I tear up at the sincerity in his voice. In such a short time, I have grown so fond of the man in front of me. “Thank you, Sam,” I whisper. “I’ve missed your smile.” Even though I argue against using Lucian’s car when he insists, I always enjoy being around Sam. Spending time with him somehow makes me feel closer to Lucian. Just knowing that he knows most everything about the man I have become so attached to is nothing short of intriguing. I try not to pick him for information, but he says things in passing about Lucian as a child or teenager and I find myself hanging on his every word.
As Lucian helps me to my feet, his aunt walks up to me, taking me into her arms. “Call me if you need anything, even just to talk,” she says low enough that only she and I hear. She hadn’t been happy with Lucian for asking me to hold off on the medication she had talked with me about. I understand that she’s trying to tell me without saying the words to let her know if I can’t cope on my own. I nod my agreement before thanking her for everything she has done.
Lucian settles me in one side of the Mercedes, closing the door carefully behind me before walking around to the other door and getting in. He surprises me by pulling me onto his lap and belting us both in together. “Okay?” he asks, looking at me searchingly.
“Yes,” I answer honestly, glad to be in his arms where the rest of the world always seems to fall away.
He releases a breath before easing me closer, until my head is tucked under his chin. “I’m so happy to be taking you home.”
I rub his arm, attempting to comfort him. “I know it was hard for you to be at the hospital for so long. Thank you for staying.”
He pulls back, taking my chin in his hand to stare into my eyes. “That’s not what I meant. I…fuck, baby, when I found you, I was afraid I’d lost you. The fact that you’re here now…” He doesn’t seem to know how to finish his sentence, but he’s said enough to give me some measure of peace. I understand what he was trying to say, because when I had been completely at the mercy of my stepfather, I had felt anguish that I’d never see Lucian again, never feel his arms around me, and never get the chance to see if someday we could have been more. I had mourned the loss of him as my body was pummeled. The fact that he now cradles me gently in his arms as if I am precious to him seems surreal.
We don’t speak for the rest of the drive, both seemingly lost in our own thoughts. One thing I both love and hate at times about him is that he never feels the need to fill the silence. I know he has a mind that is seldom at rest, and I long to hear his thoughts, but sometimes, like today, relaxing into a peaceful silence is its own kind of comfort.
Lucian insists on carrying me from the car and into his apartment. I do not bother to protest when he walks through the living area and straight to the bedroom, sitting me down on the bed; my body is still weak from both the trauma and the battering it sustained. I am more than happy to let him take off my shoes and tuck me under the covers. “This feels so good,” I murmur drowsily as I snuggle deeper into the soft bedding.
He drops a kiss on my temple before standing. “I’m going to go through some emails for a bit if you’re okay alone?”
“I’m fine,” I mumble in reply, already starting to doze.
“I’m just down the hall in my office. Call out if you need me. Lia?”
Apparently, my nod wasn’t sufficient, and he needs my verbal agreement before he will leave. “K…in your office,” I repeat to appease him. When he walks out of the room, I have to fight the sudden urge to call him back. Knowing Lucian watched over me was the only way I was able to rest easy in the hospital. I knew that, true to his word, he would kill anyone who tried to hurt me again. I’m home now, though; Lucian has become that for me. If I know nothing else, I know I’m safe within these walls with him standing guard. As I start to drift away, I wonder how I’ll ever make myself leave the security of this apartment again.
Lucian
I drop into my leather office chair, running my hand through my hair. It feels so fucking good to be home again, and the fact that Lia’s back in my bed is enough to bring me to my knees. For agonizing hours after I found her, I was afraid we’d never be here together again. Truthfully, I don’t know if I would have ever walked back through the door to this place if she had died. This might be my home on paper, but Lia now owns every square inch of it. There isn’t a room, nook, or corner I don’t feel her presence in. Maybe it stems from the fact that I’ve never had another woman here romantically. It scares the hell out of me to even try to analyze why I can’t imagine wanting her to leave…ever. Whatever the reason, I finally feel as if I can breathe again.
