Protected By The Enemy (Hacienda Heights Book 2) Read online

  And worse. There was no way I’d ever have Mina. Owen would demand complete fidelity, lest he leak the information.

  “Why this?” I stood and paced the room, too riled to sit. “You could have asked for anything, you know. Better terms in your contract. Money, acclaim, power. Why a marriage? Why foist your daughter off on me? You know I can’t give her what she wants.”

  Owen’s smile softened his whole face. “What she wants is you. She’s been in love with you for years, Logan. And loathe as I am to hand her off, she’s had her heart set on you. And what my little girl wants, my little girl gets.”

  He turned back to his computer screen. “Now if that was all, you may go. I’m sure you’ll want to confer with your father about all of this.”

  Now that he mentioned it… Yes. I needed confirmation of what he’d shown me before I could forge my way ahead.

  I practically staggered out of the office, a sense of dread stealing over me.

  I’d go to the assisted living facility and demand answers. If my father told me it was a lie, I’d believe him. We’d fight the misinformation with a lawyer and an aggressive media campaign.

  But if it was the truth...

  No. It had to be a lie. For the sake of my mental well-being, I had to believe that.

  But in the pit of my stomach, a sick feeling still festered. Because I couldn’t be sure at all.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Mina

  A sea of colorful umbrellas waved in the breeze, giving Miss Anwick’s veranda a cheerful air. A cold front had thankfully moved in to chase the wall of humid air away from the Heights. Things were finally settling back into a normal rhythm, and it was a shame that I couldn’t sit back and enjoy it.

  Gideon’s friends and family had been invited to this little get-together, as a gesture of appreciation for company employees.

  Adele was having the time of her life, swaying to the beat of an upbeat jazz number with Miss Anwick’s great uncle.

  Helen, Gideon’s mother, Gideon, and I had been socializing by a table overlooking a sloping lawn. I’d found myself staring at the middle-distance often, formulating a tirade to unleash on Logan the next time I saw him. Even here, no amount of good food and chardonnay had been able to wash the spicy tang of anger from my tongue.

  “And this is my boss,” Gideon enthused, taking my elbow to gain my attention.

  I was pulled from my reverie as Miss Anwick swam into my line of vision. She was a strikingly beautiful woman. Taller than me at about six feet, her sleek dark hair had been arranged in an elegant twist at the base of her neck. Trademark emerald studs offset her green eyes. She looked very similar to the last time we’d met, during the gala at the Ritz-Carlton.

  “Oh hey, I know you,” I blurted stupidly. Gideon tensed beside me, and I realized my mistake a second too late. Hannah had never met Gideon’s boss. I rushed to cover my faux pas, forcing a light laugh. “I mean, I’ve seen you before. Gideon’s always telling me I read too many magazines. You’ve been on the cover of Business Insider twice, haven’t you?”

  Isadora’s smile lit her whole face. “Ah yes. And I might make it a third time. I think they’re interested in the newest innovations in our sector. And of course, we’re at the very head of the trend.” She pulled Gideon into her side and ruffled his hair in a playful manner. “But I might see if I could get darling Gideon to stand in for me next time. There’s only so many times the public wants to see this old mug on a cover. This handsome fellow deserves to be memorialized in print, doesn’t he?”

  I nodded, not trusting my wayward tongue. I couldn’t afford any more slip-ups. I’d already cheated Gideon out of precious days by indulging Logan’s little quest.

  Just thinking about him made my blood pressure tic up a notch. Damn it. Why was I letting him get under my skin like this? I knew better by now.

  “Dora, don’t,” Gideon said, disentangling himself from the playful mussing of his hair. “What if the press sees?”

  “Let them,” Isadora said with a smile.

  The odd little exchange gave me pause. I felt like I’d missed an unspoken signal between the two. Was there more to Gideon’s relationship with Isadora than he had originally let on? She was at least fifteen, if not twenty years his senior. But I’d seen bigger age gaps.

