Whatever It Takes (22 page)

Adam surged to his feet. Eli prepared for an attack. Instead of going after his brother, though, Adam began to pace.

“You don’t understand, Eli. I’m not like those other men. I have to have a place to myself. You put somebody in there with me, I’m going to die.”

“All you have to do is tell me the truth.”

“And you’ll believe me?”

“Yes.”

“Then, all right, yes. I sent a stupid note. It wasn’t anything more than a little smartass one-liner. Meant nothing.”

“Just one?”

Eli pulled out the small stack. He now had six. He thought he knew which one Adam had sent. 

“Now wait just a damn minute. I’ll cop to one, but I didn’t send any others.”

“Show me which one you sent.”

Adam sat down and read each one, then pointed. “This is mine.”

“And what did you expect to gain from sending it?”

“It was a joke. You’re so friggin’ serious all the time.”

“Joking about my children’s safety is not amusing.”

“Yeah. I get that.” He looked down at the other emails, the attached photographs. “Who do you think sent the others? Could I be in danger here?”

Adam’s question didn’t even surprise him. The man had always had only one concern—himself. 

Having endured his brother’s company as much as he could stand, Eli stood. “Good-bye, Adam.”

“You believe me, right?” Adam grabbed his arm. “You’re not really going to make me share a cell with anyone, are you?”

A strong wave of disgust hit Eli, but it was tempered by a dose of pity. His brother, the most spoiled of Mathias’s children, was also the weakest and least stable. Eli had figured the threat of sharing a cell would do Adam in. Had banked on that. When they were kids, Adam had pitched a fit if he had to share anything with his other siblings, most especially a room.

“You’ll keep the cell to yourself. And whatever other privileges you’re provided. I’m done with you.” 

Eli walked out the door, hoping like hell he never had to come back here again. He gave a nod to everyone he passed but barely saw their faces. The air felt thick, and even though he figured much of it was in his head, the stench of the place roiled his stomach. His strides ate up ground until he got outside, and then he took in great, deep breaths, cleansing his lungs.

Wearier than he’d been in months, he got into his car and headed out of the parking lot. He’d gotten the answer he’d come for. Despite the evil that resided in Adam’s heart, Eli believed him about the emails. But they’d all come from the prison. Justice’s tech person had verified all of them had the same IP address. So if Adam sent only one, who had sent the others? And why from the prison? Was it to set Adam up? To make it look like his low-life brother was making the threats, and all the while someone else was out there waiting to hurt his family?

He hadn’t mentioned the incident from yesterday. Adam might be a sleazebag, but Eli didn’t believe his brother was behind the attempt on his life.

So where did he go from here? The answer was obvious, but he had hesitated taking the next step. Hadn’t wanted to make it. But now he had no choice. He needed to get his daughters to his mother and sister in France, away from immediate danger. As long as they were close to him, Eli knew he wouldn’t be able to concentrate, do what needed to be done.

And Kathleen? The image of how she’d looked when she’d walked out of his office haunted him. He had told Justice yesterday—just yesterday, dammit—that he wouldn’t push her. That he knew she was too vulnerable, wasn’t ready. And then what had he done? He’d damn well pushed her to the point of quitting. 

But now what could he do? Get her out of his life until everything settled down? With Sophia and Violet going away, the job no longer existed. If he let her go, what would happen? He knew the answer. He wouldn’t see her again. She would take the opportunity to get out and stay out.

If he asked her to stay, to work with him, using her expertise to help hunt down who was behind the threats, would she? Or would her fear, her stubborn pride make her turn him down?

And if anything happened to her? 

His mind whirled, argued, and turned itself inside out with what he should do versus what he wanted. 

Who was behind the threats? Were they really that serious? A few emails and a lame excuse for an assassination attempt? Was he making too much out of it all?

His foot lifted from the accelerator, easing his speed to take a hairpin turn. A glint in his peripheral vision caught his attention. He glanced over at the heavily wooded forest. What had he—

The instant his mind registered what he was seeing, he instinctively ducked. A loud pop sounded, the windshield shattered. Eli jerked on the steering wheel. Another
pop
,
pop
. Bastard had shot out at least one tire.

