by Leona Karr
He stroked her hair as he touched his lips to her tear-streaked cheek, then he gathered her close.
In the circle of his protective arms, the terror still racing through her body began to ease. After a few minutes the drumming of her heart slowed, and her breathing deepened. She closed her eyes and let the warmth of his body act as a barricade to the horror of the nightmare.
“You okay?” he asked gently, and she nodded as they lay quietly together. The only sound was the muted hum of the bedside clock. As he held her in his arms, Adam was acutely aware of the length of her body pressed against his. Even the nightclothes they both wore were little defense against his thoughts of what her tantalizing nakedness would be like. He ached to run his hands over her tempting curves and bring his lips to her trembling mouth.
With great effort, he pulled his thoughts away from this dangerous avenue of thinking. In her dazed and vulnerable state, she would probably respond. And then what? Would she ever believe that he had truly intended to keep their marriage a platonic one? Once they made love, there would be no going back, and neither of them needed to be emotionally torn apart when the stakes were so high.
He wasn’t surprised when she slowly removed herself from his embrace and lay on her back, looking up at the ceiling.
“Do you want to tell me about it?” he asked gently, raising himself on one elbow, and looking down at her. “Maybe it would help.”
“I’m…I’m sorry,” she stammered. She hadn’t had the nightmare for a long time and she was embarrassed by her hysterics. What must he think of her? She’d been chastised and ridiculed by foster parents for disturbing the whole house with her “childish tantrums.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry about,” he assured her as he gently turned her face toward him. One of the window drapes had not been drawn fully closed, letting moonlight into the room. Slivers of light were reflected in her moist eyes, making them lovelier than ever, but he was aware of the pain in their depths. “There’s no crime in having a bad dream, sweet Carolyn.”
She searched his face as if seeking reassurance. Then she moistened her lips and told him the story. By the time she’d finished, such anger had built up in him that he wanted to punish someone for the anguish she’d suffered. If he’d had any doubts that she deserved the good fortune that had come her way, they were swept away. He vowed then and there that if anyone ever hurt her again, they’d have to answer to him.
“I’m glad you told me,” he said as he tucked her, almost like a child, in the crook of his arm. She didn’t resist or pull away, but closed her eyes and took a deep breath as if just the telling had restored her.
When her measured breathing told him she’d fallen asleep, he eased back to his side of the bed. He couldn’t depend on his willpower to control the temptation he’d feel if he awoke and found her warm, inviting body next to his. It had been far too long since he’d been sexually satisfied. He knew damn well that he’d found a woman who could fire a passion that had been dormant since Marietta’s death. He also knew that he was in danger of falling in love with a woman who would only bring him another heartache. He silently groaned. Why couldn’t Arthur Stanford’s long-lost granddaughter been someone less beautiful and captivating? The assignment was difficult enough. He sure as hell didn’t need his heart put through the wringer at the same time.
CAROLYN OVERSLEPT THE next morning and awoke with a start when Adam entered the room with a breakfast tray.
“Hi, sweetness.”
She was startled at the endearment. There was no one around to hear it. Was he feeling sorry for her because of the nightmare? Her pride instantly began to prickle and she sat up. She couldn’t stand to be pitied. “What’s all this?”
“I thought you deserved breakfast in bed. Especially when the atmosphere in the breakfast room seems to be a repeat of last night’s dinner. Of course, if you’d rather face Jasper’s glower and Della’s caustic remarks, I can take the tray back.”
“Not on your life.” She fluffed the pillow behind her and sat up straighter. He put the tray on her lap. Sniffing and lifting the lids, she saw cereal, biscuits and strawberries with cream. Relaxing, she quipped, “Thank you, sir. You’re a good man.”
You don’t know how good, he thought wryly. She’d never know how utterly desirable she’d been lying in his arms. He deserved a medal for exemplary behavior.
“What are your plans for the day?” he asked as he lowered himself on a corner of the bed.
She looked thoughtful as she bit into a biscuit. “I don’t really know. Any suggestions?”
“I thought we might go shopping for a car. It seems to me you should have wheels of your own. And…”
“And what?” she prodded when he hesitated.
“I’d feel better about you driving yourself around, instead of depending on someone.”
She searched his face. “Is there something you’re not telling me? Nothing happened yesterday when Lisa was chauffeuring us around. And I can always drive one of the cars in the garage.”
“It’s just better to control as many variables as we can.”
“I don’t know what that means,” she admitted, frowning.
“It means that it’s easier to make sure one car is safe than two or three.”
“Safe?” she echoed, knowing exactly what he meant. He wasn’t talking about ordinary mechanical problems. “You don’t think…” Her voice trailed off.
“I’m not thinking anything definite at the moment, but you need a car and I think it’s a good idea to get one now. How about it? What kind of car have you always wanted?”
“One that has good tires and always starts on the first try.”
He laughed. “I think we can find one like that.”
CAROLYN COULDN’T DECIDE which of her new clothes to wear. Should she save them for a special occasion? Like buying your first new car? an inner voice asked. She finally chose a pair of light-wool maroon pants that hugged her slender hips, and a lavender cotton blouse, then accented the outfit with a bold gold-and-amethyst necklace. She pulled her hair high on her head to show off matching earrings and dabbed sinfully expensive perfume behind her ears.
