Always Dangerous

by Dee J. Adams

  He nodded. “Have you talked to Wilson today?”

  “I left him a message. He’s not picking up and he’s not returning my calls. I’m a little worried about him, but maybe he’s busy with work. I have no idea. I’ll find out soon enough.”

  “While you’re getting your stuff together, I need to make a few calls and see if my distributor is on track.”

  Seemed like they were doing a bang up job of talking about everything but them. They’d covered his strategy, Megan and his movie. All important, but maybe not the most important. The most important was the bun baking in her oven.

  “You know,” she said, trying to ease into addressing the elephant in the plane. “I know now why you were so adamant about me not having this baby. About not having kids in general.” Leo didn’t say anything, he just watched her. “I’m going to love this baby no matter what. And with the inheritance from my aunt, we’ll be able to afford whatever special care he or she might need for whatever reason. If we invest half of it the right way, it’ll start making money for us too.” She’d have to find a way to make the most of her investment, because Megan’s costs alone were astronomical. She couldn’t guarantee that Leo was going to work again or make the kind of money he made in the past so it was up to her to figure out the finances. “We’re going to be fine. The baby is going to be fine too. So will Megan. We’ll figure it out.”

  Leo squeezed her hand. “Megan isn’t your responsibility. Let’s get that straight right now. She’s my sister, not your burden. I’ve handled her care for the last fifteen years and I’ll do it until one of us dies. We clear on that?” This was as stern as she’d ever seen him aside from some of his movie roles.

  It made her think that maybe she’d jumped ahead. Just because they’d professed their love for each other didn’t mean he had any intention of marrying her or consolidating their lives.

  “We’re clear. Let’s get clear on something else while we’re at it. I love you. I said it last night and I meant it. But maybe we should define what love means. I’ll go first.” Because if she didn’t get it out, and Leo had something else on his mind, then it was better to clear the air now. “Love means we’re a partnership through thick or thin, good times and bad. It means I help you if I can and if you need, and you do the same for me when it’s my turn. When things turn around for you, and I know they will, then it won’t matter anyway.”

  Leo just watched her, a blank expression on his face. For a guy who could ooze emotion, he did a great job of making her uncertain. “I’ve been connected to a lot of women,” he said, his gaze still shaded.

  “Now tell me something I don’t know.” She lifted an eyebrow unimpressed with his response.

  “And not one of them ever offered to help me financially.”

  “Leo, that doesn’t count. You’ve never been in a financial crap-hole until now.”

  “I guarantee you every one of them would’ve bailed at the first sign of trouble. If there’s no money, there’s no fancy things. No fancy things means no fun. You’re not like anyone else I’ve ever met.”

  But he never met the old Kim. What would he have thought of her? “I used to be,” she whispered. “Does that matter?”

  “I don’t care who you used to be. I fell in love with the woman you are. To be honest, I’m not sure why you fell in love with me.” Genuine interest clouded his blue eyes.

  “A lot of reasons,” she said, turning on her side and facing him. “You were there for me when Stephanie disappeared and her asshole of a husband tried to intimidate me. You listened when I needed someone’s ear. You didn’t judge me when you saw me at my worst and you continually offered your help without any strings attached. You showed me how much you care about your sister by the way you take care of her, how much you care about animals when you saved Stella. You’re a good man, Charlie Brown. You can’t hide it, even though you’ve tried.”

  He had the courtesy to flush and Kim hid her grin. “You mean you didn’t fall in love with me because I’m hot in the sack?”

  “Well, of course, there’s that. It goes without saying.” His grin made her laugh. “Seriously. You are not a hard man to love, Leo. No one ever tried to find the real you so they lost out. I’m okay with that.”

  Leo leaned over and kissed her softly, his lips lingering on hers as he took his time. “We’re going to be okay, aren’t we?”

  She nodded as she cupped his cheek. “We’re going to be better than okay. As long we communicate, we’ll be just fine.”

  “I’ll kiss to that,” Leo said a second before grazing his lips over hers again. And again.

