by Jo Leigh
Oh, there was always a reason, and none of them justified letting things go so far. It all had to do with her own personal demons and the fear that something would damage the bond between her and Tilda.
This time, when the tears came, she didn’t even think of stopping them. Instead, she curled up on the unfamiliar bed, clutching her cell phone in one hand and a wad of tissues in the other as she let it all out. It wasn’t as if her eyes weren’t already red and swollen, and she’d kissed any idea of makeup goodbye early this morning.
Time drifted as she went through tissues and sobs, until finally the chest-heaving, racking pain eased into a steady stream of tears wetting the pillowcase.
She thought about calling Cricket, but the truth was she didn’t need a lawyer. Not yet, at least. Parker knew everything there was to know, and soon enough so would his mother. All Ginny could do now was pray the family would show her some mercy. If nothing else, they’d want Tilda to be happy. Of course, that would depend on Tilda not hating her after learning the whole story.
Another prayer went up, and she hoped the weather wouldn’t interfere with God’s reception. Because she needed all the help she could get.
The knock on her door startled her into a small panic. Sitting up, she dropped her phone. “Just a minute,” she said, jumping up to wash her face and do some damage control.
* * *
PARKER HAD ASKED for the quietest booth in the restaurant, but he hadn’t needed to. The place was almost empty. He’d figured it would be sparse because they catered to tourists. But he’d expected to see more folks who’d not been able to escape the storm.
It didn’t matter. Ginny had ordered shrimp scampi while he’d settled on a halibut steak. Only he was actually eating, while she was mostly pushing food from one side of the plate to the other.
“You’re going to need the protein. If the shrimp isn’t doing it for you, we can try something else. You’re already pale, and I don’t want you passing out tomorrow.”
Ginny sighed. “I tried to think of something else that would be helpful, but I just couldn’t.”
“That’s okay.” He almost told her just how much the moniker Spider had helped, but then she’d have questions he didn’t want to answer.
“I called the bank, and man, they have some tight security on those safe-deposit boxes. I don’t see how Danny or anyone else he’d send could get in there without setting off major alarms. But better to be prepared for any eventuality.”
His phone went off but he saw it was just Ruby and let it go to voice mail. How he got so many whiney babies on his delivery schedule, he’d never know. While he had his phone out, he checked the weather. There was nothing new to report. The storm was rising, but it wouldn’t hit its zenith until later on. They’d be back at the motel before the worst of it.
Ginny sipped on her drink. He’d encouraged her to get something a little stronger than iced tea, but she’d declined. Her cell was sitting right next to her plate, and between glances around the room, she kept a hawk’s watch on the phone. He knew it wasn’t on silent mode, but there was nothing he could say that wouldn’t upset her more, so he did his best to ignore the vigilance.
He did drink some of his scotch and soda. He hoped it would relax him enough to help Ginny settle down. It was obvious she’d done more crying, and while he tried to hang on to his anger, he had to admit he sympathized with her. When he thought back on what he could have done differently—which he’d done a lot of since learning the truth about Meg—he understood how selfish he’d been. He’d written her off, never once questioned if she could have been in trouble. Used helping out his mother as his Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free card and blamed everything bad that had happened on his father.
At least Ginny had tried to help Meg.
Didn’t mean she shouldn’t have tried searching for him or his mom, but there was a lot to be said for her taking charge when the chips were down. Like he was doing. Finally.
His cell went off again. Denali. Nope, he wasn’t going to get involved with him, not now.
“It’s all right,” Ginny said. “You should probably answer those calls. It might be important.”
He shook his head. “It’s just customers complaining that I’m taking some time off. They’ll get over it the minute I’m back.”
She nodded, then took another bite of shrimp. Probably to show him that when he wasn’t acting like her father, she could be cooperative.
Damn, he missed his cabin. The quiet. The fishing. He’d like nothing better than to be out on the water in his kayak right now, listening to the wild creatures as they set about catching their evening meals. Yep. Life was simple out there. No one around to depend on him. He had, on occasion, disappointed his mom by not flying to Boise for the holidays. But after everything they’d gone through with his dad, she understood better than anyone how much Parker needed the solitude. What he didn’t need was emotional entanglements. Life was too short to let it get messy.
His lousy phone beeped again, which he ignored.
“Huh. I’d gotten a very different impression of your life in Alaska.”
He didn’t care for the way Ginny was studying him. “What do you mean?”
“I thought you were such a lone wolf. A mountain man. All alone in the middle of the woods, chopping firewood to heat your cabin and cook your meals.”
“That’s true. Except when I need to make deliveries, it’s just me.”
“But you get calls all the time. You’re clearly missed. A lot of folks depend on you.”
“No one depends on me,” he said, a little more sharply than he’d intended. “And that’s the way I like it. The only reason I get called is because of work, and I’ve got to earn a living somehow. I barely even see my business partner, let alone anyone else.”
The way her eyes widened, he could see she didn’t believe him. It only made things worse when she carefully ate some more shrimp and rice.
