"If I stay, Gabrielle, you're not going to know why."
She gripped his shirt, bunching it in her fist. "I'll figure it out for myself. You said it yourself, Seth. You'll bleed for me. Right?"
He detached her fist from his shirt, uncurled her fingers and kissed her palm, his blue eyes looking into hers. "For enough money, even blood can be faked, Gabrielle. As a movie star, you should know that."
"Former movie star," she said, her lips stiff, her heart squeezing to what felt like a painful, slow stop.
He let her hand drop. "I'm sure I'll be seeing more of you, Gabrielle Sherborne. Have a nice life."
He turned and walked away. Gabrielle watched his back as he went, stunned. It was the first time a man had ever walked away from her and she didn't know what to do.
In the end, she did nothing. She sank down to the carpet, her legs folding like an accordion so that she was scrunched against the wall. She wrapped her arms around her legs and could feel her heart banging against her knees.
Seth hadn't even kissed her...so why did this hurt so much?
She was still sitting there some time later when the study door opened and her father stepped out, with Darlene in tow, her Blackberry glued to her ear. Cameron Sherborne halted at Gabrielle's feet, looking down at her, frowning. He at least didn't pretend to not know why she was there.
"I can't explain to you why I did it," he said simply.
"Did the fact that it might hurt me make you hesitate even for a second, Dad?" she asked him.
"Truth? No, it didn't."
She let out a hot, hurting breath. "God, this family..."
"Where did Captain O'Connor go?"
"Captain O'Connor?"
"Your guess was right. He's military. Highly decorated. Darlene—"
Darlene, while still talking on the phone, lowered the briefcase she was carrying, deftly hooked a file from the briefcase and handed it to her father. Her father dropped it beside Gabrielle. "Don't read it before you go to bed. You won't sleep. And burn it afterwards. I promised him we'd keep it in the family."
"Polite of you," Gabrielle said sourly.
"I hope you invited him to the dinner tomorrow?" her father continued.
"He's gone, Dad. You drove him away. Congratulations."
"Gone?"
"As in, he won't be back." Finally, she felt something shift in her. The aching mass in her chest swelled, bubbling up to tighten her throat. She felt the tears falling, but made no move to wipe the scalding track marks away.
"You're a real prince, Daddy. The one guy in the world who just might have wanted me for me and you managed to drive him back into the Rockies where he came from. You've really done it this time. Bravo."
Chapter Four
Seth found he was racing down the curves from Jasper a touch too fast even for his skills, which made it fast enough that the Mounties would probably slam him in a holding cell for the night...if they could catch him in the first place.
He eased up on the gas and consciously loosened his grip on the steering wheel. He tried to flex the tension out of his shoulders.
The mass sitting in the centre of his chest and gut he'd have to deal with when he wasn't driving. That wasn't tension. That was something else and he was afraid to probe it right now. The resulting shock would be unpredictable.
Normally he could ride out shock. He was trained for it. But all the usual techniques weren't working. Deep breathing, centering the mind. Focusing on the task at hand, gathering facts, off-loading the emotions.
Deliberately, he tried again to deal only with the facts, but this time he reached right back to this morning, when he had got out of bed. Normal routine. Normal day, he'd thought then.
Gradually, he felt his heart calm. His breathing settled down. Cross-country skiing along the foothills. Crisp air. Sun on his face. Then...something had spooked him. Fact.
Then the Mustang out of control.
River. Gabrielle. Her father. One million dollars.
No...there was something else.
The car. Something in the car.
Gabrielle's voice: "...if there's one thing I regret out of this whole day, it's the loss of my camera and laptop."
Seth brought the truck to a halt in a tourist turnout, thinking it through, coupling up facts unmarred by emotions. His conclusions chilled him in a way the river water that day had not even come close to succeeding.
He pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number from memory. The response at the other end was curt and sleepy.
"You'd better be dying."
"I'm in need," Seth said briefly.
"I'm listening."
"You still got all that winter diving gear in your garage?"
"Happen to have, yeah."
