Secret Need (The Harper Sisters Book 2)

by Satin Russell

  Alex sighed. “Fine.”

  *

  The sharp edges of her frustration kept her awake long after she’d climbed under the covers. Liz knew her words had created a chasm between her and Alex. It was a gap she wasn’t sure how to bridge, or even if she wanted to. In some ways, keeping Alex at a distance felt safer.

  The droning sounds of the television filtered in from the living room. It was midnight before she heard Alex close the door to his bedroom. By the time Liz finally dropped off to sleep, it was mercifully dreamless. The next morning, her anger had dulled enough that she could think clearly about the situation.

  Logically, she knew it wasn’t fair to lay Peter’s drug addiction at Alex’s feet. In the calming light of day, she could admit that his aggressive behavior had stirred a purely visceral reaction in her. In fact, now that she’d had a chance to sleep on the matter, she felt a little embarrassed about her response to the previous day’s events.

  It was tempting to drag her feet and hide out in her bedroom a little longer, but what good would it do? At some point, she was going to have to see him. Pulling her shoulders back, Liz took a deep breath and made her way to the kitchen. The scene that greeted her from the doorway stopped her in her tracks.

  Alex was taking slices of bacon out of a skillet and placing them on a plate. That done, he began beating a bowl of eggs into a frothy mix before turning and catching two slices of toast as they jumped from the toaster.

  A curl of desire slowly unfurled low in her belly. What would it be like to wake up to this every weekend? She shook the idea from her mind before it had a chance to take root. “Smells good.”

  He turned as she entered the room. “Oh good, I was just about to wake you. There’s a fresh pot of coffee. I wasn’t sure how you took it.”

  Still bleary-eyed, and a little overwhelmed by the morning domesticity, Liz moved on auto-pilot towards the coffee pot. “Just black.” She filled a mug for herself before sitting down at the table. He plated the food and placed it in front of her.

  Liz took a bite of eggs and toast. “Mmm, this tastes great. Thanks for making breakfast.”

  Alex sampled his own meal before he gave her a boyish grin. “Well, you’ve officially experienced the other half of my cooking repertoire. Scrambled eggs are part of my specialty.”

  “What’s the other half?”

  “Spaghetti and garlic bread.”

  Liz laughed. “Well, that was good, too. I usually order out or eat something from a can.” She sobered when she remembered it was her desire to order a pizza that had started this whole adventure. “I want to apologize for how I reacted yesterday. I know it wasn’t right to blame you for Peter’s addiction.”

  Alex gave her a long look over the rim of his coffee before setting the mug down. “I appreciate you saying that. I’ll admit, I could have handled the situation better.”

  “I’m not going to give up on him, Alex. Peter said he’d think about testifying for us. Maybe now that he’s had a chance to think about it, we’ll be able to convince him it’s the right thing to do.”

  “I agree we should go back, but I don’t think he’s going to change his mind. We need to plan for the worst-case scenario and figure out another way of proving our innocence.”

  Liz knew he was right, but still wanted to hold out hope for her old friend. Somewhere underneath all those years of addiction and abuse was the boy she had once known. She’d caught a brief glimpse of him when he’d told her of his old high school crush. If she could appeal to that part of Peter, there was still a chance he’d do the right thing.

  Glad that they moved to more even ground, Liz took a deep breath. “We didn’t get a lot of information to work with yesterday. Where do we go from here?”

  “I don’t know. There is another thing that I’ve been worried about, though. My dad isn’t in good health. At some point I’m going to need to check on him. I usually stop by at least once a day. If I don’t show up soon, he’s going to wonder what’s going on.”

  Liz hadn’t even thought about that. Sure, she was cut off from her family, but at least she knew they weren’t depending on her. She could see the weight of his responsibility weighing heavily across his slumped shoulders. It made her even happier that his image hadn’t been plastered on the news the last few days.

  “Are you two close?”

