“Sure you will. If you don’t, I’m going to make it look like everything that went wrong at Gilchrist Gourmet during the past few months was your fault, not mine. I’ll send the proof straight to Justine.”
Katy was horrified. “What proof’? There is no proof. I’ve never done anything to hurt the company.”
“There will be plenty of proof when I get finished. I can manufacture the evidence in the computers and provide documentation. And the Gilchrists will believe every bit of it. You know what they’re like.”
“That’s a lie. Justine, at least, trusts me. And Luke.”
“No Gilchrist ever trusts anyone completely. You know that. Especially not Justine. She’ll be quick enough to believe the worst. After all, she doesn’t need you anymore. She’s got her precious grandson back.”
“Damn you, Fraser, I thought you were my friend.” Katy pushed her wind-whipped hair out of her face. “How could you do such a thing?”
“It’s just business, honey.”
“You should be ashamed of yourself. This is wrong.”
“Skip the lecture. I’m not in the mood. You’re going to help me, or I’ll send Justine an anonymous printout that will make it look like you were the one who tried to undermine Gilchrist Gourmet. That’s it, Katy. No alternatives.”
“Go to hell,” Katy answered. She tried again to jerk her arm free of his grasp.
Fraser yanked hard in retaliation. Katy stumbled and fell to the beach. Fraser reached for her, his eyes in slits.
“You little bitch, you’re going to do what I say. There’s too much money riding on this.”
Katy screamed as Fraser’s hands closed around her shoulders.
Zeke dropped his dish in the sand and charged.
“What the hell?” Fraser straightened abruptly as he caught sight of Zeke racing toward him in a silent, ferocious rush. “For Christ’s sake, call him off.” He backed up quickly, stumbling over a length of seaweed. “Call him off.”
Fraser caught his balance, whirled, and started to run.
Katy rolled to her feet just as Zeke flashed past. She saw the dog launch himself at Fraser’s fleeing backside. Zeke’s massive jaws opened wide. He caught a mouthful of Fraser’s windbreaker and ripped savagely.
Fraser shrieked and started to struggle out of the torn windbreaker. Zeke jerked hard, tangling Fraser in the jacket. Fraser stumbled and went down, yelling in terror.
“Zeke. Stop.” Katy gasped as Zeke planted his front paws on Fraser’s chest. “That’s enough. Stop, Zeke.”
Zeke looked at her, wagged his tail, and whined pleadingly, as if asking for permission to go for Fraser’s throat.
“Get him off me,” Fraser hissed.
“It’s okay, Zeke.” Katy approached Fraser and the dog warily. “Good boy. Good dog. Take it easy. We don’t want him to sue. That’s a good boy.”
“Get him off.” Fraser started to wriggle out from under Zeke’s paws.
Zeke snarled softly in warning. Fraser instantly stilled.
“Jesus,” Fraser whispered, staring up at Zeke. “The goddamned dog will kill me.”
Katy was not precisely certain herself just what Zeke was going to do next. She took another step forward, intending to grab the dog’s collar.
At that moment Zeke raised his head and looked toward the cliff path. He barked loudly, summoning assistance.
Katy glanced up and saw Luke and Matt descending the cliff path at a run.
“Luke.” Katy dashed forward and threw herself straight into his arms when he reached the beach. “Thank heaven you’re here. I wasn’t sure what to do next.”
Luke’s arms closed fiercely around her. He spoke to his dog over the top of Katy’s head. “Zeke. Steady, boy. That’s it. You can let him up now. I’ll take care of things.”
Zeke obediently stepped off Fraser’s chest and trotted toward Luke.
“Matt, take Katy and Zeke up to the house. I’ll handle this.”
Matt reacted instantly to the soft tone of command. “Yes, sir. Come on, Katy.”
Katy raised her head from Luke’s shoulder. “Wait. I have to explain what’s going on here.”
“I know what’s going on.” Luke’s eyes were on Fraser. “Go with Matt.”
