Causing Havoc (26 page)

Shouting down from the roof, Dean said, "Cam, that's real generous of you. But there's no need for

Lorna to get her girdle al twisted. Gregor's not staying on."

More outraged by the second, Lorna waited in vain for someone to defend her.

Everyone was too busy snickering.

When the old battle-axe realized that no one would speak on her behalf, she soured even more.

It took al Roger had not to laugh out loud.

Dean turned to the giant. "You're not planning to stay in Harmony, are you, Gregor?"

Raising a forearm to swipe the sweat from his face, Gregor said, "Nah." Biceps the size of

cantaloupes bunched and swel ed with his every movement. He dropped his arm and smiled. "Not

unless little sister asks me to."

Everyone looked at Jacki.

Face coloring, she snorted. "You see, Aunt Lorna. There's nothing to worry about. He's not staying."

Her chin lifted. "Not too long anyway."

Trembling with anger, Lorna addressed everyone in a sweeping glance. "That's enough from al of

you!" She made Cam the brunt of her anger. "And you. It's bad enough that you're wil ing to waste money we don't have on repairs we don't need."

"They're needed," Cam insisted.

"Bah. You should be signing papers to complete the sale of this money pit, and instead you're

playing outdoors and celebrating with a picnic."

Dean muttered to Gregor, "Celebrating? Is that what we're doing?"

Fury turned Lorna's face crimson and her lips white. "I refuse to take part in such obnoxious,

irresponsible behavior."

She turned to Roger for backup, leaving him without many choices.

Keeping his expression bland, Roger said to Cam, "I'l only be a moment."

She slanted a look at her aunt, but Lorna snubbed her. Cam sighed. "Thanks, Roger. I'l save you a

burger." And with that, she turned back to the gril .

As if the contretemps had been nothing out of the ordinary, Dean and Gregor resumed their work.

Digging her artificial nails into Roger's arm, Lorna dragged him along as she marched into the

house.

Along the way, Roger considered things. So, he thought, the muscle-bound monster wanted Jacki.

Bad taste on his part, but more power to him.

Getting Jacki out from under Cam's wing would leave her less encumbered with responsibility—

which would clear the path for Roger's ultimate goals.

The moment they were out of sight of the others, Roger rudely brushed off Lorna and then suffered

through her glare of disbelief.

Stupid woman. With no more than the force of his anger, Roger backed her up to the sink counter.

He could keep an eye on everyone in the yard and at the same time set Lorna straight on her bad

judgment.

She shrank back. "Roger. What do you think you're doing?"

He was so annoyed, he wanted to choke her. "Instead of always reacting with your goddamned

temper, why don't you try thinking for a change?"

She blinked hard in incomprehension, forcing him to explain.

"Jesus, Lorna." He rubbed his forehead, once again amazed that someone as gentle and clueless

as Cam could have any relationship to a calculating evil bitch like Lorna. "How exactly do you expect me to handle this situation if you remove me from it?"

Never would Lorna admit to a mistake. "You weren't handling it at al . You just stood there."

"And you think your insults were productive?" Roger shook his head at her stupidity. "By now you should know your niece better than that."

"Oh, believe me, I know her. She's fanciful and ful of herself."

"You're joking."

She paid no attention to his sarcasm. "But regardless, I didn't raise her to associate with men like

Dean or that Gregor character."

No, Roger thought, but Lorna also hadn't been successful at influencing Cam with her own hatred

and mistrust of men. Somehow she'd survived with an unrealistic enthusiasm that alternately

bemused, annoyed, and encouraged him. "Cam is defensive of everyone she cares about. And she

cares about her brother."

"She doesn't even know him!"

"She knows you kept her from him. That's something you ought to think about before you continue

maligning him at every chance."

Lorna didn't want to hear it. She clutched her designer purse to her chest and scowled new wrinkles

into her face. "That bastard is going to ruin everything."

No, Roger vowed to himself. He wouldn't let anyone destroy his plans. "You're distraught." Removing his wal et, Roger flipped off several twenties and pressed them into Lorna's hand. "Why don't you go

to the salon, get a facial or a massage or whatever it is women do to make themselves feel belter."

