Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
“ I was watching that,” Dean protested before leaning forward and trying to snatch the remote out of Kelli’s hands. “You’re the one who got up to use the bathroom. You snooze, you lose, sis.”
Kelli snorted and held the remote up over her head. “You’re going to have to do better than that, little bro. What are they teaching you in college?”
“Working at a fashion house has made you meaner,” Dean grumbled darkly. He jumped to his feet and launched himself at Kelli, who took a few steps back and continued to hold the remote over her head. “Give it.”
“Make me.”
Dana lifted the mug up to her lips and eyed them over the rim. “It’s too early in the day for this.”
“It’s twelve in the afternoon,” Kelli and Dean replied in unison.
Dana took a few more sips of her coffee and turned her attention to the phone. “You two are such children.”
Kelli and Dean shot Dana a dirty look and started bickering.
It wasn’t long before the three of them were talking over each other and fighting over the remote.
Ian lingered on the last step and craned his neck over his shoulder. He spotted Lucy at the top of the stairs, her hair a tangled mess on top of her head and the robe half-hanging off her frame.
She pushed her hair out of her face and yawned. “What’s going on?”
“Isn’t it nice to have all the kids back under the same roof?” Ian climbed back up the stairs and drew Lucy in for a hug. “You’re the one who wanted them all here at the same time.”
Lucy chuckled. “I definitely spoke too soon.”
Ian drew back to look at her and grinned. “It’s okay. I thought it would be a good idea too.”
Something ripped, and Lucy immediately winced. “We can’t get involved. They’re adults now.”
Ian placed a hand on the small of her back and steered her in the direction of the bedroom. “Why don’t we both get dressed, and I’ll take you out for breakfast? We can do some last-minute Christmas shopping.”
Lucy nodded a little too eagerly. “That sounds amazing. Let me take a quick shower, and we can get out of here.”
Ian smacked her butt on the way past.
Lucy gave him a sultry look through her lashes. While she showered, Ian stripped the sheets off and tossed them into the hamper. Then he took out a clean set of sheets and pillowcases. Once he was done, he smoothed out the edges of the covers and nodded to himself. He smiled when Lucy wrapped herself against him and pressed a kiss to the back of his neck.
“Let me take a shower, and we’ll go,” Ian said gruffly.
He pressed a kiss to her forehead and hurried into the shower.
Ian scrubbed every inch of himself twice, and a thin mist followed him into the room. Lucy stood near their balcony, a thoughtful expression on her face, while Ian changed into a pair of jeans and a button-down shirt. Then he shoved his feet into a pair of shoes, and the two of them crept downstairs and out the back door.
In the car, they burst into laughter as Lucy slipped her hand into his, and he kept his other hand on the wheel.
Lucy was still laughing. “Maybe we should’ve told them we were going.”
“They can handle themselves.” Ian waved her comment away and leaned back against the seat. He brought her hand up to his lips for a kiss. “Besides, I get you all to myself for a few hours.”
Lucy blushed and looked out the window.
At the mall, he circled the parking lot for a while, looking for a spot to park. He backed up between two larger sedans and hurried to the side, holding the door open for Lucy. She was smiling from ear to ear, a vision in her knee-length skirt, stockings, and boots. When she tossed her auburn hair over her shoulders and smiled at him, Ian’s stomach gave an odd little flip.
Hot air hit Ian directly in the face when the automatic doors slid open to let them in. Lucy tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow, and the two of them took the escalator up, festive music already playing in the background. Once they got off the escalator, Ian glanced around, taking in the five stories, the high, arched glass ceilings, and the tile floors that gleamed.
During breakfast, Lucy sat across from him and chattered aimlessly the whole time.
Ian listened as if his life depended on it.
When he pulled her chair back and led her away, he heard his name being called. Ian spun around and saw his grandparents in matching red sweaters and beige pants, with Uncle Frankie leading the charge in a knitted green sweater. The three of them pulled him in for a hug before turning to Lucy.
“I love Christmas shopping,” Grandma Jen said with a smile. “Next year, maybe we’ll have some more grandkids.”
Uncle Frankie choked back a laugh. “Mom, you already have too many. How many more do you need?”
Grandma Jen shrugged and patted his hand. “The more the merrier.”
“I’m going to be more active by next year,” Grandpa Frank announced before patting his stomach. “That’s my New Year’s goal.”
Laughter rose through the air.
Ian peeked at Lucy, who had gone unusually quiet and pale. She remained tucked into his side, but some of her earlier energy had evaporated. Try as he might to draw her into a conversation, she wouldn’t budge. A few hours later, after dropping his family off at their car, he led Lucy back to theirs.
She folded her hands in her lap and spent the ride with her lips pressed together. As soon as they arrived at the house, Lucy unbuckled her seat belt and hurried out of the car. He followed in her wake, leaving a few feet of space between them. Once she reached their room, she slammed the door shut behind her, leaving Ian on the other side.
