by Lori Foster
Celia grinned at him, relieved that some of his anger seemed to be dissolving. “You’re fantastic, Alec.”
“You won’t think so after I turn you over my knee for scaring me half to death.”
Since Celia wasn’t the least bit afraid of him or his ridiculous threat, she was able to keep her smile. “The thing is, I don’t think the little bit we’ve gotten so far would be enough to convict Jacobs or Giles of anything. And I couldn’t ask Hannah to testify. She’s so afraid, and you’re right, it would cause such a scandal and embarrass her so much.” She scooted a little closer to Alec on the seat, then put her hand on his arm again. “I’m going to need to…push, just a little more tonight.”
Alec swung the truck into the parking lot of his motel. Without a word, he got out and came around to her door. “Come on.”
“I don’t have much time…”
“You have enough time for me to shake some sense into you.” Holding her arm in a firm grip, he led her toward his room.
Celia didn’t even try to hold back. “Will you stop with the absurd threats, Alec. We both know you won’t hurt me.”
He gently pushed her inside and turned the dead bolt on the door. Arms crossed over his chest, he stood blocking the door, and gave her his most intimidating stare.
Celia shook her head. “That won’t work, Alec. I’m not afraid of you anymore so you can just stop with the intimidation tactics.”
He ignored her statement. “How exactly do you plan to push for more information?”
Celia licked her lips. Alec was in a very strange mood, and for the first time, she couldn’t read him at all. “Well, of course I’ll want to talk to Hannah again first, to see if I can convince her to leave with me. Then I’m going to act overly enthusiastic about Jacobs and Giles. I’m going to tell them I’ll have to go home and give up on my dream if something doesn’t happen, something that pays money. I’m going to be really desperate, and I’m going to let them know I’d be willing to do just about anything to gain fame.”
Alec pushed away from the door. “No.”
“Alec…”
“I’ve thought it over, and you’re right. Jacobs and his cronies have to be stopped. But I’ll do it, not you.”
“You?”
“That’s right.” Alec paced, hands on hips, his expression thoughtful as he considered all his angles. “With you out of the picture, I won’t be distracted. I can go back to Jacobs’s, go through some things. Surely there’s some incriminating information there, stored in his files or something. The more I’ve thought about it, the more certain I am that he’d have to keep information around to hold over the girls.”
Celia glared at him as if he was insane. “You want to break into Jacobs’s house? Alec, that’s the dumbest damn thing you’ve ever said!” She grabbed his arm when he gave her an impatient look and continued to pace. Her hold stopped him. “Everything is already in place! What you’re proposing would be far more dangerous and take a whole lot longer. I want Hannah out of there now, tonight if I can manage it.”
Alec grabbed her, his hands tight around her upper arms, and he shook her. Shocked, Celia did no more than hang in his grip. He didn’t hurt her, but he looked haunted as he leaned close and growled ferociously, “I don’t want to see you hurt, damn it!” He shook her again, a revelation to Celia. “I won’t see you hurt.”
Celia slowly braced her hands against him. “Alec, I’m a grown woman, responsible for myself.” She searched his gaze, seeing so much for the first time. “If I choose to go there, if I choose to take a risk—a very minor risk, Alec—well, then, that’s on me, not you. Do you understand me?”
He carefully lowered her feet back to the floor and released her. He took two steps back and he was breathing hard. “Of course I understand you. I’m not simple.”
Celia watched him struggle for his famous control. She didn’t know quite what else to say, but she knew now that if anything happened to her, he’d blame himself.
She couldn’t let that happen. Big, strong, tough Alec had been hurt more than enough already. She wouldn’t contribute to his wounds.
Rubbing the back of his neck with one hand, not looking at her, he said, “This could easily backfire on you.”
“No. I’ll be careful.” She spoke softly, convincingly. “But either way, you’re not responsible for the decisions I make.”
He turned his back on her and that was all it took. Celia hugged him tight from behind. “Alec, I know you blame yourself for what happened to Marissa.”
