Blaze: Steel Brothers Saga: Book Twenty-One Read online

  “That’s so kind of you, Donny. You’re sweet to suggest it, but we’re going to have a live-in nurse for a while until he’s completely recovered.”

  “All right. If you’re sure.”

  So much else weighs on my mind, none of which I want to burden my mother with. Especially since some of it may concern her, my father, and the rest of the family. How much have they been hiding from us over the years?

  “Yes, I’m sure. I can’t rely on you for everything. You need to have your own life too. Dad and I have been talking, and it’s time for you to choose your plot of land on the property. I can’t expect you to live in the guesthouse forever.”

  “Wow. I guess I hadn’t even thought of that. But since I’m back in town for the duration now, I suppose I should have my own place.”

  “Of course you should. You’re the second oldest of all your siblings and cousins. Now that Dale’s is almost complete, it’s time for you to think about yours.”

  Except I don’t want to think about it. Building a home means preparing for a family. I won’t be doing that because I have to let Callie—the only woman I’ve ever considered having a family with—go.

  But I can’t let Mom think I’m having any reservations.

  “I’ll get on it.”

  “Good. And don’t forget the big party this weekend to celebrate your dad’s homecoming.”

  “Of course.”

  I love a good Steel party as much as anyone, but boy, am I not in the partying mood.

  “I’ll talk to you soon, Donny. And I’ll see you soon.”

  “Right, Mom. So glad to hear everything is going well.”

  After ending the call, I stare at my computer. I haven’t heard from Callie, so I don’t know if she’s on her way back to the western slope yet. Dad’s coming home. Big party this weekend.

  Plus…

  Who opened a safe-deposit box in my name and left me those GPS coordinates and the ring?

  Who trashed Brendan Murphy’s place?

  Most importantly… Who shot my father? Then tried to poison him? And why?

  All this crap on my plate, plus…

  I have to find the strength to break up with Callie.

  God help me.

  CHAPTER THREE

  CALLIE

  My heart thuds, pounding against my sternum, and as I look down, I swear I can see it—the quick movement of my chest.

  I must be imagining things.

  At least the shrieking is gone. But that brings us closer, closer, closer…to the truth.

  While Karen puts away her tools, Mr. Keats pulls out the small metal container—Rory’s safe-deposit box.

  “Ms. Bates and I will leave you to it,” Keats says.

  “Sure,” Rory says. “Thank you. How much do we owe you for the locksmith?”

  “You’ll be billed at your address on file.” Mr. Keats flattens his lips into a straight line.

  I’d love to punch his smug face. We didn’t lose the damn key. It was stolen.

  I inhale deeply and let it out. No time for me to get nasty.

  “Thank you, Ms. Bates,” Rory says. “And thank you very much for rescuing the baby this morning.”

  “All in a day’s work.” Karen smiles and hands Rory a business card. “If you ever need my services again.”

  “Thank you. We don’t live in the area, but I’ll keep it anyway.” Rory shoves the card in her purse and smiles.

  How is she staying so calm?

  Being a performer does have its perks.

  Just like being invisible has its perks.

  That was my mantra in high school.

  And the past displays itself before me once more.

  “Are you serious?” Rory’s pretty brown eyes widen into near circles.

  “I swear to God I heard it. It was Pat Lamone. Someone named Jimmy. It could have been Jimmy Dawson, but we do have a couple Jimmys here at school.”

  “But only one Lamone,” Rory says.

  “Right. I suppose you’ve heard about Diana Steel.”

  “I’ve heard the whispers,” my sister says. “And the whispers about the reward.”

  “Yeah, I got that scoop from a couple girls in the bathroom earlier today. I was getting all ready to do some snooping of my own—starting with the future lawmakers—when this information landed in my lap.”

  “None of them looked in the classroom to see if anyone was in there?”

  I shake my head. “I’ve told you before. Being invisible has its perks.”

