A Man of Secrets

by Amanda Stevens

  Something flashed in his eyes, a brief emotion that Natalie wanted to believe was regret, but then his gaze hardened in resolve before he glanced away. “I don’t know what happened to those diamonds, Natalie, but it’s my job to find out. I can’t afford to overlook any possibility, dismiss any scenario just because it might be something I don’t want to believe. Too much is at stake to let personal feelings get in the way.”

  “You’re right,” she said, lifting her chin. She got up and moved away from the table, putting distance between them. “Too much is at stake, and I have to look out for myself. So I’m sure you’ll understand when I tell you to get out of my house. And don’t come back.”

  “Natalie—” Spence stood, too. The two of them faced each other, and suddenly Natalie’s fragile self-control deserted her.

  “How dare you?” she cried. “How dare you pretend to help me when all you wanted was to find out where those stupid diamonds are? That’s why you bailed me out of jail, isn’t it? Isn’t it?”

  “I bailed you out of jail because you didn’t belong in there.”

  “Why?” she demanded. “Because behind bars, I wouldn’t be of any use to you? Because I couldn’t lead you to the diamonds? Oh, I can’t believe I ever trusted you, for even one second.” She tore her hands through her hair as she spun away from him. “I should have known better! You’re a Bishop. You’re all just alike. You don’t care who you use. All you care about is getting what you want!” She jerked around to face him again, only to find that his own eyes were blazing back at her.

  “Are you finished?”

  “No. I’ve got one more thing to say to you. Get out!”

  He grabbed her arms and held her, although Natalie didn’t try to run. “I can’t do that. The police will be here any minute, and they’ll want an explanation for all this. Are you prepared to give them one?”

  “I’ll simply tell them the truth.”

  “And look where that got you last time,” he reminded her. “Like it or not, you need me. I’m the only one who can help you out of this mess.”

  “Help me? You almost got me killed. If you bailed me out of jail so that I could lead you to the diamonds, don’t you think Russo thought the same thing? I’m sure that’s why I got that threat today.”

  “What threat?” Spence glared down at her. His hands tightened on her arms.

  “Someone called me and said that I had something of his, and he wanted them back. He said he knew where I lived and worked, and where my son was at that moment. He told me to cooperate and no one else had to get hurt.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me about this?”

  “Because I had a few other things on my mind,” Natalie retorted. “Like your mother threatening to take my son away from me. And then after the accident, after I started thinking about Irene’s threat, I didn’t think I could trust you…because you were on her side.”

  “I never said I was on her side,” Spence said quietly.

  Something in his tone made Natalie’s heart start to hammer all over again, but not in fear this time, not in anger.

  He’d always had that ability, she thought weakly. Even from the first, when she hadn’t known him very well and then later, when she had, he’d always been able to make her want to believe in him.

  “You have to trust me, Natalie.”

  “How can I trust you? You think I’m a thief and a murderer.”

  “No, I don’t.”

  “But you just said—”

  “I said I can’t afford to overlook any possibility, regardless of what I might be feeling…for you.” His gaze intensified, and Natalie’s breath clogged her throat. “You have to trust me. You don’t have a choice. You have to let me help you.”

  “Help yourself, don’t you mean?” But her voice had lost some of its resistance. “How can this be happening to me?” she whispered. To her horror, Natalie felt a tear spill over and course down her cheek. She didn’t want to cry in front of Spence. She didn’t want him to see her weakness; to know that no matter what kind of front she put up, deep down, she was still that same lonely, vulnerable girl he’d once made fall in love with him. And he still had the power to hurt her.

  His hands slid up her arms to cradle her face. He thumbed away her tear as he stared deeply into her eyes, and Natalie’s heart went wild, despite her mind’s objection.

  For a moment, time seemed to stop, as they gazed into each other’s eyes. Natalie’s emotions were at war with her sanity. What sort of hold did this man have over her?