She felt his snort, as if in denial, but he said nothing.
“She was the same age as you, Alec, not a child you were supposed to take care of.”
“She was my wife.”
“And she was a mixed-up young lady who didn’t know what she wanted or where to find it. She didn’t ask you for help, and would have refused it in any case. You couldn’t have done any more for her than you did.”
“If I hadn’t walked away from her that day—”
Celia interrupted with, “If I hadn’t gotten involved with Raymond…?” She let the sentence dangle, showing him how useless it was to try to relive the past. “We’re human and we make mistakes. Sometimes we’re ruled by emotions, by our pride. Even the almighty Alec Sharpe has to deal with regret, but you can’t let it change you forever.”
He sighed, tipped his head back to stare at the ceiling. Celia could feel his frustration and indecision. She tightened her hold on him and kissed his shoulder. “I’m going tonight, Alec. And I know you’ll be there, close if I need you. But if the impossible happens and things don’t work out as I planned, then I won’t have you blaming yourself. Now promise me.”
He twisted around to face her, his gaze disturbingly intent, his expression enigmatic. “I’ll promise you this. I’ll be outside, watching and waiting. And if I hear so much as a peep that alarms me, if I see one shadow that worries me, or I have one mistrustful intuition, I’m ending it.”
Celia supposed that was the best she could get from a man like Alec. He’d worry until it was over, and there was nothing she could do about it. She’d just have to be extra careful to survive unscathed, to prove she could and would handle herself with intelligence and discretion.
She stared back at him and nodded. “All right, Alec.”
He tipped up her chin. “And lady, when this is over, it’s over. Everything. Because I can’t take it anymore.”
Including their relationship? She didn’t want to, but again she agreed with a small nod. Then, before she had a chance to get emotional again, she went to his phone to call a cab. She only had a few hours left before she needed to be at the party. Alec couldn’t take the risk of driving her back to her hotel, not when there was the possibility he might be seen.
Evidently he wouldn’t take the risk of caring for her either. After tonight, she’d have met her goals of saving Hannah Barrington. But with her unwavering determination, she’d driven Alec nuts, and lost out on any hope of having his love.
It was hard to feel happy over her success, when she’d just lost everything she’d ever really wanted.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“HANNAH, I’D LIKE to talk to you.”
Hannah barely spared her a glance. “No, leave me alone.”
Celia caught her arm as the girl started to stride away. It was the very first chance Celia had of speaking with her. Jacobs and Giles had at first loomed at Celia’s side continually, introducing her to several gentlemen and only a few ladies. Giles had tried to laugh off the incident at the warehouse, but his tension was plain to see, and the damage was still being assessed. He apologized gallantly to Celia for his rough treatment of her, explaining that his equipment meant the world to him—without it, he couldn’t serve lovely women like herself. Celia had almost snorted at that inane apology.
She had no idea how Alec had started the fire, or what he’d burned. But she could tell by the stilted conversation in both Giles and Jacobs, the incident had put them
both on edge. They seemed more alert, more cautious.
Then a waiter had come to whisper to Jacobs and he’d gone to take care of some business. Celia didn’t care what the business was as long as Giles went with him.
He didn’t, but he did dismiss himself a few minutes later with the promise he’d return to her quickly. Hannah had steered clear of them all, hovering around the wet bar set up in a far corner, grinning and laughing, but Celia saw new circles under her eyes, and a wariness that went bone-deep.
“If you avoid me like this, it’ll cause suspicion.”
Hannah’s gaze widened. Then with a furtive look around, she allowed Celia to tug her over to a small settee situated in a corner of the room. Celia could see all the entrances, everyone coming and going, and there was no way anyone could sneak up on her or overhear her conversation with Hannah.
“Talk to me, Hannah. Please.”
