“The best,” Lexi agreed.

It was all Dana could do not to scream.

GARTH’S CALL TO CHINA was interrupted when his office door burst open and Jed stalked in. Garth excused himself just as Jed reached his desk, braced his hands on the edge and leaned in.

“I don’t know what you think you’re playing at, you little fucker, but this is going to stop.”

Garth leaned back in his chair, letting his satisfaction show on his face. “Hey, Dad. Nice to see you. What brings you by?”

“You know exactly what.” Jed’s usually tanned face was flushed with anger. “You bought my horses.”

“The race team? Yes. The deal closed today. I was surprised you were selling them, especially at that price. It was a bargain.” He feigned concern. “Are you having a cash problem, Dad? Do you need a loan?”

Jed straightened. “You won’t get away with this. Any of it. I swear, I’ll make you regret ever taking me on.”

The last few months had not been kind to Jed. His face was lined and there were bags under his eyes. He’d put on twenty or thirty pounds but hadn’t bought new clothes, so everything pulled and gapped. He looked like what he was-a washed-up loser.

Garth stood. “You should know better than to threaten someone who is kicking your ass, old man. You’re hemorrhaging money and I’m cleaning up. Soon I’ll own your soul.”

“Never.” Jed practically spit the word. “You’re not as smart as you think.”

“I only have to be smarter than you and that’s not a very high bar. I’m buying up your company piece by piece.”

“I’ll take that information to the shareholders.”

Garth smiled. “And tell them what? That a very successful businessman is interested in their well-being? They’ll be happy to hear the news. Ever since you were taken in for questioning, your investors have been nervous. It’s not going to take very much for them to start leaving in droves. Your problem is, there are so many ways you’ve screwed up. Which one is going to come out first?”

Fury blazed in Jed’s dark eyes. “I’ll kill you before I let you win.”

“Did I mention I record many of the conversations I have in this room?” Garth asked casually.

Jed glanced around. Worry replaced anger for a moment, then he shook it off. “The police can’t use an illegally recorded conversation.”

“True, but it gives them a place to start looking.”

Jed’s hands curled into fists. “I’ll stop you. You think I don’t know about your games with my daughters? Your office and how you plan to hack into my computer system? It won’t happen. Any of it.”

Garth moved toward him and lowered his voice. “Let me be clear. You touch anyone working with me and you’ll be the one feeling the pain.”

Jed scoffed. “What do you care about your sisters? You want to win.”

“There are many ways to define victory.”

“Not for you.”

“Don’t test me on this,” Garth told him. “You won’t like how it ends.”

Jed turned and left. Garth watched him go.

Would the old man listen or had things just escalated to the next level? He couldn’t be sure, so precautions would have to be taken. The Titan women weren’t going to like it, but their annoyance would be nothing when compared with what Dana was going to say.

DANA TOOK THE EXIT for Titanville. There were two miles of open road between the crowded freeway and the slower speed limit of the city limits. Normally she enjoyed the quiet, but this afternoon she felt restless.

She couldn’t stop thinking about what Lexi and Izzy had said. That she needed to protect herself against the likes of Garth. While her friends were well-meaning, they could also be idiots when it came to men. She wasn’t at any risk. She could take care of herself.

So what if he was different? She could handle any situation that came up. She was strong and she knew how to stay safe. Years of surviving her father’s beatings had taught her that. She knew better than to care too much when it came to men. Showing a vulnerable side just meant a stronger possibility of getting hurt. There were-

The skin on the back of her neck prickled, interrupting her thoughts. She immediately glanced in her rearview mirror, then out the side windows. Nothing had changed. The black Suburban was still behind her. The F-250 truck that had been in front of her had gone into the other lane, which would have been fine, if it hadn’t suddenly slowed. Something was wrong.

She sped up. Both vehicles paced her. The speed limit was forty-five. She punched it to sixty, then seventy. They stayed with her. Dark, tinted windows meant she couldn’t get a look at either driver.

If she braked suddenly, the Suburban would rear-end her. Not an outcome to be hoped for. She needed another plan.

Without warning, the truck swerved toward her, slamming into the side of her smaller truck. Her whole body crashed against the door. She struggled to keep control, but weight was against her. In a battle of sheer tonnage, the larger truck would win. Slowly she was pushed off the road.

