“I never said I loved him, but I need him right now,” she retorted.
The last thing I wanted to hear was that she thought she needed Becker. She didn’t. But maybe she was confused. “I’m not letting him take you down with him,” I growled as I stepped out the door.
She didn’t answer.
The door slammed closed right behind me.
Dani
“Marcus drives me crazy, Harper. I don’t understand why he’s even here,” I confided to my sister on the phone the next day.
Harper was the only person who really understood how I felt. I’d finally broken down and told her everything about what had happened to me while I was in captivity, right after I’d resigned from my network.
“Maybe he’s right, Dani. Maybe you shouldn’t be mixed up in any of this. Maybe dating Gregory Becker isn’t a good idea,” she answered in a concerned tone.
I flopped onto the sofa in the condo. My sister was an architect, but she operated far outside of corporations. And her husband was a US Senator. So she’d probably never heard any of the rumors that I knew circulated in the world of big business. “You’re starting to sound just like Marcus,” I told her in a disgusted voice.
“Marcus has been in the business world since he became an adult. If he’s heard that this guy is bad news, I’m sure he knows something. He certainly isn’t the type to overexaggerate.”
“I’m not going to stop seeing Greg,” I informed her stubbornly. “Do you know why Marcus is here?”
“I don’t,” she admitted. “But Blake mentioned that Marcus has real estate all over the world, so I’m not surprised that he owns property there.”
Honestly, I wasn’t surprised, either. I just wished he’d go spend time somewhere else. I found his presence unnerving when I was trying to establish a relationship. Especially when he was dragging me away from my dates. “I’m hoping he leaves soon.”
“Don’t bet on that,” Harper warned. “He’s obviously trying to protect you, and from what Blake has told me, he can be pretty stubborn.”
“Why would he even care?” I asked desperately. “I barely know him. He did save my life, but it’s not like we’ve kept in touch.”
Truthfully, Marcus had been supportive when I’d shared some of what had happened to me during our long flight from Turkey to the US. Granted, I hadn’t shared every single detail, but what I had confessed to him had been difficult to share. But I’d poured enough of my heart out to him that I couldn’t quite seem to look at him as just an acquaintance. That description didn’t quite fit. He’d ended up staying with me until I was finally exhausted and fell asleep on the bed in his private jet. When I woke up, we’d been landing in DC. But then, I couldn’t honestly say Marcus was a friend, either. We hadn’t seen each other since we’d parted ways in Washington.
“He’s protective of his family,” Harper answered. “And you’re family to him now. I’m married to his twin brother.”
“That’s kind of a stretch,” I replied. “I’m the sister of his sister-in-law.”
“Obviously, that’s close enough for him to be concerned.” Harper sighed before she continued. “Despite his rather irritating arrogance, he’s a good man, Dani. He lost his father when he was little more than a boy, and Blake says he’s always felt like it was his responsibility to pick up the mantle for his father. His childhood was pretty much lost. He and Blake started to grow apart after their father died. Marcus went to college and then traveled most of the time. It’s only recently that they’ve started to build their relationship again.”
Even though I was angry at Marcus, I felt a twitch of pain in my heart for the young man who had lost his father way too early. I could see Marcus trying to fill the void in the family. And he was the only one who had continued his father’s legacy in international business. “Are the two of them close again?” I asked curiously.
“It’s better than it used to be. But Marcus still keeps to himself way too much. Even Blake isn’t privy to what he’s thinking most of the time.”
“I hope Blake has a better sense of humor than Marcus,” I commented. “I’m not sure I’ve ever seen Marcus crack a smile.”
I hadn’t seen a lot of my sister and Blake. We’d talked at Harper’s wedding, but it had been chaotic with all of the family around. After they’d married, I’d gone back to traveling in Europe for my job. I hadn’t been back to Rocky Springs since I’d left my network. I’d come directly to Miami.
“Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Marcus smile, either,” Harper observed. “And Blake has a wonderful sense of humor. I think he’s taught me how to have fun again.”
I sighed. I wished I could remember what it was like to laugh. Honestly, I’d been pretty damn glum for months. “I’m glad,” I said sincerely.
Harper deserved to be happy. My sister did so much for other people. Since she had tons of money like every other Lawson, she didn’t have to work for a living. But she spent most of her time building homeless shelters around the country to help make a difference in the world.
At one time, I thought I’d been making my own mark on the planet. I let the world know about the atrocities that were happening in other countries and at home—up close and personal. Most of the reporting was pretty brutal, and I did it to bring awareness of what was happening in places most people probably rarely thought about.
Once…that had been important to me, more critical than my own safety. But after my experience in Syria, I couldn’t do my job the same way anymore, and I hated it.
“Are you okay?” Harper asked in a kind tone.
“As okay as I can be, seeing as I quit my job,” I answered honestly.
“How’s the therapy going?”
“It’s good. I still have flashbacks and nightmares, but otherwise I’m okay. I think I just need time.”
“I worry about you. I wish you’d come for a long visit here in Colorado. Come stay with me. I’ll be home for a few months. The Senate is out of session.”
Although we’d grown up close to the Colters, we didn’t have a home there anymore. After my parents had been killed in a traffic accident, we’d sold our childhood home. None of the brothers, me, or Harper could stand the pain of staying in our old home. There were too many memories and reminders that we’d lost our parents way too soon.
“I’ll get there as soon as I can,” I answered noncommittally. Right now, I didn’t want to make any promises. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen with Greg. “You could always feel free to come visit the condo that we bought but you never see,” I teased.
I had used Miami as my home base most of the time when I was actually in the States. Either that, or I’d crashed at Harper’s place in California, a home that she’d now sold to live full-time with her husband in Rocky Springs.
“I’ve seen the Miami condo,” Harper argued. “I just don’t spend as much time there as you do.”