Chapter 14
CHAPTER 14
JULIA
J ulia licked her lips, her heart thudding against her ribs as she faced Grant. Worthington eased the doors closed, leaving them alone. Kyle slid his hand onto her shoulder, warmth from him seeping through the fabric of her scrubs. Meant as a comforting gesture, she found it both comforting and concerning.
A ripple of unease tore through her as she became acutely aware of Grant’s eyes focused on Kyle’s grip on her. Given the current circumstances, the simple act could appear aggressive. She found herself torn between the need for the small comfort and the desire to shrug it off, maintaining a clear boundary that her current situation with Grant required.
“Where were you, Julia?” His voice carried a mixture of concern and a hint of restrained emotion. The words, simple, yet loaded, reflected a turmoil she couldn’t dissect.
She swallowed hard as she tried to search for the words to explain the convoluted situation.
“She was making certain I have another shot at Lydia’s inner circle,” Kyle said, his hand squeezing her shoulder.
Grant shifted his gaze from Kyle back to Julia. “What does that mean?”
Julia heaved a sigh. “While we were talking to Sierra, Kyle called Lydia. She gave him a task to complete before she’d trust him again.”
“Get Julia away from you for a few hours…and produce some compromising photos of us,” Kyle answered.
“And you were just all too happy to oblige her,” Grant said, a disgusted tone to his voice.
Julia read the judgment in his voice. His frustration with the situation was obvious, but his read on Kyle wasn’t. At least she hoped it wasn’t. “That’s not fair.”
He flicked his eyebrows up as he offered her an incredulous stare. “Isn’t it? You know what also isn’t fair, Julia? Being tormented by Lydia with the scandalous photos of you two. And let me tell you, it doesn’t look like Kyle was having any reservations about putting his hands or his lips on you.”
Her shoulders slumped as she sought to temper his anger with an explanation, but Kyle beat her to it. He pushed in front of her, wagging a finger at Grant. “Don’t you dare blame Julia for this. She had no idea what was happening until we got to that cabin. And she wanted to contact you several times, but I stopped her.”
“Kyle…” Julia tried but Grant was already out of his seat, his hands curled into fists.
“I’ll bet you did,” he growled.
“Hey,” Julia said as she pushed between them, trying to diffuse the building tension in the room. “Whoa, let’s just all take a step back here. It didn’t happen the way any of us would have liked–“
“Except Kyle,” Grant said.
“Leave it, Julia. No matter what I do, he has a problem. This is just more evidence of that,” Kyle said as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
“Oh, come on, Kyle. Don’t you think this all seems just a tad too convenient? After our argument, Lydia just happens to ask you to take Julia to a cabin and kiss her. I’m sorry, but I just don’t buy that.”
“I’m sorry if you don’t, but that’s what happened.”
“Then why not tell me?”
“Because I couldn’t risk it.”
“Risk what?” Grant shot back. “Risk her not going with you? Risk being exposed for the liar you are?”
Kyle shook his head, his jaw tensing at the words. “You know what? You deserve whatever happens to you. It is no wonder Lydia is doing what she’s doing to you.”
“So you agree with her?” Grant asked.
“No,” Julia answered before Kyle could. “No, he doesn’t.”
Grant cocked his head, his eyes, clouded with anger, still fixed on Grant. “I’d like to hear him say that.”
Kyle flicked his gaze to the floor, his features still taut with frustration. “No, I don’t, okay? I’m just saying sometimes your behavior can be really aggravating.”
Grant heaved a sigh as he flicked his gaze out of the window.
Julia allowed the silence to stretch between them while everyone, including her, cooled off after the terse exchange. “Look, the timing of this wasn’t the best. And I’m willing to bet Lydia did that on purpose hoping for this exact scenario. She obviously wanted you isolated. She told Kyle that.”
“And he–“
“Don’t say he went right along with her,” Julia interrupted with a wag of her finger, “because he didn’t have much other choice. She did this on purpose for this exact reason. She doesn’t want us on the same side.”
Grant set his hands on his hips as he huffed out a breath. “You’re right. I’m sorry. It’s been…a trying morning.”
