Chapter Thirteen

Rule for success number thirteen:

Sometimes you’ll get lucky . . . sometimes you won’t.

Plan for both possibilities.

JOLIE jangled her keys nervously in her hands as she and Heath walked into Betti’s suite, glancing around for her sister.

Rohan tapped away on the plug-in for the new website. Gerard looked positively inspired as he sketched in short, brisk strokes across the pad with an array of colors that made her heart happy. Wisteria smiled, inhaling the pungent bouquet of blooms on her desk, which told Jolie that her receptionist and the on-again-off-again man in her life were in another idyllic phase, which she hoped for their sake finally lasted. Arthur slapped papers on his desk in short jerks as he shifted through a stack of invoices.

Jolie frowned. No sign of Karis.

“Hi, everyone. Where’s my sister?”

They all looked up when she walked in, then glanced at one another as if someone must know the answer but the question hadn’t actually occurred to any of them.

Well, everyone except Arthur. “She went to an early lunch. Her bodyguard tagged along.”

And her grumbling accountant didn’t sound happy. Was he having a crappy Monday? Jolie shrugged and let out a sigh.

The buildup to telling her sister about her nuptials had been nerve-racking. The letdown now that Karis wasn’t here seemed every bit as arduous. And she couldn’t very well tell the rest of the office before she told her own family. So it would have to wait.

“Thanks. If anyone needs me, I’ll be at my desk.”

Jolie shut herself in her domain and sat, not certain where to start. So much had changed over the weekend, yet the problems here remained the same. Messages littered her desk. Gerard had left a few promising sketches. A tap on her computer revealed a bursting inbox. But nothing was more important than getting a new investor. She needed one and she needed the cash now. After her crazy, romantic, pleasure-filled weekend with Heath, she had to come down from her personal cloud nine to face reality again. And the truth was, Betti could well be a memory if she didn’t find someone wealthy to believe in her vision and the bravery to stand back and let her fulfill it.

When she picked up her phone to start making phone calls, the stutter dial tone told her she had a voicemail. Hoping for good news, she punched in the code and listened.

“Jolie, it’s Carrington. Your father. I’d like to schedule lunch next Tuesday to start discussing the terms of my takeover. I’m prepared to be generous and reward your hard work. Don’t have your dippy receptionist call me to negotiate a time and location. I won’t deal with small people simply because you’d like to avoid me or this inconvenient reality. Swallow your pride—it’s a valuable skill to have in business—and call me personally. You need my help too badly to risk pissing me off.”

Was he serious? She slammed the phone down so hard, Heath—and half the office—came running. Her glower sent all but her husband scampering off again.

“What is it?” he asked.

“The sperm donor wants to play hardball. Fine. There’s no way I’m calling him to set up a lunch meeting so he can crush my dream. I told him before that he could go fuck himself. Now I think I’ll hire a skywriter to make sure he gets the message.”

Heath shut the door, enclosing them in her office together. He looked as if he had something to say, then shook his head. “You’re smart and determined. This will work out.”

As agitated as Jolie felt, she had to give thanks for the blessings Heath had brought to her life. Her father had been absent, her mother more concerned with her various romances than her eldest daughter’s accomplishments, her younger siblings had needed her guidance . . . She’d never had anyone in her corner simply because they believed in her.

“Thank you.” She rose and wrapped her arms around him. “It means the world to me.”

“You’re welcome. Hungry?”

She opened her mouth to say that she was famished when the sunlight reflected off moving metal in her peripheral vision. Jolie turned to see Karis’s car pulling into the lot. She drew in a shaking breath, not even sure why she was so nervous. Actually, she was. As much as she’d chastised her sister for her impulsive love life, Jolie felt pretty sure that Karis would have a few words for her in return. Hell, she probably deserved them. She’d jumped into marriage because it felt right.

How often had she heard her mother say that?

Even worse, after the divorces her mom would finally realize her most recent ex-husband had never loved her.

Jolie shook her head . . . until she realized she’d pledged her life to a man who’d never once said those words.

Had they jumped too fast, motivated by the intense experience of baby Asher’s birth and their own emotional coupling? God, she hated second-guessing herself. She rarely did but business was far more cut-and-dried than matters of the heart.

