The Perfect Liar

by Brenda Novak

  “Thanks for coming back,” he murmured, and drew her inside.

  Luke had told himself that if he was lucky enough to get another chance with Ava, he wouldn’t take her to bed. Not right away. Last night, they’d jumped ahead and confused everything, which had frightened her. He wanted to slow down and invest the time in getting to know her so he could build up her trust before becoming physical again. With Kalyna pregnant, possibly carrying his child, life was complicated, and he had to acknowledge that. But it wasn’t easy to leave Ava’s clothes on. Not when their kisses grew so hot that their bodies began straining together.

  He’d guided her fingers away from the buttons on his jeans twice. He wasn’t sure he could hold out a third time. Not with the way she’d warmed to his touch. Not with the acute pleasure he felt just having her in his arms again. He probably would’ve given in. He already had her skirt up when a knock made her break away.

  With her face flushed and her blouse unbuttoned to reveal her lacy bra, she’d never looked prettier. He grinned at her as she attempted to adjust her clothes, and she flashed him a shy smile.

  “Luke? You home?” The voice belonged to Kalyna. He grimaced when he recognized it and wished he hadn’t let her take his laundry. She was so damned intrusive. Since she’d transferred to Travis, he hadn’t been able to go a single day without running into her somewhere.

  “You know who that is, don’t you,” he muttered.

  Ava nodded. “Are you going to answer?”

  “Do you think she’ll go away if I don’t?”

  “She’s obsessed with you. She’ll never go away—unless they put her away.”

  “Luke?” Kalyna called again.

  “Just a minute,” he said, and turned back to Ava. “So all my hopes hang on some unlikely conviction? Wow, you really know how to reassure a guy.”

  “If she killed her mother that might not be as unlikely as it seems.”

  “Now you’ve got me thinking I should hire a private investigator to help the Mesa police.”

  “I can see if Jonathan could squeeze it in,” she said.

  “You haven’t yet? I thought you were going to ask him if he’d try to track down the hitchhiker. Sarah.”

  “It’s been one thing after another today. I haven’t even made it in to work, which is unlike me. But I’ll get him tomorrow.”

  That was a step in the right direction. Still, putting Kalyna away wouldn’t solve all his problems. He thought of the document she’d brought him, proving her pregnancy. It was still lying on his kitchen table. He needed to tell Ava that Kalyna had been tested and address any concerns she might have about his having a baby with someone else. Especially if that someone was Kalyna…His situation would be a challenge to any relationship—could easily destroy one so new. He wanted to prevent that, if he could.

  “Luke, this stuff is heavy,” Kalyna complained.

  “I’ll get rid of her,” he whispered.

  Ava touched his arm. “Wait. Let me go into the bedroom first. I’d rather she didn’t know I’m here. It’ll just antagonize her, and I don’t think we’d be smart to do that. Not until we find out more about how Norma died, and Sarah.”

  He waited until she’d slipped past him, then opened the door. He immediately took the laundry, but Kalyna didn’t leave.

  “Is someone here?” Gone was the solicitous mood with which she’d approached him this morning. Her eyes were narrow and accusing, her jaw hard.

  He wanted to tell her she had no right to even ask, but he could get rid of her more quickly if he avoided an argument. “You done already?”

  She didn’t let him distract her. “I thought I heard a woman’s voice.”

  “The TV’s on.”

  She kept trying to look around him. “If it was just the TV, what took you so long to answer the door?”

  Hooking his hands on the jamb over his head, he positioned himself so she couldn’t come in. “Maybe I wasn’t dressed,” he said with a scowl.

  She didn’t react to the irritation in his voice. The gaze that swept over him was so sexual Luke felt as if he’d been accosted. “I wouldn’t have minded.”

  She’d already made that very clear. Ignoring the comment, he managed a smile. “Thanks for helping out. I’ll see you at work.”

  He tried to shut the door but she stopped it with her foot. “Ava’s in there with you. I know it. Don’t lie to me.”

