Tame Me
Caroline Cross

www.millsandboon.co.uk

MILLS & BOON

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This book is dedicated with love to four terrific women I’m lucky to call my friends—

To Susan Andersen, who makes me a better writer in every way and who—thankfully—always knows what my characters think even when I don’t have a clue.

To Barbara McCauley, whose optimism and generous spirit are a constant inspiration.

To Melinda McRae, who not only listens, but knows all sorts of unexpected things.

And to Kris Nelson, my long-lost sister…finally found.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

One

Once upon a time when she’d still had a life, Mallory Morgan would’ve described Gabriel Steele as tall, dark and delicious.

That was before he’d cost her everything. Now, as she opened her flimsy apartment door and found him parked in the dingy hallway outside, the words that came to mind were hard, heartless and not-to-be-trusted.

“Mallory.” As always his voice was quiet but commanding, the perfect match to his lean, powerful body and reserved green eyes.

“What do you want, Gabriel?”

“We need to talk.”

“Do we?” To her relief she sounded calm and in control, something that had eluded her earlier that day when a chance meeting between them at Annabelle’s, one of Denver’s trendier restaurants, had resulted in her behaving badly—and paying a price she could ill afford. “Gosh, let me think.” Tipping her head to one side, she pretended to consider for all of two seconds, then straightened. “No.”

With a flick of her wrist, she sent the door swinging shut. It would just be too bad if it smacked him in his autocratic chin.

He didn’t so much as blink. Probably because the cheap panel moved barely an inch before bumping against his big booted foot. “Look, I get that you’re angry—”

Her free hand tightened on the scarlet satin of the robe that she’d thrown on over her bra and jeans at his unexpected knock, bunching the thin, slippery fabric at her throat. “What was your first clue? When I crossed out your reservation and refused to seat you even though the dining room was half-empty? Or when I quit my job rather than apologize?”

“Don’t be insulting. I caught on with your pig at the trough comment.”

“Then I believe we’re done. Because I’ve certainly got nothing more to say.”

A grim smile touched his lips. “You don’t want to talk? Fine. You can listen then.” Like the poster boy for overbearing men, he slapped his palm against the wood and pushed.

Instinctively she started to push back, only to check herself as she realized he was already widening the gap between jamb and door as if she didn’t exist. Deciding she’d be a fool to engage in another battle she was sure to lose, she abruptly changed tactics.

“Well, since you insist…” Letting go of the doorknob, she gave a nonchalant shrug and took a giant step back. “By all means, come in.”

To his credit, he didn’t gloat. But it wasn’t much consolation when the instant he crossed the threshold and the door shut behind him, she realized she’d miscalculated once again. No matter how big a hit her dignity had taken, she should have kicked, cried, screamed—done whatever she could to keep him out.

Because with Gabriel in it, her already minuscule studio apartment seemed to shrink. He not only took up all the available space, but also all of the air, making her feel small, breathless and far too…aware. Of his height, his power, his body heat. Of the jolt she felt when he looked at her.

It was hard to believe she’d once thought nothing of flirting shamelessly with this man. Not that it had meant anything—and not just because she’d had a carefully crafted reputation as a frivolous party girl to maintain. But because, her own shortcomings aside, she’d known early on that he was far too formidable for any involvement beyond a little lighthearted fun.

Still, whenever they’d bumped into each other at one or another of the Denver A-list’s glittering soirees, she’d delighted in the subtle sizzle of mutual awareness that would envelop them, the way the air seemed to heat just a little with their proximity.

Inevitably, they’d wind up dancing, and she’d delight in leaning in close, in whispering outrageous suggestions in his ear, in watching the dangerous smile that would tug at his mouth when she trailed a fingertip along his jaw. The only thing better had been the proprietary way his hand would tighten on her waist when she rubbed her thigh against his as they circled the floor. That, and the amused glint of warning that would spark in his eyes, igniting a sharp little thrill she’d feel down to her toes.

All part of that other life, she reminded herself sharply. The one before Gabriel and his bedamned Steele Security had gone after her father and she’d lost her home, her friends, the last of her illusions and most of her self-respect.

Not to mention a fortune so large that up until it disappeared, her most pressing concerns had been along the lines of whether she should spend the weekend shopping in Paris or skiing in Gstaad.

