His Captivating Confidante (Secret Sentinels) (18 page)

“I’ll tell her,” Frank agreed solemnly.

A noise at the entry to the stable had both men spinning around to see Stephanie standing there, clutching the copy of
Treasure Island
to her chest.

“Tell me what?” she demanded.

Stephanie had no idea how long she stood there, stricken, after both men turned to face her. She was dimly aware of Frank striding toward her. Reaching her side, he wrapped an arm around her waist and led her to a nearby bench.

“Sit down,” he urged.

“I’ll give you two some privacy so you can talk, but first I need to show you something,” Damon told them. “I asked Stephanie to bring the book out to us because it contains a coded message from one of our undercover DEA operatives, Chase Fleming.

“Chase reached the computers Henderson stole from Mendacci first. He downloaded the data they held, but his cover was compromised before he could bring the jump drive he’d loaded the info onto in to us, and he was shot. Brianna Atwood, a woman one of your fellow Sentinels agents was guarding, witnessed the shooting and saw him fall into the ocean. We didn’t find his body, but we had every reason to believe he was dead.

“We learned differently three days ago when we received an encrypted communication from him letting us know he couldn’t come in from the field without putting the data at risk. Chase told us he’d hidden a drive with info that would incriminate Lawrence Mendaccci, and that he’d used a cryptograph concealed in a rare volume of
Treasure Island
to communicate its location. This book was the most secure way for him to get the location of the jump drive both Mendacci and Henderson are so intent on getting their hands on to us without risking the information falling into the wrong hands, since Mendacci has informants everywhere.

“So that’s why you wanted it so badly,” Stephanie murmured. “Why did you need me to vet it then, since you obviously planned to purchase the book all along?”

“Your presence when I brokered the buy was simply a smokescreen. The dealer knew the volume was valuable beyond its worth as a collectible, but he didn’t know why. Having you on hand for the transaction mitigated any chance of him suspecting there was more to my desire to purchase it beyond its value as an addition to my library.

“Vanessa is working on cracking the cipher Chase used. When she does, we’ll retrieve the drive. I’ll keep you posted on our progress. I’m going to head back to the house, now, but I’ll catch up with you both tomorrow.”

As soon as Damon left the stables, Frank turned to Stephanie. “Damon and I talked before you got here. He filled me in on everything he told you, and I believe he’s telling the truth. I owe you an apology. You were right about him.”

“And what is it that he was so insistent you tell me?”

“It’s about your father . . .”

“My father?” she interrupted, her eyes rounding in astonishment as they snapped up to his. “What does my father have to do with this?”

He sighed, his gaze brimming with empathy as he met her inquiring gaze. “It’s complicated.”

“Believe it or not, my IQ can handle complicated. Why don’t you try explaining it to me?”

“I’ve had a theory for a while, but until tonight I couldn’t prove it. Your father’s gambling problem was an illness, and it dragged him to the lowest of lows, but he
had
beaten it. He hadn’t reverted to his old habits, Kitten. He was using his history as an addict to play a role. Aaron was working for the DEA, alongside Damon and Vanessa. He wasn’t a killer. He was set up. And he was murdered.”

Relief coursed through her at Frank’s proclamation. Her father had kept his promise to her. He hadn’t fallen back into the throes of his addiction, as she’d feared. She’d always believed, in her heart, that he wasn’t a killer, but she simply hadn’t known how to go about proving it.

On the heels of that relief came hurt and disappointment. The knowledge that Frank had kept his theory a secret from her sliced through her like a thousand shards of glass, piercing her heart. She’d trusted him. She’d shared
everything
with him. She’d bared her very soul to him. How could he have kept something so critically important from her?

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she blurted out as the sting of his betrayal tore through her. “He was my
father
, Frank. I deserved to know.”

“Look, I know how you feel—” he began.

“How can you possibly understand how I feel?” she forced out past the lump in her throat. “You said you were confiding in me, yet you kept critical information that has huge personal ramifications to me to yourself. Don’t you think I deserved to know my father hadn’t spiraled back down into addiction? How could you shut me out like that?”

“You’d already been hurt enough, and it was only a hunch. I didn’t want to say anything until I was sure, and I didn’t have proof that my theory was correct until now.”