Even though I want nothing more than to go crawl into bed with Lia and feel her against me, I have business that needs to be dealt with. Aidan and Cindy have done a good job at handling the day-to-day operations at Quinn Software, but I cannot be away from the helm forever. There are always decisions to be made that are solely my responsibility.
I have been returning emails for an hour when the doorbell rings. “Fuck,” I hiss, hoping the sound doesn’t wake Lia. I can’t imagine who it could be since everyone I know would call before they dropped by. When I look through the peephole, I squint in surprise. I recognize the face; after all, I purchased this apartment from his company. It also explains why he made it to my apartment without my okay; I guess his employees don’t say no to the boss. Opening the door, I stand with my arms crossed, saying simply, “Jacks.”
“Quinn,” he answers back in kind, appearing amused by my resigned expression. I know it is obvious to him that his visit is no surprise to me. I’d known from the moment Max and I talked that he’d make an appearance at some point; I’m only surprised it has taken him this long. We hold a bit of a stare-off/male-pissing contest before I finally move aside and motion him into my apartment. There is no way he’s going to go away easily, and I’d rather get this over with while Lia is asleep.
He stands in the foyer, waiting until I close the door and motion him to follow me to my office. When he sits in the chair I’ve indicated in front of my desk, I take a moment to study him. Maybe I’m prejudiced by the information I have, but damn, he does look like Lia. Their hair and coloring are almost the same, but it’s the eyes that really give me pause. His eyes are the same brilliant blue as Lia’s. I realize that half of the people in the world probably have blue eyes, but there is just something about Lia and Lee’s eyes, which look almost identical. I scrub a hand over my forehead thinking that maybe I’m just seeing things that aren’t even there. I have a feeling Lee knows for sure one way or the other, so my curiosity has me asking, “So, what can I do for you?”
His lips turn up in a slight smirk as if to say, ‘so you’re going that route.’ I don’t intend to make this easy for him, though, so I wait. “When I was told you were asking questions about me, it didn’t cause much of a blip on my radar. After all, we have some similar business interests, and I figured you had some future venture in mind.” He pauses, crossing his legs before continuing. “What did surprise me was that the questions had nothing to do with business and everything to do with my personal life, or more accurately, my past. I’m not saying it doesn’t happen, because it does…often. However, it’s usually by the same nosy crowd that wants to dissect me for personal gain. Your sudden interest in a period of my life twenty-some-odd years ago was enough to get my attention. So, I did a little digging of my own into your life.”
After delivering his last statement, he waits as if curious to what my reaction will be. I lean back in my chair, wishing for one of the nasty cigarettes that are in my desk drawer. I refuse to give him the satisfaction of acting like a pussy. Men like Lee Jacks only respect one thing: strength. Something tells me that how I react to him today will set the tone for our future relationship. If he is Lia’s father, and he deems me as weak, he’ll end up being a problem—a big one. Therefore, with a carefully blank face, I say, “I would have done the same. I’m only curious as to why it’s taken you this long to make an appear
ance.”
I think I must be imagining things when he looks almost guilty for a split second before wiping his expression clean. “I was out of town when I first heard of your unusual…interest in me. I just returned late last night. After I found out that you were at home instead of your office, I came straight here.”
Deciding to cut through the rest of the small talk, I ask bluntly, “Is she your daughter?”
He doesn’t bother to act ignorant; he simply says, “Yes.”
I have little doubt that he knows exactly what he’s talking about; this isn’t a man who would answer that type of question without facts to back it up. I feel rage rising to choke me as I snap, “Have you always known about her?”
“Fuck no!” He almost shouts the words, losing his composure for a moment before taking a breath. “The things you were asking made me dig. When I couldn’t find a connection between my past and yours, I had my men look at her. I knew when I saw her picture, but the first line of her background report confirmed it for me.”
