Jar of Hearts: (Family Stone, # 5 Keisha and Shane) (Family Stone Romantic Suspense) (9 page)

“It would have been fine.”

“So,
Don
,” Keisha emphasized his first name, and Shane wanted to chuckle. She knew that her familiarity was going to piss the guy off. “How did those chemicals end up on that produce?”

Smart. She was smart. They didn’t have enough right now to nail him. They needed him to give details so that Shelley would be exonerated, even if the only people who knew what happened were in this room.

“I had an old order at one of my other farms that somehow never got destroyed. I just ordered the acceptable sprays for Happy Tummy Farms, and then switched them. I couldn’t use Aldicarb on the produce that my corporate farms sells.”

His tone was perfectly reasonable, as if he wasn’t discussing poisoning thousands of unwitting people who got their food from the food bank.

“You jackass,” Keisha burst out.

Wallaston shoved back his chair, and Shane went on high alert. He didn’t like the look in Don Wallaston’s eyes.

Shane and Keisha also stood up, ready to restrain Wallaston if necessary.

“Everyone calm down,” Jack said authoritatively.

Bob Miller stood. “Really Don? You would jeopardize the health and welfare of the people we are trying to serve.”

“At least they won’t go hungry,” he snarled. “Isn’t that the point?”

“Because a full belly with cancer is better than an empty one?” Keisha jerked her head back, and as the asshole tried to justify his actions, Shane could literally see the rage in her swell until it breached the damn that held back her emotions.

“It was a fucking business decision.” Wallaston’s face was mottled and a fine sheet of sweat covered his red cheeks. But Shane didn’t like the way his gaze darted around the room, looking for a way out of his predicament. Shane could practically feel Wallaston’s sense of being trapped.

Suddenly Wallaston grabbed Keisha, his beefy arm wrapped around her neck and yanked her back against his body. Which would have been nothing but Wallaston had a gun. Held right against Keisha’s temple.

Shane’s heart stopped.

A weapon in the hands of an unstable subject was a nightmare.

Shit.

Shane wanted to panic. But dammit there wasn’t time. And if it had been just him and there hadn’t been innocent civilians in the room, he’d have attempted to disarm the guy immediately. But the weapon was way too close to Keisha’s head. And Shane was intimately acquainted with the deadly effect of a round fired at close range.

Sweat sheened on his forehead. But then he looked at Keisha. All those feelings he’d tried to avoid, getting too close to a woman, keeping his heart safe, had disappeared when Wallaston put that weapon to her temple.

He’d been fooling himself. He’d been half in love with her for months. He loved her mood swings, loved her colorful outfits, and her sass. He wanted her to know she could trust him. He wasn’t going anywhere. But he also knew it was going to take her time to believe.

All that hit him in an instant. He needed to save her so they could have that time. So that she could learn to trust him. And he could fall all the way in love with her.

That amazing epiphany was cut short when Shane stared into her amazing hazel eyes and without words, she begged him to trust her.

She wasn’t going to let him save the day.

She’d been in the Navy. She was a total ball buster, and he knew she had skills. Jack wouldn’t have hired her if she hadn’t. “It’s okay,” she said calmly. Her sass and attitude nowhere to be seen.

“Bob, why don’t you get everyone out of here,” Shane directed.

“No.” Wallaston’s arm tightened on Keisha’s neck and Shane fought the urge to go for his gun. His 9mm weighted down his ankle like an anchor.

Keisha may be loud and quick to jump in and take control when she was threatened personally but when she was at work she was rock solid, and this was work. She wasn’t about to blow this.

So Shane was acceding to her silent request to let her handle this.

Keisha tried to disrupt Don Wallaston’s plan of action or non-plan because what idiot would try to take a woman hostage in this small, tight space? She had to throw him off his game. “So, Don, why donate the produce anonymously?”

He sighed as if suffering from the idiocy of these questions. “We couldn’t have that produce associated with the non-profit farm. Later once all the broccoli had been delivered and we were delivering new produce we could switch to a regular delivery schedule so we could take advantage of the tax write off. But I should have known that Shelley couldn’t do this one thing right.”

