Tantalizing Maria (The Temptation Saga 7)

“You’re punishing yourself, aren’t you? You’re punishing yourself because you couldn’t help those men. And because you were spared.”

Jesus Christ, the tears again. He’d thought none were left. He dropped his face into his hands.

She understood.

The soothing touch of her hands on his back was a little comfort. But not much. How could he bring her into this hell he lived every day? She deserved better.

She deserved a whole man.

“Shh,” she soothed. “Everything will be all right.”

How he wanted to believe her—to take her in his arms and lose himself in her lovely body. He’d nearly done so last night.

Instead, he cried in her arms…and relived every stupid decision he’d made in his godforsaken life and every foul day he’d spent in that godforsaken place.

* * *

Thirty-Three Years Earlier

Jeff stared at a big man he didn’t know. His grandpa didn’t have house servants on the premises after five p.m. Who was this guy?

The air thickened around him like an invisible ca

ge. His skin tightened and he held back, quivering. Whoever the guy was, he had a gun pointed right at Jeff.

Jeff held up his hands. “Hey, man, we don’t want any trouble. I’m Jeff Bay. Norman’s grandson.”

“Yeah? And I’m Doris Day.”

Trey let out a nervous chuckle. “Funny.”

“Shut up,” Jeff said, his hand shaking as he reached into his pocket. “I really am. I can show you ID. I visited Grandpa at the hospital today and he wanted me to…uh…get some stuff from his office for him.”

“Yeah,” Max said. “We’re here for the old man.”

“Mr. Bay didn’t say anything to me.”

“Of course he didn’t,” Max said. “He’s in the hospital.”

Jeff regarded Max. This was coming really easy to him. Too easy. The lies slid from his mouth like slime oozing from a gangrenous limb. His voice didn’t crack once.

Friend? No. Max was not Jeff’s friend.

The man shifted, still pointing his gun at Jeff. “I mean Mr. Wayne Bay.”

God. That stupid name coming to bite him in the ass again. “Mr. Wayne Bay is my brother.” Unlike Max’s, Jeff’s voice cracked. He cleared his throat. “Why don’t you give him a call?”

“I didn’t know Mr. Bay had a brother.”

Grandpa and Wayne had never even mentioned him? Figured. “Well, here I am. And you can see the family resemblance, I’m sure.” Why hadn’t they worn ski masks? This was the biggest fuck up ever. And he thought he’d crossed all his Ts on this one. He’d gotten lazy. Lazy and stupid. He should have known Grandpa had hired some kind of night security.

He glanced at Trey. The flashlight was still lit and in his hand, illuminating the floor. An idea sparked in the back of his mind. He motioned his head ever so slightly and then glanced at Max. The three of them had been working together a long time. They hadn’t yet faced gunpoint, but they’d gotten out of a lot of bad scrapes by working as a unit. Once the two men were on board, he nodded.

Quick as a flash, Trey raised his arm and shone the flashlight in the security man’s eyes. Caught off guard, the man blinked at the light. Before he could respond, Max had karate chopped his arm and the gun spun to the floor.

As it was closest to Max, he rushed to grab it. Things were good, until—

“What the heck is going on in here?”