“I think we should . . . I don’t know, talk.”

“All right.” He frowned. “About what?”

Did she really doubt his commitment? His heart? No. Just because he hadn’t said three little words was hardly proof he didn’t feel the sentiment. She’d never known a better man than Heath Powell and refused to let a single moment of doubt derail her. She needed to get her head together, stop rethinking what was already done, and focus on Betti.

“On second thought, I’m just tired and a little nervous about Karis’s reaction. I wish we didn’t have to tell her our news in the office, but the longer I put this off, the more upset she’ll be. Once I’ve advised her, I can call my mother.” Because if she’d called her mom first, Diana would have called Karis immediately and spilled everything. “Gee, maybe if I tell my dad, he’ll throw in a toaster with the screwing he’s trying to give me.”

Heath laughed. “You don’t need his toaster.”

“Damn right, I don’t.” She sighed and took his hand. “Shall we?”

“Absolutely. Karis will be happy for us. Don’t worry.”

Jolie sincerely hoped so.

Together, they walked out the door and headed into the crisp October sunlight, almost blinding in its blue beauty. It would have been a perfect day—warm with a gentle breeze and leaves so green the trees almost glowed—if she hadn’t been so agitated.

And if someone hadn’t chosen that moment to open fire on her in the parking lot.

***

WHEN the first shot rang through the air, Heath reacted instantly. He tackled Jolie to the ground and covered her, protecting her body with his own. Instinct kicked in, shutting down all functions except those necessary for survival. His vision sharpened. His hearing turned keener.

He became a hunter.

“Down!” he barked at the others.

Ten feet away, Cutter had already taken Karis to the blacktop, shielding her.

Heath’s heart thrummed in his chest, amplifying the roaring in his ears. Adrenaline seared him as it jetted through his veins. He scanned Jolie’s face in an urgent sweep. “You all right?”

She looked terrified and at a loss for words, but she nodded.

He wanted her to say something, but if she had taken multiple shots to the head or had concrete embed itself in her skin like shrapnel, as Anna had, she wouldn’t be alive to even give him a bob of her head. Heath tried to tell himself to breathe and climb off the ledge of panic. All was well and he’d saved Jolie in time.

All he could think about was that if he hadn’t reacted quickly enough, he might be burying another wife.

When he looked up, the car she’d been standing beside moments ago bore the indents of bullets in its frame, just above the window. His heart stopped.

Heath fucking well refused to grieve for the woman he loved again.

“Cutter, take the ladies inside.”

“Roger that.”

As Heath made to rise, Jolie grabbed his arm. “What are you doing?”

But the terror on her face said she knew.

“My job.”

She was going to object. And he couldn’t let her. Jolie had to understand that if something happened to her, it would crush him completely. Anna’s loss had been beyond difficult. At first, he’d had entire weeks when he hadn’t wanted to crawl out of a bottle. He hadn’t been able to loosen the stranglehold of his rage. Finally, he’d found a reason to truly move on. So he’d married her.

The idea that one bullet could wipe Jolie from this earth and leave him to deal with the aftermath again filled him with a dark, icy fury.

Easing from her grasp, he crouched, darting across the lot hidden by shadow and foliage, chasing the glint of metal he’d glimpsed in the distance. The shooter had already likely escaped. But Heath hoped the guy had been slow escaping so he could cut down the bastard.

He pulled his weapon and searched the area, stealthing around the nearby industrial buildings, tiptoeing through bushes, scouting the shooter’s position. When Heath stood in what he suspected was the same spot the would-be assassin had three minutes ago and looked back across the lane, dismay and an anger beyond anything he’d ever felt kicked him in the gut.

Karis’s position had been blocked by a tree. No way the shooter had been aiming for her. Clearly, he’d meant to kill Jolie. An inch to the right, and Heath would be planning another funeral.

When the shooter had aborted, he’d left nothing behind, taking even spent shell casings and eradicating the imprints of his shoes from the dirt.

Professional.

Heath studied his surroundings, trying to decide where the culprit would have run, but once he’d hit concrete, Heath saw too many directions and possibilities to follow. A dead end.