  And again.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Wilson washed down his fifth shot with half a beer. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this pissed off. He still couldn’t believe Carolyn had left him in Los Angeles and taken off with no notice. She hadn’t even packed any of her new shit. She’d just jumped on a jet with her famous asshole boyfriend and left him to bake.

  He’d been getting closer to her too. They’d talked and laughed and he’d cheered her up. Told her she didn’t need a putz the size of Leo Frost in her life. The man was worthless. Literally and figuratively. His accountant’s scandal had been all over the news. So had the most famous people on the man’s client list, one of whom had been Leo Frost. So, yeah, it was common knowledge that Leo had taken a giant hit. Not too many people knew how hard, but Wilson did. So what did that make the guy? A giant loser with a capital L. Wilson could spot them a mile away.

  He happened to look in the mirror at that exact moment. The fresh circles under his eyes reminded him of his father before he died. A decent night’s sleep would take care of that…along with getting Carolyn back in his sights. Wilson finger combed his thick hair. Leo Frost had nothing on him. He took the last shot on the bar and chugged the end of his beer chaser.

  A nice celebration after seeing the aftermath of his phone calls to some high profile publications. Information was power and he’d happily shared news that had blown into a firestorm he never anticipated. Even better. On top of the pregnancy and financial ruin, Leo had been hiding a disaster of a family secret. Wilson chuckled at the irony. Mr. Perfect wasn’t nearly as perfect as he claimed to be.

  He couldn’t wait to set eyes on Carolyn after the hell he hit her with. Once she walked through that hotel room door, she was going to see him and figure out just how much she needed him. He’d been there for her for years. She owed him. And he was going to get his hands on that inheritance if it killed him. Or her.

  Kim opened the door as Leo killed the car’s engine. Cool night air hit her warm cheeks. They’d been discussing photos for the ad campaign, but she was having a tough time concentrating. “It’s probably going to take me five minutes to get my stuff together.” Plus she needed to use the bathroom. Her stomach tightened with another cramp. Maybe something she ate. She remembered when Chelsea got the stomach flu early in her pregnancy. Poor thing had been miserable.

  “That’ll give me time to grab a coffee across the street. I’m going to be up all night going through the stills of the Montana footage. You want something?” He’d been super attentive ever since the I love yous and it made her heart swell every time he looked at her.

  “No thanks. My stomach is doing that weird thing again. It’s probably my evening morning sickness. Either that or I’m allergic to Jim’s plane. I’ll see you back here in a few.”

  “Remember, no contact with Wilson unless I’m with you,” Leo said. “I still don’t trust him.”

  “I know. But even if he did leak the pregnancy—which I didn’t tell him about—doesn’t mean he’s out to kill me. He won’t gain anything with me dead and like I said earlier, he had plenty of time before we left for New York if he really wanted to hurt me.” Leo opened his mouth to argue and she cut him off. “I know. I heard you. I’ll just go to my room and we’ll call him later. He might not even be here.” She leaned over and gave Leo a quick kiss before walking towar
d her door. She used her keycard, but it didn’t work. She tried again with the same results.

  Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Leo crossing the street to the coffee shop on the corner. She hesitated before going to Wilson’s room.

  “This is stupid,” she mumbled. “We were raised together. He could’ve killed me ten times over before I left for New York.”

  She walked a few steps and knocked on her cousin’s door. “Wilson? You there? It’s Kim. I can’t get into my room.” When he’d booked the hotel, he’d been next to an adjoining room so when Kim checked in, he’d requested it. Initially, she hadn’t been thrilled to be next door to him, but they’d had so much fun talking about the old days that it hadn’t mattered.

  The door opened and Wilson stood there, his eyes red-rimmed, his hair a mess.

  Kim stopped short of the hug she was about to give him. “What happened? Are you okay?”

  “Of course I’m okay.” He stepped back, but the stench of alcohol wafted in her face and she grimaced.

