Dangerous Love

by E. B. Walters

  She reached up and touched his cheek, her smile so sad it crushed his heart like a physical blow. “You’re a wonderful friend, Ken, but I just want to be alone. I’ll have a cup of cocoa and hope for sleep.” She pressed a soft kiss on his lips then walked around him and headed toward the kitchen.

  Ken didn’t like leaving her alone, but he couldn’t insist on staying. One day, she’d stop seeing him as a friend, need him enough to ask him to hold her as she cried or lay sleepless because life threw her a curve ball. He downed the cognac, placed the glass on the table and closed the gap between them.

  He cupped her cheeks and leaned in. Faith reached for him at the same time and parted her lips, inviting his kiss. His tongue swept across the smooth surface of her teeth before she let him inside. He prolonged the contact for as long as he could, then he stepped back.

  “I’ll call you tomorrow evening.” He touched her cheek with the tips of his fingers and grabbed his keys from where he’d dropped them on the counter. “Thanks for the drink.”

  She walked him to the door and stayed there. A fair distance away, he pulled out his cell phone and punched in Eddie’s cell number. The phone went unanswered. The cop was probably crawling through the underbelly of L.A., trying to catch the scumbags that messed with his family. He had to give it to the Fitzgeralds. They had each others’ back.

  At home, Ken finished packing an overnight bag and tucked the envelope with the cruise tickets in the pocket next to his laptop. As far as anniversary presents went, a fourteen-day Caribbean cruise wasn’t a bad idea. His father would probably find something wrong with it, as he’d done with the set of golf cubs Ken had given him last Christmas. But his mother would be thrilled. She’d spoken often of helping his father learn to work less and relax more. In her voice, Ken had heard the loneliness of being married to a workaholic and the worry for her husband’s wellbeing. Maybe a cruise together might be a start.

  Ken’s phone rang just as he was settling in his bed. It was Eddie.

  “What is it, Lambert?”

  He’d had it with the cop’s sour attitude. “Okay, Fitzgerald. You’ve been riding me hard tonight, so whatever crawled up your pants, let’s have it.”

  “I didn’t call you. You called me.”

  “To tell you that I’m going to give you a head start on whatever we have on Faith’s employees, but from your tone the info’s not going to earn me brownie points. What the hell is going on?”

  There was silence on the line. “How long have you been seeing my cousin?”

  Ken wanted to tell Eddie that Faith was a grown woman and had a right to see whomever she pleased, but something in the detective’s voice warned him to tread carefully. “Not long.”

  “Treat her right, Lambert. Real nice or you’re finished in this town.”

  The words delivered in calm, even tone would have been chilling if Eddie weren’t talking about Faith. Anyone protective of her was all right in Ken’s book. “I hear you.”

  “Good. So what about Faith’s employees?”

  “I’ll leave a message with Lucy, so stop by the office tomorrow and she’ll give you whatever you need.”

  “We’re still discussing your next move when you get back.”

  Ken chuckled. Eddie was relentless. “Sure. Just remember one thing. Until Faith says otherwise, I’m still on the clock.”

  “I thought you weren’t in this for the money.”

  He wasn’t, but he heard the smirk in Eddie’s voice and chose to wipe it off his face. “Unlike you boys in blue, I have operating costs.”

  Eddie chuckled. “Of course you do. Just remember what I said. I’ve got to go, man. I’ve some not very good news to give Faith.”

  Ken tensed. “What?”

  “I went to see Molly.”

  Ken braced himself. “What did she say?”

  “Nothing. Someone got to her first.”

  ***

  Faith paced the floor of her bedroom and cursed herself for telling Ken to leave. He would have helped her sleep better than hot cocoa. He wielded a strange hold over her that was both disconcerting and fascinating. It boiled down to his eyes and their power to make her feel like nothing and no one could touch or hurt her while he was around. Yet in an instant, they could send her heart fluttering and heat straight to the core of her womanhood. At times they sent a weird feeling through her that had nothing to do with sexual attraction or safety. That last one bugged her the most because she couldn’t explain it.

  Her ringtone filled the room. She switched on the lamp and reached for her cell phone. The number was unfamiliar. “Yes?”