  “You’re not invisible, Callie. I hate it when you say that. You were on the homecoming court, for God’s sake.”

  “And you and I both know why. Because I’m your sister. Jordan’s cousin. The sister of the amazing Jesse Pike, Snow Creek’s greatest quarterback of all time.”

  “You’re beautiful, Callie. You’re the only one who doesn’t see it.”

  “Cut it out, will you? I’m not here to debate which one of us is prettier.” Besides, we all know who that is. “We need to figure this out. We can get the ten grand from the Steels if we can prove Lamone is the one who spiked that punch with angel dust.”

  “Angel dust… Man… No wonder I was flying high.”

  “And I’m damned glad I told you not to drink any more of it.”

  “Honestly, Callie, I would have. The flavor was unreal. But I’ve never broken a promise to you yet in my short life, and I’m glad I didn’t.”

  “Me too. I’m glad Carmen is okay too. She looked like a mess. Like she was under some kind of spell. Totally freaked me out.”

  “It’s a wonder more people aren’t hospitalized from it.”

  “You’re telling me.” I inhale a breath and let it out slowly. Time to tell my sister my plan. “So I figure we need to get Lamone to admit what he did.”

  “How do you expect to do that?” Rory asks.

  “I can’t do anything. Pat Lamone has never given me a look. But…”

  Queasiness meanders its way up my throat. I’m seriously thinking about pimping out my older sister to get information that will lead to money. Lamone needs to pay for what he did to Diana, and unfortunately, I can’t think of another way.

  Rory narrows her eyes. “Oh no. No way.”

  “It’s the only way, Rory. We know he has a crush on you. It’s become pretty near to stalking.”

  “A few phone calls and notes in my locker are hardly stalking.”

  “They are when you’ve told him to back off.”

  “And that’s my point. I’ve told him in no uncertain terms that I’m not interested. So he’s going to believe I am now?”

  “He’s a seventeen-year-old guy,” I say. “Whether he believes it isn’t really the issue. If he thinks he’s going to get some, he’ll say whatever you want him to say.”

  “He’s a seventeen-year-old guy,” Rory says, “not an idiot.”

  “Same freaking difference.”

  That gets a laugh out of Rory. “I suppose you have a point. We can play on his testosterone.”

  “Exactly. Act like you’re interested, maybe even take off a few items of clothing, and he’ll be singing like a mockingbird.”

  Rory curls her lips into a grimace. “One problem, Cal. I can’t stand Pat Lamone, and I don’t want to get anywhere close to naked with him.”

  “Ten grand…”

  “You want me to whore myself out for ten grand?”

  The queasiness is back, but I force myself to work through it. “You’re not whoring yourself out, Rory. You’re doing an investigation. It’s not like you’re selling your body for ten grand. You’re selling information that you obtain for the Steels for ten grand.”

  “Information that I obtain by whoring myself out.”

  “No. It’s not like that. You’re not going to actually do anything with him. You’re going to use your feminine wiles to get what you want. Women have been doing it for years.”

  “And it still sucks.”

  I nod. “You’re not wrong. I do
n’t love the idea either, but what else do we have? He needs to pay for this crime…and Ror, we could sure use ten grand.”

  Rory pauses a moment, twists her lips. She’s thinking. That’s the Rory thinking pose.

  “All right. But we’re going to need help with this.”

  “Carmen. Carmen and Jordan. They’ll help us.”

  “Can we trust them?”

  “Jordan’s our cousin. Of course we can trust her, and you and Carmen are friends. Besides, she drank that shit too, and I swear it nearly obliterated her.”

  “All right. We’ll bring them in.” Rory rolls her eyes. “Do you really think I can pull this off?”

  “Rory, you’ve starred in every school musical since you were in the sixth grade. You’re an actress by nature. Of course you can pull it off. Plus, you’re Rory Pike. You’re the only person who can.”

