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Ernie’s house was small and cozy, with well-loved furniture and way too many knitted items. Dog toys lay beside kids’ toys on the central rug, andScooby Dooplayed on the television. A Roombawent by with a cat riding atop it. This was a place that was comfortable with the life it nourished.
This is what I miss, he thought suddenly, a deep ache welling inside him. He missed having a house full of life. When Lacey was grown and moved out, he should have still had Darren beside him, loving him.
“Pudge, I’m starting to feel as old as my daughter and her fiancée think I am,” he whispered, patting the dog’s back.
His phone rang, and Pudge glared at him, affronted, as if to say “Turn that damn thing off. I have sleep to get to.”
“Sorry,” Mack said with a wince before answering his phone. “Sheriff McKenzie speaking.”
“Hi, Sheriff,” a man said. “This is Cain Benson. I think you know my parents and my brothers, Carter and Caden.”
“Yes, I do,” Mack said, smiling. Cain was the youngest of his brothers and the only one who still worked in the family law firm in Georgia.
“I have a favor to ask,” Cain said, voice grim. “It’s important.”
“What can I do for you?” Mack asked, already knowing he’d do everything he could to help the man. The Bensons were good people, and Mack genuinely liked them.
“I need a safe place for a client and his family to stay for a few months.” Cain’s anger carried through his voice. “Someone is trying to kill him.”
Chapter 2
“Dad, you could have died.” Tris paced back and forth in front of the large picture window in the sitting room. “We could have lost you.”
Roe swallowed hard, body aching from the injuries he’d sustained in the accident. “I’m aware, sweetheart.”
“We’re going to Hobson Hills to stay with Mr. Benson’s friend,” Daphne said, curling closer against his side while being careful of the bruising on his chest and abdomen. “Even if we have to stay there forever, we will, Daddy. We can’t lose you.”
Roe hugged her, hating the fear in her voice. It had been years since she called himDaddy.
“Thatmangot everything he wanted in the divorce,” Tris said, unwilling to say his alpha father’s name aloud. “What else do him and his new arm candy want?”
“They should be totally happiful,” Daphne muttered against Roe’s shoulder.
Instead, Roe’s ex-husband, James, and his new husband, Gabriel, were doing their best to make Roe’s life a living hell. It had started small with rumors being spread among Roe’s wealthy friends. All complete garbage lies, but Roe had learned a long time ago that some friends were fickle at best. In their eyes, it was more entertaining to support the lovely Gabriel. Not only was he gorgeous, the other man was also a social butterfly. Everyone loved him.
“Just like Eleanor and Rosamund,” Roe muttered.
“What?” Daphne asked, confused.
“I’m Eleanor of Aquitaine, and Gabriel is Rosamund Clifford,” Roe explained. “You know, ‘The Fair Rosamund.’”
“Is this one of your random historical lessons, Dad?” Tris asked, sighing.
“Maybe.” Roe scowled. “Everyone loved Rosamund.”
Gabriel had a way about him that drew people in. It didn’t matter that James and Gabriel’s affair had gone on for five years before Roe finally noticed his husband’s cheating and filed for divorce. It didn’t seem to matter that James had signed away his rights to the kids in exchange for Roe’s family business—the business Roe’s grandfather had built from the ground up, where his father and mother had tirelessly worked to make it one of the most elite investment firms in the country.
Roe missed his parents and grandparents tremendously, but he was glad they hadn’t been around when the mess with James started. They didn’t have to see their company go to a heartless vulture. He knew they would approve of him using it to keep the kids, though. Family was the most important thing to the Dorseys.
“Did Rosamund try to hire someone to kill Eleanor?” Cain asked, leaning forward and bracing his arms on his knees. “We know Gabriel did.”
“That was two years ago.” Roe winced.
James and Gabriel hadn’t been content with Roe losing all his friends. Anonymous threats had followed. A disgusting letter left in his mailbox, a nasty email sent from a fake address. That’s when Roe had gone to Cain, a family friend. Cain’s law firm included a top-notch criminal lawyer.
They had done everything they could, but at first, there wasn’t much to do. They didn’t know who was to blame. Then, Gabriel had gotten caught trying to hire someone to kill Roe. Thankfully, the “hired killer” had been an undercover police officer.
Roe had been so relieved that the nastiness was finally over, but being caught in the act hadn’t mattered in the end. Gabriel had batted his eyes and swore that it had all been a misunderstanding, and James had said it was just a joke. Gabriel had been released with a warning. A month later, Roe’s mechanic had noticed his brake lines had been cut. Luckily, movies had it wrong. He hadn’t even gotten out of the driveway before he noticed his brake pedal had gone soft and the indicator light came on. Nothing could be traced to Gabriel or James, but Roe had been careful to keep his car in the garage after that. Then, things had gotten better. They had been careful to stick with nonviolent harassment like the letters and rumors.
