Endangered: A Delecoeur Mystery #1

by Harte, Jenna

  “Chas, this is ridiculous. You might want to kill me, but killing Max won’t get what you want with or without a note.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean Madeleine isn’t dead.”

  Oh no! Madeleine thought.

  Max eyes widened and looked back to the bathroom. He couldn’t see Madeleine, but guessed that Julia had. It would be too much to hope that Madeleine would sit tight. He looked to Julia his eyes imploring her to stop.

  “You’ve gone mad mom. We went to the funeral yesterday.”

  “Did you see her body in the casket? Think Chas. Max would do anything to keep her safe. Even fake her death.”

  “Shut up! I killed her. I shot her myself.”

  “You didn’t.”

  “Okay so where is she?”

  “She’s not here. She’s in a safe house.” Max jumped in with a warning glance to Julia.

  “How convenient.”

  “Well he’s not going to keep her here. Think Chas,” Julia said.

  “Stop saying that!” He yelled pointing the gun at her.

  “If she isn’t dead, you’re safe as long as you let us go. You can’t be convicted of a murder you didn’t commit,” she explained.

  Max saw Madeleine peek around the corner on his side of the dressing room. He moved forcing Chas to turn his back on her in order to keep Max in sight. Max glared at her, his eyes told her to move back. Instead, she moved towards his closet. God, what was she doing? One little turn and Chas would see her.

  “She’s right. You have what it takes Chas. If you want to be recognized as my son, we can still do that.”

  “You’re lying.” Chas pointed the gun back to Max. “I thought you’d be a different kind of father.”

  “I could have been had I known,” Max said. “I still can, given the chance.”

  Madeleine opened Max’s closet one millimeter at a time. She’d remembered the golf club he kept there. It had been a souvenir from a celebrity tournament that he'd lost. Apparently, the winner felt sorry for Max and gave him his putter. It was useless in the closet, but maybe it could do some damage if she swung it hard enough. She had wanted to open the closet door wide enough to slide in, but was afraid that would take too much time. So when the opening was big enough, she reached her hand in to feel around the back. She felt the coolness of a metal rod. She tried to wrap her hand around it and felt it begin to slip. Oh God, she thought. She leaned in and closed her fingers around the staff. Slowly she pulled it towards her, clutching it to her body when it finally was free of the closet. Moving slowly, she stood.

  “Give him a chance, Chas. He can be the father you deserved,” Julia said moving next to Max.

  “You told me once, mother, that it would be dangerous to cross Max. And you said I should never underestimate him. If I take your advice, I can’t believe a word he says to me now. I killed his beloved wife. My only choice now is to kill him.” Chas raised his gun towards Max.

  Madeleine’s heart leapt to her throat. She pulled the club back over her head and charged towards Chas.

  “Oh, God Chas, no!” Julia cried as she dove in front of Max.

  Madeleine heard a loud bang and then felt the club hit the top Chas’ head with a whack. He dropped to the ground. Running on adrenaline, Madeleine dropped the club and grabbed the gun that had fallen from his hand. She held it over Chas, but he remained motionless.

  “Max?” Madeleine cried and moved towards him.

  He was on his knees cradling Julia in his lap.

  “I’ll call the police and ambulance,” Madeleine said relieved that Max wasn’t hit. After her call she went back to them.

  “How is she?”

  Max’s eyes told her it didn’t look good, but he said, “It will take more than a gunshot to rid the planet of Julia Devlin.”

  “Damn right,” Julia said on a winded whisper. She lifted her hand to Max’s cheek. “Consider this my second selfless act.”

  “You’ve got it.” He smiled, but Madeleine could see the worry in his eyes.

  Julia then looked to Madeleine. “I’m glad you aren’t dead. Heartbreak doesn’t look good on Max.”

  Madeleine dropped next to Julia. “Thank you. Thank you for saving him.”

  Julia nodded, but was too weak to respond further.

  “Hold on, Julia,” Max said. “Just hold on.”

  Chapter Ten

  Madeleine found Max sitting in the chaise lounge on the balcony of their Napa Valley Villa overlooking the vineyards. He wasted no time in whisking her away to the vineyard once Chas was arrested and Julia’s condition stabilized. They visited her before they left and while she looked tired, she seemed to be returning to normal. She’d already made a dinner date with her doctor for when she got out of the hospital.

  During the flight to Napa, Max received a call that Gavin Shaffer had been located and arrested as well. Once he learned that Chas had been arrested, he confessed to his part in the plot in order to secure a lesser sentence. All that was left to learn were DNA results about Chas' paternity.

  “You’re up early,” she said.

  “Did I wake you?” He moved so she could sit with him.

  “Your absence in bed woke me.” She sat between his legs and leaned against him. “Are you thinking about the DNA test?”

  He nodded.

  Madeleine understood how conflicted he was. She wished there was some way to ease his discomfort over the situation.

  “I hope you don’t mind, I asked the lab to call me as soon as they had the results,” he said.

  “No, I don’t mind. I’m anxious to know myself.”

  He looked down at her. “It won’t change anything between us.”

