“No one’s getting in there,” he said. Not that it mattered. The bag of jewelry was in the safe in Darcy’s salon. “I’ll get Gran’s jewelry back to her.”
“But I need to clear my name. That’s why I came here. To get the jewelry and return it and publicly vindicate myself before she dies, but that could happen anytime. If Gideon’s here…” She followed his gaze to the building. “He’ll go where Stella is, because I told Gran that’s how I was making sure the dog bed, with the jewelry inside, was safe. Somehow he found out. Expect him any minute.”
He stood there, feeling his T-shirt start to stick from the rain, and a slow cold sweat that started with her words. He’d go where Stella is. Stella was with Darcy.
Gideon could find Darcy. Josh wouldn’t put anything past him. Or maybe this was all Savannah’s latest lie, and she planned to search his apartment the minute Josh left. He wasn’t about to take that chance.
“Can I see her, Josh?” She gestured toward the building. “Can I see my dog?”
And she’d use that tactic. “Let’s get something straight, Savannah. Stella is my dog. You can lie, cheat, and steal your way wherever you want to go in life, but you are not taking her from me. Is that clear?”
She opened her mouth to argue, then the wind went out of that sail. “Okay,” she said quietly. “But can I go inside? It’s pouring.”
“Do you think I’m that stupid?”
Her shoulders collapsed. “You’ll never trust me, will you?”
Probably not. But there was a woman he trusted who might be fooled—or worse—by a man she’d never recognize. And she mattered more. A lot more. More than jewels, family, or whether or not these were lies.
“I have to go.”
“Josh, please.”
“What? What do you want from me? I’m not giving you the jewelry, no matter what you tell me. I’m not giving you Stella. And I’m not giving you access to my home.”
“Then give me…” She struggled to swallow. “Forgiveness. I’m not lying about any of this, but even if you don’t believe me, forgive me.”
He stared at her.
“It’s all I need. It’s all I want. I messed up my life, and I’m going to move on and start over, but I need to know you forgive me.”
He waited for the anger, the resentment, and the betrayal that had become a companion for a long time to bubble up and strangle him. But nothing came. Not a single bit of hatred for this woman who had made so many mistakes. His eyes were open, and all they could see was…Darcy. And who had taught him more about giving people a chance than Darcy?
“I forgive you,” he said softly.
She let out a half sigh, half sob.
“You can wait out the rain under the overhang.” He pushed open the gate for her, but she shook her head.
“No, I’m going back to Buffalo. My mother left a mess, and I’m going to clean it up and start over up there. Thanks, Josh. You always were one of the good guys.”
He nodded, not sure what to say.
“Give Stella a kiss for me.”
He watched her walk a few steps, then turned and took off. He reached into his pocket to get his phone, realizing with a thud that he’d left in such a hurry that it was still upstairs. But there was no time to go get it.
He had to get to Darcy before Gideon did.
Chapter Twenty-five
Gideon moved slowly for a man determined to make peace with his brother. He was quieter now that they could hear each other, barely bothering to stay under the umbrella Darcy held, answering her questions with one-syllable responses.
In fact, he was so curt, she grew uncomfortable as they walked through Bushrod Square. “So, was your grandmother in the hospital or at home?” she asked.
“Home.”
“Was she alone or with family?”
He threw her a look. “Is it much farther?”
“A little ways.” Maybe it was the stress of relaying this news to Josh that had him so uptight. She tried a different tact. “I met Bernice briefly and thought she was…” She laughed softly. “A character. Not exactly a sweet old lady, but so colorful.”
“Didn’t take you too long to worm your way into the family, did it?”
The question made her slow her step. “Excuse me?”
He stayed silent, as if he regretted the outburst.
“It was you who asked me to facilitate this meeting,” she reminded him. “So no actual ‘worming’ involved.”
“Right.” He closed his eyes as if digging for patience, and when he opened them, he looked over her shoulder in the direction they’d come, then let out a frustrated sigh.
