Fifteen
Shay nabbed the slice of bread out of the toaster and spread avocado on it. She ate it leaning against the counter, alternating between sips of fresh coffee. Gideon had already left for the office, and with a glance at her wrist, she realized she didn’t have long before she had to leave, too. Since she no longer had a position at RemingtonNeal, she’d scheduled a meeting witha potential client.
Staying the night hadn’t been in the plan. But when he’d curled around her after he’d made her body sing its own special melody, she hadn’t wanted to go anywhere. And then he’d woken her with a cup of steaming coffee, keys to one of his cars and a sweet but wicked kiss that left her toes curling into the mattress.
But those lovely gestures couldn’t completely erasethe kernel of apprehension that lingered at the edge of her consciousness.
Don’t let me break you, Shay. Protect yourself from me.
His murmured warning stayed with her, and dread wormed its way through the warmth. He didn’t caution her to be careful because he might hurt her, but because he would. And she would be foolish to ignore that truth. Real life was blackmail, revenge, vendettasand pain. Only in fairy tales did frogs turn to princes. Or wolves to heroes.
Cold seeped into her veins. Suddenly losing her appetite, she dumped the remains of her breakfast. She needed to get going and return to the real world outside this penthouse.
She was heading toward the closet to collect her wrap and dress when the front door opened. Startled, Shay stared as a woman who lookedto be about her age entered. With wavy black hair that tumbled over her shoulders, smooth, unlined skin and a tall, slender frame wrapped in a camel cashmere coat, she was obviously too young to be the housekeeper Gideon mentioned last night. Jealousy, unbidden and bright, flared in Shay’s chest. Whoever she was, she must be close to Gideon to have a key to his penthouse.
But then the otherwoman lifted her head, and the truth slammed into Shay. With those heavily lashed, beautiful onyx eyes, she had to be related to Gideon. And considering her age, she was most likely his sister.
“Oh, hi,” Olivia said, arching a dark eyebrow in a manner so similar to Gideon’s, it confirmed her identity. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know Gideon had company. I can come back.”
“No, you’re fine,” Shayobjected, finding her voice as his sister half turned to grasp the doorknob. “Gideon’s not home, and I was just leaving, too. You must be Olivia.” Shay moved forward, her hand extended. Gideon’s sister stepped away from the door with a smile, her arm lifting. “My name’s Shay. Shay Neal.”
Olivia froze, except for the arm falling woodenly back to her side. “Neal?” she repeated in a tremulouswhisper. “Are you related to Trevor Neal?”
Unease crawled through her. “Yes. Do you know him?”
Olivia paled, her eyes widening. Visibly trembling fingers lifted to her lips and pressed against them. “I didn’t—no, he wouldn’t—”
Her fractured sentences made little sense to Shay, but the woman’s obvious distress amplified the dread until it was full-out fear. “Olivia, are you okay?” sheasked, risking moving closer.
Olivia jerked her head from side to side, tears glistening in her eyes. “Why are you here?”
“Gideon and I are...” She paused, unsure of how much to expose. “...seeing each other. Would you like to sit down? Can I get you anything?”
Again, Olivia shook her head, the tears streaming down her cheeks now. Unable to stand the woman’s pain, Shay reached forher, wrapping her in a hug. She half expected Olivia to shove her away, but instead, the woman clung to her, sobbing now.
God. Shay tightened her embrace, her own eyes stinging. What kind of agony must Olivia be in to cause this kind of reaction? It burrowed inside Shay, and she wanted to soothe it, to take it from her. Gently, she guided the crying woman to the living room and lowered themboth to the couch. She continued to hold Olivia, gently rocking her as her mother used to do when Shay ran to her in need of comfort.
She didn’t glance at her watch to see how long they sat there. If Olivia needed her to remain the whole day, she would. Anything so those awful, tearing sobs would stop. Gradually, Olivia calmed, and only when she went silent and the trembles eased did Shayslip her arms away. Her shoulders twinged, but she ignored the slight ache. She left for the bathroom. Minutes later, after a quick stop in the kitchen, she returned with a box of tissues, a warm, damp cloth and a bottle of water.
