A Guilty Affair

by Maureen Smith

  “Why not?”

  “Karl Ludwig’s dead. He had a massive heart attack a couple of years ago. After that, apparently, many members of the family got deported for unrelated violations. The only one who’s still here is Ludwig’s grandson, Jonas. He runs the antiques shop with his wife and three teenage children. From all accounts, he’s operating a legitimate business.” Paulo’s voice was muffled as he spoke to someone in the background, then came back on the line. “Listen, I gotta head to a task force meeting. Let me know if there’s anything else you need, and I’ll see you on Sunday.”

  Noah thanked Paulo for the information and hung up the phone, then went in search of Riley.

  She was seated behind her desk tapping furiously at the computer. She didn’t so much as blink as he stepped into the office and closed the door behind him.

  “Why are you mad?” he demanded, propping a shoulder against the wall.

  She lifted incredulous eyes to his face. “Are you serious? After what I just walked in on?”

  “You didn’t ‘walk in on’ anything.”

  “Give me a break, Noah! That woman was draped all over you. And her blouse was unbuttoned!”

  “I’ll admit she was trying to come on to me, but she didn’t get very far.”

  Riley snorted derisively. “Only because I interrupted. Again, please accept my humblest apologies for barging into your office in the middle of your afternoon tryst with poor Mrs. Stanton, whose husband is supposedly cheating on her!”

  Noah’s temper flared. “Damn it, Riley! You think I’d be dumb enough to fool around with a client? For the last time, nothing happened. She tried to come on to me, and I set her straight. End of story.”

  “Whatever, Noah,” Riley muttered, resuming her typing.

  He scowled. “‘Whatever, Noah’? What’s that supposed to mean?” When she ignored him, he pushed off the wall and quickly rounded the desk. A startled gasp escaped from Riley as he swiveled her chair around to face him, planting his hands on either side of her to prevent her from getting up.

  “Again I ask,” he said, low and controlled, “why are you mad?”

  She swallowed convulsively. “I’m not mad.”

  “The hell you aren’t.”

  “Noah—”

  “You can’t even look me in the eye.”

  “Fine!” she exploded, her magnificent eyes flashing with fire. “You’re right. I am mad! I’m mad because I thought there was something going on between you and Delilah Stanton, and when I saw her practically sitting in your lap, I was jealous. So jealous I could hardly see straight! I’m mad because ever since we made love, I can’t stop thinking about you, daydreaming about you. I’m mad because you made me feel things I’ve never felt with any other man before—not even the man I was going to marry! I’m mad because I keep hearing this ugly little voice in my head that tells me I almost spent the rest of my life with the wrong man. I’m mad because I think I’m falling—” She broke off abruptly, a stricken look on her face as she stared at him.

  Noah had stopped breathing. His heart was knocking so hard against his rib cage it hurt like hell. His throat was as dry as sandpaper.

  “Say it, Riley,” he half pleaded, his voice husky with choked emotion. “Damn you, don’t leave me hanging like this. If you knew how long I’ve waited for this moment, you’d put me out of my misery right now.”

  Tears shimmered in her dark eyes. “I don’t understand,” she whispered.

  Slowly he sank to his knees in front of her. The day of reckoning had arrived. “I’m in love with you, Riley. I have been for the past five years.” Hearing her soft intake of breath, he smiled. “It happened the very first time we met, when you rear-ended me because you were in such a damned hurry to meet with the police chief. One look at you and I didn’t stand a chance. By the time Trevor came outside and I found out who you were, it was too late. I was already a goner. The funny thing is, before meeting you, I’d always laughed at people who talked about love at first sight. Guess the joke was on me that day.”

  Riley was gazing at him in wide-eyed wonder. “All this time…I never knew.”

  “You weren’t supposed to,” Noah said ruefully. “It became my mission in life to make sure you never knew, even if it meant I had to keep my distance. Even if it meant we couldn’t be friends, and I had to let you think I didn’t like you. Believe me, Riley, it was pure torture. There were so many times I was tempted to tell you how I felt, if for no other reason than to wipe the hurt look off your face every time you thought I was being rude or indifferent toward you. I didn’t know how else to handle my feelings but to keep you at arm’s length. And I couldn’t betray Trevor by letting him know I was in love with you. I couldn’t do that to him.”