“I’m sure it has been if those pictures look anything like I think they do. But Kyle has a point. If we had told you, and you would have reacted in a way that tipped Lydia off, he could be in some real danger. He already is.”
“Why did you agree to this?” Grant asked Kyle, his features creasing. “We said not to do it. She’s too dangerous.”
“That’s why I did. She is dangerous. And you need someone on the inside before something happens. That note you found didn’t make a vague threat.”
“Fine. But I don’t know how we move forward from this. In the conversation I had with Lydia this morning, she’s trying to play off that you’re the one behind DG Industries.”
“What?” Kyle exclaimed. “We know it’s her.”
“She doesn’t know he knows,” Julia reminded him. “She’s trying to misdirect. We must be getting too close.”
Grant snorted a laugh. “I wish we were a hell of a lot closer than we are.”
“With any luck, this latest stunt can give us some more information. We just have to figure out how you plan to play this with her,” Julia answered.
Grant’s eyes landed on the folder of photographs. “Obviously, Kyle’s going to have to leave.”
Julia chewed her lower lip as she prepared to say something she knew wouldn’t go over well. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“You’re kidding me. Do you actually expect me to let him stay in this house after what he did?”
“I didn’t do anything,” Kyle shot back. “That’s the point.”
“Well, Lydia wants me to believe you did. So, based on that, do you actually think if I didn’t know it was supposedly fake, I would let you stay in this house?”
“It wasn’t supposedly fake,” Kyle said. “It was fake.”
Grant shot him an unimpressed glance. “Are you really going to tell me you didn’t want to kiss her?”
“That’s beside the point,” Kyle answered.
Julia chewed the inside of her cheek, not wanting to delve into the complexity of the delicate situation with Kyle. She’d had the same thoughts about his motivations, but that was a subject for another time.
“What you saw was planned, okay? I didn’t take her there to make a play for her. Believe me, you’ll know when I’m doing that.”
“Oh, really? Is that a threat?” Grant shot back.
“Okay, stop, no one is making any plays for anything other than an end to this situation,” Julia said with a shake of her head.
Grant shook his head. “She’s right. We need to deal with this. And I still say based on what Lydia wants me to believe, I’d throw you out of this house for kissing my wife.”
“While I understand that,” Julia said, “that’s what she’s banking on. But we can’t give in to that. We need to find a creative way around this.”
“Why can’t we?” Grant asked. “Wasn’t the concern that I reacted the way Lydia expected?”
“Yes,” Julia said with a nod, “to secure her trust in Kyle. But he needs to stay here. She’s dangerous. And Kyle being out of this house makes him a much easier target to go after.”
Grant slid his eyes closed as his nostrils flared. She knew he was annoyed with her angle, but no matter how complex their relationship was, she didn’t want to see anything happen to Kyle.
“Fine,” he said after a minute, “but I don’t know what explanation I’ll give her.”
“Tell her you didn’t confront him. That you’re keeping a close eye on him while he’s here. Given everything she’s trying to pin on him, it should make sense to her that you wouldn’t call him on it.”
Grant rubbed his chin as he considered it. “That’s a good idea. Keeping my enemies close.”
Julia nodded before she flicked her gaze to the folder of pictures. Curiosity burned through her as she wondered how damaging they appeared. “Exactly, although…I’m not certain how you’ll explain not confronting me.”
“Same thing?” he said with a shrug.
She blew out a sigh and ran her fingers through her hair. “Maybe, though it doesn’t fit your typical behavior.”
“What do you mean?”
She glanced at him, wondering if that was hurt crossing his eyes.
“What have you typically done in the past when you’ve had a cheating spouse?”
“I’m not the person I was before,” Grant answered.
“She doesn’t know that,” Julia said with a shake of her head.
“She has a point. We need you to behave the way you normally do. And I doubt you’ve indulged a cheating spouse in the past,” Kyle said.
Grant narrowed his eyes at his son. “So, what? You’re saying I should kick Julia out? Oh, I bet you’d love that.” He flicked his gaze back to Julia. “We are not faking a separation. No.”
“I couldn’t agree more. That leaves Julia wide open for Lydia to hurt her.”
