Chapter Fourteen

The look of disgust on Jake’s face was the final straw. Holly folded the last pair of jeans and stuck them in her suitcase, then closed it and set the case on the floor beside the bed. It was too late tonight to ask Mia to come and get her, but first thing in the morning, she’d do that.

When she heard voices in the driveway, Holly went to investigate. The front door swung open and Mason and Olivia helped Jake inside. It was clear Jake had too much to drink. He was going to have a hell of a headache tomorrow. While Mason dragged Jake down the hallway and to the bedroom, Olivia asked, “What happened?”

“Oh, you know. I stole a second drive and Jake flipped out about it.”

Olivia shook her head. “No, you didn’t. What really happened?”

Holly had only interacted with Olivia briefly at the company and was surprised that she was fierce in her denial. Hugging her arms around herself, Holly said, “Kate told me to get a drive from Jake’s desk. She said it had the new security setup on it. So I did what she said. When Jake called her, she denied all of that and he found the drive in my purse.”

“I’m sorry, Holly. She’s threatened by you,” Olivia said firmly. “You’re beautiful, kind, and Jake is into you. She’s jealous and upset because the break-in made her look bad.”

“He believed her without question when she lied, and he told me to stay away from the company.”

“Because the so-called evidence is pretty damning. Everything will get straightened out, and you’ll be back.”

Holly didn’t know if Olivia was asking or stating, but clarified, “I won’t. I’m leaving in the morning. Since Jake said he didn’t want me at the company, there’s no reason for me to be here.”

“Except the job isn’t finished,” Mason said as he joined them.

“I’m sure Jake won’t mind if I cut out,” Holly said.

“I mind. Stick around until we finish the security upgrades.”

“Kate isn’t going to allow—”

“Kate is gone. She just doesn’t know it yet,” Mason said with a fierceness that made Holly swallow.

“She’s a single mom and losing her job would be a hardship,” Holly said.

“You’re defending her?” Olivia asked with a smile that puzzled Holly.

“Not necessarily her, but for the sake of her kids, please don’t fire her.”

Mason gave her a contemplative look. “See me at the office first thing tomorrow and I’ll take care of this.” He nodded toward the hallway. “He’ll sleep it off, so he should be okay the rest of the night.” He went to the door.

“I’ll be right out,” Olivia told him. She took Holly’s hand. “Jake never gets drunk. I’ve never seen him lose control.”

“He thought his company was at risk and that I was responsible for it. Again.”

“This has nothing to do with the company and everything to do with you. I think Jake loves you.”

Holly’s lips twisted. Olivia was clearly mistaken. “I picked up on that in between his ‘stay the hell away from the company’ and his walking out.”

Olivia laughed. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” She turned to leave, then paused. “I’m glad you’re here.”

Holly locked up behind Olivia, then went to her bedroom, lost in thought. Mason and Olivia seemed to be fighting for her. Having someone side with her was new. Other than Mia, she’d never had anyone believe in her. She took a seat in the chair by the bed and tucked her feet up, wrapping her arm around her legs. Resting her chin on her knees, she realized she’d been a fool to even consider staying for one second. For even dreaming that she could. Jake would always think the worst of her.

…

The next morning, Jake was sure his head was coming off. When the alarm buzzed, the sound reverberated like a thousand steel-toed boots stomping around the room. He silenced it, and dozed off. An hour later, he jerked awake, sat up, and the pounding intensified. There was a reason he never got drunk and now he remembered why. The morning-after hangover wasn’t for wimps.

Climbing out of bed, he walked gingerly to the shower, trying not to let the heels of his feet connect with the floor since it made the pounding in his head worse. He’d gone to the bar to drink away the disappointment he’d felt after finding the drive in Holly’s purse, but the only one he was disappointed with was himself. He’d started to trust her, dammit, and she’d pulled the rug out from under him.

The heat from the shower relaxed his muscles but didn’t do a damn thing for his headache. Jake braced his hands against the shower wall and ducked his head under the spray. He deserved this morning from hell. What had he been thinking, getting involved with Holly? The real kick in the goods was that he’d started to genuinely care about her and dammit if she hadn’t shown her true colors again.

After his shower, Jake dressed in a somber suit to match his mood and went to the kitchen, coming face to face with Bessie. He held up a hand. “Don’t. Save it until after my head is finished exploding.”

She handed him a glass of water and a couple of headache tablets. “Mason called looking for you.”

