by Lisa Childs
“Schievink’s assistant,” Nick said. “The one who worked with him the most.” Her former colleague had had suspicions about why Amber had been given all the best cases.
“The redheaded lawyer?”
Nick nodded.
“I heard Schievink was doing her, too.” So even he had heard the rumors.
“What else had you heard about her?” Nick asked. “Was she corrupt?”
He shrugged. “If they were as close as everyone thinks they were, wouldn’t she be?” Chekov asked. “Why else would she have looked the other way?”
Nick had nearly let Milek get to him earlier that day—with his rational defense of Amber. Of course she wouldn’t have willingly put her own son in danger. Even men like Chekov cared about their kids.
But Amber wasn’t as innocent as Milek thought she was. So Nick had been right to warn his new friend. He didn’t want the guy risking his life or his heart on a woman who couldn’t be trusted.
* * *
“Do you believe it?” she asked.
Milek glanced up from his son’s bed. He’d just tucked in the little boy after spending most of the day playing with him. “I know I’m his father.” Gregory claiming her baby as his had given him momentary doubts, though. Just as Rus had tried to do earlier. But after the baby had been born, Milek had gotten a look at him, and he’d known.
She shook her head. “I wasn’t talking about Michael.”
He rose from his crouch next to the boy’s bed and barely resisted patting his head. He wanted to—but he didn’t want to risk waking the boy. It had been a long day for him—of reacquainting himself with Aunt Stacy and getting to know Uncle Garek. His son still didn’t know what to call him.
Still didn’t know that Milek was his father.
Because he didn’t want to wake the boy, he waited to speak until they’d left his room. Exhausted from his sleepless night, he dropped onto the couch. He would sleep there tonight. He wouldn’t risk making love with her again—wouldn’t risk falling for her again.
“We need to talk about Michael,” Milek said. That conversation was five years overdue. It had been easier to believe Schievink, to accept her baby was her boss’s rather than acknowledge his own paternity—even after he’d seen the child. Despite knowing the truth, he’d tried to deny it. He wasn’t any more cut out to be a father than his father had been. Hell, he was worse. Patek Kozminski hadn’t really ever killed anyone. Like Garek, he’d gone to prison for a crime he hadn’t committed.
She nodded. “Yes, we do. But I want to talk about what your brother said—that I’m a suspect in Gregory’s death. Do you believe it?”
“No.” Despite Rus’s efforts, he had no doubts.
She studied his face, though, as if searching for suspicion. “But you believe the rest of the rumors—that we were involved?”
His stomach began to churn with the jealousy that had eaten away at it five years ago. “Yes.”
“How could you?” she asked. “You—of all people—should know better than to listen to gossip. With everything said about your family, you should have no use for rumors.”
“I didn’t,” he said. “I heard it directly from the horse’s mouth.”
“I never told you...” Her eyes widened with shock as realization dawned. “Oh...”
“Yup,” he said. “Good ole Gregory told me the two of you were in love, but he couldn’t leave his wife yet.”
“Is—is that why you broke our engagement?” she asked. “How could you believe him? How could you think that I would cheat on you? Did you know me at all?”
He’d known her. But he’d known himself better. And he hadn’t trusted he wouldn’t hurt her even more eventually—if he stayed with her. “Schievink didn’t tell me that until after we’d broken up.” That was when he’d summoned Milek to his fancy mansion—to show him everything he could offer Amber.
Her brow furrowed. “I don’t understand why he would lie to you.”
He could have told her what Schievink had said before the breakup, pointing out how her association with the Kozminskis would damage her career. But that had been the truth. Amber had just brought up all the horrible rumors herself. “He knew you’d told me you were pregnant, and he wanted me to know the baby was his.”
With a hissing sound, her breath slipped out between her lips. “That son of a bitch,” she said. “If I’d known that, I may have hired someone to kill him.”
He chuckled at her reaction. Rus didn’t know her at all.
Then she tilted her head as she stared at him. And he saw the suspicion in her narrowed green eyes. He was so glad she’d stopped wearing the contacts. But she didn’t need a disguise anymore. Everyone knew she was alive—especially whoever wanted to kill her.
He shook his head. “If I’d wanted Schievink dead, I wouldn’t have waited five years to do it.” But he had momentarily lost his temper that day when he’d struck the man. Gregory had used that lapse of control against Milek, to point out that he was dangerous—too dangerous to be around Amber and her child.
“I wish you’d told me what he said.”
He shrugged. “I thought you knew.”
“You really thought I was involved with him?”
“What reason would he have had to lie?” Milek asked. “Married men usually don’t go around admitting to affairs at all. But why would he admit to one he wasn’t even having?”
Her face grew pale, and she trembled slightly. “You don’t believe me.”
He didn’t want to believe her; he wanted a reason to keep his distance—at least emotionally—from her. “I don’t know what to believe anymore,” he said. “For the past year I thought you and our son were dead, but that was all a lie, too.”