"Wel . . ." Lorna counted the money careful y. "I suppose I could cal a friend;' She slanted a sly look up at Roger. "Perhaps lunch, too, while I'm at it. Heaven knows I have no desire to choke on charred

meats off the gril ."

Wearing a tight smile. Roger peeled off another forty dol ars for her. "Excel ent idea." Getting rid of Lorna was worth every penny.

"What wil you do?"

No way in hel did he trust Lorna enough to give her the truth. If she knew about his background and

why he wanted what he deserved, not only would she distort his purpose, but she wouldn't be able to

keep her mouth shut, either.

"I'm going to go outside, visit with everyone," Roger told her. "I'l be cordial and hopeful y get a lay of the land, so to speak. Once I see what's what, I'l figure out the best way to handle things."

"And you'l keep me informed?"

"No, I won't."

Her double chin jiggled with her indignation.

"The less you know of my plans, the better it is for you. I don't want to implicate you in any way."

Her expression grew more severe. "Dear God, what are you planning?"

Roger could barely credit her audacity. Lorna had squandered a lot of money without thought toward

her nieces. She'd used them and their inheritance to lead a pampered life. More than once, she'd

overstepped her legal boundaries to make financial decisions that served her interests alone.

Hanging onto her il -gotten gains wouldn't be easy if Dean started digging.

Putting it simply, Roger asked, "Does it real y matter how I handle the situation as long as it gets the issues resolved?"

She subsided, as he'd known she would. "No, I suppose not."

"Good. Then we agree. Now I should get back outside or Cam wil start wondering what's keeping

me."

Lorna dredged up a crocodile tear. "You're a good friend, Roger."

If she hugged him, he'd vomit. So he stepped out of reach and nodded. "Enjoy the afternoon, Lorna.

You've earned it."

Head held high, Lorna started away with Roger's money crushed in her fist. "Yes, yes I have." She nodded more to herself than anyone else. "And then some."

Glad to have finished with Lorna, Roger strode to the sliding doors and surveyed the yard. He

couldn't see the men on the roof, but he could hear their footfal s as they worked.

* * *

normal day, she presented nonstop energy and drive. Even while seated, she somehow exuded

vibrant life.

Had she spent a sleepless night with Dean Conor? Had they screwed al night long and into the

morning? Roger wouldn't put it past Eve. She struck him as a very sexual woman.

He looked over, head to toes, her reclined body. Was Eve lure enough to keep Dean Conor in

Harmony?

Possibly. And that meant that, somehow, Roger would have to deal with Dean.

Eve was so dissimilar to Cam that Roger often wondered how and why they remained friends.

Thinking of Cam, his skin prickled with that familiar rush of warmth and awareness. From his position

stil inside the house, Roger looked at her.

After shooing away a bumblebee, Cam lifted a large platter in one hand and used tongs to remove

meat from the gril . A variety of hungers stirred. It had been a long time since he'd eaten food

prepared outdoors.

Food prepared by Cam.

Roger started to open the patio doors when his attention snagged on Jacki. She stood off to the

side, close to the house, where the others couldn't see her. Roger watched her as she adjusted her

top, trying to squish her smal breasts together enough to create some cleavage.

A futile effort on her part.

Disgruntled, Jacki dropped her arms and stepped away from the house to look toward the roof. At

Gregor? Likely so.

She compressed her lips in anger and head hanging, started toward the house.

Roger slid the door open. "Hey Jacki. You got a second?"

Her head snapped up and she eyed him with suspicion. Her voice fil ed with accusation, she said, "I

thought you left with Aunt Lorna."

Reading Jacki wasn't nearly as difficult as reading her sister. Cam was deep; Jacki was superficial.

She might exude confidence, but deep down, Jacki's insecurities ran rampant.

"I believe your aunt is cal ing a friend to accompany her on a ladies' day out."

Her mouth twisted. "Good riddance."

If only Cam would adopt that attitude. Roger shook his head. "If you have a moment, I'd like to speak with you." He had an idea that just might advance his position with Cam, while assisting Jacki at the same time.

