Bound by Darkness (35 page)

Crossing his heart, he held his hand up. “I can keep a secret with the best of them. Let's hear it.”

“Kincade was robbing the Regents blind. He funneled money out of every account he had access to, and then played with the numbers to cover his tracks. Over the years, it had to add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Not only that, but he stirred up animosity between all the departments out here to keep everyone on edge. What he did to torment the Paladins was nothing short of criminal. We're lucky there wasn't an out-and-out rebellion.”

Then she narrowed her eyes. “He wasn't working alone either. As far as we can tell, he kept most of the money for himself, but the rest was sent to offshore accounts leading back to the Midwest Region.”

Chaz erupted: “Like hell he did!” Then her father paused. “Wait a minute, surely you don't suspect me!”

“Of course I don't. But I can't speak for what Devlin Bane thinks. What I can tell you is that I've had two of Devlin's IT specialists working on breaking the encryption codes on Kincade's computer. I'm confident we'll be able to follow the money right back to Kincade's accomplices.”

Her dad snorted. “IT specialists? Is that the new politically correct term for hackers? I'm guessing you've been working with D. J. Clayborne and Cullen Finley. God, Sasha, letting those two have free rein in a computer system is like turning a bunch of first-graders loose in a candy store.”

She gave him her most innocent look. “I didn't mention any names, Dad. All I can say is that the gentlemen in question are doing a terrific job.”

“Fine, but keep an eye on them. I can't tell you how many complaints I've heard over the years about their antics. Of course, I suppose there is some sense in that old adage about using a thief to catch one.”

Sasha nodded. “My men have put in some long hours on the project, and that's on top of all their other duties. You know how Paladins are.”

“Yeah, I do, which should explain why I worry.” He softened the comment with a smile, although his gaze briefly strayed toward the door; clearly he was thinking
about Larem. “I never wanted you to get entangled in their world.”

“I know, but you've dedicated your life to serving the Regents and the Paladins. I'm following your lead. When do you think the Regents will make a decision about appointing a permanent Regent for this area?”

And did she really stand a chance? She couldn't bring herself to say that last part out loud.

“It will be discussed at the next general meeting, which will be a teleconference. If you're serious about applying for the position, put together some hard data on what you've accomplished and what's next on your agenda. Include any negatives, too, or they'll get suspicious. It would help if you listed possible solutions.”

“That was my plan.”

Her father sat up taller. “You have to know that with this possible attack on you, I'd feel a whole lot better if you finish up what you were sent to Seattle to do and come back home. Now that you've proven yourself here, the Board can find a position more commensurate with your abilities in St. Louis.”

“So you'd vote against me.” That hurt, but it was really no surprise either.

“Sasha, honey—”

“No, Dad, don't go there. We both know that as long as I stay in St. Louis, I'll be living in your shadow and under your thumb. I want more than that, and you should want it for me, too.”

A knock at the door saved them both from going any farther down that road. She didn't want to fight with her father, but his heavy-handed protectiveness drove her crazy.

She got up and headed for the door.

“Sasha, wait.” Her father was up and charging past her to grab the gun. “Stand back and let me open the door.”

“All right, but at least let me see who it is.”

He reluctantly stood back and let her look through the peephole. Great. What was Devlin doing back on her doorstep?

“It's okay, Dad. It's Devlin Bane, and I wouldn't be surprised if his wife is with him.”

The Paladin leader walked in with Laurel right behind him. “Mr. Willis, what a pleasant surprise.”

That was a lie, but at least her father let it pass. “I needed to see for myself that my daughter was all right. If I'd waited for a report from her or you, I suspect hell would be frozen over.”

Laurel caught Sasha's attention and rolled her eyes. “Sasha, why don't I give you a quick checkup while these two finish their discussion?”

“Good idea. I don't know about you, but I truly hate the smell of testosterone in the morning.”

