Men Of Honour

“Yes.” Molly positioned her chin as she always did when on the defensive. “Thanks to Dare, I’m fine now.”

“She was damn near dead when I found her,” Dare said. “Drugged. Tortured. Dehydrated and starved.”

Molly gave him a sideways glance at how he played up her mistreatment. She had been tortured, but probably not in the way her father and Kathi now assumed.

“Molested?” Kathi asked.

Molly shook her head. “Don’t sound so broken up over it, Kathi. They spared me that humiliation.”

Her sarcasm was wasted. “Well, I would assume … that is, if you were truly treated so badly, why would they not have raped you?”

“Goddamn it, Kathi! Shut up.”

Startled by Bishop’s rebuke, she was quick to say, “I’m glad you weren’t subjected to that.”

Sitting back in his seat, Bishop ran both hands through his hair. He took a steadying breath, and locked gazes with Molly. “You might not believe me, but I’m truly sorry for what you’ve suffered, and you need to know that I had nothing to do with it.”

Molly said nothing.

“If you go public, no one will believe that you weren’t used sexually. You realize that, I’m sure.” Bishop shook his head. “Your life will be under a microscope, Molly. Not only will you damage me, but your sister’s livelihood as a teacher could be at stake, and you’ll ruin yourself, as well.”

“Natalie only wants what is best for me,” Molly told him.

Dare admired her aplomb under fire. “And, you know, I think it’d work as publicity for Molly’s novels.” No way in hell would Dare let that happen, but Bishop couldn’t know that. His opinion of Dare was not favorable.

And that suited Dare’s purpose just fine.

“Think about it,” Dare said. “Every newspaper and magazine out there will be talking about her and, by association, her books. Her sales are already through the roof with the movie deal, but this would bring a real focus to her and her work.”

Incredulity widened Kathi’s eyes. “Monster,” she whispered with venom. “You would destroy my husband and all he’s worked for to promote her?”

Dare lifted a shoulder in negligent disregard. Molly, God bless her, held her own council. “It’d be a by-product of finding the truth, but what the hell? All publicity is good publicity. Isn’t that what they say?”

“I can’t stop you,” Bishop announced, and when Kathi started to protest, he warned, “That’s enough from you.”

She subsided.

Coming around the desk to face Molly, Bishop studied her. “I’ve always credited you with being a smart girl.”

She gave him a yeah, right look.

“No, I don’t approve of what you write, but you’ve made it a profitable enterprise. You knew what you wanted, and you stuck to it, worked at it, and you’ve gained your own success. Unlike many young people—”

“Dad, I’m thirty years old. Not a child.”

His expression softened in sadness. “To someone pushing sixty, thirty is still young, believe me. My point is that you’ve avoided the pitfalls of drugs, alcohol or lack of initiative. I think you could have done more, something truly worthwhile with your talent—”

“Entertaining others is worthwhile,” she insisted. “Not everything in life has to be a lesson.”

Bishop let out a long-suffering sigh. “Debating it now is futile. What I’m attempting to say is that I want you to think long and hard about this. Don’t make yourself a matter of public gossip just to hurt me.”

Indulgent, more understanding than Dare could believe, Molly huffed a small breath. “Oh, Dad, don’t you see? Not everything is about you. This happened to me, and I need to know who wanted me hurt, and why.”

Bishop didn’t touch her, not to embrace her in comfort, not to exert his paternal will and not to vent his anger. To Dare, the two feet between them felt like miles.

He was willing to bet it felt even wider to Molly, a chasm that would never be bridged. Even as a child, she’d learned to live with that emotional distance.

Bishop nodded his acceptance of her decision and looked at Dare. “When do you plan to go public?”

“Soon.” Remaining noncommittal, Dare scooped up the photos of Mark Sagan and Ed Warwick and tapped them against his thigh. “First I think I’ll get in touch with your buddies, maybe squeeze them a little.”

“Your many connections, I suppose?”

“I have ways of getting to the truth, yes. Both men have a jaded history that they’ll want to protect. If you’re a party to this, they’ll eventually let something slip. You know that, right?”

Bishop gestured in resignation. “Do your worst. There’s nothing they can tell you about me, because I have never engaged in kidnapping, and I never would.”

For once, Kathi held silent. She kept her gaze on her hands, and Dare almost felt sorry for her. Almost.

“I’m taking Molly back to my home with me.”

“Where?” Bishop asked.

“Kentucky. A good four hours from here—well out of your reach.”

Bishop gave a slow nod of compliance. “She’ll be safe with you?”

“A hell of a lot safer than she ever was without me.”

“Then I suppose that’s for the best.”

After a timid glance at Bishop, Kathi interrupted. “What about your contracts, Molly? The movie negotiations, your agent, your editor …” She dampened dry lips. “You could stay with us, here. You’d be safe, and then you could finish conducting your business.”

Again Bishop looked at her as if she’d lost her mind.

“Not happening,” Dare said before Molly or her father could respond. “She goes where I go.”

“You could both stay, then.”

“No. I have dogs at home that need my attention.”

Bishop said, “Dogs?” while Kathi blinked at him in clear confusion.

“My girls,” Dare said, knowing how they probably felt about pets that were, in all the important ways, a part of his family. “I don’t like to leave them for long.”

“You jest,” Kathi said. “You’re putting animals above Molly’s safety?”

Molly put a hand on his arm. He understood, and let her handle it her way.

“Since most everything is done on computers, I can conduct my business dealings wherever I’m at. Dare’s home is a very calming place. I’ll be able to work on my deadline, and as soon as I let my agent and my editor know how to reach me, I’ll be able to catch up on the legal end of things. There’s no reason for Dare not to be with his dogs.”

Bishop was impatient. “Can’t they already contact you on your cell?”

“My phone, along with my purse, went missing after I was … taken.” She steadied herself. “Dare has agreed to stop long enough for me to pick up a new cell today. If you want, I can call and give you the number after I know it.”

Kathi nodded. “Your father and I would appreciate that, thank you.”

Personally, Dare didn’t give a shit what they’d appreciate. He saw no reason to give them the means to torment her further, but he’d leave that decision up to Molly.

“Time for us to go.” Dare put his arm around Molly and started from the room.

Before he got far, Bishop said, “Wait.”

Dare looked back at him. Indecision held Bishop in stony silence for several beats until his face pinched in reluctant decision. “I need a moment to speak with you. Alone.”

Dare didn’t trust him. “Molly stays with me.”

Kathi had already hooked an arm around her. “She’ll be fine with me. We’ll wait just outside the room.”

“No.”

Bishop chewed over alternatives, and settled on saying to Kathi, “Step out, leave the goddamned door open and stay in view.” And then to Dare, “Good enough?”

Not really, but Molly said to him, “I’ll be fine, Dare. I promise.”

Kathi rolled her eyes. “For heaven’s sake. She’s safe with her family.”

Yeah, right. From what he’d seen, her family was worse than a hated enemy.

Dare pointed at Molly. “Stay where I can see you.”

She smiled agreement.

Bishop moved to the farthest end of the room and waited for Dare to join him. Molly stepped out into the hall with Kathi. Dare heard her remark on a new painting and knew she was talking with Kathi to keep her stepmother from eavesdropping on whatever Bishop wanted to say to him.

So damn smart. And cunning. She put up with more shit than any woman ever should, and somehow, against all odds, she remained kind and open and honest. In and out of bed.

Dare accepted that he was fast falling in love with her. And little by little, the idea grew on him.

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