“If you’re unhappy with our progress, you could walk a little faster, you know.”
“I know, but…” He turned back and continued on at the same maddeningly slow pace.
“I’m sure it isn’t going to be easy,” she said, trying again. “But I’ve been talking to Josh a lot about his relationship with you. I do think that deep inside he wants a family connection and to put all the past behind him. He wants to communicate.”
He responded with a shudder that could have been fear…or disgust. A betting woman would have said the latter. An insane optimist who saw the best in people hoped that betting woman was wrong.
“After spending time with my family, which, as you said, is very close, I think he—”
“I get it,” he cut her off. “Just take me to the apartment building.”
Wait. Had she told him Josh was at an apartment building? How did he know that? The first coil of true concern wrapped around her chest, bringing her to a complete stop.
“Like I said, you can use your GPS, and I’ll go back to…” She started to turn in the direction of the salon, but he instantly put a hand on her shoulder, nudging her forward.
“No, no. You’re right. I’m tense. Dreading the confrontation. Let’s keep going. I still think it’s important that you’re with me.”
“Why?” she asked, even though he’d already explained. Something in the way he was acting made her feel he wanted more than peacemaking from her.
“Because…” He rooted around for an answer. “He cares about you. His mother and Brea both said you’re a very good influence on him, so he’s going to listen to you.”
She was quiet for a moment, hearing a dog bark in the distance, loud enough to be heard over the rain, but her mind was on Christine and Brea Bucking. How did those women get that much out of the brief time she was there?
“The decision to accept your apology is Josh’s, not mine,” she finally said.
“He’ll do the right thing.”
“He always does.” Maybe it was the elephant in the room that needed to be addressed. After all, no one had mentioned that Gideon had slept with Savannah. “But what you did was pretty rough.”
He slid her a sideways glance, and this time, there was no doubt. It was disgust. And this time, his touch was more of a prod than a nudge. “Keep going. It was rougher for me than him.”
“To have sex with his girlfriend?” she choked.
He stared straight ahead, silent. “Things are not always what they seem,” he said, softly enough that she almost didn’t hear it over the rain hitting the umbrella and the dog bark that grew louder.
No kidding. Like how going with him to see Josh seemed to be a good idea ten minutes ago when this guy was normal and not a complete jerk.
Darcy stopped again, decision made. “You can find it from here. I’m going to go back—” She turned, but he grabbed her arm, forcefully not letting her turn. “Hey!” She tried to wrest away, but his green gaze turned icy and direct.
“You’re coming with me.”
“Like hell I am.” She yanked away, but failed to get loose.
He moved in with a menacing look. “You will if you want to see that dog again.”
The threat made her sway, nearly dropping the umbrella. “What?”
“If what we want is in that baby bed with dogs in it, then y
ou’ll be free to go. If not, you know what the ransom for Stella will be.”
The baby bed with… She blinked at him, her heart rising up in her throat. “Ransom?”
“Just keep moving.” He ground out the words and squeezed her arm.
Indignation shot through her, along with a healthy dose of fear. She managed to jump back and smash the umbrella in his face, whipping around in time to hear an insane bark and see a flash of something white. Wet and white, running and barking and frantic.
“Kookie!” She dropped the umbrella, launching toward the dog.
“Get up.” Gideon got a hold of her arm and wrenched so hard she cried out as she came to her feet.
Kookie practically stood on her hind legs, wildly barking in a way that could mean only one thing: Something had happened to Stella. Her long fur was drenched, smashed to her tiny body so she looked like a drowned rat, howling the way Darcy wanted to.
“You bastard,” she growled at Gideon, fighting him off with every ounce of strength she had. “What did you do? What did you do?”
“My guess is the jewelry isn’t where we were told it was.” He ground out the words, fighting to get control of her.
“We?” Was it Savannah? Then she wouldn’t hurt Stella. But someone else might.
