by Sharon Sala
“It’s okay. Look on the positive side. This is more than you remembered yesterday. Just focus on the fact that things are coming back to you.”
She looked at him, and there was such terror in her eyes. “What if—?”
He shook his head. “No ifs. First rule—deal only in known facts.”
She tried to smile. “Who’s rule is that? The military, or some private-investigative thing?”
“Neither. It’s something my father taught me. I guess you might say it’s just the Justice way.”
The mention of his family made her think of the brother he’d called.
“Do you think your brother will call today?”
Roman tilted her chin with the tip of his finger and centered a hard kiss on the curve of her mouth.
“He’ll call when he has something to tell me and not before.”
Daisy cupped the side of his face, remembering the way he made love and wishing they could stay like this forever.
“Is he like you? Your brother, I mean.”
“No one is like Royal. He’s a law unto himself.”
A slight frown furrowed her forehead. “Would I like him?”
Roman grinned. “Probably. Most women do.”
“What does his wife think about that?”
“His wife is dead. He’s been raising his daughter, Maddie, by himself almost from the start. Doing a good job of it, too. But don’t tell him I said so.”
Daisy’s expression grew solemn. “How sad for him. How old is Maddie, anyway?”
“She’s four, going on forty. She’s definitely a female, just short.”
“She’s probably resilient, too.” Daisy said. “I know I was. My mother died when I was...” She paused in midsentence, a look of wonderment coming over her face.
Roman tensed. When she hadn’t been concentrating, a truth had slipped out.
“Oh, Roman. I remembered something.” Her voice was shaking. “My mother died when I was born.”
“See,” he said softly. “Like I said. When you’re ready, it will come.”
Daisy closed her eyes and turned her head, but Roman wouldn’t let her hide, not even from herself.
“Daisy. Look at me.”
She sighed, then did as he asked. “What?”
“Why did you do that?”
“Do what?” she said.
“Turn away from me.”
Her hesitation was brief, but it was there all the same.
“Daisy...don’t you think that last night moved us past the stage of keeping secrets?”
She nodded.
“You should be happy that things are coming back to you. Right now, they don’t make much sense, but in time, they will. So what’s the problem?”
Her lips were trembling as she looked into his face.
“I think I’m afraid.”
He groaned and then hugged her close. “I’m with you on this all the way, remember?”
“But, Roman, what if you were right all along? What if I stole that money?”
“Then we’ll give it back and deal with the consequences.”
“What if the consequences aren’t all I have to deal with?”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“What if it’s like you said? What if there’s a man in my life?”
There already is a man in your life. Me. But he couldn’t say it, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t ignore the fact that when her memory came back, the woman she would become might not like the man he was.
She slid her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. Her voice was soft, her gaze filled with tears.
“Roman?”
“What?”
“It’s been a long time since last night.”
The longing in her voice matched the one in his heart, but he was too attuned to what was still wrong between them to ignore how right this all felt.
“Have you faced the fact that getting more involved might make things worse?” he asked.
Daisy locked her fingers at the back of his neck.
“Right now, the worst thing I can think of is losing you.”
He shook his head and grabbed her wrists. “Damn it, Daisy, you’re ignoring the truth. You don’t have me.” And I damned sure don’t have you.
Her voice started to shake as tears welled in her eyes. “Truth? You’re my truth. You’re my yesterday, and you’re my tomorrow. Don’t you understand? I can’t remember anything or anyone but you.”
Pain tore at his gut as he pulled her close again. “I understand more than you think. And I know something you aren’t willing to face. Whatever you feel for me now is based on fear. You think you love me because I make you feel safe. You get your memory back, and then see how you feel. Until then, I think the less talk of making love, the better off we’ll both be.”
She tore free from his grasp. Tears were streaming down her face as she stood. Just when he thought she was going to stomp away, she spun, and there was a fervor in her voice he couldn’t ignore.
“You speak for yourself, Roman Justice. Maybe you don’t have the guts to trust your heart, but I trust mine.”
Gordon was mobile.
He was a man who’d dreamed of traveling in style, and the gaping back of his hospital gown and the IV he was wheeling up and down the hall had never been part of the dream. But he was also not a man to stand in the way of progress, and getting off his back and onto his feet was progress indeed.
The nurse at his side was nothing like the elegantly dressed women he usually cultivated, but she would do until something better came along. At least this nurse had succumbed to his charms and his story. She’d taken him farther up the hall than he’d ever gone before, and that was just where he wanted to be. Up two more doors, and then the next room would be Billy’s. It was simple. All he had to do was get there.
“You’re doing great, Mr. Mallory, but I think we’ve gone far enough for today. We need to turn around and—”
Damn, damn, damn. Not yet. Not yet.
Gordon paused, pretending to rest while his mind was racing. And then a nurse burst out of a room up ahead and started toward them. When she drew near and realized it was Gordon she saw, without thinking, she burst out with her news.
“Good news, Mr. Mallory. Your brother is coming to.”
The fact that Gordon paled was not lost on the little nurse at his side.
