‘We’re going to my property in Bowral. Why don’t you join us?’
‘Seriously?’ The question popped out before she could stop it. ‘You don’t know me.’ He was inviting a stranger into his home. With his kids. Who does that?
‘You saved my kids. That’s all I need to know.’
No, it wasn’t – there was so much more he needed to know, like how she was a liar, a thief, and everything else she couldn’t tell him. She smiled and shook her head. ‘No, but thanks.’
‘Look, there’s over eight hundred acres, plenty of room. It’s secure, no press. You’d have your own private suite, three square meals a day, a roof over your head…’ His voice trailed off, and she realised he knew of the camping gear in the back of her van. For the last four weeks she’d travelled from one camping ground to another, trying to stretch her money out for as long as possible by sleeping under the stars – or sleeping between nightmares – and being frugal in her grocery purchases. It was so tempting – a nice warm bed that didn’t include a rock digging into her back, in a room secure from mosquitoes. Food that was cooked in more than one pan. More than that, though, it could be a place to hide, away from reporters. Away from Mark. Hell, she’d give anything for a good night’s sleep.
But she’d be there under false pretences. If he knew what she’d done he wouldn’t be inviting her anywhere, let alone to his home, with his family.
She sighed. ‘I appreciate the offer, but it’s really not necessary. I’ll be fine.’
Dominic’s lips tightened, just a trace. She wondered if it was because she wasn’t falling in with his plans. He probably didn’t meet a lot of resistance to his offers. Well, there’s always a first time. This was for the best, for all of them.
He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a metal case. ‘Let me give you my phone number. If you need anything.’ He withdrew a business card and held it out to her, bending down so he could look her directly in the eye. ‘And I mean anything, you call me.’
She nodded. ‘Sure.’ Like hell.
The faint lines around his eyes deepened as though he suspected she was lying through her teeth.
‘Where are you going from here?’ he asked. ‘I’m sure the kids would love to catch up with you, to thank you in person. They haven’t stopped talking about you.’
His words brought a faint smile to her face. ‘They’re nice kids.’ And she couldn’t see them ever again. She would have shrugged – tried to – but the pain in her shoulder was a good reminder not to move any more than she had to. ‘I’m just going to hit the road, see where it takes me.’
This time there was no mistaking it. He was frowning. ‘But – where will you stay?’
She indicated the Kombi van in the car park. ‘I have everything I need.’ She almost laughed at the trace of horror that crossed his face when he looked out the window towards the van. ‘I get to go where I want, stay where I want, for however long I like. I’m kind of a free spirit. Or a gypsy.’
Yeah, it sounded so damn airy-fairy romantic. What she wouldn’t give for a hot bath. With scented bubbles. And real moisturiser, not the family-sized tub of sorbolene she’d ‘borrowed’ from a chemist’s bargain bin. Lah-de-friggin’-dah.
He pressed the card into her hand, forcing her to take it. ‘I mean it, Darcy. I owe you, and I’ll forever be in your debt.’
She shook her hair back from her face and returned his direct gaze. ‘Just take good care of those precious kids, Dominic.’
He gazed at her for a moment, as though trying to read her, trying to pry her secrets out of her. His gaze dropped, and he stared at her lips. Her cheeks warmed, and she desperately wanted to lick her lips, to get rid of her sudden case of dry mouth, but thought the action could be misconstrued. Who the hell was she kidding? She was about to walk out of Dominic St James’s life and never see him again. She wanted him to kiss her.
CHAPTER
4
He lowered his head. Her eyes fluttered shut, her chin lifted. Her heart thumped in her chest, heat swelling up inside her as she felt his breath skitter across her cheek, her mouth. She parted her lips and his kiss pressed – against her forehead.
Her eyes sprang open as he straightened, and he met her gaze with an intent one of his own. She closed her mouth with a snap when she realised she was gaping at him. She’d totally misread the situation. How embarrassing. Heat flooded her cheeks and she ducked her head, trying to hide her confusion, her rock-solid mortification. She realised they still held each other’s hand. As if in silent accord, they let go.
