Chapter Six

Chapter Six

“Do you recognize him, Miss Davenport?”

Staring at the security monitor the next day, I felt my hands ball up. Oh, I recognized the little shit all right. “Yes.”

This was really not my ideal way to spend a Sunday afternoon. I’d planned to dedicate several hours to basically doing nothing once I’d finished clean-up duty. The call I’d received on my way home had changed that. And now here Sabrina and I stood in the security office of our work building, glaring at the paused clip of a familiar figure graffitiing my reserved parking space sign.

More specifically, he’d sprayed the word “WHORE” beneath my name in red paint.

“That fucker,” said Sabrina, her eyes blazing with fury behind her glasses.

“Want us to call the sheriff?” asked Wayan, one of the two security guards. He stood beside me, his face like thunder.

I forced my hands to unclench. “There’s really no point.”

“Why not?”

“Because he won’t do a damn thing about it. That kid right there is Blaise Buchanan, his great-nephew.”

“Shit,” muttered the second guard, Emile. Leaning back in his chair, he adjusted his dark ball cap. “Lowe’s a good man, but he’ll … overlook things when it comes to family and friends.”

So I’d often heard. “I’m going to need a copy of this footage.”

Wayan hesitated, scratching at his short mop of thick, black hair. “If you give it to the cops, it’ll probably mysteriously go missing, if you get my meaning.”

“I know, I’m not planning to hand it over,” I told him. “There are other ways to deal with someone like Blaise. But I want to have this evidence in my possession just in case I need it one day.”

“It’s saved on the security system’s cloud,” said Wayan. “Want us to email it to you?”

I gave him a grateful smile. “Please. That would be great.” I rattled off my email address, which he quickly jotted down. “You know, I find the whole ‘whore’ part very original. But it still makes me want to slap him until he cries.”

Emile snickered. “It’d probably do him some good. Cocky son of a bitch didn’t even bother to cover his face.”

“Because he knew the cops wouldn’t hold him responsible,” Sabrina clipped. “Still, maybe we should still call them.”

“There’d be no sense in it,” I told her. “We’d be just wasting time out of our day.”

“She’s right,” Emile said to Sabrina. “I don’t know the boy personally, but I know from rumors I’ve heard that this isn’t the first time he’s vandalized property—Lowe always claims the boy’s got an alibi, he never charges him; he even once went as far as to try and pin it on another kid.”

Sabrina’s jaw tightened. “Blaise can’t be allowed to get away with this.”

“Granted,” I said, raising a placatory hand. “But reporting this to the police won’t get us anywhere.” My phone beeped.

“That’ll be from me, Miss Davenport; I just emailed the footage to you,” Wayan said to me.

Giving both males a semblance of a smile, I said, “Thanks, guys.”

Wayan’s smile was equally weak. “Sorry to have dragged you here on a weekend.”

“No, I’m glad you let me know,” I said. “You both take care.”

I guided a seething Sabrina out of the office and into the hall.

“I’m so mad I could throttle Blaise,” she said through her teeth. “What’s your plan?”

Shrugging, I began walking toward the exit. “I don’t really have one at the moment. I thought about emailing a copy of the clip to Grayden, or maybe to Felicity.”

Sabrina let out a pfft. “That wouldn’t amount to anything. Grayden won’t be of any use here—he’s never been able to get that stepson of his under control. And Felicity’s likely to pat him on the back, not reprimand him.” She paused. “Do you know what I think we should do?”

“What?”

“We should tell your dad.”

I threw her a sideways look of astonishment. “Not a good idea.”

“But he’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

“Yes, he will. But you know my dad. You know he’s uber protective and extremely ruthless. He ruins people who wrong him or his family. He digs up their darkest secrets and exposes them to the world. Blaise might be a prick, but he’s also just a kid.”

“A kid who could do with a good scare.”

“My dad would do more than just scare him. He knows that Blaise and Felicity have been pains in my ass, so he has no patience or tolerance for that family. He’d love an excuse to repay them for the upset they’ve caused. Blaise’s life as he knows it would be destroyed, and you can’t deny that that’s disproportionate to his crime.”

Sabrina gave a stiff shrug. “Injustices happen.”

“Forget it, we’re not seeking my dad’s help.” Reaching the exit, I pushed it open and stepped outside, squinting at the harsh brightness of the sun. It was hot out, but the cool breeze provided a much-needed reprieve.

