“I don’t have a problem with that.” They could cash out and light it in a bonfire for all he cared. “Just don’t…” He stopped. Maybe he should have asked the other guys to come to the meeting, as well. They would have understood the next step.
Izzy looked at him, her eyebrows raised. “Don’t what?”
“Stay safe,” he said instead. “Once Jed finds out, he’s going to be pissed.”
The three of them exchanged another look. “We will,” Lexi told him. “Don’t worry-we’re not interested in annoying Jed for sport. We want to get him out of our lives as quickly as possible.” But she sounded sad as she spoke.
“You don’t have to do this,” he said. “I can find another way.”
“After you went to all this trouble?” Izzy pointed to the folders. “They have our name on them and everything.”
Skye smiled at him. “This isn’t about you, Garth. We’re sad because it’s come down to trying to ruin our father. It’s not a decision we’ve made lightly. But he nearly killed Izzy and we can’t forgive that.”
He nodded cautiously, not sure if he was being let off the hook or lulled into a false sense of security.
“You’ll take care of Dana?” Lexi asked as she signed the paperwork.
“Yes.”
Izzy looked up at him. “Does she know that?”
“It’s an ongoing negotiation.”
DANA SPENT MOST OF her afternoon poring over computer printouts. She was doing her best to find traces of Jed’s foreign deposits, which sounded easier and more interesting than it was. Fortunately, a distraction arrived in the form of all three Titan sisters walking into the command center.
“Look at you, all businesslike,” Izzy teased as they hugged. “I never thought I’d see the day.”
“Me, either.” Dana hugged Skye and Lexi. “I’m learning how to hack into computers. It’s not as fun as it looks on TV.”
The sisters pulled up chairs.
“Not that I’m not thrilled to see you,” Dana said. “But what are you doing here?”
“We came to give you a stern talking-to,” Lexi said grimly. “Dammit, Dana, what the hell is wrong with you?”
Skye frowned. “Lexi, don’t make her defensive. It doesn’t help anyone.”
“I’m pissed,” Lexi said. “In my condition, that’s not a good thing.”
Dana stared at them. “What are we talking about?” These women were her friends. They were never upset with her.
Izzy started to speak, but Skye shook her head. “I’ll do it,” she said. “Dana, we know what happened with Jed and we’re very upset and hurt that you didn’t tell us yourself.”
Dana sprang to her feet and circled behind the desk. “I told Garth not to say anything. I asked for one thing, but could he do it? Of course not. Typical man.”
“Garth is many things, but typical isn’t one of them,” Lexi said. “And it’s not his fault. We were being difficult about signing some papers. He needed to point out how serious the situation is with Jed.”
“By using me.” She was furious. He could have told them something else. Anything else. She looked at her friends. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to worry.”
“It comes with the relationship,” Izzy said. “Worry are us. Or something like that.”
Lexi still looked upset. “Dana, Jed is our father. You’ve been a part of our lives since we were kids. We have the right to know if he’s threatening you.”
“Why? It has nothing to do with you.”
“It has everything to do with us,” Skye said, standing and facing her. “We love you and don’t want anything to happen to you. If it does, we have a share of the responsibility.”
Dana held up both hands, as if to push them away. “That’s crazy. You can’t control what Jed does and you’re not responsible. I don’t accept that.”
“You must,” Lexi said quietly. “Otherwise you would have told us. You knew how we’d feel.”
Talk about a tidy trap, Dana thought, feeling both small and guilty. “I didn’t want any of you to be upset.”
“If he divides us, he wins,” Skye said. “We have to remember that. The only way we’re strong is if we’re together.” She stared at Dana. “We want you to promise that you won’t keep any more secrets about Jed.”
“I can take care of myself,” she reminded them.
“This is about more than you,” Skye told her.
“Did you get the
Because that’s what they had always believed. Family. Was it possible?
Lexi struggled to her feet, then waddled over to hug her. “You’re stuck with us. You need to stop resisting. It’s exhausting.”
Skye and Izzy joined in the hug. The women holding her tight should have made her feel trapped. She should have been wanting to escape. Instead she felt warm and safe and loved. The emotion filled up a space that had been empty for so long, she’d nearly forgotten it was there.
“No more secrets,” she whispered, telling herself the burning in her eyes came from a lack of sleep and nothing else.
“This is so cool,” Izzy said. “Now let’s all go get matching tattoos.”
Skye sighed. “Someone hit her.”
GARTH WALKED INTO THE condo that night, took one look at Dana and knew his time of being confronted by the women in his life was far from over.
“You’re pissed,” he said by way of greeting.
She sat in the living room, dressed in jeans and a sweater, a glass of wine in her hand.
“Hardly a greeting to treasure,” she said. “Especially after I slaved all afternoon, cooking you dinner.”
The words sounded right, but there was something flashing in her eyes. Something that, had he been less secure in his masculinity, would have scared the crap out of him.
“You cooked?”
“I’m full of surprises.” She pointed to the chair opposite the sofa, next to a small table where a second glass of wine waited. “Have a seat.”
He shrugged out of his suit jacket, then did as she suggested. He reached for the wine.
“Are you going to poison me?” he asked.
“You mean go behind your back and do something you’ve specifically asked me not to do?” she asked, coming to her feet and glaring at him. “You mean upset people you’ve cared about all your life and then not even warn you?”
He winced. “They came by.”
“You bet your ass they came by. What the hell is wrong with you? First, you told them what happened with Jed, then you didn’t even have the grace to warn me.”
“I, ah, didn’t think they’d say anything. At least not that fast.”
“Because you’ve never met a woman before? Dammit, Garth, I had my reasons. I trusted you and you betrayed me.”
He stood and faced her. “Look, I’ll accept that I screwed up, but betrayal is going too far. I didn’t have a plan. I needed them to sign some papers and they were resisting.”
“So you sold me down the river.”
“That’s dramatic.”
“It’s the truth!” she yelled.
“It’s what had to be done. I thought we all had a goal here-to take down Jed Titan. At least that’s what everyone is saying they want. But when it comes to action, no one is showing up. I asked them to sign some paperwork to buy shares of his stocks. They resisted.”
She watched him warily. “Why would they do that?”
“For the same reason you will.” He reached for his briefcase and pulled out a folder. “I have the same thing for you. I’ll be buying nearly a million dollars’ worth of Titan World shares in your name.”
She jumped back as if he’d burned her. “What?”
