Heather's Gift (Men of August 3)

“Not yet.” Sam took a deep breath. “She goes too.” He nodded in Heather’s direction.

Her eyes narrowed.

“Heather’s part of the security force, Sam,” Rick bit out. “It’s information she needs to know to protect your ass.”

She crossed her arms over her breasts, staring back at him in challenge.

“I’m nothing to you, remember?” she reminded him of his past inference.

His hands gripped the back of the chair Marly had sat in, nearly turning white from the grip he had on it.

“Doesn’t matter,” he growled. “She goes, Rick.”

“She might go, but it won’t make a difference.” Rick’s voice was firm, his expression icy. “I won’t hide this information from her. It affects her, not just due to her job, but due to the fact that her life is now in more danger than any of the rest of you. Would you deny her the information that would help save it?”

The bombshell was dropped with the ease of words, but the echo of the implications resounded throughout the room. Sam paled, but all eyes now turned to Heather.

“Why?” Cade bit out, turning quickly back to Rick.

“Reginald Robert Jennings. He’s Jack Jennings full brother, and both men are half brothers to Jedediah Marcelle, the man you killed, Cade. Reginald Robert is Marly’s natural father.”

Silence, thick and all consuming filled the room for long seconds.

“No.” Cade’s voice was furious, blistering with his rage.

“Someone went to a lot of trouble to hide the records. There were even false records recorded in the computer system, which is why we were stumped for so long. It took a physical search.” Rick opened the file and pushed it toward Cade. “I have birth records, marriage license, divorce record, all of it. Some of it was pretty cleverly hidden. Someone wanted Reginald Robert’s name erased from any public files. I think he’s the one who was writing to Marly, and I believe he’s the one stalking the family now. If that’s true, then Heather’s life won’t be worth shit if he’s not caught.”

The cold brutal edge of his voice assured her of just how serious he was.

“Thanks, Rick,” she bit out, fear flashing through her now.

Rick sighed roughly.

“He’s focused on Sam,” he said. “I can’t figure that one out. I would expect him to focus on Cade, because of Marly and the fact that Cade was the one who killed his brother. Instead, he blames Sam. I believe it’s because his social status, as well as his brother’s life, ended because of Marcelle’s fixation on Sam.”

“Enough.” Sam’s voice was like broken glass.

Rick glanced away, but when he looked back, his expression was even, cool and impersonal.

“Servants gossip, and it seems there were several who were aware of what was going on in that basement,” he continued, ignoring the way the man began to shift dangerously, muscles bunching as though preparing to attack.

“I managed to track one down, and to get him to talk. He was the one that carried the meals down to the room, who injected the drugs…”

“Enough.” Cade shook his head, his hands bunching into fists in the pockets of his jeans.

“Reginald went to medical school for a while,” Rick continued. “He was especially proficient with a scalpel. The scars Sam carries proves that who

ever did the work, knew what they were doing. As does Heather’s.”

Heather watched Sam. He flinched with each word, denial raging in his expression. She felt her heart breaking for him. She couldn’t stand here, knowing that listening to every word out of Rick’s mouth was destroying him further because she was hearing it. Because she knew.

“Enough,” she whispered, holding a hand up to stop Rick.

Everyone turned to her then.

“Sam,” she whispered his name, tears coming to her eyes as she saw the unbearable shame in his expression. “I think I need to go talk to Marly as well. Will you let me know what I need to stay alive?”

She was placing her life in his hands; something she had never dared to do with anyone else. He blinked in surprise, in relief.