She’d wanted to kiss Dominic St James. What on God’s green earth was she thinking? And him? Did he realise? She hoped not. Prayed. Where was a deep hole to fall into when you wanted it?
‘See you around, Darcy.’ His voice was rough, low.
She took a deep breath, met his eyes and nodded. ‘Goodbye, Dominic.’ She managed to choke the words out almost calmly.
She watched as he left, the door closing quietly behind him, and she shivered. The room seemed to lose some heat with his departure, as though his presence warmed her. She shook her head. Nonsense.
No, nonsense was going gaga over Dominic St James, millionaire media magnet, within twenty-four hours of meeting him. She slapped her forehead. Good one. Way to go, Darce, you twit. That horse tranquiliser must have screwed with her common sense. She really needed to get out of here.
She picked up her keys and glanced down at the St Florian medal. It was a risk to carry it around, but it was her only link to home, and she treasured it. She could have lost it last night, though. After a few clumsy attempts she managed to undo the clasp of the plain silver necklace she always wore. Using her teeth, she detached the medal from the key chain and slipped it onto her necklace and, with a little contortion that made her arm throb even more, secured the clasp. The chain was long, and she tucked it in under her shirt. The cool medal lay against her chest, and she sighed.
That’s where it was supposed to be, against her heart.
Dominic paused and tried to compose his features as Alex approached him in the hall. He wanted to go back inside that room and demand Darcy McKenzie accept his offer of help. And maybe kiss her. No, no maybe about it – he definitely wanted to kiss her. He wasn’t an affectionate kind of guy, and was surprised by his instinct to kiss her goodbye. Was even more surprised that she would welcome it, if her actions were anything to go by. Thank God he’d managed to aim for her forehead. She wasn’t one of his dates; she was the woman who’d saved his children. Sure, she was beautiful. Even pale and drawn and looking like she’d been through the wringer, she had a quiet beauty that caught and held his attention. Funny, though, he could have sworn her eyes were a different colour. Obviously he’d been distracted by his kids the night before. Her big, brown eyes hinted at a contrast of vulnerability and strength. He shook his head in disgust. She’d saved his children, for crying out loud, and here he was mooning over her eyes. She deserved his respect, not his advances.
‘Is she coming?’ Alex asked.
‘No. What did you find out about her?’ His words were gruff, and he inhaled, trying to curb his frustration.
Alex either didn’t notice or chose to ignore the rough delivery. ‘Just the usual, so far. She’s twenty-seven, single, no dependants. Not much money in the bank. No credit cards, no debts. Do you know what she does for a living?’
Dominic shook his head. ‘She’s between jobs.’ A damn gypsy. Living so free of life’s usual constraints was an alien concept to him. She seemed so cavalier about things he considered important – like a roof over your head and food on your table.
‘So, what’s the great Dominic St James going to give Ms McKenzie for her efforts?’
‘Nothing.’
‘Nothing?’
‘She won’t take anything.’
‘What do you mean, she won’t take anything?’
‘Just what I said. Nothing. She won’t let me give her a house, a car—’ Dominic realised A
lex had stopped in the corridor behind him and turned.
‘She won’t let you replace that wreck outside?’
Dominic shook his head. ‘Nope.’
‘I don’t get it. She’s barely got milk money, and she drives a crapped-out Kombi. Do you think she’s holding out for more?’
Dominic frowned. Darcy didn’t strike him as the mercenary type, and he’d met enough of those to recognise them on sight. ‘No, I don’t think she’s trying to get more. Quite frankly, for saving Jonah and Julia, I’d be happy to give her anything, but she’s just not interested.’ He shrugged. ‘Maybe she has an altruistic nature.’
Alex’s eyebrows rose so high they were hidden by his russet brown fringe. ‘Altruistic? Seriously? You think there is such a thing?’
God, he sure hoped so. ‘Maybe.’ He met Alex’s dubious expression. They’d seen and dealt with a lot over the years. There was something about making a lot of money that brought out the worst in human nature. ‘Maybe not.’
Alex nodded, satisfied. ‘Okay, I’ll dig a little deeper.’ He paused, eyeing Dominic. ‘I just got a call from the sergeant,’ he said quietly.