Sabrina kept pace with me as we strode to the parking lot. “The vandalism was an act of retaliation for what happened at the wedding yesterday—”

“Yes,” I began, “and now that Blaise has gotten it over with, he’s unlikely to pull any more stunts.”

“But he might because, as we’ve already established, he’s a little fucker. And if he does decide to make a nuisance of himself again, he could do something worse next time, feeling all emboldened by having gotten away with this.”

“If that does happen, I’ll spill all to my dad. I will. Because Blaise will otherwise just keep on escalating. But let’s first give him a chance to back off. He might—you never know.”

“Well, I’m not hopeful.”

Arriving at my car, I glared down at the graffitied sign in front of it, feeling my blood boil all over again. “I hope he falls on Lego. While naked. And cold.”

“One can only dream.” She gestured at the sign. “Do you think Felicity put him up to it?”

“Possibly,” I replied. “It’s not like she’d have had to worry that he’d be arrested or anything. But it’s just as possible that he came up with the idea on his own; that he went through with it to please and impress her.”

“The two of them need their heads examined.” Sabrina shoved a hand through her loose curls. “I can’t tell you how pissed I am about this.”

“I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to let this crap ruin it. I wouldn’t give Blaise that satisfaction.” Or, at least, I didn’t want to. But I suspected the chances were low that I would manage to completely put this out of my mind.

“On another note, are you looking forward to your birthday tomorrow?”

“For what reason? I stopped getting excited about them after I turned twenty-two. I am looking forward to the BBQ, though. You and Tamara are still coming, right?”

“You say that like you have any chance of keeping us away. Where there’s free food and free wine, we’ll be there. We can bring Aleksei, if you want,” she said, a twinkle in her eye.

“Don’t play cupid. Just don’t.” Like I’d dally with a man who was practically her brother-in-law anyway.

“I won’t. But I will tease you. It brings me peace.”

“Whatever.” I gave her a gentle shove. “Go home, I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

“I’ll bring super strong bleach.” She flicked a meaningful look at the graffitied sign. “Scrubbing that paint off won’t be easy.”

∞∞∞

Acouple of hours later, I lay back on the sun lounger, sighing as the towel—warm from the heat—met my wet skin. “This is everything I didn’t realize I needed,” I said, sliding my sunglasses further up the bridge of my nose.

“Told you it’d be good for you,” said Alicia from the neighboring lounger.

I’d originally intended to chill in my living room and read, but she’d talked me into accompanying her to one of Oakengrove’s outdoor pools. So there we both were, clad in bikinis, an umbrella hovering over our beds and placing us in shadow. It didn’t much spare us from the thick summer heat, though.

Palm trees bordered the entire area, providing an element of privacy. Rows of towel-covered loungers circled the sizeable pool. There were also bathrooms, lockers, and a concession stand.

Plenty of people were around, but not so many that it felt crowded. Most were in the pool, swimming or fooling around. Others sat at its edges, relaxed on loungers, or ate food in the sitting area. Kids wearing colorful water-wings toddled about, adults walking behind them to supervise.

I closed my eyes, my fingers tapping out the rhythm of the music playing over the loudspeaker. The cool breeze carried snatches of muffled conversation, the laughs and shrieks of the kids, the rustles of leaves, the splashing of water, and the scents of chlorine and concession food.

Hearing Alicia curse, I looked to see she was squirming, her hand beneath her butt. “What are you doing?” I asked.

“I’ve got a wedgie.”

I snickered and snatched my bottle of water from the small table between our beds.

“You know, I really like it here.”

“The pool?”

“Oakengrove. It’s peaceful. I’m glad I took you up on your offer to stay here awhile.”

“So am I.” I unscrewed the cap from my bottle and then knocked back some water. “I haven’t seen you much over the past two years.”

Her lips flattening, she looked down at her lap. “I should have visited more. But it seemed like whenever I made plans to fly over, something would ‘crop up’ with Dario. He didn’t like coming to Redwater, but he didn’t like me coming here without him either.”

I’d sensed as much. “What was his problem with our family?”

“He said that you all made him feel ‘judged’ and that you looked down on him just because he isn’t wealthy—which, of course, was pure bullshit. He knew it was bullshit. The reason he didn’t want to visit was he could sense that you, Ollie, and Dad didn’t like him. Dario needs to feel adored and respected.” She rolled her eyes.