Okay, so a lot of his folks...his clients...hounded him. That was because they wanted so many extras every stupid run. Like those clams. He could barely believe he’d considered filling his ice chest to take mollusks to Alaska. As if there wasn’t enough seafood there.
Fine. She wasn’t entirely wrong.
“Let’s talk about tomorrow,” he said. “We’ll take a cab to the bank. We don’t have time to rent a car, and there’s no parking there, anyway. The first thing you should do is talk to the manager and find out if anyone’s been asking about the box. The hurricane hit the city pretty hard. As of an hour ago flights were still grounded. Hopefully that slowed Danny’s men down—and that’s only assuming the bill was intercepted. We could be worrying for nothing. Nevertheless, warn the manager, tell him or her that your friend’s ex-boyfriend will probably come looking and he’s not someone to be toyed with. I’m sure it won’t be the first time they’ve been warned about something like that.”
Ginny stared at him funny. “You said Danny’s men.”
“Did I?” Damn. “Okay. So?”
“Why do you assume he wouldn’t go himself?”
Parker hesitated a second too long.
“You found something out about him, didn’t you?”
“A little. He might be an arms dealer, but I don’t have nearly enough information to be sure.” Parker didn’t like the way she kept staring at him. “Let’s get back to the plan. The assistant manager will be the person who’ll usher you inside the vault to open the box.”
“How do you know that?”
“I told you I called the bank about their security.”
“Right.” She put her fork down. “What if they tell me someone has been pressuring them for access or information? Do I leave? Make sure we aren’t being watched before I take anything out?” Pausing, she searched his eyes. “I guess I should call you, right? I mean, you’ll be just outside. Won’t you?”
&
nbsp; “I’ll be right beside you, Ginny.”
“Oh. Okay. Good.” She took a deep breath. “Wait. Shouldn’t you hang back and watch to see if I’m followed?”
He wished he could be completely honest, but not when he thought the truth might trip her up. “Leaving the bank is when we’ll be at risk. I’m going to have the cabbie keep the meter running so we can get in and slip right into traffic. Anyway, I want you to take whatever is in that box and put it in your purse.”
“My leather overnight bag is bigger. Should I take that instead?”
“Good thinking.” He took another sip of his scotch. “Something else we need to consider. We can’t take our cell phones into the bank with us.”
“What? Why not? What if Tilda calls?”
“The problem is, if Danny is sophisticated enough, he can download everything in your phone before you can blink, and you’d never know it.”
“Where would we leave them?”
“In the cab.”
“In New York City? Are you crazy?”
Parker had to wonder if it wouldn’t be easier if he admitted they weren’t in this alone. It wasn’t her anger that worried him but the potential for irrational fear impairing her judgment. “We can’t risk them finding out anything about you. How about we leave your phone in the plane? I’ll take a chance with the cab.”
“Okay, but what if—”
“Tilda doesn’t expect you to be at the ready twenty-four/seven. She’ll leave a voice mail.”
Ginny sighed but didn’t argue “What if they come after us?”
“I’m going to have a little talk with the bank’s security. Ask them to keep an eye out, tell them that you’re carrying a lot of cash. That won’t surprise them. Nothing out of the ordinary.”
“A security guard, not the police?”
“Right.”
“And you’re sure about that?”
“With the security measures in that bank? I’m sure.”
“What about when we’re done? Can we fly right back?”
“If possible, yes. There’s a hotel right around the corner. I’ve booked us a room just in case.”
“Why? Once we empty the box, why wouldn’t we be able to come home? The weather shouldn’t be an issue.”
“Look, if Danny is who I think he is, we have to be twice as cautious. The guy is ruthless, and so are the men who work for him.” When her mouth dropped open he quickly added, “I might be wrong. I hope I am, but we can’t let our guard down.” He watched her nibble at her lip. “We can always change our minds and bring in the police.”
“No.”
“I still think our timing is good. With him living abroad and with the storm battering the coast, we have luck on our side. I think we’ll be fine.”
Ginny seemed surprised. She just stared at him for a long minute, making him wonder what was going on in that head of hers. “You’ve really thought this through.”
“Well, yeah, it matters. Anyway, you know me. I love researching everything to death. That’s one of the things I liked about studying law.”
She didn’t respond. Only looked at him funny again.
He almost put his hand on hers. Wanted to. She’d done a lot that made him angry, but regardless, he still felt that pull. More than he should. He’d even thought about the fact that if she had given Tilda up for adoption as Meg asked, he and his mother would never have the chance to know Meg’s daughter. If she hadn’t been a good friend to Meg they’d never know why Meg left or what had happened to her. It wouldn’t be pleasant for his mother to learn the truth about Meg, but perhaps she’d have a chance to heal from that, especially if she got to spend time with her granddaughter.
“Tell me about her?” Parker asked.
Ginny’s brow creased.
“Meg. Was she at least happy in the beginning?”
Ginny inhaled deeply. It made his chest tighten, but what hadn’t in the last couple of days?
She flagged the waitress over and asked for a gin and tonic. He asked for another scotch. Once the waitress left, carrying their plates, he gave in and put his hand on Ginny’s.