“So you authorize the use of a dangerous pesticide on food for those who can’t provide for themselves, and I’m the one who can’t do anything right?” Shelley’s voice rose shrilly.

It was the opening that Keisha had been waiting for. She grabbed Wallaston’s wrist, pointed the weapon at the ceiling, yelled at everyone, “Get down.” Then rammed her head back into his nose.

He howled as his cartilage crunched. Keisha twisted and with a precision move, she disarmed him, weapon in her hand and pointed at the floor. With one more move, she turned Wallaston around and pressed him up against the wall of the conference room, his arm twisted up his back.

“Nice work, Mrs. Washington.” Jack teased.

“I could use a little help.” Keisha shot Shane a look.

“Even if you revealed the fact that we used the pesticides, it’s only a fine. Nothing that Shelley can’t afford to pay,” Wallaston sneered, still believing he had the upper hand. “You’ve got nothing on me personally.”

“Well now, that would be true.” The glee in Keisha’s voice was unmistakable. “Except you just threatened a roomful of people with a loaded firearm.”

Wallaston snorted. “You won’t do it.”

“Try me, asshole.” With his confession and the attempted use of violence, Wallaston might not go down for using the illegal pesticides but he was in big trouble. Assuming the board decided to press charges. And she really, really hoped they did.

All the other board members stood stock still, staring at Keisha as if they’d never seen a kick ass woman before.

Monica Peterson’s mouth was hanging open in a display she’d no doubt find inappropriate if she’d been thinking about it.

“Way to go, babe,” Shane said huskily. He removed the weapon from her hand, and then pulled some zip ties from his pocket.

Mission accomplished.

Nine

The sting was over. The police had arrested Wallaston for carrying concealed and brandishing a weapon in public. Shelley was clearly wracked with guilt. “I just wanted to do a good thing.”

The case, at least their piece of it, was for all intents and purposes wrapped.

Keisha had gone through a thousand emotions today. She was wrung out mentally and still had physical aches from the last two nights of energetic sex. And whoa she did not need her mind to go there.

“So I guess this means there is no donation,” Monica Peterson said glumly.

Bob Miller responded quickly, “If we’d distributed that food and word had gotten out, we’d be short donations everywhere. Their time and getting to the bottom of the mystery was the donation.”

Keisha shot a narrowed gaze at Jack. This whole ‘married couple who are going to donate a lot of money’ sham was his idea, he should donate the money. She propped her fist on her hip and silently sent him a ‘you’d better do this’ message.

He shrugged.

“Actually.” Shane placed his hand on Keisha’s shoulder .The first time he’d touched her since this morning and she jolted. “Washington Aviation will be making the donation.”

“Really?” Monica and Keisha said at the same time.

“Keisha and I were very impressed with your operation. Not to mention the fact that you jumped right on top of a potential problem before it could become a serious one.”

He made it sound like they were a couple. What the hell was he doing? Could he really afford to give them such a large donation? And why did she care? But her heart melted a little at his generosity.

Shane continued, “Listen, when I was growing up, my family could have been one of the families in need. Now that I have the means, I’d like to help.”

“Thank you so much.” Monica placed her perfectly manicured hand on his forearm. And Keisha fought the urge to growl. She was standing right next to Shane! And she was pretty sure Monica Peterson who was old enough to be Shane’s…aunt at the very least, thought she and Shane were married.

As if he could feel her ire rising. Shane slung his arm around Keisha’s shoulder and she was so incensed that she didn’t even object to his claiming.

“You’re welcome.” Shane tugged her toward the door. “Let’s get out of here.”

“I figured I would get a ride with Jack.” It was time to start protecting her heart. Shane Washington was a compelling, mesmerizing man and she’d lived under his spell for the past few days but now it was time to get back to her real life.

“Sure,” Jack began.

Shane shook his head at Jack.

After one raised, scarred eyebrow, and a speculative glance between the two of them, Jack said, “Ah, actually I need to get Shelley home. She’s going to have a lot of work to get Happy Tummy Farms ready for their next crop.”

Shane had just cock blocked her.

“I’ll give you a ride.” He grinned, his lips upturned and his teeth gleamed white. Keisha wondered if anyone else heard the sexual insinuation beneath his simple words.