  “You see what you made me do?” a whispery voice answered.

  Cold fingers drifted up Faith’s spine. “Who’s this?”

  “He humiliated me and you let him. For that, I had to punish you.”

  Faith swallowed, but her mouth had gone dry. “Sean?”

  “You made me do it. I saw you leave with him tonight. Are you sleeping with him?” His voice became low and whiny.

  Anger slammed into her. “You bastard. It’s none of your business who I sleep with. You destroyed my store. What kind of a monster are you?”

  “You loved me once, Faith. You know I’m not a monster. I just want what we once had,” he whined.

  “You and I are done. We’ll never, ever be a couple again.” She pressed the off button and flopped back on the pillows, her body shaking.

  Immediately, the phone started to ring again. Her first instinct was to ignore it, but she refused to cower. She raised the phone to her ear. “Leave me alone, you son of a bitch, or I’m going to call the police.”

  “What the hell is going on?”

  Relief coursed through her and she exhaled. “Eddie. Sean just called me and practically admitted he was behind the break in at my store. He claimed it was a punishment for the way Ken humiliated him.”

  Eddie cursed. “He must be stopped, Faith. His phone number should be stored in your cell. Give it to me. Once we confirm it’s his, he can’t deny he called you. If he calls again, let voicemail pick it, so we have a recording. CSU got the model and color of the car the robbers used from the security recording. We have an APB on it and we’ll check chop shops in case they decided to dismantle it. I plan to collect as much evidence as I can against Sean, Faith, so when you decide to press charges against him, he won’t find a loophole in the system.”

  She didn’t know if waiting was good idea. Sean sounded unhinged and a visit from Eddie might make him stop. On the other hand, she wanted the designer behind bars.

  “Whatever you think is best, Eddie. I’m flying to New York on Sunday and won’t be back until Friday. I’ll have my cell with me, so call me if you find anything on him or my employees. This may be just my opinion, but I think Sean’s too smart to use his phone to call me or loan the robbers a car that can be traced back to him.”

  “You’d be amazed at the kind of stupid mistakes smart people make. Let me worry about Sean. For now, I have some news, and it’s not good. I saw Molly.”

  CHAPTER 10

  Faith picked up the two cups of hot coffee from the counter then left the cafeteria and headed back to the waiting lounge. Her eyes smarted from lack of sleep and her body ached from sitting upright in the uncomfortable Cedars Sinai’s chair for the last six hours. The team of surgeons was still working on Molly in the O.R., but Faith refused to go home until she knew the operation was successful and Molly would be okay.

  Guilt gnawed at her. She couldn’t help thinking that the men who’d hurt Molly were the same ones who’d destroyed Falasha. Sean’s men. If she hadn’t gotten involved with him, none of this could have happened. If she hadn’t left with Ken, Sean would not have been consumed with jealousy.

  Faith shook her head. She must stop with the negative thoughts and focus on the positive. Molly was going to be okay. The doctor she’d spoken with was confident about her surgery and the prognosis. And Faith loved having Ken in her life. He made all the chaos around
her bearable.

  As Faith approached Molly’s mother, her guilt shot up. The poor woman had finally fallen asleep, her chin resting on her chest and her hands hugging her ample stomach, but tears escaped from under her closed eyelids. Tears she had refused to shed while awake.

  Faith had never met Maya Bolden, Molly’s mother, until a few hours ago, but in that short time, she’d come to admire the woman’s strength. The doctor had seemed worried about her stoic demeanor. She’d sat still without saying a word as he explained her daughter’s condition, her lips pinched and eyes focused on the double doors through which they’d wheeled Molly. But Mrs. Bolden’s indifferent expression hid her grief. Faith had felt tremors shoot through her when she’d arrived at the hospital and hugged her.

  Faith set the coffee on the table and settled back in her chair. A part of her wished she could fall asleep like Molly’s mother. Not that she begrudged the woman the relief. Getting a call in the middle of the night from a stranger that your only child had been assaulted and rushed to the hospital must have been traumatic. But not knowing whether she was going to live could push even the strongest of people over the edge.

  “Miss Fitzgerald.”