  “I hope you’re right, Cal. Because this is the freaking role of a lifetime.”

  Keats and Karen leave the room, and Rory and I stare at the closed box sitting on the table in front of us.

  “Now or never,” Rory says.

  “Just open the damned thing.”

  She rests her fingers on the lid. “I’m frightened, Callie.”

  “Either it’s there or it isn’t. We have to know, Rory. We have to, so we know how to approach this.”

  “I can’t believe this is all coming back to bite us in the ass.”

  “Well, it is. So open the damned thing, will you?”

  Rory bites her lower lip. “Do you ever wish you could go back and relive a certain time in your life?”

  “Ror…”

  “Screw it all. All right.” She lifts the lid of the metal box.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  DONNY

  I head over to Ava’s for lunch. As soon as I open the door, though, I wish I’d chosen something else.

  Brendan Murphy, his long ginger hair pulled into a low ponytail, sits at one of the small tables in the bakery, and Ava stands next to his table, her black apron smudged with flour and her pink hair piled into a hair net, talking to him.

  “Shit,” I mutter under my breath.

  Ava looks up when the bells on the door tinkle. “Hey, Donny!”

  “Hey, cuz. Brendan.”

  Brendan meets my gaze, his blue eyes glaring. He’s not happy, though of course I don’t expect him to be. How much of his attitude am I projecting onto him because I’m upset at myself for putting all this shit in motion?

  But it is what it is, and I have to deal with the fallout.

  “Any news?” Brendan asks.

  “Not really. I did check in with the energy board on Friday. All the paperwork has been updated about the error with regard to the potential gas leak on your property.”

  “Yeah, I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about any news on who trashed my place.”

  “I was in Denver on Friday, and it’s noon on Monday. I don’t have any new news on that. Have you checked with Hardy?”

  “Yes, I’ve checked with Hardy.”

  “And…?”

  “Nothing. Freaking nothing.”

  “This happened three days ago. Investigations take time, Brendan.”

  “I know.” He sighs.

  “Brendan, we all understand,” Ava says. “What happened to you is horrible.”

  “Yeah, it is. But I’ll deal.”

  The scuttlebutt from Callie is that Brendan has a major crush on my cousin. Clearly he’s trying to be strong for her, to act like this doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.

  But he’s still pissed. I can see it in those menacing blue eyes.

  And I don’t blame him one bit.

  “Your sandwich is on the house today,” Ava says.

  “That’s sweet of you,” Brendan says, “but totally not necessary. I always pay my way.”

  “Not today you don’t.” Ava wipes her flour-covered fingers on her apron. “This is non-negotiable.” Then she walks back behind the counter and into the kitchen.

  “I guess she told you,” I say.

  “I refuse to be a Steel charity case.” Brendan’s lips turn into a flat line.

  I sit down across from him without being invited. “You need to understand Ava. She doesn’t take Steel charity either. You probably know this story already, but she opened this place on her own. She makes her own money, pays her employees, and doesn’t touch her parents’ money. So if she’s not a Steel charity case, you certainly won’t be either by taking a free sandwich. Take it for what it is. A gift. Because she cares.”

  Brendan gazes down at the table. “You’re right. I don’t know why I said that.”

  “Because you’re angry. And you have every reason to be. You think none of us have ever been there?”

  He raises his head and meets my gaze, his blue eyes glaring again. “You’re a fucking Steel, Donny.”

  I clear my throat but then stay quiet as Maya brings us two glasses of ice water.

  “What will it be, Don?” she asks.

  “The Donny. Turkey and avocado. You know the drill.” I smile.

  She blushes. “Yours will be out in a minute, Brendan.”

  Once Maya is back at the counter, Brendan opens his mouth, but I raise my hand to stop him.

  “You’re not going to get a free pass with me today. Yes, I’m a Steel. But I wasn’t always a Steel. You know that.”