  It was a statement, but Madeleine saw in his eyes that he was worried. “Max, nothing will change what's between us. If Chas is your son, I know you'll want to get to know him even if it's through prison bars. And even if he isn’t your son, because he’s Julia’s son, you'll likely want to help him.”

  “The truth is I don’t want to help him or know him. But I know I should if he is my son.”

  And that was the conflict. In trying to kill Madeleine, Chas had made an enemy of Max who was usually forgiving. But the malice by which Chas had operated and carried out his plan, made it impossible for Max to forget. He would have lost everything if Chas had succeeded in killing Madeleine.

  Madeleine took his hand in hers. “Whatever the results, we’ll deal with it. No one would judge you for not accepting him as your son under these circumstances.”

  “It goes against what I believe I should do.”

  “I know.” She lifted his hand to her lips and kissed his knuckles. “Let's just wait for the call.”

  They sat watching the sun slowly creep over the vine-covered hills. As it settled into the sky, it spread its warmth over the balcony and onto Max and Madeleine. Madeleine felt him take deep breath, as if he were breathing in the warmth and light. She turned to look up at him and saw contentment.

  “Shall I order some breakfast from the Inn?” she asked.

  “How about a champagne breakfast?” Max’s hands moved from her lap to slide across her belly.

  Madeleine smiled up at him, glad to see his spirits had lifted. It was amazing how a sunrise could shed light on what was really important; they were alive and together. As long as they had that, nothing else mattered.

  “Are you hoping to get lucky?”

  “Hope springs eternal.” He grinned and kissed her nose.

  Turning her body, she straddled his lap. “Then how about we have dessert first?”

  Heat flashed in his eyes. His hands slid around her back and pulled her to him, torso to torso.

  “That’s the best idea I’ve heard all day,” he murmured as he pressed his lips to hers. "Lookey here," he said as he opened the sash on her robe.

  "You can touch too."

  "Lucky me."

  Madeleine held his face in her palms. "There's no luck about it. I love you."<
br />
  He smiled. "Show me."

  She did want to show him. She wanted him to know just how much she loved and desired him. How she longed for him always. She wanted him to know that whatever the results of the paternity test, she would be there for him. What she didn't want him to know was how unsettling it was to think that he could be a father.

  She traced her lips over his shoulders and chest where his robe once hung. She took in his heady scent, felt his heart quicken under her touch. She slid her hands down his chest, over his abdomen and lower. She found him hard and heavy with desire. She smiled and then let her lips take the same journey her hands had.

  "Madeleine." Her name came out in a harsh whisper. She felt his fingers in her hair, holding her to him. She used his words, sometimes naughty, sometimes encouraging, as her guide.

  "Madeleine!" his voice was brusque as he reached for her.

  She wrapped her hand around him and looked up into his clouded blue eyes. "Problem?"

  "My turn." He pulled her to him until she straddled his thighs. She moved to take him in, but he stopped her. He was in control now and he took the time he wanted to touch and taste and to show her that she was everything to him. His hands slid up her back and pulled her to him so he could take a soft peak of breast into his mouth. She sighed and held his head to her. He suckled the other breast as his hands slid down over her buttocks and kneaded them gently.

  "Max," she pleaded.

  Not able to deny her any longer, he pulled her to him, over him. She took him in on a long feral groan.

  God he loved this woman. It was beyond words how much she was a part of him, his heart and soul. The situation with Julia and Chas weighed heavy on his mind, but he wasn't so self-absorbed that he didn't see it was taking a toll on Madeleine as well. He wasn't sure what was going on in her gorgeous head, as she hadn’t wanted to share. Even when he'd asked, she brushed it off. He knew her well enough to know that it wasn't Julia and his previous relationship with her. Madeleine had met many of his old girlfriends. While she sometimes showed some vulnerability, he'd always been able to prove to her that she was beyond compare. Julia was no different.

  So it had to be Chas and the possibility that Chas was his son. Why that would bother her, he couldn't fathom. He was upfront with her that he'd hoped he wasn't the father and was unsure of what he'd do if he was. For a moment he wondered if she was regretting not having children, but they had decided that they were in no hurry and that maybe they wouldn't have them at all. He never regretted that decision, ever. With Madeleine, he had all that he needed. So whatever was bothering her, he wanted to make sure she knew, without a doubt, that his life, his love, was completely devoted to her.

  Madeleine slowly began to move over him, around him, feeling the tension grow inside her again. "Max," she whispered to him.

