Page 5 of Hard Wired

Dominic’s fickle friends had deserted him, and the women he’d used to date weren’t too keen on visiting. Except for his brothers, no one in the Crane family would speak to him.

His former business associates had betrayed him. Some were even trying to kill him.

But at least nobody could call him a traitor.

He forced himself to get up and leave the room. As he went down the hall, he could already hear Maureen bustling in the kitchen. She smiled as he padded across the tile.

“Well, look who it is, up and at ‘em. I was just about to bring lunch into you.” Her soft southern accent brightened his mood, as it always did. “I made you a smoked salmon and cucumber salad. I hope that’s up to your taste this fine afternoon?”

“Whatever you make is always my favorite. I don’t deserve you.”

She mimed smacking the side of his head. “You’re in a mood today, I see. No self-pity in front of me. It’s so dull.”

“You can thank my lawyer.”

He followed her out onto the balcony, which overlooked the ocean. Dominic’s house was situated in the West Oaks hills, the toniest neighborhood in town. This place had once been a second home for Dominic’s family. They hailed from Los Angeles, and he’d spent many childhood weekends and summer days playing on the grounds here. The beach was out of sight, accessible via a steep set of stairs built into the cliffside. But Dominic couldn’t go down there. It was off-limits according to his bail restrictions.

Maureen set down his lunch on the patio table, then went back to the kitchen to fetch her own. She gave him company at mealtimes, which he gratefully accepted.

She settled into the chair across from his. “So what’s on your agenda today, Mr. Crane?”

“Contemplate the inevitable demise of myself and everything else in the universe.”

She giggled. “Then nothing too out of the ordinary, I suppose.”

He gave her a sardonic smile. Dominic had just celebrated his thirty-third birthday, yet he knew very little about how to run a household or keep himself fed. He’d grown up with housekeepers, maids, nannies, and helpers of every description. That was just how his family did things. Though he felt extra useless because of it.

Maureen was the first person he’d ever hired on his own. She’d been working for him the last two years. He could count on her not to spy on him and report back to the rest of his extended family. At least, he hoped so. He liked to think that Maureen truly didn’t mind him so much. Perhaps even had affection for him. She certainly wasn’t intimidated by him.

Even before his arrest, when he used to host wild parties here that lasted for days—or when he came home with blood all over his suit—she’d never seemed shocked. Instead, she quietly scheduled their cleaning service and looked at him with sad disapproval, like she might’ve expected better from him. Even though no one had ever expected better from him, not even his older brother Warren.

“I would’ve thought you’d be dressed for our guests, though,” she said.

Dominic sat up straighter, torn between eagerness to see any new face and annoyance at being caught off guard. “Guests?”

“I left you a note yesterday and entered an event in your calendar. But I’m guessing you neglected to pay any attention.”

That did sound like him. “Who’s coming?”

“That nice Max Bennett fellow called yesterday while you were napping. Which is exactly what I wrote in the note I left. He said they’d be here sometime today to install your new security system. That’ll be quite a relief, don’t you think?”

“I almost forgot about that.”

The new security system had been Aaron Sandford’s idea. The lawyer had argued that the old alarm was installed on behalf of the Syndicate, which meant his current enemies could’ve had access to it in the past. Dominic had thought he could just change the password, but whatever.

Maureen had mentioned seeing cars with tinted windows driving past the house. No one had actively tried to kill him since he’d gotten out of jail, but Dominic preferred to be on the safe side, especially since Maureen could be at risk, too.

Through the open patio doors, they heard the doorbell ring.

Maureen set her silverware aside. “That must be them. It’s about time. I was starting to wonder. I can handle them, and you can take your lunch upstairs. I’ll let you know if they need anything.”

She always bossed him around like an overbearing grandmother. Usually, he liked it. Made him feel a little closer to human.

But he was actually looking forward to this visit.

From the first moment they’d ever spoken, Dominic and Max Bennett had not gotten along. Max was one of those people who considered him a bloodthirsty murderer, worse than dirt. Yet recently, Max had begrudgingly expressed his gratitude for Dominic’s help with a sensitive matter. Dominic even thought that he and Max were developing an understanding. Sadly, that was the closest thing to a friendship he had at the moment.

He followed Maureen to the front door, standing behind her as she opened it.

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