She thought about arguing but she could tell by his insistence, she wasn’t going to get rid of him that easily.

“Fine.” She strolled past him as if going with him were her idea.

As they exited the food bank’s office, Shane told Monica Peterson, “My accountant will be in touch.”

“Thank you again, Mr. Washington,” she gushed.

“Call me Shane.”

“You want me to wait outside while you have a moment?” Keisha grumbled under her breath.

Shane’s arm was still slung around her neck and his muscles tensed slightly. “See you later, Monica.”

Shane hustled Keisha to his car, almost as if he was afraid she was going to run away.

“What’s the hurry?” she sniped.

“I want you alone,” Shane said huskily, his voice low and deep, the sound rumbled through her body where they touched. “I told you what I wanted to do to you once this was over.”

Keisha’s heart thudded fast and sharp against her breastbone. “That’s not a good idea.”

“You’re right.”

Irrational disappointment hit her. Which told her she really needed to get away from Shane before he squashed her heart beneath his size fifteen loafers.

“It’s a great idea.”

Shane started the car, then pealed out of the parking lot. They rode in silence for a while, Keisha staring out the window at the mid-afternoon traffic on Highway 1 until she realized they were traveling south, away from her condo.

“You’re going the wrong way.”

“No. I’m not.” Shane’s hand was loose on the wheel.

For some reason, his calm delivery sparked a mini panic. “I thought you were going to take me home.”

“Maybe I am.”

She mulled over his response. “I really don’t need to see your bachelor pad.”

He snorted. “I’m thirty-eight years old. I don’t have a bachelor pad. I have a home.”

That shut her up. She didn’t want to fall any further under his spell. She’d go see his home and then get the hell out of there. Protect herself, and her heart at all costs.

Shane wanted to growl in frustration. He’d lost her again. He could literally feel her pulling away from him and mentally retreating to the other side of the car.

As much as he wanted her, he didn’t think keeping her in thrall with sex and distracting her from real life was the right method for getting her to stay.

He exited the highway and took the turn toward his house. Maybe he could charm her with his view.

“Are you sure you are okay with the donation to the food bank?” she said out of the blue. “Really, Jack should be donating that money. He’s the one who asked for the favor.”

“It’s not a problem.”

She frowned, as if she didn’t believe him.

He continued patiently, “I own my own business. I own a small plane but most of the planes I fly for business are owned by my clients, so my overhead is low. I get paid every time I take a trip for the client and they also foot the bill for my lodging and food.” Not to mention he’d invested in SAE, Jack’s father’s company years ago. It had been a wise choice.

“Okay.” She shook her head and her curls brushed the exposed curve of her neck. He really wanted to lean over the gearshift and lick that spot until she purred. But he had to restrain himself.

If he used sex right now, she’d never believe that he was interested in more. And he was very, very interested in more.

Shane pulled up across from his duplex. There was quick access to the beach path here.

“I love this beach.” Keisha exited the car, tossed her heels on the passenger seat, and headed for the shoreline.

Shane smiled as she barreled down the path and onto the sand. She stretched her arms toward the sky, tilted her head back, and lifted her face to the cool afternoon sun.

After he removed his own socks and shoes, he followed her onto the beach. “You like the ocean?”

“No duh, why do you think I joined the Navy?”

Shane’s laugh rumbled through him, happy to see her former sass back. Just because he loved her sweet didn’t mean he didn’t want that sass too.

He picked her up and twirled her around like she was a little kid.

“What are you doing, you nut. Put me down,” she demanded but her face was wreathed in a big smile.

Shane whirled her around one more time, then gently settled her on her feet. He turned her so she faced the sea and wrapped his arms around her waist. Then he rested his chin on her shoulder.

The waves crashed against a collection of large rocks about thirty feet out. Sea lions bellowed and seagulls squawked as wind whipped through the corridor and white sea foam crashed against the brown sand. Long strings of kelp lay in ropes on the beach, and the salty briny sea perfumed the air.

They stood there in silence, both seemingly hesitant to interrupt the feeling of communion. Shane felt a peace settle over him. Sweet and sass and the ability to recognize the need for a quiet moment. “I never get tired of this view.”