  This time he couldn’t keep himself from responding. “Kalyna, I could have as many women in here as I want. You don’t have the right to complain.”

  A feral gleam entered her eyes. “I don’t care if you want multiple partners. I’ll even provide them. Just…not Ava. Anyone but her. Don’t shut me out, Luke. Let me be number one.”

  “That’s not how a relationship works,” he said. “At least, that’s not how my relationships work.”

  “I could be anything you want.”

  “Kalyna—”

  “Just tell me the truth. You’ve got Ava over, don’t you? You’re in love with her. You wish she was carrying your baby instead of me!”

  Luke said nothing.

  “Don’t you?” she challenged.

  With a sigh, he nodded. “Yeah, I do.”

  The blood drained from Kalyna’s face. He opened his mouth to tell her he’d never made her any promises. What part of “I’m not interested” did she not understand? But she didn’t give him the chance.

  “You bastard!” she screeched. Then she slapped him and ran away.

  Ava found Luke standing at his front door, looking a bit stunned. “Are you okay?” she asked.

  “To be honest, I’m not even sure I’m living in reality anymore.”

  “What do you mean?”

  He shut the door. “Somehow I’ve become the protagonist in Fatal Attraction.”

  “Obsession happens in real life, too.”

  “To other people.”

  She gave him a sad smile. “Not this time, handsome.”

  “You’ve seen it before?”

  “More often than you’d think. It’s usually a man obsessed with his wife, or girlfriend, getting possessive and dominating, chasing her away while trying to make sure she won’t ever leave him. But it can happen in reverse, too.”

  “But Kalyna and I never had a close relationship!”

  “In her mind, you established that the night you slept with her.”

  His smile slanted to one side as he took her hands. “Did you feel anything that earth-shattering when we slept together?”

  “I saw stars…” she said.

  He rolled his eyes. “We were sleeping outside.”

  She laughed. “Um, okay, there were moments I thought I’d drown in desire.”

  “Or in the river, right?”

  She nudged him. “What about you?”

  Instead of continuing with more lighthearted banter, he sobered. “I knew it was too early, but I wanted you so badly I couldn’t stop.”

  “We have absolutely nothing in common,” she said.

  “You’re the kind of person I’d like to be with. That has to count for something.”

  She realized he’d made himself vulnerable with that statement and stood on tiptoe to kiss him.

  “Can you tolerate the fact that I might be having a baby with someone else?” he asked.

  She preferred not to consider it. “Might is the key word there.”

  He retrieved a sheet of paper from the kitchen and handed it to her. “Looks pretty legit.”

  Ava felt her muscles tense as she studied the results. She didn’t want to see what she saw. “Just because she’s pregnant doesn’t mean the baby’s yours.”

  “What if it is?”

  She had no answer. She hoped it wouldn’t bother her, but she was afraid it would. Did she really want Kalyna in her life? “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, okay?”

  His cell phone rang. He glanced at it, then frowned. “It’s The Last Stand.”

  “What? Who’d
be calling you from there—besides me?”

  “We’ll find out.” He hit the Talk button. “Hello?…This is Luke…Yes, I’ve seen her. She’s right here…Just a minute.” He passed her the phone. “It’s someone named Skye Willis, for you.”

  Blinking in surprise, Ava brought the phone to her ear. “Skye?”

  “Why aren’t you answering your cell?” she demanded.

  Ava felt a twinge of guilt. She’d turned it off because she was afraid she’d hear from Geoffrey, or hear from them about Geoffrey. So far, she’d been successful in dodging everyone. “I was having lunch with my father and didn’t want to be interrupted.”

  “Oh.” That brought her up short. Skye knew Ava’s relationship with Chuck was a difficult one. “How’d it go?”

  “We got into an argument about Carly, so he stormed off and stranded me at the restaurant.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  “Your father walked out on you?” Luke asked. “He left you without a ride?”

  Clearly, he wasn’t pleased. Ava covered the phone to respond. “He walked out a long time ago. What happened at the restaurant just made it official.” She went back to her conversation with Skye but was really speaking to both of them. “In his defense, he was already upset. He and Carly had a major argument.”

