BlackJack (A Standish Bay Romance Book 1) (15 page)

Shannon picked
up her mug and leaned back against the cushions, enjoying the warmth on her
hands from the heated cup. “I don’t know what to say?”

“Why don’t you
start from the beginning? I find it’s always a good place to start.”

She told him
everything up until the morning John came storming into her house and made a
mess of her life. He’d already heard about that encounter from Cameron.

“If it’s any
comfort, John’s suffering too. He feels bad for how he behaved. And you can
feel hell freezing over when Cameron and he are in the same room. I think Cameron’s
quite upset with him. Actually, I can think of several more colorful words to
describe what Cameron is feeling, but I’ll be good.”

“As well he
should be upset. You should’ve seen John. He was a mad-man. He had no right to
come barging in my house and order everyone around. He sits in his house with
Cheryl and their children, living the grand life, all cozy and happy, while I
have lived alone for eleven years. How dare he interfere with my happiness now?”
She couldn’t fight the tears. One would have thought there would be none left
to shed, but she guessed not. Mitch reached out and put his arms around her,
pulling her close.

“Don’t cry. I
hate it when you cry,” he laughed a little, “when all women cry. If it’s any
consolation, I gave John a piece of my mind for you. I’ll be dammed if he
thinks he can control your life. But you know John, the control freak. I truly
think he’s concerned for your safety and means well with his warped,
unreasonable standards.”

Shannon pulled
away from his arms and glared at him coldly.

He held up his
hand. “Woo, let me finish. I know you’re a good judge of character, of course,
we will have to excuse you for marrying John. Which I might add was a
bad
choice.”

She raised an
eyebrow.

“Well, I’ll
admit he’s a good friend but certainly not worthy of my favorite sister’s
love.”

She smiled. “Are
you trying to make me feel better?”

He winked at
her. “Is it working?”

“A little, thanks.”

“Now here’s
what I think we should do.”

“What do you
mean we?”

“Okay, here’s
what I think you should do,” he amended.

“Better.”

“Let John think
you’ve stopped seeing Cole, but you could go to him. If you truly love him,
don’t let him get away.”

“I’ve a better
plan. I’ve been doing research into Lindsey Jackson’s murder. Cole has as well,
in hopes of finally clearing his name. I’m going to hire detectives right along
with Cole.”

“Good. How can
I help?” Mitch asked.

“You can’t. I
need to do this alone. It’ll give me something to do while Cole’s on tour for
the next five months.” She hugged her brother close and suddenly realized how
much she missed him. He led such an exciting and busy life. Sometimes they
would go months without seeing each other. “So tell me what’s been going on
with you.” She tried not to feel guilty for not telling her brother about the
attempt on her life in Chicago. Not only did she not want to worry her family,
she didn’t want them to suspect Cole. She knew it wouldn’t matter what she
said, they would have their suspicions. She also didn’t want to remember that
night. It wasn’t real if she didn’t let herself think about it. Not a smart
thing to do, but she did it anyway.

He gave her the
once over. “Nice PJ’s, are they supposed to turn Cole on?”

She threw her
head back and laughed. “Cute. And I suppose all your women wear little black
lace teddies.”

“Mostly.” He
grinned and his eyes sparkled. “Some wear see-thru red.”

“Well then,
Cole’s luckier than you are because I usually wear nothing when he’s here.” She
laughed again and was glad to see that shut him up. “Okay, you’re not leaving
until you tell me something about your personal life. You can’t make me believe
that with your career and your good looks, there isn’t someone, anyone, besides
Brittany, that’s in love with you or you’re in love with.”

It hit her at
precisely that moment. There was someone. Someone he cared about and cared about
deeply if his look was any indication. And he completely shocked her when he
admitted it.

“There is this
one woman.”

Shannon
fluttered her lashes. “Do tell.”

He hip checked
her, nearly knocking her off the couch. “Shut up.”

“Okay. I’m sorry.
You looked so serious I was trying to lighten the mood. And I’ll tell Mom if
you try to knock me off the couch again.” She laughed. “Do you remember the
time you shoved Rachel off the couch and broke her collar bone?”