  “We didn’t used to be, no. When I was younger, my dad was a hard, cold, and distant man. I used to wonder if he was warmer and more affectionate when my mom was alive. What kindness did he show her to make her fall in love with him? Whatever ability he had to share his emotions must have died with her.”

  “I’m sorry, that must have been difficult for you.”

  “It wasn’t easy.” Alex put his fork down and looked around the kitchen. “Strange that we ended up here, actually. This is where I’ve always felt closest to my parents. We’d come here during the summer for two weeks. After Mom was gone, I could see her when I watched my dad looking out at the view, or when he’d take me to their favorite restaurant. It was the one time of year he connected with me. It was as if this was the one place he could tap into that side of himself.”

  “He must have loved her very much.” The idea of loving someone that much scared her. But to lose them? That was terrifying. After losing her parents, she didn’t think she could put herself in that kind of position again. “Let’s look in on him this afternoon. Like you said, the cops aren’t looking for you yet. As long as we’re discreet…”

  Alex shook his head. “I was thinking along the same lines, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to come. Even if I’m not on the news, the officials could still be looking for me. Or, at the very least, Josh could be. It occurred to me that he might resort to using my father as bait.”

  “So, what? You think I should stay here while you go out and take all the risks?” Liz didn’t like the sound of that at all. It was her garage that been broken into. He wouldn’t be in this situation if it hadn’t been for her. Unfortunately, she couldn’t think of any other option. “You know, sneaking back to see your father more than once isn’t going to be a viable option. We’re going to need a long-term solution.”

  “I agree. I’m hoping this situation won’t last for much longer and alternatives become a moot point. If nothing else, do you think one of your sisters would be willing to look in on him?” As if reminded of their original quandary, he shifted the conversation. “Have you thought any more about talking to Paul?”

  Liz sighed. “I have. Other than going back to Peter and convincing him to testify, I think that’s my only option. It’s still hard to believe they’ve been investigating my garage for the last couple of months. How could that be? What have they witnessed? I’ve been trying to figure it out, but honestly, I haven’t seen any unusual activity. If Paul and I can compare notes, something might pop out at us.”

  “Talk about walking into a potential trap. I’m guessing he’s under as much surveillance as your family at this point. We should hold off on trying to talk to him until some of the initial interest has died down.”

  Even though she knew Alex was right, it didn’t make it any easier to accept. She got up to clear the plates and start on the dishes. As the sink filled, she let her gaze wander through the kitchen window and out over the view of the lake. There were worse places to be holed up for a few days. At least she could be thankful for the safe retreat.

  “Are you sure we’ll be able to stay here for a few days? Will anybody notice it’s occupied and think it odd?”

  “We should be fine for a few weeks, at least. Like I said, this cottage wasn’t rented out this year. There are only a few other residences along the perimeter of the lake, and most of them are rentals like this one. There shouldn’t be many prying eyes. In fact, feel free to go for a walk while I’m out today. The path around the lake isn’t quite three miles and it’s beautiful along the water.”

  Three miles. The distance was barely less than what they ha
d traveled the day before, but for some reason it didn’t sound nearly as daunting as it had the other day. Funny how context could change a person’s perception about something.

  Liz contemplated Alex as he leaned against the kitchen counter. She supposed the same could be said about people. After having had a chance to get to know him better, she was finding Alex to be a much more interesting person than the one she’d known in high school.

  “You know, I might do that. It wouldn’t hurt for me to get familiar with this place, anyway.” She could see the relief on his face as she agreed. He must have been worried she’d argue about coming with him to his father’s house. “Promise me you’ll be careful at your dad’s place. If anything seems suspicious, get out of there.”

  “Promise. I’ll take the car and drop it off away from here. My dad has a sedan that he can’t drive anymore. Don’t worry if I’m not back until later this afternoon, or even early evening.”

  “Okay.” Liz handed him the dishtowel she’d been using to dry the dishes. “Try to leave the car somewhere it will be found, and wipe it down with this. I feel terrible for its owners. I’ve already taken their names and addresses off of both registrations. Maybe I can repay them for the inconvenience once all of this blows over.”