"Tanks full?"
"Yep."
"Think you could load it up and head to Jasper National Park right now?"
"Are you kidding me?"
"Nope."
"The police or the RCMP can't handle it?"
Seth hesitated. "It's a family matter," he said at last, but the lie rested heavily on him. The truth was, he wasn't sure what he was getting into here. He was riding on suspicions, half-formed theories and a growing dread that Gabrielle's tumultuous years weren't as far behind her as she thought.
"You used to be a better liar, Seth."
"It's been a long day," he said truthfully.
"I'm on my way."
Seth sat back in his seat, relief trickling through him. Soon, he'd start getting some answers. Edmonton was only three hours away, if you stayed within the speed limits. Tony wouldn't.
* * * * *
Tony Peterson was retired Canadian Navy, and a former JTF2 member. He pulled his SUV up beside Seth's truck at two-thirty-five in the morning. He was unshaved but alert. He looked at the fast flowing river. "You weren't kidding. Brief me." And he headed for the back of the SUV, swinging his keys.
Seth gave him a breakdown of the situation and his theory. He left nothing out. Tony and he went back a long way and the guy deserved to know what he was getting into.
Tony whistled a long low note as he hauled out the heavy gear. "So apart from the quixotic gesture of grabbing the lady's camera and notebook, you're really just going on instinct?"
"Something made me duck for cover this morning," Seth said calmly.
"Geese farting?" Tony said with a grin, thrusting a leg into one of the dry suits. He sighed. "Never known you to get antsy over nothing, Captain, so we'll play it your way."
"Seth," Seth corrected. "We're on civilian turf, remember?" He grabbed the other suit.
* * * * *
Ninety minutes later, they had their answer. The gear was packed away in the back of the SUV and they sat in the front, looking down at the explosive incendiary device they'd pulled off the brake line.
"Guess your guts win again," Tony said. "You must have heard this exploding—heard it bounce off the mountain walls. That's what made you duck. Few seconds later, when her brake fluid had all drained, she lost her brakes and went flying past you."
Seth nodded. It fitted with the events has they had happened.
"Someone was trying to kill her. Or seriously hurt her," he said. "That just leaves why."
"Have you ever seen anything like this before?" Tony asked, poking at the device with his forefinger. "It's the weirdest wiring I've ever seen. Slick. Damned slick. Not a centimeter too much. Very professional, man. Usually family jobs like this, they use way too much. They're full of anger, passion, some sort of emotion. Not thinking very clearly. They over-wind."
"I know someone who might be able to tell us something about it," Seth said. He took pictures of it with his phone, while Tony held it at all angles. Then he dialed the number from memory. There was no danger of waking Felix. He kept very early hours.
Felix answered with his usual clipped single word greeting and Seth identified himself swiftly.
"Felix, I'm going to send you some photos. See if you can recognize the hand
work. Can you drop everything and look at them straight away?"
Felix knew he was on vacation after sick leave and hesitated for a fraction of a second. "For you, Captain, I will," he said.
"Thanks," Seth said and disconnected. He selected the photos and sent them to Felix's email address, then relaxed back against the door. "Thanks for doing this, Tony. If it helps, I hope I never have to call on you again."
Tony waved him off. "From the sound of it, I'm glad I could help." He pushed at the device. "You spoke of family, Seth. This woman. Is she important...to you?"
There was no easy answer. Seth licked his lips. "I think...yeah." The heavy mass was back in his chest.
"Then you need to be real careful, Captain. Watch your back. When it's family stuff, you don't know who you can trust. Enemies look like friends and friends stab you in the back just when you think they're reaching around for a hug. A battlefield is nice and clean. Family stuff is ugly in comparison." Tony's expression was bleak.
Seth's phone buzzed, making him jump. He fumbled for it, his heart thudding. The number in the ID display was unknown to him, but it was an Ottawa area code. He answered it cautiously.
"This is Lieutenant-Colonel Mercer, Captain. You know who I am."