  “The police will be here any minute,” he whispered, as he rested his forehead against hers.

  Dimly, Natalie heard the sirens, still in the distance. But the beating of her heart, the pounding of her blood was so much louder, so much more urgent. She closed her eyes, reveling in the feel of Spence’s body so close to hers. Never had she felt so near the edge, and yet, oddly, so protected.

  Spence’s hand feathered through her hair as his chest lifted in a deep sigh. Natalie thought she knew exactly what he was thinking. What he was feeling. It was strange, in a way. She had once been madly in love with him. He was the first man who’d ever made love to her. And yet now, after all the bitter tears and angry accusations, all the hopeless mistakes and shattered dreams, she had never felt closer to him than she did at this moment.

  She drew away and stared up at him, not trusting herself to speak.

  “Natalie—” The sirens screamed just outside the house. “Damn.” His hands grasped her forearms as he said urgently, “Listen. We have to get our stories straight before they get in here.”

  “Stories…straight?” Still dazed, Natalie could only look at him in confusion. “What do you mean?”

  “The police don’t know anything about the diamonds.”

  “But…we have to tell them. Those diamonds give someone else a motive for Anthony’s murder. Like Jack Russo.”

  He let his hands drop from her arms. “I know, but we can’t pin anything on Russo. Without those diamonds, he’ll walk again.”

  “So…you’re willing to sacrifice me to catch him?” Natalie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Couldn’t believe that just moments ago, she’d been almost ready to start trusting him. “You can’t expect me to go along with that.”

  “Natalie, listen to me.” He reached for her again, but she jerked away from him. “In the eyes of the police, this won’t change anything. You’re still their number-one suspect. Until those diamonds are recovered—”

  “Until those diamonds are recovered, you’re perfectly willing to have everyone believe I killed Anthony.”

  “We don’t even know for sure Russo killed Anthony.”

  “But you think he did.”

  “I think there’s an excellent chance of that, yes.”

  “Then why not tell the police?”

  “Because if Russo knows we’re on to him, he’ll disappear, without the diamonds. And a cold-blooded murderer will go free. Is that what you want, Natalie?”

  “And what do you want?” she demanded. “Your man, at any cost? What if Kyle and I had been home tonight, Spence? What would have happened to us? Have you thought about that?”

  Spence had been thinking of little else ever since he’d walked into Natalie’s house and seen the destruction. But when he’d bailed her out of jail, he’d been so sure he could protect her. He hadn’t thought Russo would make a move so soon, not until the heat died down over Anthony’s murder. But obviously he’d been wrong, and he couldn’t afford to make another mistake like that. Not where Natalie and Kyle were concerned.

  He wanted to tell her not to worry. That she could trust him; that he would never do anything to harm her or her son. But why should she believe him? Anthony had done a real number on her, and now their mother was threatening to take Kyle away. No wonder Natalie didn’t trust any of the Bishops. Spence couldn’t blame her, because he didn’t trust his family, either.

  They stood in the middle of the kitchen floor, eyeing each
other warily as car doors slammed outside and the police swarmed into the house.

  “Without those diamonds, we don’t have anything on Russo,” Spence whispered. “If he gets wind of our surveillance, he’ll run. But the police will still need someone to pin Anthony’s murder on.”

  “And that someone is me, isn’t it?” Natalie whispered back, feeling the crushing weight of defeat bearing down on her shoulders.

  Spence didn’t answer, but his eyes—those Bishop eyes—said it all.

  CHAPTER TEN

  The first thing Natalie did when she got back to the hospital was go straight to Kyle’s bedside and stare down at him, sending up a prayer of thanks that he was all right.

  Her mother was dozing in the chair by the window, and Natalie was careful not to wake her. For once, even her mother’s presence couldn’t soothe the churning emotions inside her.

  First, Spence had kissed her tonight. Then she had gone home to find her house all but destroyed; learned that her son was the sole heir to the Bishop fortune, and that Spencer Bishop had used her once again. Used her to get what he wanted.

