Chapter 18
Julia listened to the one-sided conversation as Grant pressed the receiver to his ear. His insistence on a security guard with her at all times unsettled her. Did he know something she didn’t?
She waited, her unease growing as Grant’s features twisted from curious to a flicker of fear. The concern on his features remained as he slowly lowered the phone to the cradle. He swallowed hard as he leaned onto the desk.
“Grant? What is it?”
He glanced up at her, a storm of emotions in his eyes. She closed the gap between them, her eyes questioning.
“They traced the car that nearly hit you yesterday.”
Julia’s stomach flip-flopped.
“DG Industries.”
A flood of thoughts rushed through her mind, and the name stopped her heart for a beat. The revelation about DG Industries linked to Evelyn”s kidnapping and now to an attempt on her own life sent a shiver down her spine. This couldn’t be a coincidence. Had they meant to scare her or kill her?
A warm hand slid around her shoulders and guided her to the executive chair. “Sit down, Julia. I’ll get you a drink.”
Grant hurried across the room to pour her a brandy. She didn’t miss the subtle shake of his hand when he offered her the drink before leaning against the desk. He rubbed her shoulder as she took a sip.
“Thank you. I’m okay, just…surprised.”
“I’m disturbed. This is not a coincidence. I want a security team with you now more than ever.”
Julia sipped her brandy again. “Do you think…”
Grant took her hand as her voice trailed off. “What, Juls?”
“Do you think they meant to scare me or…”
His grip tightened around her fingers as his jaw clenched. “I don’t know. But this was far too close of a call. And I’m not willing to take another chance with your life.”
Julia stared down at their clasped hands, the lines of their contract blurring again for her. “I appreciate that.”
She shifted in her seat, heaving a sigh as her eyes fell on the polished mahogany desk. “You don’t need to thank me. I want you protected. You’ve already received a threatening note. And I don’t want to frighten you, but I received this yesterday.”
Grant slid the photograph from the envelope.
Julia’s features pinched as she stared at the image of herself in the sapphire blue dress. “Is this from the night of the gala?”
“Yes. And as stunning of a photo as this makes, I received a very threatening call to go along with it.”
Julia let her glass clatter to the desk as her shoulders slumped, her mind a whirlwind of guilt. Was her presence making his life worse? “I really don’t seem to be improving your situation at all, do I?”
“That couldn’t be further from the truth, Julia. I am more than glad to have you with me on this. Your support is…very welcome. But we have to be careful.”
Julia nodded as she glanced at the picture again. “Right. And no further information on who owns this company?”
“Nothing. It’s been impossible to track down, it’s shielded in legal red tape and shell companies.”
Julia heaved a sigh, her mind racing as she struggled to piece together the puzzle without all the clues. She drummed her fingers against the desk as she bit her lower lip. “Could it be tied to Kyle Carter?”
Grant studied her for a moment. “Mitchell’s looking into Dr. Carter. Maybe we’ll find something there. Until then, though, promise me you’ll be careful.”
“I promise.”
“No risks, Julia. No abandoned warehouses or Nancy Drew investigating, okay?”
“I already promised. No one values my life as much as me.”
The comment brought a chuckle from him. “Good. I’ll make sure someone’s with you all the time, too.”
“Thanks.” She smiled up at him, their hands still clasped as they shared a quiet moment.
It came to a quick end as the doors to his study burst open. Sierra stomped her way inside. “Daddy! You’re back. Thank goodness.”
Grant broke contact with her as he straightened when Sierra flung her arms around his neck. Julia rose from her seat, skirting them on her way to the door. “I’ll leave you two to talk.”
“No, Julia, stay, please.” Grant strode to the drink cart to pour himself a bourbon.
“Well, we kind of need to talk,” Sierra said, side-eyeing Julia.
“Yes, we do,” Grant said as he spun to face them. “A lot has happened.”
“No kidding. Like a fistfight that’s gone viral. What happened?”
“We’re still trying to piece that together, but it seems Dr. Kyle Carter has some sort of agenda here,” Grant answered.
Sierra crossed her arms as she shot an icy glance at Julia.
“No, Sierra, this is not Julia’s fault.”