"Yes, sir." Seth could feel himself sitting up straighter, even though the man was across the other side of the country.
"Where did you find this device? Use what euphemisms you feel are needed. I can fill in many blanks later."
Seth explained carefully, aware of the insecure qualities of the cell phone.
There was a fifteen second silence. Mercer's ability to come to snap decisions was legendary. "You're back on active duty as of now, Captain O'Connor. I need to you reinsert yourself inside the Sherborne family and take up active watch. Your priority will be to stay with the target and protect her."
"That...could be difficult, sir."
"Difficult, or impossible?"
Seth grimaced. "Not impossible," he admitted. Mercer wouldn't want to know about difficulties. "Do I need to know why, sir?"
Again, the minute hesitation. "The device originates from outside the country, O'Connor. We'll be moving on that end of things. That is all."
"Yes, sir." He closed his phoned and put it away, a sour taste in his mouth.
"That wasn't good news, was it?" Tony said softly.
"No, and I can't explain further, Tony. You're no longer active."
"I don't need details. Your face says it all. I can figure out the rest. Those photos goosed them in Ottawa." Tony grimaced. "Just watch your back, okay?"
Seth nodded. "Thanks."
* * * * *
He was woken by the burr of his cell phone vibrating against the bedside cabinet, barely five hours later and slapped his hand on it. The thing continued to buzz under his palm. He rolled onto his back, bringing it with him. He knew he had to answer it, but reluctance dogged him.
Then he remembered. He was back on active duty. Damn.
He brought the phone to his ear. "O'Connor."
"I figured you for an early riser, Captain. I'm surprised to find I'm wrong." It was Cameron Sherborne's precise diction, filtering clearly into his ear.
Seth sat up. "How the hell did you get this number?"
"The same way I got your records. They've been burned, by the way. I thought I'd assure you on that point."
It was reassuring, although just the fact that Cameron had read his military record at all was uncomfortable. Seth rubbed his temple. "That was why you woke me?" he asked.
"I called to apologize, Mr. O'Connor."
Seth didn't miss the change of title. Sherborne was retreating. A little, anyway.
"Why?" Seth demanded.
"Gabrielle said something last night I've never heard her say before," Sherborne said.
Seth's grip on the cell phone tightened. He closed his eyes. Gabrielle. How on earth was he supposed to work this job with Gabrielle in the mix?
"It made me reconsider my position," Sherborne continued. "I was hasty last night, and inconsiderate of my daughter's feelings."
"You were," Seth agreed.
"Come to lunch, Mr. O'Connor. Let me make up for my lack of finesse."
Seth pulled the cell phone away from his ear for a second to look at it, his heart racing.
Just like that, he was back in. He'd spent two hours last night trying to think up ways he could reinsert himself into the family as ordered. The only methods he could come up with involved contacting Gabrielle and lying his head off. The sour taste those options had given him had sent him to the bathroom for the ancient bottle of Pepto Bismal at the back of the cabinet.
And now this.
"This is quite genuine, I assure you, Mr. O'Connor," Cameron Sherborne added. "There is no hidden agenda. The worst you will have to face is running the gauntlet of my daughters and their spouses."
"I can't honestly find a reason to say no," Seth told him, "but every bone in my body says I should. I don't trust you, Mr. Sherborne."
"You probably shouldn't, Mr. O'Connor. I didn't get where I am by being polite and honest. The number I'm using to call you now is unlisted. It's my personal cell phone and I am the only person who answers it. Only thirty people in the world have this number. Now there are thirty-one. If you ever have a need to reach me urgently and can't via normal channels, use this number. You will get my undivided attention."
There was an inflection in Sherborne's voice, a note like a soft-blown trumpet call that made the hairs on the back of Seth's neck stand on end. Sherborne had not made any declarations about iron-clad promises, but Seth knew that the statement was as good as a death-bed promise.
"Why me?" he asked.
"You saved Gabrielle's life yesterday, Seth O'Connor. I'm also aware of what you've been doing all night." Sherborne paused. "Lunch is at noon, but be here by eleven. Have you got a jacket, O'Connor?" And he was gone.
