“Yes, and until we find that person, keep in mind that a murderer is still on the loose and he’s struck twice—with your father and Joe Dennis—and he will strike again to keep his identity hidden.”
“So what do you suggest that we do?” Shondra asked, agitation very clear in her voice.
“Right now I have a few more people to talk to,” Drey said, glancing down at his notepad. “I’m hitting a brick wall at the police station. I hate to say it but I think a few people down there are in on this too. I hope I’m wrong but I have a gut feeling about it. The one guy down at headquarters that I know I can trust—my former partner—is out of town but is scheduled to return this week. I’m hoping he’ll be able to check out some things and shed some light on a few inconsistencies I’ve found.”
“And what about that employee at Stewart Industries? The one Connor spoke with? Daiyu Longwei. She clammed up when Connor questioned her about Dad’s last phone call to her. Have you spoken to her at all?” Tyson asked.
Drey shook his head. “I’ve spoken with her, but she didn’t have any more to tell me either. I’ll keep working on it, though.”
Charlene didn’t say anything as she racked her brain trying to recall where she’d heard the name before. Daiyu Longwei…
“So, what’s next?” Malcolm was asking Drey.
“I plan to talk to the congressman’s associates to see if they recall him acting strangely during his last days. There had to be a reason for his unscheduled trip to D.C.”
“I suggest you start with Senator Ray Cayman and Judge Bruce Hanlon. They’ve known Dad for years and are two of his closest friends,” Tyson said.
Drey smiled. “I’ll certainly do that.”
After his meeting with the Braddocks, Drey dropped Charlene off at his place before proceeding to the apartment building where Joe Dennis had lived. He wanted to question the man’s neighbors about the night Joe Dennis died.
He spoke first with the elderly couple who lived across the hall, Fred and Eleanor Billings. Mr. Billings was eager to let him in, assuming he was a detective from the police department. When Drey informed the couple he was an investigator, the Billingses were surprised that after several calls to the police station, no one had come out to ask them questions about what they had heard that night. Drey was surprised as well.
According to Mr. and Mrs. Billings they had been trying to watch their favorite television show and couldn’t do so for all the loud noise coming from across the hall. Two men were yelling at each other at the top of their lungs. They had gotten so loud the Billingses had been tempted to call the police for disturbing the peace. In less than an hour the noise had stopped and the next day they had heard that Mr. Dennis—who they thought was a nice hardworking man—had died. Even though the recent news update indicated he had died of natural causes, the couple still questioned why no one wanted to hear what they had to say.
Drey visited several more of Joe Dennis’s neighbors, but each one said they hadn’t seen or heard a thing that night. One lady questioned why he was asking around when the papers said he’d died of natural causes. He had explained that he just wanted to collect all the facts.
It was getting late and he decided to put off contacting Senator Cayman and Judge Hanlon until tomorrow. What he wanted to do more than anything was to head home and mess around with Charlene some more. Memories of how they had spent their night and this morning caused his nerve endings to react. He loved her taste so much that he could bury his head between her legs and stay there. But then he also enjoyed being inside her, moving in and out and feeling her inner muscles clamp tight as they tried to squeeze everything out of him.
There were other things he enjoyed about her that weren’t related to sex. He liked the way she went tit-for-tat with him, how she could make some offhanded comment in a way that made him smile. And he appreciated her sense of humor. His face broke into a lopsided grin when he thought of introducing her to his mother. Daiyu would like her.
His mother.
He then remembered how his mother’s name had come up during their meeting with the Braddocks. Sooner or later he would have to tell them the truth, but that would be only after he discovered for himself why Harmon had been trying to reach his mother that night. Had he suspected his life was about to end and wanted to leave her with some information? If that was the case, why Daiyu instead of his wife, Evelyn, or one of his kids? Why not his friends Senator Cayman or Judge Hanlon?
There were a lot of questions yet to be answered, but right now the only thing Drey wanted to think about was the sexy woman sharing his condo.
Charlene paced the room deep in thought. Now, where had she heard the name Daiyu Longwei from? It had first struck her as familiar when they had met with the Braddocks, and the nagging feeling wouldn’t go away.
She had meant to ask Drey about it, but while Drey had been driving back from Malcolm Braddock’s office her cell phone had rung. Her mother had been in a talkative mood. Nina had wanted to know how her relationship was progressing with the young man she had gone out of town with. Charlene felt her mother didn’t need to know that things had progressed so well that she was no longer a virgin.
Thoughts of what she and Drey had shared since last night had her heart racing. She never knew a man could have so much energy when making love. Multiple orgasms were common for him, as well as being able to go for long periods of time without stopping. He’d seemed insatiable.
She’d been surprised at the extent of her own stamina. Granted, there had been pain at first, but after that, she had enjoyed his well-timed strokes into her body, the way he wouldn’t hesitate to kiss her all over, as well as his knowledge of a woman’s pleasure points. He had done everything last night that he’d said he would do. He had tasted her all over, had made her scream more times than she could count, had given her enough orgasms to last a lifetime and had remained inside her body for a long while…even when they had slept.
