A Lover's Vow (24 page)

Thirty-Three

“W
hat are you doing here, Eve?”

She had been standing by the window and turned around. Dalton watched the smile on her face die when she saw that Jace hadn't come alone. She lifted her chin. “Jace, didn't Caden tell you I was coming?”

“I told him,” Caden said somberly, leaning against the door.

“Well, then,” Eve said, using her hand to smooth down the skirt of her designer suit. “I wanted this to be a private meeting between Jace and me.”

“You stopped getting what you wanted from me a long time ago. Anytime I deal with you from now on, it's a family affair. You've met my brothers, and this,” Jace continued, pulling Shana to his side, “is the
only
Mrs. Jace Granger. So I wish you would stop using my name. Now, I'm asking you again on behalf of everyone. What are you doing here?”

Instead of answering, Eve smiled and took a chair at the table, one that was not offered to her. “Jace, I can understand your being upset with me. But why was I detained in security?”

“I don't think you do understand. If you did, you wouldn't be here. And as far as security goes, after your last visit I gave them strict orders not to allow you back inside this building.”

Eve chuckled. “Please don't blame that nice young man sitting at the front desk. I tailgated another visitor,” she said without remorse. “But I didn't get far. I didn't even make it to the elevator before he caught me. And the reason I'm here is because I recently remembered something important. Something Vidal told me that you might find interesting.”

“I doubt I'd be interested in any of your and Vidal's pillow talk,” Jace said.

“I think you might be interested in this since it's about your precious Hannah.”

Caden, who had been leaning disinterestedly against the door, suddenly straightened. So did Dalton, who had been glancing periodically at his watch and wondering where Jules had gone. Now he, too, was at full attention.

Eve smiled at seeing the three reactions when the woman's name was mentioned. “Ahh, so Hannah still has her tight hold on you guys. Like always, I see.”

“Whatever Vidal told you about Hannah is probably a lie, and you can keep it to yourself,” Dalton said angrily.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, Dalton. You and your brothers always thought Hannah was so precious, so upright, so damned sacred,” Eve admonished with a smirk.

“Dalton is right, Eve, there's nothing you can tell us about Hannah that will change that,” Jace said. “Now, we'll have security escort you out. Remember what I said about never coming back. If you do, I'll have you arrested for trespassing.”

When everyone followed Jace's lead and headed for the door, an angry Eve sprang from her seat. “Wait! You all need to know that your grandfather Richard and your precious Hannah were having an affair...which is probably why he left her so damned much in his will, and—”

“He left you, the ex-granddaughter-in-law, nothing? Not a single dime for having to put up with the Grangers?” Jace said angrily. “Is there nothing you won't stoop to? And, what my grandfather and Hannah did was their own damned business.”

“That might be true, but it won't look good if word gets out just what was going on at Sutton Hills. You know how people like to gossip. Richard's dead, but dear, sweet Hannah is very much alive and enjoying all that stuff good old Richard left her. I don't think Granger Aeronautics needs such a scandal, do you? It will die down eventually, but just think of the sensationalism until then. However, I'd be willing to keep my mouth shut about it for...let's say a million dollars.”

The room became deathly quiet as everyone stared at Eve, who merely stared back with a smirk on her face. When the silence lengthened, she said, “It seems you might need to have a family meeting to discuss this. Just keep in mind that the price might go up if I have to wait too long.”

Finally Jace spoke, his voice nearly trembling in anger. “There's nothing to discuss. I can't believe you're trying to extort money from us.”

Eve waved her hand. “Granger Aeronautics has plenty of money to spare and still have enough for any future Grangers to have a good life. So spare me the sad song.”

Jace didn't say anything, and it appeared that he was actually considering the idea. “So for a million dollars you're offering to keep quiet?” he asked, as if for clarification.

Triumph gleamed in Eve's eyes. “That's right. I want a million, or else I will tell everything I know. And, of course, I will embellish the parts that I don't know. Just think how such a scandal might rock the company, shake the shareholders, especially when you're trying to get the company back on its feet. So do we have a deal?”

Jace stared at her, and the anger and loathing he felt toward his ex-wife were apparent, not in his features or in his stance. But it was radiating off him in waves, and there wasn't a person in the room who didn't feel it. Except, of course, for Eve, who was gloating too much to notice.

