“No, we won’t,” Travis answered in a graveled voice. “And that hug was good for an all-week boner.”
She laughed, amused by the disgruntled look on his face. She highly doubted Travis got excited over a simple hug, but he was good for her battered ego. Travis Harrison could get any woman he wanted, any time he wanted one. But she let the compliments wash over her, let the fact that he found her attractive warm her soul. “I can’t believe you didn’t go into the office today. Are we working tomorrow?” she asked, knowing Travis never missed a day of work.
“Hell, no. And I’ll need to bandage those wounds again later. You aren’t going to feel like working for a while. You’re starting vacation early.” Travis shot her an obstinate look.
Ally rolled her eyes. “I’m fine. You don’t need to take care of me.”
“I’m going to,” he replied irritably. “So get used to it.”
Ally crossed her arms in front of her, secretly loving his protectiveness, but confused by it at the same time. “Why? I’m just an employee. It’s not like I’m Mia or Kade. I can understand that you meddle in their life. But why me?”
“I don’t meddle in their lives,” Travis answered grumpily.
“Oh, so you didn’t really make Mia disappear for two years so her ex couldn’t harm her, and didn’t tell a single soul except your security? And you just happened to be in Colorado when that same ex had a fatal car accident?” Did Travis think she was completely blind and deaf? She was his assistant. She saw and heard everything that happened in his office for the most part.
“What the hell do you know about that?” Travis shot her a laser-sharp glance.
“I know that Mia called looking for you the day before she disappeared and she sounded upset. Then she disappeared the next day. Every single day after that, you had an early morning security meeting, something you’d never done before. You’ve never given a crap about your own security. And I know you distanced yourself from Kade and Max. Most of all, I know you didn’t grieve like I know you would if you thought something had really happened to your sister.”
“All that time, you knew?” Travis answered incredulously. “And you never told a soul.”
“Why would I? I realized you were somehow trying to protect her,” Ally asked, baffled. “Why would I jeopardize her safety? I’m your assistant. I’d never betray you.”
“How could you know for sure I was protecting her? What if I’d done something to her to try to get rid of her? I could have wanted her share of the stocks and the business.”
Ally snorted. Obviously Travis had never seen himself when he looked at Mia, his love for her showing in the depth of his eyes. Maybe he didn’t express himself well, but his love for his sister was evident. “Not possible,” Ally answered adamantly. “I didn’t understand everything that was going on, but I know how much you care about Mia, and that was all I needed to know.”
“He assaulted her, beat her, and blackmailed her,” Travis admitted hoarsely. “When I finally caught up with him, he bolted. I followed. He conveniently ran his car off a cliff. But I made it happen. I killed him. And I’ve never had one pang of remorse. I was just glad the bastard was dead so he couldn’t kill my sister.”
“I’m glad, too,” Ally affirmed.
“It doesn’t scare you that I’m a killer?” Travis asked, his gaze dark and unfathomable.
“No. You did what you needed to do to protect Mia. I’m just sorry you had to bear that burden alone.”
“I had to. I couldn’t risk Max and Kade giving away her location,” Travis said, his voice tinged with remorse.
Ally wondered if Kade and Max really knew the price Travis had paid to not tell them, taking on the burden of knowledge completely alone. “You love your siblings, Travis. I’ve always known that. I don’t think you ever missed one of Kade’s football games. Did he even know you were always there?” Ally had always been the one to make the arrangements for Travis’s jet to fly him to wherever Kade was playing, and fly him back the same day.
Travis shrugged. “I didn’t want to make him nervous. I just wanted to be there.”
I just wanted to be there. Ally suddenly realized that his statement really summed up just who Travis was: a man who wanted to support his siblings and didn’t care whether he ever got credit for being an incredible brother to them. More than likely, neither Mia nor Kade ever realized just how often Travis had been there for them without them ever really knowing about it. Did Mia know how much heat Travis had taken in order to keep her hidden and safe, how much he’d had to isolate himself from his own brother and brother-in-law? Did she know how much Max and Kade had resented him for what he did? Did Kade realize that Travis had made every one of his games, and how devastated Travis had been about Kade’s accident? He’d spent almost every waking moment at the hospital after his brother’s accident. “You’re an incredible brother, Travis Harrison,” Ally told him quietly. “I would have given anything to have someone like you.”