“Is this about your mother?”
He looked at her with the same expression on his face as when he’d seen Eli holding the baby. “Is it that obvious?”
“Kind of. What’s going on?” She’d reached for her door, but now she let her hand drop and turned to face him fully. He stepped closer, pinning her between his body and the car. “I mean, you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want.” Her hands slipped around his neck.
Harrison bent to kiss her, long and deep. Electricity zipped deliciously along her body. “I’ve been waiting hours to do that,” he whispered.
“So have I.” Night hadn’t yet begun to fall, and she should feel exposed on this street, but she didn’t care who saw them. She felt changed. In fact, there was so much emotion inside her that she almost didn’t know what to do with it. Who cared about her birth mother or anything Lenny could throw her way when Harrison was here?
“I’m not putting you off, by the way,” Harrison said, lifting his head but keeping his arms around her and his body nestled against hers. She could see the small mole on his right cheek. “In fact, I’d like to talk to someone about it. Normally, I’d talk to Rhonda because she’s so level-headed, but my mother doesn’t want her to know. She doesn’t want anyone to know. But I feel like exploding with it.” He scrubbed a hand through his hair, making the blond locks stand on end.
She twisted slightly to glance inside the car, but Nate was entertained with his book. “Is it Eli?” Maybe Sherry was planning to leave her husband.
“No.” Harrison sighed. “Well, in a way it’s because of him that there’s a problem. My mother had another child besides me before she married him. A little girl. I was three and I don’t remember anything except the day my mom was crying and went to the hospital.”
“The baby died?” Makay’s heart made an odd jump in her chest.
He shook his head. “That actually might have been easier for my mother in the long run—at least with what’s going on now. She placed the baby for adoption, which was a good thing seeing as she was having trouble supporting me, but she never told Eli that she had a daughter.” He leaned closer to Makay. “And now someone claiming to be the child is blackmailing my mother. We pay or whoever it is will tell everyone about the baby.”
Makay’s already erratic heartbeat seemed to stop entirely. Lenny, she thought. There was more, much more, tumbling about in her brain, but none of it coherent enough to understand. The implications and what they might mean for her attraction to Harrison were huge. It felt like the world ripping apart.
“If Eli wasn’t the way he is, it wouldn’t be a problem,” Harrison went on. “I think we should just meet her, but my mother loves Eli and she’s sure her entire world will end if he learns the truth.” His voice lowered as he added, “She’s probably right.”
“How do you feel about this girl?” The words were the hardest Makay had ever spoken.
He gave a mirthless laugh. “Ever since I realized I had another sister, I’ve kept wondering if she’s okay. Who was there to help her ride her first bike? Who chased off the bully at school? Maybe she didn’t have anyone and that’s why she’s doing this. Another part of me is really angry at my mother for keeping this secret—and for still wanting to keep it. I mean, if this girl is so desperate that she’s blackmailing my mom, maybe we can help her.” He straightened suddenly. “But then, we don’t really know if it’s my sister who’s writing the notes. I mean, what kind of a person does something like this? Whoever it is has been planning this for some time. They know how Eli would react and that the rest of us didn’t know about the baby.” Anger entered his voice, an anger that turned Makay’s blood to ice.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
He leaned in again holding her more closely. “It’s okay. I feel better already telling someone. I mean, how weird is it to have this happening? My mother just wants to pay and be done with it, but I wonder if that really will be the end.”
Makay tried to respond, but couldn’t. Harrison’s mother was a target, and the method had Lenny written all over it.
The baby was a girl.
Harrison kissed her, and she couldn’t resist, even though she knew she shouldn’t, that it might be wrong. Inside, she was crying and screaming at the unfairness, but on the outside, only a tear escaped her right eye.
“Thanks for listening,” Harrison said against her cheek. “I don’t know what it is, Makayla, but I feel as if I’ve known you all my life.”
She felt that way, too.
He drew away but took her hands. “Can I see you tonight? I need to put a note on my mother’s car—that’s how I’m communicating with this person. Then I want to watch to see who picks it up. I’ve started unpacking the boxes of electronics I brought with me from LA, but it’s going to take a few days before I have enough time to put together something that will record the car on its own. I don’t know how late I’ll be, but I’d like to come by if I can.”
Makay shook her head. “It’s Nate’s bedtime already, and we have to get up early. I have school and a shift at the restaurant before I pick him up. I should get some rest.”
“Of course. I’m being selfish. You do need rest, and for all I know, the note won’t be picked up until late.” He kissed her once again. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Okay.” She wanted to cling to him, to confess everything, but she couldn’t. She didn’t want it to be over. Not like this.
She kept it together until she turned the corner at the end of the street, and then tears skidded down her face and her body convulsed. She bit her lip tightly to keep back the sobs. Somehow, she made it back to her apartment.
Nate was a little irritable when she suggested he go to bed right away. “You’re acting funny,” he said. “I don’t like it.”
She hugged him. “I’m sorry. Don’t worry. I’m going to be just fine. We both are.” She held him and read him stories until he fell asleep. Afterward, she went into the bathroom and turned on the shower, removing her clothes. The feel of Harrison was everywhere as she stepped into the water and began scrubbing. She gulped down water and rinsed out her mouth. But the water didn’t wash away the memory of him and what it meant. Finally, she slumped to the floor of the shower and cried.