Then Jace asked in a loud voice, “Did you get all that, Herb?”

A voice answered from a speaker system somewhere in the room. “Yes, Mr. Granger, we got it all, loud and clear.”

“Thanks.” Jace then glanced over at Eve, who had a shocked look on her face. “Extortion is a federal offense. Thanks to my security team, we have all the proof we need about your despicable behavior. The authorities have been notified and are on their way.” He and the others turned to leave.

“Jace! Wait! Surely you aren't going to let anyone arrest me?”

When there was a knock on the door, Dalton opened it, and two federal agents walked in. Jace glanced back over at Eve. “You think not? Watch me.”

* * *

Dalton was furious and rounded on his brothers the minute the three of them were alone. “The two of you knew what had been going on with Granddad and Hannah and didn't say anything? You didn't tell me?”

Caden leaned back against the table, seemingly not bothered by his brother's outrage. “Just like you didn't tell us what was going on with Mom and some man?”

Emotions he couldn't swallow almost choked Dalton, who needed a moment to breathe in deeply before saying, “That was a low blow, Caden. I told you guys why I didn't say anything. I had promised Mom.”

“Well, have you thought that maybe we made promises, too, Dalton?”

Dalton glared at him. “Did you?”

Caden shrugged. “No. But I was here, and you weren't. You could have come back home on occasion like Jace and I did.”

Jace decided it was time to step in. “Look, Dalton. The old man confided in me because he felt I needed to know. And, like I told Eve, what Granddad and Hannah did was nobody's business.”

“And nobody told me,” Caden said. “Not Granddad or Hannah. It was just something I sensed whenever I came home. The old man seemed happier. Not as reserved. More relaxed.”

Dalton nodded. “And Hannah?”

Caden smiled. “The usual Hannah. Happy. Merry. Cheerful. It seemed some of her was rubbing off on him.”

Dalton couldn't imagine the old man happy, cheerful and merry. “How long had it been going on?”

Jace sat down on the table's edge. “Not sure. It started at some point after we all left for college. I figure they were both two lonely people. Hannah was always someone he could trust. Talk to and confide in. They had both lost their spouses, whom they'd loved deeply, so I can understand them falling in love.”

Dalton's head snapped up. “In love? What makes you think they were in love?”

“Because Granddad told me so,” Jace said. “He loved Hannah, and she loved him. Not everybody has sex just for the hell of it.”

“Sex! They had sex?” Dalton asked as if horrified, as if he couldn't fathom such a thing. Just like he couldn't imagine Richard Granger happy, cheerful and merry, he couldn't imagine him being interested in sex, either.

“I don't know what they had, Dalton,” Jace said, rolling his eyes. “It might have been nothing more than companionship between them.”

Yes
, Dalton thought, nodding.
Companionship.
He could accept that a lot better than the other idea. “Is Hannah aware that both of you know?”

Jace leaned back on his palms. “She knows that I know. We talked within a week or so of the funeral. I walked into the kitchen one night and found her sitting at the table crying. I told her I knew and that I also knew that they genuinely loved each other.”

“I think she has an idea that I know, although we never discussed it,” Caden responded.

“You think Dad knows?”

“We've never discussed that, either,” Jace said. “But, then, we had no reason to. Dad and Hannah are close...and so were Dad and Granddad. But I have a feeling Dad knew.”

“And Hannah really loved the old man?” Dalton asked, as if he found the thought totally beyond his comprehension.

“Yes, they loved each other. She took his death hard but kept it inside. More than once, when she stayed overnight at the estate instead of going home, I would get up and find her crying.”

Dalton shook his head. “Damn, I had no idea.”

“And just because Granddad was elderly and set in his ways didn't mean he didn't need someone to love. Everyone needs someone to love.”

Dalton snorted. “Speak for yourself.”

Jace studied his brother a minute and then asked, “At the reading of the will, when Granddad bequeathed Hannah all that property, that trust fund and all those other assets, you didn't think anything then?”

“No,” Dalton said honestly. “I thought she deserved everything she got for putting up with our asses all those years. She was always there for us. I love Hannah.”

“We all do,” Caden said softly.

Then changing the subject a little, Caden said, “I'm glad security recorded every aspect of our conversation with Eve. She was entirely vindictive.”