It already seemed like a hundred years ago. And a distinct contrast to now, when she was already sick with worry about whether she’d be able to find another job that would allow her to both eat and keep a roof over her head.

That, however, was nobody’s business but her own. Sure, Gabriel could barge in here, looking like a fallen Armani angel with his inky, razor-cut hair, beautifully tailored clothes and calf-length black leather coat, displaying the style she’d once jokingly dubbed “elegant badass.” He could disturb her peace and stir up memories of a life she’d spent the past months trying to put behind her.

But he couldn’t touch the core of her. She’d had years to perfect her defenses, to learn how to keep people in general at arm’s length—and males in particular off balance.

The realization calmed her, allowed her to steady her bottom lip, which, infuriatingly, was threatening to quiver. Quietly blowing out a breath, she released her grip on her robe, knowing full well the effectiveness of a little insouciant sexuality as she reached up with both hands, gathered the long, unruly mass of her hair and tossed it behind her back.

“So?” She crossed her arms beneath her breasts, doing her best to look bored. “Are you just going to stand there? I thought there was something you simply had to say to me.”

“Yeah. So did I.” His expression gave nothing away as his gaze flicked from her eyes to her throat to the creamy V of her exposed cleavage before settling squarely back on her face. “I was wrong.”

“You? Wrong?” She waited a beat, then smiled insincerely. “Surely not.”

He didn’t smile back. “I’d rather hear you talk. Why don’t you tell me what the hell you’re playing at, Mallory?”

“Excuse me?”

“I realize the past months must’ve been tough, but—”

“Tough?” Her voice started to climb; she wrestled it back down. “Please.” She flicked her fingers dismissively. “I was a debutante, and everyone knows that once you’ve learned how to waltz in high heels and make a perfect curtsy, you can handle anything. Having my home foreclosed on, my belongings auctioned off, my car repossessed, the family name dragged through the dirt by the press? No sweat. Learning the city bus routes, now, that’s been a real challenge—”

“Don’t,” he said flatly. “I’m not trying to downplay the seriousness of the situation, and you know it. There’s no excuse for what Cal did, ripping off the Morgan Creek investors, then bolting the way he did. But that doesn’t explain what you’re doing working at Annabelle’s—”

“Formerly working at Annabelle’s, thanks to you,” she murmured, ignoring his reference to her father.

“—or living here, like this.” He made a dismissive gesture that encompassed the kitchen with its single scarred counter and old hot plate as well as her living room-bedroom, where the nicest thing in the space was the pair of mismatched TV trays she’d lugged home from the Goodwill nine blocks away.

“I know, isn’t it ridiculous? Just because I have limited funds, no job experience and a woeful lack of references, employers and landlords seem reluctant to take me on. Who would’ve figured?”

This time the jab hit home and that sensual mouth tightened, if only for an instant. “The last time I checked,” he said evenly, “you had a trust fund that the courts and the banks couldn’t touch.”

“Ah, yes, my trust fund.” Knowing she was on dangerous ground, she made a moue of regret—and shrugged, making no effort to stop the robe as it slid dangerously low on her shoulders. “The sad truth is, between travel and partying and my inordinate fondness for Jimmy Choos, Dom Pérignon and silk lingerie…it’s gone.”

“Are you serious?” He stared hard at her, clearly not certain whether to believe her or not.

She looked steadily back. “As a heart attack.”

“And…this?” With a twirl of one long forefinger he indicated the shabby little room with its Texas-shaped water stain on the wall between the two narrow windows.

Before she could stop herself, she raised her chin a notch. “The best I can do.”

He went utterly still, his impossibly green eyes seeming to spear right through her as he appeared to weigh her words. Then he uttered a single searing expletive and turned away, his coat billowing out as he paced three strides into her living room before running out of space.

“Get your things together,” he commanded, his back still to her. “Whatever you’ll need for tonight. I’ll send someone for the rest tomorrow.”

He couldn’t have surprised her more if he’d fallen to the floor and declared he couldn’t live without her. “What?”

He pivoted. “I said, pack a bag. You’re not spending another night here.”

Okay. This had to be a dream. She might feel wide-awake, but the truth was she’d fallen asleep on the lumpy little pullout sofa and everything that seemed so real—the chill of the worn linoleum against her bare feet, the faint, heady scent of Gabriel’s aftershave, the jump of nerves in her stomach that his presence always provoked—was just a product of her imagination.