He took the tablets and downed them with a sip of water. “Is Holly in her room?”

“She left for the office already.”

“Office? I told her to stay away from there.”

“I heard what happened. You were out of line and need to apologize to her.”

Jake grunted, took another sip of the water, and eyed her over the rim. He’d snort at the very idea if it wouldn’t make his eyeballs pop out from the pressure. He wasn’t the one in the wrong. He was just the fool who’d trusted the wrong woman.

He set the glass on the counter. “Thanks.” He located his sunglasses and put them on, then braved the outside. He drove like a little old man on the way to the company, but sudden moves made him feel ill.

As soon as he made it to the building, he went straight to Mason’s office. The second he stepped into the room, he removed his sunglasses. “I told Holly to stay away after I found out she took a second drive.” He looked around the office, finally noticing Olivia seated on the sofa against the windows.

She crossed her legs and shook her head at him. “Kate lied to Holly about what was on the drive. She had Holly get it, then slipped it into Holly’s purse.”

Jake frowned, looking at each of them in turn. “Why?”

Olivia rolled her eyes. “Because Kate wants you.”

“Kate lied? Are you sure?”

“While you were still sleeping it off, Kate admitted to it when I confronted her,” Mason said. “Holly asked me not to fire Kate for her kids’ sake. She’s still here, but I’m not sure she needs to remain.”

The office phone rang and Mason answered, spoke for a few minutes, then hung up. “Someone from the private investigator’s office is here. Said he has some information for us.”

Jake eased down into the chair across from Mason’s desk. “I owe Holly an apology.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure about that,” Cole said, as he joined them. “I knew there was something about her that bothered me, but I couldn’t pinpoint what it was. Then I remembered. That guard who killed your brother used to complain about having to raise his sister’s kids. He mentioned the girl’s name. Holly.”

“Butler Field. Holly…” Mason said slowly.

Jake rubbed the sides of his head. He looked around the room. “Holly’s uncle couldn’t possibly be the same guy who…”

“If it is,” Cole said grimly, “then Holly has worked a bigger game than any of us realized.”

Olivia rose and crossed to Jake, bumping his arm out of the way to sit on the arm of the chair. “Holly wouldn’t have kept information like that from you.”

Cole snorted. “If it helped her get what she wanted, you can bet she would have.”

Olivia looked at Mason. “Holly isn’t responsible for her uncle’s actions if that is the same guy. My father treated you all awfully, but I had no part in that. Don’t assume she’s guilty by association.”

Jake’s mind went over every other possible alternative and came up empty. When the secretary announced the investigator had arrived, Jake couldn’t remain seated. He jumped up, hands clenched, heart pounding. If Holly’s uncle was the same man who’d killed his brother…

The investigator, a short man with a receding hairline greeted them all, and then opened his briefcase. He spread a series of surveillance photos across Mason’s desk. “He’s done his best to hide his tracks, but I found him. In every single city where he’s stayed, there have been high-value targets stolen.”

Jake picked up one of the photos and his stomach dropped. Burt Varner, the man he’d never forgotten.

“That’s him,” Mason said quietly. “Where is he?”

“He was at a hotel on Lake Shore Drive, but he checked out. I followed him to the airport, but I’m not sure he actually bought a ticket anywhere. I never saw him approach a counter.”

“Did he have children?” Jake asked.

“With him? No.”

“In the past,” Cole said impatiently. “Find out if he had children and where they are right now.”

“I can keep digging, but I’ll have to fly to Butler Field again.”

“Do it,” Jake demanded, not giving a damn what they had to pay to hunt the man down. He dropped the photo, then picked it up again. What if Cole was right and Burt Varner was Holly’s uncle? He would show Holly the photo and he’d get answers. Today. “I’m going to find Holly.”

“Can’t. We have a meeting with Wade Aerodynamics in less than five minutes,” Mason said.

Jake cursed. He folded the photo and tucked it into his pocket. Everyone filed from the room until he was alone with Mason.

“If we locate Burt, then what?” Mason asked.

“What do you mean, then what? The son of a bitch goes down for what he did to Adam. You held back for Olivia’s sake. You chose not to go after her father for what he did to us. I’m not you. I’m not going to stop until Burt pays for what he did.”

“Jake…”

“We have a meeting.” Jake walked out. He was so close to getting everything he wanted. No way in hell was he pulling back now. Once he had his vengeance on Burt, he could find peace, knowing he’d done right by his brother and nothing was going to stand in the way of that.