  “Wilson, what have you been drinking? And why?” She followed him inside and made a beeline for the adjoining door. Her side was locked. Damn.

  “Don’t bother,” Wilson said. He faced her, crossing his arms over his chest. “I packed up your stuff and gave them back the key. I wasn’t going to spend money on two nights of a hotel room with no one in it.”

  She hadn’t even thought about it when she left with Leo, but she never expected Wilson to cover all the expenses. “I am so sorry. You’re absolutely right. You know I’m going to repay you for everything. I hope you’re not worried about that.”

  He snorted, turned his back on her and looked out the window. “Oh no. Not worried about that at all.” But clearly something had made him mad. His body language said it all, with his arms crossed and his wide stance.

  “Okay. Good. Did you listen to any of my voicemails? Or see my texts? Why didn’t you get back to me?” Maybe he’d lost reception, but his phone had been working fine before she left.

  “Yes. I did.” He turned and his eyes were glacial.

  “Okay, so you’re mad at me. I see that. Because I left so suddenly? Look, I’m sorry I didn’t give you any notice. But I told you days ago that you didn’t need to hang out here because of me. You could’ve left my stuff at the front desk and taken off.”

  “No, I couldn’t.” His jaw was clenched tight.

  A sharp cramp hit Kim and she backed toward the bathroom with a grimace. “I need to make a quick pit stop before we finish this. Then I’ll be out of your way.” Kim took a second to lean against the bathroom door, fighting the shooting pain in her abdomen. She slipped into the bathroom, locked the door, and sat on the toilet, hoping to relieve the cramps. She saw more spotting on her underwear. Not good. Her rational excuses faded into escalating panic. Better to be safe than sorry. Leo wouldn’t have a problem running her by the emergency room to be checked out. Once out of the bathroom, Kim saw a few of her belongings tossed in the corner of the room and gathered them up as Wilson stared out the front window.

  Wilson’s small carry-on bag sat on the chair at the desk. Kim did a double take at the envelope sticking from of the outside pocket, then got a closer look. The return label said Department of Motor Vehicles. Wilson sure as hell wasn’t expecting anything from them. She pulled it out. Lo and behold, it was addressed to her in care of Leo Frost.

  “My driver’s license!” Finally! Except what was it doing here? She checked the date posted on the envelope. It came before she left for New York. How the hell…? “Wilson, what the… What are you doing with my license? How long have you had it?” She lifted the envelope high.

  He turned slowly, his eyes menacing. “Oh, you found it?” The strangely calm inflection didn’t match his tense body language.

  Kim’s anger crept up in increments. “Yeah, I found it. And I might not have if I hadn’t seen the end sticking out of your bag.” What the hell? “You want to explain this?”

  His flat stare had her skin prickling. “Gosh, you’re welcome. It was my pleasure to drive all the way across town every day to pick up Leo’s mail and make sure you got your precious driver’s license. No problem at all. It’s not like I have a life.”

  She hadn’t seen this side of him since the day at the lawyer’s office in Arizona. “Oh no. You’re not spinning this, Wilson. The date posted on this thing is the day Leo and I left for New York.” She opened her mouth to say more, but the malice in his eyes shocked her. It made no sense for him to be so angry with her. Instead of laying into him like she wanted to do, she picked up her bags. “You could’ve told me a half a dozen different times while I was gone that you had it, and you didn’t. You knew I was waiting for it.” This was getting her nowhere. What happened to the cousin from her childhood? The nice guy she’d thought she’d reconnected with before her trip East? This Jekyll and Hyde thing was not working for her. “You know what? I don’t care. It doesn’t matter.” Bags in hand, she headed to the door.

  Wilson put his hands out to stop her. “Wait. Just wait a second.” He scrubbed his hands over his head and further wrecked his hair. “Look, it’s my turn to apologize. Sit down a second. Please,” he said when she hesitated.

  Against her better judgment, Kim sat on the corner of the bed.

