A Brother's Honour

The amusement was immediately wiped from Jace’s face. “Okay, I won’t tell you.”

“Why?” Caden asked, and heard the disgusted tone of his own voice. “Did you not tell him how serious things were?”

“Yes, I told him, and it’s his feeling that the old man wouldn’t care one way or the other if he were here or not.”

“Bullshit.”

“I know, but Dalton has a hard head and is stubborn to a fault. He never forgave Richard for not letting him claim his trust fund when he turned twenty-five.”

Caden frowned. “Granddad had good reason for doing what he did, and you and I both know it. Dalton was chasing anything in a skirt and had already blown most of that endorsement money, which should have set him up for life.”

“Yes, but evidently Dalton doesn’t see it that way. Having to wait until he’s thirty to get what we got at twenty-five is a thorn in his side,” Jace said.

Caden didn’t say anything for a moment, and then, after taking another sip of his coffee, he said, “I could have waited since I haven’t touched mine, anyway. What about you?”

Jace shook his head. “I haven’t touched mine, either.”

Neither man said anything else for a while, and then Caden asked, “How much did you tell Hannah?” Jace had made the call before they’d stepped on the elevator. Hannah was glad they’d made it to Virginia but was disappointed Dalton hadn’t come.

“Exactly what Sedrick told me,” he said, standing. “She’s not handling it well.”

“I can imagine,” Caden said, easing from his chair while thinking just how long Hannah had been with the Grangers. Close to fifty years. They didn’t consider her a housekeeper but a member of the family. Their grandfather had depended on her a lot when he’d taken on the task of raising his grandsons. “So what are you going to do now?”

Jace glanced over at him as they headed for the elevator. “I’m operating on Pacific time, so I’m good. I plan to stay here so that if Granddad wakes up he’ll know one of us is here. You can go on home and—”

“Home?”

“Sutton Hills,” Jace clarified. “Keep Hannah company. I doubt she’ll get any sleep tonight anyway.”

“I’d prefer to stay, too,” Caden said. “Like you insinuated earlier, I’m a late-nighter.”

“All right.”

The two had made it back to their grandfather’s room and had pulled chairs close to the bed where they planned to park it for the night when a nurse walked in. She offered to bring in cots. After all, she’d said, their money had paid for this particular wing, so it was the least she could do.

She’d done more by bringing in fluffy pillows and blankets, as well. Since the room was pretty sizable, probably the largest one in the wing, Caden and Jace figured they could make themselves pretty comfortable.

Deciding to end all conversation so as not to disturb their grandfather, they settled in for the night. A few hours after they’d dozed off, they were awakened by the creaking sound of the door opening. They figured it was a nurse coming in to check on their grandfather. Suddenly, the fluorescent light burst to life overhead, nearly blinding them.

“Now why am I not surprised to find the two of you here, goofing off?”

Jace leaned up and his mouth dropped open in surprise. “Dalton?”

“Hell, yeah, it’s me.”

“I thought you weren’t coming,” Jace said, squinting against the bright light and inwardly downplaying just how good he felt that his brother was here.

“I changed my mind.”

Caden tossed off the blanket and sat up on the cot. “Fine time for you to show up, just when we were trying to get some sleep.”

“Go to hell.”

Dalton then glanced past them to the man lying in the hospital bed. And as if what he was seeing was way worse than he’d expected, he leaned back against the hospital room door and said, “Holy shit.”

Chapter Five

“Just what had you expected to find when you got here?” Jace asked his brother when he and Caden found themselves downstairs in the break room drinking coffee once again.

Dalton, his face still ashen from shock, shrugged. It was obvious he could have used something a lot stronger to drink than coffee. “Hell, I don’t know. But the last thing I expected was for the old man not to look like himself. Flat on his back. Shit. I don’t recall him ever being sick or looking this bad. He was always bigger than life. Strong as an ox. Unconquerable.”

Caden rolled his eyes. “He had a heart attack, Dalton.”

“Yes, and so did Victoria’s grandmother. But the old girl was up and about and back to playing bridge with her friends a few weeks later,” he explained, then took a sip of coffee as if it would calm his frazzled nerves.