“I wanted to like him. And I did try pretending that I did. I wasn’t very good at it. You have Mom’s poker face. I don’t.”

Alicia flicked out a hand. “Let’s talk about something else. Anything else. Literally anything.”

“Fine. But it’ll do you good to get it all out of your system, you know. I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk about it.”

“I know. I adore you for …” Grabbing her sunglasses, she raised them slightly. “Whoa, hot guy alert. Numerous hot guys, in fact. One of which is Drey Mercier.”

Ah, so it was. You couldn’t miss him, really. Tall and broad, he had the imposing build of a football player. “He has buddies who live here, so he shows up often.”

Others around the pool quickly noticed and recognized the pro athlete easily. It made me smile how so many young women swiftly “readied” themselves—whipping off goggles, removing floppy hats, yanking out nose plugs, tugging off bathing caps, or adjusting their swimsuits. One abruptly tossed an inflatable ball aside, as if not wanting to be seen as childish for playing with it—said ball bounced off the head of her friend, who cursed loud.

“You know,” began Alicia, “he isn’t the type I go for, but I can see why Harri has a little crush on him. He’s nice to look at.”

Indeed. “Blake Mercier and his wife sure do make pretty boys.”

“Don’t they have a daughter, too?”

“Yes. Raven. She’s attends our local college.” I watched as several women began gravitating toward Drey, doing their best to make him notice them.

“Is he always surrounded like that?” asked Alicia.

I nodded. “Whenever he comes here, yes. He’s always friendly and polite, but he bats away most of the attention. I guess we can’t blame them for drooling. As you admitted, he’s nice to look at.”

“But far too old for Harri.”

I smiled. “She’s not a baby anymore.”

“She’ll always be a baby to me,” Alicia maintained, eyeing her wrinkly fingertips.

“Well, that ‘baby’ runs a successful business and is more emotionally mature than some adults twice her age.” I paused as the lifeguard’s whistle split the air. “She’s also supremely confident that she’ll be titled ‘Favorite Aunt’ by Marleigh and Ollie’s baby.”

Alicia let out a pfft sound. “Not a chance. That’ll be me.” Rubbing at her arm, she frowned. “I need more sunscreen, but I want to eat before I do anything else. The smell of junk food is calling my name. Nachos and fries work for you?”

“Any day of the week,” I replied. “And can you get me another bottle of water, please?”

“No problem.”She pulled some cash out of the purse she’d placed beneath her lounger, slipped on her flip-flops, and then stood. “I’ll be back in a sec.” With that, she left, the slap of her sandals beating at the ground.

An itch coming to life on my shoulder, I lightly scratched at it, wincing at the resulting prickly sting. Sunburn. Awesome. As was the smudge on my sunglasses. Tugging them off, I used the towel beneath me to wipe the lenses.

A cooling breeze swept over my skin and caused the umbrella to flap … just as a shadow fell over me. Looking up, I went still. Because beside my bed was none other than Dax.

My heartbeat did a predictable little stutter as a frisson of sexual excitement arrowed through me. It was instant. Intense. Uncontrollable.

“Hello, Addison,” he said, his beautiful eyes hidden by sunglasses.

“Dax, hi.” Ignoring the rising tension, I cleared my throat. “I’m surprised to see you here. Never seen you hang by the pool before.”

Planting his feet, he twisted his mouth. “Caelan said he spoke to you a few days ago. He told me you seemed upset about something.”

I wasn’t touching that subject. “Did he also tell you he welcomed me to the family?”

Dax’s lips hiked up. “He thinks you’d make a good addition to it.”

The spot between my shoulder blades itched as a sense of discomfort crept up on me. It was a combination of things—that so much of my body was exposed, that he towered over me, that I couldn’t see his eyes, that I wore no makeup, that my damp hair was in a messy bun, that he looked like he’d just stepped off an ad for sexiest business moguls.

“Have you made a decision yet?” he asked.

I swallowed, shoving my glasses back on. “Not yet.”

“You only have two days left.”

“I know.” I was vividly conscious of it. “Part of me still can’t believe you want me to keep my word on this.”

“You should know better than to make a pact lightly.” He cocked his head. “What’s currently in the way of you going through with it? Tell me.”

“Why? So you can blow holes in my reservations?”

“Yes.”

I snorted.

“You’d never be in any danger with me, if that’s a worry for you. I may not have a lot of respect for the system, but I don’t dabble in anything dark or ugly.”