She cocked her head, wondering what would happen next. “And where, exactly, am I supposed to go?”

“My place.”

Wrong again—definitely not a dream. Because no matter how wild and crazy her subconscious got, no matter how alone or desperate or frightened she felt, she would never consider moving in with him a solution to her problems.

It would be like agreeing to share a cage with a tiger.

Fascinating for maybe half a second. Totally terrifying after that.

So why, just for a moment, did she want more than anything in the world to take him up on his offer? Why did she want to close her eyes and step into the hard circle of his arms and say, yes, Gabriel, please take care of me?

Habit, she told herself angrily. Twenty-eight years of careless living, of always taking the easy path, of giving away her power and allowing others to dictate her fate.

Something she’d sworn on the day she’d been evicted from the estate that had been in her family for ninety years she’d never let happen again. A vow she refused to forsake, no matter how many jobs she lost or how many meals she had to skip to make ends meet or how long she had to live in a place like this.

If that meant thwarting Gabriel, who was, after all, responsible for lighting the fuse that had resulted in her life being blown up, it was simply an added bonus.

“Thanks so much,” she said with patent insincerity, “but I’ll pass.”

She’d always considered him astute—on several occasions more than she might’ve wished—and he didn’t disappoint her now. “You don’t want to come home with me? Fine. Pick a hotel. You can stay there until I arrange something else.”

She thought about her last experience at a hotel and shuddered. Still, she couldn’t deny she was curious. “You’d do that? Put me up somewhere at your expense? Even if I tell you I’m not about to forget your part in everything that’s happened?”

“Yes.”

“Even though no matter how nice you pretend to be, I’m not going to sleep with you?”

“Yes, again—and I don’t recall asking you to.”

“Then why? What’s in it for you?”

He shrugged, broad shoulders moving easily beneath the supple leather of his coat. “Peace of mind. It doesn’t take an expert to know this place isn’t safe. The building entrances aren’t secure, there’s no dead bolt on your door and I’d bet a year’s profit an anemic five-year-old with a toothpick could jimmy your windows. Factor in that this is one tough neighborhood, which you’re about as equipped to handle as a kitten dropped into a kennel of pit bulls, and there’s no way I’m letting you stay here.”

If it had been anybody else, she’d have considered that last statement the height of bravado. But not Gabriel. In her experience, he said what he meant, then followed through.

Too bad that nobody—not even him—always got their way. “That’s not up to you,” she said flatly. “It’s up to me. And I’m not going anywhere.”

“Mallory.” He spoke in the ultrapatient way adults reserve for recalcitrant children. “Be reasonable.”

“No.” One little word. So much power. “I don’t want your help, Gabriel. I don’t need it. I can take care of myself.”

“You actually believe that?”

Of course she didn’t. Not yet. Not entirely. But she’d beg for change on the street before she’d admit it to him. “Yes. Absolutely.”

He stared at her, his expression once again guarded, displaying not a trace of surprise that she’d say something so outrageous. Trapped in the tractor beam of his gaze, with no clue what he was thinking and no words as a distraction, she found herself waiting.

For what, she wasn’t sure.

Yet as the silence dragged on, her mind began spinning scenarios. If he wanted to, she mused, he could toss her over his shoulder and simply carry her out of here. Or—the old familiar thrill of awareness slow-danced down her spine—he could walk over, tug her close to that hard, elegant body, tumble her onto the couch and—

“All right, then. I guess we’re done.”

His flat, uninflected voice startled her out of her reverie. Yet it still took a good long moment for his actual words to sink in.

That was it? They were done? Really?

For one appalling moment, she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Then her common sense, which she’d done her best to shun most of her life, kicked in.

Are you crazy? He’s throwing in the towel. For heaven’s sake, hurry up and hustle him out the door before he changes his mind.

“Well, fancy that,” she said with a calculated touch of mockery. “Finally. Something we can agree on.”

A nerve jumped in his jaw. “Watch yourself, sweetheart,” he advised, even as he took that first wonderful step toward the door. “You know what they say about little girls who poke at predators.”

“No. I can’t say that I do.” She forced herself to stand her ground as he approached, telling herself she was glad this was almost over. He’d go his way, she’d go hers, and in a day, a week, a month, he’d be nothing more than a hazy memory of another life. “Nor, for that matter, do I care—”

With no warning, he crowded close. Startled, she sucked in a breath and tried to scoot out of his way, but it was too late.