“Does it?” Julia asked. “If she thinks we’re no longer together…that she’s isolated you–”
“Out of the question,” Grant said with a shake of his head.
“For once, I’m with my father on this, Julia. Lydia’s using you. She’s not going to want her easy access to Grant gone,” Kyle responded.
“Then, why did she show him those pictures?” Julia shifted her gaze from Kyle to Grant. “What did she say exactly?”
“That she knew who was behind DG Industries. And that you were lying about remembering who it was. To me, she made it seem like Kyle was the one out to destroy me, and you were a piece of the puzzle to do that.”
Julia chewed her lower lip as she tried to determine the best path forward. They needed to lull Lydia into a false sense of security while keeping all of them safe. What was the best way to do that?
“Okay, so, you tell her you confronted Julia, and she said it was all me,” Kyle said. “You obviously would want to believe that. Worst case scenario, Lydia thinks you’ve become really stupid when it comes to women.”
“Given your track record with Julia, it’s believable,” Grant answered. “Fine. We’ll go with that plan. I confronted Julia about the pictures, she said you took her there…wait, why did she go with you?”
“I told her it had to do with DG Industries,” Kyle answered.
“That part’s actually true,” Julia answered.
“Right.” Grant bobbed his head. “You lured her there with the promise of information on DG. She, of course, trusted you and went. You made a play for her. She didn’t reciprocate. It’s over.”
Julia nodded as she stifled a yawn, the tension of the night catching up to her. “Okay. That’s our plan, then. And we hope Kyle can get more information soon.”
Kyle slipped his arm around her shoulder again and squeezed. “I’m going to try.”
She noticed Grant’s gaze fall to his son’s hand again, his jaw tensing. “We should get some sleep before this afternoon. Alex should be here and with any luck, we can get started on taking away one piece of her power.”
“Okay. I’m going to head upstairs. Are we all good?” Kyle glanced at his father.
Grant eyed him for a moment before he slowly nodded. “Yeah, we are. I’m not thrilled with how this went down, but…I…understand you were in a difficult position.”
Kyle offered him a tight-lipped smile, his hand still firmly clapped on Julia’s shoulder. “Julia, can I walk you upstairs?”
“Actually, Julia, can I have a private word with you?” Grant asked.
“Sure,” she answered before she twisted to Kyle. “Get some sleep.”
“You need sleep, too.”
“I’m pretty sure I dozed off at the cabin. I’m fine.”
Kyle eyed her, concern crossing his eyes before he finally nodded. “Okay. We’ll talk later.”
He offered his father a glance before he stalked from the room, leaving them alone. The tension in Grant’s shoulders released a little as he left. He ran a hand through his hair. “Sometimes he is really hard to take.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, guilt coursing through her. “This morning couldn’t have been easy. I wanted to warn you, but we didn’t have much choice or much chance.”
“You didn’t have much choice is more like it. I can’t help but feel that Kyle benefited from all of this.”
“Try not to judge him too harshly. I’d like to think he felt backed into a corner and reacted.”
Grant side-eyed her, his arms crossed. “That’s because you’re too nice of a person. I can’t stop thinking he relished this role.”
She’d had the same thoughts, particularly when he’d kissed her, but the last thing she wanted to do was drive a wedge further between father and son. “It’s over now. Let’s hope it did the trick, and he’s back in with Lydia. Although, I still think with the latest developments this is a terrible idea. I wish he wouldn’t have called her.”
“Well, that’s Kyle. He’s always willing to cross a line or two against everyone’s wishes.”
The statement brought a chuckle from her. “That’s why we brought him aboard for this fight.”
Grant heaved a sigh as the sun painted the morning sky brilliant shades of pink and red. “I’m sorry if I was harsh earlier. When I saw those pictures, I just…”
Julia’s stomach twisted into a knot, her gaze falling to the floor, knowing he had probably been disappointed. Lydia believed they were really married. This couldn’t have looked good.
When she glanced up again, she found him hovering closer to her than he had been before. He rubbed her arms as he stared down at her, his features pinching. “Julia…”
He seemed to struggle to find additional words as an unknown emotion clouded his eyes. She held her breath, her heart suddenly pounding against her ribs as she wondered what he wanted to say.