  Skye made a noise of disbelief. “And in your defense, that woman’s a grade-A bitch. I don’t know how you’ve put up with her this long.”

  Leave it to Skye to tell it like it was. “True.”

  “I hope you told him that.”

  “Pretty much. Same sentiment, if not the same words. That’s when he left.”

  Luke had gone to look out the window at the parking lot. “How’d you get here?”

  Ava glanced at him sheepishly. “The waiter felt sorry for me.”

  “You should’ve called,” he said. “I would’ve come.”

  The protectiveness in his voice made her smile, but there was no time to respond, since Skye was talking. “Good,” her friend was saying. “Maybe it’ll give him something to think about.”

  “I doubt it,” Ava said. “He’s so focused on saving his marriage, he doesn’t really even notice me.”

  “I’m sorry about that, Ava. And I don’t want to come down too hard on you, but we’ve been really worried. Geoffrey’s stopped by the office twice, looking for you. He told us you’re not at home, that he has no idea where you are, and that you broke up with him for someone named Luke. No last name, nothing. If Jonathan hadn’t heard you mention a Luke recently, we wouldn’t have been able to track you down.”

  Jonathan was probably laughing his head off. “Tell him he was right about Luke.”

  “You can tell him yourself in a minute,” Skye said. “He’s standing here, hovering over my desk, mad as hell that you haven’t let any of us know what’s going on. You didn’t come in to work this morning.”

  “I don’t have set hours. And I always put in more than my forty. So…”

  “But you didn’t call. You can’t just disappear like that, Ava, not even for a few hours, or we assume the worst.”

  Of course. They weren’t used to anything disrupting her usual pattern. Neither was she, or she would’ve called out of habit. “I get it. I’m sorry,” Ava said. “Is that what you wanted, to make sure I’m okay?”

  “No, that’s not all. There are some people who’ve been trying to get hold of you, and it sounds serious.”

  “What people?”

  “A Detective Morgan from the Mesa Police Department in Arizona. And a man named Dewayne Harter.”

  Ava glanced over at Luke, who was watching her closely. “What is it?” he murmured.

  She held up a hand. “Did they say what they wanted?”

  “The detective said it was important to reach you. Mr. Harter said it was an emergency.”

  32

  Ava tried to call the detective first. But she was told he was in a meeting and would have to get back to her. So she called Dewayne Harter at the mortuary, who answered as if he’d been waiting by the phone.

  “Hello?”

  “Mr. Harter, this is Ava Bixby at The Last Stand in Sacramento.” She allowed Luke to pull her onto the couch with him so he could listen, too. “You’ve been trying to reach me?”

  “Yes, I…1 didn’t know who else to call. I don’t know anyone in California.”

  “How’d you get my number?”

  “Tati, my daughter, gave it to me before she left town. She said you’d help us.”

  “I will,” she said. “What’s going on?”

  “I’m not sure. Tati went to California this morning. She didn’t tell me she was going to do it. She called from the airport when it was too late for me to talk her out of it.”

  “Out of what?”

  “She wants to reach her sister. Bring her back, if possible, or at least get her to communicate. She’s afraid Kalyna’s taking the rap for what happened to my wife, and that it’s unfair.”

  Luke shifted and angled the phone closer to him.

  “What do you think?” Ava asked.

  “It’s hard for Tati to be objective. She sees only the best in people, especially her sister. But Kalyna’s always been a little…off.” Ava caught a look from Luke that said he completely agreed. “I’ve seen her throw her fits, and I’ve seen how long she can hold a grudge,” Mr. Harter went on. “I think she’s capable of anything—even what Mark Cannaby says about her with that…that hitchhiker. God rest the poor child’s soul,” he added. “But Tati refuses to believe it.”

  “I can see why you’d be worried, but…what can I do for you, Mr. Harter?”

  “I’ve lost contact with her. Tati doesn’t have a cell, and Kalyna won’t pick up, at least for me.”