The trained operative in him seethed to hunt this prick down. The man inside him just wanted to reach his wife and hold her close.

“Bloody fucking son of a bitch.” He pounded a fist into the nearby fence and marched back to Betti.

Inside, chaos reigned. The police were on their way—again. Karis was crying hysterically, but Cutter looked calm in the face of her drama. Gerard paced the room with sweeping hand gestures and mutterings in French. Rohan blinked as if he couldn’t believe violence had come to his workplace twice in less than a week. Arthur just sat and stared numbly.

He didn’t see his wife. Heath’s heart stopped. “Where’s Jolie?”

“Bathroom,” Cutter supplied, holding Karis awkwardly while she wailed. “I escorted her there and made sure the coast was clear.”

Heath took off running, slamming his way through the door into the women’s room. Yes, he knew someone else in the building might be using this restroom and he didn’t care. “Jolie?”

He heard the sound of her heaving stomach. She hadn’t eaten since last night so she didn’t have anything to vomit up. The adrenaline crash had clearly imbalanced her system in the worst way. Hearing her suffering tore at his heart.

Without a second thought, he kicked open the door to the wide stall in back and rushed to her. “Love?”

She looked pale and shaky, like she was desperately trying to hold herself together.

“I won’t let anything happen to you,” he swore.

Then he realized she had no reason to believe him. She knew precisely how Anna had died and that he hadn’t saved her.

Jolie blinked at him as she rose and splashed cold water from the sink into her mouth and onto her face. “I know. Cutter dragged me into the office, away from the windows—”

“As he should have.”

“But I couldn’t see you. I didn’t know what had happened. I . . .” She threw herself against him.

Heath wrapped his arms around her, beyond humbled. Someone had shot at her and she had been worried about him?

He cupped her face in his hands. “I wasn’t the target. You understand that?”

“They missed. I don’t know why someone would take a shot at me but—”

“We need to go over potential suspects again.”

“I know. But I can’t stop thinking . . . what if the shooter had hurt you instead?”

“Shh. I’m fine. Remember, this is my job. Deep breath, love. Let’s go.”

“Just a minute.” She panted. “Cutter had to help me here. My legs are shaking.”

Heath felt his heart twist in his chest again as he bent to lift Jolie in his arms, cradling her against his chest.

“I’ll get you out of here.”

“The police . . .”

“Cutter can fill them in. They can call us later. Right now I’m worried about you.”

Jolie didn’t object again, just buried her face in his neck as he carried her through the office. That told him again just how rattled she’d been.

As they passed the reception area, she caught sight of her sister. “You all right?”

Karis was too busy sobbing to answer.

“She’s fine,” Cutter supplied. “Shaken up. As soon as we’re done with the police, I’ll take her home.”

“I’ll text you an address. Bring her there,” Heath insisted. “We should work together, examine this from angles we haven’t considered before and start figuring things out.”

The two men nodded at each other, and Heath left Jolie inside while he checked her car and the lot for anything possibly dangerous before he brought her car around. Though as a good Brit he didn’t relish driving on the opposite side of the road, he’d done it before. He’d manage.

Minutes later, he parked the car by the door, engine idling. He led her to the passenger seat, shielding her from the street and any potential danger with his own body. Then he settled her in the car, jogged around to his seat, and took off down the road.

His knuckles were white as he gripped the wheel. “Someone in your life wants not merely to scare you but to harm you. We need to take a hard look at everyone you know.”

She gave him a shaky nod. “I’m ruling out my mother and sister. Mom is in Kilgore, which is in East Texas. She’s a good three hours away . . . and really, why? She gains nothing if I’m hurt or dead except the loss of emergency cash.”

Heath nodded in agreement. “I also agree that your sister has no involvement. She’s not the violent sort, and she doesn’t value money above all.”

“As long as she has a decent roof and enough to eat, Karis is happy. She’s a fairly typical Millennial. She doesn’t care if her accessories are Tiffany or Chanel. She wants tech gadgets. Everything else just needs to be functional and sturdy.”

That was Heath’s assessment as well. “Your father?”

