Dance With Me (13 page)

TEN

Priscilla glared at her attorney. The sniveling, incompetent fool thought she was crazy. She wasn't insane. She'd known exactly what she was doing. She needed Mason to insure her children were born, and now her plans had been ruined.

“
Priscilla, are you even listening to me?” Gregory Peters asked.

“
I'm crazy. I don't know right from wrong, blah, blah, blah.”

Peters rolled his eyes at her. “The only chance you have is this insanity plea. It doesn't work all that often, but I think you stand a chance. Children that aren't yet conceived? Kidnapping, drugging...” he trailed off when her eyes glazed over. “You really don't care, do you?”

“
It doesn't matter! My children will never be! Our son was to be President!”

Peters looked at the floor to keep from laughing hysterically. The woman was certifiable. Deciding to poke the crazy, he asked, “You had planned a daughter, too?”

“
Catherine,” she said like a prayer. “She was to be Miss America.” She rattled her handcuffs. “Now it's all been taken from me. I have nothing! Nothing!”

He willed himself to keep his face impassive. Insanity was the only way to go with this case, and he'd win, too, if Priscilla kept on like this. “I'm sorry it was all taken from you, Priscilla.”

Her eyes sharpened then. “Can I talk to Detective Davis alone?”

“
Alone?” he repeated, startled by the question. “Not a chance.”

Her eyes hardened. “He's my brother, Greg. He can't investigate my case.”

More crazy talk. “Brandon Davis is not your brother.”

“
Maybe not, but my mother was married to his father for more than two years.”

Peters knitted his brows as he thought for a moment. “No, I still have no recollection of that. When were they married?”

“
When I was thirteen and Brandon was fifteen.”

He jerked his spine straight. “Twenty years ago? You want him thrown off the case for two years beginning twenty years ago?”

“
Yes. He's my brother.”

“
He most certainly is not. Hell, I'd have a better chance getting him removed if you'd slept with him, even if it was twenty years ago.”

She shook her head emphatically. “No, never! I've only ever slept with Mason.”

Again, he forced himself not to burst out laughing. No wonder the woman was crazy—she hadn't been laid in sixteen years! “Well, that is interesting.”

She pinned him with a death glare. “True love is not interesting. True love is perfect.”

If it were perfect, he wouldn't be talking to her in a cell right now. He had to circle back to the beginning, and get out of this sad, sad place. “Be that as it may, our only chance of a successful defense is insanity. That is what I'm presenting at arraignment tomorrow whether or not you agree.” When her eyes flashed fire, he ignored her and went on, “I don't care if you believe you're insane, I don't care if you're really not insane and just a cold, calculating bitch, that is our defense.”

“
You're fired,” she spat.

“
You can't fire me, you're crazy.”

She shook her cuffs again, her anger more than evident. “I am not crazy!”

“
Oh, yes you are,” he countered. He leaned across the table. “Your father chose me to represent you because he knew I could win for you, regardless of the despicable things you insist on confessing to every cop you lay eyes on. Hate me all you want, but you will cooperate.”

She glared at him, her lips a thin line, her fists clenched. “Fine. You win.”

“
Exactly.”

~*~

“
How much longer do I have to stay in this horrible place?” Dylan asked Caleb.

“
You were just shot twice, Superman. You're gonna have to give it a little time.”

“
I'm fine.”

Caleb shook his head. “You are not fine.” At Dylan's disbelieving face he said, “Look, I'm the doctor here, and I say you need to stay at least another few days. We have to insure you don't develop an infection and you're healing well.”

“
I know you're a doctor, but I've done this before. I know I'm well enough to go home.”

“
No, you're not.” He studied his patient for a moment, sure there was another reason for the skittishness more than just boredom. “You're scared of my sister.”

“
What? No. Why would I be scared of Cassidy?”

“
She's taken you into her care, decided she will nurse you back to health. You don't want her to see you less than whole.”

Dylan knitted his brows. “You sure you're not a shrink?”

Caleb laughed. “MD all the way here, but you learn things in trauma.”

“
It's not like I don't appreciate what she's doing,” Dylan started.

“
But you're interested in more than the Florence Nightingale routine?” Caleb finished, smothering a chuckle when the larger man's golden eyes widened .

“
She's your sister.” He swallowed. “I don't know how to answer that, exactly.”

Caleb grinned, a dimple showing in his left cheek. “Between you and me, Cass needs more than a project, she needs a man.”

Dylan tilted his head. He wasn't sure where Caleb was headed with this. “Okay.”

“
You're a man, you're not a project.”

“
Agreed.”

“
So, be a man. Let her take you home, and then stay there.”

“
Are you offering me your sister?”

“
If you're worthy, then yes. You've already saved my brother, now, save my sister.”

“
You don't ask for much, do ya?”

“
Not at all.”