“She probably had a light heart attack,” Jace said and had a sudden flashback of this Victoria, the older Englishwoman his brother had been involved with for a while. He’d had a chance to meet her when Caden had performed in Paris. She looked good for her age, he would give her that. But a twenty-year difference? Christ. As far as he was concerned, that was too wide a gap.

He took a sip of coffee, deciding the less he thought of his brother’s affairs, the better. “According to Dr. Timmons, Granddad suffered a massive one. It destroyed most of his heart muscles. I told you over the phone how serious it was,” Jace said, then sipped his coffee again.

“But I didn’t fully believe you. I thought you were just saying that to get me home,” Dalton responded.

“I’d never pretend about something like that. And if you didn’t believe me, why are you here?”

Dalton didn’t say anything for a moment and then, “I figured the old man and I had a few things to discuss.”

“Like you pressing him to lower the age for your trust fund?” Caden said, sitting upright and glaring over at his brother.

Dalton glared back. “And if I was, it’s none of your business. Besides, I don’t need the trust fund now.” He quickly decided to change the subject before he was asked to elaborate. “Did you get to talk to Dad when you called to tell him about Granddad?” he asked Jace.

Jace shook his head. “No. I spoke with the warden. He’ll get the word to Dad.”

Dalton nodded slowly. “And how is Dad?”

“You wouldn’t have to ask if you took the time to go see him for yourself,” Caden said angrily.

“Fuck you, Caden. I was talking to Jace.”

Caden leaned over the table, nearly in Dalton’s face. “And I was talking to you. When was the last time you saw Dad? Five years? You’re one damn poor excuse for a son.”

“Hell, you don’t understand. I’m not like you and Jace. I can’t handle seeing Dad that way. Locked up, talking to us through a damn glass partition and wearing that same blue outfit. We’re not talking about some street bum, gangster or drug pusher. We’re talking about Sheppard Granger, respected businessman, wealthy entrepreneur, law-abiding citizen, who never had as much as a speeding ticket.”

“So your infrequent visits had nothing to do with your thinking that perhaps Dad was guilty after all?” Jace asked calmly while watching Dalton with an intense gaze.

“What the f—? No. That’s not the reason,” Dalton said, looking first at Jace and then at Caden, who was staring at him just as intently. “How could you guys even think something like that?”

Jace shrugged. “Because it’s been fifteen years, and whether we want to discuss it or not, we of all people have reason to think Dad had the motive, especially after the argument we heard that night and what was said.”

Silence ensued for a few moments, and although no one said anything, they were each remembering that last night their mother had been alive and the heated argument their parents had had. They had heard it, yet when the authorities had questioned them together and then individually, they had denied knowing anything. They had refused to say anything that would have incriminated their father even more.

Even at their young age, they’d had enough sense to talk with Hannah, who had heard the argument, as well. She had encouraged them to discuss the matter with their grandfather, and the five had decided in their hearts there was no way their father could have done such a thing, no matter what threats he’d made against their mother that night.

“You never said why you stopped visiting Dad,” Jace said to break the silence. “Not to me, Caden or Granddad. And especially not to Dad. He never asked, but he wondered if that was why. That you had begun to doubt his innocence.”

“Well, that’s not it. Because I knew—” Dalton caught himself and stopped talking in midsentence. Not meeting his brothers’ gazes, he lowered his head to sip his coffee.

Caden wasn’t going to let him off that easily. “Because you knew what?”

“Nothing,” was Dalton’s quick response.

Jace had opened his mouth to say something when a nurse suddenly appeared seemingly out of nowhere and stood beside their table. “You have to come quickly. Mr. Granger is awake and asking for you.”

The three were out of their chairs in a flash. “He’s awake?” Caden asked.

“And talking?” Jace inquired, remembering what Sedrick had said about the danger of their grandfather regaining consciousness and then overexerting himself.

“Which one of us does he want to see?” Dalton asked as all three of them quickly followed the woman to the nearest elevator.

She waited until the elevator door swooshed closed before providing any answers. She turned to Caden. “Yes, he’s awake.” Then to Jace she said, “He’s talking, but we’re keeping him calm as much as we can.”

To Dalton, she simply replied, “He’s asking for all three of you, and Dr. Timmons sent me to find you.”