  Riley traced his features with her eyes. “And after he died…”

  Noah shook his head. “After he died I felt even guiltier. I still wanted you with a vengeance, and I hated myself for that. I hated the fact that a small part of me wondered if I’d subconsciously willed Trevor out of the way so I could finally have a chance with you.”

  Riley’s expression softened. “You had no control over what happened. You were just as devastated by his death as I was.”

  His mouth twisted sardonically. “How would you know? I never opened up to you, or gave you the friendship and support you so desperately needed.” His voice deepened with regret. “I’m truly sorry for that, Riley. I hope you can forgive me for not being there for you.”

  Tenderly she reached up and laid a hand against his cheek. “I forgive you,” she said in an achingly soft voice, “if you can forgive me for foolishly trying to outrun my feelings for you.” She drew a deep, shaky breath and slowly exhaled. “I love you, Noah. God help me, I’ve never loved another man as much as I love you. Does a part of me feel like I’m betraying Trevor? Maybe. But does it change the way I feel for you? Not a chance.”

  Noah didn’t think his heart could contain the amount of joy swelling inside his chest. He closed his eyes, lowered his head and tried to draw as many lungfuls of air as he could.

  Riley moved to the edge of her seat and cradled his face in both hands. “I love you,” she whispered, brushing her lips gently against his. “For as long as I live, I’ll never stop loving you, Noah.”

  With a muffled groan of surrender, he opened his mouth to hers, hungrily and fiercely, pouring all the love he’d suppressed for five years into that one kiss. As Riley moaned and wrapped her arms around his neck, desire, yearning and need swept through him. And then he was sweeping Riley into his arms and striding purposefully from the room.

  As he yanked open the door, Kenneth and Janie sprang back in surprise. They exchanged sheepish glances with each other, then grinned at Noah and Riley.

  Janie said, “We were just, uh, on our way to the—”

  “Supply closet,” Kenneth finished. “I ran out of, uh, black ballpoint pens, and Janie was going to help me look for more.”

  “Because we all know Kenneth can’t find his way around the supply closet.”

  “Uh-huh, likely story,” Noah grumbled as Riley buried her face in his neck to smother her giggles. He kissed the top of her head, then started down the corridor, tossing over his shoulder, “We’re leaving early for the day. Hold down the fort for us.”

  “No problem,” his brother called after them. “You crazy kids enjoy the rest of the afternoon.”

  “Oh, we will,” Noah promised, his heated gaze locked on Riley’s. For her ears only, he added huskily, “We’re going to enjoy every last minute of it.”

  Chapter 17

  “Are you nervous?” Noah asked two days later, glancing over at Riley in the passenger seat of his Yukon.

  Riley shook her head, gazing out the window at the quaint little shops and restaurants that made the small town of Fredericksburg one of the most popular tourist destinations in Texas. Located an hour and a half away from San Antonio and nestled in the heart of Texas Hill Country, the town was mostly populated by Germ
ans and boasted a charming array of wineries and vineyards and some of the most romantic bed-and-breakfasts for miles around.

  The last time Riley had been to Fredericksburg was over three years ago with Trevor.

  A lifetime ago, it seemed.

  And now she was back, to get the answers she’d so desperately sought since his death.

  Noah turned down a bustling street lined with boutiques and bakeries bearing German names. He found parking behind a tiny nineteenth-century chapel shaded by large, leafy trees, lush with the bloom of summer.

  As he and Riley started up the brick path back toward Main Street, he reached out, capturing her hand in his, infusing her with his warm, comforting strength. Riley smiled at him, and knew that no matter what happened, everything was going to be all right.

  The man who greeted them inside Our Haus Antiques was in his early forties with a sturdy build, a broad, craggy face and pale green eyes that crinkled at the corners when he welcomed them with a warm, albeit tentative smile.

  “You must be Noah Roarke and Riley Kane,” he said, stepping from behind a rustic wood counter to shake their hands. “Jonas Ludwig.”