Hannah closed her eyes and swallowed hard. Chandelier lights glinted in her gold-and-diamond earrings and reflected off the colorful sequins of her skimpy gown. If Celia hadn’t been so intent on other matters, she’d have felt like a total frump in the same black pantsuit. In an effort to at least give the illusion of a different outfit, she’d added a colorful red, lemon and black scarf to her hair, and brightly colored earrings that matched. She figured any woman out to attract the attention of producers would make the effort to present her best appearance. Giles had approved.
“There’s nothing to talk about, Celia. I can’t go home.”
“Can’t, or won’t?”
“Both. Please, understand. You’re wasting your time.”
“Your mother doesn’t think so, Hannah. Your whole family is devastated that they haven’t heard from you, that you’re avoiding them. Your mother even thinks you’ve been brainwashed.” Celia smiled sadly. “Or that you’re being blackmailed.”
An almost desperate laugh escaped Hannah. “My mother was always overdramatizing things.”
Celia took her hand and held it. The girl’s fingers were cold and stiff. Very gently, Celia asked, “Is she dramatizing now, Hannah?”
Hannah bit her lip and large tears gathered in her eyes. She stared at her lap, at first not answering. Then with a tiny shake of her head, she whispered, “No.”
“Ah.” Celia felt elated over the small concession, elated and frantic to find out all she could while Hannah was willing to talk. “How is Jacobs keeping you here?”
Hannah turned to look at her. “I’ve been so stupid.” Her smile was filled with self-loathing. “At first, Marc seemed so nice. He helped me out, got me a few photo shoots. I never saw the ads, but I did get the money. He advanced it to me for an apartment, for the new clothes I needed to compete for other photo opportunities. But then, all of a sudden I owed him back more than I could make. The apartment is extravagant, but I signed a lease because Jacobs told me I could eventually afford it. It’s owned by another friend of his.”
Celia could easily see the circle growing, could envision how a woman would be trapped in Jacobs’s web of friends.
“He…he offered me new ways to make more money. And I…I thought it was just a paid escort service.” She stared at Celia, desperate. “That’s what he told me it was.”
Hannah covered her mouth and struggled to keep from crying. Celia quickly patted her back, murmuring to her. “It’s all right. I understand. Take a few deep breaths. You have to get control, Hannah. If Jacobs or Giles sees you crying, they’ll wonder what we’re talking about. Either of them could come back any minute.”
“I’m sorry.” She groped for the tissue Celia handed to her and dabbed at her eyes. “I almost never cry anymore. There’s no point to it. But things just went so wrong so fast—”
“I know.” Still trying to soothe Hannah with a gentle pat to her shoulder, Celia asked, “The escort service was a ruse?”
Again Hannah nodded. “I met a man, and we…I thought we hit it off. He was kind and gentle, and he seemed so sincere. I was so lonely then, and scared and everything was confused.” She bit her lip and her cheeks warmed. “We slept together that very first night. He told me I was beautiful and that he couldn’t stop wanting to touch me. For the first time in months, things felt right.”
Keeping a careful watch out for Jacobs or Giles, and at the same time smiling at the milling crowd so no one would suspect them, Celia asked, “But it wasn’t?”
Dully, as if she hardly cared anymore, Hannah said, “When I woke up the next morning, he was gone and there was money beside my bed. He’d…he’d paid me. Like a prostitute.” She drew a deep breath and continued. “I was embarrassed and hurt, and I wanted to give the money back to him, but I didn’t know where he lived or what his phone number was. Marc just laughed at me when I told him about it, saying I didn’t have any reason to be upset, that this would be the perfect way for me to offset my costs and to begin paying him back. I wanted to just walk away. I thought my mother would welcome me back, even though I’d been so awful when I left. But that’s when he told me about the photos he had.” She looked at Celia, her face filled with desperation. “My family would be so embarrassed, and it’d be all my fault.”
Celia felt herself shaking from head to toe. Her suspicions had been correct, but still she was shocked. Prostitution. And blackmail. A deep rage filled her when she thought of Jacobs ruthlessly plotting against such a sweet young woman. Celia griped Hannah’s hand. “He’s an animal, a bastard. But we can take care of that now, Hannah.”
