she wasn’t armed. Fashion was a big pain in the ass.
She reached the edge of the main room and hesitated. Glory’s Gate was a really big house. There were a dozen places the men could be. But only one Jed would consider his own, Dana thought, and opened a door leading to a long hallway.
She walked the familiar route to Jed’s study. The door was partially closed. Dana debated simply pushing her way inside, but then what? Better to find out what was going on.
She shifted so she could see into the room, but there wasn’t anything in her view. Slowly, carefully, she pushed the door open a little more, then nearly gave herself away by gasping. Garth stood behind Jed, his arm around the older man’s throat. He held a lethal-looking knife at Jed’s chin.
“She bleeds, you bleed,” Garth said, his voice low and threatening.
“All this for a woman,” Jed said, obviously trying to sound relaxed, but the fear in his eyes and the lack of color in his face gave him away. “I didn’t think you’d have that much trouble getting laid.”
Garth tightened his grip. “Is there any part of you that doubts me, old man? You
Dana hesitated. While she wanted to bargain and stop the man games, she was more curious about Garth’s plan. Still, she didn’t want him putting Jed in the hospital and himself in jail. Just when she was about to step inside, Jed nodded once.
“I’ll leave her alone.”
Garth released him.
Dana stepped back, then turned and walked toward the party. Her mind jumped from image to image. She could still hear the anger in Garth’s voice.
No one had ever tried to protect her before, she thought, confused by what he’d done. No one had ever flirted with an assault charge to make a point on her behalf. She knew Garth was more than capable of making good on his threat. He had the physical scars on his body as proof of his strength. Strength he could use against anyone at any time. But to risk it all to protect her?
She slipped back into the party, then headed away from where she’d left Nick. She walked around the perimeter of the crowd, not ready to talk to anyone. She felt uncomfortable, but couldn’t say why.
A few minutes later, she walked by one of the many bars and ordered the drink of the night. She’d barely taken a sip when the hairs on the back of her neck stood up.
“No one is fooled,” Jed said, standing right behind her. “No one thinks you belong here.”
She turned to face him. He was still a little white around his mouth, although she doubted anyone else would notice. Were words all he had left?
“Do you hear that ticking?” she asked coolly. “There’s a big clock counting down to your destruction. Your own family wants you in jail. That says something. What I can’t figure out is why you did it. All those years ago when Garth showed up, you could have easily paid for the surgery. That’s all he wanted. Then none of this would have happened.”
Jed’s lip curled. “You’re going to lecture me?”
“No. I’m just curious. You should never have gone after Izzy. Lexi and Skye could have forgiven nearly anything else.”
“Collateral damage. The price of war. I didn’t plan on her getting hurt.”
“You arranged for a bomb to blow up an oil rig. What did you think would happen?”
He shrugged. “That she’d be scared. The purpose of the explosion had nothing to do with Izzy. The Duncans needed to learn a lesson.”
Oh, God. Because he’d been setting up Garth, she thought. Then she replayed his words in her head. “The Duncans? Not just Garth? Kathy has a part in this?”
How could he have anything against Kathy? “Is this about the past?” she asked. “About what happened between you and Kathy all those years ago?” She tried to read his expression and couldn’t.
“This is about making sure Garth doesn’t win.”
“He’s already got you beat.”
“Don’t be so sure, Dana. Garth has a lot to lose.”
WHEN GARTH FINISHED with Jed, he had trouble locating Dana. She wasn’t with Nick, or with Skye. Eventually he found her with Lexi who was seated on a chair by the wall while Cruz hovered nearby.
“I thought you weren’t coming,” he said to Lexi as he approached.
She smiled. “I wanted to see Dana dazzle. We’re only here for a few minutes.” She put her hand on her belly. “Someone else wants to party.”
He frowned, not sure what she meant. She grabbed his wrist and pulled him closer.
“The baby’s kicking. You can feel it.”
There were a whole lot of things he would rather be doing than touching her stomach, but he couldn’t figure out a polite way to refuse. Then his palm was against the surprisingly hard curve of her belly and he felt a jab right under his thumb.
He looked at Dana. “Have you felt this?”
She nodded, then looked away.
He grinned at Lexi. “It’s really a baby.”
“The alternative was that I was developing an unnatural affection for fast food.”
An older couple joined them and started talking to Lexi and Cruz. Garth stepped back, then put his arm around Dana’s waist and led her away.
He’d thought she might resist, but she went with him. When they were relatively secluded beside a large leafy tree in a massive pot, he released her.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing.”
The right word, but she wouldn’t look at him. He stared at her.
“You followed me.”
She drew in a breath and finally looked him in the eye. “He could press charges.”
“He won’t and that’s not the problem.”
“No, it’s not.”
He couldn’t figure out what bothered her. “You were shot at. I couldn’t let that go.”
“If the person with the gun had wanted me dead, I’d be dead now. It was a warning.”
“Just being a warning doesn’t make it okay.”
“But it’s perfectly fine to hold a knife to someone’s throat?”
“Is that what’s bothering you?”
“It doesn’t make me happy.”
“Jed isn’t someone who responds to quiet conversation. Dana, he can’t be allowed to think there aren’t consequences. Jed has never had to answer to anyone before. Now he has to answer to me.”
“Vigilante justice is still illegal.”
“I’m not interested in breaking the law.”
“No. You just want to win at any cost. You’re more like him than you think.” She drew in a breath. “Has he had any contact with Kathy since the surgery?”
“No, why?”
“He said something.”
“You spoke to him?”
“Mostly he wanted to tell me I didn’t belong here, with you. Which isn’t important. He implied there was something he owed the Duncans. Not just you.”
Garth swore. “As far as I know, he hasn’t spoken to her since I was born. Certainly not since the surgery. Her caretakers would have told me.”
“You have someone watching her?”
“Yes.”
“Good.” She looked around. “I can’t be here right now. I’ll see you back at the condo.”
She was leaving? Just like that?
He wanted to tell her she couldn’t. Or that he would take her home. But something about the set of her body,