Sherry’s baby was a girl, and she’d bet almost anything the child shared her birthday.
Chapter Thirteen
Makay went on because that was what she always did. She took Nate to school Monday morning, endured her classes, and even aced a pop quiz in stats. All the while her mind kept thinking about Harrison and his mother. Part of her wondered if maybe being related was why she’d felt so connected to him, that maybe it was because he was her half brother, but that didn’t explain how much she wanted him. Then again, maybe siblings not raised together could feel that way. The idea made her sick.
Another part of her hoped that perhaps the situation wasn’t what she thought at all. Lenny sometimes had a bunch of targets ripen together. One time she’d picked up money from five targets in a two-week period, three in California, one in Utah, and two in Nevada. Mostly birth fathers. Had Lenny ever targeted two birth mothers at the same time? She could remember it happening at least once. Maybe that was the situation now. The second target he’d mentioned on the phone yesterday might actually be Sherry.
Yes. That could be it, Makay thought.
By the time she arrived at IHOP for her shift, she was almost convinced. What she felt for Harrison couldn’t derive from being related. She couldn’t believe that. Yet why had she felt a connection with his sisters and mother? Did it mean she was meant to be in the family, or that she already belonged by blood? It was the coincidence of their meeting that didn’t sit well with her pragmatic view of the problem. That she would meet a man whose mother happened to be blackmailed at the same time she was set up to blackmail another birth mother seemed far beyond ordinary. There had to be something linking the events, and that was when her hopes began to crumble, because
there didn’t seem to be any connection that she could find.
“Looks like we may have a big tipper,” Peg leaned over to say near Makay’s ear. “That man there asked to be seated in your area.”
Makay looked where her trainer was pointing and saw Lenny seated in a booth all alone. His outfit was fashionable, and his thick gold necklace caught the light.
“Go ahead and take his order,” Peg said. “You can do it. I’ll stay close. Just look at me if you need help. You finished memorizing the menu, didn’t you?”
Makay hadn’t; there hadn’t been time. But she had a little cheat sheet she’d printed for herself that should get her by. Besides, she didn’t care what Lenny wanted. She was going to send him packing.
“I got it.” She strode in his direction, stoking her anger. “What do you want?” she said between clenched teeth.
He smiled up at her blandly. “I need you to make a phone call. You have that information I gave you memorized, I take it?”
“As if I could help it.”
“Come, come, Makay. You have to change your way of thinking about it. This is a gold mine.”
“Easy for you to say. You’re not the one whose mother would rather pay than have a relationship with you.”
“No, my mother set me up to be her pimp when I was twelve.” Lenny’s voice grew razor sharp. “Are you kidding? You have it easy. You need to seize opportunity when it lands in your lap.”
“Like you tried to sleep with me when I was fifteen? And that story about your mother keeps changing now, doesn’t it? Last I heard she left you at your aunt’s when you were four. And before that you said she tried to sell you to a drug runner.”
His eyes narrowed. “Everything I’ve told you about her is true.”
“So you expect me to feel sorry for you?” She shook her head. “Well, I won’t. You’re an adult now, and you can’t keep blaming your mother for your troubles.”
“Glad you see it my way. Because,” Lenny’s voice grew quieter and she had to lean forward to hear, “this isn’t a one-time deal. We can go after her more than once because you are the real thing. That doesn’t go away. We have way more leverage than we ever hoped.”
She stared at him, her knees weakening. “No,” she said softly.
“What?”
“I said no.” Her voice must have carried because Peg glanced over from another table where she was talking to some patrons. One brow over her blue-shadowed eyes jutted upward in question.
Makay lowered her voice. “We never ask for money twice. That’s what you’ve always told me.”
“Well, guess what? Sometimes I do ask twice.” He shrugged, his eyes bits of hard rock. “Anyway, it’s different this time. Don’t worry. We’ll give her a couple months to recoup before we hit her up again. But this is the big one, and I ain’t passing it up. Meanwhile, we’ll clean up on the other two targets I’m working.”
“What?” Her voice carried again and she fought to maintain control. First it was one and then two, and now a third. “What part of ‘no more’ don’t you understand?”
His right shoulder twitched inside his designer shirt. “This last one just came in today. Something I’ve been planning for two months, but I finally got all those little ducks in a row. It’s nice and big, too, though probably a one-shot deal.”
Something bothered her about what he’d said, but she was too upset to pinpoint it. She’d been right—he was never, ever going to let her go. That meant she had to be strong. She had to find out for sure if Harrison’s mother was her birth mother. If she went through with the phone call, she should be able to recognize the woman’s voice at least. And she might discover additional information that would make it possible to sink Lenny. Regardless, she wouldn’t let him hurt Harrison’s family. Whatever his mother’s reasons for not wanting her daughter in her life, they were her business, not Makay’s or Lenny’s.
“When?” she asked.
Lenny leaned back, relaxing. “That’s more like my girl.”
Makay tried not to bristle at being called his girl. “When?”
