a challenge. “I’m more than ready to take you down.”
“So you keep telling me. Talk is cheap.”
Annoyance tightened her face and he knew she was searching for some scathing comeback. Or something heavy to throw at him.
Dana took her responsibilities very seriously. She would worry about her friends and do anything in her power to protect them. But who looked after her?
She would say she didn’t need protecting, that she was fine. But was it true? Or were there vulnerabilities she hid from the world?
“Is there anything else?” she asked.
“That’s all I have, unless you’d like to arm wrestle for dominance.”
She ignored that and stood. He rose and stepped beside her as she walked to the door. Instinctively, he put his hand on the small of her back, as if to guide her out of the office.
He hadn’t planned the touch. It was something a man did in the presence of a woman. A polite gesture, nothing more.
But as he felt the warmth of her skin through her shirt, it seemed like more. It seemed…intimate.
She glanced up at him, her brown eyes clouded with emotions he couldn’t read but could guess. Wariness. Maybe fear. Which made him want to tell her that everything was going to be all right. As if he could predict the outcome of any of this.
“I can make it to the door on my own,” she said, moving away. “But thanks for trying to help.”
“You’re prickly.”
“Part of my charm.”
Part of the way she protected herself.
He wanted to tell her that she could trust him—that he wasn’t her enemy. But that wasn’t true. He was exactly who she should be wary of—he was her worst nightmare. A man willing to do anything to win.
“Until tonight,” he said.
“It’s not a date. I’m there to watch you. My ultimate goal is to see you in jail for the rest of your life.”
He tapped the folders she held. “Maybe it was, but it’s not anymore. I’m not the bad guy and you know it. But you’re welcome to watch anytime you want.”
Her jaw clenched and then she was gone. Garth smiled as he returned to his desk. Dana made things interesting and he liked that in a woman.
DANA PACED IN LEXI’S office. The fountain and the spa music in the background were supposed to be soothing. Instead it made her want to climb the walls. Or shoot something.
After she was done here, she would go work out for a couple of hours. Maybe take out her frustrations on a punching bag.
Lexi glanced up from the folders. Her normally pale skin had gone white, her eyes were wide.
“Did you read this?” she asked.
Dana nodded. “Scary stuff.”
“I can’t believe it, but even as I say that, there’s a part of me that isn’t surprised. Jed’s ruthless. He’s always been that way. He pretties it up when he has to, but it’s there. Still, he could have killed his own daughter. Did he even care that Izzy was on the oil rig? What about the other lives? But hey, winning is all that matters, right?” Her voice rose as she spoke, her tone got more shrill.
Dana moved to the desk and looked at her. “Deep breaths. Baby on board and all that. Try to stay calm.”
Lexi nodded and exhaled slowly. “I know. I’ll be okay. I’m just in shock. Jed doing all this. Treason.” She sighed. “I need to think about this. We need a plan. The next step. I’m going to need a little time.”
Dana settled across from her desk. “Take all the time you need. You have a lot going on.”
Lexi leaned back in her chair. “I’m having a baby. Women do it every day.”
“I don’t care about them, I care about you. You’re my friend.”
“Thank you. I’m doing okay. This is a stunner, but I’ll get through it. We’re working together and that makes me feel better.”
Dana eyed Lexi’s growing belly. “Just remember what’s important. We can go after Jed anytime.”
“We’re not stopping because I’m pregnant. I’m taking excellent care of myself and Cruz practically hovers.”
“Skye mentioned something about a baby shower.” Dana managed to get the sentence out without shuddering. She wasn’t really a baby-wedding shower kind of person. What was up with the strange games? And why did the food have to be cute?
Lexi grinned. “You’ll be there, honey, if we have to drag you. Don’t think you’re getting out of it.”
“Oh, joy.”
“It could be worse.”
“How?”
“There could be balloon animals.”
“I happen to like balloon animals.”
Lexi laughed. “It won’t be too horrible, I promise. No color-coordinated mints.”
“Is Skye planning the shower?” Skye might run a nonprofit foundation but she was also an expert party planner. Her system of organization rivaled any battle plan the Pentagon put out.
“Yes. Okay. You’re right. The mints might match. But it will still be fun.”
“If you define the word very loosely.”
“Poor Dana,” Lexi teased. “My baby shower is only the start. Skye’s talking about getting married.”
“We all knew that was going to happen,” Dana grumbled. Skye was madly in love. No one would be surprised when she and Mitch set the date. “You’ll be next.”
“After the baby is born,” Lexi said. “I never planned to be unconventional, but here I am, having a baby and then getting married. I’m sure my mother is horrified. Cruz and I are talking about late spring. So you’ll have time to recover.”
Which she would need, Dana thought. “At least Izzy is more the type to simply run off some weekend and show up Monday with a wedding ring and a new last name. She was always my favorite.”
Lexi laughed again. “How you suffer for us all.”
“I know. That’s me. The suffering friend.”
“Maybe you’ll meet someone you want to marry.”
“No, thanks.”
“Not ever?”
“When pigs fly.”
The next words were spoken