She studied it a moment, then said, “I know you got the impression that we talked a lot, but we didn’t. More in the beginning, probably, but as time went on I think she found it harder to have a private conversation.”
They lapsed into silence, him listening to the wind. Ginny lost in her own thoughts.
“You don’t have to worry about holding back,” he said finally, seeing she was gearing up to tell him some unpleasant things. Before she said anything, the waitress was back with their drinks. But he was the only one who took a sip.
“It took a long time for Meg to get over the devastation of you guys leaving like that. She came back to an empty house. Nothing was there, not even an old sock or a piece of paper. She said it was like she’d woken up in an alternate universe, where she’d never had a family at all.”
Parker didn’t believe Ginny was intentionally stabbing him with a broadsword, it just felt like it. But he had asked, and part of him was glad she wasn’t whitewashing the whole thing. That would have been worse. This would at least help cauterize the wound.
“But she did settle down after a few months. She wouldn’t stay at our house, but she called me a lot. We were all so shocked that you were gone. Even my father used some of his sources to find out what happened, but no one could tell him anything. His guess was that you had to go into witness protection for some reason, and that Meg was just acting out because she didn’t want to move. He ordered me to stay away from her if she ever came back. But she didn’t, and I wouldn’t have listened to him, anyway.”
Parker smiled. Then, as her earlier words sunk in, he closed his eyes. “It was a terrible thing they did. We did. My mom begged the agent in charge to wait, at least until someone heard from my father. But no one listened. They herded us out, didn’t even let us pack. They did it all. Even my mother’s most personal things were brought to us days later, in the terrible house they put us in.”
“I’m sorry.”
He put his hand back around his drink, wishing he’d ordered a double.
“Danny showered her with attention back then. He took her to the Virgin Islands and Jamaica. She loved the trips. He bought her nice things, and they stayed in fancy hotels. She used to call me from whatever bathtub she found herself in, tell me where they’d gone, what kind of car he’d rented and what he’d bought her.” A sad smile tugged at her mouth. “Come to think of it, I think Danny probably liked hearing her brag about him and all his money, especially when the trips started becoming more lavish. And then, all of a sudden, the communication died down by a lot.”
He nodded, barely able to breathe, thinking of what that bastard could have done to his little sister. He wanted to kill him with his bare hands.
“Meg didn’t realize she was pregnant for a few months. She swore they’d been careful, but it happened, anyway. She didn’t tell him. Not then. It turned out Tilda was small, and Meg didn’t start showing until around six months. He told her she was getting fat, and she’d better take care of it. Check into a fat farm if that’s what she needed, just do it pronto.
“Two months later she told Danny about the baby, although she didn’t admit how far along she was, and he told her to get rid of it. He wanted it done before he got back from a business trip to Argentina. Luckily it was a long trip and she was able to have the baby while he was away. She brought Tilda to me when she was a week old. She was so tiny. But perfect. When she cried it was all wobbly, and her little fingers and toes would clench.”
“It must have been hard for Meg to walk away.”
“It was. But she knew she had to. If she’d disappeared, Danny would have come after her. He didn’t like to lose his things. If she’d tried to keep the baby, I can’t even imagine what he would have don
e. She saved Tilda’s life.”
“You didn’t think she would come back?”
“I’d hoped she would. But she couldn’t take the risk that Danny would find her and get rid of the baby.”
That hit Parker so hard, he almost lost it right there at the table. His sister had been so young. She’d given birth only a year after she’d graduated from that lousy prep school. To have gotten in so far over her head... It made him ache for her down to his bones, and it wasn’t nearly what she deserved. “She was a sweet kid when she was little. Always asking questions. She wanted so much from life.”
Ginny was the one to touch him this time. Her warm hand had nothing on the sorrow he saw in her eyes. “I’m so sorry it didn’t turn out better.”
He wanted to explain that he appreciated her taking the baby. Up to a point. Being given the responsibility of determining Tilda’s future had also given her more reason to look for him and his mom. But he couldn’t be a bastard now. Not now. “Tell me about Tilda.”
That made Ginny smile and the pain eased a fraction.
“She was an amazing baby. Hardly ever cried. I found a great agency, not too far from Juilliard, where they only sent licensed and bonded nannies that had stellar references. But I still worried. The woman I used was great with her, and she taught me a lot about how to take care of an infant. Tilda and I learned together. She wasn’t finicky, but early on we had to be careful about milk. She grew out of that pretty quickly. And for a couple of years she was allergic to strawberries, which she loved.”
Parker watched Ginny’s whole demeanor change as she talked. It was as if he’d been with someone else all through dinner. This woman was glowing, even with puffy red eyes.
“Then, we got to the terrible twos, and let me tell you, that’s a real thing. She was always crabby and demanding and...well, by that time I’d left Juilliard and gone back home. So it was just the two of us. I nearly tore my hair out, read every book I could find on child-rearing. But they didn’t help all that much. We got through it, and by the time she was three she talked a mile a minute. Could count to one hundred and play ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’ on the piano all by herself.”