“You know why...”
Because she’d been scared and she hadn’t thought he would help her. He’d pushed her away five years ago so well that it could have cost her and their son their lives. If Campanelli had gone after them sooner...
Before Milek had learned the truth.
He wanted to stand up, wanted to close his arms around her and give her the comfort they both needed. But he knew he’d wind up making love to her again. “I need to sleep.” He said it to convince himself more than her.
“I thought you wanted to talk about Michael,” she said.
He did. He wanted to figure out what to tell his son—what she wanted to tell their son. Michael obviously didn’t know Milek was his father. He wanted to tell him. But was that fair? What kind of father would Milek be?
Not the one the boy deserved.
He shook his head. “Not yet...”
“You’re tired,” she said, as if excusing his reluctance. “You can take your bed.”
“No.” He pointed at the door. “I need to be out here—in case someone tries to get in.” And he wasn’t talking about his family.
Frank Campanelli had stepped up his attacks. He was bound to try again. Soon.
No. Milek probably wouldn’t be getting any sleep tonight.
Chapter 10
People had been in and out of the condo all day. Bodyguards. Paynes. Kozminskis. They spoke to Milek and played with Michael. But barely any of them acknowledged Amber.
It was as if she was still dead. Or invisible. She sucked in a breath and pushed aside the self-pity. If none of them could understand why she’d done what she had...
Or if, worse yet, they thought she’d been involved with Gregory and with his death...
Then she didn’t need them. But when the door opened to Stacy, her heart ached for the friendship she had lost. Logan was with her, standing behind her and telling her, “This is a bad idea.”
Apparently there was a lot of that going around—not that she and Milek had had a bad idea since that first night.
&nb
sp; “It’s too dangerous,” Logan persisted.
“With all the bodyguards around this place,” Stacy said, “it’s the safest place for your daughter and me to be.” And she reached back and took a little girl from Logan’s arms.
Her biggest regret in leaving was that she hadn’t been able to see Stacy through her pregnancy—to be there with her through the pain and the joy. She wanted to see the little bundle of joy.
The little girl was in a furry pink snowsuit. Only her face with chubby red cheeks was visible. Amber gasped. “She’s beautiful...”
And for a moment, Stacy softened and smiled at her. But then her smile faded as if she forced herself to remember she was mad.
Amber could handle everyone else ignoring her. But not Stacy...
“Will you talk to me?” she asked.
Stacy glanced back at her husband, as if asking him to rescue her from the discomfort. But he only took his daughter back from her hands.
“I’ll get her out of the snowsuit,” he offered.
“Who’s that?” Michael asked as he came out of his bedroom to greet the new guests. He’d settled very well into Milek’s condo. Maybe too well. They hadn’t had that talk about their son yet.
But Milek played with the boy every chance he got—when he wasn’t busy poring over old police reports with Logan or Agent Rus.
“This is your cousin,” Stacy told him. “You can help Uncle Logan get little Penny out of her suit.”
Michael’s nose wrinkled in confusion. “She’s not wearing a suit.”
“Snowsuit,” Logan explained as he carried the baby over to the couch. Fascinated with the little pink bundle, Michael followed closely behind him.
And Stacy followed Amber to the master bedroom. Not knowing how emotional they might get, Amber closed the door. She didn’t want her son to see her cry. For the past year she’d waited until he was asleep before she’d wept for all they’d left behind.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m sorry I thought I was doing the right thing when I had Agent Rus fake my and Michael’s deaths.”
Stacy released a shuddery little breath. She said nothing, though.
“But most of all I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you,” Amber continued, “when you had your little girl.”
Tears shimmered in Stacy’s gray eyes.
Tears stung Amber’s eyes, too. “Will you ever be able to forgive me?”
Stacy stared at her for a long moment before giving her a slow and almost reluctant nod. “I think I was angrier at you when you died than I am now.”
Amber sucked in a breath as a pain jabbed her heart. “Ouch.”
“I was angry at the position you’d put me in,” Stacy said. “I was upset at myself for keeping Michael a secret from my brother. I never should have let you put me in that position—in the middle.”
“Milek didn’t want me,” she reminded his sister. And except for that first night, he hadn’t wanted her again. He slept on the couch in the living room—presumably to protect her. But she suspected he was protecting himself. “I didn’t want to trap him.”
But she had told him.
“He wouldn’t have had to marry you,” Stacy said. “But he could have been a part of his child’s life. You shouldn’t have denied him that.”
“She didn’t,” Milek said as he stepped inside the bedroom with them. He glanced back at their son sitting on the couch playing with his little cousin before he closed the door again. “She told me. And I didn’t believe her.”
Stacy gasped. Then she reached out and smacked his shoulder with her hand. “That’s horrible!” She turned on Amber. “And you lied to me.”
“I didn’t want to cause any problems between you,” Amber said. But she was worried she had, despite her best efforts not to.
