37. Chapter 36
Chapter 36
Keaton
“See that?”
Standing between rows of impounded vehicles wired-in at the back of DRPD’s headquarters, I stared at the mangled and burnt-out engine of my Elysium. Seeing the irreparable damage done to it cut deeper than I wanted to admit.
“See what?” I asked my buddy, Detective Noah Bancroft, who’d called earlier while I’d been hiking with Layne and told me to meet here. Apparently the DRPD had been tracking down an arsonist and hence hadn’t been able to take a look at my Elysium sooner.
He pointed at a baseball-sized clump of something unrecognizable and a melted Nokia lying on the engine. Wearing jeans and a black T-shirt, blond hair slicked back, his demeanor seemed even grimmer than usual. “Someone planted a small improvised explosive device under the hood.”
I roughed a hand over my mouth. This didn’t come unexpected. Still, if I found out who was responsible . . .
Bancroft planted his hands on his belt. “There anything you wanna tell me, Grady?”
The noon sun beat down on us, glaring off the vehicles. The scent of rust and old oil rode the hot wind.
I looked at him through my shades. I had promised Layne I would involve the DRPD, and Bancroft was trustworthy. “I’ve been receiving threats.”
“About what?”
“Going CEO at LGD. Someone has an issue with that.”
“No kidding.” Bancroft’s eyes were hard, gravel crunching under his black boots as he shifted. “Why didn’t you tell me? This is serious, man.”
I slipped my hands into the pockets of my slacks I’d changed into after a cold shower. “Because I won’t cower.”
“This has nothing to do with cowering, Grady. It’s about reason. You and your wife could’ve gotten barbecued.”
“Then why weren’t we? Whoever did this just wants to intimidate me, and I won’t rise to the bait.”
Bancroft made a dismissive hand gesture. “It’s your life on the line, feel free to continue being an idiot.”
“C’mon, man, I know you want to catch the guy as much as I do.” After all, his brother, a former professional freestyle motocross rider, had been threatened in much the same way. “Use me as bait.”
“Use you as bait?” Bancroft snorted. “You’re out of your mind, Keaton.”
“Am I, though? If I back down, he’ll get away and possibly end up endangering someone else. If I don’t, we can lure him out of hiding.”
“At what cost?”
Definitely not my wife’s. I’d protect Layne till my last breath. The fact that she understood how important the Monroe Foundation was to me, that it was my only chance to somewhat make up for killing my brother . . . Nobody had ever cared like that.
Shaking his head, Bancroft turned and stalked away, weaving around vehicles.
“Are you gonna investigate this or what?” I called after him, already knowing the answer. He wouldn’t be able to leave this alone.
Without turning, he gave me a thumbs up over his shoulder. “I’ll give you a call.”
Long after he’d left, I was still staring at the wreck that once had been my Elysium. An IED . . . Anyone could build one with everyday materials, but there was a handful of people running in my circle who had actual experience with them. Knew how much explosives were needed to put the fear of God into me and Layne without harming us. All of them were active duty military or veterans.
Dalton had no reason to stop me from becoming CEO, nor would he ever endanger me or Layne. Same went for Tripp Rhyner. But Wentworth . . . Kimball didn’t have what it took to be CEO, so he’d be the next candidate if I failed or backed off. Was it possible that he didn’t care about Layne, but rather just acted the part?
I pressed my fingers into my closed eyes. “What have you done, Wentworth?”
Guess I was about to find out.
Not wasting another second, I dialed his number.
“What’s up?” he answered.
“Where are you? We need to talk.”
“Working out at Skull Bay.”
“I’ll be there in fifteen.” I hung up, pocketed my cell, and headed to my Ram 1500 TRX.
Twelve minutes later, I arrived at Skull Bay. Despite it being a weekday, the beach was busy. Some local families having lunch, but mainly tourists, if their burnt-to-a-crisp skin was any indication. People didn’t realize how much stronger the sun was on this island than on the mainland.
I could feel the heat of the sand through my leather loafers as I stalked toward the outdoor gym. Wentworth was doing pull-ups on a bar, Sean Moriarty climbing a rope without using his legs, and Rhyner doing sit-ups on a bench. Only crazy people worked out in this heat.
Special operators fit in that category. I had mad respect for what they did, what they sacrificed to serve our country.
When Wentworth spotted me, he dropped from the bar and ambled my way. “Is Layne okay?”
I wanted to punch him in the face for that, but knew better than to cause a scene in public. That’d only give Regina a reason to cut me loose. “Funny you ask that after nearly killing her.”
Wentworth’s brows furrowed. “What’re you on about now? I already told you she collapsed into my arms—”
“A freakin’ IED? Really?”
