Gift-Wrapped Family

“Okay.” Mia remained silent when he beckoned the paramedics forward. They took several vials of blood, which were then handed to an officer, who sealed them in an evidence bag and left with another officer.

“They’ll have our lab run tests on your blood,” the detective explained. “As a precaution, I’d like the paramedics to check you over now.”

Mia nodded and the two medical people got to work.

“Your vitals seem to be getting stronger,” they told her sometime later. “You’ll be okay.” The detective thanked and dismissed them.

Mia was rolling down her sleeve when two men came out of her kitchen carrying evidence bags that contained her teas. Her heart sank a little further. Could it be true—had Trent been trying to poison her?

“Now for the questions.” Detective Ed Gray’s face tightened.

Mia did her best to answer everything he asked, even though some of his questions puzzled her. From time to time she glanced at Caleb. His gaze never wavered from her. But it was not a flattering look. It was a suspicious look that asked how she could have been so naive.

In retrospect Mia asked herself the same thing as she finally accepted that she’d been incredibly stupid to have trusted her husband. But it had never occurred to her to not trust him because her mother had. In fact, she’d placed Mia’s life in his hands. And Trent was Harlan’s trusted partner. So why— She silently groaned, tired of trying to make sense of it.

As the weight of her situation settled on her shoulders, Mia wanted to be left alone. And yet she didn’t want to be alone to think about Harlan’s betrayal. They hadn’t had a normal marriage, but to imagine that he’d betray her with Reba—

One word played over and over in her mind. Betrayed. And following it—you can’t trust anyone.

“Mrs. Granger?” The detective touched her shoulder.

“Sorry. What did you say?” She forced herself to concentrate.

“I know all of this must come as a shock, especially right after your husband’s death, but one of my officers has phoned to say Trent just admitted to lacing your teas with a substance to make you sick.” He gave her a sympathetic smile. “Our medical people advise drinking plenty of fluids to flush it out of your system. You can thank Caleb for acting on his instincts. There should be no long-lasting effects.”

“Thank you.” Mia looked at the lawyer and the detective, not knowing what else to say. Everything seemed surreal, like being an actor in some horrible play she couldn’t escape.

“The total of what Trent and your husband perpetrated isn’t yet clear, but we’ve launched a full investigation,” the detective explained.

“Oh.” If possible, Mia now felt worse. The rest? There was more betrayal in store for her?

“I suggest you retain new legal counsel who can begin sorting through your husband’s affairs.” The detective inclined his head toward Caleb. “I can vouch for Caleb. He’ll be straightforward with you. And to be frank, I think you’re going to need his help.”

Relief swamped her. Surely if the detective trusted Caleb, she could, too, if only for a little while, just until things were straightened out. A niggle of hope flickered to life. Maybe with Caleb’s help she could finally dare to imagine a future with hope. Please, Lord?

“Any questions?” the detective asked.

“Why did Trent want to hurt me?” Mia asked.

“I can’t answer that yet.” He gave Caleb a sideways glance. “But I will find out, I promise you.”

“Thank you,” she said again. A thought pricked her brain. “I don’t know if it’s important, but Trent didn’t buy all of those teas. Harlan brought some home from several of his trips. So if Trent did try to hurt me, and I’m still struggling with that, only some of the tea would be affected.”

The two men shared a look before the detective nodded, then said goodbye.

“What do I do now?” she asked Caleb, feeling lost, when the detective was gone.

“Were all your bank accounts joint?” When she nodded he said, “Let’s go.”

“Where?” His hand on her arm urged her to move. Mia grabbed her handbag from the hall table and followed Caleb outside. She jerked her arm free of his grip to lock the door. “Where are we going?”

“To a bank so you can open an account in your own name.” He held open the door of a luxurious black car. “A bank where you haven’t dealt before. You’ll withdraw everything from your old accounts and put it in there.”

“Why?” Confused and upset with questions tumbling through her brain, not the least of which had to do with Harlan and a dark blue–eyed little girl named Lily, Mia protested, but Caleb was adamant.

“If my suspicions are right, what you signed were papers giving Trent legal custody of your affairs, which will allow him to drain every resource you have as dry as a stone.” He shook his head when she would have protested. “If he is released today, he could make the transactions immediately and you’ll be broke until everything’s sorted, which could be a very long time.”

“I’m broke now,” she whispered.

“That’s according to Trent, who isn’t the best source for the truth.” Caleb pulled to a stop in front of a small bank, turned and asked in a harsh tone, “Don’t you get it?”

“I get that you believe Trent was stealing from me,” she whispered, afraid to believe it but more afraid to disbelieve this man. “I don’t get why.”

“Greed.” Caleb Grant’s face softened as he looked at her. Transfixed by the change of his gorgeous eyes from ice to melted silver, Mia barely flinched when his hand lifted to brush the swath of curls off her face. “It was greed, Mia.”

“For money that you think Harlan had.” She sighed. “Which he didn’t. I don’t understand.”

“I have a hunch greed is something a woman like you could never understand.” For a moment Caleb’s compassion almost undid Mia. Until his mouth firmed and the frost returned to his eyes. “Here’s the bank. Better get the transfer started.”

Despite her reservations, Mia had to depend on him; she had no one else. But she had to be careful. Though she knew little about men, she knew that despite the help he’d given her, Caleb Grant didn’t suffer naive women like her easily.

It would take a lot for Mia to trust again.

Chapter Two (#ulink_7fbd37aa-d097-531b-ad76-7781d8e10002)

“I can’t be your legal adviser, Mia. I represent Family Ties. Our intent is to seek reparation from your husband’s estate for his daughter, Lily Jones.” Caleb swallowed. “I have a conflict of interest.”

Wasn’t that the truth? Caleb had been all gung ho to oppose Mia when he left his office this morning. Somehow in meeting her, hearing her side of the story and seeing how ill Trent had made her, he’d done an about-face. He now wanted to help Mia, but his own legal position combined with the loss and confusion filling her lovely face during their elevator ride to the twelfth floor made him feel utterly powerless.

“What are we doing here?” Mia asked.

“I have a very good friend, a lawyer, who is one of the best. That’s who we’re going to see. She’s straight as an arrow. You can trust her and I promise she’ll help you.” Caleb wished he could be the one to guide Mia through the difficult parts to come and reassure her each step of the way, though he wasn’t clear on why it suddenly seemed imperative for him to protect her. Maybe it was because he hated seeing the innocent conned and Mia was certainly innocent. He now had no doubt about that.

Bella Jourdain was the best in her field. If anyone could get Mia out of the mess her husband and his partner had made, Bella could. Once they were shown into her inner sanctum, he hugged the older woman heartily then leaned back to study her lined face.

“How come you never get older, Bella?” Caleb asked.

“Clean living, kiddo.” Her almost black eyes scanned Mia. “This is Pia’s daughter?”

Caleb introduced them. Then he laid out the problem for Bella, having received a text confirmation that his office had already faxed her most of the pertinent information on the case so she wouldn’t be completely in the dark.

“You believe the partner, Trent, has been embezzling?” Bella mused, scribbling madly.

“I suspect Harlan Granger was doing the same.” Caleb wished he could spare Mia when she frowned at him as if he’d betrayed her. He continued because it was the only path he knew to get Mia and Lily justice. “My assistant just dug up old court records indicating that Mia’s mother, Pia Standish, left an in-trust account for her daughter to be administered by Granger until Mia was twenty-one.”

“But I’m twenty-three and I’ve never heard of any account,” Mia protested.

“Exactly.” Caleb glanced at Bella, one eyebrow arched.