“Here, now,” she said quickly. “You’ve been up too long. You need to get back to your bed.”
Gordon shook off her hand. “No. I need to see my brother. That’s what I need.” And he started up the hall toward the open door.
“Wait, Mr. Mallory. You can’t—”
He staggered inside, one hand clutching his broken ribs, the other dragging his IV. His gaze went directly to Billy, and had he not known for certain it was his brother in that bed, he would never have recognized him. Unprepared for the shock, all he could do was stare.
All those tubes. All those machines. And his face! My God.
“He’s not as bad as he looks,” the nurse said quickly, and grabbed Gordon by the arm, guiding him out of the room and back down the hall. “Most of that is superficial swelling, and the bruises will fade with time.”
Gordon’s stomach pitched, and it was with great effort that he made it back to his room before he heaved up the contents.
Long after the nurse was gone, the image of his little brother’s face kept moving in and out of his mind. He kept remembering the days of their childhood, and hearing his mother reminding him over and over that Billy was his responsibility. That he was the big brother and to make certain that Billy didn’t come to harm.
He closed his eyes, hoping sleep would help him escape the reality of the truth, but even then, it was with him. It was all Gordon’s fault that Billy was in this mess. He’d needed a lookout at the casino. He’d talked Billy into doing the job, even though he hadn’t really wanted to. And he hadn’t planned on killing the casino owner. It had just ha
ppened. It was no wonder Billy had freaked out in the plane. It was no wonder he’d strapped a chute on Holly Benton and dumped the money out with her when she jumped.
Gordon accepted the guilt for the mess they were in. He hadn’t meant to hurt anyone, but he’d gotten caught up in the power of having so much money in his hands. He’d been willing to do anything to keep it. Even murder...twice. If he had it to do over—
Then he cursed beneath his breath. It didn’t pay to look back. What was done, was done. All he had to do was focus on getting better and, thanks to Davis Benton’s offer, getting Billy out of this hospital and back to Las Vegas. The bottom line was, he didn’t want his brother to die.
He tried to roll over, groaning aloud as he shifted position. It was no use. His ribs hurt too much for the effort.
“Well, damn, little brother. We nearly had it made.”
There was little rest for Gordon that night. He was forced to lie in the bed, contemplating his sins and praying that whatever Billy might say in the future, the authorities would attribute to hallucinations, and not the truth.
It was beginning to thaw. From the loft where Roman was standing, he could hear water running off the roof. On the one hand, that was good. The supplies he’d packed were running low. But that also meant they would have to leave. The insular world in which they’d been existing was about to come to an end. Just the possibility of never seeing Daisy again made him sick. But if there was a man on the other side of this snowfall who had a prior claim on her, it could happen.
He leaned over the railing and looked down. She was sweeping up the bits of wood chips and ashes that were scattered on the hearth, oblivious to the fact that she was being watched. He glanced at the closet near the front door. There was a small fortune in that unassuming bag he’d tossed inside. As he looked back at Daisy, he kept asking himself, What’s wrong with this picture? Experience told him to be wary until he knew all the facts, even though his heart was already committed. Instinct told him he already knew all he needed to know. She was innocent. She had to be.
He started down the stairs, suddenly needing to be near her, to see that look she got just before he touched her. A board creaked beneath his weight and Daisy turned with an expression of hope upon her face. Before either of them could speak, Roman’s cellular phone rang, shattering the quiet with a rude reminder of the civilization they’d left behind.
Daisy froze as an overwhelming urge to hide came over her. Roman saw her fear and understood. It would be Royal. He ran the rest of the way to the phone.
“Hello.”
“Little brother, how goes it?”
“It’s starting to melt,” Roman said. “What did you find out? Were there any reports of missing planes?”
“Yeah.”
Roman’s gut clenched. “So tell me.”
“Some private plane went missing right before the snow. Took off from Las Vegas bound for the Bahamas.”
The Bahamas. A good place to launder a whole lot of money.
“Go on,” Roman urged, refusing to let his imagination get ahead of the facts.
“They found it before that second snow hit. Three on board. Two survivors, one dead. They are being hospitalized in Denver.”
“Anything else?” Roman asked.
“Search and rescue is supposed to go back after the snow melts.”
“Why?”
“To look for another body. It seems there was a fourth passenger in the plane, but she wasn’t anywhere around when they pulled the others out. They’re guessing she wandered off after the crash and probably froze to death. Have to wait until the snow melts to find her body.”
The knot in his belly tightened. “She?”
“Yep, and are you ready for this. It was Davis Benton’s daughter.”
Roman frowned. The name was familiar. Benton? Benton? Where had he heard that name before? And then it hit him.
“Benton, as in the computer magnate?”
“That’s what they said. I guess this was one of those times when being rich didn’t help.”
“What was her name?” Roman asked.
“Uh, Holly, I think the name was Holly.”
“And the other passengers. Who were they?” Roman asked.
“Hang on a minute, will you? I have it all written down somewhere. Maybe in my other jacket. Here, talk to Maddie while I go look.”