He caught her chin in one big hand, tipping her face up to his. “You should,” he murmured. “Because the adage goes that eventually the predator strikes back. And eats sweet little things like you—” her stomach flip-flopped at the silky note of warning in his voice “—for lunch.”

She swallowed. Hard. Yet somehow her voice sounded almost steady as she fluttered her eyelashes at him and said, “How entertaining. Now let go of me.”

“Not yet. There’s one other thing we need to get straight.”

“Oh? And what is that?”

“When we do have sex—” his gaze flicked to her mouth, lingering before he slowly raised his eyes to hers once again “—it won’t have a damn thing to do with payback. Trust me, Mal. You’ll be every bit as hot for me as I am for you.” And with that he released her as abruptly as he’d caught her and stepped away.

By the time she recovered her breath, he was gone.

Two

Impertinent. Infuriating. Impossible.

And damn near irresistible.

That pretty much summed up Mallory Morgan, Gabe thought blackly, as he stepped out onto the cracked sidewalk fronting her run-down apartment building. Flipping his coat collar up against the chill March breeze, he checked for traffic on the litter-strewn street, then strode across to his SUV parked on the opposite curb.

He gave the vehicle a cursory look and handed a twenty to the sturdy little Latino kid who’d offered to keep an eye on it for him. “Thanks, mi’ijo.”

Since their deal had been for ten upfront and ten if the boy stuck, the youngster’s delight was understandable. “Muchas gracias, mister!”

Gabe inclined his head. “You earned it.”

“Sí. So if you come back to Lattimer Street and you need anything, you ask around for Tonio, okay? I take very good care of you.”

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

“Bueno!” The kid flashed him a quick grin, then sprinted away as a bus stopped at the far end of the block. Darting around a trio of tattooed street toughs who stood smoking before a boarded-up storefront, he waved as a tired-looking young woman trudged down the steps. “Mama, mama! Guess what?” he exclaimed as he raced toward her through the gathering twilight.

It appeared Gabe had just made somebody’s day.

Too freaking bad it was the wrong somebody.

But then, what did he expect? He, who was known for his shrewdness, his finesse, his ability to think outside the box—and yes, dammit, to always be three steps ahead of an opponent—had just behaved with all the subtlety of a Mack truck. He’d invaded Mallory’s space, demanded answers, barked orders, bullied when he should’ve cajoled.

He’d even made a more balls-than-brains promise about their sexual future, for God’s sake.

The only thing that kept the day from being a total bust was the very lucrative contract he’d inked at lunch to assess vulnerabilities and tailor protection strategies for the Lux Pacifica hotel chain’s overseas executives.

When it came to everything else, however…With an impatient shake of his head, he put the SUV in gear and set a course for the warehouse district where the Steele Security offices were located. It was slow going due to the Friday night rush hour traffic, affording him plenty of time to think.

There was no excuse for the surprise he’d gotten when he’d walked into Annabelle’s and realized the caramel-haired hostess all the men seemed to be admiring was Mallory. Just as there was no rational explanation for how strongly he’d disliked seeing her smoky gaze go from pleasant to hostile at the sight of him.

Given that in the four years he’d known her he’d never seen Mallory get worked up about anything—from being drenched with champagne by a hapless waiter at a Denver symphony opening to strolling onto a balcony at Meg Bender’s Halloween party and finding her father getting it on with one of her girlfriends—her ire had gotten his attention. So had her scathing denunciation of him.

But not, as Annabelle’s horrified manager had assumed, because he was angry or offended.

No, what had set him back on his heels, what had tested his normally abundant patience as he’d been forced to go ahead with what had seemed like an interminable business luncheon, was the desolation he thought he’d glimpsed under Mallory’s anger. That, and the suspicion that her transformation from lighthearted nymphet to go-to-hell working girl meant somewhere along the line he’d made a major miscalculation.

He didn’t make miscalculations. Major or otherwise.

That wasn’t to say he considered himself infallible. It was just that from his youngest days, after his mother had died and he’d found himself in charge of a brood of eight at the ripe old age of fourteen, mistakes had been a luxury he couldn’t afford. That hadn’t changed during his years with the military’s Special Operations Command.