“Evil,” Dalton added. “She certainly lived up to her name today.”

“That was a smart move on your part, Dalton,” Jace said. “We can thank you for having security send Eve to a room that was already set up for surveillance.”

“I agree,” Caden chimed in.

That meant a lot coming from his brothers. “Thanks. I figured she was here for a no-good purpose, and I wanted us to be prepared.” Dalton glanced at his watch. “Well, I need to go.”

Jace arched a brow. “Go? Need I remind you that you came in late today, just in time to attend that meeting?”

Dalton smiled. “No, you don't need to remind me. But just remember. I saved the company from a scandal. There's no doubt in my mind that Eve would have done just what she threatened to do. But who cares who Granddad had an affair with while he was living? Furthermore, why didn't he and Hannah bring their affair out in the open?”

“Probably for privacy reasons. The fewer people who knew, the less they would have to deal with gossip and people's opinions,” Jace said. “I assume he didn't want to put Hannah through that.”

“So what's going to happen to Eve?” Caden asked, pushing away from the table.

“Do you care?” Dalton asked.

Caden shrugged. “In a way, I do. I used to think she was a nice person.”

Dalton snorted. “Boy, did she have you fooled. She saw you as the gullible brother. I saw right through her the first time Jace introduced us.” He looked at his watch again. “Look, guys, I have to go. I'm getting an early start on the weekend,” he said, heading for the door.

“With anyone we know?” Caden called out.

“None of your business.” Dalton grinned, throwing the words over his shoulder as he dashed through the door.

Thirty-Four

“S
o what do you think?”

Jules looked over at Manning and Bruce. The two men were standing beside her as they glanced at the investigational wall they'd erected for the Granger case. But leave it to them working together to construct a state-of-the-art wall that was actually a two-hundred-inch touch-screen display that could also be controlled from her computer or smartphone.

“Manning, you know just what I need. And Bruce, you're a computer genius. Don't you want to come work for me full-time instead of splitting your time between Shana and me?”

Bruce threw his head back and laughed. “Shana asked me the same thing when I created
Greta
.”

Jules gave him a pointed frown. “Oh, she did, did she?”

Greta
was an automated search engine that was great for investigative work. Like Shana, Jules had her office network installed in her car. That way she could use voice commands to tell
Greta
what information she wanted and, within minutes,
Greta
was reciting everything Jules needed to know.

“Yes, she did. And speaking of Shana,” Bruce said, glancing at his watch, “I have a meeting with her and Marcel in an hour, so I'm out of here.”

Jules nodded. “How's that investigation going involving trade-secret violations at Granger?”

“Crazy. Really crazy. This even has me stumped.”

“You, the computer whiz?” Manning asked, chuckling.

“Yes, even I can be stumped sometimes. But what's weird is how a computer can be wiped clean remotely. Computers could always be wiped clean, that's not the issue. It's how someone can target a computer from a remote location without being detected. How that happens is what's bothering me.”

Jules leaned back on her desk, intrigued. “But in order to do that they'd need inside help initially, right?”

Bruce nodded. “That's what I'm assuming.” He looked at his watch again. “You know, you can call on me if you need any technical help with this particular case. I've gotten to know Jace and his brothers, and I think they're swell guys. If they believe their father is innocent, that's good enough for me.”

* * *

An hour or so later, Jules had placed all the information she had gathered on her wall. In her column for suspects the only three photos were of the Greene family, but she was certain more would be added once the investigation intensified.

Featured in the column of people she wanted to talk to were Sandra Timmons, Sedrick Timmons and various members of the country club Sylvia and Sheppard used to frequent. Also on that list were Dalton and his brothers as well as Sheppard, Hannah and a few Sutton Hills employees who worked there at the time Sylvia was murdered. It had been a long time ago, but she needed to talk with everyone to see if they recalled anything unusual about that day.

Over the weekend, she intended to watch the dinner party video Shana had promised to drop by her place later. She still had a copy of the wine boutique grand opening video Shiloh had given her when Jules was investigating the attempt on Caden's life. At the time, she hadn't found anything suspicious, but it wouldn't hurt to take a second look.

Anything to keep her busy this weekend and away from Dalton.

She had felt his intense gaze on her during the meeting with Carson. It was bad enough that they'd walked into the meeting together, but she doubted anyone had believed his lie about helping her through security.