  Isadora seized my elbow a moment later and guided me toward the refreshment table, where she offered me a glass of Rosé All Day Punch. A small fruit kebab lay atop the glass and a lime bobbed within. I took it gratefully and offered her a small, cautious smile.

  “You and Gideon seem close,” I murmured, uncharacteristically nervous around this woman.

  Isadora Anwick had been something of an idol to me, once upon a time. She was every inch a confident woman. She’d saved her father’s company from certain bankruptcy after her father’s untimely death, and she’d managed to become one of only twenty-four women who worked as CEO in their field.

  Isadora’s face split into a wide grin and she elbowed me lightly in the ribs. “Oh, don’t tell me you’re jealous, Hannah. It’s never been like that between Gideon and I. And it’s clear he’s smitten with you.”

  I squirmed uncomfortably. Gideon had made his intent perfectly clear. And perhaps it was the alcohol, but I was beginning to consider his offer. I’d never actually dated much outside Logan. Perhaps the reason I’d never gotten over the mercurial man was that I hadn’t been trying hard enough.

  Logan wasn’t leaving Phoebe. He’d made himself clear. But his fervent kisses had convinced me he was unwilling to let me go either. After years of watching my mother’s friends chase the affection of their husbands while the faithless bastards cheated with their secretaries, I’d promised myself that I’d never be the sort of woman who shared her man.

  If Logan was unable to choose between us, then perhaps it was time I made the decision for him.

  Isadora kept up a steady stream of conversation, and I nodded along, chiming in where appropriate. She seemed to be talking about Gideon a lot, as if she needed to sell him to me. As if, to her knowledge, we weren’t already engaged.

  As she spoke, I realized that I did know her from more than just Business Insider and my father’s fancy parties. I’d done a job with Alastair Anwick many years ago, when he had been recently divorced. Twice a month, for a year, I’d gone out with him. He’d spoken of his daughter often. It had been clear to me how much he loved her.

  Gideon came to retrieve me, and everyone seemed perfectly content. Maybe I could make this job work after all.

  “Why don’t I escort you home?” Gideon offered. “I feel like a prick, leaving you alone so long with Isadora. Did she talk your ear off? She can be a bit of a chatterbox.”

  I waved airily. “It’s fine. Refreshing really. I like women who are direct. It saves time when I don’t have to do the girl politicking. I think she really likes you, though.” I elbowed him playfully in the ribs. “Is she going to steal you from me?”

  Gideon grimaced. “No. I mean, not that she isn’t beautiful, but it would never be like that between us.”

  I frowned. Isadora had said something similar. I wanted to press for more details, but Gideon cut me off, flashing a devilish smile and pressing a kiss to my cheek. My skin tingled in the wake of his lips. How would he feel other places? Would he be just as kind and giving in other areas as he was in his social life?

  I could find out, if I really wanted to.

  “Take me home,” I said, putting a little too much suggestion into my tone.

  Desire danced in Gideon’s dark eyes for a second before he nodded. “Of course, my lady.”

  By the time we reached my penthouse, I was feeling the effects of the punch. Gideon caught me as I swayed. I let out a little giggle and clung to his shirt.

  “There you go, saving me again,” I tittered. “What’s that, the third time? I nearly lost a shoe back there. And you saved it from the mud. My valiant rescuer.”

  Gideon smiled sheepishly and handed me the pair o
f strappy heels I’d taken off outside. “I think you should go a little easier on the punch next time. You’re a cute tipsy. Someone less honorable would take advantage.”

  I toyed with his tie. “So honorable. Not even going to kiss me then?”

  Gideon’s gaze dropped to my mouth and a hungry look filled his eyes. “Do you want that, Mina?”

  Honestly, I didn’t know what I wanted. But how would I ever know if I could get the taste of Logan out of my mouth if I never tried?

  “I might.”

  That was all the encouragement Gideon needed. He stepped forward at once, closing the distance between us. His hand came up to gently cup my cheek, just as his lips molded gently to mine. The kiss was gentle and sweet, like Gideon.