Dominic sensed his friend didn’t have good news. He straightened his shoulders, preparing himself for whatever detail his advisor was going to drop. ‘Tell me.’
‘They’ve done preliminary testing on the car. In cases like this, the first thing they check is the brakes. It’s too early for a report yet, but I spoke to one of the crash unit officers, and unofficially, it looks like the brake lines were tampered with.’
Dominic tilted his head back and closed his eyes. Oh God. Someone had tried to kill his family. It was happening again. ‘What about Ava?’ he asked, his voice a croak.
‘They still haven’t found her.’
He didn’t try to kid himself. The only reason his children and ex-wife had been targeted was because of their connection with him. And she was still out there, alone, cold, possibly injured. Hopefully alive. ‘Any ideas on who is responsible?’
‘My team is looking into it. I hate to say this, Dominic, but you have a number of enemies, and that new development has only encouraged them.’
Dominic nodded. He’d managed to purchase a prime waterfront location, and his team were designing a development that would compete with Darling Harbour’s Harbourside shopping precinct in scale. He hadn’t confirmed plans yet, but some local residents and environmentalists were already protesting, as though they expected him to build some sort of ugly white elephant retail or casino district.
‘There are a lot of people interested in that site. We have to consider all possible threats. As well as the obvious.’
Dominic nodded again. He’d been receiving threatening letters, and there had been a number of hoax bomb threats made to a number of his offices and sites. Someone was waging a campaign of menace against him. If the letter writer was somehow connected to this accident, God help him, because there wasn’t a rock he and Alex wouldn’t look under.
‘I’m going to go sit with Jonah and Julia,’ he said.
Alex nodded. ‘Sure. I’ll follow up on the car. Oh, and Darcy. Can’t forget Darcy.’
Dominic shook his head as he continued along the hallway.
No, you couldn’t forget Darcy.
Darcy dragged the duffel bag behind her as she entered the lift and tried to ignore the perspiration trickling down her side underneath her T-shirt, as well as the tremor in her knees. It had taken her a lot longer to check herself out of the hospital than she’d thought. She’d needed to wait for the attending doctor to check her over after another X-ray and MRI scan, then there was a hold-up at the pharmacy for the painkillers and anti-inflammatory medication the woman had prescribed. There was another, more in-depth statement to the police about the accident. Then the nurse had insisted she sit and have the lunch that had arrived on a tray. She was lucky she was getting out before sunset. She dropped the bag and pressed the button for the ground floor, and then leaned heavily against the wall of the lift. Just the short walk from her room had drained her.
‘Wait, hold the lift, please!’ a male voice called out, and she leaned over to press the button to keep the doors open, hissing when her left arm shifted with the movement. Of course she had to hold the lift. The way her day was going, she’d probably get stuck in the damn thing.
Alex Knight jogged into view and into the lift. ‘Thanks,’ he said, smiling. She nodded. Dominic’s associate was a handsome man. Taller, perhaps even a little broader, with brown hair that looked like it was about two months past time for a haircut and grey eyes that took in the duffel bag at her feet. Of course, he didn’t have the same kiss-me effect that Dominic had, but he was still good eye candy.
‘You’re leaving?’ he asked, gesturing to her bag.
She nodded. ‘Yes. I’ve just signed out, and now I’m on my way.’ She may have fibbed a little. Like she must have lost her Medicare card in the swim in the river. The nurse was very understanding, and told her not to worry, they’d sort it out with administration. She knew that if Dominic St James hadn’t guaranteed her hospital costs, the conversation would have gone very differently.
‘Does Dominic know?’
She didn’t have to get Dominic St James’s permission to check herself out of the hospital, damn it. She hid her irritation behind a smile. ‘We said goodbye this morning.’ She managed to keep the flush from creeping across her cheeks at the memory. Yep, nearly six hours had passed, and it was still as embarrassing now as it was at the time.
Alex cocked his head. ‘So, where are you off to?’
Why was everyone so curious about where she was going? She took a deep breath. She was tired, she was in pain, and she was about as cranky as a constipated cat. ‘I don’t know yet. I’ll get out on the road and drive for a little while.’ Her words were calm, measured.