  “Thank you for agreeing to see us, Mr. Ludwig,” Noah said.

  “Please, call me Jonas.” He walked over to the front entrance and flipped the sign on the door to read Closed For Lunch—Will Return At Two P.M. “My wife and children have gone peach picking, otherwise I’d have one of them attend to customers while the three of us talk in private. Can I offer either of you something to drink? My wife made some fresh apple cider this morning before she left.”

  “That sounds lovely,” Riley answered with an easy smile.

  “I’ll be right back. Feel free to browse around. The prices on everything are negotiable.”

  The store was exactly as Riley remembered it from her previous visit. Filled with the warm, inviting scent of candles, the large shop offered a wide selection of antique tables, lamps, porcelain, glassware, linens, furniture, and other vintage knickknacks.

  “You like antiques?” Noah asked as she paused in an aisle to admire a rosewood étagère circa 1883. At Riley’s nod, he chuckled softly. “No wonder Daniela likes you so much. Her favorite pastime is going antiquing with my mother. Someday she’d like to open her own antiques store.”

  Riley smiled. “Maybe she’d let me become her business partner.”

  Noah grinned. “Sounds like a plan.”

  Jonas Ludwig emerged from the back carrying two glass mugs of cider, which he passed to them. “I’ll admit that when you called yesterday,” he said ruefully to Noah, “I had my reservations about speaking to you. It’s not easy for me to talk about my grandfather’s legacy of crime and violence, which afflicted the rest of the family like an aggressive tumor.”

  “I understand,” Noah said.

  “We’re just trying to get to the bottom of Trevor’s connection to your grandfather,” Riley added.

  A cloud passed over Jonas’s face. “Well, then, we’d better have a seat,” he said grimly, gesturing them into a European settee before claiming a straight-backed chair for himself. He looked from Riley to Noah. “I don’t know where to start.”

  “Start from the beginning,” Noah said quietly.

  “All right. I first met Trevor Simmons about four years ago. He came into the shop looking for my grandfather.” Jonas paused, his focus on Riley, silently communicating to her that she should brace herself for what was coming next. “Trevor’s mother had finally told him the truth about her side of the family. My grandfather, Karl Ludwig, was Leona Simmons’s estranged father.”

  Riley’s fingers tightened around the glass mug she held. Her heart pounded. So she’d been right. Trevor’s mother had been harboring a secret.

  “So that means Leona Simmons is your aunt,” she said in a faint voice, “and Trevor is—was—your cousin.”

  Jonas nodded, watching her with a sympathetic expression. “I was as shocked as you are when I found out. Before Trevor showed up here that day, I never even knew he, or his mother, existed. My grandfather had had an affair with Leona’s mother a very long time ago. When she got pregnant, he washed his hands of her and the unborn child. Leona grew up not knowing who her real father was until her mother finally broke down and told her, shortly before she died. Leona was devastated. She decided that since Karl Ludwig had wanted nothing to do with her, she would have nothing to do with him.”

  “So she continued the legacy of silence with Trevor,” Riley murmured.

  Jonas nodded. “She refused to tell him about his grandfather or the German side of her family. To this day, I still don’t know what finally changed her mind about that. Trevor never told me.”

  Noah said quietly, “She felt guilty. She’d always felt guilty about Trevor’s father running out on them when Trevor was just a baby. She blamed herself for that, and for not creating a more stable home for him.”

  Riley gazed at him. “She told you that?”

  “Yes. When Trevor and I graduated from college.” Noah’s expression was remote, reflective, as he stared into the amber contents of his glass, seeing nothing but his memories. “She told me I was probably the best thing that had ever happened to Trevor. She said if it weren’t for me, he may never have attended college. He would’ve fallen in with the wrong crowd and squandered his potential. She thanked me for being such a good influence on him, and said she’d be forever indebted to my family for taking him in the way we had.”

  Jonas nodded, smiling softly. “He spoke very fondly of you, Noah. Of both of you.”

  Riley looked at Jonas. “So what happened to him?” she asked, half-afraid to hear the answer. But she’d come this far. She had to know. Once and for all, she had to know the truth, no matter how much it hurt.