  And wrong. All wrong. His lips were too soft, and the hand not rough enough to belong to the man I truly wanted.

  I pulled away a second later, eyes dropping to my bare and slightly muddy feet. God, I was really a hypocrite. How the hell was I supposed to get mad at Logan for doing things with Phoebe when I invited Gideon to kiss me?

  “Thank you for the ride,” I said quietly. Without waiting for his reply, I ducked into my apartment.

  My shoes and bag clattered to the floor a second later and I dashed to the bathroom. My toothbrush lay out, and I squeezed a generous dollop of toothpaste onto it, scrubbing my mouth clean of any trace of Gideon.

  I couldn’t deny the truth to myself any longer. Even now, with nothing concrete between us, and no promises given on his part, I couldn’t bring myself to be unfaithful to Logan. I didn’t want anyone but him, even though he wasn’t choosing me. Fuck me.

  I glanced at my reflection. A dark-haired beauty stared back, questioning my sanity.

  Yes. Fuck me, indeed.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Logan

  The Hacienda Hills Assisted Living complex was a jumble of squat buildings arranged in a semi-circle around the main clinic. The whole thing was kept away from the public eye by high, ornate walls.

  If it hadn’t been for this last feature, there was no way I’d have been able to wrestle my father into the place. With wrought iron and stone separating him from the plebeian masses, he could at least pretend to be living in a gated community, rather than undergoing end-of-life care.

  The stubborn old man should have been in a hospital, but had denied his medical team the opportunity to assess whether further damage had been done to his heart.

  So, for the second time in as many days I found myself dragging a healthcare professional around after they latched themselves to my elbow.

  “You cannot go back there!” the orderly screeched. “You have to check yourself in at the front desk and have your identity verified!”

  “Fuck that,” I growled. I needed to speak to my father and I needed to do it now. I wasn’t going to give him a chance to shrug me off like an underpaid peon. He’d rarely allowed me to visit as his health declined, too proud to allow anyone to know he was suffering.

  Well, he could take that pride and shove it up his ass. If even half of what I’d been told was true, I’d strangle the old man myself.

  Heads poked out of rooms and tracked our progress down the hall. The scene was probably the most exciting thing to grace the residents’ week since the last bingo game.

  My father met me at his doorway, a ferocious scowl plastered on his face. He’d grown even thinner since the last time I’d visited. His skin had a sickly yellowish tint, and his keen blue eyes were sunken into his face. Katherine had inherited our mother’s eyes. I’d always believed I was the only child who’d inherited my father’s eyes. Now I wondered how many other sons carried the haughty visage of Alden Farraday.

  “What the hell are you doing out of the office at this time of day?” my father demanded, stepping forward to jab me in the chest with the metal tip of his cane. He’d insisted on having this one fashioned, rather than take the one offered by his health insurance. More dignified than something with tennis balls, I supposed.

  I pushed past him and into the room, forcing him to backpedal as I slammed the door in the orderly’s face. Let him call security. I didn’t give a damn.

  The living space was about the size of a hotel room and furnished with similar care. The bedspread and drapes were made of a matching gray material, the carpet a neutral beige.

  My father backed as far as the bed but refused to be cowed further. He stood, back straight and eyes narrowed in the face of my fury.

  “Is it true?” I demanded.

  His displeasure carved furrows into his face. “Don’t you take that tone with me—”

  “Is it fucking true?” I shouted. “Did you marry all those women?”

  He froze, and fear undulated just beneath the surface of his dark blue eyes, but it was all the indication I needed.

  “It’s true.”

  “You shouldn’t have known,” Alden said quietly, mouth tightening into a thin line as he sank down onto the mattress. “It wasn’t any of your business to know.”

  “None of my—” I couldn’t find the words for a second. “None of my business? You married thirteen women, you greedy old man! You had children, you’ve been supporting them with company money. You’re not fucking stupid. You know the penalties for that! Were a dozen good fucks all you needed to sell out your family? Your company? All the workers who depend on you?”

