“If I were ever to be that lucky…” But then he shook his head. “I can’t imagine finding anyone who would willingly join my team knowing that Alastair will use every weapon in his arsenal to destroy them. I’m not exaggerating when I say that my brother will stop at nothing to make sure he remains on top. He thinks the best way to destroy me is to hurt you. But that’s where he’s wrong.” Duncan’s voice was fierce. “I would never let anything happen to you. Never.”
“My family will help.” She didn’t need to stop to think it over. “We’ll be your team.”
Duncan looked stunned by her offer. A moment later, however, he said, “I can’t let you or your family get involved. Not when I know what Alastair will try to do to all of you.”
But she was just as focused and determined. “Trust me, as soon as my family hears your story—particularly given that they all know and love Moira—they’ll insist on helping. My cousin Rafe in Seattle is a private investigator who is absolutely brilliant at ferreting out information about people’s wrongdoings they’ve tried to bury. And his brother Ian is a billionaire businessman who likely knows people who work with or have worked with your brother.”
“I’ve never worked directly with Ian Sullivan, but I certainly know of him,” Duncan confirmed. “Anybody in venture capital would.”
“I’m sure my cousin Suzanne, who founded and runs Sullivan Security in New York City, would also be more than happy to get involved.”
“Your cousin is Suzanne Sullivan? I use her digital security products in my office.”
“She’s a genius,” Lola agreed. “So is my cousin Sophie in San Francisco. She’s a librarian and is an absolute wiz at finding the most obscure resources and references. You’ve probably heard of her husband’s company, McCann’s Irish Pubs.” Lola knew she was dropping a lot of extended-family information on Duncan all at once, but she needed him to understand the breadth of skill and talent that the Sullivans brought to the table. “And then there’s my cousin Malcolm in London. I’ll admit I don’t know exactly what he does, but from all accounts, he’s pretty highflying.”
“I appreciate everything you’re offering, Lola.” She could see the truth of it in his eyes, that her support meant the world to him. “More than you could ever know. But—”
“I’m tough,” she told him again. “I’m not afraid of your brother.” And even though she was more than a little afraid of how much she felt for Duncan, she had to say, “Don’t go back to Boston.” They were the last words she’d expected to say to him today. But they felt right. A million times more right than sending him away. “Stay in Bar Harbor, and we can put together our war council from my studio.”
“Lola—” He searched her face. “Are you absolutely sure about this?”
She nodded, her fingers already flying over her phone’s keyboard. “I’m texting my cousins to see if we can arrange a meeting for first thing tomorrow morning.” She hit Send before Duncan could protest. Within seconds, each of her cousins confirmed that they were happy to help and committed to participating in a video chat the next morning.
She was moving to put her phone away, when Duncan laid his hand over hers. “Thank you.”
His touch was as electric as ever.
And despite everything that had come between them, she wanted to hold onto him and never let go.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Though Duncan and Lola sat at opposite ends of her long worktable in the center of her studio, he didn’t need to be directly beside her to be aware of her every move. She was so vibrant, so beautiful, and so giving that he’d fallen even more in love with her this afternoon.
He’d told her everything, and she not only hadn’t run, she’d done the exact opposite and offered to help.
For years, Duncan’s head and heart had been twisted in knots over the breakdown of his family. Learning of his brother’s crimes, and then cutting ties with Alastair, had set him emotionally adrift and convinced him to build his walls thicker and higher than ever before.
Until Lola had broken through Duncan’s defenses and taught him how to love with his whole heart.
Whatever happened from here on out—even if she decided she didn’t want to be with him, or if the FBI threw him in jail—he’d always be grateful to her for showing him how to love without holding anything back.
For the rest of the afternoon, he worked on putting together a detailed informational document for her cousins on Alastair, Lyman Ventures, and Brilliant Funds. It was nearly five p.m. when his client Dave Fischer called.
“Dave, it’s good to hear from you. How are things?”
“I wanted to call to thank you for your support last week. You were right that I was on the edge of a breakthrough, only I couldn’t see it because I was tired and discouraged. After taking a couple of days off, I finally hit the sweet spot. Would you like to see my big new reveal?”
Duncan grinned. “I’d love to.”
“Are you near a computer? If so, I can share my screen with you.”
For the next few minutes, Dave walked him through his advancements on the prosthetic arm. It was hugely impressive how far he’d come in a matter of days.
Despite everything going on in his own life, Duncan had a massive grin on his face. “I couldn’t be more pleased with everything you’ve accomplished, Dave, both this week and since we first began working together.”
After they hung up, Duncan was surprised to realize that Lola was standing behind him, staring at the image of the prosthetic arm on his computer.
“I was walking to the coffee machine and couldn’t help but stop to watch,” she explained. “Is Dave one of your clients?”
“He is. When his daughter was born with a congenital defect to her right arm, he walked away from his career as a mechanical engineer and went back to school to study robotics and prosthetics. His inventions are going to revolutionize the industry.”
“He’s doing so much to help his daughter, but it’s even bigger than that, isn’t it?” Lola said. “His work is going to help so many people live more comfortable and active lives. And your support for what he’s creating is a huge part of that.”
But Duncan wasn’t comfortable with Lola looking at him as though he were some kind of hero. As far as he was concerned, helping Dave and others like him proceed with groundbreaking work didn’t make up for how blind Duncan had been to his brother’s crimes. “Dave’s a great guy. I’m lucky to work with him.” He turned away from his computer. “I didn’t mean to disturb your work, though.”
“I’m glad I was able to listen in on his demo,” she said as she poured them both cups of coffee. “Besides, I was ready for a break.”
When she put down her coffee, then stretched her arms over her head, he tried not to stare. “What have you been working on this afternoon?”
“I have at least a dozen things I should be doing, but I was so inspired by Serafina’s collection that I wanted to get down some ideas for her immediately.”