Adam whistled when he saw her. “You look like a lady whose ready to buy the fanciest car on wheels. Let’s go make some salesman’s day.”
Finding the right car didn’t turn out to be as easy as Adam had thought. Carolyn was completely blown away by the fact that she could write out a check for any new-model automobile that struck her fancy. She wandered through showrooms like a child offered so many sweets it’s impossible to make a choice.
“How about this one?”
“Do you want something bigger?”
“This blue one matches your eyes,” he said, as they viewed a snappy little sports car.
“I don’t think that’s me,” she said cautiously. “Maybe something a little bigger and not so showy.”
She finally decided on a midsize foreign model, white with a burgundy interior. Adam breathed a sigh of relief.
The dealership agreed to deliver it to the house that afternoon. They grabbed a quick lunch and Adam drove them in his rental to Horizon.
As he parked he said, “I think I should spend some time in the business office.” Quickly he told her about his breakfast chat with Susan Kimble. “She intrigues me. I learned from someone else that she’s the business manager. That’s a position of great responsibility.”
“You don’t think she has anything to do with the black-market drugs, do you?” Carolyn looked at him in surprise. “She seems so…so nice.”
“At this early stage I’m simply looking for a thread I can unravel. Then I’ll follow it and see where it leads. The closer we get to identifying the guilty ones, the more likely they’ll try to stop us. Once that happens, the danger increases. Your position alone, Carolyn, puts you in jeopardy,” he warned her. “Don’t do anything on your own without checking with me first.”
Carolyn’s first impulse—to remind him t
hat she could take care of herself—died when she saw the hard glint in his eyes. His professional briskness didn’t invite any argument, and there was a fierceness about him that startled her. Was this the same man who’d held her tenderly last night and soothed her fears? It was ironic that she wore his wedding ring and slept every night in the same bed with him. She really didn’t know Adam Lawrence at all.
“All right, I won’t, but I don’t like the idea of tagging around after you all day.”
His expression softened. This flare of independence was one of the things he loved about her. She wanted to be her own person no matter the circumstances, and he wouldn’t want to force her into a role that would crush that. At the same time, he intended to keep a tight rein on her activities.
“Why don’t you spend the day with Della?” he suggested. “After all, if I weren’t in the picture, that’s what you’d naturally be doing to get a feel for the company.”
“She probably thinks I’m some kind of a dimwit, spending my time shopping with Lisa and sleeping late in the mornings,” Carolyn lamented.
Adam grinned. “Exactly. By now Della’s anxiety about your taking over should have worn off. Her defenses will be down, and no telling what you’ll be able to learn.”
“I don’t even know what I should be looking for. None of this is in my area of expertise,” she reminded him. How could he expect her to function as his trained investigative partner?
“For the moment just be aware of the way Della relates to different people. If you pick up any inconsistencies, make a mental note of them.”
“Inconsistencies like what?”
“Relating to someone in a way that is outside normal work interaction. Whoever is orchestrating this black-market fraud within the company isn’t doing it alone. It’s too big of an operation and too complicated.”
If the evidence against Horizon hadn’t been so conclusive, she would have argued that the company was innocent of any wrongdoing. More than anything she wished that Adam was wrong, but there was no discounting his conviction and determination. He’d lost someone he loved, and others would die if they didn’t bring the guilty ones to justice.
She firmed her chin. “All right. I’ll do my best. I’ve depended on my intuition about people more than once.”
They entered the building together, and for the benefit of any peering eyes, he gave her a hug and said, “See you in a while, darling.”
He blew her a kiss as he took the elevator up to the second floor, and Carolyn was smiling when she reached Della’s office. She warmly greeted the secretary sitting at an outer desk.
“Hello, I’m Carolyn Lawrence. Is Mrs. Denison in?”
“I’m sure she will be for you, Mrs. Lawrence. Just a moment and I’ll buzz her.”
Della must have already been on her feet when she heard who was waiting to see her, for her door jerked open only a second later. “For heaven’s sake, Carolyn, you don’t need to be announced. Why didn’t you use the connecting door between the offices?”
“I haven’t been to my office yet,” Carolyn confessed. “I’ve been out buying a car.” She knew she was deliberately fostering the impression that Adam wanted Della to have of her. Pleasure-seeking. Unmotivated. Dragging her feet about assuming any responsibility in the company.
“Well, come in. I was just having a little conference with Cliff, but we’re almost through.”
Carolyn’s sense of well-being instantly dissipated as Cliff rose from a chair in front of Della’s desk and gave her that knowing smile of his. “Good afternoon, Caro. Did I hear you say you’ve bought yourself a car?” He winked. “A Cadillac, no doubt, complete with all the bells and whistles.”
“Sorry to disappoint you, Cliff,” she replied without elaborating. It wasn’t any of his damn business what kind of car she bought. Turning to Della, she smiled apologetically. “Sorry to interrupt. If you don’t mind, I’ll just sit quietly while you take care of business.”
