by Lori Foster
Raymond held his fork aloft, using it to emphasize his point. “Ah. But she should have seen to it that the material was well secured. That was her responsibility. The heads at Aeric trusted her, and she let them down.”
“I suppose part of the blame is hers,” Celia agreed, her tone snide, “in trusting Derek too much, in thinking him honorable toward her—”
Dane’s mother gasped, coming to her feet in furious indignation. Her hands slapped down on the cloth-covered tabletop while her voice rose to a near shriek. “How dare you suggest otherwise, Celia Carter? He was your brother!”
Looking belligerent and stubborn, Celia forced a shrug and met her mother’s gaze. “Mother, he stole that information from her. He led her on, made her believe he cared for her, and then took shameful advantage. Would you rather I call that honorable?”
Raymond patted Celia’s hand. “Sweetheart, he only did what was best for the company. That was always his first priority.” His eyes slid over to Dane. “As is true of any CEO.”
Dane waited, watching while his mother visibly struggled to regain her control. Such an outburst from her surprised him and piqued his curiosity. When she had grudgingly reseated herself, pretending to be appeased by Raymond’s words, and Raymond had taken a healthy bite of his braised pork, Dane asked, “Are you saying, Raymond, that you wouldn’t have a problem with using a woman that way?”
Raymond promptly choked, covering his mouth with his napkin.
“Really, Dane, enough of this nonsense!” his mother protested. “Raymond has been an enormous help to us and deserves better from you.”
Celia looked at Dane, a wicked smile of appreciation curving her lips, then proceeded to pound her fiancé on the back until he’d managed to catch his breath. Dane leaned back in his chair, enjoying the dinner for the first time that evening.
Damn, so much to think about. So Angel was innocent all the way around. That fact twisted his guts, making him feel guilty as hell, as if he were the one who’d betrayed her. He determined to make it up to her somehow. Whether she wanted him to or not.
An hour later as they all gathered in the salon for drinks and conversation, Dane cornered his sister. Raymond was busy schmoozing their mother, and Celia was blessedly alone, staring out a window at the dark night. As he approached, she looked down at his hand and the drink he held.
“I thought you abstained.”
He lifted the glass in a salute. “Pure cola and ice. Nothing more.”
“It irritates Mother, you know. That you won’t have a social drink.”
Dane thought of Mick, so defiant as he explained his mother was an alcoholic. “In my line of work, I see too many drink-related cases. Men and women who abandon their families in favor of a bottle. They all started out as social drinkers.” Shaking off his sudden tension, he smiled at Celia. “Besides, I enjoy irritating Mother.”
To his surprise, his teasing wasn’t returned. Celia turned fully to face him. “How do you do it, Dane? How do you just turn your back on everything, on all of us?”
A frontal attack. He hadn’t expected it of his sister, but he relished a moment to clear the air. He’d missed her in the time he’d been away. Though she was a lot like his mother, her strength and determination not to be underestimated, she was also a woman who thought for herself, who didn’t blindly accept his mother’s dictates. He’d found that out tonight. In the years he’d stayed away, his sister had evidently come into her own.
Too long, too damn long. “There’s nothing for me to stay here for, Celia. You know that. Mother made certain she drove me away—”
“She’s sorry for that, Dane.” Celia touched his arm. Her eyes, the same hazel shade as his, were dark with concern. “She realizes now that you really did love Anna, that she shouldn’t have interfered.”
He snorted. “Is that what you call it, interference? She deliberately destroyed my life, accused my fiancée of all kinds of reprehensible things, and just because she didn’t approve of Anna’s family.”
Celia bit her lip, then forged on. “You were both so young. Besides, she did take the money, Dane. Mother didn’t force it on her.”
“She made Anna feel as if that were the only option, as if she couldn’t possibly be my wife. Mother made sure she knew she’d never fit in.” Even as he said the words, he accepted that he wasn’t being a hundred percent truthful with her or himself. “Anna was pregnant, you know. After she ran off, she lost the baby. My baby.”
Celia covered her mouth with a hand. “Oh no, I didn’t know. I’m so sorry.”
“I told Mother. I was angry and hurt and I wanted her to understand exactly what her manipulation had cost me. Do you know what she said?”
Numbly, Celia shook her head.
“She said it was for the best.”
Celia lowered her forehead to Dane’s shoulder and her voice was quiet, almost a whisper. “Mother’s set in her ways, Dane. She means well, and she really does love you. It’s just that sometimes she doesn’t think.”