He groaned. “Yeah,
I felt like shit. Remember Mom thought she was being a baby. It wasn’t until
Dad got home, examined Rachel and convinced Mom it was broken that they went to
the hospital.”

“Oh yeah, she
wouldn’t get the Mother of the Year Award for that.”

“Right, but any
other year she would. By the way, can I tell the story now?” he said.

“Go ahead, tell
away.”

“Thank you. There’s
someone I care very much for. I’ve never dated her nor have I asked her out. Can
you believe it?” He inhaled deeply and exhaled loudly. “I’m afraid of being
rejected.”

She put her
hand on his. “Mitch.”

“Men have
doubts too, you know.”

“I know.” My
God, she never in a million years would have thought Mitch insecure when it
came to women. She must be special indeed.

He combed his
fingers through his hair. “Well, I’ve secretly been in love with her for a year
now. She’s a vice-president for Brentin International. I only see her at the
times when I pilot the jet she’s traveling in, which happens to be at least
twice a month. When she travels with me, she sits in the cockpit and acts as my
copilot. Believe it or not she also has her pilot’s license.” He ran his hands
through his hair once again. “Hell, I don’t think there’s anything the woman
can’t do. She’s amazing. She grew up in Texas in a large family on a humongous
ranch and learned to pilot helicopters and small planes when she was in her
teens. She graduated from the University of Texas and received her MBA from
Harvard and the rest is history.”

“How old is
she?”

He snorted. “I
only know because I had to check her pilot’s license the first time we flew
together. She’s thirty-two. And I know what you’re thinking after meeting
Brittany today. You’re thinking it’s about damn time I dated someone my own
age.”

“Well, if you
don’t mind me pointing it out, she’s actually three years older than you.”

He laughed. “Oh,
yeah, I know. Last week I flew her home to Texas for a vacation, and I spent
the night at her family’s ranch outside of Dallas. You wouldn’t believe the
size of the place. It’s incredible. And I was taken completely by surprise when
she invited me to spend the night at the ranch instead of at a hotel by the
airport.”

He had
Shannon’s undivided attention now. She stared intently at him, waiting for more.
No, not waiting, hoping for some juicy details. Christ, she was like a little
kid. “So,” she blurted out, encouraging him to go on.

“So nothing. It
was nearly dinnertime when we arrived so we drove straight to the ranch and had
dinner with her family.”

“Yeah and don’t
tell me you didn’t make a move?”

He smiled and
actually blushed. “After dinner we went for a ride out on the ranch in the
moonlight. It’s a good thing I know how to ride a horse or I’d have made an ass
of myself. She’s one hell of a natural rider. We stopped and sat along this
river for a while. I don’t know which river? Hell, I don’t know anything about
Texas, except compared to Massachusetts, its one big ass state.” His voice
suddenly softened. “Did I tell you she’s beautiful?”

Shannon smiled.
“No, you didn’t.” Why was she impressed that he just now mentioned her beauty? Usually
it was the first thing Mitch remarked on. That alone spoke volumes about his
true feelings.

“She is. She
has the most gorgeous, long, deep auburn hair. It’s so thick and soft I could
lose my fingers in it for days. She has the cutest mouth and the most perfect
nose splattered with freckles. Her green eyes are as deep as the deepest part
of the Atlantic.” He paused and chuckled. “Listen to me. I sound like some
lovesick teenager. She’s the tinniest thing. Barely hits the top of my
shoulders. Sitting with her on the banks of the river with the moonlight
streaming down on us was the perfect setting. I wanted her so badly, I ached.”

Mitch groaned
out and Shannon saw him blush. “I can’t believe I’m telling you all this?”

Shannon tried
not to feel offended. “Why not?”

“Because guys
don’t talk about this shit. Well, what I mean is we talk about sex and women
with other guys. We joke around and embellish stories. But we don’t usually
discuss feelings. And I’ve never had a lover or girlfriend that I discussed my
innermost feelings with. It’s something I’ve never felt comfortable doing.”

Shannon felt
sorry for her brother for never having had that type of relationship with a
woman before.