“Of course.” Della motioned to a leather chair in the conversational grouping of furniture that was some distance from her desk and where Cliff sat. Then she took some papers from her desk and leaning over his shoulder, talked quietly to him.
Their voices were muffled, and Carolyn had no idea if they were talking about the papers or about something else. When the intercom buzzed, Della listened and then said to Cliff, “Excuse me a minute. I have to confer with my secretary.”
She left the office, it was obvious to Carolyn that whatever Della needed to say to her secretary, she didn’t want to be overheard. Cliff got up from his chair and sauntered over to where Carolyn was sitting.
“How’s the pretty little rich girl doing?” he asked in that affable way of his. Only the glint in his eye told her there was a hidden agenda in his question.
“The same as always,” she answered pointedly. “Nothing’s changed really. I guess I could wake up tomorrow and go back to my old life, if that’s the way things turned out.”
“That would be a real shame. I’d sure hate to see you dragging a lot of old baggage around.”
“What makes you think I am? I assure you that I cut myself loose from my past mistakes a long time ago. How about you, Cliff?”
The question was a subtle way of reminding him that blackmail could work both ways. She knew things about him he wouldn’t want spread around, and as far as she was concerned he had a lot more to lose than she did. Then a thought like electricity shot through her.
Maybe Cliff wasn’t thinking of blackmailing her for money, but for her silence! If he was connected with the black-market trade, he would use everything he could to keep her from blowing the whistle.
“I never was one for compromise, Cliff,” she warned him.
“That’s too bad, Caro.” He started to say something more, but Della returned to her office, and his mask fell back in place. He left the office a few minutes later.
The rest of the afternoon Carolyn observed Della working at the computer, talking on the phone to people Carolyn didn’t know and solving problems she didn’t bother to explain to Carolyn. Carolyn realized that if she was to get a handle on the finances of the company, she was going to have to spend time looking over Della’s records. With her background, she’d be able to see for herself if the company was solvent. It was a little disturbing to realize how this one woman controlled so many areas. Carolyn couldn’t help but wonder if her grandfather had placed blind trust in Della Denison.
When Adam was ready to leave the business office, it was quitting time. His time with Susan had been about as productive as Carolyn’s. He’d observed the mechanics, but Susan hadn’t been very forthcoming about the details of the operation. Certainly he hadn’t been able to pick up any hints how false orders could be sent through the system.
They decided against going back to the mansion for dinner. Enduring another family dinner like the one the night before held no attraction. When Carolyn informed Della they’d be eating out, much to their surprise, she recommended a steak-and-lobster restaurant located in a small shopping area north of the city.
The drive along the waterfront was pleasant, and the food turned out to be everything Della had claimed. As Carolyn and Adam relaxed and enjoyed their meal, they deliberately avoided any stressful topic of conversation.
For a couple of hours they were just two people getting to know each other. After dinner they strolled along a pedestrian walkway lined with inviting stores.
“You could go inside and buy anything that strikes your fancy,” Adam reminded her.
“I’ve never been into stuff-ology,” she admitted. “I don’t have to own things to enjoy them.”
He grinned. “Somehow I don’t think that’s going to change. But now you can buy gifts for other people. How about your friend Rosie?”
Carolyn’s eyes sparkled. “Wonderful idea. I’m going to buy her a music box. She used to drive me crazy listening to every one displayed in a store, knowing full well she couldn’t afford to buy any of them.
”
They found a gift store, and Carolyn chose a miniature carousel with tiny pastel horses. Delighted with her gift, she slipped her arm through Adam’s as they retraced their steps to their car.
“How about going for a drive?” he asked as if the two of them were on a date. “It’s a lovely clear night. We might even park and count the stars.”
“Are your intentions honorable?” she asked with mock solemnity. He looked devastatingly handsome and sexy in his matching beige chambray shirt and trousers.
“Absolutely.”
“It’s a beautiful night,” she said. “Maybe we shouldn’t waste it.” She was surprised at her boldness. Flirting had never been part of her repertoire, and she felt a little nervous. What would she do if he thought she was coming on to him in a sexual way? Making out in a car when they had a huge bed waiting for them seemed utterly ridiculous.
They drove south for a few miles, and then Adam turned onto a small road leading to an elevated viewpoint area overlooking Puget Sound. Another car was parked there, but it left almost immediately.
A beach stretched at the bottom of a steep, rocky incline. As Adam turned off the ignition, Carolyn said, “I love the sound of the surf. Do you think there’s a way to climb down to the water?”
“Looks too steep, but we can check it out.”
They were walking hand in hand toward the edge of the parking area when it happened.
The sound of an engine roar behind them sent a warning. They swung around and saw a car was coming straight at them.
Blinded by the headlights, Carolyn screamed. Her legs wouldn’t work. Paralyzed, she stiffened against the impending impact.
At the last second Adam gave her a vicious shove.
Screaming brakes sounded in their ears as they tumbled head over heels down the rocky embankment to the water’s edge.
Chapter Eleven
Carolyn landed on her back in the cold, wet sand. Stunned, she saw the stars in the sky whirling like an off balance top. Everything had happened so fast that for one incoherent moment she thought she must be dreaming, but her bruised body assured her she was fully conscious.