Alex gestured to her sling. ‘How are you going to drive with that shoulder?’
‘Carefully.’ She’d driven in worse shape before.
‘I’ll need an address in order to keep in touch. For the investigation,’ he added, holding up his iPhone.
She smiled brightly. ‘Of course.’ She gave him a fake address. She owed neither Alex Knight nor Dominic St James knowledge of her whereabouts. And if she could put as much distance between her and the cops, she’d be happy.
The lift doors opened as Alex slid his phone into his jacket pocket. ‘Let me give you a hand,’ he said, hefting her bag over his shoulder. His eyebrows rose. ‘Wow, feels like you’ve got everything in here except for the kitchen sink.’
I do. She smiled briefly at him, disguising her reluctance at someone else handling her stuff as she followed him out of the lift. That bag contained her whole life, as meagre as it was at the present. Her clothes, her money, a knife that had once saved her life – she cringed over it, but refused to discard it. The bag also contained the key to the safety deposit box that held her Plan B. They rounded the hall into the main hospital foyer, and Darcy halted.
Crap-friggin’-tastic.
Dominic St James was surrounded by what looked like a media mob, jostling to get their cameras and microphones in front of his face. It appeared he was giving an impromptu press conference. He’d just finished answering a question and had to hold up both hands when he was bombarded with more.
‘Please, I ask that you respect my family’s need for privacy during this difficult time. I believe the police are scheduling a press conference to give you all the available information on the case, but I ask that you give my family a chance to recover.’
Darcy looked wildly around. Oh God, this was bad. She stepped back towards the lift and pressed the button.
There was a flurry of more questions, and one journalist was able to shout louder than the others. ‘What about the woman who saved your children? Is she okay?’
Dominic happened to glance over their shoulders and spy Alex and Darcy. Darcy started to shake her head. No, no, no. This wasn’t happening.
&n
bsp; ‘Well, as you can see, she’s fine, if a little the worse for wear,’ Dominic said, lifting his chin in her direction. The lift doors remained closed, damn it. The crowd of journalists turned, and moving as a single predator sniffing fresh meat, they advanced.
‘Oh God, no,’ she murmured as Alex turned to her. Cameras flashed, and Darcy held her hand up to her face to block the blinding lights, and to prevent them capturing her face. She had to get away.
‘No, go away. No comment,’ she cried as they surrounded her. Pain exploded in her shoulder as her arm was jostled, and she cried out. She tried to duck and weave her way through the crowd, keeping her head down. A hand grabbed her good arm, and instinctively she tried to shake it free.
‘Darcy, this way,’ Dominic shouted in her ear. Still covering her face, she followed him blindly as he pulled her through a doorway that Alex held open for her. She peeked through her fingers. The stairwell. Alex stepped out into the melee, using her duffel bag as a barrier, and closed the door behind him to face the press.
Dominic dropped her arm, and Darcy let instinct take over. She bolted up the stairs, ignoring Dominic’s calls, ignoring the muffled shouts of the media in the foyer. She had to get away, damn it. Each step she took jolted her shoulder, and she clutched her arm to her chest to try to minimise the movement and fiery pain.
She was nearly at the second floor when Dominic caught up with her.
‘Wait, Darcy, please.’ He put his hand on her good shoulder, his touch gentle yet insistent, and she was forced to stop.
She turned from him, huddling over her sore arm as she tried to catch a breath that scorched through tortured lungs. Omigod, omigod, that was bad.
‘Please, Darcy, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realise…’
‘What?’ she snapped, finally turning to face him as she clutched her throbbing arm. ‘What don’t you get? That I don’t want anything from you? That I don’t want any attention, damn it? You are so used to all this, this focus, this intense scrutiny,’ she spluttered, ‘but believe it or not, we’re not all show ponies, Dominic. It’s nothing for you to hold a spontaneous press conference, or to expect the media to want to know what you had for breakfast, but some of us like to live quietly.’ She brushed a tear off her cheek that she hadn’t realised had fallen.
Runaway Lies Page 4