Katy realized she was too shaken to argue. It would have been futile in any event. Luke was clearly in charge now. Without a word she stepped away from him and started toward the cliff path with Matt.
Zeke raced back down the beach, grabbed his bowl, and dashed back to join Katy and Matt.
At the top of the cliff path Katy turned to glance down at the scene on the beach. “I do hope there isn’t going to be any trouble because of this.”
Matt grinned, his confidence in Luke evident. “Believe me, there will be trouble. But not for you. Luke will handle it.”
Katy was feeding parsley and basil into the food processor when Luke walked through the cottage door a short while later. Zeke was sitting in the middle of the floor, his dish parked at the ready. His tail moved in a brief greeting when Luke appeared, but he didn’t take his gaze off the food processor.
“What’s going on here?” Luke took in the scene in the kitchen with a glance that was probably meant to reflect amusement but somehow failed. There was a cold wildness in his sorcerer’s eyes. “Starting dinner already?”
Matt, lounging against the kitchen counter with a can of soda in his hand, looked at Luke. “It’s for Zeke. Katy’s making him an entire batch of pesto.”
“An entire batch all for him?” Luke rubbed the dog’s ears. “Zeke’s going to think he’s died and gone to heaven.”
“He deserves it,” Katy said softly. She was intensely aware of the subtle tension in Luke. “He was a real hero.” She pressed the machine’s lever down for a few seconds, grinding up the fresh leaves. While the food processor was running she quickly added the remaining ingredients.
“Yeah,” Matt said admiringly. “A real hero. Good dog, Zeke.”
Zeke acknowledged the accolade with another thump of his tail, but his gaze did not waver from the food processor.
Katy risked another glance at Luke. His eyes were dangerously green, his expression unreadable. “Luke, what happened down there? What did you do to Fraser?”
“Not much,” Luke said.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Katy switched off the machine and ladled the entire batch into Zeke’s bowl. She glanced up anxiously. “You didn’t do anything rash, did you?”
“No.” Luke’s mouth curved faintly as he watched his dog go to work on the pesto. “Is there any more soda, Matt?”
“Sure.” Matt waved the can in his hand in the general direction of the refrigerator. “Help yourself.”
Katy put the food processor bowl in the sink. “Luke, was Fraser telling me the truth? Did you fire him the other day because you suspected he was behind a scheme to sabotage Gilchrist Gourmet?”
“Uh-huh.” Luke opened the refrigerator and selected a can of cola. His movements were those of a prowling jungle cat, fully controlled but radiating a potential for instant violence.
“Why didn’t you tell me the truth?” Katy was outraged all over again. “Why did you try to make me believe he was leaving for another job?”
Luke opened the can of soda. His eyes were implacable as he met her annoyed gaze. “Because I didn’t want to get into a major argument with you over it. I knew you would defend the guy.”
Katy chewed reflectively on her lower lip. “There must have been mitigating circumstances. I can’t believe Fraser would do that sort of thing without a very good reason.”
“He had a good reason,” Luke said succinctly. “He stood to make a lot of money.”
“Maybe there was more to it than that. Maybe he was coerced into it or something.”
Luke muttered something under his b
reath. “Stanfield is an opportunist. When Justine started to withdraw from daily supervision of the company a power vacuum developed. When she asked Stanfield to take on more responsibility he saw his chance and took it.”
Katy sighed. “I just can’t believe it. You should have told me the truth when you fired him, Luke.”
Luke shrugged. “Maybe I should have. At the time it seemed simpler not to get you involved.”
“But I was involved. Fraser was my friend. Or at least I thought he was. I depended on him during the past few months. He was so helpful.”
“He used the power you and Justine gave him to weaken Gilchrist Gourmet,” Luke said bluntly. “He was going to turn it over to a consortium of investors for a fraction of its real worth and collect his reward. It was a neat scheme.”
