She yanked away from Ian, but he held on to her wrist. "Let. Me. Go. Ian."

"You want to hear what he's going to learn soon? Or want him to lose his job?"

"Go to h.e.l.l." She stormed up the stairs, taking them two at a time. In the bedroom she'd been offered, she threw the door toward its frame, but grabbed it to prevent it from slamming.

"Ugh!" Taylor dropped to the mattress and screamed into the pillow.

a a a "d.a.m.n women. I can't figure you out." Ian plopped himself into Tripp's favorite chair again.

"Gonna go after her?" Emma asked.

"No."

"Why not?" Lexi asked as Emma said, "But, you just promised Riley you'd take care of her." The scornful looks they both gave him should have made him cringe, but he'd learned to ignore them as often as possible. Their status as *almost sisters' let him do so.

"I'm not going to let anything happen." He gazed straight at Emma. "You of all people should know I'm a man of my word."

Emma and Lexi huffed breaths, stood and walked up the stairs all at the same time.

"Ennnh," Tripp mimicked a buzzer. "Wrong answer." He didn't rise to follow them, though.

"What the h.e.l.l? You, who doesn't do anything the politically correct way, want to tell me-"

"I'm not the one with a relationship hanging in the balance." Tripp's head moved back and forth.

"One-or two-kisses doesn't-no, forget I said anything. I don't even know why she's mad."

"Dude, even I know that one." Tripp's voice took on his complete I-told-you-so tone.

Ian hung his head. "Do I want to know?"

"Yes, but with a beer."

Ian pushed from his seat. "I'll get them."

Two bottles and a bag of tortilla chips later, he returned to the living room. Tripp had overtaken his chair, so Ian took the couch.

"Gonna share what info you got from that phone call?" Tripp drank from the ice cold container as Ian grabbed a handful of fried corn goodness.

"I was going to before ... she went off all half-c.o.c.ked when her boyfriend decided to do his job instead of your job."

Tripp gave Ian a head bob. "Okay, so what if Michael was in this pickle, and someone said I couldn't handle his case due to ethics? What would you have done?"

"This isn't about me."

"Didn't say it was. Just answer the d.a.m.n question."

"I'da probably told *em to f.u.c.k off. You're his attorney, and his friend and-"

Tripp crunched on a chip. "Exactly. So, you kinda did the opposite there. You heard her, didn't you? Everything about her says she loves him, trusts him ... you managed to push him away without a second thought."

"Wasn't that the point? To keep him on our side but on the inside?"

Tripp extended a finger toward the ceiling. "Yep."

"Then what the h.e.l.l did I do wrong?" Ian pulled from his beer, closed his eyes and leaned back.

"Not a thing."

"So, that's your big revelation? I did nothing wrong, only stuff to help this woman, and now she's p.i.s.sed at me?"

"Yup." Tripp took a long swig from his bottle.

"So, what was your advice going to be?"

"To drink a lot. *Cause after May thirty-first, it's not going to get any better."

Ian set his bottle on the coffee table. "You keep mentioning that date. What's so significant about it?"

Tripp chuckled. "Not a thing. I just like to up the ante on my bets ... as you know."

"You're gonna lose." Ian snagged a chip. "Let me ask you something." He waved the corn circle in the air.

"Anything."

"What was your first reaction to meeting Lexi?" The sigh caused Ian to meet his friend's gaze.

"Since we were outside, on the beach at two a.m., it was like a big-a.s.s wave came up out of the ocean and sucked me right in. d.a.m.n woman."

Ian huffed a laugh. "That's what I thought. It's the most ridiculous s.h.i.t I've ever dealt with."

"So, you're chicken, then?" The creases at the corner of Tripp's mouth brought a smile to Ian's.

"I'm not-"

"Boc-boc-boc-boc."

"You did not just do a stupid poultry sound."

"Boc-boc."

"I'm not playing second fiddle. There's a thing with Riley. You even said it." Ian jutted out his chin. "He loves her. I can see it." With a gulp to swash down whatever stuck in his throat, Ian said, "Never mind, screw it. Michael wants a DNA sample from Taylor. Wants it over-nighted."

"That what he called for?"

Ian shook his head, took another swig of the hops. "Nope, not just that. If she hadn't run off like some girl, I'd have told her the good news."

Tripp leaned forward, his beer clutched between his hands. "And that would be?"

"Michael says there is no way she had anything to do with those bones. Said it wasn't obvious at first because they were really well preserved, but he ran some thingamajig to date them, and they're at least a hundred years old."

A slap to Tripp's knee startled Ian enough to make him blink. "Hot d.a.m.n!"

"He's stumped, though, on one point."