The tears overflowed now, pouring down Stacy’s face as she pulled Amber into a tight embrace. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
“I get why you were angry at me,” she said as she cried, too. “I would have been upset with you if you’d let me think you were dead.” She would have been devastated, too. It had been so hard when her friend had been in danger a year ago.
“I should have known you were just protecting your son,” Stacy said. “Like you’ve been protecting that jackass I call a brother.”
“The jackass will leave the two of you alone now,” Milek said as he slipped back out of the room.
“I can’t believe he did that to you,” Stacy said. “That he doubted you...”
“I know why now,” Amber admitted. “He told me Gregory claimed the baby I was carrying was his.”
Stacy cursed. “That son of a bitch. No wonder somebody had him killed.”
Amber released a ragged sigh. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For not thinking I was sleeping with my boss like everyone else does.”
Stacy snorted. “Sure, Schievink had the hots for you. That’s probably why he tried to make trouble with Milek. But you would never cheat on my brother. You were in love with him.” She glanced to the bed and arched a brow. “I think you still are.”
Amber shook her head. “I don’t even know him anymore.” She wasn’t sure she ever had. “Something’s going on with him.” Something that kept him from sharing his bed with her again. “He either believes all the awful rumors about me and Gregory, or...”
“Or?” Stacy prodded her.
“He really doesn’t care about me at all.”
Stacy wound her arm more tightly around her shoulders, offering her the comfort and affection Amber had needed so badly. “You didn’t see him this past year,” she said. “He was devastated. He cares.”
“He told you that?”
Stacy bit her lip.
Maybe Milek had feelings for her, but if he would never admit to them—to her or anyone else including himself—it didn’t matter. They would never be together again—whether or not Frank Campanelli finished the job he’d been hired to do.
* * *
It was an ambush. Milek knew it the minute he stepped inside Rus’s office. He wasn’t alone. Garek was with him, their heads bent close together as they talked—discussing him, no doubt.
At least Logan wasn’t here. He was with Amber and Michael. And Stacy. His sister had forgiven her best friend. He breathed a sigh of relief over that—glad their relationship had been repaired. He knew how much it meant to both women.
The two men looked up at him. “You came,” Rus said.
“Of course,” Milek replied. “You summoned me.”
“Surprised you pried yourself away from her,” Garek said.
Milek snorted. “You should talk—you couldn’t stay away from Candace even when your presence put her in more danger.”
Garek’s face flushed. He couldn’t deny he’d never been able to keep his distance from the woman who was now his wife. Not that Milek intended to make Amber his wife.
He’d been crazy to even consider it those years ago.
“Your situation is different,” Garek said.
He couldn’t have agreed more.
“Amber is the one putting you in danger.”
“It’s not her fault,” he said.
The two men just stared at him. “You’re both wrong about her,” he said. “She has nothing to do with Schievink’s murder or that attempt on my life.”
He was disgusted they could even think that of her. And he showed that disgust, pointing at his older brother. “She’s Stacy’s best friend. She was there for our sister when we couldn’t be...”
Because Milek had been in juvenile detention and Garek in prison.
“You know what kind of person she is,” he persisted.
Garek furrowed his brow in confusion. “If you’re so enamored with
her, why the hell didn’t you marry her?”
Milek wouldn’t answer that. “That’s none of your damn business.”
“It is my business,” Garek said, his temper snapping as his face flushed an even deeper shade of red.
His family didn’t understand him; they never had. He just shook his head.
“My wife was in danger the other night, too,” Garek said, his voice vibrating with anger. “That son of a bitch shot out her windshield. He could have hit her.”
“She shouldn’t have been following me,” Milek said.
“You’re damn lucky she was or you might not have survived.”
Milek had already concluded the same thing. Frank—if it had been Frank—would have kept shooting until he’d hit him if Candace hadn’t been there, too.
Humbled, he nodded. “I know.”
Garek nodded, too—in silent agreement.
“Did you find out any more about the shooting in the alley or in the hotel parking lot?” Milek asked.
“The truck he left in the alley was stolen,” Nick replied. “The gun was stolen, too—from an arms shipment a few months ago.”
“Chekov’s?” Garek asked.
Nick nodded. “And you’d think Campanelli would know better than to steal from him.”
“Maybe it wasn’t Campanelli in the alley,” Milek said. “You found blood in the hotel parking lot.” He hoped he’d hit the assassin. “It could be someone else.”
“That’s not a good thing,” Garek said. “We don’t need a bunch of hit men coming after you like what happened with Logan and Parker last year.”
“We need to find out who hired Campanelli,” Milek said.
“I gave you copies of the reports,” Nick said. “Did you find anything?”
Milek hated to admit defeat. But he’d found nothing. He shook his head.
Nick sighed. “I spent the past year looking for who hired Frank Campanelli to kill the DA. Nobody on that list of names Amber gave me panned out as a viable suspect.”
“That’s why we need to find Frank Campanelli,” Milek said. “If I hit him in that parking lot, he must have sought treatment.”