he shared a glance with Aidan. “Don’t go postal on me, Monroe.”
“Monroe?” Buckner said.
“Yeah, asshole. The man you shot was my father.”
Buckner shook his head. “He wasn’t supposed to get shot. We wanted to keep him as a resource. Whoever Monroe had in the back shot at us and hit Johnkowski.”
“There was someone else at the store that night?”
“Yes. Hiding in the back. Your father had backup.”
Chapter 6
The next morning, Cassandra stepped from the shower and donned a color-block sundress of pink, white and black. D.I.R.E. had graciously allowed her access to her suitcases, but her purse and makeup had been locked away. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d showed her face in public without makeup. The notion made her feel vulnerable, with no control over her own person.
Then again, she had no control over anything except the pesky cables they’d tied around her wrists. They were Naylor Interests standard issue, something she used to practice on while she waited for files to upload.
Today, she’d removed them to clean up, and would put them back in place when she got around the agents again.
She had to keep some kind of advantage.
Cass studied her reflection as she dried her hair. This all had to be a bad nightmare. The unstoppable Robert Naylor lay in a hospital bed, on the verge of death. Dar had been reduced to cooperation through guilt.
For the first time in her life, she’d needed to rescue them and failed miserably. Naylor Interests sat on the verge of collapse.
Her entire life had disintegrated. Not that it had been much of a life anyway.
Donning her glasses, Cass retied the cables around her wrists and walked out into the hallway. She nodded at the D.I.R.E. agents posted outside her room and Dar’s, just down the hall. Even from a small town hospital, Mitchell Jacobs ran an efficient, competent agency.
Cassandra sighed. She wished they would let her visit Dar. He always made her feel better, more in control.
The total opposite of Aidan Monroe.
The man had haunted her thoughts the entire night. She didn’t get a wink of sleep. Where other men told her she looked beautiful, Aidan made her feel beautiful. He’d never said a word to her about her looks, but had talked to her, looked at her, touched her, in ways no other man had dared.
He was the first man she’d met that wasn’t afraid of her father.
Mitchell and Tristan Jacobs probably weren’t afraid of Robert Naylor either, but they didn’t consume her thoughts like Aidan Monroe.
Aidan made her want to run away to an exotic island and while away the hours making love in the surf. He made her want to snuggle on a sofa and watch romantic comedies, and dance in the dark to slow, soft music.
Why in the world did she feel this way now, when her life lay in shambles?
Pushing open her father’s door, she peeked around the corner. A nurse stood at his bedside, checking his IV and fluffing his pillow. His ventilator had been disconnected and shoved against the wall.
Thank God Kate wasn’t there.
“Thank you for helping my father.”
Whipping around, the woman stopped to stare at Cassandra. If all of the nurses were as gorgeous as this one, Dar would probably find a reason to get sick.
“Well, I’ve been told he’s my father, too.”
Cassandra stood rooted to the spot. This was her new sister? The love child of Kate Monroe and her father? Dar was right, Rachel did look a lot like Robert. She had Kate’s beauty and her father’s coloring.
“I’m Rachel.”
With apprehensive steps, she approached Cassandra and held out her hand. The scent of orchids reached her nose. Cass stood stiff, her hands tied in front of her. A blush stole up Rachel’s neck as she dropped her hand.
Yes, not all of us get to walk around hands free.
“I’ve been bugging Mitchell to let me meet you, but for some reason, he’s kept me away.”
Rachel Monroe emitted a warmth, a friendliness Cassandra had never felt
“Monroe?” Buckner said.
“Yeah, asshole. The man you shot was my father.”
Buckner shook his head. “He wasn’t supposed to get shot. We wanted to keep him as a resource. Whoever Monroe had in the back shot at us and hit Johnkowski.”
“There was someone else at the store that night?”
“Yes. Hiding in the back. Your father had backup.”
Chapter 6
The next morning, Cassandra stepped from the shower and donned a color-block sundress of pink, white and black. D.I.R.E. had graciously allowed her access to her suitcases, but her purse and makeup had been locked away. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d showed her face in public without makeup. The notion made her feel vulnerable, with no control over her own person.
Then again, she had no control over anything except the pesky cables they’d tied around her wrists. They were Naylor Interests standard issue, something she used to practice on while she waited for files to upload.
Today, she’d removed them to clean up, and would put them back in place when she got around the agents again.
She had to keep some kind of advantage.
Cass studied her reflection as she dried her hair. This all had to be a bad nightmare. The unstoppable Robert Naylor lay in a hospital bed, on the verge of death. Dar had been reduced to cooperation through guilt.
For the first time in her life, she’d needed to rescue them and failed miserably. Naylor Interests sat on the verge of collapse.
Her entire life had disintegrated. Not that it had been much of a life anyway.
Donning her glasses, Cass retied the cables around her wrists and walked out into the hallway. She nodded at the D.I.R.E. agents posted outside her room and Dar’s, just down the hall. Even from a small town hospital, Mitchell Jacobs ran an efficient, competent agency.
Cassandra sighed. She wished they would let her visit Dar. He always made her feel better, more in control.
The total opposite of Aidan Monroe.
The man had haunted her thoughts the entire night. She didn’t get a wink of sleep. Where other men told her she looked beautiful, Aidan made her feel beautiful. He’d never said a word to her about her looks, but had talked to her, looked at her, touched her, in ways no other man had dared.
He was the first man she’d met that wasn’t afraid of her father.
Mitchell and Tristan Jacobs probably weren’t afraid of Robert Naylor either, but they didn’t consume her thoughts like Aidan Monroe.
Aidan made her want to run away to an exotic island and while away the hours making love in the surf. He made her want to snuggle on a sofa and watch romantic comedies, and dance in the dark to slow, soft music.
Why in the world did she feel this way now, when her life lay in shambles?
Pushing open her father’s door, she peeked around the corner. A nurse stood at his bedside, checking his IV and fluffing his pillow. His ventilator had been disconnected and shoved against the wall.
Thank God Kate wasn’t there.
“Thank you for helping my father.”
Whipping around, the woman stopped to stare at Cassandra. If all of the nurses were as gorgeous as this one, Dar would probably find a reason to get sick.
“Well, I’ve been told he’s my father, too.”
Cassandra stood rooted to the spot. This was her new sister? The love child of Kate Monroe and her father? Dar was right, Rachel did look a lot like Robert. She had Kate’s beauty and her father’s coloring.
“I’m Rachel.”
With apprehensive steps, she approached Cassandra and held out her hand. The scent of orchids reached her nose. Cass stood stiff, her hands tied in front of her. A blush stole up Rachel’s neck as she dropped her hand.
Yes, not all of us get to walk around hands free.
“I’ve been bugging Mitchell to let me meet you, but for some reason, he’s kept me away.”
Rachel Monroe emitted a warmth, a friendliness Cassandra had never felt
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