  “Free maintenance for life.”

  Even after the strained conversation they’d had, Liz managed to crack a smile. “You know, that’s not a bad idea.”

  Alex hesitated at the door, almost as if he was afraid to leave. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”

  “I’ll be fine, I promise. Now hurry up and go check on your dad.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Alex drove past his father’s house a second time, trying to get a closer look at the unfamiliar car parked in the driveway. He debated whether he should stop and go in, or hold off and wait until the visitor had left.

  Ultimately, his concern for his father won out. He was painfully aware that whoever was operating within the drug ring knew of his involvement, despite his name not officially being reported to the police. There was no way he could risk not knowing who was inside, and maybe leave his dad at the wrong person’s mercy.

  On the other hand, he didn’t want to draw any undue attention to the house if it was a wholly unrelated matter. Deciding it would be better to park the stolen vehicle away from anything connecting it to him, Alex drove another five blocks before ditching his ride.

  He made his way back to the house and let himself in the back door. No reason to announce his arrival if something fishy was going on. Pausing in the kitchen, Alex strained his ears to detect anything unusual. A high trill of laughter came from the living room, followed by his father’s own raspy chuckle.

  With his curiosity piqued, Alex walked down the hallway, and stopped in surprise when he saw who the visitor was. Cynthia? What the hell was she doing here? Liz’s words from the previous day echoed in his mind. Could she be on to something, after all?

  “Alex!” His father’s voice boomed in greeting. It sounded more robust than Alex had heard in a long time.

  Realizing he’d been spotted, he moved into the room. “Hey, Dad.”

  “Good to see you, son. Where’ve you been?” Without waiting for an answer, his dad continued, “You remember Cynthia, don’t you?”

  “Yes, of course. Cynthia, how are you?” Alex reached to shake her hand right as she stepped in for a hug.

  “Oh, come on, Alex. Is that all you have for your old girlfriend? It’s not as if we’re strangers, y’know.”

  Alex relented, giving her a perfunctory pat on the back before extricating himself from her grasp. Despite the way she smiled up at him, he noticed there were dark shadows lying under her carefully applied makeup.

  “I didn’t realize you were going to have company, Dad. What brings you by, Cynthia?”

  She took a moment to fluff her hair back into place before including both men in her smile. “I was following up about that little issue you’d brought to my attention. I wanted to come by and assure your father that I was taking care of everything and it would never happen again.”

  The older Weston cleared his throat and shot his son a disapproving glance. “Imagine my surprise when she mentioned what had happened and I had no idea what she was talking about.”

  Well, hell, Alex thought. The last thing he needed was to get in trouble with his father. It didn’t matter how old he got, his dad had the uncanny ability to make him feel like a snot-nosed kid all over again.

  Alex ran a hand along the back of his neck. “I didn’t want you to concern yourself with it. I brought it up with Cynthia and figured I’d handle it. Everything is under control.”

  “Now don’t be giving your son a hard time, Mr. Weston. Alex did mention it, and we are going to schedule an appointment to talk about the matter further.”

  Alex watched as his dad gave her an affectionate pat on the hand. “You’re too good to me, dear.” Rod turned to his son. “Isn’t she a peach?”

  Cynthia smiled sweetly at the older man before sending Alex a direct look, not bothering to mask her open interest. Unsure of how to react to her unspoken invitation, Alex was about to excuse himself when his father groaned in pain. “Dad? Are you okay? Is it time for another painkiller?”

  “No, Cynthia here got me one a minute ago. I’m sure it will kick in any moment.” Rod winced, but gamely tried to smile through his discomfort. “I think I’m just a little overtired, that’s all. You’ll have to excuse me, dear. Alex, I trust you’ll work with Cynthia to come up with a security plan?”

  “You got it, Dad.”

