Wicked Temptation

by Linda Verji

  "Yup!" There was amusement in Misha's voice as she encouraged, "Check out his co-star."

  Danny's jaw almost hit the ground when Richard's 'co-star' turned his sweaty face toward the camera. "No way. Pip? As in Phillip, their butler? As in Pip?"

  Misha chuckled. "The one and only."

  No wonder the man had stayed with that family for so long. He was getting added benefits.

  Danny paused the video and turned to Misha with a shake of his head. "Thank you for scarring me for life. My childhood is officially over."

  "Sorry, kid. It had to happen sometime." Misha's laughing gaze met his.

  And for a moment, as they held gazes, it felt like they were back to who they were before the 'incident'. But then just like that the spark was gone, and the laughter faded from her eyes.

  She lowered her gaze and cleared her throat. "Anyway, that arrived in my email early this morning. Along with that document labeled Katherine." This time she didn't lean over to point it out.

  Danny clicked on the document to reveal more damning information on the Wildes. This one was a DNA test proving that Lauren Wilde was no Wilde. The judge was with ninety-nine percent certainty not her father. No wonder she'd never looked like any of them.

  "That's why I think she's the one who killed Eric," Tony insisted. "I talked to one of Eric's college roommates and he said that Eric deliberately targeted Lauren, almost as if he'd planned this whole thing from the start. Maybe after a while of dating he brought her into his plan. Why would she run if she wasn't a part of it."

  He took a breath and continued, "Then there's the fact that she's the only Wilde who wasn't blackmailed. Plus there's no way Eric could have gathered all that information on her family without help. Lauren's likely the one who fed him the information. Maybe they planned this whole thing out together but Eric refused to give her her take. So she snatched the money, killed him and skipped town."

  It all sounded so neat. But Misha countered, "Then why would she send me the email?"

  "We haven't confirmed that," said Tony.

  "Who else would?" Danny agreed with Misha. "Richard and Katherine have way too much to lose. And Bradley… wait!" His mind raced ahead and came up with questions. "Isn't Bradley being blackmailed too? Where's the leverage Eric had on him?"

  "Oh, Bradley." Misha's gaze widened as she turned to Danny. "You think he sent this?"

  "Maybe?" Danny hypothesized.

  "There," Tony said triumphantly. "There's our anonymous sender."

  "But why would he send you this email?" Danny asked thoughtfully. "Why would he betray his parents?"

  "I don’t know," Misha said. "But the other day when I was talking to him, I got the impression that he and his father weren't exactly on friendly terms."

  "You talked to Bradley?" Danny asked.

  "Yeah…" Misha briefed Danny on her visit to Bradley's. Judging by Tony's unsurprised expression it was obvious he already knew about Misha's little excursion. A fresh spurt of jealousy struck Danny as did a sudden thought. Could Tony be the reason she was so reluctant to be with him? After all, she had confessed to loving the man.

  Hell! He hadn't even thought of Tony. He glanced at the man as his competitive instincts rose. The hell he'd let Mr. Asian Romeo over there take his woman.

  "I'm sorry but I still don't buy the 'Bradley sent it theory'," Misha interrupted Danny's erratic musings. "Okay, he hates his dad. But that boy is a card-carrying member of the Mommy's Boys Brigade. He would never sell out Katherine. I think Abigail sent it," she paused dramatically then added, "and killed Eric."

  "Abigail?" Danny drew his head back in disbelief. "That shy mouse. She goes for Bible study."

  "Oh, Danny. You have so much to learn about women." Misha smiled as she shook her head. "Think about it, who else could've had access to Eric's leverage. He trusted her with his money. Why not with his information?"

  "Then why did she give the money up so easily," Tony countered.

  "To make herself looking like an innocent victim drawn into a scam by her charming cousin." Misha opined, "But it wasn't all the money. Abigail said that she saw Richard drop off his twenty-five at the hospital, but it conveniently went missing. What if it never did?"