The question had her chest buckling. It was already difficult enough for her to understand how the asshole could tell a young child that she was his stupidest mistake and walk out for twenty-five years, but to imagine that he could want her dead . . . Jolie clearly had difficulty processing it. Still, she tried to be as logical as possible.

“I don’t think so. Mostly because he’s trying to buy the company out from under me and his number one goal is always money. If I died, Karis would get everything, not him. And she knows how I feel. She would dissolve Betti before she sold it to him. Besides, Carrington Quinn isn’t the sort to get his hands dirty. Oh, he likes to attack when there’s financial blood in the water. But I seriously doubt he’d actually resort to anything as physical as murder.”

As much as Heath despised the man he’d never met, he saw her logic. “He could hire someone but that makes almost no sense now. He still thinks he has the upper hand in your negotiations, so resorting to murder could actually undermine his position. We’ll scratch him off the list. We know from Gardner’s sister that the man’s injuries were too extensive for him to be the perpetrator.”

That assessment, however, meant Heath was back to square one.

“Right. And like we said, he’s hardly the sort to throw a rock through my window. Besides, he barely knows Karis, so the strange gifts for her make no sense.”

Heath sighed. “Let’s look at the bigger pattern here. Gifts for your sister, a break-in targeting your computer, vandalism, then . . .” That horrific shot he could still hear echoing in his head making his gut clench with every retort of the sniper rifle. “Then today’s incident.”

They were very different methods, and he couldn’t imagine what her tormenter was trying to accomplish except to confuse him.

“I don’t see a pattern.”

“The notes he left for Karis provided the most information. This man wants to be with her. And seems to think you’ll stand in his way. Enough to kill you, I don’t know.”

“Why would I stand . . .” She trailed off. “Okay, I have chased off several of Karis’s would-be boyfriends in the past.”

“Maybe it’s one of them?” He frowned. “But you said yourself that you haven’t brushed any aside recently.”

“Right. So why now? And why push his agenda violently? Maybe someone is pissed about my anti-dating policy among the staff. If that’s the case, I know who’s responsible.”

“Arthur? Do you think he’s actually unstable enough to resort to attempted murder?”

“I don’t know. He comes off socially awkward but does that mean he would try to kill me?” Her mind seemed to race, then she sighed. “No. Can’t be him. He was inside the office when the gunfire started from across the street.”

“Even if Arthur hadn’t been standing in plain sight, I would already know he hadn’t pulled the trigger. I doubt he’s capable of the cool head and skill required to handle a weapon of that caliber. But it’s possible he hired someone professional.”

“How? I doubt he has either the money or the connections.”

“Maybe he knows a guy,” Heath tossed back ironically.

She scoffed. “Seriously.”

“All kidding aside, perhaps he found someone online willing to do it for cheap. Or in exchange for another favor.”

“Like doing their taxes? Beating their video game?”

Heath nodded. “No, you’re right. It doesn’t add up.”

“Besides, if he wants to date my sister, let’s face it . . . Killing me isn’t the way to her heart.”

“Unless Arthur is more twisted than we imagined, you’re right. Let’s keep thinking.”

She still looked white and shaky, and Heath resented every one of the twelve miles he had to drive between Betti’s offices and Axel’s house. He reached across the console and took her hand in his. She gave him a weak squeeze in return.

“In all the excitement, we never had the chance to tell my sister our news.”

“We will,” he promised.

He understood why that was important to her, but keeping Karis in the loop on their romantic life was the least of Heath’s concerns now. The only thing that mattered was figuring out why someone wanted to hurt Jolie, why they’d stepped up their game to attempted murder today, and how to keep her alive so they could have a chance to live happily ever after.

***

HEATH forced her to drink water and lie down once they reached Axel’s house. He spooned her, made sure she took some deep breaths, and held her until the doorbell rang.

At the sound, he sprang up. His heart revved as he withdrew his gun from his holster and dashed through the house to peer out the front window.

He sighed, his tension bleeding out. “It’s Karis and Cutter.”

His wife was right behind him and reached for the knob. Heath beat her to it and nudged her behind both the door and him, scanning the street as the duo filed in.