He didn’t need to assure me of that. I was very aware he had a code, nontypical as it might be, of sorts. “If I thought differently, I wouldn’t even consider marrying you.”

He hummed, his head moving in an excrementally slow movement that made me tense. The shit was totally eye-banging me.

Fuck, if my nipples hardened, I was gonna murder them. “Stop it,” I said.

“What?” he asked in a lazy drawl.

“You know what.”

“Do you remember that night I fucked you in a hot tub?”

A memory of me sitting on the edge of the tub, my limbs wrapped around Dax as he took me slow and hard, surged to the forefront of my mind. I felt my face flush.

“You wore a similar bikini then.”

Uncaring that it would show how unnerved I felt having him loom over me, I swung my legs off the lounger and then stood. “Did I?” I asked airily, turning my head slightly as I flicked a look at my lacy beach wrap.

“There’s little sense in covering up.” He whipped off his glasses, and I almost sucked in a breath. There was a truckload of banked heat in his gaze. It made my skin prickle and my thighs clench. It also caused the tension to kick up.

“I’ve seen you in less,” he went on, his voice dropping an octave. “In fact, I’ve seen every inch of you. Touched every inch. Tasted every inch.”

Cursing my body for turning into a hot mess, I narrowed my eyes. “You’re an ass. You know that, right?”

“I do.” His gaze intent on me, he inched closer, sending a wave of his dark cologne brushing over my senses and making my gut tighten. Something dark moved behind his eyes as they raked over my face. “Do you still care for him? Is that why you’re hesitant to honor the pact?”

I felt my brow furrow. “Care for who?”

“Grayden.”

I almost reared back. “No.”

He gently slipped off my glasses. “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely certain,” I firmly stated.

His eyes delved into mine, searching, probing, seeing everything. “Good.”

The continuous slap of flip-flops made me look to see my sister approaching, a tray in hand. She glanced from me to him, a default smile on her face, a pinch of hesitance in her eyes.

“Alicia, I’m sure you remember Dax,” I said.

“It’s good to see you,” she told him.

“Likewise,” he smoothly responded.

I was glad he didn’t do as most guys did and flash her a sexy smile, because I would have later regretted having subsequently kicked him in the junk. Probably.

He resettled his attention on me and handed me back my sunglasses. “Two days, Addison. We’ll talk again then.”

“Living for it,” I quipped.

His lips bowed, and he then stalked toward where his youngest brother stood. It took everything I had not to watch that tight ass as he left.

Alicia set the tray on the end of my lounger and then perched her butt on the edge of her own. “I take it he was wondering if you’ve made up your mind yet. Although that doesn’t explain why your cheeks are all red.”

Having placed my glasses on the small table, I sat back down, crossed my legs lotus-style, and then plucked a box of nachos from the tray. “He used his sex voice on me.”

Her lips twitched into a smile. “Mystery solved.”

Chewing on my nacho, I fought the urge to glance in his direction. I wouldn’t look. I wouldn’t.

“Why didn’t you just tell him that you’ve already decided what you’re going to do?”

“Because I haven’t decided.”

“Liar. We both know you’re going to go ahead with it. You’re just struggling to admit it to yourself. You feel like you shouldn’t want to do it, and you’re letting that hold you back. Fuck what you should and shouldn’t do.”

“Dax said something similar,” I muttered.

“Great minds think alike.” Alicia bit into one of her fries. “Do what you’ve always done and go after what you want. Or let me have him.”

Telling myself that my belly did not do a nauseating little roll, I grabbed my fresh bottle of water and opened it. “He’s likely got a backup woman in mind,” I grumbled, not sure I wanted to know who it was. “He’s a guy who always has his bases covered.”

“Maybe. But he would obviously rather have you or he wouldn’t have suggested marriage to you—pact or no pact.” She ate another fry. “Be honest, you’re going to do it, aren’t you?”

I swallowed a mouthful of water. “Probably.”

She grinned. “And I get to keep the house, right?”

“You get that opportunistic streak from Dad, you know.”

“I know. It’s a flaw, but it works for me, Mrs. Mercier.”

Shooting her a dark look, I set the bottle on the table. “Don’t do that.”

“You’ll go by that title soon. Might as well get used to it. It suits you.”

I waved a hand. “Whatever. Eat your fries.”

“Sure thing, Mrs. Mercier.”

“I said, don’t.”