Before he could speak again, the doors swung open and Sierra pounded her way into the room. “Julia! There you are. And no one tells me. So typical. Why am I the last person to find out about anything these days?”
The sigh from Grant made her wonder what Sierra had interrupted. “Julia got home about an hour ago. But you need your rest.”
“Rest? I’m fine. It takes more than a little car accident to keep me down.” Sierra shoved the doors closed behind her before she spun to face Julia. “Where did you go? Did Kyle kidnap you again?”
Julia sighed as she studied her stepdaughter. “No.”
“Well, kind of,” Grant said, crossing to the desk and sliding the folder of photos off of it. He skirted the heavy furniture piece and shoved the folder in a drawer. He obviously didn’t want Sierra to see those pictures, and she fully agreed.
“Kind of? Another kind of kidnapping? Please tell me you tossed him, Daddy.”
“No, not kind of. Kyle…is still double-agenting for us. Your mother asked him to take me somewhere for a few hours to prove his loyalty. He did.”
“Why? What did she gain by it?” Sierra asked.
“She accused Kyle of being behind DG,” Grant said. “She used his disappearance with Julia as proof that he was trying to destroy me piece by piece.”
“I can’t believe her. She’s behind this, and she’s pointing the finger at everyone else. Why can’t we just confront her?”
“Sierra, she has been behind some pretty horrific events. We don’t want to push her, especially with the leverage she has,” Julia said. “But with any luck, that should be over soon. Alex Stone arrives this afternoon. By the way, I told him James could bring him here from the airport.”
“I’ll let him know,” Grant said with a nod.
“Thanks. If you don’t mind, I’m going to get some sleep. I’ll see you later.”
He bobbed his head again, his eyes clouding with that unknown emotion as she stepped toward the door. After Sierra hugged her, she slipped out, blowing out a long breath. The encounter had been intense after an equally intense night. She hoped she could fall asleep after all the excitement.
She climbed the stairs and navigated to her room. After peeling the scrubs off and slipping into comfortable pajamas, she crawled into her bed and fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.
When she opened her eyes again, the afternoon sun painted her room with deep shadows. She’d slept far longer than she’d expected.
She hurried from her bed for a shower and change of clothes before she left her room behind. She found Worthington at the bottom of the stairs. “Mrs. Harrington, how are you feeling?”
“Fine. I slept far too long. Is Alex Stone here?”
“Yes. He arrived about fifteen minutes ago. Mr. Harrington did not wish to disturb you, but said to meet him in his office when you were ready.”
“Thanks, I’ll head in now.”
Her heart lifted with hope as she wrapped her fingers around the doorknob. Would they finally make some progress on stopping Lydia’s tour of terror?
She pushed inside, finding Alex slouched in the chair across from Grant. With his shaggy, sandy blond hair and his penchant for outrageous attire, he hadn’t changed a bit since his college days outside of replacing his hoodie with a wild sports coat.
A grin crossed his face as he spotted her, and he leapt from his seat as she entered, wrapping her in a bear hug that lifted her feet off the floor. “Hey, kid, long time no see.”
“Hi, Alex. Thank you so much for coming,” she said as he set her down.
“Of course. I was just telling the old ball and chain here that I’ll have this wrapped up in no time.” He plopped back into the chair and cupped his hands behind his head.
The stern look on Grant’s face told her he didn’t care for Alex’s cocky swagger.
“Good,” Julia said as she eased into the chair next to him. “This can’t be over soon enough.”
“You came to the right man. I am the best.”
“Julia’s right. This needs to be over. What do you need from us?”
“Chill, bro. It’ll be done lickety-split as soon as I have access to the former missus and some of her…tech goodies.”
Julia winced at Alex’s response that she knew would rile Grant.
Grant narrowed his eyes at the man. “Well, bro …” he began.
“We are very grateful for that,” Julia cut in. She knew Alex well enough to know that when he got riled, he got stubborn. The last thing they needed was Grant unwittingly insulting the tech guru before he deleted the pictures of Sierra. She offered Grant a warning glance.