“Thank you,” Olivia whispered, her voice hoarse from her tears. “I—I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“Please don’t apologize. It’s okay,” Shay assured her. The woman’sclear air of fragility stirred a sense of protectiveness in Shay. “I’m a stranger to you, and you don’t have to talk if you don’t want to, but I’m here. And whatever you say will stay between us.”
For several moments, Olivia clutched the bottle between her hands. Though she’d wiped her face with the cloth, her eyes remained stark, her cheeks and lips pale. Shay waited, ready to listen if Oliviachose to confide in her, ready to just sit with her if she decided not to.
“I know your brother,” Olivia finally said, haltingly at first. “I met him a year ago, and we...we fell in love. Or at least I did. I don’t know if he ever did love me. But he told me so. And I believed him. I would’ve done anything for him—and I did. He asked me to keep our relationship a secret because he and Gideonwere business rivals, and he didn’t want any of that interfering with us. I’d heard Gideon mention Trevor before and knew he had no love for him, so I agreed. Also, I figured once he saw how much we loved each other, he would come around. Especially since I became pregnant.”
Shay gasped, unable to contain her shock and dismay. At the sound, Olivia lifted her gaze from the water bottle. Thegrief and unadulterated pain there shook Shay, and she wanted to gather the other woman in her arms again. But she didn’t, sensing Olivia needed to get this out, like lacerating a festering wound so it could heal faster.
“I thought he would be happy about the news. I was overjoyed. All I dreamed about was marrying him and starting a family. We would be doing it a little out of order, but Ididn’t care. But—but...” She paused, and a sob escaped her.
Shay grabbed her hand, offering her support, and Olivia went on. “When I told him about the pregnancy, he told me he didn’t want me or the baby. To get rid of it because I was no longer useful to him. Then he walked away, like I was garbage he’d tossed out the window. He used me to get back at my brother. At the time, I worked atGideon’s company as his executive assistant. I was so naive, so snowed by Trevor, that when he asked me questions about Gideon’s agenda, who he was meeting with, I gave him the information. He worded it to make it sound like he was only asking about my day, what I had on my plate, but he was pumping me for inside information. He never loved me, never had any intention of creating a family with me.”She shook her head, her throat working, as if swallowing back another sob. “I refused to end the pregnancy, but it didn’t matter. I miscarried and lost the baby.”
Shay remained sitting next to Olivia, but inside she reeled, enraged screams slamming against her skull. Part of her longed to deny the story, to label Olivia a liar, but she couldn’t. Not only could she not violate this woman allover again by not believing her, but deep inside her soul where only honesty existed, she knew Olivia wasn’t lying. Her utter agony bore witness to it, and Shay believed her.
Grief assaulted Shay, welling up in her, and she silently wept. For Olivia. For her pain. For Shay’s own pain. For Trevor’s coldness, controlling behavior and dismissal of her hopes, dreams and needs. For her disillusionmentabout her brother. If Trevor could treat his own sister so callously as well as do something as despicable as take advantage of this woman for personal gain, then what else was he capable of? Maybe those things in Gideon’s dossier?
Gideon. Was Olivia the reason behind his plans? The night in the restaurant, when he’d first showed her the incriminating file, he’d scoffed at her claim that Trevorwouldn’t care who she was dating.
Oh yes. Your brother will care. And he’ll understand.
Then, his assertion had been cryptic, but now, understanding dawned on her. No wonder he hated Trevor and had no qualms about blackmailing her. This was more than a business deal; Trevor had come after Gideon’s family. If she’d harbored any fledgling hope after waking up in his bed this morning thatmaybe they could have something more than a truce, this knowledge obliterated it. She would always be a living reminder of the harm and damage her brother had inflicted on his sister, his family.
There was no forgiveness for that. Not for her brother.
And not for her, being guilty by association.