“Isn’t it? He’s obviously into her. How many clandestine meetings have you had with him already?”
Julia clicked her tongue at the assumption as she slid her eyes to Grant. His posture stiffened, and he shot a challenging glance at Sierra.
“No, Sierra, it’s nothing she’s done.” Grant slipped his arm around Julia. “Julia has gone to great lengths to make sure we come out looking good in this. We’re all on the same team here. And it’s about time we started acting like it. Especially with the threats looming.”
“Threats?” Sierra asked with a wrinkled nose.
“Yes, threats. The car that nearly hit Julia is registered to DG Industries. On top of that, I received a threatening phone call targeting Julia. So, I want you both to be extremely careful moving forward.”
Sierra studied Julia for a moment. Her normally sharp eyes seemed clouded with concern. “Right. Okay.”
“There’s one other thing, Sierra,” Grant said.
His daughter flicked her eyes up to him.
“I think Julia is owed an apology for your behavior lately.”
Julia shook her head, immediately uncomfortable. “That’s not necessary.”
“Yes, it is. She isn’t a pretty bauble. She is a person. And without her, we’d be in worse shape than we are right now.”
Sierra tightened her arms across her chest as she fluttered her eyelashes. “Fine, sorry.”
“You can do better than that, Sierra,” Grant chided.
Sierra flicked her blue eyes to Julia, puckering her lips. “I’m sorry, Julia. I was just…frustrated because I think you’re wrong about Christopher, which we still haven’t discussed yet, Daddy, and–”
“Don’t deflect. Christopher Metcalfe can wait.”
Sierra huffed. “And I’m sorry I accused you of cheating.”
“Apology accepted,” Julia said with a smile, hoping to end the matter.
“Good. Tell you what,” Sierra said with a grin, “I’ll make it up to you.”
“There’s no need for that,” Julia began.
“No, I insist. Let’s go shopping…tomorrow. We can bond over girl talk and stuff.”
Julia stood speechless for a moment. She hated not to accept and upset Sierra, though the last time she accepted an invitation out of politeness, it’d led to a fistfight. She doubted, for the most part, that would happen with Sierra, but the woman offered her an olive branch, and she had to accept. She masked any reluctance with a smile. “That would be great.”
She hoped her voice sounded more convincing to them than it did to her.
“Great! Perfect. Tomorrow afternoon. I’ll text you.”
“Sounds good.”
Sierra toddled over to her on the towering heels and offered her an awkward half-hug before she gave Grant another embrace. “Good night.”
Julia smiled up at Grant as his daughter left the room.
“Well, that was progress,” Grant said.
“Yes. Hopefully, we both come back from that shopping trip unscathed.”
Grant chuckled at the remark before he refilled his bourbon. “She likes you. She just doesn’t want to show it. She’s a little sensitive since her mother left at such a young age.”
Julia sucked in a breath as she processed the words. They weren’t any of her business, really. The threat of blurring lines flashed in her face again. “That’s too bad. Though I’m hardly a replacement.”
“You probably give her feelings more consideration than Lydia ever did.” Grant stared down into the reflective surface of his drink.
Julia wondered if regret coursed through him over the failed relationship. She wanted to say something supportive, but she had no idea what their relationship had been like.
As she pondered her response, Grant filled in the silence. “Sorry, you don’t need to be subjected to the complete mess of that situation.”
She offered him a consoling smile. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out.”
“I’m not,” he answered candidly, setting his stormy eyes on her.
What did he mean by that? Had their relationship been that turbulent? Without any other explanation, she substituted a smile for her response. “Well, I don’t think we’re going to solve anything else tonight, so I think I’ll go to bed.”
“Of course. I hope you sleep well.”
“You, too. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day.”
He grinned at her. “Let’s hope.”
With a sigh, she slipped out of the room, relieved to have the challenging conversation behind her. However, the escalating dangerous events left her with numerous unanswered questions. Was Kyle related to DG Industries? Was this all part of the plot?
Her mind raced as she swept into the serenity of her bedroom to change. She collapsed on the edge of the soft mattress, ready to stretch out and hoping to sleep when she spotted the blinking notification light on her phone.