  He had deliberately put her and her son in danger in an attempt to recover stolen diamonds. For that, Natalie didn’t think she could ever forgive him. Especially after she had begun to have a glimmer of hope that she could trust him.

  In some ways, Natalie had never felt so betrayed. She hadn’t even wanted him to drive her back to the hospital, but after the police had left her house, she’d had little choice, other than call a cab, and she was too anxious to get back to Kyle to wait around for that. So she’d allowed Spence to drive her back here, but the moment he’d walked her to Kyle’s room, she’d sent him away.

  He’d wanted to come in. Natalie had known that, but by then she’d had enough for one night. Even the argument she’d overheard between him and Sergeant Phillips, who had already been irate for having been called out in the middle of the night, had done nothing to restore her faith in Spence.

  If anything, it had only made her feel worse—because he’d been right. The break-in hadn’t changed anything. Sergeant Phillips still didn’t believe her. He’d looked around at the devastation to her home, then looked at her as if to say, this doesn’t prove anything.

  The phone beside the bed rang, and Natalie reached out to jerk it up before the second ring. Kyle stirred in his sleep, and her mother shifted position in the chair, but neither of them awakened.

  It was so late, Natalie couldn’t imagine who would be calling. She brought the receiver to her ear and said very softly, “Hello?”

  “You got real lucky tonight, lady.”

  Natalie recognized the gruff voice instantly. It was the same man who had called her at home earlier. The man she now suspected was Jack Russo. Her heart slammed into her chest. “Who is this?”

  “I told you before, it doesn’t matter who I am. What matters is that you still have what’s mine.”

  “I—I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “You know exactly what I’m talking about.”

  Natalie’s hand shook so hard she could barely grip the telephone. She remembered what Spence had said earlier, that if Russo knew he was being watched, he would skip town. Somehow she managed to process this information and keep her voice relatively steady as she said, “I don’t know who you are or what you want. Why don’t you just leave me alone?”

  There was a long silence. In a deceptively soft voice, the man said, “How’s the boy?”

  And then the significance of Russo—if that’s who he was—calling Kyle’s hospital room hit her. He’d known Kyle was here, just as he’d somehow managed to get her unlisted number. He knew everything about them.

  The power of the moment was paralyzing. Natalie had never dealt with anyone like him before. A cold-blooded murderer who had killed once for those diamonds. Who was to say he wouldn’t do so again?

  “Sorry the kid had to get hurt,” the man said, “but I get a little irritated when somebody has something of mine and won’t give it back.”

  “Please,” she whispered. “I don’t have what you want.”

  “Then you better find them.” The affable note in his voice had vanished, was replaced by an edge as keen as a knife blade. “Because a few scrapes and bruises are nothing compared to what could happen to that kid if you refuse to cooperate. You understand what I’m saying?”

  “Yes,” she whispered, gripping the phone.

  “Good. I’ll be in touch and arrange for the drop. I don’t think I need to remind you that this little business is just between you and me. The police wouldn’t believe you anyway, but they could become a nuisance and then I might really get pissed off.”

  The line clicked, then went dead. With shaking hands, Natalie hung up the phone. She gazed down at Kyle as her heart hammered in her throat. Dear God, what was she going to do?

  She ran the back of her index finger down the side of Kyle’s soft cheek. He looked so sweet, lying there. So very defenseless. And her blood froze at the thought of his being in danger. She had to find a way to protect him. Against Russo, against Irene, and maybe even against Spence.

  She couldn’t let anything else happen to Kyle. Somehow, she had to remove him from harm’s way.

  No matter what happened to her, she had to find a way to protect her son at any cost.

  At any cost.

  * * *

  BY THE TIME SPENCE pulled into the circular drive of his family’s mansion, the clock on his dash read four minutes past midnight, but he knew his mother would still be up. She always kept late hours, and he didn’t want to wait until morning to say what he had to say to her.