  His fair cheeks pink a little. “Look, I don’t want to get into some big knock-down, drag-out with you. I’m just fucking pissed. That’s what this comes down to.”

  “All right. I’ll take you at your word.”

  I force myself to simmer down. He’s angry, and he has every right to be. My early childhood is not his fault, and I’m sure as hell not about to tell Brendan Murphy how Dale and I came to be Steels. It’s none of his damned business, and I don’t want it getting to Ava or anyone else. It’s bad enough that Ashley knows. And Brock.

  “What are your plans?” he asks.

  “For your case? I’ve got Troy on it. I’ll probably put Callie on it too.”

  Callie’s name crossed my lips before I had a chance to even think about it. I have to let her go. Does that mean I have to let her go from the office as well? It’ll be hell to see her every day but not be able to touch her. Still, I can’t take her job away from her on top of everything else.

  “How long does an investigation usually take?”

  “There’s no easy answer to that question. First of all, I’m new to this. Second, every case is different. From what I saw when I walked through your place the other day, whoever trashed it didn’t leave any clues at all. Now granted, I gave it only a cursory look. I imagine Hardy and his guys will go in there and bag evidence, and I’ll send Troy over as well. He’s a competent investigator.”

  “In the meantime…where the hell am I supposed to live?”

  “That’s where I can give you some good news. The energy board has agreed to reimburse you for a stay at the Snow Creek Inn.”

  He lifts his eyebrows. “I have to tell you. I’m surprised.”

  “I pulled a few strings. Cashed in a few favors.”

  I hate lying. In fact, the person footing the bill will be me. The least I can do.

  “I appreciate it. I really do.”

  I smile—totally forced—and take a drink of my ice water.

  I feel like a complete asshole. This is all my fault. I may not have trashed Brendan’s place, but it’s because of my shenanigans that he wasn’t home at the time.

  Maya comes by with Brendan’s sandwich. “A few more minutes on yours,” she says to me.

  “Not a problem.”

  Brendan takes a bite of sandwich, chews, swallows. “I’ve been thinking, and I have no idea who would do this.”

  “You mean other than some member of my family.”

  “Well…yeah. Your words, not mine.”

  “They were your words, Brendan. On Thursday, when you came storming into my office.”


  “I’m not accusing you, Don, or any member of your immediate family. But don’t you think it’s strange that the place got trashed after I uncovered documents pertaining to the Steels?”

  “I’m not going to lie to you. Yes, the thought has occurred to me. My family is not without its enemies. That’s for sure. And the more I learn about our history…”

  “What?”

  I sigh. “I just don’t know enough to make any comment, to be honest. Suffice it to say that Dale and I are looking into a lot of things.”

  “Can I help?”

  “I’m afraid you can’t. It’s a family mess, and family needs to take care of it.”

  “Yeah, but your family mess may have invaded its way into my life.”

  “I get it. But if you were uncovering things about your own family, you wouldn’t want any other family involved.”

  He cocks his head and then finally nods. “Point taken.”

  My sandwich appears in front of me, and I mumble a thank you to Maya.

  I take a bite, chew, swallow.

  Brendan and I don’t say much after that.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CALLIE

  I nearly faint with relief when Rory pulls out the thumb drive.

  “Thank God,” she says, her voice more of a sigh than actual words.

  I hold out my palm. “Let me touch it. I need to feel that it’s real.”

  She drops it into my open hand. Yes, the thumb drive. The only copy of Pat Lamone’s confession. We have our leverage.

  The statute of limitations has passed. He can’t be arrested. So what? We can still ruin him. And once the Steels find out…

  Oh, God… Nausea crawls up my throat.

  The Steels.

  We kept this information from them when they wanted it. Granted, we had our reasons, and we didn’t know the Steels very well back then. Sure, we live on a ranch adjacent to theirs, but they’re a powerful family.

  Now that I know the Steels better—and now that I’m involved with Donny—I realize we could have gone to them. They would have protected us.