He slammed on his brakes and the car went into a wild, uncontrollable spin. Seconds later, he knew he was a dead man as the car went airborne, flying off the road and down toward a small valley. 

Saying a quick prayer that his children would not lose another parent, Eli prepared for the bone-jarring impact.

Chapter Twenty-seven

For the second time in twenty-four hours, Kathleen’s feet flew down the hallway of the hospital. This time, there was no Eli heading toward her with a bruised eye and an eye patch to entertain his children. Instead, Grey was standing in front of the reception desk, his mouth set to grim, dark blue eyes sparkling with fury.

She skidded to a stop. “Is he okay? Where is he?”

“I don’t know. The doctors are still in with him. He’s alive. That’s all I know.”

Kathleen closed her eyes, relieved he was alive, but she knew from experience that there were different levels of being alive.

“Let’s sit down.” Grey took Kathleen’s elbow and led her to a chair. He sat beside her, his expression troubled.

“It wasn’t an accident, was it?”

“No. The police were here when I arrived. They couldn’t give me a lot of details on his condition other than he was able to tell them that he’d been shot at.”

Her heart stopped. “He was shot?”

“I don’t think so. At least, they said they couldn’t find any entrance wounds. The paramedics indicated the blood was from a head wound, not a bullet wound.”

Apparently seeing the blood drain from her face, he reached over and squeezed her hand. “Eli’s a tough SOB.”

That was true. Despite his elegance and sophistication, he did have a dangerous edge and could handle himself in most any situation. But he wasn’t immortal. Bullets could penetrate his flesh. And his head, though as hard as a rock, could still be crushed. 

At that image, a wave of nausea swelled within her. Dammit, she had told herself she wasn’t going to care for him and now…? Now she felt as though her heart was breaking.

Unable to sit still, she sprang to her feet and began to pace. “Who could be doing this? Who would want Eli dead? We have to find out. Is it his brother? Is Adam that evil?”

“Evil? Yes. But he’s got no money to speak of any longer. Paying for a hit would be hard for him to do.”

“Then who? Eli said he’s gone through every one of his father’s enemies, all the people who had been wronged, and couldn’t pinpoint anyone. Who’s left?”

“Eli said this feels personal, and I agree.”

“I can’t see anyone hating him enough to do this. Or hurt his children.”

“That’s the pisser. I can’t either.” He threw Kathleen a grim smile. “The man’s not perfect and can tick off a saint when he’s brought to the line. But killing him? That’s buggering stupid.”

“You’re helping him investigate?”

“I’ve got a couple of people assigned, but we’ve found nothing substantial. I’m going to add to that. I’ve contacted two of my main investigators, Kennedy and Nick Gallagher. They’ll be on it full time until this thing is over.”

“I want in on the investigation.”

A knowing glimmer appeared in his eyes. “I thought you might.”

She ignored Grey’s inference, refusing to contemplate that he was seeing something that she could not allow herself to entertain. Finding who was doing this was her only focus. It angered her that she hadn’t asked to be involved before. She’d been too concerned with protecting herself. And had it helped? Of course not. She already cared too damn much.

“Mr. Justice?” A tall, slender man dressed in scrubs stood before them.

“Yes.” Grey went to his feet.

“Mr. Slater is asking for you. Follow me.”

Not bothering to ask if she could come, too, Kathleen walked beside Grey to a curtained-off area. Hearing Eli’s deep, slightly hoarse voice, Kathleen felt her knees turn to melted rubber. She stiffened her spine and watched as the nurse pushed aside the curtain. The instant she saw Eli, she wanted to cry, in both relief and worry.

The crooked smile he gave was probably supposed to reassure her. It didn’t. 

“It’s not really as bad as it looks.”

A white bandage was wrapped around his forehead, his left arm was in a sling, and hideous bruises were already mottling his bare chest. 

“What’s the damage?” Grey asked

Before Eli could answer, a doctor walked in and said, “Lucky to be alive. A mild concussion, sprained wrist, a dozen or so lacerations, and bruised ribs.”

“You weren’t shot?” Kathleen asked.