“Mitch, John
and I used to discuss our feelings all the time. Cole has told me things I
never believed he would. Someday you’ll meet someone you want to share
everything with, and you will share because it will seem like the most natural
thing to do, like breathing air. When you meet a woman who makes you feel that
way, don’t ever let her go. Hang on to her.” She looked at her brother, her
brows raised in silent question. “Could this Texas beauty be her?”

Mitch laughed.
“Her name is Lynn Montgomery.” His face took on a dreamy faraway look for a
moment then he shook if off. “Yeah, she could.”

“So tell me,
did you kiss her?”

He smiled and
his eyes sparkled. “Oh yeah, and then some.” He shook his head and snorted. “I
can’t believe we made love on the banks of the river.” He paused to intake his
breath. “She was like molten lava in my hands—all hot, wet and fluid. She
burned me with her touch. We were on fire. It was insane. Afterwards, she
seemed embarrassed, and I stumbled around apologizing.

“It was awkward
as hell. I don’t know if she felt as moved by our love making as I did or was
she appalled by it. Jesus, I hope to God it’s the first one and not the latter.
Anyway, she wasn’t up the next morning when I left. I think she was avoiding
me.”

Shannon’s heart
went out to her brother for the agony she heard in his voice and the pain she
saw in his face. And she prayed Lynn was just surprised by the intensity of
their sexual relationship and only needed time to adjust.

“When will she
be back?”

Mitch looked at
his watch and groaned. “Shit, it’s midnight. I have to go. I fly out in the
morning to pick her up and fly back the following day.” He scrubbed his face
and sighed. “I’m afraid to see her. Wish me luck.”

Shannon hugged
her brother close, feeling the pounding of his excited heart against her chest.
“Luck.”

***

She locked up
after him, and not wanting to face her empty bed, grabbed a fleece blanket and
crashed on the couch. Staring blindly into the fire, she contemplated her life.
Why was it so complicated? Cole loved her. She loved him. So why weren’t they
together?

Her brother Mitch
loved a woman named Lynn. Did Lynn have secret feelings for him? Shannon sure
as hell hoped so. She’d never seen him like he was tonight. Vulnerable, anxious
and nervous, not to mention his eyes positively glowed with love. She just
hoped his heart didn’t get stomped on because there was no pain, and she meant
no
pain
, in the world that compared to the piercing pain from a shattered
heart. And Shannon should know.

She pulled the
covers up under her chin and felt her body relax. Soon her mind began to empty
of all thoughts as she drifted off. The sound of the waves crashing on the
beach and the hiss from the fireplace became her world. And slowly, ever so
slowly, her heart began to beat soft and steady, her eyelids too heavy to keep
open, and she floated into sleep.

Her dreams
plagued her with crazy images, images of Cole, John and Cameron swirling around
the air over her head. They were like ghosts flying, yelling and fighting all
around her. She couldn’t understand what they were saying, but she didn’t need
to hear, she knew. They were fighting about her. She awoke with a start,
drenched in sweat even with the nighttime chill hanging in the air.

She stared out
the windows and watched the stars twinkling in the dark sky as her heart settled
down to a reasonable beat. The clock glowed three-twelve in the morning, and
suddenly she was wide-awake and wondering what Cole was doing?

Something
flickered directly outside her house and the silhouette of someone moved.
Shannon dropped to the floor, her heart exploded and she gasped for air. She
hated that man in Chicago for making her afraid of her own shadow. It could by
anything or anyone out there. It didn’t mean the man was here to kill her.
Hadn’t Cole said he would only kill her if it could be pinned on him? Inhaling
deeply, she held her breath and rose up to her knees to peer out. She dropped
back down, wrapped her arms around herself and groaned.

“Shit, shit,
shit.” She looked around for her phone and spotted it across the room. She
crawled across the floor and cradled her cell phone to her chest for a moment
then called 911.

***

“I’m sorry, Ma’am,”
one of the uniform officers said. “There’s no sign of anyone outside, although
there are plenty of footprints. But to be honest, they could belong to anyone.
Do you have reason to believe someone is out to harm you?”

Good question.
What did she say? She panicked and said, “No.”

“To help ease
your mind, we’ll beef up patrol in the area for tonight. Don’t hesitate to call
us again if you feel threatened.”