  Misha posited to the two men. "What if Abby actually picked it but lied to Eric that Katherine took it? Eric confronts Katherine, Katherine convinces him that she didn't touch Richard's money. He realizes that his cousin isn't as naïve as he thought. A confrontation ensues and our dear Abby sends Eric to Bye-Bye land. She thinks she's gotten away with it until Danny and I appear at her doorstep.

  When she realizes that we're on to her and that she'll be dragged into this whether she likes it or not, she decides to do some quick damage control. The crying, the quick confession and releasing the fifty thousand dollars are all a show. In reality she's already pocketed a cool twenty-five grand." Misha continued, "Seventy-five grand is great, but twenty-five is plenty too. Besides that, an accessory to extortion charge carries less penalties than murder. In less than a year she'll be out and enjoying her money. I know that's what I'd do in her position."

  Pensive silence fell in the room as Danny and Tony absorbed her theory. It made so much sense. Tony shook his head as he stared at Misha in awe. "Thank God you're not a criminal."

  Misha arched her eyebrow. "You sure?"

  The slow smile Tony gave her in return was enough to make Danny's hackles rise. His voice was sharper then he intended when he hypothesized, "Abigail could be the killer but let's not forget Katherine and Richard. Richard looks good for the murder. There's no way his nomination to Chief Justice will happen if this comes out."

  "Or if people start to see him as a cuckold because of Katherine's indiscretions," Misha added. "How's his alibi coming along?"

  "He has an alibi." Tony's tone was measured. "Sort of."

  "Either he has one, or he doesn't," Danny snapped.

  Tony shot him a sharp look, then said, "He says he was with a Senator Jason Leakey on the night of the party at an undisclosed location. Leakey confirms it but won't say where they were either. Witnesses say the Senator, like the Judge, was picked up by a limo but no one knows where they went. The more I dig the more pushback I get. Yesterday, my Captain got a call from the Senate Majority Leader telling me to drop it."

  Misha's widened. "Political cover up?"

  Tony shrugged. "Don't know. But at least they're letting me investigate Eric's murder, even if it feels like I'm doing it with handcuffs on."

  "Don't worry that's why we're here," Misha smiled encouragingly. "We'll do what we can to find out where he was."

  Danny who wasn't feeling as charitable just gave a faint nod. Despite having a boatload of work, he stayed put until Tony finally breezed out with Misha's laptop. Call him jealous, but there was no way Danny was willingly letting the man stay around Misha when she was alone and vulnerable.

  As soon as he heard Misha bid Tony goodbye then close the front door, Danny lifted to his feet. He and Misha met in her hallway. Now that they were alone the awkwardness was back and up by several notches. It churned between them like a dark cloud. In an effort to ease her anxiety, he said, "I'm heading out to work. I'll see you-"

  "Do you have time to talk?" Misha interrupted.

  Danny's eyebrows lifted. "You're ready to talk? Now?"

  She nodded.

  He observed her for a silent moment, noting how stiff her shoulders were and how she kept playing with her fingers. But her mouth was set in a determined line and her gaze was steady on him as she waited for his answer.

  Inclining his head slightly, he stepped to the side of the hallway and gestured for her to lead the way into the living room. "Okay."

  It was time to talk.

  CHAPTER 26

  Misha kept her expression composed as she led the way into the living room then settled in the armchair that Tony had just vacated. However, on the inside she was a bundle of messy nerves. She didn't know if she could do this.

 
Yes, she'd promised Geneva that she'd tell Danny everything and let the chips fall where they may, but promising and keeping that promise were two different animals. And Danny's grim expression as he lowered himself to the couch certainly wasn't encouraging. But she had to do this. It was the only way to make sure he understood the necessity of keeping away from each other.

  She cleared her throat and started, "I promised that I'd let you know what was really going on with me."

  "You did," he agreed quietly.

  "But before I do, I'd like to ask for one favor." Her gaze met his as she made her plea. "That you listen to me with an open mind."

  Danny studied her for a moment then nodded curtly.

  "You'll think that I'm crazy," she informed him. "Really crazy."

  His eyebrows rose at that declaration. "Am I?"