Tripp leaned back in his chair. "Uh-oh."

"Yeah. He has no idea why the bones were so well preserved, but the dating is inarguable. The team he's gathered is going to run some more stuff. Says we'll have Taylor in the clear in a few days, week tops."

"So, all we gotta do is keep her out of harm's way until then." Tripp held up his beer. "To teamwork."

Ian clinked it. "Yeah. And to a clean five mil."

10.

Free but not free. Independent yet reined in. Enclosed but not at home.

All the stresses built up until Taylor could barely contain the judders of her body or the desire to throw a hammer through a window just so she could fix it.

Soft voices arrived outside the door and continued for what seemed like ten or more minutes. They rose. They faded. They whispered. Emphasis took hold of one, punctuated the other and ended with a *shhh'.

Taylor's lips curved as she listened to Lexi and Emma argue over whether or not they should intrude or leave Taylor on her own-a rivalry that befit any two sisters. For a moment, she wished she weren't an only child.

"This is ridiculous. I'm going in." Lexi's firm decision came just before a tentative knock and the creak of the door as it opened. "Taylor? It's Lexi and Emma."

Taylor's giggle refused to stay inside after having listened to them argue and strategize for so long. "Come in."

Emma b.u.mped Lexi out of the way as she took the bedside Taylor left unused. "How you doin'?"

With a slight nod, Taylor said, "About as well as a deer caught in the crosshairs."

"Doesn't sound so good." Lexi's slide onto the end of the mattress dipped it just a little.

"It sounds downright pitiful," Emma said. The glare Lexi gave Emma could be none other than a sister would give. "What?" Emma shrugged as if she didn't know. "She's sad. That's a good a.n.a.logy. I'd be more p.i.s.sed than sad, if I were her, and Ian hadn't come running up here like an actual man."

"Ignore her, Taylor." Lexi offered her sister another deep glare before giving Taylor her full attention. "Ian got some information he wants to share with you. Tripp's going to make this all go away. Riley ..." Her head inclined to the side. "Well, if he loves you enough, stepping awa-"

"That's not it." Taylor's head hit the wall as she leaned back.

"That sounded like it hurt." Emma's matter-of-fact voice broke Taylor's lips into a smile.

"Don't listen to the wisea.s.s." Lexi patted Taylor's feet.

"Riley and I aren't a thing." Taylor opened her eyes again. "We never have been."

"It's okay if you are," Emma said and earned another glare.

Taylor drew in a breath. "We really aren't. We've been friends-brother and sister like-since we were-since before we were tweens. And this isn't about Ian, either. It just all caught up with me. Not being able to go home. Not being with my friend. Not having choices. Leaving my fate in someone else's hands." Her hands flitted up and dropped to the bed. "It just crashed on me, and I took it out on the wrong person."

"So, is Ian a hot kisser?" Emma asked.

Taylor's laugh came out full and loud.

"You did not just ask her that, Em!" Laughter bred more as chuckles came from Lexi and Emma.

"Why not? She's obviously past the brood phase of the day. We might as well get somewhere better."

Taylor's mirth continued to toy with her gut. "I can get behind that. And, yes, he is."

Emma offered Taylor a light backslap to the shoulder. "The man has moves. I've seen him in action, though I can't say any of them were used on me." Her hands crossed over her heart. "He can wine and dine with the best of the bachelors."

"Then why is he one?" Taylor angled her head in Emma's direction.

She positioned those hands over her mouth. "Probably said too much."

"Why not let every cat out of the bag then, Em?" Lexi's playful tone returned.

Emma stuck her tongue out at Lexi. "Well, I happen to know Ian's been ... a bit celibate for the last few months. Since the wedding, actually." She ticked off her fingers. "That's been almost six months now."

Lexi leaned forward. "And, that's a record according to Tripp."

The tension in Taylor's shoulders and neck disappeared as the two around her gabbed.

Girl time. Real girl time. With smart, vivacious women. Taylor had needed that.

On and on they chatted about Tripp and Ian, as much brothers yet nothing by blood. Boys, no matter their age.

Taylor stiffened when Lexi moved a hand to her middle and a small crease grew at her temple. The simple look Taylor received, while Emma continued on, suggested she should stay quiet.

"So ... Riley ... Is he available, then? I mean ... well ... you know." Emma's eyes glittered with interest.

Lexi and Taylor both burst out laughing.

"Actually," Taylor said. "He says he's not. He's mentioned a girl a few times."

"d.a.m.n." Emma snapped her fingers. "All the good ones gettin' away."

"I haven't met her. So, I don't know that I believe him," Taylor said.

More giggles ran through the three of them.