She had awakened that morning feeling totally rejuvenated and well rested, although she hadn’t gotten much sleep. And then later, what they had done in his office, right there on his desk, made her blush. It was simply amazing how a woman could go from a virgin to a naughty sexual vixen overnight.
She was about to go into the kitchen to unwind with a glass of wine when Drey’s phone rang. She wondered if it was that woman Karen calling again and figured she would know soon enough if the woman left a message.
“Drey, mail came for you today. I think it’s about your high school class reunion. You can drop by and pick it up anytime. Love you.”
She smiled knowing the caller was Drey’s mom and that he—
Charlene blinked when she suddenly thought of something. Walking quickly into Drey’s office, she went straight to a photograph he had framed on the wall. It was a photo of him and his mother on the day he had graduated from the police academy. A gold plate beneath the picture said “Daiyu Longwei and Her Son, Drey St. John.”
Confusion began snarling Charlene’s thoughts. She studied the photographed again. She wasn’t sure exactly how long ago the photo had been taken, but Drey’s mother was definitely still an Asian beauty. It didn’t look as if she’d aged that much at all from the photo Drey had hanging in his living room.
Another thought popped into her head when she recalled the meeting earlier at Malcolm Braddock’s office. She shook her head. Something didn’t make sense.
She turned and walked out of Drey’s office at the same time she heard the key turn in his door, alerting her that he had returned. The moment he closed the door behind him he glanced over at her and upon seeing her expression he quickly crossed the room and took her hand.
“What’s wrong, Charlene?”
She stared at him, the man she had made love with all night. “I don’t know, Drey. You tell me.”
The brows covering his slanted eyes lifted and he released her hand. “And what do you want me to tell you?”
She held his gaze and asked, “W
hy didn’t you tell the Braddocks that Daiyu Longwei is your mother?”
Chapter 14
Surprise held Drey immobile for one stunned moment and then he threw his car keys on the table. “I saw no need to do so.” He then walked off.
Charlene followed and threw up her hands. “That doesn’t make sense. You’re handling a murder investigation for them and apparently your mother is somehow involved.”
He swung around as a deep, angry frown covered his face. “You don’t know that.”
“Look, Drey, all I know is what I heard earlier. Your mother was the last person who talked to Harmon. She apparently was the last person he tried to contact. Surely you want to know why.”
“I’ve questioned my mother and she doesn’t know why,” he snapped. “And I don’t want to discuss this investigation with you any longer.”
She took a step and got in his face. “Fat chance! I had to leave my home because of this investigation. I’m not even sure I’ll have a job to return to when all this is over, and you have the nerve to stand here and tell me you won’t discuss it?”
He leaned in closer. A cold, hard look appeared on his face. “Yes, that’s what I said. I don’t want to discuss it.”
And then he turned away and went into his office, closing the door behind him.
Drey leaned against the closed door and drew in a deep breath while his heart vibrated relentlessly against his ribs. No one was to know about his mother until he was prepared to tell it. He didn’t want anyone asking those same questions that Charlene had just asked.
He gritted his teeth to keep from lashing out and hitting something. The last thing he wanted was to be on bad terms with Charlene, especially when she was right. He did owe her an explanation. Because of trying to help with his investigation she had been forced to leave her home and could possibly have lost her job.
But he wasn’t ready to share with anyone how his world had gotten shattered a few weeks ago. He was still trying to work things out for himself. And he needed more time to do so. Problem was that time had run out. Charlene had figured out the truth and wanted answers. Answers she had a right to have. He could tell from the look on her face that he had hurt her feelings, something he hadn’t intended to do. He was about to open the door and go talk to her when he heard his front door slam shut.
Damn!
He quickly came out of his office and crossed the room to snatch open his front door, only to see Charlene drive off in her car. Where in the hell was she going? And more importantly he wondered if she would be coming back. Thinking there was a possibility that she wouldn’t come back made his gut clench. His chest suddenly felt tight.
He had never waited on a woman to come back to him before, but he would wait on Charlene Anderson.
Charlene had no idea where she was going. All she knew was that she needed distance from Drey. Going into separate rooms hadn’t been far enough for her. She hadn’t wanted to be under the same roof with the man.
Deciding the best thing to do was to walk off her anger, she headed in the direction of the mall, and then quickly changed her mind. The last place she needed to go was some place where she might be recognized. Instead she thought she would go to a movie at one of those theaters on the outskirts of town.
A part of her wished she could go to her own house and sleep in her own bed tonight. But, was that what she really wanted after having slept in Drey’s bed? She knew the answer without much thinking. No. But she also knew she needed more from Drey than sex. She needed him to trust her enough to tell her what was going on. But why would he trust her? She was nothing to him but a temporary bed partner. Wasn’t that what he’d once told her was all he needed? Men didn’t have to confide in women they didn’t intend to keep around. She refused to acknowledge the pain she felt in her heart. Nor could she acknowledge that she had fallen in love with him.