Seth pushed the red button to disconnect and called back the number. Cameron Sherborne's private cell phone number. Unasked.
An invitation to a family lunch. Just like that.
Cameron Sherborne was right. Seth didn't trust him an inch and wasn't going to start any time soon. But, damn, the man certainly had a way of getting what he wanted.
He glanced up at the wardrobe door. A jacket, hmm? To run the gauntlet of his daughters and their spouses. That would include Gabrielle, of course.
He'd been thinking of her all along—who had he been fooling?—but now an image of her as he'd last seen her leapt to the forefront of his mind. He could remember the feel of her hand clenched in his shirt, the small weight of it against his chest.
How on earth was he supposed to deal with Gabrielle now? He was on active duty, and supposed to be ready to react to anything.
But last night her eyes had followed him down into sleep, creating that heavy mass in his chest.
And now even her memory was rousing him to a state that was almost painful. He eased himself off the bed. Time for a shower.
Chapter Five
The beaded ivory lace dress had been a last-minute packing decision. Gabrielle had literally balled it up and shoved it in the corner of the suitcase. She was glad she had packed it, now, but even so, she donned the garment with a complete lack of enthusiasm. Her taste for grunge clothing had fled, but hadn't been replaced by anything else. The big family get-together today would ensure that her sisters would have their fashionista knives out, so Gabrielle went through the motions, knowing they would pick her wardrobe apart if they could. Why give them more ammunition than necessary?
The dress stopped at mid-thigh, and she wore opaque tights to accentuate her legs, and dark stilettos. The dress was backless, scooping down to her waist, while the long sleeves flared out over her wrists and extended to her knuckles.
She remembered buying the dress and feeling sexy in it, but now it was just a shield against her sisters' spiteful comments. She straightened her hair and backcombed the crown to make it lift and appl
ied makeup to accentuate her eyes. Lots of black, blended-in, to make them smolder, like the movie make-up artists had shown her.
Today was the nineteenth of December. In two week's time, exactly, she was flying out of here. Free to leave. She just had to survive the family hysterics until then.
Gabrielle picked up her old digital camera, wrapped herself in her coat and headed for her father's cabin. It was another beautiful day. The sun was out, sitting high overhead and spilling light on the perfectly smooth, untouched snow blanket lying between the cabins. It was so white it looked blue at the edges, where the sun didn't touch it. It seemed liked no one at Jasper Park Lodge wanted to mar the perfection of the snow between the paths. Everyone walked only on the carefully shoveled pathways, leaving a fat white pillowy field between the paths, to dazzle in the brief hours of daylight.
The cabins were located around the edges of the lake and the main building sat a good three hundred yards across from them all. The paths radiated out from the main building to all the cabins, and there was a wide path that ran from cabin to cabin, too, connecting them all. There were secondary, narrower paths that ran between the cabins that the individual cabin users could use to get to the lake itself, or around to the back of their own cabins. Every path, both primary and secondary, was well shoveled and perfectly dry and clear of snow.
The silence here always astonished her. When she stopped and listened, she could hear her own heartbeat. The snow muffled everything, and she could hear for miles.
As she passed the smaller chalets and cabins, she could hear movement and conversations inside. Her extended family tended to take over the lakeside corner of the private cabins at Jasper Park Lodge at this time of year and her father paid well to ensure they were given the privacy and defenses against the media they needed. Jasper Park Lodge had been catering to such clientele for nearly a century and was very good at fending off incursions. Christmas at Jasper was a Sherborne tradition.
Gabrielle stepped into the big chalet her parents used and slid off her coat. A waiter was already hovering. He offered to take her coat, his eyes brightening at her entrance. She had been recognized, even though he remained silent. The staff at the lodge was the most discreet and polite in the world. She smiled at him and gave him her coat, put her camera bag on the side table and peered around the big palm in the entrance toward the sitting room. "Is everyone already here?"
Tracy Cooper-Posey Page 4