  Perhaps it was rash of her to assume his reaction, but her presumptions were more for herself than they were for him. The worst result of this conversation was for him, the one person whose opinion mattered to her most, to think her insane. However, if she trained her brain to expect the worst then hopefully she'd be able to cope better when it happened.

  "The other day when we made love I left because you said you loved me." She paused for a moment, gathering her courage, before spitting out her deepest darkest fear. "You can't love me, Danny. If you do, I'll kill you."

  He blinked. Hard. "Sorry?"

  "Not in the 'shoot you' kind of way," she rushed on to explain. "More like in the bad luck and cursed kind of way. I'm cursed."

  She waited for the disbelief and skepticism to cloud his eyes, for his sarcastic laughter to fill the room. Instead, his expression remained closed as he leaned back in the seat and said, "I see."

  No, he obviously didn't see otherwise he wouldn't be so calm. Misha leaned forward slightly, her voice earnest as she sought to make Danny understand how far up the river she'd gone. "Anyone who loves me dies." It sounded ridiculous even to her own ears, but she persisted, "I know it sounds silly, but it's true."

  Instead of whipping out his phone and calling the mad police, Danny stared at her with curiosity shining in his gaze. "How do you know that it's true? That you're cursed."

  Maybe he was just humoring her before he called her out on her madness. But after everything she'd done to him he deserved to be humored. So taking a deep breath, she began her story, "I told you about my brother Mathew and how he was kidnapped, right?"

  Danny's eyes shadowed as he nodded. "Yes."

  "But I never told you how it happened… or… or that I was actually there on that day." Her insides twisted and coiled at the mention of her brother and that fateful day. "Matt was twelve and to me he was a superhero…"

  She was Matt's shadow tailing him everywhere. Good brother that he was Matt humored her - most of the time. On that day, Matt's best-friend, Simon, came to get him so they could play. Misha wanted to go with them but her mother wouldn't let her no matter how loud a fit she threw. Matt left and a few minutes later when her mother wasn't looking Misha followed him. The friends' favorite hangout was the river that ran behind Simon's house and, even at seven, Misha knew the route there.

  "… I knew he'd take me back home if he noticed that I'd followed them, so I hid behind the bushes and just watched them." Her eyes welled up as her brain brought up a grainy image of how happy Matt had looked that day. "Simon was swimming while Matt was on the river bank basking. I was watching them when someone tapped my shoulder…"

  It was a friendly-looking woman. The woman had asked young Misha for the directions to a popular restaurant. Always helpful, Misha emerged from her hideout to show the woman how to get to the restaurant. However, when the moment got to the dust road the woman lifted her and broke into a run.

  "… I remember screaming for Matt." Misha's voice dropped to a ragged whisper. She didn't realize that she'd started crying until she tasted salt on her lips. Dashing the tears from her eyes, she continued on determinedly, "Then all over sudden I heard his voice, yelling for the woman to put me down…"

  Matt had caught up to them just as the woman started to thrust Misha into her car. Misha couldn't remember the brand of the car but she remembered that it'd been black as darkness. Matt struggled with the woman, trying to rescue his sister. Eventually the woman let go of Misha, but it was only so she could grab Matt.

  "… Matt yelled at me to run. I didn't want to, but he kept yelling for me to go until I started running." Misha buried her head in Danny's shoulder as the memory overwhelmed at her. She didn't know when or how she'd ended up on his lap, but right now it was where she was, surrounded by his arms and his comfort. His hands soothed over her back and arms in silent comfort.

  She sucked in a deep shuddering breath, sniffed and wiped away the excess of her tears before turning her eyes upwards to Danny's. His gaze mirrored her sadness, but he didn't say anything. So she continued, "I got home within minutes, shouting at my mother that Matt needed help. But it was too late…"

  By the time Ida got to the scene, Matt was gone as was the lady and her car. The usual police investigation ensued but Misha was too young to give an accurate description of the assailant or the car. Mathew's face went up on a milk carton two days later, but it was too late. His body turned up a few days later floating in the same river he'd loved playing in.

  "It wasn't your fault," Danny whispered in Misha's ear.