* * *

Sedrick was standing in the hallway near the door when the Granger brothers arrived on the floor. “We heard he’s conscious,” Jace rushed over and said.

Sedrick didn’t say anything for a second and then, “Like I told you earlier, it was as if he was holding on for a reason. Evidently, it was for the three of you to arrive, because he’s asked to see you.”

Jace frowned. “But I thought you said the less talking he does, the better it will be for him.”

Sedrick nodded. “Yes, but he’s determined to say what he has to say, and I think he should.” He then looked past Jace and Caden to Dalton. He stretched out his hand. “Dalton, you probably don’t remember me but—”

“I know who you are,” Dalton said, not bothering to accept the man’s hand. “You used to be a good friend of Jace’s.”

Dalton’s actions and sarcasm weren’t lost on anyone, and Sedrick blushed with embarrassment. “Yes, when we were teens.”

As if Sedrick’s words weren’t of any significance, Dalton said, “Whatever. Can we see the old man now? You’re blocking the door.”

“Certainly.” Sedrick moved aside. “I’ll remain in the area until after you’ve had your talk.” He then walked off.

Before Jace could say anything, Caden had pushed open the door to their grandfather’s hospital room.

* * *

Richard Granger’s body was racked with pain, and it hurt him to breathe. The doctor had given it to him straight. Surgery wasn’t an option. In other words, he had a lot to say to his grandsons but a short time to say it, so every second counted. Whether they wanted it or not, the legacy was now theirs. He had tried to do right by them and raised them as Sheppard would have.

Sheppard.

He drew in another painful breath. And that was another thing. He would have to make sure they succeeded where he had failed, in making sure their father was a free man. Fifteen years had been wasted already. It had pained his heart to know that his son, innocent of any crime, had been found guilty of murder. He had hired some of the best investigators to clear his son of the charges, but it seemed someone was out there, making sure Shep stayed put. Richard mustn’t lose sight of the fact that the real murderer had gotten away and was walking around free. And probably intended to stay that way.

And all of this because of the woman he hadn’t wanted his son to marry. It hadn’t mattered one iota that she was born a Gadling. He had known Sylvia was bad news from the first time she had been invited to his home. But Ava had wanted the union, thought Sylvia was the perfect woman to give her those grandchildren she’d wanted. So he had gone along with it. And he had regretted it every day since.

“Granddad?”

Richard heard his name and recognized the voice. Jace. His firstborn grandson. The one he had dreamed of one day taking over the family business for future generations of Grangers. He forced his eyes open and fought to keep them there as he stared up at the faces staring down at him. They were here. All three of them. Somehow, in his heart, he knew if he ever needed them, they would come. So sorry this time it was to say goodbye. But first...

“Jace. Caden. Dalton.” His voice sounded weak and slurred, even to his own ears. “I need to tell you something. I need—”

“Granddad. Don’t try to talk. You need to save your energy for—”

“No. Listen and let me talk.” He saw the defiance in Jace’s eyes and then he pleaded in a hoarse tone, “Please.”

Jace held his gaze for a second and then nodded. The three grandsons crowded closer to the bed. Richard forced his eyes from Jace to settle on Dalton. He wasn’t as close as the other two. The youngest even now wanted to be detached from the others. But no more.

“Dalton?”

He saw the surprised look on his youngest grandson’s face when he called Dalton’s name. It was only then that Dalton moved closer. “Yes, Granddad?”

Richard swallowed back both pain and regret. “I only wanted to make you a better man. You were Sylvia’s baby. She spoiled you rotten. Things came too easily for you, and you were beginning to act entitled. But I’ve kept up with you over the years.”

He saw the surprise that lit Dalton’s eyes. “Yes,” Richard said unashamedly. “I kept tabs on you even when you didn’t know I was doing so. You made your own way to success, and I can look you in the eye and say that I am proud of the man you’ve become...without my help or that of the Granger name.”

Richard paused a moment when he felt a sharp pain slice across his chest, and for a few moments he felt dizzy as the faces of his grandsons swirled around him.

“Granddad, you okay? Get the doctor, Caden.”