Katy frowned slightly. “Perhaps he did it because he knew there was no hope of rising any higher within Gilchrist, Inc. He may have felt that because it was a family-owned firm he would never have an opportunity to go to the top.”
“Damn it, Katy, this is exactly why I didn’t tell you what was going on the day I fired the son of a bitch. I didn’t want to have to listen to you make excuses for him.”
“I’m not making excuses. I’m just trying to understand why he did what he did.”
“Bull.”
Katy was keenly aware of Matt listening to the argument while he drank his soda. Zeke had finished his pesto and was sitting beside his dish. The dog’s gaze moved from Katy’s face to Luke’s and back again.
“You are making excuses,” Luke stated, “and I don’t intend to listen to them. There’s a time and a place for playing guardian angel. This isn’t it.”
“I suppose you have a point. He was trying to hurt the company, after all.” Katy slanted him a sidelong glance. “He came to see me today because he wanted me to help him finish his scheme.”
“I know.” Luke took a swallow of soda.
“He told you?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh.” Katy pushed her hair behind her ears. “He said if I didn’t help him he would send information to Justine that would make it appear I had been the one sabotaging Gilchrist Gourmet all along.”
“Uh-huh.”
Katy stared at him. “He told you that, too?”
“Yeah. It was just a meaningless threat, Katy.”
She looked out the window. “He might have done it.”
“It wouldn’t have mattered,” Luke said gently. “Even if he had sent the information to Justine and even if she had believed him, it wouldn’t have mattered. Justine doesn’t run things around here anymore, remember? I do.”
Katy smiled tremulously. “Yes. And you wouldn’t have believed him?”
“Christ, no.” Luke’s teeth flashed in a brief grin. “You’re the Gilchrist guardian angel. You’re the last person on earth who would deliberately hurt the family firm.”
“I wish you’d stop calling me an angel,” she muttered. But she felt herself warming under the impact of his obvious faith in her integrity. Gilchrists did not trust easily, she knew. The fact that Luke trusted her meant a great deal.
There was silence for a moment in the kitchen. Matt broke it.
“Good thing we got back when we did,” he offered conversationally.
“You can say that again,” Katy murmured. “I wasn’t sure how to make Zeke release Fraser. I had visions of lawsuits and all sorts of problems.”
“There won’t be any more problems from Stanfield,” Luke said.
Something in his too-quiet voice alerted Katy. Her brows snapped together in a worried frown. “Luke, you didn’t do anything violent to him, did you?”
Luke looked her straight in the eye. “Hell, no. I know you don’t approve of violence. I gave him a stern lecture on business ethics and a very forceful warning.”
Matt suddenly choked on a swallow of soda. He gasped, sputtered, and nearly bent over double as he tried to recover himself. Soda sprayed from the can as Matt hastily set it down on the counter. Katy’s attention was momentarily diverted.
“Are you all right, Matt?”
“Yeah. Sure.” Matt coughed and made a production out of clearing his throat as he reached for a sponge to mop up the soda. His gaze flickered to Luke, who looked politely concerned. “Uh, I think I’ll take Zeke for a walk or something. See you later. Come on, Zeke. Let’s go, boy.”
Zeke obediently scooped up his dish and trotted after Matt. Katy waited until the door closed, and then she turned back to Luke.
“About Fraser,” she began deliberately. “I really think you should have kept me informed, Luke.”
Luke put down his can of soda and reached for her. He leaned back against the refrigerator door, spread his legs, and pulled her close between his thighs. Katy could feel the heat and the strength in him. She responded to it as she always did, with a heady little rush of excitement.
“Luke?” She raised her head to look up at him. There was an unnerving intensity in his emerald gaze.
“Do you have any idea of how I felt when I saw you down there on the beach and realized what had happened?” Luke’s voice was as rough as the surf hitting the cliffs below the cottage window. “Do you know what could have happened if Zeke hadn’t been there?”
