“Not anymore. I did when I was very small but I don’t remember it. I did everything I could to forget that life and to make this new one—one that doesn’t embarrass me. I shouldn’t just sit here and babble about my mother. She’s been gone for a really long time.”
“Yes, but for you, the wound is new again,” he says. His voice is gentle and sexy at the same time. “You can talk about her. It’s not like we have anywhere to be. I’d like to hear anything you want to say.”
I kiss his cheek and smile up at him. “Thank you for always being so kind to me.”
He wipes a tear from my cheek, and I think of my mother again.
“She was tall. Taller than my father. I must get my height from him, given how short I am.” I smile a little as I think of her. “And she loved to dance.”
For a long while, I just sit by the fire with this man I’ve come to care for, telling him the few stories I remember of my mother.
“I wish I knew more, but he never wanted to speak of her after she died.”
I swallow and then something occurs to me.
“If those people want the drive, let’s just give it to them, Shane. They’ll have what they want. Although, at this point, I’m not sure it matters because he’s dead and gone. I can just get on with my life.”
He shifts and then shakes his head. “It’s really not that simple.”
“Why not?”
“After you came inside, Cameron and I had a minute to talk. He finished the story.”
My stomach fills with dread. “What is it?”
“Well, there’s no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to tell you. There’s a bounty on your head, Ivie. One million dollars for your capture—dead or alive.”
“The police want me dead?”
“No, baby, not the police. Those bad guys Cameron told us about. They’re still pissed at your father. And it’s not just one group. Apparently, this goes deep. The man who took you the other day has likely been looking for you for a very long time. He was going to kill you and collect the money. Just as any of them would.”
“Why?” And then that man’s words come back to me. “To pay for the sins of my father.”
“These guys have a long memory,” Shane says quietly. “They’re worse than the mafia, and that’s saying a lot given what my family is capable of. I’d like to know what your father did to them to make them this angry.”
“I have no idea. He might have killed someone he wasn’t supposed to or stole from someone and really pissed them off. He couldn’t hang on to money to save his life. Who knows?”
“Well, one thing I do know is that we’re staying here for a while. We’re safest here. I’m going to start doing some digging, and Cameron said he’d do some on his end, as well. I’m supposed to meet up with him in Denver in a week.”
“You don’t pass information via the internet.” It’s not a question.
“No. Not this kind. It’s too sensitive. He’ll bring anything he uncovers with him next week. In the meantime, I’ll put out the word that my associates should keep their eyes and ears open, and I’ll work on the secure network downstairs.”
“I can probably help with that.”
“If I need you, I’ll let you know. But I want your fingers out of this as much as possible.”
“So, what? I’m just supposed to sit here for God knows how long?” I stare at him with disgust. “I’m not good at being idle, Shane.”
“You won’t be. We’re going to start some lessons.”
“What kind?”
“I’m going to teach you to shoot. We’ll go over hand-to-hand. You’re going to learn to defend yourself if anything like this were to happen again.”
“Have you met me? I’m the clumsiest person on Earth. I have no business holding a gun.”
“You’re going to shake that and get used to it. You’re going to be so good by the time I’m done with you, being clumsy won’t even be a thought in your beautiful head.”
I blink up at him. “Really?”
“Really. You’ll never be taken by surprise like that again.”
“You’re intense. I kind of like it.”
“For today, just relax. Take a nap if you want. I’m going to start making those calls.”
“A nap actually sounds really nice.” I stand and stretch. “I’ll go lie down.”
I walk to the guest room, but Shane calls out my name.
“You won’t be sleeping in there. You’ll sleep with me. Go have a nap in my room.”
I grin at him, but he’s already looking down at his phone. So, I change course, shuck my jeans and socks, maneuver my way out of my bra, and then climb under the cool, crisp sheets.
His bed is comfortable, and my eyes are heavy from all of the crying.
Finally, I fall asleep.
No! Don’t you dare do that!
“Shut up.” Father slaps me aside and turns to Shane, who’s kneeling on the floor. My father fists Shane’s hair and pulls his head back, ready to slice his throat with a knife.
“No!” I try to run at him again, but my feet won’t move. I can’t get to him. Oh my God, I can’t move! “Don’t kill him! Please, don’t. No.”
“Shh.” Shane cradles me to him. “Just a dream, baby.”
“He was going to kill you.” I grip onto him tightly and bury my face against his chest. “Oh, God, he was going to kill you. Just like he did my mama.”
“I’m right here, and he’s long-dead, Ivie. He can’t hurt me.”
I can’t stop the tears. They just keep coming. For my poor mama and the thought of losing Shane in the same way.
“He can’t hurt me,” he says again and kisses the top of my head.
“But he keeps hurting me,” I whisper and shake my head in despair. “He keeps hurting me.”
Chapter 7
~Shane~
“You have a shooting range.”
It’s the following morning, and I’m pleased to see that the shadows have cleared from Ivie’s eyes this morning. After a quick breakfast, I brought the sexiest woman alive to my own private little playground, out here in the middle of nowhere.
It’s a bit overkill, as Carmine would say. But it keeps me in top form. I have to practice and work on my skills so I don’t get killed on the job.
“Yes, I do.” I press my palm to a plate to unlock the door with my print, and the door slides open. I flip a switch, and lights illuminate the massive area that I carved into the side of the mountain.
“Holy shit, Shane, this is some crazy high-tech stuff,” she says. “I thought this only existed in movies.”
“If you have the money and know the right people, it’s out there.”
“And you know the right people. You’re a little scary. Also, this was just a door in the side of a hill,” she reminds me.
“Actually, once upon a time, this was a gold mine. Gold is huge up here in the mountains, and just about five miles that way,”—I point to the west—“is a mine that yields several million dollars in gold every day. This particular shaft has been abandoned for a hundred years at least. When I bought the property, I knew it would be the perfect place to hollow out and put in my shooting range.”