Waves of hurt and disappointment crashed over her.

Didn’t Frank know that even if his theory about her father hadn’t been confirmed, that wouldn’t change the fact that she loved her dad, regardless of what he’d been purported to do?

She couldn’t understand how Frank could tell her she was his confidante, only to shut her out of the one part of his mission that had the potential to impact her the most.

“I never meant to hurt you, Steph,” he sighed. “I was just trying to—”

She held a hand up, halting his explanation. “Protect me,” she completed the sentence for him, biting out the words. “I know. Well, I’m sick and tired of your coddling.”

Suddenly, it felt like the entire world was crashing in on her. She swiped at an errant tear. He moved to comfort her, but she pulled away from his embrace.

“Don’t touch me,” she warned. “I need some time to process this.”

Rising to her feet on quivering legs, she headed for the door.

“Wait!” he called after her.

She ignored his entreaty, hoping he would realize the wisest thing to do right now would be to let her go.

It would be best for both of them.

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

Stephanie didn’t bother to take the time to change before retreating to the solitude of the mansion’s expansive gym. She just needed to hit something, and it would be better if she took out her frustration on an inanimate object.

That’s what she was doing when Damon found her.

Stepping to her side, he stilled the punching bag with one hand while placing his other hand on her shoulder. “Hey. You okay?” he asked, his voice soft with compassion.

Catching her breath, she nodded, turning to him with a tremulous smile. “I will be. It’s just a lot to process all at once. I never thought my father was capable of doing what they said he did. It’s a relief to know his name will be cleared.”

“I’m sorry we couldn’t save him. We had no idea . . .” he broke off, running a frustrated hand through his hair. “We went after your father as soon as we learned his cover had been compromised, but they’d already . . . well . . . there was nothing more to be done.”

“It’s not your fault. I don’t blame you, or the DEA. My father would have known the risks. I’m proud of what he did. Proud that he wanted to make a difference. And I’m so very relieved that his name will be cleared after this is over. Thank you for that.”

Damon reached for her hands. Unlacing her punching gloves, he slipped them off and set them aside. “Your father was a good man. He spoke of you often, and it was obvious he loved you very much. Not having any other option but to allow you to believe he’d spiraled back into the cesspool of his addiction tore him apart.”

“Thank you for saying so,” she choked out, touched beyond words.

Damon opened his arms to comfort her, and she fell into them, letting her tears flow freely.

“Better?” he asked, when her sobs had subsided.

She nodded, brushing away the remnants of her tears. “Yes. Sorry about the waterworks. I must look like a raccoon.”

“You look gorgeous. Frank’s a lucky guy, and not just because you’re stunningly beautiful. You’re a special lady. I just hope he realizes how fortunate he is to have you in his life.”

She shook her head. “I’m not sure it matters anymore. He doesn’t trust me. He should have told me what he suspected about my father.”

Damon sighed. “I can’t believe I’m going to defend him, but I believe Frank didn’t tell you what he suspected because he wanted to guard your feelings in case his theory didn’t pan out. You can’t blame him for that. His father is also caught up in this—did he tell you? Unlike your dad, Frank’s father isn’t on the side of the good guys. I’m sure that has to be tearing Frank up inside, so go easy on him, okay?”

“I had no idea his father was involved. How does his dad play a part in this?”

“He’s Henderson’s partner. To the best of our knowledge, Frank’s father is just kicking in operating funds and enjoying the profits. He isn’t messed up in the seamier side of things—at least not yet. I’m sure if he agrees to testify against Henderson he’ll be able to negotiate a reduced sentence.”

“Thanks for telling me. And thanks for the talk. I’m going to go and soak in the hot tub before bed to work the kinks out. I think the punching bag might have won that round.” Impulsively, she drew him to her in an appreciative hug.

Neither of them saw Frank standing in the doorway, watching them for a moment before he turned and walked away.

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

Frank trusted Stephanie implicitly, but seeing her in Damon’s arms in the gym had pierced him like a hot poker. He’d walked away so he could put the incident in the proper perspective before confronting Stephanie. He was furious that she’d ignored his warnings about Landers.