  “Kalyna was here a few minutes ago. She’s fine.”

  “Tati wasn’t with her?”

  “No. Did she know Tati was coming?”

  “I doubt it. Kalyna wouldn’t pick up for her, either.”

  “What time did Tati leave?” Ava asked.

  “About ten. When she called from the airport to tell me what she was doing, she said she’d check in with me as soon as she got there and keep me updated. It’s only a short plane ride, which means she’s been there for hours, and I haven’t heard a word.”

  Ava covered the phone. “That’s weird, isn’t it? Do you think she could’ve been in the car when Kalyna came here?”

  “I guess,” Luke said with a shrug.

  “Would you like me to look into it?” Ava asked Mr. Harter.

  “If you could. I’d call the police, but I might be worrying for no reason. I’d hate to send a false alarm.”

  “I understand,” she said. “I’ll see what I can find out and get back to you.”

  Her phone signaled another call. Expecting it to be the detective, Ava said goodbye to Mr. Harter and switched over. She left the phone slanted so Luke could hear, but it wasn’t the detective. It was her father.

  “Ava? Jeez, finally you answer.”

  Oh, no, not now. Pulling the phone away from Luke, Ava straightened. “What do you want, Dad?”

  “What do you think I want? I’ve been calling and calling. I’m sorry, honey. I should never have left you like that. I went back to the restaurant not long after, but you were already gone. Are you okay?”

  Ava didn’t know what to say. She’d tried so hard to establish a relationship with this man, especially since her mother had gone to prison. He was all she had. But she couldn’t circumvent the roadblock his wife posed. As long as he was with Carly, Carly would come between them, because she wasn’t interested in accepting Ava or anyone else in Chuck’s life. Carly wanted to prove to herself and everyone else that Chuck cared only for her.

  “I’m fine,” Ava said. “But…I don’t want to hear from you again, Dad. Not while you’re with Carly.”

  The silence that descended told Ava her father was as shocked as she’d expected him to be. “What do you mean?” he asked. “Carly’s
my wife!”

  “I understand that. I know she matters more than anything to you, and that’s why I’m getting out of the way. Maybe it’ll make your life easier. Since it’s what you want, I hope you can hold the marriage together, but from now on, I’d rather not be involved.”

  “You’re upset,” he said. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”

  Ava laughed, a little sadly. “I know exactly what I’m saying. And I mean it.”

  “Come on, Ava. Now you’re acting like Neal.”

  “Neal deserves more than you’ve ever given him. And so do I.” She closed her eyes against an onslaught of pain as she hung up. It wasn’t easy to sever that tie, not when she’d clung to it so tenaciously. But it was done, and she knew she’d be better off. She couldn’t cope with the continual disappointment.

  “Hey,” Luke said. “You okay?”

  The sympathy in his expression as he leaned down brought a lump to Ava’s throat. But she didn’t regret her decision; she only regretted the fact that she’d let her father put her through so much before making it. “I’m fine.” Lifting her chin, she turned her mind to business. “I’ve got to go over to Kalyna’s, see if Tati’s there.”

  “Well, you’re not going alone, I’ll tell you that much,” he said, and pulled her to her feet.

  Kalyna’s apartment was only a five-minute drive. Luke parked the BMW in a resident’s spot because all the guest spots were taken, but Ava wasn’t too worried about his car being towed away. They wouldn’t be here long enough to inconvenience anyone for more than a few minutes.

  “Maybe Tati’s flight was delayed,” Luke said as he got out of the car and waited for Ava. “And that made her miss her connection.”

  “You think she had a layover? Phoenix is Southwest’s hub. There should’ve been plenty of direct flights. It’s not as if San Francisco is a small, out-of-the-way airport.”

  “She could’ve had a stopover in L.A,” he said as they crossed the parking lot.

  Ava could’ve found Kalyna’s address in her file, but there was no need. Luke had been here before. That was how everything started…“But even if she missed her connecting flight, there would’ve been another one by now,” she said. “Flights between L.A. and San Francisco run hourly.”