She swiped at her display, finding a text message from Ethan waiting. Last chance to flee from his awful city and come home with me!
The message made her chuckle, though if Ethan realized how ill-timed it had been, he would not have been nearly as amused. Julia’s hand went to the compass around her neck, a constant reminder of a simpler time. The cold metal pressed against her thumb as she rubbed it.
She found herself pondering if she could actually walk away from Grant and disappear. What should have been a simple answer seemed anything but in the face of what they’d already gone through together.
She dismissed the thought and typed back a simple message to her brother-in-law. Sorry! I’m staying!
A quick response said: Well, at least I can tell Ally I tried. Flight leaves tomorrow at noon so meet me at the airport if you change your mind.
Julia laughed at the persistence as she shook her head. Don’t hold your breath.
She set the phone on the charger and slid under the sheets. As she turned out the light, plunging the cavernous room into darkness, she found herself staring at the ceiling as she pondered the events of the day.
What would make an upstanding doctor do what he did today? Why was he so insistent with her despite her attempts to explain?
She went over every piece of information again and again, but it didn’t add up. His behavior was odd, but also unexplainable.
She finally drifted off to sleep, tossing and turning restlessly for the remainder of the night. Groggily, she dragged herself from bed the following morning. Her eyes slid closed involuntarily as she recalled the shopping date with Sierra today. Would she have the energy to make it through?
Given what Grant told her last night about Sierra’s mother, Lydia, she couldn’t cancel. With a yawn, she pushed herself to head into the bathroom and dress for the day.
She checked her phone before she left the room for breakfast and sent a text message to her brother-in-law, telling him to have a safe trip. She didn’t receive a response before she headed downstairs, finding Grant and Sierra already at the table.
“Good morning,” she said as she slid into her seat next to him.
“Good morning, Juls, did you sleep well?” he asked.
“Well enough,” she answered with a sigh.
Sierra grinned at her as she cut into a pancake. “I hope well enough to max out some credit cards today. You are in desperate need of a new handbag. The one you have now is hideous.”
“Sierra!” Grant chided.
“What? It is!” Sierra answered.
Julia plastered on a smile. “Well, I trust my new one will be much better with your help.”
“I’ll say,” the woman answered. “So, I have some…thing to do first. How’s this afternoon?”
“Fine with me,” Julia answered, stirring her still-steaming oatmeal.
“That’s good, because if you don’t mind, Juls, Mitchell asked to speak with you about this whole Dr. Carter debacle this morning.”
“Sure,” Julia answered with a supportive smile. Her mind whirled as she wondered what might come up. She hadn’t come to any conclusions despite her long hours lost in thought. But she hoped the matter came to a swift conclusion. The last thing Grant needed was more bad publicity as he worked to win back his company.
They finished their meal, and Grant led her to his private office as Sierra slipped out the front door. “See you later, Step-mommy!”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen her this excited to shop.”
Julia pondered that. She hadn’t seen Sierra in the same outfit twice. She must do nothing but shop.
“I’m glad you two are getting along,” he added as Mitchell rose from his chair near the desk.
“Grant, Julia, good morning.”
“Tell me this entire ridiculous thing is over,” Grant said as he strode to the desk.
“Sorry, it’s not. Dr. Carter seems persistent. He’s not willing to let this go.”
Grant cursed under his breath as Julia slipped into the seat next to Mitchell. “This is the last thing I need with the board, Mitchell. Make it go away.”
“I’m trying, but you’ve got an upstanding doctor claiming some pretty awful things.”
“All of which Julia has refuted,” Grant shot back. “How are they still pursuing this?”
“You did get into a very public brawl.”
“He punched me first!” Grant shouted.
Mitchell held up a hand as he nodded. “I understand that. But you also punched him. We can say it was self-defense, but that may not fly given that he didn’t continue to attack you after the first punch.”
“So, what, someone decks me, and I can’t do anything about it?”
“I didn’t say that. I’m just pointing out the fact that this is not as cut and dried as we’d hoped, and that the illustrious Dr. Carter is not going to drop the charges.” Mitchell shifted his gaze to Julia. “I understand you spoke with him twice following the incident yesterday. Did he say anything that may indicate his reasoning for insisting those charges are upheld?”