Jules stretched, thinking that at some point during the early part of next week she needed to get into the boathouse. None of the Grangers seemed eager to talk about that possibility when she'd brought it up earlier at the meeting. She'd heard from Shana that none of the brothers had been back to the boathouse since their mother's death. Nor had they been back to the house where they'd lived with their parents. When Sheppard had gone to jail, the house had been locked and never reopened.

She glanced over at her desk when the buzzer sounded and moved quickly to push the button. “Manning, I thought you'd left already.”

“I was about to, but now you have a visitor.”

“Who is it? Dad?” she asked expectantly. She'd been thinking about what Shana had told her earlier, and knew that at some point she needed to go visit her father and let him know of her decision to investigate Sylvia Granger's murder.

“No, it's not your dad. It's Dalton Granger. Should I send him in or send him packing?”

Jules expelled a deep breath, knowing it wouldn't be a pretty picture if the latter were to happen. Both men were muscular and about the same height, weight and build, and the idea of them taking each other on was too much to contemplate. “No, it's fine. Send him in. I'll be the one to send him packing.”

“Do you want me to hang around for a while?”

Jules shook her head. “No. I can handle Dalton.”

Jules knew her statement was a lie even when she'd said it. It was becoming quite obvious that Dalton was the one man she couldn't handle.

* * *

“So you think you're going to send me packing?” Dalton asked, walking into her office as if he had partial ownership of the place. Jules doubted she would ever get used to his arrogance.

“I don't recall your having an appointment to meet with me, Mr. Granger,” she said, not moving from behind her desk. So, okay, it was kind of crazy to act so formal with him now, considering that at some point during the night she had fallen asleep with one of her nipples in his mouth. It was the first time she'd ever been sucked to sleep.

“I didn't think I needed one.”

“I can believe that. You're ballsy enough to show up just about anywhere, unannounced and uninvited.”

“Yes, that's me,” he said, grinning. His expression changed when he glanced over at her display on the office wall. “What the hell is that?”

She followed his gaze. “My investigative wall.”

“And my picture is up there?”

She smiled, seeing how such a thing irritated him. “Yes, and so are Jace's and Caden's.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “Why?”

“Because having a visual chart of everyone involved with your mom's death helps me keep track of things. And I want to hear your account of what happened that day and the days before and after.”

“It's all in the court records. A police detective talked to us.”

“But did you tell him everything?”

Dalton didn't say anything for a minute, remembering the day of that interview. The man had been nice, but tenacious. However, no question the detective asked, no matter how he'd asked it, was going to make him break the oath he and his brothers had made the day before. “I told him what I thought he needed to know.”

“In other words, you didn't tell him everything. I know for certain you didn't mention seeing your mom with another man.”

No, he hadn't. “Hell, if I hadn't told my own father, I definitely wasn't going to tell a cop whose job it was to find my dad guilty.”

“I've been a detective, Dalton, and that's not the way things go.”

“That depends on what police force you're working for. And why is Hannah's picture up there? And Patrick's and Clyde's?”

Patrick Crestwood had been with Sutton Hills as ranch foreman for over forty years and had mentioned to Jace that he planned to retire next year. His son Clyde had already been groomed to take his place.

“All active employees of Sutton Hills at the time of your mother's death could have important information,” Jules said evenly. “There's no telling what they might know. Who knows? There might be even more secrets to discover.”

Her words made Dalton remember what had transpired earlier with Eve. He slid into the chair in front of Jules's desk. “Have you talked to Shana since leaving the meeting today?”

“No. Why?”

“You missed the action with Evil Eve.”

“So she
did
come to town.”

“Boy, did she ever.”

Dalton then told Jules about their meeting with Eve and her extortion scheme. When he finished, Jules shook her head. “That's unbelievable. Did she actually think she could get a million off you guys that easily?”

“I guess so, especially by throwing Hannah in the mix. She knows how we feel about her. Hannah helped my brothers and me retain our sanity through the craziness of my father's trial. She means the world to us, and if you mess with Hannah, then you mess with all three of us.”

Jules nodded. “And to think Hannah and your grandfather were involved.”

Deciding he didn't want to get into that discussion, Dalton cut her off. “Whatever. So what do you have planned for tonight?”

“Going home and watching a video or two.”

