Larry set down the drinks. Victor reached for his, taking a slow sip before his eyes met hers above the rim of the glass. “I make it a point to know about certain things.” Victor gave her a challenging look. “Especially things that directly impact my business.”

Lindsey’s eyes narrowed. “And how exactly has your business been impacted?”

He sat his glass down with a clank and propped his foot up on a metal rail. “My bar was mentioned in the news several times. There was a huge write-up about you as well. About how you got him off so he could kill again. Stunning picture of you, by the way. A beautiful young attorney who knows how to get killers off certainly got my attention.”

Lindsey felt the words like the slap they were meant to deliver. She stared at him, struggling to pull herself together. For his painful remark, she lashed out. “Each and every one of the victims were at your bar the night of their attacks. That’s a pretty damning scenario, if you ask me.”

He smiled. “You seem very tense.” He shoved her glass towards her. “I think you should drink this.”

How could he act so nonchalant about a string of murders connected to his bar? “You haven’t heard the last of this.” Feeling the need to escape, Lindsey started towards the door.

“Come back again, Lindsey,” he said from behind her. She cringed, hating how he said her name . . . so familiarly. He continued with arrogance, “Next time, we can get to know each other better.”

Lindsey walked faster, forcing herself not to run, relieved when she reached the front door. She shoved it open and darted towards the street, only to run smack into something hard. Big hands closed on her shoulders, retracting the blow of her charging form.

“Wow, now, pretty lady.”

Lindsey’s eyes shot up as shock washed over her. Tom’s roommate, Rick stood before her, his hands lingering on her arms. She stepped back, feeling as if she had been attacked. She didn’t like the man, and after her encounter with Victor she was feeling more than a little freaked out.

Forcing words from her lips took effort. “Ah, sorry,” she muttered.

He gave her a grin. “Anytime you want to bump into me,” he said with a smile, “feel free.”

Any remnant of diplomacy Lindsey might have managed disappeared. “Why are you here?” she demanded.

He laughed. “Well now, little darling, my heart is broken.” He held his hand over his chest. “Obviously you’re not as pleased to see me as I am you.”

Lindsey repeated the question, a demand in her voice. “Why are you here?”

He grinned. “I work here, of course.”

* * * * *

Mark walked through the front door of the long-term care facility where Edward Paxton was being treated with a predatory-type stride. He carried himself with confidence through the hall, only remotely aware of the curious stares he received. Stopping at the front desk, he was greeted by a young brunette nurse who gave him Edward’s room information.

It was well past time he and Edward had a long talk.

Mark found Edward’s room empty. Frustrated, he started to turn away, intent on going back to the front desk and asking for more information. But his eyes caught on a figure outside the window. Edward sat in the courtyard beyond, his profile to the room. To say Mark was shocked at Edward’s appearance would have been an understatement. The man had made a complete physical transformation. Thin and pale, he looked so unlike the robust man he had been only a short time before, that the change seemed almost impossible.

With a strained sigh, Mark turned away from the window and headed towards the courtyard. No matter how ill Edward was, there were matters that had to be discussed. A short walk later, preparing for a bitter welcome, Mark stepped to the front of the wheelchair.

Edward’s eyes went wide. “What in the hell are you doing here?” He half-yelled the words.

A nurse eyed them and started forward. He shot her a glare that stopped her in her tracks, and refocused on Edward. “We have a few matters to discuss.” Mark’s tone was sharp, yet calm.

“We have nothing to discuss. Get the hell away from me and my company, and especially my daughter!”

“You handed your daughter a damn mess, Edward. Paxton is six months, at most, from bankruptcy.”

“That’s crap, Reeves. Besides, my daughter is very capable.” He spat the words at Mark as his forehead fell into deep creases.

Mark stared at him with utter disbelief. Where was the man’s sense? This was not the person he had gone to work for years before. He was putting his own desires above his daughter’s happiness. Not only that, he was putting the employees and partners of the firm at risk.

“Lindsey doesn’t even want to work at Paxton, let alone run it. For God’s sake , she has never even looked at the books. She is hardly prepared to deal with bankruptcy, irate partners, or anything of such devastating magnitude.”

“My daughter is a good attorney,” he stated in an almost childlike fashion.

Mark’s eyes grew wide and he sighed. His next words were spoken a bit more gently, but still with enough firmness to make an impact. “Lindsey’s ability as an attorney is not in question by anyone but her. Think about this clearly, Edward.” He hated what came next but it had to be said. “What if you don’t pull out of this? Do you really want to leave Lindsey with a load of problems?”

His eyes looked wild for a moment, even panicked, before he inhaled and exhaled several times. Then, through clenched teeth, he said, “I will make it through this.” No mention of Lindsey.

It was clear he wasn’t dealing with someone who had a grip on reality. Despite his differences with Edward, seeing his old friend in such a poor state was hard to swallow. There had been a time when they had been close. Lindsey needed his help, and he intended to give it to her. However, he had to go about making that happen. “Look Edward, I offered to buy your stock from you, but you refused. Now you are so deep in shit, you can’t wade out. Your options are few and far between.” Mark paused to see if he would get a reaction. When he didn’t, he continued, “You will go bankrupt without me. Be logical about this.”

“This is none of your damn business,” Edward ground out through clenched teeth.

Mark’s frustration was building. “Lindsey can’t stay with Paxton if it shuts down. The only chance you have of keeping Lindsey on board is to save the business. Lindsey has handed over the reins to me, along with full control.”

Edward’s eyes went wide, anger flashing in his face. He held up his fist, and shouted. “And I am taking the control away from you.”

Mark kept his voice steady. “If you interfere, you will lose any chance of getting your daughter to move back to Manhattan. She’ll close the shop and go back to Washington.”

Edward glowered at Mark, his eyes darkening. “I suppose you want the stock too? You bastard, you think you can just take over my company and my daughter?”

Mark’s stiffened, but he kept his expression blank. As much as he hated playing hard ball with a sick man, he had no option left. The man was too damn stubborn for his own good. “I know I can, and so do you. What options do you have? Lindsey and I have worked out an arrangement that guarantees her presence here for an extended period of time. If nothing else, that should make you happy.”

Edward pointed a long, thin finger at him. “You’ll run her off, is what you’ll do. You’ll make her hate the world of law. She wants it to matter. It’s just money to you. Leave her alone.”

Mark was silent a long moment. If the man only knew how much he wanted Lindsey to stay, how truly on the same page they were for once. “Your strategy of working for free certainly hasn’t worked, now, has it?”

Mark let his words linger in the air, watching Edward for a reaction. For the first time since he had known Edward Paxton, the man seemed unable to find words.