As for his current circumstances, he hadn’t gone from penniless stand-in parent to powerful millionaire businessman due to faulty judgment. No. All that he had, the success, the sterling reputation, the respect of his peers, had come from shrewd vision, meticulous planning, superior instincts and razor-sharp situational awareness.

Not that you’d know by today’s performance, he conceded as he finally pulled into Steele Security’s underground parking garage.

In his world, where outcome was everything, the fact that Mallory remained ensconced in her squalid little apartment suggested that his decision to chase her down before he’d fully vetted the situation wasn’t the smartest move he’d ever made.

Still, honesty forced him to admit that things hadn’t gone irredeemably to hell until she’d actually opened her door to him.

To say he’d been caught off guard was an understatement. It had felt more like he’d taken a shot between the eyes with a sledgehammer. Because dear God, the sight of her…

Wrapped in that flimsy siren-red robe, with her feet bare, that streaky brown-and-gold hair mussed and a faint flush tinting her petal-smooth cheeks, she’d looked as if she’d just tumbled out of some lucky man’s bed.

Lust had slammed him like a punch to the gut.

By itself, that shouldn’t have been a factor since he never allowed his libido to rule his head. But when moments later she’d made a valiant effort to control her trembling lower lip, something inside him had shifted.

What, he couldn’t say. But whatever it was, the combination of it and that blast of desire had taken him completely out of his game.

His jaw bunched at the reminder. Climbing out of his vehicle, he punched in the code for the security door and let himself in to the building core, choosing the stairs over the elevator. Once on the main level, he bore left, his long legs eating up the distance as he strode down the wide, airy corridor. He passed by his own spacious office in favor of his brother Cooper’s, glad to see the lights were still on.

He ducked his head in the open doorway. “Did you get that information I asked for?”

The younger Steele—number four in the nine-man birth order—glanced over from where he sat slouched in his tilted-back office chair. He was the picture of relaxation with his sneaker-clad feet propped on his desk, an illusion contradicted only by the rapid movement of his fingers over the computer keyboard propped on his lap.

“Do women swoon when I walk into a room?” he responded serenely. “The answer to both questions, big brother, is yes. Of course.”

“And?”

“And you’re giving me a crick in the neck standing over there. Why don’t you come in, take a load off, tell Uncle Cooper what’s put the stick up your ass.”

Gabe snorted inelegantly. “That’ll be the day.” Despite his words, he did walk farther into the room, although not to take Cooper up on his invitation. He was here to collect intel, not dispense it. “Well? You going to tell me what you found out or not?”

The younger man shrugged. “Nothing much has changed. The warrant for Cal Morgan’s arrest remains active, although my contact at the Feds says it’s currently not worth the paper it’s printed on. As long as Morgan stays in San Timoteo, they can’t touch him, much less a dime of all that stolen money. Which, FYI, my friend now puts at twenty million, meaning that you, once again, win the office pool.”

“Terrific.” He shrugged out of his coat and tossed it with more force than was necessary onto one of the navy suede chairs in front of the desk. “There’s nothing I like better than accurately predicting the extent of a disaster.”

“Not your responsibility,” Cooper said calmly. “You know damn well it would’ve been a whole lot worse if we hadn’t been brought in when we were.”

The hell of it was, Gabe did. And it wasn’t that he was the least bit sorry Steele Security had been the one to expose Caleb Morgan’s crooked dealings, he admitted, pacing restlessly toward the bank of windows at the far end of the room.

They’d done what they’d been hired to—check out Morgan Creek Investment. And they’d done it the way they did everything, thoroughly and completely.

It hadn’t mattered that it wasn’t their usual sort of job. Or that their client, a prospective Morgan Creek investor, had only expected them to give the company a quick once-over to placate his elderly mother, who swore that while on a recent trip overseas she’d been unable to locate the Taiwanese shopping mall featured in the company’s literature.

The son was now sending his mother flowers weekly, since she’d saved him a bundle when it turned out the mall really didn’t exist.

While Morgan, who’d fled the country the day after Steele had clued in the authorities, was most likely sipping mai tais on the veranda of his newly acquired tropical estate, living a life of luxury made possible by the pirated millions he’d socked away in untouchable offshore accounts.

No, if Gabe did have a regret, it was that they hadn’t brought the bastard down sooner. While it wouldn’t have changed what Morgan had done, it no doubt would have limited the extent of the ensuing damage. As it was, between unpaid taxes and first-position creditors, there hadn’t been much left but crumbs for his bilked clients to recover.