“No,” Richard said in as firm a voice as he could manage. “I need the three of you to listen carefully. First, the company. I know you all have your own lives, but Granger Aeronautics is your legacy, and I need you to claim it. Something is going on. I don’t know what. Promise me that the three of you will work together to bring the company back. I delegated responsibilities to the wrong people, and only the three of you can turn the company around.”

Richard coughed a few times, which caused Jace, Caden and Dalton to move closer to the bed and lean down to listen when Richard said, “I need your promise that you won’t let the company fall. Promise me.”

“We’ll take care of the company, Granddad,” Jace said. He glanced around at his brothers before adding, “We’ll do it together.”

“I need your individual promises,” Richard implored. “Caden?”

“I promise to do what I can, Granddad.”

Richard nodded. “Dalton?”

“Same here. I promise,” Dalton said.

Richard nodded. “And another promise I need is for you to try to free your father. Prove he’s innocent. Promise me you’ll try.”

Again, his three grandsons made promises.

A satisfied smile touched Richard’s lips. Now he could go. “Thank you. And remember everything I taught you. Always watch each other’s backs.”

And then Richard closed his eyes, never to open them again.

Chapter Six

Sutton Hills.

Jace stepped out on the porch in the early morning with a cup of coffee in his hand and glanced around. Although he wished he could deny it, it felt good to be back at Sutton Hills. However, he would be the first to admit it felt strange without the presence of his grandfather. The adjustment would be hard, just as it had been when he had to make peace with the loss of his parents. One through death and the other through incarceration. It hadn’t been easy during his teen years without them, and it wouldn’t be easy without the old man.

Sutton Hills encompassed over two hundred acres near the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. A thirty-minute ride from Charlottesville, the area consisted of the most beautiful land anywhere. The sunrises and sunsets were spectacular and could honestly take your breath away.

Located at the main entrance to Sutton Hills was the equestrian center where the horses were kept. His father’s and grandfather’s pride and joy. Even now, Sutton Hills was considered a horse ranch because of the beautiful Thoroughbreds here.

The acreage was divided into four major plots. First, there was the main house where his grandparents had lived, a mile down from the equestrian center and sitting on fifty acres of land. The two-story structure was an architectural masterpiece and backed up against Mammoth Lake.

To the east of that was what had been his parents’ homestead and where he had lived for the first sixteen years of his life. His grandfather had closed up the house after his father had been convicted. After the trial had ended, they had gone back just long enough to pack up their things to move to the main house with their grandfather.

Jace looked to the west to where the boathouse was located along with the entertainment center where his parents had hosted most of their parties. But his gaze stayed fixed on the boathouse because it was there, one noonday in late October, that his mother had been found dead. Shot to death. And according to the authorities, their father’s fingerprints had been on the murder weapon.

“Hannah still makes the best coffee,” Dalton said, opening the door to join Jace on the porch.

Jace turned, grateful for the interruption. He was about to travel too far down memory lane to suit him. “See what you were missing all those years you refused to come back here?”

“Yeah, I see.” Dalton got quiet, and Jace figured he was thinking, about the past, about the present and now the future. Jace pondered the future. They had made promises, but none of them had talked about those promises since making them at their grandfather’s deathbed.

Their grandfather had flatlined immediately after his last words to them, and they’d finally had to accept that Richard Granger was now gone from their lives. It had been hard going to Sutton Hills to deliver the news to Hannah and even harder to notify his father and make funeral arrangements without him.

Yesterday’s memorial services had brought out people Jace hadn’t seen in years, trickling in to pay their last respects to a man a few might have feared, others respected and some would have envied. What others thought of him didn’t matter to Jace. To him, Richard Granger was a man to be admired. A man who didn’t take crap from anyone, and he had raised his son the same way. Except that Sheppard had a softer side that he’d inherited from his mother.

One or two mourners who’d attended had asked about Jace’s father, but most made solicitous statements about the old man and avoided the topic of Sheppard Granger altogether. The services were short. That’s the way Richard would have wanted it. It was over, but the grief was still there for Jace. Every room in the house held memories.

“I wondered where you two had gone off to,” Caden said, stepping out on the porch, as well.

“Where were you?” Dalton asked, deciding to ease down to sit on a nearby step.