“You want that dog, you know what you have to do.”
White-hot fury and spitting rain blinded her as she thrashed, managing to free one arm. What should she do? She had to find Stella. She had to save her.
Rounding up every ounce of strength she had, Darcy pulled back her right hand, balled it up in a fist, and let it fly so hard she kept spinning after it smashed his chin with a satisfying thud. He was stunned long enough for her to swoop down, grab Kookie, and haul butt across the square, nearly face-planting as she rounded the very bench where Josh had taken off her shoes.
But no one was there tonight. The square was deserted, without a soul to beg for help. She didn’t dare slow down to get out her phone. Someone took Stella, and she couldn’t let them get away.
She squeezed the terrified dog in her arms, rocked by anger at Gideon and at herself. Why had she trusted him? Why had she tried to take Josh’s family matters into her independent hands? He was right about Gideon!
With the street in sight, she ran across the grass, slipping and sliding so frequently she had to fight to hold on to Kookie. Her knees hit the ground with a painful thud, but she managed to get right back up again. As she did, she stole a glance over her shoulder, a flash of lightning illuminating Gideon, maybe fifty feet behind her. He wasn’t going to get her. He wasn’t.
But in seconds, she could hear his feet pounding, his breath panting.
She tore into the street, running straight to the salon where the front door hung gaping open. But she’d locked it!
No, she’d closed it, and it had automatically locked. But as she reached the sidewalk opposite the salon, she could see the door ajar. Someone had placed a small block to prevent the door from closing and locking. Not someone—Gideon. He must have done it while she’d texted Josh.
Just as she stepped into the street, a car whipped out from a side street, bringing Darcy to a standstill and splashing her with a rooster tail of water. Damn it!
It was enough time for Gideon to catch up with her. He grabbed her arm, and she let out a wail that would have brought out anyone in any nearby store if it hadn’t gotten lost in a clap of thunder. He smacked his hand over her mouth, cursing mightily in her ear and pushing her across the street. She kicked, tripped, and swung her body so hard, they both went tumbling as a pickup came barreling toward them.
For a moment, everything froze—time and space and Darcy’s heartbeat. She opened her mouth to scream and opened her arms to push Kookie out of the way as the truck fishtailed to a screeching halt and the driver’s door opened.
Through the rain and dark, a powerful figure emerged, stealing what breath Darcy had.
Josh.
“Get off her, you son of a bitch!” Josh tore at them, driving a knee into Gideon’s chest while he gave Darcy a solid push to safety and freedom. “Get the dogs,” he ordered her as he seized Gideon’s collar and dragged him to his feet.
Kookie had already torn to the store, barking maniacally. Darcy leaped up to follow her, running in and whipping the door open to gasp in shock at what she saw.
The cradle was in bits, cracked and chopped and annihilated. The cushions the dogs slept on were sliced to ribbons. And the pink anxiety jacket that Stella had been wearing lay on the floor in tatters.
“Oh my God. Oh my God.” Sobbing, she fell to her knees and picked up the jacket, pressing it to her mouth to keep from screaming.
A second later, Josh dragged his much smaller stepbrother into the salon and thrust him up against the wall. “Where is she? Where is Stella?”
Gideon’s jaw locked as he stared back. “You’re not getting them,” he spat out. “Your gold-digger mother isn’t getting them.”
“I don’t give a rat’s ass about jewelry. Where is my dog?”
Gideon closed his mouth and eyes and stayed quiet while Josh added more pressure. “Tell me!”
Dead silent, he didn’t move.
With a grunt of disgust, Josh spun him around and threw him against the oversized dog crate. “Who took her?” he demanded. “Where did they go?”
“Wait for a text, little brother. You’ll get your instructions.”
Josh straightened as if a lifetime of anger and hate shot up his spine, making him squeeze Gideon’s shoulders and push him again. This time, Gideon stumbled backward, tripping on the edge of the crate. Before he took his next breath, Josh grabbed the door of the crate and dealt a thud of a blow to Gideon’s solar plexus.
