husband’s twin brother would count as some kind of infidelity. “I’m not seeing anybody else.”
“If he hasn’t seen you for the treasure you are, then maybe he isn’t good enough for you,” Harper said thoughtfully. “Are you certain that Marcus isn’t right about this guy?”
I rolled my eyes. “Marcus isn’t right about everything, and he has no business getting involved in who I date, Harper. It’s annoying.”
“I think that maybe you like Marcus,” she answered. “You spent a lot of time with him while you were recovering. You said he was nice to you.”
“I don’t like him,” I insisted. “And he was nice to me then. But he cheats at playing chess,” I grumbled.
Harper laughed out loud. “How do you cheat at chess? Oh my God, did he actually beat you?”
“I think he switched pieces around when I wasn’t looking,” I informed her, knowing I was fibbing. Marcus had won fair and square, but I was kind of a sore loser when it came to chess games.
“He did win!” Harper exclaimed, sounding delighted.
“Don’t sound so happy about it.”
“You need a man who will challenge you once in a while,” she declared. “You’re too intelligent to date an ignorant male.”
“Speaking of perfect men, how is Blake?” I asked, needing to change the subject. I pretty much told Harper everything, but because Marcus was her brother-in-law, I didn’t feel comfortable spilling my guts about how much Marcus confused me.
“He’s amazing,” Harper said with a happy sigh. “Sometimes it’s hard to believe that he’s back in my life, and I’m married to him.”
“Believe it. I was your maid of honor. I saw it happen.”
“I know. But it still seems surreal. I just wish you and our brothers could find the same kind of happiness. Mason has gotten so cynical, and I’m worried about Jett after what happened with Lisette.”
“I’d still like to bitch slap her,” I confessed. “How do you dump a guy you love just because he had an accident and has a few scars and a limp? The accident hasn’t changed who he is inside.”
“She didn’t love him. I’m glad she’s out of his life,” Harper admitted. “Jett is too good for her. There was nothing he wouldn’t do to make her happy, and she treated him like dirt.”
“Have you heard from him?” I asked, wondering how my youngest brother was getting along. “I haven’t heard from him for a few days.”
“He had to have another minor operation. But I talked to him yesterday, and he sounds okay.”
Harper and I caught up on the rest of the family, finally hanging up because we both had things to do.
I went to the kitchen to put my phone on charge. I’d just connected it when it began to ring.
I checked the caller ID, my heart beginning to speed up as I saw that Greg was the caller. A surge of adrenaline shot through my body, a familiar feeling because I experienced it every time I talked to or saw Gregory Becker.
I took a deep breath and let it out to calm down before I finally answered the phone.