Roman winked at Daisy, trying to ease the tension on her face, and then covered the phone long enough to explain what was going on.
“Royal is looking for something. He’s putting Maddie on the phone.”
And then a sweet little voice piped in his ear. “Hello, Uncle Roman.”
“Hey, Little Bit, what have you been doing?”
She sighed, and he could imagine the look on her face—the one she wore just before she unloaded a list of wants in his ear.
“Jus’ nothin’,” she said.
He grinned. “Nothing? You haven’t done a thing since I left?”
Her voice grew smaller, more pitiful. “No, not a gol-durned thing.”
He stifled a laugh. Royal was going to pitch a sweet fit when he heard that come out of her mouth.
“What about that cat you were playing with the other day?”
Her sigh deepened. “I can’t play with it no more. It’s flea-bit.”
He chuckled. “Anymore. You can’t play with it anymore.”
“That’s what I jus’ said.”
This time he had to laugh, and as he did, wished he could share the moment with Daisy. She looked as upset as Maddie sounded.
“Uncle Roman?”
“What, honey?”
“When you comin’ home?”
“As soon as the snow goes away.”
The moment it came out of his mouth, a loud clunk sounded in his ear. He could hear Maddie’s footsteps as she ran away, and then he heard Royal yelling at her from across the room. Moments later, Royal was back on the phone.
“What the hell did you say to her?” Royal asked.
“Nothing.”
“Well, you said something. She lit out of here, yelling at the top of her lungs that she was going to build a snowman before the snow was all gone.” He snorted beneath his breath. “It’s in the high eighties down here.”
Roman laughed. Now he understood. “She asked me when I was coming home. I told her I’d come as soon as the snow melted. I guess she thinks when it snows, it snows everywhere.”
“Oh, great,” Royal muttered. “Now we’ll be talking about weather patterns for the next week. I swear, I don’t know where all that curiosity comes from.”
“Royal...” Roman prompted.
“Oh, yeah. The notes. Now, what was it you wanted to know?”
“The other passengers. Do you know who they were?”
“Only names. The deceased was the pilot, Everett Bailey. The two survivors are brothers. Gordon Mallory and his brother, Billy. My source told me they buy and sell real estate.”
Roman frowned. “Is that all?”
“Yeah, except...”
“Except what?” Roman asked.
“Well, not that it matters, since she never made it to the altar, but the missing woman was eloping with one of the Mallorys. Don’t know which one. Hell of a thing, isn’t it, to lose your sweetheart on the eve of a wedding?” Then he muttered, more to himself than to Roman, “In fact, it’s hell losing her, no matter when it happens.”
Roman’s heart sank. Elope? That meant love—love strong enough to marry. Ah, God. Then his mind went back to the matter at hand.
“What about Benton?”
“What about him?” Royal asked.
“Is he in Denver, too?”
“Oh, yeah. They said he’s been hounding search and rescue every day, and can you blame him? I’d be doing the same.”
“Did they say where he was staying?”
Royal glanced down at his notes. “No, but if I was guessing, I say at the most expensive hotel in the city.”
/> “Thanks, Royal. I’ll be in touch.”
“Take care, Roman. See you when I see you.”
The connection was broken. Roman straightened and then looked at Daisy, trying to imagine her as someone named Holly. It didn’t work.
“What did he say?” Daisy asked. “Am I a criminal?” Then her face crumpled. “Oh, please, Roman, tell me. I can’t stand it any longer. Did I murder someone? When you take me back, are they going to put me away?”
He wanted to hold her, but considering what had to be said, keeping his distance seemed the wisest move.
“Does the name Benton mean anything to you?”
Chapter 8
Something nudged at the back of Daisy’s mind, but it was too far back to remember. Her gaze was fixed and almost panic-stricken, her expression grim.
“No. Should it?”
Some of the tension Roman had been holding dissipated. He’d prepared himself for a revelation that hadn’t happened.
“Maybe,” he said, although he knew in his heart the answer should have been yes. The coincidence of her parachuting from a plane other than the one that had crashed would have been ludicrous.
Daisy staggered to the nearest chair and dropped. Her hands were in fists, her body shaking.
“Tell me,” she said. “I have to... No, I deserve to know what was said.”
Roman sighed. She was right.
“A plane did go down. The timing coincides with your arrival here. It went down the evening before the storm.”
She swallowed once, but remained silent, her gaze fixed upon the sternness of his expression. She was afraid—so afraid.
“They didn’t find it until after the first snowfall had ended. There were three people on board. The pilot was dead, but there were two brothers on board who survived.” Roman shoved a hand through his hair, while watching her every move. “As soon as the snow melts, they’re going back out again to look for the woman who was supposed to be on board.”
Her heart dropped. Oh God. It has to be me.
“Who was she?” Daisy asked.
“Her name was Holly Benton, the daughter of Davis Benton.”
Again, something whispered in the back of her mind, but the voice wasn’t loud enough to be heard. And then she focused in on the way Roman had spoken his name.