As he doubled over with a grunt, Josh shoved his whole body into a space big enough to hold one of Liam’s Schutzhunds and strong enough to keep him there. Gideon was still balled up as Josh slammed the door and smashed a combination lock through the latch.
“Hey!” Gideon shouted as he looked up and realized what had happened. “Let me out.”
“Where is Stella?” Josh demanded.
Gideon rattled the cage like the trapped animal he was, while Josh backed up to check on Darcy. He didn’t say a word, but wiped a finger over the tears that streamed down her face as she squeezed a shocked and bedraggled Kookie.
“Savannah came to the apartment,” he told her, catching his breath while he scooped up Kookie to comfort them both. “She must have done this. I don’t know how, but I know that she did.”
Darcy looked down at the broken cradle and crumbled with a sob. “That’s been in my family for years.”
“I’m sorry, Darcy.” He bent over to pick up a piece of the wood.
“Give me a second,” Darcy said, heading to the back office. Bending down to the safe under the desk, she turned the dial, entirely certain Josh would agree with this decision. Stella was worth it.
Pulling out the green satin satchel not much bigger than a cosmetic bag, she closed the safe and returned to the reception area to dangle the loot in front of the jerk in the cage. “Is this what y’all are looking for?”
His eyes flashed with horror. “How’d she miss that?”
She. So it was Savannah. “You know what, Gideon Bucking?” Darcy asked. “You don’t deserve a family.” She put her arm around Josh, who was still holding Kookie. “But you do, Josh. Let’s go get our dog.”
He guided her to the door. “Leave him, or call the sheriff?”
“Oh, no. Leave him in there.” She yanked the door behind her and heard it lock. “He’s not getting out until Stella is in our hands.”
Kookie barked once, in total agreement.
Chapter Twenty-six
“I can’t believe I damn near bought some sob story about her mother.” Josh gave in to the regret along with the adrenaline dump that coursed through him after the fight.
“And I can’t believe I stuck my nose in your family business and tried to smooth things
out that were never made to be smooth.” Darcy reached over the console as he drove them to Ambrose Acres. “I’m so sorry, Josh. I should have never given him one moment of consideration.” Then she gasped. “Oh my God, I forgot to tell you something.”
“What?” He glanced at her, hearing true concern in her voice.
“I mean, it might not be true, but he said your grandmother passed away.”
He closed his eyes as the news hit. “Damn,” he muttered.
“Wouldn’t your mother have called?”
“I haven’t looked at my phone since I texted you this afternoon,” he admitted, still processing the loss. “But it does make sense that Gideon and Savannah would move into high gear to retrieve this stuff now that she’s dead. My mother probably would have gotten the lion’s share since Gran actually liked her.”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I know you weren’t close, but still.”
He turned to her. “Thanks. It’s the perfect end to a perfect day, which could actually get worse.”
“Yeah, it could.”
He glanced at her, hearing the depth of pain in her voice. “I can handle Savannah, Darcy. My only concern is Stella, and honestly, you don’t have to worry there. She might be crazy and unpredictable, but she loves that dog and would never hurt her. Say what you will about Savannah, but Stella loved her.”
“Then why’d she rip off her anxiety jacket?”
“Maybe she thought we hid the jewelry in it?” He shook his head, another thread of the conversation with Savannah coming back. “And just to make things confusing, she gave Stella to me this afternoon, and then she kidnapped her back. It doesn’t make any sense.”
Darcy looked stunned, then her jaw opened wide. “Maybe it’s not Savannah who has Stella.”
They stayed silent for a second as that hit home.
“Brea?” They said her name at the same moment.
“Although I would never have taken her for quite that evil,” Darcy added.
Josh returned his attention to the road, turning over all he knew about his stepsister. “She’s a conniver,” he said. “But always sugar-coated and sweet.”