Ten yards away, Moriarty dropped from the rope and Rhyner stood from the sit-up bench, their gazes zeroing in on us. They’d clearly picked up on the hostility in my demeanor.
“What IED?” Wentworth stared at me.
It hadn’t been him. No one could fake the confusion clouding his features, especially not a bad actor like my kid brother.
The relief that swept through me dropped a heavy weight off my shoulders. Despite our differences, I loved Wentworth. I wanted him on my side.
“What IED, Keaton?” His tone was as grave as the look in his green eyes.
Rubbing a hand over my face, I turned away from him and stared at the waves rolling in. A couple of surfers were out there, waiting to catch the next set. “Someone planted one under the hood of my Elysium. That’s why Layne and I had the accident.”
“Did I hear IED?” Rhyner planted himself next to my brother, crossing his log-like arms over his thick chest. When I repeated what I’d just said, his expression went dark. “Why would someone do that?”
I wasn’t eager to bring them into the loop, but didn’t have much of a choice. “I’ve been receiving threats about becoming CEO.”
“What?” Wentworth’s eyes widened. Definitely no acting there.
“You better listen.” Rhyner’s statement sounded like a threat. “I don’t want my sister to end up in crosshairs that are meant for you.”
“She won’t.”
Apparently not the answer he wanted to hear, because his eyes turned nearly black. “Her well-being is in your hands, Grady. If she gets hurt—”
“She won’t,” I repeated, glowering back.
Rhyner stared me down for a moment longer, then turned and stalked off.
“Is there anything I can do?” Wentworth asked.
I shook my head. “Bancroft is on it.” And I’d do my own research.
“You still carrying?”
“No, but I will.” After Ian’s thugs had beaten me to a pulp, I had carried a concealed weapon in public the following two years. The Psycho seemed to prefer attacking me from a distance, but having my SIG Sauer P365 9mm to fall back on wasn’t a bad idea—especially for Layne’s safety.
Half an hour later, I was home again. I spotted Layne in the outdoor shower through the kitchen sliding door. She had her head tilted back and eyes closed as water sprayed down on her, making her bronze skin glint in the sun. My blood instantly heated at the sight of her in a bikini. Not gonna lie, feeling her body pressed against mine while hiking had derailed my thoughts more than once. But I wouldn’t push her boundaries, no matter how much I craved to.
Thing was, my desire for her went beyond the physical. Sure, I wanted that, but I also wanted to hold her, cradle her to my chest, and whisper soothing words in her ear. I wanted to be there when she was in pain, let her cry in my arms. I wanted to fall asleep with her warm body beside me, and I wanted my sheets and pillows to smell like her.
And though I knew she wanted it, too, I couldn’t give it to her. I was Keaton Grady. Sooner or later, I’d fail her. She didn’t deserve that.
If only it were true what she said about her God. That He offered sanctification. And maybe He did.
But I was too far out of His reach.
I stepped outside just as she turned off the water. “Hey.”
She flinched and stared at me, eyes wide. It only took her a second to recover. She quickly grabbed the towel off the shower wall and wrapped it around her body, like she was embarrassed and had to hide it. She didn’t. It was pure perfection, even without the defined muscles I’d seen in the climbing videos.
Man, shouldn’t have come outside. My presence made her clearly uncomfortable. Like she didn’t feel safe with me.
The thought was a punch to my solar plexus. My own wife didn’t trust me.
“Hey,” she said, giving me a small smile. She walked to one of the deck chairs next to which a book lay, and stretched out.
“How are you feeling?” I sat down on the chair next to hers.
“Pretty good. I spent an hour resting after the hike, then decided to go for a swim. It’s beautiful.” She beamed at me. “What are you up to?”
See, this was what I didn’t get. She had such a heavy load to carry with that illness. Bet she was in pain right now, yet here she was, grateful for the little things. People should take a page from her book, including me.
“Headed into the office. I’ll be back some time in the afternoon.” I rose, leaned down to her, and kissed her forehead. “Happy birthday, Layne.”
The corners of her mouth curved up into that beautiful smile, but there was something sad about it. “Thank you for going on that hike with me. I haven’t had that much fun in a long time.”
“My pleasure. We can repeat it anytime.” I smiled back, but inside, the heart I thought was too black to feel anything broke for her. She longed to go outside, to be active and move her body. But she couldn’t.
When I sat in my TRX, gunning it to work, I couldn’t stop thinking about Layne’s safety. I’d told Rhyner I would protect her. But what if whoever was behind all this breached my property while I wasn’t around? I had to amp up security.