  If Irene thought that he would back her in a custody suit against Natalie, she’d better think again. He might not be able to do much about the Russo situation just yet, but he sure as hell could alleviate Natalie’s fears where his mother was concerned.

  The boy belonged with Natalie. That point had been brought home earlier at the hospital, when he’d watched the two of them together. There was no doubt in Spence’s mind how much Natalie loved her son, and it gave him cold chills to think about Kyle being taken away from that love and put in this cold, dreary, lifeless house, to be raised by a cold, dreary, lifeless woman who didn’t know the first thing about love.

  Oh, Irene had adored Anthony. He’d been her idea of the perfect son—handsome, popular, charismatic. But love? No. Not even Anthony had won Irene’s love, because she simply wasn’t capable of giving it.

  Using the key his mother had given him two days ago when she’d asked him to move back home, Spence let himself in. Almost immediately the butler appeared in the foyer, apparently undaunted by Spence’s appearance so late at night.

  “Hello, Williams. Is Mother still up?”

  “She’s retired for the evening, sir.”

  “How about Anthea?”

  “I believe she’s still at the office.”

  “This late?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Mind if I wait for her?”

  “As you wish. May I get you something to drink?”

  “No, thanks. I’ll help myself.”

  Williams nodded curtly, then turned on his heel and disappeared down the hallway. Spence walked into the library and headed for the bar. The night was mild, but the breeze blowing in through the open French doors was distinctly chilly. He crossed the room to close the doors when a sound from outside stopped him.

  The French doors opened onto a wide terrace with stone steps that led down to the swimming pool. The pool lights were off, but the moon glimmered in silvery ripples across the surface. The sound came to him again—soft, feminine laughter.

  He stepped through the doors onto the terrace. The breeze carried the murmur of voices and the lapping of water against the sides of the pool as he stood there listening to the darkness. Someone was obviously out for a late-night swim.

  More whispers, more soft laughter, then silence.

  Spence started to go bac
k inside, when a man’s voice—low and urgent—said, “When can I see you again?”

  He couldn’t hear the woman’s response, but the man’s voice rose angrily. “Don’t play games with me! Not after everything I’ve done for you.”

  Silence reigned again, during which time Spence assumed the man’s anger was somehow being appeased. Then a male figure, tall and muscular, hitched himself from the pool, grabbed a towel from one of the lounges, and took off toward the back of the house.

  Spence frowned, not liking the idea of a stranger roaming the grounds. He started to follow the man, but a movement in the pool caught his attention, and for a moment, he watched the slender figure in the moonlight as she cut gracefully through the water. When she turned and came back, Spence was standing at the pool’s edge.

  Melinda’s gaze darted to each side, no doubt wondering if her companion had made a clean getaway. Obviously deciding that he had, she turned back to Spence with a coy smile.

  “Well, well,” she said. “What brings you calling this time of night?”

  “I couldn’t sleep.”

  Her elegant eyebrows rose. “Maybe you’re too tense, Spencer. A midnight swim could do wonders for you.” She laughed again as she slicked back her red hair with one slim hand. The action lifted her bare breasts out of the water, but she either didn’t notice or didn’t care. Judging by her demure smile, Spence decided it was probably the latter.

  “Come on in,” she invited. “The water’s great.”

  “It’s the middle of winter, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

  “It’s a warm night, in case you hadn’t noticed, and besides, the pool’s heated.”

  “I’m not in the mood for a swim.”

  Her voice lowered seductively. “What are you in the mood for?”

  “I want to talk to you.”

  Melinda shrugged her shapely shoulders. “Well, if you won’t come in, then I guess I’ll just have to come out, won’t I?”

  She stood, and in the moonlight, water ran off her smooth, bare skin like liquid glass. Her long red hair clung to her shoulders in damp clusters, and she slung her head so that the dark tresses hung in ringlets down her back.