  "It was," she refuted as fresh tears clouded her gaze. "I followed him even though they told me not to. I was the one that lady came looking for. I - I was the one who screamed for him to come and help - help me. I-" Her voice broke as sadness and guilt overwhelmed her.

  No matter how many whispered 'it wasn't your fault' Danny said as he held her, it made no difference. She knew the truth, and it was that she'd killed her brother. She continued, "My parents moved here from Montgomery trying to give us all a fresh start. But it didn't work. I could still hear my mother crying for Matt at night. I could still see my father's sadness when he thought I wasn't looking…"

  She'd tried to make up for her sin by giving them a semblance of what Matt would've given them had he had a chance to grow up. Her brother had always said that he wanted to be a doctor like their father so Misha set out to become one too. She worked so hard at it that she ended up earning a scholarship to an academy for the gifted; the same school Danny was at.

  Despite her queasiness at the sight of blood and her inherent fear of anything to do with death, she'd worked diligently to get accepted into a pre-med program.

  "… I should've known they'd figure out that my heart wasn't in it." A glimmer of a rueful smile lifted her mouth despite her teary eyes and wet cheeks. "I still can't believe they staged an intervention."

  "I was there, remember?" Danny smiled too. "Your mama told me that I was supposed to shut up and nod yes to everything they said."

  The two friends shared an intimate smile as they remembered the intervention. In it, her parents had insisted that her job was to be happy - not to make them happy. And Medicine didn't make her happy. Her father had produced brochures from several universities and ordered her to pick anything but medicine.

  She'd chosen political science with a minor in Criminology. The rest was history. Though she hadn't given them everything Matt could've her parents had been extremely supportive of her; helping her with her student loans, attending all her events, clipping her first byline and pasting it on the fridge. Her mother gave her fashion tips whenever she went on air. Her father sent in to the letters to the station telling them how she was the best reporter they'd ever had… They were phenomenal parents.

  Then she'd killed them too.

  "It was an accident." Danny's arm tightened around her waist.

  "No." Misha shook her head vigorously. "If I hadn't invited them to that award show they wouldn't have been in the car with me."

  "Misha?" Danny tipped her chin up with two fingers so they were looking at each other. "Do you honestly believe that you could've kept your
parents from coming to witness you receive your first journalism award even if you didn't invite them?"

  No, they wouldn't have missed it. Not even if she tied them up. But their death was still her fault. Her jaw clenched, she confessed, "I was drunk."

  "No, you weren't. You didn't even finish one glass of champagne," Danny reminded her. "I was there."

  But it'd still been one glass too much. "I should've called us a cab or something. Instead I drove us home…"

  And that's when the truck, driven by a long-distance exhausted driver, had crashed into the right side of her car. Her mother had died on the spot. But her dad - he'd hung on.

  "… I stayed with him throughout that night. I just sat beside him and watched him die," she said, unnecessarily because Danny had been sitting right beside her. "And as I sat there I realized it. I was a killer." Even as she said the words, bleak certainty filled her and unexplainable pain stabbed at her chest. "People love me, they protect me, they give up everything for me-" She shrugged. "- and I kill them."

  "I see."

  "Do you? Do you really?"

  "Yes, I do." His gaze intent, he succinctly summarized, "You think that you're bad luck to anyone who loves you. And you don't want me to love you because I'll die if I do."

  Misha parted her lips to correct him, but when she realized that indeed he understood what she was saying, all she could say was, "Oh."

  Danny continued, "But you're wrong."

  "No, I'm n-"

  "My turn," Danny interrupted her with a firm squeeze of her thigh to shut her up. "You're wrong - not ridiculous," he emphasized. "Just wrong. You know why I think you're wrong?"

  Left with no option but to listen to him, Misha shook her head.

  "Because." Danny leaned forward and pressed a small kiss on her lips. His eyes were intent as he explained, "The statistics don't hold."

  "Statistics?"

  "Yup. The Math doesn't add up." His thigh muscles flexed underneath her as, with a firm hand on her waist, he set her properly over him. "Okay, we've got three people who you think the curse took because they loved you, right?"