nodded. “Lexi’s right. We have to be sure. We all have to be sure this isn’t a trick. That he hasn’t come up with a new strategy. Maybe he wasn’t responsible for the explosion. Maybe that was just bad timing or something. But there are other questions that still have to be answered.”
Dana cleared her throat. “Technically this isn’t Garth’s strategy. It’s Izzy’s. I don’t think he wants to be drawn into the family.”
“Which will make the process even more unpleasant,” Lexi murmured.
“We have to do this,” Izzy said stubbornly. “We have to save him.”
“If he’s worth saving,” Skye said. “How do we know for sure?”
There was a moment of silence as the women looked at each other. Suddenly Izzy grinned.
“Piss him off,” she announced happily. “If I’m right and there’s a nice guy just waiting to get out, he may be annoyed but he won’t act out. If he’s as horrible as you three think, he’ll show his true colors. Stress brings out a person’s real character.”
“She’s right,” Skye said slowly. “If we can get in his face, we’ll figure him out pretty quickly.”
“We need to provoke him in an obvious way,” Dana said, moving toward them, liking the idea of annoying Garth.
Skye smiled. “What about if one of us shadows him? Two birds with one stone—either we catch him being evil to someone else or he reacts to our personal surveillance.”
Lexi nodded. “If he’s everything Izzy claims, he’ll understand. If not, maybe he’ll get mad and show us what’s underneath that tough facade. It’s a win-win. I like it.”
“I don’t,” Izzy said, “but I see the point of it. So which one of us should it be?”
Dana thought about everything that had happened in the past few months, how scared her friends had been and about Garth’s ruthless actions. She thought about how Jed had ignored his own daughters, virtually leaving them on their own to handle a situation he’d created. She thought of how much each of the Titan sisters meant to her.
“I’ll do it,” she said, looking at them. “I’ll take a leave of absence and stay on Garth full-time.”
“You can’t,” Skye said.
“Sure I can. I won’t have a problem getting the time. You need an objective third party, but also someone who knows what to look for. That’s me.”
“You have to let us pay you,” Lexi said. “You won’t have a paycheck.”
“Not on your life.”
Skye stood and faced her. She was a green-eyed redhead with a temper. It took her a while to get riled, but when it happened, it was impressive.
“Friends don’t let friends work for free,” Skye told her. “Either we pay you or we find someone else.”
“It’s not like they’ll miss the money,” Izzy pointed out. “They’re rich.”
“When you get your trust fund, you’re kicking in your share,” Skye told her.
Dana didn’t want to take their money, but she also didn’t want to trust anyone else with the investigation. There was too much on the line.
“Okay. But no more than my usual pay at the sheriff’s office.”
“Done,” Lexi said, leveraging herself into a standing position. “You’ll stay on Garth and find out everything you can. If he’s becoming one of the good guys, then we’ll all hold hands and sing ‘Kumbaya.’ If not, you get the pleasure of throwing his ass in jail.”
Dana smiled. “I’d like that.”
Izzy put her hands on her hips. “You be nice to him.”
“I won’t leave any scars,” she promised instead.
“No bruises, either.”
Dana sighed. “No one lets me have any fun.”
GARTH’S PHONE BUZZED.
“There are two ladies here to see you,” his assistant said through the speakerphone. “They don’t have appointments, but said that you, and I quote, ‘wouldn’t mind taking time from your busy schedule to be with loved ones.’”
He only knew one person who talked like that. “Izzy and one of her sisters?”
“Ms. Skye Titan, sir.”
“Send them in.”
He rose and walked around his desk. Why would Skye and Izzy come to see him? Not to gloat. His time with the Dallas Police Department had hardly been a victory.
Seconds later Izzy breezed into his office. Her long, dark curly hair tumbled past her shoulders. She smiled as if they shared a delicious secret. Skye trailed behind her, looking less convinced this was where she wanted to be.
“An unexpected pleasure,” he said, motioning to the sofas by the window. “Can I get you ladies anything?”
“No, thanks. We’re here to talk,” Izzy said as she plopped down on a sofa cushion. “Lexi had other obligations. That’s what I’m supposed to say. Reality is, she’s still not sure about you. I said you were fine, but only Skye really believes me.”
He turned his attention to the curvy redhead in a tailored suit and pearls who had taken a seat near her sister. “You’re sure about me?”
Cool, green eyes stared into his. “I said I was willing to consider you weren’t completely evil. There’s a difference.”
“I agree.” He turned his attention back to Izzy. “What are we talking about?”
“You. Saving you from yourself.” She frowned. “You don’t remember? We discussed this before.”
Izzy had said some sentimental things about him being her brother and the sisters being his family—a fact that didn’t change anything. He’d dismissed her comments as the babblings of a broken heart.
“You were upset about Nick,” he said.
“Oh, please. That didn’t affect my brain.” She settled into a more comfortable position and patted the cushion next to hers. “Come on. Join the party. As I said the other day, you’re family. This path of destruction you’re on is just plain stupid. So we’re going to save you.”
“Against my will?”
“If necessary.” She smiled. “We can be very persuasive.”
“Izzy wants you to join the family,” Skye said.
“By Christmas,” Izzy added.
He remembered her saying something like that before. “Thanks, but no.”