“You don’t look that much alike,” I argue, not even sure why I’m protesting. Maybe because I think Lia deserves a parent who isn’t just as bad as her mother is. Without replying, he pulls his wallet from his suit pocket and takes a picture from it. When he tosses it in front of me, I gape at him. In the picture stands Lee Jacks with his arm around…Lia?
“What the hell?” I ask, staring at the picture in shock. Lia knows who he is.
“Pretty uncanny, isn’t it?” he asks as he hands me another picture. The same woman stands next to a man who closely resembles Lee, but clearly is not. “That’s my brother Peter and his daughter Kara.”
I take a closer look at both photographs, finally noticing a difference in the other woman’s hair color and height. At first glance, she could pass for Lia’s twin. However, upon closer inspection, knowing what I now do, I can see it is not her. It does seem to lend support to his statement of being Lia’s father. I hand the pictures back, saying, “This doesn’t really prove anything. Don’t they say everyone has a twin somewhere in the world?”
“Let’s not waste our time doing the denial dance, Quinn. Both you and I know I have more proof than this.”
“So, what now?” I ask, knowing he speaks the truth. There is no way Lee would be here right now if he had any question about whether Lia was his daughter. “I’m not sure of what kind of reaction you are expecting from her.”
“That’s why I sought you out first instead of Lia. I thought maybe you would have some suggestions as to how to approach her.” The surprise I feel must be written all over my face. He gives me a wry smile, saying, “You’re involved with her, so it stands to reason that you know her much better than I do.”
Before I can formulate a reply, a voice sounds from the doorway. “Luc, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you had company. I was just going to sit with you for a while.”
I jump to my feet, noting the break in her voice and the redness of her eyes. She’s been crying again. I cross the room in a couple strides, pulling her into my arms. “Are you okay, baby?” I ask, feeling her shudder against me.
“Just a bad dream,” she whispers against my neck. Looking toward the man who sits staring at us, she pulls out of my arms. “I’m…um…just going to take a shower. Sorry to interrupt your meeting.” Lowering her head, she quickly turns away, seeming embarrassed as she pulls nervously at the loose clothing she is wearing.
“It’s fine,” I assure her. “I’ll be in to check on you in just a minute. Why don’t you wait for me before you shower?” I don’t like the thought of her possibly falling while I’m not close enough to hear her. She nods before walking back down the hallway. When I can no longer see her, I close the door quietly and turn to find Lee in my face. “What the…” I choke off as his hand comes around my neck, pinning me against the door I had just shut.
“How dare you lay hands on her!” he hisses as he draws his fist back. I am momentarily confused, thinking he is pissed off about me hugging her before it hits me. He had seen her face. He thought I…
“Fuck,” I bite off as I reach out to hold his fist. “I’d never hurt her.” I jerk out of his hold, shaking my head. “You don’t know, do you? Apparently your employees aren’t as thorough as you thought.” My neck throbs from the crushing hold he’d had on my windpipe. Lee might wear a thousand-dollar suit, but he packs some serious muscle underneath. His calm demeanor makes more sense to me now I know he had no clue as to where Lia had been for the last five days. I can’t understand how his people had missed something so recent, though.
“You need to stop talking shit, Quinn, and tell me what happened to her. If you did that to her, I’ll find out, and I’ll visit the same on you, only much worse.” Rage radiates from every pore of the other man’s body, leaving me in little doubt that he means every word. I don’t want to have this conversation with Lia awake, but I know there is no way Lee is leaving without some answers. Maybe a part of me even hopes the truth will cause him even a piece of the pain Lia has felt all of these years.
Rubbing my neck to ease some of the tension, I say, “Lia has been in the hospital for the last five days. I just brought her home today. Her stepfather tried to rape her and would have probably killed her had something not interrupted him.”
“WHAT?” Lee roars, clenching his fists.