  Faith blinked and sat upright. The doctor she’d spoken to earlier hovered over her. Faith jumped up, hope surging through her.

  “Is she okay? Did you stop the bleeding?” she whispered, not wanting to wake Molly’s mother yet.

  The doctor, still in green scrubs, frowned and glanced at the still-sleeping woman. “I’d prefer to talk to Mrs. Bolden about her daughter’s condition.”

  Faith gently shook the woman a wake. One look at the doctor looming over them and she lumbered to her feet.

  “Is my baby okay?” she asked in a shaky voice, her eyes clinging to the doctor’s face.

  Instead of answering, the doctor glanced at Faith though when he spoke, he addressed Molly’s mother. “We don’t discuss medical condition with non-family members present, Mrs. Bolden. So Ms. Fitzgerald should—”

  “Stay,” Mrs. Bolden said in a firm voice. “I wouldn’t have known about my Molly if it weren’t for this young lady here. Whatever you want to tell me, say it in front of her, doctor.”

  The man hesitated, crossed, and uncrossed his arms, but the unyielding determination on the woman’s face must have convinced him protesting was useless. He chose his words carefully as he spoke.

  “I released the pressure on her brain just in time and stopped the bleeding. I’ll have to see if she needs reconstructive surgery when the wounds on her face heal, but for now, she’s out of danger.” Something in the older woman’s expression caused him to quickly add, “Don’t worry, Mrs. Bolden. We have the best orthopedic surgeons, uh, bone doctors in the country. He did an amazing job on your daughter’s ribs, which should heal nicely. We’ll help her manage the pain.” His glance bounced between Faith and the older woman. “Do you have any questions?”

  Molly’s mother shook her head, but the telltale trembling of her chin indicated she was fighting tears. The doctor touched her shoulder gently. “I’ll send a nurse to escort you to your daughter’s room.”

  “Thank you, doctor,” Mrs. Bolden answered. As he walked away, tears filled her eyes and raced down to her chin. She reached for a chair with a shaking hand and sat. Faith settled on the armchair and wrapped her arms around the sobbing woman.

  “My baby is going to be okay…my baby is going to be okay….” She repeated it like a litany.

  Faith didn’t leave the hospital until the doctor explained to Mrs. Bolden the treatment Molly would need once she left the hospital. She got the woman something to eat and promised to stop by later in the evening.

  Mrs. Bolden gripped Faith’s hand, eyes red from crying. “Molly is very lucky to have you as a boss and a friend, Ms. Fitzgerald. Thank you for all you’ve done for her, for being here for me. You didn’t need to, but….” She paused and cleared her throat. “Thank you.”

  Faith didn’t know what to say, but she made a silent vow—if Sean was behind the assault on Molly, she’d make him pay dearly. She waited until the older woman disappeared back into her daughter’s room before she took off.

  Downstairs, she bumped into Eddie and his partner as she stepped off the elevator. He took one look at her and shook his head. Faith grimaced. Last night, he’d tried to dissuade her from coming to the hospital.

  “If you’re thinking of interviewing Molly, forget it,” Faith said. “She’s still in ICU.”

  “She’s not why I’m here, though thanks for the heads up. Come on. I’ll drive you home.”

  Faith didn’t protest. Putting one foot in front of the other took all her effort, and the floor appeared to undulate under her like a giant wave. “How did you know I’d still be here?”

  “I called you several times this morning. When you didn’t answer your phone, I stopped by your place. The guard told me you hadn’t come back since you left. How’s your girl doing?”

  “Okay, according to her doctor, but she’ll need time to recover and possibly more surgeries.” Her voice trailed off. Talking or thinking about Molly only fueled her remorse. “Did you learn anything new?”

  “Let’s discuss that later. Right now, you need rest.” Eddie gripped her arm and guided her through the busy hallway and into the parking lot. He said something to his partner then led Faith to her car. She must have given him her car keys because one second she was rocking on the balls of feet outside her the car, the next, she was in the front passenger seat and Eddie was gunning the engine.

  The drive to her house was a blur. “Wake me up in an hour, or two, or never,” she mumbled. Eddie chuckled and said something in response, but it was lost in the haze that was her brain. She staggered into her bedroom and crawled into bed.