  “Trevor wanted to meet his grandfather and get to know him better. In the end,” Jonas said somberly, “that was probably his downfall. The need to fit in, to belong. It kept him around, even after he’d learned the truth about who and what our grandfather was—a cunning, ruthless, cold-blooded criminal who’d sell out members of his own family to protect his own interests.”

  Noah leaned forward on the settee. “Was your grandfather using this store as a front for his money-laundering operation?” he asked point-blank.

  “No,” Jonas said with such conviction Riley believed him. His mouth twisted cynically. “Karl Ludwig was too clever for that. He knew a family-owned business was the first place the government would look. So he didn’t tamper with the shop. He used other, less obvious venues to move his dirty money. He was so skilled at covering his tracks, in fact, that he even fooled the FBI. My grandfather took a lot of secrets to his grave.”

  So, apparently, had Trevor.

  Riley swallowed past the tightness in her throat. “When did Trevor get involved in the money laundering operation?”

  Jonas hesitated, shooting a wary glance at Noah, as if to ask him whether Riley could handle the truth. Riley bristled, even as Noah gave a subtle nod.

  Jonas took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “He became involved about a month after meeting our grandfather and other members of the family who were part of the enterprise.” Jonas hesitated. “He asked to be cut into the deal.”

  Riley’s heart plummeted sickeningly. Although she’d had three years to get used to the idea that Trevor may have been involved in criminal activity, nothing could have prepared her for the gut-wrenching reality of this moment. Tears stung her eyes, and nausea churned in her stomach.

  Noah reached over, taking the untouched glass of cider from her trembling fingers and placing it on the floor. She looked at his face, saw his tightly clenched jaw and realized he was holding his emotions in check for her sake. He was as devastated by Trevor’s duplicity as she was. How could they both have been so wrong about him? How had they missed the signs that he was in deep trouble?

  “At first Trevor became involved because he wanted to impress our grandfather. He wanted to prove he had what it took to be a
Ludwig. And for a while it worked. Karl embraced him, the biracial grandchild he’d previously rejected. But there’s something you have to understand about Karl Ludwig. His loyalty was conditional, and it was often short-lived. Cross him once, and you’d live to regret it.” Jonas’s mouth thinned to a grim line. “Trevor learned that the hard way.”

  “What happened?” Riley whispered shakily. “Why was Trevor killed?”

  “Because he got greedy, and as a result, he fell out of favor with our grandfather. Once he found himself on the outside, Trevor became vindictive. And then he committed the unpardonable sin. He threatened to expose the money-laundering enterprise.”

  “He called the FBI to provide an anonymous tip,” Noah said.

  Jonas nodded. “That pretty much sealed his fate. Karl started having him followed after that. On the morning of the shooting, Karl knew Trevor would be in the vicinity of that convenience store. He sent one of his associates there, an ex-convict named Conrad Weiss. Although Weiss was wearing a stocking mask, Trevor still recognized him. When he walked into that convenience store and saw Conrad, he must have known it was a setup.”

  “So when Weiss took off and Trevor gave chase,” Riley said, piecing it all together, “he probably didn’t call for backup because he didn’t want to risk Weiss identifying him in front of other police officers. Trevor pursued Weiss down that alley fully intending to kill him.” Just as she’d always suspected.

  “Why didn’t you come forward sooner about your family’s criminal activities?” Noah’s voice vibrated with suppressed fury. “You could have prevented what happened to Trevor.”

  “Maybe. Or maybe I would have ended up in the same morgue as him, along with my wife and three children.” Jonas frowned. “Look, the truth is I didn’t know what my grandfather was planning for Trevor. I found out about everything much later. Not being part of the criminal enterprise meant I wasn’t privy to a lot of things, including assassination plots. I’m sorry,” he said, seeing Riley flinch. “I didn’t mean to—”

  She lifted a trembling hand. “It’s all right. You don’t have to sugarcoat anything for me. I’ve spent the last three years torturing myself, imagining the very worst. But there’s something else I’m curious about, Jonas.”