  He lifted his face to hers and she kissed him, long and deep as she move around him. When the kiss broke, their eyes held, watching, loving, waiting, until Madeleine threw her head back as a ball of pleasure imploded and then released. As the tension subsided, she gazed again into to Max's darkened blue eyes and watched as he surrendered to the pleasure.

  ~~~

  During breakfast, the phone rang. Max and Madeleine stopped eating and looked to each other. "Here we go," he said as he picked up the phone. “Max Delecoeur.”

  Madeleine watched his face for any sign of what was being said on the other end of the phone. After a few minutes, Max hung up the phone. He sat for a moment, lost in thought.

  Well?” she asked.

  He looked at her. “I’m not the father.”

  She couldn’t contain her relief. She lunged herself into his lap. “Thank goodness.”

  He wrapped his arms around her. “I know it sounds bad, but I’m relieved.”

  “It's not bad.” She squeezed him tight. “Does Julia know?”

  “She will soon. I gave the okay for the lab to call her too.”

  “How do you think she'll take it?”

  “I think deep down she regrets what happened. Perhaps Chas would have been a different man if she’d been upfront with everyone.”

  Madeleine shuddered at the thought. Had Julia done something different, Max may not have been at the charity event where they met.

  “How are you doing?” Max asked.

  “I’m fine. Actually…”

  “What?”

  “It's silly,” Madeleine said, her cheeks red with embarrassment.

  “Tell me.”

  “I really hoped he wasn’t your son.” She looked into Max’s brilliant blue eyes. “I would have been jealous of Julia giving you something I didn’t.”

  Max eyes softened. “It wouldn’t have changed anything.”

  “I know. It’s a woman thing I guess.”

  “We made that choice together.” He took her arms and gave a small shake. “Madeleine. You have given me so much more than I would have ever imagined I could have. My life starts and ends with you. Nothing, not children, not more wealth could ever give me the happiness and …. Joy,” he said struggling to find words that conveyed his feelings. “That you have given me. And I would trade everything I have and that I am, to keep you with me.”

  She smiled as she ran her arms over his shoulders. “I know. I know. I feel the same about you. Every day with you has been such a gift.”

  “Has it?”

  Madeleine cocked her head questioningly. “You don’t believe me?”

  “Well, you were jealous that Julia might have given me a son. Do you regret that haven't given you one?”

  “No. Not at all. We talked about that -”

  He pressed a finger to her lips. “Then why would it be different for me?”

  She smiled sheepishly. “It wouldn’t.”

  “Madeleine. We have the perfect life. So few have what we have and I don’t mean the money. The depth of love and passion we have. The ability to create the life we want. I know that very few people if any have that. There are no regrets in my life with you.”

  Her eyes became watery. "But you'd make a great dad."

  One dark brow rose. "Are you saying that you want children?"

  Was she, she wondered? She hadn't thought about it until Julia had asked about it or when it became possible that Chas was his son. "I ... I don't know."

  He smiled. "It's not too late. Men can make babies well into their elder years-"

  "You talk like you're ancient. You're barely over forty."

  "And you're still in your thirties."

  "Are you saying you want children? Julia said you didn't."

  This time he paused. "First of all, you can't always trust what Julia says. Or what I said when I was 17 years old. The truth is, I've never really thought about it. But now that we're talking about it, there is a certain appeal to it."

  "It would change our lives drastically."

  "It would definitely create a new kind of adventure. I've lived in southern California for over twenty years and have never been to Disneyland." Madeleine laughed. She loved how Max could find adventure and joy in just about anything. "And I've only got two more years on my five year plan. When I retire, I'll have lots of time. But, it would hinder your work."

  "I've never been to Disneyland either. I hear they have one in France and Japan too."

  He grinned down on her. "So...?"

  "So...?" she responded back.

  "I guess we don't have to decide right now," he said finally. "We can sleep on it."

  She nodded. "Sleep on it."

  "And while we sleep on it, we can practice."

  "You don't think we have the baby-making process down?"

  "Sure we know how to make love, but we've never done it with the intention of creating life. We should probably practice that."

  Madeleine laughed. "I think practice is a good idea."

  Smiling even as he kissed her, he murmured. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

  The End

  Excerpt from Deadly Valentine, A
Valentine Mystery Book One

  "Written with precision and care, this intriguing romance/murder mystery is a fun read that will keep readers guessing until the very end." - PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY

  Check out the first two chapters of Deadly Valentine, book one in the Valentine Mystery series.

  Chapter One

  I think I'm going to puke. Tess studied her face in the nineteenth-century Louis XV-style mirror in Asa Worthington's foyer. Pale, but not green. Still, the rolling in her stomach told her things could get worse. Why she'd let Daniel Showalter talk her into attending his uncle's dinner party she didn't know. It had disaster written all over it even before her stomach threatened to embarrass her in front of the town's most elite family.

  Recently, Daniel's actions suggested he wanted more than friendship. Not that Daniel was a bad guy. He was handsome, down-to-earth and Tess loved his parents as if they were her own. But she was as committed to celibacy as one could get, short of joining a convent. She'd given up on the idea of love ever after, preferring the sensual delights of chocolate, Marvin Gaye tunes and couture French underwear instead.

  But it wasn't Daniel's affection for her that threatened to ruin the night. It was his uncle. Asa Worthington was a volatile, intolerant, self-serving man whose gatherings usually involved patronizing or humiliating everyone in attendance. Even Asa's sister, Helen, found him so distasteful that she hadn't been to a family function in over twenty years.

  The night was proving worse than Tess anticipated when Daniel's cell phone rang, calling him back to duty as a police detective just as they arrived. So she stood abandoned and stranded in the foyer hoping her lunch didn't reappear and mess up the beautiful Italian marble floor. The things one did in the name of friendship.