  ***

  Something tugged at Faith’s sense, forcing her to open her eyes. The LCD screen on her alarm clock said two o’clock. Two? She jerked up and sniffed the air. Was Eddie making something in her kitchen? Her cousin’s idea of a home-cooked meal was bowl of microwaved oatmeal. He was going to burn down her home.

  “Eddie?” Faith called as she hurried from the bedroom.

  “In here,” a female voice answered.

  Faith stopped mid-stride, leaned against the wall, and closed her eyes. Why hadn’t she remembered the lunch date with Ashley? She’d demand answers Faith wasn’t ready to share. Her stomach chose that moment to growl, reminding her she hadn’t eaten in a while. She could either run back to her bedroom to avoid her cousin or starve. Running wasn’t her thing. Faith continued toward the kitchen.

  Plastic bags with The Haven logo, the source of the tangy aroma, vied for space on her kitchen counter. Ashley waved, the landline phone trapped between her shoulder and ear. Faith caught the tail end of her conversation.

  “I most certainly will tell her, Mr. Rickman.” Ashley put the phone down and rushed forward to give Faith a hug.

  Faith frowned. Mr. Rickman was her landlord. She stepped back from her Ashley. “Tell me what?”

  “His building insurance will cover the damage to your store, including the display cabinets,” she explained. “You can choose the company to work with and send him the bill. I guess someone called him this morning and complained about security in the building.”

  That was one item off her to-do list. She’d call Jordan, Lex’s man. Her cousin was a real estate developer and the head of Fitz-Valdez, a conglomerate that had architects, real estate agents, landscapers, and contractors under its umbrella. Jordan was one of their subcontractors.

  Ashley cleared her voice. “I’ve just one question before we eat. Why didn’t you call me when you learned about the break-in?” Her tone was accusatory.

  “It happened late last night...you’re a new mother…your husband is out of town…take your pick.” Faith looked away from her cousin’s concerned expression and stepped toward the food. “So did Eddie call you?”

  “Yep, with strict instructions not to bother you until you’d r
ested,” Ashley answered. “So we stopped by the store to see just how bad things were, picked up food from Chase’s place, and tried to be quiet when we got here.”

  Ashley knew where she hid her house’s spare key, and the guards had the green light to let them into her condo whenever they visited. “Speaking of we, where’s the little princess?”

  “Ella is sleeping in the living room. She misses her daddy, poor thing, and has been throwing a fit.” Ashley made a face.

  “Or she takes after Nina and insists on being the center of attention,” Faith teased. She laughed when Ash shuddered. Nina Noble, movie star and bona fide diva, was Ashley’s mother-in-law. “How’s Nina taking grandmotherly duties?”

  “She told us she wasn’t ready to be a grandmother, but she keeps finding reasons to visit us and bring Ella presents. She’s changing.” Ashley grinned. “I’d like to think the mess with the fire and Ella has something to do with it.”

  “My vote is on Ella. If I promise to be very, very quiet, can I peek?” Faith didn’t wait for Ashley’s response. She tiptoed to the living room and knelt by the baby carrier.

  Her heart squeezed. With her full head of dark curls, cute yellow and pink dress, and chubby cheeks, Ella was the most adorable baby Faith had ever seen. A feeling she couldn’t explain stole over her. Having children never crossed her mind, yet the more she stared at Ella, the more intense the feeling grew. Would they have dimples like their father?

  Father? Ken had dimples.

  Not liking the direction of her thoughts, Faith went back to the kitchen. “She’s so cute I just want to...grab her and never let go.”

  “Until she’s awake up and starts to scream.” Ashley passed Faith a plate and utensils.

  Faith picked up a plastic fork and speared a chunk of meat. “Hmm, this is good.”

  “Eddie said you were at the hospital the entire night with Molly, but he didn’t explain why. What’s going on?”

  Obviously, food would have to wait until she’d answered all of Ashley’s questions. Her cousin could be such a pain some times. Faith explained about the help she’d received from Ken and their cousins, the assault on Molly and the possible connection to the burglary. “If a neighbor hadn’t seen the two men leave her apartment and called the police, she would have had died.”