And then there was Mallory. Who, until five hours ago, Gabe had assumed was off in St. Croix or Monte Carlo or some other exotic locale, licking her wounds in luxurious seclusion. Not living all on her own in one of Denver’s worst neighborhoods, trying to scrape by on some minimum wage job.

And there it was, that unexpected, unacceptable miscalculation.

“What about Morgan’s daughter?” he asked abruptly, swiveling around to stare expectantly at his brother. “What did you find out about her?”

Cooper’s busy fingers stilled. “You mean, in addition to the fact that she gave you a shellacking at lunch today?”

“How the hell did you hear about that?”

Cooper rolled his eyes. “How do you think? Family grapevine, bro. Some woman Lilah went to school with saw what happened at Annabelle’s and couldn’t wait to call Lilah and tell her all about it. Lilah told Dom when he took her to her doctor’s appointment, and he told me when he stopped by to pick up the Lederer file on their way home.”

“Geezus.” The intrabrother communication network had always been good, but the addition in the past year of Gen and Lilah, his sisters-in-law, had definitely kicked it up a notch.

“Yeah. Pretty scary, huh?”

“You could say that. Is Lilah all right? No surprises at the doctor’s?” Leaving the windows, he walked back toward Coop’s desk.

“As far as I know, she’s as good as a woman six months gone can be. Dom, on the other hand, may not make it.”

“No news there.” Their brother, Dominic, a former Navy SEAL, had been the embodiment of the brash, tough, never-let-’em-see-you-sweat warrior until he’d signed on to rescue a pretty blond socialite from the banana republic where she was being held prisoner. Now he and Lilah were married and expecting their first child, and he was as overprotective as a five-star general with a troop of one.

“I guess that’s true,” Cooper conceded. “But still…Lilah mentioned today how much she’s enjoying working on some big charity ball, and you could practically see Dom’s teeth start to gnash. It seems like the closer she gets to her due date, the harder it is for him to pretend he doesn’t want to haul her off somewhere and wrap her in a nice safe protective bubble.” He sighed. “If it wasn’t so funny, it’d be pathetic. He used to be such a player.”

Gabe’s dark mood lightened fractionally at his brother’s mournful expression. He shrugged. “Love makes people crazy.” One of the excellent reasons why it wasn’t for him.

“I’ll say.” Sliding the keyboard onto the desk, he turned his attention back to Gabe, his melancholy vanishing as quickly as it had come. “While we’re on the subject of crazy, was the divine Ms. Morgan really working as a waitress?”

“Hostess,” Gabe corrected.

“And she actually called you an egotistical, scum-sucking sonofabitch?”

“She may have. I wasn’t exactly taking notes.”

“And?”

“That about covers it. As noted, she called me a few choice names, refused to seat me, then left when her boss tried to smooth over the situation.”

“Huh.” Cooper eyed him consideringly. “So what did she say when you went after her later? Was she still pissed?”

“Who said I went after her?”

“Please.” Cooper sniffed. “You canceled your afternoon appointments, you asked for a Morgan family update, and it’s been obvious ever since you walked in here you’re tweaked about something. Plus Dom says you two have always had a thing for each other…”

A vision of Mallory’s robe drifting south and exposing her smooth, velvet-skinned shoulders flashed through Gabe’s mind.

“So yeah,” Cooper concluded. “You went after her.”

He thrust the vision away. “You’re right. I did. And yes, she wasn’t exactly thrilled to see me, which given the circumstances is no great surprise. As for the rest of what we discussed…”

He thought about Mallory’s attempt to act indifferent about her situation while foolishly insisting she was doing just fine, and once more felt frustrated, impatient, annoyed—and yes, although he couldn’t quite figure out why—touched.

“It’s none of your business.”

“Aw, come on. Don’t tell me you’re going to stone-wall your favorite sibling.”

“Hell, no. But then, last I checked, Deke’s still in Borneo.”

“Ouch.” Cooper gave him a faux-wounded look. “You could’ve just said no.”