He waited with one hand shoved into his pocket and the other curling and uncurling at his side.
Lucy was asleep on the bed in her clothes when he knocked and pushed the door open. Ian took off her shoes and set them down at the foot of the bed. Then he pulled her up and tucked the covers around her. With a sigh, he made his way back downstairs and spotted the kids in the backyard, enjoying a rare bit of sun.
Before he knew what he was doing, Ian was back in the car and driving to the station. Several people greeted him by name on his way past. Marissa stood next to the water cooler, making herself a cup of coffee. He walked up to her and poured himself a generous amount. When Marissa twisted to face him, she gave him a knowing look.
“Don’t start. I had nowhere else to go, okay?”
Marissa lifted the Styrofoam cup to her lips. “You have the morning after Thanksgiving off. You should be spending it at home with your family.”
Ian’s coffee was bitter, and it burned the tip of his tongue. “I was. I even took Lucy out Christmas shopping, and we ran into my grandparents and uncle.”
Marissa raised an eyebrow. “And you still ended up here? Railings, you need a life.”
“I have one,” Ian protested, pausing to follow her to her desk. He pulled his chair out and sat down. “I just don’t like not knowing what to do with my time.”
Marissa set down her cup and straightened her back. “It’s called relaxing. You should try it.”
Ian scowled at her.
His phone rang, interrupting the rest of her sentence. He fished it out of his pocket and immediately sat up straighter when Bryce’s name flashed across the screen.
“I was going to call you earlier, but it was Thanksgiving.”
“It’s okay. Did you find anything?”
“I’m emailing you some documents I found. I’ve spent the past few days going through all of my dad’s files, and I think I found some of the evidence they were going to use.”
Ian wedged the phone between his ear and shoulder. His knee bounced up and down while he waited for the computer to start. “Some? You couldn’t find everything?”
“I’m not sure if this is everything,” Bryce replied after a brief pause. “But I figured it’s better than nothing.”
Ian’s screen came to life, and he reached for the mouse. “It’s got to be, but is it going to be enough?”
Bryce blew out a breath, and Ian could hear the strain in his voice. “Honestly? I’m not sure it’s going to be. If this was the smoking gun my dad had, then I guess he was hoping to scare Eric with it. During a trial, I’m not sure this would be enough.”
Ian frowned and fixed his gaze on the screen. After logging into his email, he leaned forward and waited for the page to load. Next to him, Marissa was muttering to herself and peeking over at him.
His stomach tightened when he saw the unread email in his inbox. Sweat formed on the back of his neck and palms.
His heart was pounding against his ears as he opened the document and waited.
Ian’s shoulders sagged, and he ran a hand through his hair. “I’m not going to lie; I was hoping for a lot more.”
“I’ll keep digging, but I thought this could be a good place to start. There’s got to be more, and if we managed to uncover this, I could probably find out more today.”
“If he hasn’t covered his tracks,” Ian muttered under his breath. “Okay, keep looking anyway, and let me know as soon as you find anything.”
“Will do. I hope you had a good Thanksgiving.”
Bryce paused. “You too.”
With that, the line went dead, and Ian was left with a bad taste in the back of his mouth. He tossed his phone onto the desk and pressed two fingers to his temples. Rubbing in slow, circular motions, he eyed Marissa out of the corner of his eye as she skimmed through the evidence.
Once she was done, she leaned back in her chair and let out a low whistle. “Yeah, I think your PI is right. This isn’t going to be enough to put Eric Taylor away. It’s barely enough to tie him to anything.”
Ian pointed a finger at the screen. “It ties him to evidence of fraud, bribery, jury tampering.”
“Yeah, but nothing concrete.” Marissa shook her head and frowned. “I’m sorry, E. I know it’s not what you want to hear.”
Ian opened his mouth to respond, and his phone rang again.
“Somebody’s popular today,” Marissa joked, despite the concern written across her face. “Want me to get that?”
Ian shook his head and snatched the phone off the desk. “Hello?”
“Stop looking into Eric Taylor.”
Ian stiffened. “Who is this? How did you get my number?”
“I know who you are, and I know you have a family. If you don’t stop looking into him, there are going to be consequences.”
The voice was garbled, and Ian could barely make out anything except for the underlying current of anger.
“You’re using a program to distort your voice, aren’t you, Eric? Are you afraid of confronting me yourself?”
Marissa paled and inched closer to him.
“If you don’t stop looking into Eric—”
“I heard you the first time,” Ian snapped, lifting his chin. “I have no intention of dropping this. You can give it your best shot, but I promise I’m not going to be the one behind bars when this is over. Do you hear me? I’m going to make Eric pay for everything he’s done.”
The line went dead, and Ian pulled the phone away from his ear, heart racing so loudly he could barely make out anything. It wasn’t until Marissa clapped him on the shoulder that he came back to the present with a jolt and realized she was holding a bottle of water up to his lips.
Ian pushed the bottle away and stood up. “Now what?”