“Keep your voice down,” I demand, looking toward the door. “I don’t want her to know we’re talking about this. If you would like to hear this, then you’re going to have to refrain from yelling.” Giving me an incredulous look, he motions for me to continue. “If you didn’t know that, then you probably don’t know that she was abused for years by her mother and her stepfather. She—”
“Maria hurt her?” he interrupts, looking pale as a ghost. I am surprised a man like Lee Jacks would be shocked by anything, especially violence. He doesn’t appear to be acting, though. He genuinely looks like he might pass out.
“Yes, she did,” I answer truthfully. “Then she married Jim Dawson, and he did everything short of raping her for years after that.” When the other man sinks down into the chair he had vacated earlier, I go back to my own before telling him all that I know, including the courtroom drama we’d had recently. A part of me even feels a tiny bit sorry for him, as he looks sick to his stomach.
“I…I didn’t know any of this,” he says quietly before rubbing his temples. Looking down at his hands, he adds, “She’s had a horrible life, hasn’t she? Goddammit, I can’t believe this!”
I sigh, feeling my anger at him drain away. There is no denying the fact that he is devastated at the news I’ve delivered. I hadn’t doubted he would be angry over what Lia has endured if for no other reason than someone had dared to touch a Jacks. What I hadn’t expected was what appeared to be a father’s anguish over his daughter’s pain. It doesn’t really seem to fit with the detached person I’ve known him to be. “Her life hasn’t been easy,” I agree. “But she’s an amazing woman. She’s the most intelligent, determined and strong person I’ve ever known. She’s taken everything that has been done to her and turned it into a stepping stone to survive.”
He raises his head, and his eyes blaze. His words, when they come, are spoken so softly I almost don’t hear them. “Anyone who has ever hurt her will pay; I can promise you that.” He stands, walking toward the door. “I’ll be in touch,” he adds before walking out.
I slump back into my seat, feeling drained from the encounter. Strangely, I also feel myself relax more than I have since Lia’s attack. I have no idea what his intentions are where she is concerned, but there is one thing I’m certain of: he’ll rain Hell down onto anyone who even thinks of hurting her again. I’m also certain that there is no corner of the world big enough for Jim Dawson to hide in now. I’m under no delusions that he plans to suddenly turn into father-of-the-year, but his loss of control where his emotions were concerned seemed very real. The only thing that makes me uneasy is how this revelation will affect my relationshi
p with Lia. I’d love nothing better than for her to finally have a family who cares for her as she deserves, but I don’t know if Jacks will ever offer that. I don’t want this to be another source of pain for her. He is a powerful man, but I’m not without contacts and allies of my own. If I have to protect Lia from her own father, then I will… without hesitation.
Standing, I go in search of Lia only to find her asleep once again on the bed. I move her gently, trying to make her more comfortable before pulling the comforter back over her small frame. Just as I lean down to brush a kiss over her lips, I hear the doorbell. Our first day home and my apartment has suddenly turned into Grand Central Station. As I look through the peephole, I’m surprised once again at my unexpected visitor. Swinging the door open, I motion for Max to come in. “What’s up?” I ask without preamble. Silently, I wonder when people stopped calling before just dropping in. Especially knowing Lia has just come home hours before. As I wait for his reply, I notice his disheveled appearance. Max generally looks like an ad for Brooks Brothers. Even though he’s wearing his usual suit, he looks almost as if he slept in it before coming over. “What in the hell happened to you?”
“Rose Madden is what happened to me!” he growls in response. “That woman is fucking nuts.”
I wonder vaguely if I look as confused as I feel at his answer. “Lia’s friend Rose?”
“Oh, yes, one and the same.”
After having to deal with Lee, I’m too burned out for obscure answers. I fight the urge to open the door and push him back out of it. Instead, I rub the bridge of my nose before asking, “What kind of problem could you possibly have with her? You’ve met her, what, once?”
Loosening his already-lopsided tie, he says, “Until last night, yes. Then at one this morning, when Rose called me from the police department as her one phone call.”