“No. My mother would die if those pictures were made public. I thought they were for legitimate magazine ads, but Blair knows how to doctor them so they look even worse than they really did. He showed me a couple, and they were so…so ugly. No, I could never do that to my family.”
Celia reached into her purse and withdrew a slip of paper. On it, she wrote the number Alec had made her memorize, the one that reached his cell phone. She stuffed it into Hannah’s hand. “I’m going to try to end all this tonight, Hannah. With any luck, Jacobs and Giles will both be going to jail, along with anyone else who works with them. But if you get into any trouble, if you need help at all, I want you to call that number. I promise if you do, everything will be all right.”
Hannah looked up, and her wide-eyed expression caused Celia to do the same. She saw both Jacobs and Giles headed toward them and she stood to greet them, smiling as she saw Hannah stuff the small slip of paper into the top of her dress, between her breasts.
“I wondered where you’d both gotten to! I wanted to go looking for you, but Hannah told me we should just wait. She’s been very nice in keeping me entertained.”
Jacobs smiled at Hannah and pulled her close, his hand resting possessively on her hip. “Well, I have a treat for you, Celia.”
With a suitably anxious look, Celia asked, “A treat?”
Giles rubbed his hands. “We’re going to go meet a producer. I showed him some of your photos and he’s very impressed. He wants to meet you tonight.”
“Now?” Celia’s mind squirrelled around for some way to postpone the meeting, knowing Alec would be outraged. She caught a glimpse of Hannah, who looked appalled by the change in plans, which confirmed in Celia’s mind that the threat now was real. But then Giles took her hand and started to lead her away.
“Come, I’ll tell you all about it. But we have to hurry.”
She glanced back at her purse on the settee, where the pen transmitter was. Unfortunately, when she’d stood, the cushion moved and the purse had dumped. “Oh no, my purse.”
Jacobs looked down, scooped up several things and stuffed them back inside. “Here you go. Now hurry along.”
Celia, still being tugged along by Giles, saw that the pen was missing. “Wait! My pen—”
“I have plenty of pens, Celia. Don’t give it another thought.”
“But…it has sentimental value to me.”
“I’ll call Marc later and have him look for it.”
“But…”
“Celia,
we need to go. Don’t worry. Marc and Hannah will be joining us.”
She had no idea how to argue beyond that. With one last wistful look at the settee, she gave up and forced a smile for Giles. There really wasn’t anything else she could do. Trying to sound enthusiastic, she asked, “A producer, you say?” but in her mind, she was thinking that getting through this new meeting would likely be a piece of cake, compared to how Alec would react when he caught up to her.
* * *
“ARE YOU SURE we’re at the right place?” No matter how she tried, Celia couldn’t begin to look relaxed. The luxurious resort cabin Blair Giles took her to was remote and it didn’t appear to have had a single soul in residence for some time. At least, not a permanent resident. The cottage seemed more like a carefully selected site for doing business. The kind of business is what bothered Celia.
While Giles made himself at home, turning on a minimum of lights and mixing drinks at the small bar, she looked around. The cathedral ceiling was tinted glass, allowing the many stars and muted moonlight to shine through. She could just see the edges of a few branches from tall trees brushing over the roof. The air was heavy with silence, broken only by the clink of ice being dropped into glasses.
“Relax, Celia. He’ll be here. Later.”
She gulped hard, trying to find a drop of spit in her very dry mouth. “Later?”
Giles grinned widely at her and his eyes were lit like green fire. For the first time, she noticed that he had a gold tooth toward the back of his mouth. She crossed her arms over her bare midriff as he approached.
“Here, drink this. It’ll help to calm you.”
There was no way she was putting a single sip of alcohol into her system. She needed to be totally clearheaded to deal with this new situation. After setting the glass aside—which made Giles frown—she said, “Blair, I thought we were meeting some other people here. I had no idea you were planning this…this…” She gestured with her hand, indicating the intimate and isolated atmosphere of the cottage.