  “I am your father and you cannot speak to me like this!” Alden shouted, the loose skin on his face trembling with the force of his rage. Had anyone ever gotten his face? I doubted it.

  I lashed out, sending the lamp on his bedside table into the nearest wall. The ceramic base shattered into a dozen pieces on the floor.

  “You put me in charge of a company I didn’t want and you’re going to let me take the fall for your misbehavior! I will speak to you any way I fucking feel like it!” I snarled. “Why did you marry them all? Why couldn’t you have been a horny, faithless bastard like everyone else? Keep a mistress on the side or get your rocks off in hookers, but don’t marry every fucking woman you sleep with!”

  My father’s shoulders hunched forward, as if the years had crashed onto his back all at once. For the first time that I could remember, he wouldn’t look me in the eye.

  “I loved them.”

  “Liar.”

  His gaze flicked up to meet mine, and finally, a hint of steel crept back in. “I loved every woman I married. Why shouldn’t they have the same benefits of being my spouse?”

  “Because it’s illegal, you immoral asshole!” I shouted. “Because it’s a disaster waiting to happen! Because you were still married to my mother!”

  Alden clutched at his chest, breathing coming faster. “I need you to call an orderly. I don’t feel well.”

  “Bullshit. I’m not going to let you cop out of this conversation, you bastard. Do you know what you’ve done? What Owen Mason will force me to do in order to keep this quiet? You stole my life. You took away my one chance at happiness because you thought you were above the law. Well fuck that and fuck you.”

  Alden bent double, gasping. My rage abated by degrees—the fit didn’t appear to be faked. When his eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed supine on the mattress, my heart faltered and I finally ran to the door, flinging it open.

  The orderly was at the end of the hall, chatting with a security guard.

  “Get help!” I shouted. “He just had some sort of episode.”

  To his credit, the orderly only paused for a second before leaping into action. He pushed past the guard, complaint put on hold for the moment as he punched a code into the phone. Within seconds, a team of white-clad doctors was sprinting down the hallway to my father’s room. I was pushed aside, an afterthought in the unfolding drama.

  Within a minute and a half, my father had been hoisted onto a gurney and hauled away.

  I sat in a chair near the bed, head in hands, the anger gone, scooped from my insides by fear, leaving me anxious and alone. And there I remained
until the orderly came to sit beside me.

  “What happened?” I croaked. “He was standing up and talking to me and then—”

  The orderly scratched his chin thoughtfully. “We can’t be sure until the doctors do an examination, but it could have been another ischemic attack or a full-on stroke. Doctor Watts has been concerned something of this nature might occur.”

  A sickening, bone-deep terror crept in, chilling me to the core. Perhaps he’d still have suffered the attack even if I hadn’t arrived. Maybe I’d have received the same news in my office, courtesy of my PA, Leah, if I hadn’t pushed in here in a rage.

  Or maybe, my presence here had only hastened the inevitable. Could the shock have pushed my father’s feeble heart past its limits?

  Had I just killed him?

  Time stretched on and the relentless ticking of the clock did nothing but grate against my nerves.

  I reached into my slacks pocket, withdrawing my phone. It was selfish to draw her into this. I’d only continue to hurt her the longer we did this. I knew my course forward could not include Mina.

  But I’d never claimed to be a good man, and I needed her as I waited for news about my father.

  Mina answered on the second ring, her voice weary, not bothering with a greeting. “What do you want, Logan?”

  I considered hanging up right then. Instead, I swallowed convulsively and rasped, “Could you come to the Hacienda Hills Assisted Living Complex?”

  A pause. “Why?”

  “My father is...” I swallowed hard and tried again. “He had another ischemic attack. I’m not sure if he’s...how long he’ll be with us. They can’t operate and if his heart goes...”

  Mina let out a soft, pained noise. “Logan, I’m so, so sorry. Of course I can come. Give me the address and I’ll be there as soon as possible.”

  I pressed my head against the cool plaster of the wall, squeezing my eyes shut. She was too good. Despite everything, she’d drop what she was doing to come to my side. She deserved better than what I could give her.