Laurel laughed, although the two men didn't seem to get the joke. Too bad.

Feeling better now that the cavalry had arrived, Sasha led the way to her bedroom. She flipped on the radio next to the bed, hoping to give them some degree of privacy. When they'd closed the door, Laurel set her small medical case on the bed. Sasha dutifully let the doctor do her thing.

“Any problems?” Laurel asked as she wrapped a blood pressure cuff around Sasha's arm.

“You mean besides my father showing up unannounced? Or that I still have no idea who tried to kill me or why?”

“Well, let's start with the injuries from yesterday. Any headaches or dizziness?”

“Nope.”

“Any cramping or bleeding?”

“Nope.”

“Any problems having wild monkey sex with Larem last night?”

“Nope.”

Oh, crap. As soon as the word slipped out, Sasha blushed furiously.

Meanwhile, Laurel finished pumping up the cuff and closed her eyes to listen as she let off the pressure. “Don't sweat it. Your dad couldn't possibly have heard us.”

“Maybe not, but Devlin probably could.”

Laurel put all her stuff back in her bag. “He's the one who bet me Larem wouldn't end up sleeping on the couch last night. By the way, we spoke to him before we came in.”

“How is he?”

“Worried about you. Not sure what he should be doing right now, especially with your father here. He offered to let us bring Chance inside, so he could leave. Devlin told him to hang around a little longer until we knew what you wanted.”

Sasha rested her elbows on her knees and buried her face in her hands. “I want more time alone with him, so we can really talk. That's not going to happen with my
father here. Heck, Dad's already suspicious that Larem's more than just someone Devlin ordered to stand guard.”

She prayed for patience. “Dad's asked Larem twice where he's from because he didn't recognize his accent. The man's not stupid. Sooner or later, he'll figure out that Larem is Kalith.”

Laurel sat down beside her. “I know what you're going through. I love my parents dearly, but they've only recently come to understand that I'm never moving back home. It hurts them that I don't fit in there anymore, but they love me enough to let me go.”

She laughed. “You should've been there when they met Devlin for the first time! Not exactly the son-in-law they had in mind. It was a dicey couple of days, I can tell you, but the bottom line was that they love me and so does he. They've managed to build on that.”

All that was nice, except Laurel's situation wasn't exactly the same as hers. “At least Devlin's human.”

Laurel's laugh had little to do with real humor. “Not exactly. He's also decades older than I am.”

Sasha was pretty sure the front door had just opened and closed. “At least you and Devlin have each other. With Larem, I have no idea where we're headed.”

“Where do you want to go?”

Sasha hesitated. “A month ago that would've been a simple question to answer. I wanted to be the first female Regent and make a difference in how Paladins are treated. Dad doesn't know this, but I dated a Paladin for a short time. He was a great guy, really special, but then they all are.”

“What happened?” Laurel asked, although the shadows
in the Handler's eyes said she already had a pretty good idea.

“He was killed and didn't make it all the way back. I didn't figure out that's what really happened until later, but the how didn't matter. Dead was dead.”

Sasha grabbed a tissue from the nightstand. “I swore then that I'd do whatever I could to make sure we gave these amazing men the best of everything. And there has to be some way to stop losing them to the insanity, to save men like David. Like Trahern.”

“Sounds like a worthy goal to me. What's changed?”

“That would seem obvious. Most of the Regents are a bunch of old-school traditionalists at heart. Not only am I going to be a single parent, but the father is someone they'd just as soon see dead or shoved back across the barrier. It could even affect my father's position if they want to get nasty about it.”

Laurel stiffened. “Don't listen to them. No matter what they think, Larem's a good man.”

“I know that, Laurel. I don't have wild monkey sex with just anyone. I care about him.” Honesty forced her to add, “A lot. I've already told Larem that if the Regents won't accept me, I'll leave the organization and stay here anyway.”

