LITMIR.BIZ

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gave him a reason to get up and shift seats. Not like he had to wait for Deana’s permission or anything.

      “Mr. Windsor.” Georgianna Armstrong approached him with her hand held out and a smile plastered across her regal-looking face.

      She appeared warm and lovely and eager to see him.

      He knew that was a big fat lie.

      Mrs. Georgianna Armstrong, Deana’s mother, was in her early sixties. Graceful, highly respected in the community…and Josh didn’t trust her as far as he could throw her. Since the woman probably weighed about a hundred pounds, Josh knew he could get her airborne without much of a push. Still, he had dealt with this woman and with her type his entire career at the DEA. She attended charity functions one day and plotted the demise of her enemies the next. She used money to get her way and scoffed when people—any people—failed to jump at her command.

      And the woman had a crapload of money. She could trace her family back to the early Europeans who came to the islands to take advantage of the locals and pillage the land. As far as Josh could tell, her family never broke with that habit. Her grandfather and then her father bought up some of the most desired property in Oahu not already owned by the state and a few other landowners.

      The family continued to own a great deal of commercial property today, stretching all along the water in Honolulu and Waikiki. Hotels, business, high-rises—if someone had built it, they probably first bought or leased the land from Mrs. Armstrong’s family.

      The family’s ownership reached to residential streets as well. Up until twenty years ago most people in Oahu owned their homes but not the ground underneath. At some point Georgianna Armstrong, then the young heir to the real estate empire, offered the land to the leaseholders at a price. The homeowners became landowners and Mrs. Armstrong and her now-deceased husband became even richer rich people.

      “It’s good to see you again,” the older woman said as she folded Josh’s hand in both of hers.

      “It is?”

      “Why, of course.” Mrs. Armstrong gestured toward the empty chair across from Deana, but Josh remained standing. “We are so pleased you decided to join us today.”

      He glanced at Deana, who looked anything but pleased. She frowned, watching her mother like she was some sort of science experiment gone wrong.

      “Mother, Mr. Windsor hasn’t said why he’s here,” Deana explained.

      Probably because he had no idea why he was there. He was not the type to arrive when summoned. But there was something about Deana. He wanted to peel away all of that money and exterior chilliness and see what was underneath. He suspected it was nothing more than a second layer of ice.

      Maybe it was the overabundance of sunshine and fresh air. Maybe it was his inclination to hang around Derek’s house instead of going home to his own. For whatever reason, Josh remained on Oahu, and Oahu was Armstrong turf. Better to come to the mountain than have the mountain crash on top of him.

      The elder Mrs. Armstrong crossed her legs in an elegant move straight out of an expensive etiquette class. “We are all friends here—”

      Oh, hell no. “Not exactly.”

      Deana cleared her throat. “I would agree with Mr. Windsor that friendship is a little much to expect at this point.”

      Deana did not raise her voice, but the warning lingered in there. One her mother obviously had no intention of heeding.

      “Well, I don’t see any reason we can’t use first names,” Mrs. Armstrong said.

      He had a few things in mind, but stuck with his initial plan to get in and out fast. Didn’t even bother to sit back down. “Why don’t you tell me what you want so I can say no and we can all go our separate ways?”

      Mrs. Armstrong’s smile faltered. “I thought Deana already explained this to you.”

      Deana shifted, taking up a position much like her mother’s. “Mr. Windsor turned me down.”

      The older woman waved her hand as if physically dismissing the words. “Certainly he’s come to his senses by now.”

      “I wouldn’t count on that,” Deana said.

      For once he agreed with Deana. “You should listen to your daughter on this.”

      “I am too old and this is too important to play games, Mr. Windsor.”

      He smothered a chuckle over the elder woman’s abrupt tone. “I thought we were using first names.”

      Mrs. Armstrong sat up even straighter with a pile of pillows stacked behind her. “My grandson needs assistance. You are the man for the job. Furthermore, we can pay you handsomely for your time. This is a simple business transaction. One that could benefit you.”

      Josh pointed at Deana. “She tried that, too. I wasn’t interested then. Not interested now.”

      Mrs. Armstrong looked to Deana as if seeking assistance before turning back to Josh. “That’s nonsense. Who turns down money?”

      Josh refused to back down from the older woman’s staring contest. If she wanted a battle he’d give her one. Being retired from the DEA meant he no longer had to weigh his words, to the extent he ever did. “Haven’t we played this game before? Is this the part where you throw your money around and start issuing threats?”

      “What does that mean?” Deana asked with enough shock in her voice to suggest she didn’t actually know.

      Josh tried to figure out whether or not the confusion was an act. “Your mother has already engaged in bribery, blackmail, and various other illegal acts relating to me.”

      Deana’s entire face pinched. “That’s a serious accusation.”

      “They’re actually called crimes.” When Deana continued to look confused, Josh explained. “Your mother tried to pay me off so I wouldn’t testify in Ryan’s original drug trial. If I remember right, she offered piles of cash and made numerous promises about my future career. Something about me becoming a supervisor, as if that’s anything I’d ever want.”

      “This is irrelevant,” Mrs. Armstrong said in a haughty tone.

      No, it wasn’t, which was why Josh kept talking. “When that didn’t work, she talked about ruining my reputation if I took the stand and said something other than what she wanted me to say. I believe getting me fired was just the start of the threats.”

      Deana stood up. “What?”

      The older woman gestured to Deana to retake her seat. “Calm down. He turned me down on the money, and that last part was a misunderstanding.”

      “Oh, I understood you just fine.” Drug dealers had tried to intimidate him and still hadn’t been as furious or convincing in their attempts as Georgianna Armstrong had.

      Deana held her ground against her mother’s flippant attitude. “You actually tried to bribe him?”

      Josh finally sat down again to watch the by-play between the two women. The show seemed too good to miss. Deana’s usual unruffled demeanor strained around her mother. Deana had shown more emotion in the past two minutes than Josh had seen in the months since he’d met her. Being in private instead of in public could account for the change, but he figured it had more to do with the mother-daughter dynamic.

      By his experience, when two strong-willed women came in contact only one could win. Looked like the older, more experienced version took this round. Josh waited for the mother to take over, start issuing orders, and flash her big wallet around. One sign of any of that behavior and he was headed for the door.

      Deana regained her composure and unclenched her teeth. “Your refusal to accept my mother’s offer is exactly the reason you are perfect for this job.”

      Deana lowered her voice to normal levels even as she dug her fingers into her pants legs as if the ground

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