~*~

Brandon paced his office. He should have planned this better. Then he would have Prissy's fingerprints on the coke and call it a day. Now he had to figure out how to pin his crime on her instead of Katerina. He had been playing the system his own way for so many years right under Cavindish's nose, it was a game. What could he get away with next? Who would pay him for information, or to make things go away? He laughed. He could make this work. Prissy was this close to being wrapped in a straightjacket; even if she screamed his name from the rooftops, no one would believe her.

He pulled the blueprint of
 
Dance With Me
 
from a book on his shelf. Prissy's home and office had already been searched and cataloged, so he had to figure out where he would “find” this little gem. The blueprint detailed how to get into the studio from the adjacent fabric store, which closed in 2010 and was all to easy to breach. If he were honest, which admittedly he rarely was, he would say Priscilla planned the set-up, all he had to do was provide the coke and plant it in the ceiling. The coke had been the hardest part—he'd had to call in a favor from Sheridan PD and pretend he had an investigation that required he be granted access to evidence. There was so much cocaine up there it would hardly be noticed, and it had done the job beautifully. He drummed his fingers against his thigh. Now he had to tie everything up in a perfect little bow to present to the Commonwealth's Attorney's office. A slow smile spread on his lips. He had the perfect plan.

~*~

“
Is this really a good idea?” Kat asked as she watched Mason slide an onyx cufflink through his ivory shirt cuff. “I'm sure you don't have to go in today. You're still heal—”

“
I have to go,” he interrupted. Seeing the hurt look on her face, he reasoned, “If I don't go today, then I just go tomorrow, or the next day. The end result is the same, babe. I have to go eventually, so why not today?”

“
Because you left the hospital against doctor's orders two days ago after being abducted?” she snapped. “Just take another day. Or two.”

“
If I'm scared of my office, she wins.”

Her eyes widened. “Not at all. I'm not saying you're scared of your office. I'm saying you should take a little more time before you put in a nine hour day.” She smiled. “I know you. You've missed two days of work and you'll try and make up that lost time in one day, cramming in as much as you can. You won't eat lunch, you might remember to do something besides drink copious amounts of coffee, and then you'll come home exhausted.” She gave him an 'am I wrong?' look. “You, my dear, love finance and that's wonderful considering you're a banker and all, but you shouldn't push yourself too hard.”

His lips turned up in a half-smile. “So, instead of going to work today and working myself into a stupor, you think I should stay home and miss
 
another
 
day? I fail to see how that is helpful.”

Well, crap. He had her there. She held up her right hand in defeat. “Fine. Go to work, but please promise me you'll eat.”

He nodded as he tried to contain a chuckle. “I promise.” He crossed to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. “I won't even stay late.” He lifted her chin with a finger, fitted his mouth to hers in a long, soul-searing kiss. “I will be home at a decent hour. We have unfinished business.”

Oh how she loved kissing him. She pulled his mouth to hers again, pouring her love and worry into the kiss, exploring his mouth with her tongue. “I'll be waiting.”

~*~

Mason picked up his very dead phone, turning it over and over in his fingers. He knew he had a phone—and Priscilla's arrogance for taking it with her—to thank for saving his life. Oh, he knew Dylan Black had taken bullets for him, and that was a debt he could never repay, but Dylan wouldn't have been there to save him if it hadn't been for a similar rectangular contraption. After he plugged it in to charge, he sorted through the stack of paperwork on his desk. While he'd been fighting for his life, people still bought cars and houses, businesses and engagement rings. What else was happening all around them no one knew about? What other craziness was right outside the door? He shook off the thought. No darkness today. He'd promised Kat a reunion. He cracked a smile. Now, that was a better topic for dwelling.

Incessant blinking drew his eye from the report in his hand. Good lord, he'd missed ninety-seven calls and text messages, and an astounding fifty-six of those were from Camryn. He gave himself a mental smack. How had he forgotten to call his baby sister?

Camryn picked up after one ring. “Oh my God, Mase! Are you okay? What really happened? Mom made it sound like some twisted, reverse Lifetime movie.”

He laughed despite himself. “Nice, Cam. You really have no filter on that brain-mouth connection of yours, do you?”

“
Sure don't.” She giggled before asking, “No, really, what happened?”

“
Evidently Priscilla,” he choked on her name, “wanted me, so she took me.”

She gasped. “Mom said you were kidnapped and then when you were rescued one of the guys that came for you was almost killed.”

“
In a nutshell.” His baby sister sure didn't mince words. “Thankfully, he's going to be all right.” He heard her draw a breath, but she didn't say anything further. “I'm really okay, Cam, I promise.” He'd been worried sick when she had decided to go to New York City, yet he'd been the one abducted from his own office. He took a deep breath. Time for a subject change. “So, did you get that big part?”

“
Um...” she stalled. She sighed heavily, causing the phone to almost buzz in his ear. “No, I didn't.” Another sigh. “It's not a big deal. I'm happy where I am.”