Later, when he’d cooled down, he decided to go in search of her. There was so much he wanted to say to her. His whole world might be crashing down around him, but he’d be damned if he’d let it fall without a fight.

He spotted her from the upstairs window of the guesthouse, enjoying the hot tub on the outdoor patio. Returning to his bedroom, he quickly changed into a swimsuit and grabbed a towel. Going downstairs to the kitchen, he grabbed a tray of hors d’oeuvres Damon’s chef had left in the refrigerator, and a bottle of wine.

Reaching the patio, he stood there for a moment in the shadows, just drinking in the sight of her. She was reading one of the mystery novels she loved. Her hair was piled on top of her head in an adorably messy bun, and some tendrils had escaped to frame her face. Her tortoiseshell glasses were perched on her adorable nose, and all he could see peeking out above the water in the ginormous hot tub were her graceful neck and arms.

Damn if she wasn’t sexier at that moment than she’d been when she was dressed to the nines for the charity benefit, or for any of Damon’s ritzy dinner parties. A surge of lust pummeled into him with more force than a wrecking ball. He was thankful for the thick terry cloth of the towel he’d wrapped around his waist. It was the only thing keeping his interest in her from being embarrassingly obvious.

She’d gotten under his skin, and that was a very bad thing. There were ghosts in his closet he didn’t want to unleash on anyone, let alone Stephanie. He’d been a selfish bastard, stripping her of her innocence when he couldn’t offer her the kind of committed relationship she deserved. He needed to let her go.

Spinning on his heels, he headed back to the guesthouse. He’d taken half a dozen steps when he heard her call his name.

“Aren’t you going to join me?” she asked, her huskily murmured query annihilating all his good intentions.

“I figured you might want some space,” he told her, turning around and slowly walking over to her. “You have every right to be angry with me. I screwed up.”

With one tender, heart-in-her eyes glance, she snuffed out every last one of the sparking embers of anger he’d been holding onto.

“It’s okay,” she told him. “I’m not upset with you anymore. After I calmed down, I realized the situation was complicated. I understand, now, why you felt you couldn’t tell me what was going on. You can come in. I promise I won’t drown you.”

He set the platter and the bottle of wine down on a low table by the hot tub.

“I saw you with Damon in the gym. I respect that you know what you’re doing, but if he hurts you I swear I’m going to make him regret the day he was born.”

“What you saw was simply Damon lending an ear—as a friend. There’s nothing more to it than that, so you can stand down. But Damon did fill me in on the situation with your father. I’m so sorry, Frank. You should have told me. You didn’t have to bear that burden alone.”

“The fact that the man who sired me is immersed up to his neck in an organization filled with drug dealers, embezzlers, and sex traffickers isn’t something I’m ready to admit to the world at large yet.”

“That’s just it. I’m
not
the world at large. You can’t tell me you’re going to confide in me and then withhold the most personal details. I know I’ve been guilty of keeping things from you, too, but from now on no more secrets. Okay?”

“Agreed,” he nodded, his gaze serious. “Are you hungry? I brought a peace offering.”

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

Oh, she was hungry all right.

Stephanie’s eyes were already indulging in a feast of their own, devouring every delicious millimeter of his cover-model-worthy body.

Part of her hoped he was wearing a swimsuit under the towel he wore draped around his waist, while the naughty side of her hoped he wasn’t.

Who needed a hot tub when the broad shoulders and muscular chest on display above that towel were hot enough to bring ice water to a boil on their own?

He stripped off the square of terry cloth, revealing a brief, black swimsuit. As she watched him stride over to the tub to join her, her body morphed into a mass of firing neurons. As he stepped into the hot tub, his hard body brushed hers. The flaming neurons erupted into an all-out conflagration.

Pulling her into his arms, he softly brushed his lips against hers. The heat in his gaze seared her to her very soul.

He claimed her mouth then. His kisses quickly grew more ardent, and his tongue slipped between her lips to tangle with hers in a sensual dance. His hands were busy, too, as he made short work of dispensing with their swimsuits. And then, with no barriers between them, those hands and that mouth were everywhere—exploring, invading, and eliciting sensations that threatened to shatter her into a million pieces.