  He nodded. “Good. Why don’t you two take off and let this old man rest for a bit? Alex, can you tour the rest of my holdings and make sure they’re doing okay?” A sly look entered his eye. “It will give you both a chance to catch up. After so many years, I’m sure you have a lot to talk about.”

  “Oh, um, Dad…right now isn’t a good time.”

  At the same moment, Cynthia beamed at him. “That’s a great idea! In fact, I don’t have anything planned today. Why don’t we go right now?”

  The timing was terrible, but there wasn’t a good way to politely decline the suggestion. Amazing how his dad still had a knack for getting what he wanted and manipulated the situation as he saw fit. It was part of the reason why he’d been such a successful businessman. It was also one of the reasons their relationship had been strained for so long.

  Worse, he knew his father’s suggestion was valid. Alex did need to check on his various properties. He wondered how he could wiggle out of the situation. “How long do you think it will take?” Maybe he could give her an hour and then beg off.

  “Oh, only a few hours or so.” She stood and gave Rod a light kiss on the cheek. “You take care of yourself. I’ll be back in a few days to give you a report on that sale we talked about.”

  “Bye, Dad. Take it easy this afternoon, okay?”

  “Sure, sure, son. I appreciate you helping me out with this.”

  Alex rolled his eyes as his father gave him a wink over Cynthia’s head. The poor guy actually thought he was doing him a favor. It made it hard to hold it against him, even if he had been neatly outmaneuvered.

  As they both walked out the front door, Cynthia flashed him a brilliant smile. “Won’t this be fun? Why don’t I drive, since I’m probably more familiar with the area?”

  “Fine.” At least he wouldn’t have to explain where his car was.

  Alex slipped in on the passenger side. Despite the roomy, luxurious leather seats, he felt confined. Had Cynthia always had that predatory gleam in her gaze, or was that something she’d acquired in their years apart?

  He supposed she’d always been this ruthless. However, that facet of her character had never been fully focused on him before. It was obvious she’d set her sights on resurrecting their old relationship, and he knew she was not a woman used to being denied.

  An image of Liz’s clear, sea-glass green eyes popped into his m
ind. While direct and piercing, they never had the same air of calculation that was ever-present in Cynthia’s. He hoped she wouldn’t worry about him taking so long to get back.

  Cynthia climbed into the driver’s seat. “Well, let’s get started! Your father has six properties, so it will be a full morning. Actually, a couple of the houses are not far from here.”

  At her tone, Alex felt relief course through him. If she decided to maintain this level of professionalism things wouldn’t be too bad. “Sounds good.”

  It only took them an hour and a half to tour through three of the places on their list. With each house Alex tried to convince her to stop the tour, but she seemed determined to follow through with it. Cynthia was able to tell him the price and specifics of each property, what the comps were for the area, the average time it took for other similar properties to sell, and the quality of the local schools.

  He noticed she carried a portfolio with information about each place, but rarely had to reference it. She even knew the people who lived in the neighborhoods and would share tidbits of their lives, what they did for a living, the names of their kids and what age they were, even who she had sold a house to in the past.

  The situation he’d found at the first house turned out to be an anomaly. Cynthia was actually quite good at her job. He began to understand why his father had hired her. As they left the third property, Cynthia reached into her bag and pulled out a tissue.

  “Excuse me,” she said as she wiped her nose. “I think I may be coming down with something.”

  He noticed that she did seem a bit more flushed than she had that morning. “Are you okay?” Finally, here was an excuse he could use. “Why don’t we stop for the day? Every place you’ve shown me has looked to be in good order. I’m sure the problem at the other house was an isolated incident.

  “Oh, I’m fine. Just a bit of that cold that’s been going around. Nothing too bad, I’m sure.” She quickly stuffed the tissue into a small trash bin she kept in the backseat of her car, then turned towards him. “Sorry about that. Anyway, this next house isn’t for sale, but your father rents it out every summer. It’s a bit of a drive, but the area is lovely.”