  Pacing in front of her, Wilson seemed more agitated than a rat in a cage with snakes. “I was just hurt when you picked up and left so quickly the other day. You didn’t call until you were practically on the plane. I thought we were getting along great all week. We spent so much time getting to know each other again and talking about the good old days.”

  Kim released a frustrated sigh. She hadn’t meant to hurt him. Still, she didn’t see how any of this related to him holding onto her driver’s license and not telling her. Maybe he read that in her expression.

  He sat next to her, just a little bit too close for her comfort, but she didn’t move. “I thought we were really good together…you know…before you left.”

  Good together? As in they made a good couple? “Wilson, you’re my first cousin. You’re making it sound like we had some type of relationship happening.”

  He smiled and with the sweat running down his temples it made him look…smarmy. “You’re forgetting I’m adopted. We’re not related by blood.” He took her hand in both of his and a shiver raced down her back.

  Was he serious? “Wilson, you’re my first cousin.” She tried pulling her hand away, but he kept a firm grip. “It doesn’t matter if you’re adopted.”

  His nostrils flared. “Yes, it does. We’re not really related. You and I…” He gestured between them. “We could make something work between us. After everything I’ve done for you the last few years, you owe me the chance to make this work.”

  Few years? What the hell was he talking about?

  “You’ve changed recently.” His smile freaked her out. “It’s like you’ve rejuvenated. Like our time together made you happier than before. Didn’t you feel the connection all week?” he asked.

  Kim shook her head, quick and violent. “No! No, I didn’t feel any connection.” Where was all this coming from? “And I’m sorry if you did and thought something was going to come of it.” She couldn’t get out of this room fast enough. “Wilson, I’m sorry, if you felt that I led you on in any way. It wasn’t my intention. You know you’re family to me and nothing more.” She yanked her hand and he still wouldn’t let go.

  “We could be a family in a different way.” He squeezed her hand so hard that he cut off the circulation. “I would be a great father to your baby. Our baby.”

  The man was out of his mind. Kim shook her head again. “No. We can’t be a family because I don’t feel that way about you.” He did know about the baby. Which meant he might’ve meant for Smokey to give her that wild ride in the desert. And maybe Leo had been right and Wilson’s alibi was a complete lie. Get out! The words screamed in her head. “Send me an email for everything I owe you and I’ll write you a check as
soon as I get home.”

  She stood and pulled on her hand again, relieved when he let go. But just as quickly, he was on his feet in front of her, seething and red-faced. Before she could react, he grabbed her shoulders and slammed his lips over hers. Kim struggled against the cloying stench of alcohol and sweat and kept her lips sealed together. His fingers bit into her skin, and fear and anger swirled together in her chest like a vicious whirlpool. Kim slammed her heel into his foot and shoved him back at the same time.

  Wilson screamed and almost toppled over, but kept his balance. “You should not have done that,” he seethed through gritted teeth.

  Fresh fear blossomed in Kim’s gut. Breathing hard, her pulse beating frantically, she tried to diffuse the situation. “You’re drunk, Wilson. You have no idea what you’re doing.” Walk out. Nice and calm. Pretend like nothing happened then run like hell. “I’m leaving. Call me when you sober up.”

  A lecherous smile crossed his lips as she passed him. Wilson grabbed her arm and swung her backward so hard that she flew through the air, her bags toppling with her. She landed on the edge of the bed ass first, but her momentum kept her going and she rolled off the side. Her heart thundered as she hit the floor between the two double beds.

  Disoriented and stunned, she took a second to calm her breathing, before struggling to get her legs beneath her. He couldn’t have meant to do that. This whole situation couldn’t be happening.

  “Wilson! What is wrong with you?”

  He stood over her briefly then yanked her up by an arm. Before she got steady on her feet, he pulled back and punched her in the stomach. Hard. Air whooshed from her lungs as she doubled over. She hit the floor again, this time on her knees, fighting to get air into her lungs.

  The baby.

  Panic, fear and nausea rolled together in a sick wave. Situation critical. This went beyond anything she’d ever dreamed of.