If the embankment had been steep, she would have rolled for sure. As it was, she simply drove off onto the dirt. The two other vehicles sped away.

Dana slowed, then came to a stop. She reached for the notebook she kept in her glove box and wrote down both license plates. The plates or the vehicles were probably stolen, but the information would be a start. She got out of her truck and was pleased that her legs weren’t shaking at all. Her left arm hurt and she’d banged the hell out of her knee, but otherwise she was fine.

After drawing in a few deep breaths to chase away the adrenaline, she circled her truck to survey the damage. The whole passenger side was smashed in. It wasn’t pretty.

Someone had sent her a warning to back off. A very clear warning that would cost a few thousand dollars to fix. Had circumstances been different, she could have been seriously hurt. Someone else might have taken the admonition to heart, but not her. If Jed Titan thought this was enough to scare her away, he didn’t know her at all.

CHAPTER NINE

GARTH MET WITH MITCH, Cruz and Nick shortly before five in the afternoon. They’d picked a quiet bar by the freeway. It was the sort of place that didn’t get much action before nine or ten, which suited them just fine. They only needed an out-of-the-way place to talk.

The other three men were already there when Garth arrived. He’d left his suit jacket in the car, but was still the only guy wearing a tie. They were all successful, but completely different. Under normal circumstances, they were unlikely allies, but Jed and the Titan sisters had brought them together.

Four beers sat on the table. Garth took the one in front of his chair and swallowed.

“Jed came by to see me,” he said.

Mitch’s mouth twisted. “Lucky you.”

“He’s having a bit of a cash flow problem. He put his racing horses up for sale. I bought them.”

Nick looked at him. “He found out?”

Garth shrugged. “He wasn’t happy about it. He threatened to take my plan to buy him out to the shareholders, not that they would mind.”

“You think he will?” Cruz asked.

“Maybe. It won’t change anything. I’m more concerned about the other things he said. He didn’t come out and threaten the women, but it was implied. I would say he didn’t have it in him, but after what happened with Izzy…” He shook his head. “He’s dangerous.”

The other men exchanged glances.

Country music played in the background. A couple of guys were playing pool at the table in the center of the room. A few other customers were talking or already so drunk they could barely stay seated.

“We’ll have to take precautions,” Nick said flatly. “Izzy’s at the ranch most of the time, so there’s some distance between her and Jed.”

Cruz drew in a breath. “I worry about Lexi. She’s living with me, so she’s safe at night, but what about during the day?”

Garth knew Cruz was also concerned about Lexi’s advancing pregnancy. “I know a couple of good bodyguards. They’re discreet. She wouldn’t necessarily have to know they were watching her.”

“And when she finds out?” Cruz asked. “Hell, I’ll take the fight. It would be worth it. Sure. Give me the names.”

“Me, too,” Mitch said. “Skye and Erin are vulnerable when they’re away from the ranch.”

Garth wanted to say even Jed wouldn’t hurt his own granddaughter, but he didn’t know that for sure. Not anymore.

“What about Dana?” Mitch asked. “You think she’s safe?”

Garth didn’t have an answer for that. Dana was more capable of taking care of herself than any of the sisters. She was a cop. But she’d also known Jed all her life-she’d stayed in his house, spent holidays with him. Would she be willing to take him on or would she hesitate? Indecision could be fatal.

“I’ll talk to her,” he said. “If I explain the situation, she’ll take precautions. Maybe move in for a while.”

All three men stared at him.

“You want Dana living with you?” Nick asked, sounding stunned.

“It would keep her safe.”

“Dana? Seriously?” Cruz shrugged. “Whatever floats your boat.”

“Hey, back off,” Garth said, a warning tone to his voice.

Cruz raised both his hands. “Sorry, man. She’s great. Not my type, but great.”

Mitch looked at him with a combination of curiosity and pity. “You’re going to ask her to move in with you so you can protect her?”

Why did everyone keep saying Dana wasn’t his type? What did they know about his type? He shook off the question and turned to Mitch.

“She’s smart. She’ll agree.”

Mitch grinned. “Sorry I’m going to miss the explosion. Dana’s not big on being told what to do and she’s always had a problem with men trying to run her life.” He glanced around the table. “I went to high school with her. She’s pretty damned intimidating.”