“Tonight. After your kid goes to sleep. I’ll come by.”
“Give me the number and whatever disposable cell you’re using, and I’ll do it myself. I don’t want you at my place.”
Lenny laughed. “Nope. That ain’t how it’s coming down. You know the drill. I need to be there to make sure everything is in place. I won’t let you cut me out of it.”
“I don’t even want to be in this.” She practically spat the words. “If I can find someone to stay with Nate, I’ll meet you at the usual place. I’ll call you to let you know.”
“Have it your way.”
A hand on Makay’s shoulder startled her. “Is this guy giving you a problem?” Peg asked softly, her dark eyes piercing Lenny.
Makay felt a surge of unexpected gratitude. If she said yes, Peg might just pick him up and throw him out. “He’s just having trouble deciding what to eat,” she said.
“Why don’t I help him?” Peg’s expression dared him to object. “You can take that other guy’s order over there.” She thumbed at a corner booth.
“Sure. Fine.” Lenny handed Peg his menu. “Just bring me some pancakes with sausage and bacon. I can have them for lunch, can’t I? After all, this is IHOP.”
Makay left Peg to it, hoping she wouldn’t have to serve him the pancakes later. Three more jobs, he’d said. If she did them and they were as good as Lenny promised, she would have enough money to skip town with Nate. Start over someplace else. It would be hard, but Lenny would be out of their lives. Didn’t she deserve a slice of the good life that her mother apparently had? Maybe she could even find a way to leave without giving Lenny his full share, though he would probably be more vigilant now that she’d already done that once. Either way, she might get enough money to hold her and Nate until she figured out what to do about transferring her college credits to wherever they moved. Or could Lenny find her that way?
The temptation to flee lasted all of one minute, until she laid eyes on the customer waiting for her at the corner table.
Harrison.
He was staring at her, his face open and smiling. Her breath caught in her throat. He hadn’t shaved today, and it reminded her of Sunday morning and his omelet. Warmth flooded her body.
No, you can’t feel this way.
She couldn’t leave him, either. Maybe this wouldn’t turn out to be the romantic relationship she’d hoped for, but whatever was between them was alive, and she wasn’t going to let Lenny win. But how could she change their relationship now? The idea of telling Harrison everything made her want to weep.
“Hey,” she said.
His hand moved toward her but stopped short of touching her arm. “I couldn’t stay away.”
She knew how he felt. I have to tell him.
No. There was no telling what his reaction would be, and she couldn’t take care of Nate if she was in prison for blackmail. She had to remember that. “What would you like to eat?” she asked.
“I don’t care. Bring me anything. I don’t really have an appetite.”
His grin was infectious, making her smile despite her overwhelming anxiety. “Hope you’re not coming down with something.”
“Maybe that’s it.” He shook his head as if to show he didn’t care. “When can I see you?”
Her mind churned. Feeling as she did, there was no way she should be alone with him now, and yet if he was one of Lenny’s marks, maybe instead of following Lenny to a target, she could begin with Harrison and find a trail back to Lenny. Either way should work for evidence, and starting with Harrison might make it easier to find what she needed. That is, if she really was staying to fight. At the moment, grabbing Nate and fleeing to the far end of the country was looking better and better.
Before she could reply, Harrison’s expression darkened. “What’s he doing here?”
Makay turned to see Lenny crossing the restaurant in the direction of the bathroom. “Do
you know him?”
“He was the guy outside the hair place on Saturday. I saw you talking with him.”
“Oh.” Makay swallowed hard.
Harrison looked up at her, his face earnest. “I wasn’t trying to overhear, but you said something about a hospital, and he mentioned a job. He looked like he was bothering you so I was about to interrupt when you sent him packing. Who is he? Is he following you?”
Makay didn’t know whether to be happy Harrison wanted to protect her or horrified that her secret had come closer to the surface. No way did she ever want him to know about all the people she’d helped Lenny scam. What to tell him?
Use as much of the truth as possible. This from the lessons Lenny gave her clear back in the beginning about talking to their targets. Strange that they would help her now. “I went to him when I was a kid. Gave him information to find my birth mother. I picked him because I knew I’d been born in Phoenix, and I thought since he was from here, he’d have a good chance of finding her.” She sighed. “It didn’t work.”
“I’m sorry. Funny thing is, even on Saturday he looked familiar to me, but I can’t place him.”
Makay caught a glimpse of Peg from the corner of her eye. “Quick, tell me something to bring you so I don’t get in trouble.”
“Surprise me.”
“What happened to only eating food you love?”
He gave a self-deprecatory grunt. “That was before I met you.”
“Okay. I’ll surprise you.”
Makay ordered him a griddle melt with extra spinach and a lemonade. She thought about adding jalapenos just to make things interesting, but she couldn’t recall having anything like it on the menu. While the food was being prepared, she felt his eyes on her constantly as she helped Peg take orders from the customers in their section. She was more jumpy and uncomfortable than she’d been since her first job with Lenny. She paid particular attention to see if Lenny noticed Harrison, and when he didn’t seem to, she let herself hope just a little that everything wasn’t going to blow up in her face in the next ten minutes.
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