Hip cocked out, Jacki asked, "What do you want?"

"Just a word."

She resisted the invitation. "I need to get the potato chips and pickles. I forgot them."

"Perfect timing." Roger stepped back to give her entrance through the patio doors. "I can lend a hand and make a suggestion at the same time."

A noise sounded behind them and Jacki turned to see Gregor standing there. Sweat dripped down

his shoulders and chest. The sun had added richer color to his natural y dark skin tone. An icy bottle

of water dangled in his hand.

But his eyes reflected the most heat as he watched them like a hawk, making no effort to hide his

burning jealousy.

And that seemed to make up Jacki's mind.

"Al right." Smiling, she stepped in around Roger. "What kind of suggestion?"

A dangerous game, Roger thought, to incite the anger of that one. But with Cam as the ultimate

prize, he put al other considerations out of his mind. With one last glance at the hulk staring holes

through his soul, Roger slid the patio door shut. "A suggestion that I think wil please you."

And in the long run, it'd please him, too.

DEAN felt Gregor watching him as they finished prying loose the last strip of shingles. It had taken

three hours of hard, nonstop labor to remove them al . Not that hard work was a problem. He'd never

shied away from it.

But for the last fifteen minutes, Gregor had been stealing glances at him.

Dean wouldn't ask him why. He wouldn't give Gregor the satisfaction. He'd just ignore him until they

finished the roof and—

"Hey, Havoc?"

Meddling son of a ...
So ignoring him wouldn't work. He wasn't surprised.

Using his scraper, Dean ripped viciously at a stubborn clump of leftover shingle pieces, removing a

few twisted roofing nails at the same time.
"What?"

Silence.

Disgruntled, Dean sat back on his heels and in a more moderate tone said, "What the hel do you

want, Gregor?"

Gregor shrugged a shoulder sleeked with sweat and grime. "Never heard you laugh like that before,

that's al ."

"What?"

"Earlier. When you were snipin' at the old broad. You were real y cuttin' up."

"So?"

"I don't think I've heard you that happy."

"Bul shit." Dean tossed the hunk of mangled shingles and nails onto the pile. "Don't go dramatic on me. You've heard me laugh plenty of times."

"Not like that. Not like ya meant it."

"The sun must be frying your brain." Dean stripped off a glove so he could clear the grime from his face. It gave him a solid reason not to look at Gregor. "Good thing we're ready for a break."

Gregor pul ed off his gloves, too. "My brain is fine and you know it."

"Uh huh."

He made a dry face. "For God's sake, Dean, don't get defensive. I was just curious—"

"Don't." To make certain Gregor understood, Dean replied sharply, "Don't be curious, and don't think to start prying." To make certain Gregor understood, Dean added a glare for good measure.

Meddling would not be tolerated.

Not the least bit bothered by Dean's mood, Gregor continued with his nosy interrogation. "You're

diggin' the whole family thing, aren't you?"

"Go fuck yourself."

Gregor's eyebrows shot up, and his humor returned. "Now what fun would that be? You know I'd

rather—"

Knowing exactly what he'd rather, Dean warned,
"Don't say it."

Chuckling, Gregor pretended to zip his lip.

Shit. Somehow Gregor had egged him into giving himself away. Expression careful y blank, Dean

looked at him. "You're an annoying ass, you know that?"

Gregor nodded. "Yeah. I've heard that before."

Dean assured himself that his reaction had less to do with being Jacki's brother and more to do with

being hot, sweaty, and tired. "Instead of hassling me, why don't we get done here so we can eat?"

"Sure thing." But after a moment, Gregor started again. "You know, I wasn't judgin'."

Dean dropped his head back and groaned at the expansive blue sky. "Un-fucking-believable."

Gregor couldn't keep his grin at bay. "And I wasn't going to ride you about it or anything. Hel , Havoc, your family is real nice. Lots of good lookin' women. Friendly. Sassy. I like 'em. Al but that old one."

He shuddered. "Nasty old coot, isn't she?"