“What movies?”

“No movies. The video of Shana's dinner party and the grand opening of Shiloh's wine boutique.”

“Think you might notice something you haven't seen before?”

“I might. It's worth a shot.”

He didn't say anything for a minute. “Mind if I join you?”

Jules clearly understood that watching a video with her wasn't all he had in mind. Rather than call him out on it, she countered, “You might find the videos boring.”

He held her gaze, and she wondered what it was about him that made her ache inside whenever he looked at her that way. “I'll take my chances, Jules.”

At that moment her cell phone rang, and she cringed when she saw it was her father calling.

“What's wrong?” Dalton asked when he saw her reaction to the call.

“It's Dad. I haven't told him about my involvement in the investigation, and I should. I'd rather he heard it from me than someone else.” She quickly picked up the phone. “Hi, Dad. Yes, I'm fine. Dinner?” she asked after a few beats. “Tonight?”

She paused a minute. “Well, I had planned to stay in and watch a couple of videos,” she said, knowing he would think the same thing Dalton had.

“Pork chops? On the grill?” Jules's mouth began tingling, and she subconsciously licked her lips. She glanced over at Dalton and saw how his gaze followed the movement of her tongue.

“That sounds pretty tempting, Dad, but I'm going to have to pass tonight. What about lunch tomorrow? My treat. I'll call in the morning and let you know where. Goodbye. I love you, too.”

She clicked off her phone and returned Dalton's stare. She couldn't believe she'd actually given up the chance to savor her father's mouthwatering grilled pork chops just to watch a couple of videos with the man sitting across her desk.

But then, she knew as well as he did that watching videos wasn't all they would be doing.

* * *

Jules had been right. Watching those videos wasn't all she and Dalton would be doing. She slowly entangled her body from his and tried not to wake him. Easing out of bed, she slid into the dress shirt Dalton had discarded and left him sleeping, closing the door behind her.

She and Dalton had left her office at the same time, but he'd made a pit stop at a pizza parlor for takeout, and she'd swung by Shana's place for the video. By the time he had arrived at her house she had showered, and she answered the door in her bathrobe, wearing nothing else underneath. He had dropped the pizza box on the nearest table, swept her off her feet and taken her into her bedroom.

Now here she was, three hours later, making her way to the kitchen for cold pizza. She felt exhausted and well rested at the same time. How that was possible she wasn't sure; she only knew that it was.

Releasing a long breath, she microwaved a couple of pizza slices while she grabbed a soda from the refrigerator. Moments later, she sat at her kitchen table trying to figure out just what was going on between her and Dalton. It was as if they were addicted to each other. It was ridiculous to think such a thing was even possible, but how else could one explain their desire to be together as much as they were?

Even now, she imagined she could actually feel his breath on her throat, and the way her body would relax against his after they'd made love. And then there was the way she felt whenever his mouth touched any part of her body, or whenever he was inside her. He took her the way a man took a woman he desired. And she enjoyed his scent, which was all over the shirt she was wearing. His shirt.

After eating her pizza, she grabbed the rest of her soda and went into the living room to watch the dinner party video. The first thing she noticed was that the quality was good, and she appreciated that. She had seen a lot of grainy videos in her day.

Grabbing her notepad from the coffee table, she relaxed on the sofa. Shana would be giving her a list later of those who had attended the party, so chances were good that Jules would be watching this particular video again.

She found it amusing when she watched the brothers' facial expressions when Dalton arrived at the party. And seeing him in the video reminded her of just how good he'd looked that night.

All right, Jules, stay focused. You're not watching the video to check out Dalton. You can go into your bedroom to do that if you're so inclined.

Settling back against the sofa cushions, she jotted down notes. So far nothing and no one seemed suspicious. Most of the people she saw spent a lot of time at the food table, which was understandable since Hannah had made an awesome spread that night.

She lifted a brow when she noticed the arrival of the man who'd tried hitting on her that night. Gary Coughlin. She was trying to recall what he'd told her about himself beyond his name. He had said that he was fairly new to town and had come to the party with a friend who was a business associate of Jace. Someone named Ron. CEO of Zimmons Aviation Supply Company. She also recalled him saying he was a divorcé. She jotted all that information down for Manning to verify later. She hated having a suspicious mind, but it came with the territory.