“Like you’ve ever let that word stop you? Give me a break.” Leaning over, he planted his hands on his brother’s desk. “And as much as I’d love to share my innermost feelings, hear all about your and Dom’s riveting take on my love life—” with each word his voice acquired a little more bite “—it’s after six and I have plans for tonight. So what do you say you just tell me what I want to know, and we leave the rest for another time? Say, the next time you girls have a slumber party?”

Cooper made a reproachful face. “No need to get surly.”

Silent, Gabe continued to stare down at him.

“Okay, okay,” he said hastily, raising his hands in mock surrender. “Here goes. Up until six months ago, our subject was holed up at the family estate, even though the staff had been let go months before that. Then, when the Feds finally came in, seized everything and locked the place down, she checked into the Markham Plaza. She was there for several weeks, until her credit card was declined and they found out it was no mistake. Word is she tried to make good with a check, but it bounced, too, and the management not so kindly asked her to leave.”

Straightening, he consulted his computer monitor. “Her credit report shows two different apartment management firms checked her history the following week. Considering that she had an extensive collection of plastic, but that every single card was closed due to late or no payments, several with substantial balances, I’m guessing they passed on renting to her.”

Considering where she’d wound up living, Gabe imagined he was right.

“The interesting thing is, except for a small portion of one account, everything else was paid off a few weeks later. And she was making the bare-bones payment on that last outstanding debt until roughly sixty days ago, when she also started to fall behind on her rent.”

Gabe frowned, trying to make sense of it. “What about bank accounts?” he asked, pushing upright and starting to pace.

“Checking account was closed due to overdrafts. Nothing else popped, but then I didn’t have enough time to do much more than skim the surface. Does it matter?”

“Probably not. It’s just that I thought—” incorrectly, it appeared, although it was still the main reason he hadn’t seen fit to check up on her before “—she had a trust fund, a substantial one. She says it’s long gone.”

Cooper frowned. “You don’t believe her?”

“I didn’t say that. But I want to be sure.” Despite the overwhelming evidence that Mallory was operating without a safety net, this time around he wasn’t assuming anything.

“I’ll have another look.”

“Thanks.”

“Anything else?”

“No. I’d say that does it for now.”

Cooper drummed his fingers on the desk. “I take it that means you’re not done with Mallory? Even though, from the sound of things, she ranks you somewhere below foot fungus on the list of things she could live without?”

“What’s your point, Coop? Assuming you have one?”

“I do.” Never shy about stating his opinion, he met Gabe’s narrow stare straight on. “Look, I know how committed you are, not just to making this business a success, but to doing your best to ensure that the work we all do matters. That whenever possible, we do what we can to make peoples’ lives safer and better.

“Because of that, I think you need a reminder that no matter what this woman said to you, no matter how hard she may have tried to guilt trip you, she’s not your responsibility—and you definitely don’t owe her anything.”

“Believe me.” Gabe smiled sardonically. “That’s not the problem here.”

Cooper looked surprised. “No? Then what—”

“Leave it alone, little brother. I appreciate your concern, but I’ve been successfully conducting my own affairs for a whole lot of years now. If I decide I need help, from you or the rest of the family, I’ll be sure to let you know. In the meantime—” shooting his cuff, he glanced at his wristwatch “—the clock is ticking and I’m sure I’ve got a stack of things to take care of before I can get out of here.”

“That’s it? You’re just going to walk?”

“Pretty much.” Reaching down, he snagged his coat off the chair and deliberately steered the conversation in a different direction. “You going out to Taggart and Gen’s for dinner tomorrow?”

To his credit, Cooper knew when to throw in the towel. “Are you kidding? Free, home-cooked meal along with Rockies Cactus League ball on the tube?” He sat back and again propped his feet up. “I’m there. What about you?”

“Yeah, I’m in, too.” He headed toward the door. “You want to share a ride?”

“Sure.”

“I’ll call you tomorrow, we can hash out the details.” Reaching the doorway, he paused. “Hey, Coop?”

“What?”

“Thanks for the information. I appreciate it.”

“Easy for you to say,” the younger man groused, but without any heat. “You’re not the one left hanging.”

“I think you’ll survive,” he said drily. And with that, he headed down the hall toward his own office and what was sure to be a fat folder of items needing his attention, reassured by the knowledge that Cooper’s bad temper wouldn’t last past the next five minutes.

Knowing as well that while his brother’s concern for him had been misplaced, the younger Steele had been right about one thing.

Gabe wasn’t done with Mallory. Not by a long shot.

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