“Anyone follow you?” he asked.

Cutter shook his head as he ushered Karis inside and followed, blocking her body with his own. “All clear.”

“Jolie.” Karis rushed at her, and the two women hugged with great love and relief.

Twice in the last five days the sisters had been in danger. That was two times too many, in Heath’s estimation.

“Are you okay?” Jolie stepped back enough to scan her sister’s face.

“Fine. No one took a shot at me,” Karis pointed out. “I’m worried about you.”

Heath locked the door and eased the women toward the living room where no one could have possible sight lines inside unless they prowled around the backyard. But then he would see them, as well. “Let’s not linger near windows.”

They filed deeper into the house and everyone sat, Karis and Cutter on the two oversized chairs. Jolie sank onto the sofa and Heath sat beside her, reaching for her hand. He had scarcely known her for a week. Already he felt as if he had a place he belonged in life, a partner by his side. She glanced his way, and for all she’d been through today, her expression still said that she felt safe with him. She glowed with trust.

That both slayed and humbled him.

“Did you take care of the police?” Heath asked.

“Yeah. They haven’t been able to figure anything out. And of course it’s not related to the break-in at Jolie’s office last week or the rock that went through her window on Saturday.”

“Of course not.” Heath rolled his eyes. Imbeciles. “If they’re going to be more hindrance than help, I’ll simply go around them.”

“No one was hurt, and they didn’t find enough physical evidence there was even a shooter. One of the suits suggested that Jolie’s been through a lot lately, so she may be a little . . . excitable. It was probably something else, like an older car backfiring.”

Heath clenched his fists. “That’s utter shit. I know the difference between those sounds.”

“So do I, and I argued.” He shook his head. “But they don’t agree there was an incident at all, so the case isn’t high on their totem pole.”

“Bloody hell.” Heath held his wife closer, vowing to keep her safe from the would-be assassin—and anyone else who meant to harm her.

Cutter peered over at Jolie. “The question is, why would someone want to hurt you?”

It was the same question Heath had asked repeatedly.

She shrugged. “I’m drawing a blank. I certainly can’t think of anyone who benefits from my death.”

“Oh, I don’t know. The girls at SweetieBow would love for you to die a horrible death in the next ten minutes,” Karis quipped.

“One of our competitors,” she supplied. “Well, the SweetieBow sisters live in Minneapolis, so it would be tough for them to get here and cause this much trouble.”

“If they’re serious, they could have hired someone to pull the trigger today.” Cutter again marched over the ground Heath and Jolie had trampled earlier.

“That’s true. But even if they believe I’m keeping them from success, they wouldn’t be giving Karis presents.”

“What if we’re dealing with more than one person?” Heath mused beside her. “What if someone is responsible for the gifts and veiled threats? Another broke in last Wednesday and shot at Jolie today . . . That would explain the different methods and degrees of danger.”

Karis frowned. “You mean, like, some guy really admired me in a secret way and left me cool stuff with typed notes, while someone totally different tried to scare Jolie off?”

“That’s what I’ve been thinking, too,” Cutter said. “I suggest we move all the random offerings Karis has received—my money is on Arthur being your admirer, by the way—and focus on the events we know the least about yet have been the most dangerous.”

“Arthur?” Karis reared back as the possibility of their accountant/video game nerd being a romantic interest had never occurred to her.

“Good thinking.” Heath nodded, ignoring her. “Let’s review what we know.”

“I’m not sure how much help I’ll be,” Jolie admitted. “I still can’t believe someone would want me dead. Me. First, during the break-in, this person wanted my computer and whatever was on it. Then he . . . what? Called me names by throwing a rock through my window. What purpose did that serve? Then today, he tried to kill me. It’s like he wanted to scare me off, and when that didn’t work, he got pissed off. Except the rock is way more juvenile than the other acts.”

“She has a point.” Cutter nodded. “The rock feels like someone’s frustration. Let’s set that aside for the moment, too. Can you think of what someone might want to scare you from?”

“Before Friday night, I would have said securing an investor. But since someone tried to shoot me after Gardner and I very publicly parted ways—”

“That’s putting it mildly,” Heath cut in with a proud grin. “Some of the Tweets were quite funny.”