The fierce protectiveness in him touched Katy deeply. She gentled Luke’s hard jaw with soothing fingers. “It’s all right, Luke. I don’t think Fraser would have actually hurt me. He was just very upset and angry, and he wanted to make me help him. But I don’t think he would have used force.”
“Angel, sometimes you scare me to death. How the hell have you survived this long without a guardian of your own?”
Before Katy could reply Luke took her mouth, kissing her with all the controlled ferocity she had seen reflected in his eyes since he had walked into the cottage.
Katy could feel the battle-ready tension in him and instinctively knew that whatever had happened between Luke and Fraser, it had not been entirely civilized.
She also knew there was nothing she could do about it now. Luke would never tell her the whole truth. Perhaps she did not really want to know the details, she thought.
Katy surrendered to the urgent demand in Luke’s kiss, using her softness to drain off the remnants of the fury that had blazed in his eyes.
When the tension had eased in him Katy raised her head. “Luke? What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking of something Stanfield told me before he left a few minutes ago.”
“What was that?”
“I asked him for the name of the man who was behind the consortium of investors who were trying to buy Gilchrist Gourmet.”
“He told you?” Katy asked, surprised.
“I guess he was feeling cooperative. He said he never actually met him, but the guy’s name was Milo Nyle.”
“Good heavens,” Katy said. “That’s the name of the man who tried to con Darren. Mr. Nyle was certainly an active mischief-maker.”
“Yes,” Luke said, apparently lost in his own thoughts. “He was.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Two days later Luke sat at his Seattle office desk gazing into the crystal ball that was his computer. He absently tapped a gold pen against the polished wood of his desk.
Displayed on the screen was information on a real estate deal Gilchrist, Inc. had done fifteen years earlier.
The maneuver had involved the purchase of a small, aging building near the Pike Place Market. The structure itself was useless to Gilchrist. It was the property Justine had wanted, and there was no denying it had been a brilliant business decision. It was the site on which she had later built the Pacific Rim. Not only had the restaurant been incredibly successful, but the land itself had skyrocketed in value as Seattle had come into its own in recent years.
Another Gilchrist success.
Luke had found several memos from Justine pertaining to the deal. They made it clear that before the old building could be torn down the handful of small businesses that occupied it had to be removed. Some leases were canceled, others were not renewed. The net result had been the closing of a small restaurant, a cleaning establishment, and a bookstore. The restaurant had been named the Atwood Café.
Luke studied the screen, but a portion of his mind was on Katy. It was fortunate he could do two things at once, he thought, because a part of his mind was always on Katy lately.
She consumed his full attention in his dreams and nibbled at his thoughts all day long, regardless of other distractions. Now that he could start to see a future again he could not envision it without her.
The commotion in the outer office pulled Luke’s attention away from the screen. He heard familiar voices issuing orders. His secretary wavered and fell under the Gilchrist charge.
A moment later Luke’s door opened. He looked up in resignation as Maureen, Hayden, Darren, and Eden stormed into his office. They took up positions around his desk as if it were a pentagram.
“No wonder Katy thinks of us as a coven,” Luke muttered. He leaned back in his chair. “I take it this is not a social call?”
“We’ve talked this over, Luke, and we’ve decided you should know our feelings on the matter,” Maureen announced.
“What matter is that?” Luke asked politely.
“Katy.” Eden drifted toward the window. She settled on the sill and adjusted the hem of her black wool skirt. “You’re sleeping with her, Luke. We all know it. You told me yourself that you were involved with her.”
“So?”
“So we want you to know our feelings on the subject,” Maureen repeated.
“Hell.” Luke tossed aside the gold pen. “Don’t tell me you’re all here to give me a lecture on how to conduct my love life. I’m not in the mood to listen to it.
Maureen glared at him. “This is important. None of us wants Katy hurt.”
“She’s right,” Darren said.
“Since when did any of you start worrying about Katy?” Luke asked.