She thought about what he’d said and the degree of anger with which he’d said it. Her thoughts then shifted to last night and earlier that day, when he had made love to her with a gentleness that had almost brought tears to her eyes.
Yes, she loved him. It was her issue, her personal problem. But it would never, ever be her regret.
Drey stopped pacing long enough to glance down at his watch. It had been three hours and it was now dark outside. Where was she? He had tried reaching her on her cell phone a number of times but hadn’t gotten an answer. Evidently she was too mad at him to return his call. He had even called her home number on the off chance she’d gone there, though he refused to think she would put herself in danger by doing that.
After he had time to fully think about it, he had called himself all kinds of fool for saying what he had to her. She definitely deserved an apology and an explanation—if she would only return to listen.
His breath caught when he heard a car door slam and automatically he moved to the door. If it was Charlene, she would knock since he hadn’t yet given her a key. His heart began racing when he heard footsteps moving up his walkway and he knew it was Charlene. It just had to be.
Too eager to wait for her knock, he opened the door and there she stood, utterly beautiful in the moonlight with a startled look on her face. “Sorry,” he said softly. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
She shrugged. “No harm done.”
His gaze caressed her face before he stepped aside, allowing her entrance. Hoping she was there to stay and hadn’t just come to pick up her things. “If you’re hungry we can order out,” he said.
She walked into the foyer and turned around after placing her shoulder bag on the table. “Thanks, but I’m not hungry. I took in a movie and grabbed a couple of hot dogs while I was there.”
“Oh.” So that’s where she had gone. “Well, if you’ve got some time I’d appreciate it if we talked.”
She placed her hands in her back pocket and tilted her head back to meet his gaze. “What about?”
“What I didn’t want to talk about earlier.”
Her gaze lowered to the floor. “You don’t have to do that.”
“Yes, I do.” And he honestly knew that he did. He could feel the strain between them, the distance. He didn’t want that. He wanted things the way they were last night. He wanted the closeness.
“All right, then. Talk.”
“Can we sit down in the living room?”
She shrugged again. “Sure. Why not?”
He watched as she went to sit on the sofa, folding her legs beneath her. With his heart still racing nonstop, he took the chair across from her, when what he really wanted to do was reach out and pull her into his lap and kiss her. But he knew he couldn’t do that. He had screwed up and had to backpedal. Get back into her good graces. Literally, he had to do something he had never done with a woman before—bare his soul.
He was a private person. No other woman had ever reached beyond that area of “do not enter” with him. But Charlene had invaded his space. In just a short period of time she had gotten totally and completely under his skin. And last night he had gotten under hers in the most intimate way. He had been inside her, places where no other man had ever gone. He had branded her with his markings all over her body and didn’t regret doing so. And if given the opportunity he wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.
“First, I want to apologize for lashing out at you earlier, Charlene. I had no right to do that. You deserve to know what’s going on with the investigation, every aspect of it.”
He paused a moment before continuing. “What I’m about to tell you is something I haven’t told anyone yet, especially the Braddocks. But I will eventually tell them because they too have a right to know. I took this case before knowing it myself. While I was investigating, my mother’s name come up as the last person the congressman spoke with. My mother says she honestly doesn’t know why he called her and I believe her. But something I do know is that the two of them had a history.”
“What sort of history?” she asked quietly.
He was silent for
a moment and then he said, “My mother and Congressman Braddock had an affair many years ago, before I was born and before she married my father. She was young, inexperienced and thought she was in love, and yes, he was a married man at the time. However, it’s my understanding that he and his wife, Evelyn, were going through some things. That does not excuse his behavior or my mother’s.”
Charlene nodded and then said, “I can see your reluctance to spring that on the Braddocks.”
“Yes, but there’s more. It goes a lot deeper than that.”
She leaned forward in her seat. “Deeper in what way?”
He swallowed and felt a sudden tightness in his chest. This was the first time he would admit this to anyone. He spoke, hearing the words as he said them. “Congressman Braddock was my biological father.”
Chapter 15
A stunned expression covered Charlene’s face. “Your father!”
“Yes, my father. However, I didn’t find out until I questioned my mother as to why the congressman would call her and just how they knew each other.”
Charlene stared at him and immediately she knew that admitting such a thing had been hard for him. “And Ronald St. John? He was your—”
“He is the only father I know. I can’t deny it was Harmon Braddock’s seed that made me, but it was Ronald St. John’s love that shaped me into who I am today. He’s the person I remember from the time I was in the crib, who had always been there for me. The person who took me to my Little League games, showed up at every activity I was in while attending school and the person who made me believe I could do anything. Ronald St. John is the man I consider my father.”
Charlene eased to the edge of her seat. She could tell Drey still had a hard time accepting that biologically, he was a Braddock. “Didn’t you say that the congressman was your mentor?”
“Yes.”
“To me that means he wanted to share some aspect of your life.”
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