He stopped at a brand new black Mercedes Benz with tinted windows. Her white SUV on the other end of the lot was dusty from the road but right now it seemed like a shrine toward home. John opened the passenger door and waved for her to get in. "Alice, I didn't mean to offend you."
Her shoulders curved inward. Part of her wanted to run toward her SUV and take off for the family farm. The other part didn't think that was a good idea. Her body shook. "I don't feel safe outside right now."
He placed his hand on her shoulder and she jerked back at the touch. Then she took a breath and relaxed. John said, "I'll protect you, but we can't camp out at the church."
Noise behind them caused her to spin on her heel and stare at the Secret Service taking one of the Presidents to a limo. Alice rubbed her arms and turned back to John's strong profile. His five o'clock shadow somehow soothed her. "Where are we going?"
He tilted his jaw in the air. "I can't tell you."
She wasn't a child and that was not a good answer at all. She shook her head. "Why not?"
John leaned closer. "In case someone is listening."
"What?"
He opened the door. "We're outside, open targets. Alice, please get in."
She stared into his blue eyes. Then she slowly nodded and ducked into the passenger seat of his car. "John, okay, I'm going to trust you."
He locked her door and then swung around the car and joined her. He found his sunglasses and then sped out of the parking lot. Alice massaged her forehead. "Your brother canceled his contract with my family."
"What?"
This was a topic she'd have discussed with him over coffee. The original plan sounded like a dream. "Peter spoke to me before we all went in. He canceled the contract. It was why I was upset earlier when you came over to me. I have no idea how my parents can retire without that. I have to get to work."
The engine purred and she paused. He kept his gaze on the road and clutched the wheel. "We have more important things to discuss."
No. She wouldn't think about herself or the bullet that almost lodged itself in her brain. She played with her gold pendant. "My parents are my priority."
"I'll speak to Peter for you."
If Peter Morgan changed his mind then she could breathe easier, but it wasn't wise to hope. There had to be another production company that would buy their oranges up north. The cash crop was a commodity many people around the country craved. "If he doesn't change his mind, then I have to go shopping for a new shipper. That's going to be my priority."
His hand crossed the seat and squeezed her arm. "It's not as important as your life."
John Morgan was bringing up things out of her comfort zone. Her body tensed as she wrapped her head around what she could handle. "I don't have a life if I don't find a new contract."
"Alice, you have your priorities backwards."
She stared out the window. Today was something out of a movie. The funeral, her best friend returned from the dead, someone almost shooting her, her lost business contract, while her body buzzed with awareness of John and it was altogether too much to handle.
John wasn't being reasonable right now and her muscles were so tight that she couldn't breathe. "Let's not talk anymore for a while. I'm not in the mood. Today has been insane."
Chapter Ten
John's gut clenched as if he'd been sucker-punched. Alice Collins had almost died today and it was because of him. He shouldn't have spent the evening with her the night before his father's funeral.
Alice stared out the window and refused to look at him.
Mitch Morgan ruined everything and even from his grave, he'd ensure that his children did as they were told. John's mind flashed back to his father's opinion of Alice he'd shared one night to Vicki at the dinner table.
Alice isn't good enough for you.
Dad, she's my friend and nice to me. No one is nice to me.
People shouldn't be nice to you. People should fear you and the House of Morgan.
John had stayed quiet, but the message was always the same. Fear was the weapon of choice for the Morgans. Unlike his sister, John snuck out of the house and did what he wanted. His father never knew how he played high school and college football as it didn't bring anything substantial to his business. It had been better to simply not bother him, as he was the spare son. It had been easy to disappear. Peter and Victoria had had it different.
"Where are you taking me?" Alice turned toward him. His heartbeat quickened as he stared into her pretty eyes that now seemed almost green and not her usual deep blue.
He tugged his ear and turned south. "I own a house in Pinecrest."
Her gaze narrowed. "I thought you didn't have any property here."
"My dad bought it for me."
"Must be nice."
His shoulders tensed. "I never wanted it."
"Houses in rich areas are tough to give up as a present." The harshness in her tone disappeared and she reached over and caressed his arm. "I'm sorry. It's been a long day. What did you want?"
He turned off Biscayne and down a side street. "From my father, absolutely nothing."
"Then why are we going to the house?"
He made another turn. Soon enough he'd have her at his place. "It's safe. The House of Morgan has better security than the Secret Service, and neither of us wanted to go to Castle Morgan."
"True." She crossed her arms. "Now that your dad is dead, you'll take your place in the House of Morgan, and everything will go back to normal, fast."
"I don't have my own place here yet or a final decision on my career." His body still burned. He licked his lips to cool down. "I don't know anything other than you need to be safe."
She shook her brown hair and a piece of shattered glass glinted from the strands. He reached behind her ear and removed it as she said, "Don't pin your inheritance on saving my life."
He clutched the wheel and drove into the driveway with huge trees that blocked the view of the black gate that he clicked open. "You know way too much, Alice."
She gazed at the modern home where he parked the car in the garages to the right, and her eyes widened. He followed her gaze toward the Spanish-style open air courtyard. Then she unlocked her own door. "I paid attention."
He clicked the garage open and drove the last few feet so no one would see his car from the street. Behind him the garage door closed, and the lights came on automatically. He turned off the engine. "I should have paid more attention a long time ago."
She crossed her arms beneath her breasts. "Why don't you just take me to the farm? We'll know if anyone steps foot on our dirt."
The garage was fully closed now. He unlocked his door and stepped out. "Alice, you know I can't."
She unbuckled her seatbelt, and then jumped to follow him. "I don't know anything."
He walked toward her even though it was the wrong side of the house. She took a step back. Her eyes were so big. He opened his hands, palms showing, and nodded. "I was in the FBI and investigated bad people."
Her gaze narrowed again. He'd have to remember Alice was really sharp. "Was? Are you or are you not?"