Julia searched the conversations for the umpteenth time. “He seems to be acting like he’s doing this for my welfare. I can’t understand it. I’ve told him repeatedly there is nothing abusive about this relationship.”
“You told him this yesterday at the police station?”
“Yes. And after I left. He…just kept insisting that he knew more about this than I did.”
“Is there anything you think you can say to get him to drop the charges?” Mitchell asked.
“No,” Grant said, pacing behind the desk. “Absolutely out of the question. I don’t want her anywhere near him. Especially after he threatened me yesterday.”
Julia snapped her gaze to Grant. “What?”
“We had a little conversation in the interrogation room. According to him, he would like to dismantle my life piece by piece, starting with you.”
Julia’s lower lip dropped open.
“Julia, have you had any contact with Dr. Carter prior to your accident?” Mitchell asked.
“No,” she said with a shake of her head.
“This sounds like a bit of infatuation on his part,” Mitchell said.
“He mentioned seeing her on the news during the press conference. Maybe it is,” Grant said with a shrug.
Julia studied the floor under her feet. Infatuated after one meeting? “That seems…far-fetched.”
“Hardly,” Grant answered. “But this is why I want her nowhere near him. I don’t care if he’s willing to drop the charges if she makes some sort of plea. That’s not happening. I’ll go to court first.”
Mitchell held up a hand. “Fine. I’ll get started on a defense, assuming we can’t get these dropped before then. Julia, I assume you’d be willing to take the stand about Dr. Carter’s misguided assumptions regarding your relationship?”
“Of course,” she said with a nod.
“Good.” Mitchell rose and slid his pen into his pocket before he extended his hand to Grant. “I’ll be in touch.”
Julia sank her chin into her palm for a second before she stood. “Well, I guess this won’t be as easy as we hoped.”
“Doesn’t look like it.”
“I’m–“
“Don’t say you’re sorry. It’s hardly your fault.”
Julia pressed her lips together as guilt washed over her anyway. “Well, I think I’ll try to get a little work done before I meet with Sierra.”
“Okay,” he answered. “And, Julia, thanks.”
She smiled and nodded before she left the office behind, climbing the stairs to her own workspace and settling into her chair. She stared at her manuscript for ten minutes, unable to type a word as her mind continued to return to the odd situation with Kyle Carter. Why would a seemingly upstanding doctor become suddenly so infatuated with a woman, that he’d risk his career for her after meeting her once? It made no sense.
A knock on the door interrupted her rumination. She twisted to find Worthington holding a cordless phone in his hands. “Excuse the interruption, Mrs. Harrington, but your brother-in-law is calling for you.”
“Ethan?” Julia’s stomach flip-flopped as she scurried from her seat to take the call. How had he found her here? Had he seen the news?
Worthington passed her the phone, and she pressed it to her ear, hoping she could hear over the hard beating of her heart. “Hello.”
“Julia?”
“Ethan?” she questioned, his voice sounding strained.
“Are you alone and able to talk?”
She sank into her desk chair. He must have seen the news report and recognized her face in that grainy video of the fight. She rubbed her palm against her forehead as she tried to think of an explanation for what we may already know. “Yes.”
A sigh of relief sounded on the other end of the line. “Thank goodness you’re safe. Look, I’m sorry for the deception, Julia, but this is Kyle Carter.”
Her muscles stiffened, and she gripped the phone tighter. “Kyle?”
“Yes. I have been extremely worried about you, especially when they told me Grant had left the police station.”
Her jaw tightened at the intrusion and the deception. “So, you lied about being a family member?”
“I had to speak to you to make sure you were safe.”
Julia’s words came out tersely as she tried to hold her anger in check. “Of course, I am safe. This has gone too far.”
“Julia, please–“
“No!” she said sharply. “Your assumptions are wrong. And I am getting tired of this. Do not call here again.”
“Julia, wait,” he said. “There are things you don’t know. Things about him that would make you see it my way.”
“I doubt that. Don’t call again.” She jabbed at the button to end the call and slammed the phone onto the desk. Something was definitely off here, but she had no idea what it could be.