She wadded up her tissue and tossed it at the waste-basket, smiling briefly when she hit it dead center. “But I'm not the only one with decisions to make. I still don't know the story behind what brought Larem to our world. What if all he wants is to go home?”

“That's not happening,” Laurel said, shaking her head. “No way, not now.”

“But I don't want him to stay just because I'm pregnant.” She wanted him for herself, too.

“No, you want him to stay for
you,
” Laurel said, echoing Sasha's thoughts.

“Yeah, but—”

A soft knock at the door ended their chance for any more conversation. Sasha got up and opened the door.

Her heart fluttered in her chest. “Larem, we were just talking about . . . things.”

His expression remained stoic, but there was a gleam in his eye that warned her that he'd heard at least the tail end of their conversation. “I wanted to let you know that Devlin is going to take your father to a hotel so he can get some sleep after traveling all night.”

Then there was a spark of mischief in his eyes. “He wanted to stay here, of course. However, I pointed out that since your guest room is full of boxes, and your bodyguard will be sleeping on the sofa, there is no room for him. Devlin was kind enough to offer him a ride after I pointed out the problem.”

“How considerate of both of you.”

“Yes, we thought so.” Then he looked past her to Laurel. “Devlin said he's ready to leave when you are.”

Laurel replied, “Tell him I'll be right there.”

Before he could leave, Sasha caught him by the arm. “So will you be staying?”

Larem's expression turned solemn. “It is my duty and my honor to protect you, unless you would prefer someone else.”

They were both talking about more than just a few
hours of patrolling her condo, and she knew it. “I only want you.”

He nodded and then stood back to let Laurel pass.

“I'd better go say good-bye to my father. Maybe we can take him out for a nice dinner tonight.”

“If you're going to tell him about me, about us, about everything,” he said, his gaze briefly dropping down to her stomach before returning to her face, “it would be better done in private.”

What could she say to that? He was right, of course, but she couldn't find the words to respond. All trace of softness disappeared from his eyes. Once again, she'd hurt him without meaning to.

He stepped back. “Perhaps you should ask Devlin for a different guard.”

“No, I was just thinking that you're right about talking to my father here instead. Once they all leave, we'll figure out what to say—together.”

She rolled her shoulders to ease the knots of tension forming there. “God, this is going to be so much harder than when I was sixteen and had to tell him I'd wrecked his brand-new car. At least he can't ground me for a month like he did back then. He might try to take a swing at you, though.”

He gave her a quick hug. “For the sake of family peace and since he's your father, I promise I won't hit back.”

She laughed despite the lump in her throat. “Now that we've got that settled, let's go say good-bye.”

C
haz Willis stood by the front door with barely disguised fury at being the one to leave. Larem trailed down the hall beside Sasha but positioned himself in front of her and slightly to the side to make sure that no one had a clear shot at her when the door opened. He suspected her father thought Larem was trying to protect her from him.

He wasn't wrong.

“So, Sasha, do I have to have your bodyguard's permission to hug my own daughter?”

“Dad, don't be a jerk.” She stepped past Larem to give her father a quick embrace. “We'd like to have you back for dinner tonight. Say, six o'clock?”

Larem winced inwardly. Sasha probably didn't mean anything by her use of the word “we,” but her father certainly picked up on it.

Chaz's hands balled up into fists. “I'll be here.”

He might have answered his daughter, but the look
he shot in Larem's direction conveyed far more than a simple acceptance of a dinner invitation.

To make sure that they were both on the same page, Larem gave the older man a cold smile. “As will I, Mr. Willis. I look forward to seeing you again.”

“Actually, Mr. Jones, no offense, but I'd prefer to have dinner alone with my daughter. She'll be safe enough with me, especially with the guards outside.”

“No offense taken, but I'm afraid that's not possible. As her bodyguard, I plan to remain in very close proximity.”

“Oh, brother.” Sasha stepped between the two of them. “Larem, Dad—both of you—that's enough.”