Jolie rolled her eyes. “I can’t imagine what else this guy wants me to cower from.”

“Maybe a competitor simply wants to distract you and jar your operations,” Karis suggested.

“By shooting at me? That’s more than a distraction. And why would he go from a serious crime like breaking and entering, decide next to throw a rock through my living room window, then attempt murder? The sequence of events doesn’t build from petty to life threatening. I feel like I’m playing a game of ‘which one of these things is not like the other,’ you know?”

Heath nodded. “So perhaps we focus more specifically on who would want to halt your production. Or someone who might resent your success.”

“We’ve been over this.” She stood and began to pace restlessly. “I can’t think of anyone. Yes, my goal is world domination someday, but I’m not there yet. I can’t possibly have made that many enemies on my way up.”

It didn’t seem that way to Heath, either. The whole situation had him scratching his head.

“Would you ladies mind seeing if you can find me a bottle of water somewhere?” Cutter asked.

Karis raised a brow. “The kitchen is less than twenty steps away. You need both of us to get you a drink?”

Cutter sighed. “How else am I going to talk about you without you hearing?”

Heath had to smile. Neither of the sisters took subtle hints well.

“Fine.” Jolie grabbed Karis’s hand and tugged her toward the kitchen. “We’ll give you guys some space.”

Silence fell as the men waited for the women to reach the kitchen. No wall separated them, so they could both keep an eye on their charges. Cutter watched Karis with a surgical stare.

“How are you two getting along?” Heath dropped his voice.

The other man shrugged. “She resents me in her personal space. You and Jolie both warned me that she’d make a pass at me. So far, she has done her utmost to keep distance between us.”

Heath frowned. “I would have thought you would be pleased with that.”

Cutter hesitated. “It’s just . . . she seems as if she’s going through a hard time right now. I’m not sure why. I’m sorry to make her situation more difficult but—”

“Her safety comes first. Always.”

“Right.” Cutter glanced down at the band on Heath’s left ring finger. “When did you and Jolie get married? And why doesn’t Karis know?”

“Yesterday. We were going to tell her today, then bedlam ensued.”

“It surely did. Look . . .” Cutter sighed. “Karis shared with me the report she compiled on you.”

Bloody hell, did everyone now know about his personal life?

“I’m sorry to pry. I didn’t want to read it,” Cutter assured. “But . . . she had this zany idea and I had to see if there was any chance it had validity.”

Karis having a zany idea wasn’t a stretch. She thought outside the box because the box didn’t really exist for her.

“Go on,” Heath prompted.

“After reading the dossier she’d compiled, I could see her point. Hear me out. What if . . .” He sighed and sat back as if trying to decide how to impart a potentially uncomfortable thought. “Well, is it possible that everything that’s happened to Jolie in the past week has nothing to do with Betti and everything to do with you?”

That shocked Heath. “Me? What do you mean?”

“The unpleasant crap started happening when you came to work for her, right?”

“I grant you that, but none of my friends or family have met her. Until this morning, they didn’t know she was in my life.”

“But your past . . . Your late wife’s unsolved murder . . . No one actually tried to kill Jolie until you married her.”

Heath froze. He couldn’t imagine anyone caring that he’d remarried. “Who would decide to make my life miserable by eliminating her? Besides, if that was their goal, why try to steal her computer? Why throw a rock through her window calling her something less than kind?”

“I don’t know. Nothing makes sense now but the answer is right there. I can feel it. I know we’re overlooking some pertinent detail or clue.”

Cutter was probably right, and the truth was just beyond Heath’s reach.

“Let’s dig a bit, have a chat with Arthur. If he’s Karis’s ‘admirer,’ then we can put those incidents aside and focus on the events that threaten Jolie most.”

Before Heath could continue, his phone dinged. Stone Sutter had arrived at Betti to help with the final installation of the card readers but no one in the office knew where Heath had gone. He texted the man Axel’s address and asked him to come by with Arthur and Jolie’s computer in tow.

After a chipper reply, Heath settled in to wait for some answers. He only hoped what he found didn’t worry him more.