Again, the doctor answered. “No bullet wounds. Like I said, damn lucky to be alive. Still, he’s going to be hurting for a few days. I’m trying to convince him he needs to stay the night for observation, but he insists he has someone at home who will monitor him.” He glanced down at a chart. “Someone named Kathleen. Is that you?”

Her eyes shot to Eli, who was looking like a little boy hoping not to get called out on a lie.

“Yes, that’s me. And he’s right. He’ll be well taken care of at home.”

The doctor nodded. “I’ll give you a copy of instructions for his care.” He looked at Eli. “No overdoing it for a couple of days. Resume normal activities then, but if you start feeling dizzy or unusually tired, rest.”

“Thanks, doc. Appreciate it.”

The doctor nodded again and walked out. The instant he did, Kathleen whirled around. “What happened?”

“The doctor’s right. I got lucky. Just before the first shot, I caught a glimpse of the sun glinting off something. Rifle, I’m guessing. I ducked. Good thing I did, since the bullet would’ve gone through my head. Then the bastard shot out my tires. I lost control, went down a ravine.”

“How can you act so calm? Dammit, someone tried to kill you, Eli.”

At her statement, his eyes flared with acknowledgment, and she realized his casual attitude had all been an act. Beneath the cool façade was a burning fury. 

“Yes, they did.” 

“What’d the police say? I only got the bare facts from them when I came in.”

“They’re investigating, but nothing, not even a shell, was found. I was out for a few minutes. Not sure how long. By the time I woke, the ambulance and police were there, and the shooter, along with any evidence, was long gone.”

“I didn’t see any reporters. How’d you manage that?”

He shrugged and then winced. “Called in a few favors.”

“You did all that while you were being treated?” Kathleen asked.

“I had to act fast.” His eyes went back to Grey’s. “Justice, can you give us a minute?”

“Yes. I’ll bring the car round.”

The instant they were alone, Eli said, “I need you to bring my daughters home. The gloves are off now, and this thing is only going to escalate.”

Fighting the need to smooth the lines of both worry and pain that furrowed his brow, she nodded. “Of course, I’ll go now.” 

She went to back away, sure that if she stayed another moment she’d be touching him merely to reassure herself he was all right. 

“Wait.” 

She halted. “Yes?”

“I also want to apologize.”

Surprised, she asked, “For?”

Eli struggled for words and vaguely wondered if his throbbing head had anything to do with his inability to form the right words, say the right things. Telling her he was sorry for kissing her would be a flat-out lie. But he was sorry for how things had gone at his office. He needed to apologize for pushing her then, scaring the hell out of her now. And maybe for what he was going to do once his daughters were safely away.

“At my office. I shouldn’t have pushed you like that.” 

“That’s not something we need to talk about now.”

“Maybe not, but it needed to be said. I’m also sorry for scaring you now. I know this brings back a lot of bad memories for you.”

She shook her head, denial stamped firmly on her face. “I wasn’t scared. I was concerned for my employer.”

“Your employer?”

“You’re my employer until you find my replacement.”

Maybe any other time he might’ve let her get away with that, but not now. “You’ve never been a coward in your life, Kat. Don’t you damn well start now.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Ignoring the pain, Eli bent forward, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her to him. Trapping her between his spread legs, he used his good hand to cup her face and pressed a hard kiss to her soft mouth. Beneath the surprise, he felt the give, the surrender. 

When he raised his head, he locked his gaze with her startled one. “This is what I mean. Don’t deny it. Don’t brush it off as something less. I’m not just your employer. You’re not just an employee. You damn well know it.”

Her slender body shuddered, and Eli told himself once again not to push. But things were changing, escalating, and the need to grab on to everyone he cared for and hang on for dear life was strong.

But that would have to wait. Dammit, all of it would have to wait. He released her arm, watched her back away again, out of his reach.

The curtain rustled as the nurse came back in. “Looks like you’re set to go, Mr. Slater. Your clothes are ruined, so I brought you some snazzy scrubs to wear home.” 

His teeth grinding against the pain, Eli slid off the exam table. Apparently realizing that all that had covered him was a sheet over his lower half, and it was now on the floor, Kathleen backed away even more. “I’ll follow you and Grey home, then I’ll collect Sophia and Violet…bring them home, too.”