“No worries. Hey, Sunshine–”
A giggle escaped Julia’s lips at the name. “Wow, it’s been so long since anyone has called me that.”
“Sunshine?” Grant asked. She noted a hint of irritation in his voice and wondered if it was left over from this morning or new courtesy of Alex.
“Yeah,” Alex answered easily. “Because this kid always brings a ray of sunshine wherever she goes. Am I right?”
“Oh,” Grant said but before he could add anything else, Alex continued his earlier interrupted comment.
“Anyway, Ava’s at the hotel, but she’d love to see you. Any chance for a gal group meet and greet?”
“Ava’s here? Oh, wow. I have to admit, when I called and you two were together, I was a little surprised. I didn’t think you saw each other that much.”
“Yeah, that’s a recent development.”
Julia glanced down at his hand, cocking her head at the gold band around his finger. “Are you two still married.”
“Still hitched,” he said, waving his hand in the air.
“Really?” Julia said, surprise edging her voice.
Alex shifted in his seat, leaning closer to her. “Look, Sunshine, it’s kind of complicated. Maybe ixnay on the arriagemay talk when you see her, if you get my drift.”
“Oh,” she said, bobbing her head up and down, “right. I won’t say anything.”
She glanced at Grant, his features a mix of confusion and annoyance, though he recovered quickly. “I was just about to invite Alex to dinner here…and, ah, your wife, Ava, of course. But I hadn’t gotten to it before you joined us.”
“Excellentay, Big G. We would love to. Shall we say seven?”
Grant shot Julia a glance as he fluttered his eyelashes. She read it as his discomfort with the situation, though it took all in her not to giggle at Alex’s playful tone mixing with Grant’s usual hard-headed approach. “Sure,” Grant answered as the door opened again, and Kyle stepped inside.
“Whoa,” Alex exclaimed. “Time machine moment, am I right?”
“What?” Grant asked.
“It’s like stepping back into the “Young Grant” exhibit at the museum. The resemblance is uncanny.” He shifted his gaze to Kyle. “My dude, has anyone ever told you how much you look like your dad?”
Kyle’s jaw clenched as he tightened his grip on the phone he held in his hand. “It’s come up.”
“No kidding. Ha! Trippy. Anywho…I’ll see you later. Sunshine.” He winked at her before he kissed her cheek, then strode toward the door. “Peace out.”
Kyle followed his departure with a confused glance on his face. “Is that Alex Stone?”
“The one and only,” Julia said.
“ That’s who we’re pining our hopes on?” Kyle asked.
Julia shrugged a shoulder. “I wouldn’t judge. He’s probably already hacked both of your phones.”
“Yeah, right, Julia. He only talked to me for like a minute. Maybe he got into Dad’s.”
“My phone has some of the best encryption on it, so I doubt that,” Grant said.
Julia leaned back in her chair and shrugged. “Check them. I’d bet my life you’ll find something on there called ‘Alex’s Watchful Eye.’”
Both men grabbed their phones and toggled them on, looking less than impressed with her insinuation. Seconds later, they exchanged a glance.
“Well?” she asked.
“Yep. With a message that says ‘Grantster, don’t wear that frown, in the hacking world, I wear the crown’,” Grant answered, the frown he was told not to wear deepening.
Kyle clicked his tongue and sighed. “Mine says…’Mirror, mirror in my hand, who’s the spitting image of Grant in the land?’”
This time, Julia couldn’t stop the giggle from escaping her.
“It’s not funny,” Kyle said as he stalked to the chair and slumped into it.
“Well, at least you have your proof. He’s that good. So, we’re pinning our hopes on someone who deserves them.”
“Good,” Kyle said. “Because we’ve got more trouble. I got a text from Lydia congratulating me on a job well done and telling me she has a surprise in store.”
Julia quickly sobered, a chill snaking down her spine. She fidgeted, shooting Grant a glance. His concerned expression matched her inner turmoil. “Surprise? Any clue what it’s about?”
“Nope, she doesn’t say. But this can’t be good.”
Julia gripped the arms of the chair tighter, her heart skipping a beat. Kyle was right. No surprises from Lydia were good. What fresh hell awaited them this time?