“Talking to my manager. I’m supposed to be in New York for two concerts in a couple of weeks.”

When his brothers just stared at him without saying anything, Caden said, “And no, I didn’t forget the promise. However, I made a commitment that the band and I need to keep. I do have a life.”

“You’re not the only one,” Dalton mumbled. “I can’t believe we made that promise. Shit, I haven’t done this kind of work in years.”

“You mean prostituting yourself to the oldest bidder wasn’t real work?” Caden sneered. “Being a boy toy has it benefits, evidently.” He had met Dalton’s lovers on two occasions, and both had been old enough to be his mother. Caden really shouldn’t be surprised. Dalton was thought of as the extremely handsome Granger with looks that could turn heads no matter the age. And because of those looks, women had always been his baby brother’s weakness.

“Hey, don’t hate me. And didn’t you hear what Granddad said before he died? He was proud of me because I had made something of myself.”

“Evidently, he knew something that we don’t,” Jace said, rubbing his chin as he gazed at Dalton. He had wondered about the old man’s words, but he’d been too occupied to dwell on them until now.

Dalton met his brothers’ gazes, smiled and then bragged, “I’m a billionaire.”

It seemed the air vibrated under Dalton’s words. Jace heard Caden’s chuckle of disbelief. But for some reason, Jace believed Dalton. “And how did you manage that?” he asked. “Did your duchess die and leave you a few castles, a number of pubs and a boatload of expensive jewelry?”

What Jace thought of as a devilish grin tugged at Dalton’s lips before he said, “Victoria’s not a duchess, she’s a lady—of English nobility—and she’s very much alive.” He took a sip of his coffee and then asked, “Have you ever heard of Stuart Hunter, Earl of Falmouth?”

Jace raised a brow at the name and before he could respond, Caden piped in and said, “If Jace hasn’t, I have. He’s a well-known English investor. Filthy rich. Invests in a lot of Hollywood movies as well as space travel.” Caden stared at his brother. “Why?”

“I met him while in England at a party. We hit it off. He became my mentor. He’s also Victoria’s father.”

When neither Jace nor Caden said anything, Dalton added, “So with Stuart’s help, I made a lot of nice financial moves that paid off. And for the record, Victoria and I are nothing more than friends with benefits.”

“How did Granddad know? About you being successful—not about Victoria and you being friends with benefits,” Caden clarified.

“Wouldn’t surprise me if the old man didn’t know that, as well. And I don’t know how he knew. He must have kept up with what I was doing,” Dalton said, staring down into his coffee as if analyzing the dark liquid. Had he been spied on when he hadn’t known it? And the sad thing was that he couldn’t be mad at his grandfather because that meant he cared. He then glanced up at his brothers. “How do the two of you feel about making those promises?”

Jace shrugged. “We made them, so there’s nothing we can do about it. We gave him our word on his deathbed.”

Dalton took another sip of coffee. “That might be true, but I don’t know a damn thing about running Granger Aeronautics.”

Caden rolled his eyes, knowing Dalton was about to start whining. “You worked there during the summers like the rest of us. Your mind should have been focused on the job instead of on every woman with big boobs who passed you in the hallway.”

Dalton smiled. “Okay, I admit I wasn’t focused.”

“At least not on work,” Jace said, brushing a fallen leaf off his shirt.

Dalton smiled and glanced over at Caden. “I saw Shiloh yesterday at the services. I checked her out for a good five minutes before figuring out who she was. Boy, she looked good. Who would have thought she would have filled out like that?”

Caden frowned over at his brother. “If you got something to say, then say it.”

Dalton chuckled. “I just did. And since I got a rise out of your ass, I guess that means you liked what you saw, as well. She was always your—”

“Best friend and nothing more,” Caden cut in, glaring at Dalton. “And that was ages ago.”

“And she defected like everybody else when the going got rough,” Dalton said, his voice tinged with anger and bitterness. “I want to know why half the people who came to the services yesterday were there. They acted as if the Grangers had HIV when Dad was sent to prison. You don’t know how close I came to telling a few of them yesterday to kiss my ass with their condolences. And it really pissed me off when a few approached me with that lie about how good it was to see me again.”