He had nothing to say to that. It amazed him that his sister would always try to defend their mother, no matter what she did.
“Will you stay on at the company this time? We need you here.”
Lifting a hand to his sister’s fair hair, giving one silky lock a teasing tug, he said, “You already know the answer to that.”
She sighed. “I suppose I do. But I was hopeful.”
“It’s not for me, sis. I don’t feel comfortable there and besides, I love playing detective too much to give it up.”
She smiled at his teasing, then turned to face the window again. “I miss him so much.”
“Me, too. Even though we hadn’t been in contact much lately, I always knew he was here. There were only miles separating us, and I knew we could get in touch if we chose to.” Dane wanted to tell her that he suspected Derek had been murdered, but he held back. His sister had enough on her plate for the moment. “I’m proud of how you stood up to Mother.”
She made a disgusted sound. “She’s hurting. And it angers her if anyone even suggests Derek might not have been perfect. But I can’t sit by and watch her persecute an innocent woman.”
Dane thought his sister was pretty damn special at that moment, and more than ever, he regretted the amount of time he’d let pass without seeing his family.
“How long are you willing to help out?”
Until I see things settled, he thought, but he only shrugged. “I don’t know. We’ll see. Right now, I have every agent in my own business maxed out, working on two or more cases at a time. And running between offices isn’t getting any easier.” Especially while trying to uncover a murderer.
He looked up at that moment to see Raymond watching him while his mother chatted in Raymond’s ear, no doubt regaling him with stories of old acquaintances, money and power. It was all his mother knew, all she cared about, and Raymond, with his desire to ingratiate himself, provided the perfect audience. Dane nodded then looked away. “Do you love him?”
Celia laughed. “You say that as if such a thing is unimaginable.”
“I just want you to be happy.”
“I’d be happy if you stayed on.” She quickly raised her hands. “But I understand why you can’t. Dane, why were you asking questions about Angel Morris?”
She effectively sidetracked him and he rubbed his chin, wondering what to tell her. Finally he said, “I suppose it just surprises me what Derek did. I don’t like to think him capable of such things. Can you even begin to imagine what Angel Morris must have felt like?”
Celia leaned into him, their shoulders touching. “If it’s any consolation, I think he regretted it. He was very distracted those last few weeks. And unhappy. He told me once that Angel would never forgive him, and that he didn’t blame her. It was almost like he’d had to hurt her, though I never understood why. I planned to ask him, to understand, but then he died.”
Dane didn’t understand either, but he felt better for having talked with his s
ister. His mother he simply hoped to avoid so she couldn’t try to nail him down on his intentions. He didn’t want anyone to know his plans until he’d figured everything out. At this point, he wasn’t certain who to trust, so he trusted no one.
Not even Angel. The more he learned, the more reason he had to wonder why she’d ever contacted Derek again in the first place. She had to hate him for all he’d done to her. But, his thinking continued, Derek had also given her Grayson, and the baby appeared to be the most important thing in her life. Maybe for that reason alone, she’d been able to give up on some of her anger and resentment. Maybe she’d come to the very reasonable conclusion that Grayson deserved a father and all that Derek could provide. It could be only misplaced pride that still made her insist she wanted nothing from him. Heaven knew, he’d had a hard enough time making her accept the essentials: food and diapers and damn shampoo. She also had plenty of reason to hang on to that pride, given the way she’d been treated.
As Raymond and Mrs. Carter joined them, Raymond smoothly slipped his arm around Celia and gave her an affectionate peck on the cheek. Watching them, Dane pondered the idea of starting over. Ever since Anna had abandoned him, allowing his mother to buy her off, he’d avoided relationships. He hadn’t met a woman he’d wanted to see more than twice.
Anna hadn’t trusted him, had believed his mother’s tales over the truths he’d given her. He’d never admit it to anyone, but Anna’s actions had proved his mother right; she wasn’t the woman for him. He expected, needed, a woman to give him everything, not merely her trust, but her unwavering loyalty. Her soul. Anna hadn’t been able to do that, and while he still regretted the loss, it was more the manipulation that he resented. He’d long since gotten over his first love. It had been a lesson to be learned, and he’d learned it well.
This time, he could think more clearly. He’d make certain the same didn’t happen with Angel. He’d reason with his brains, not his heart, and sooner or later, he’d win her over. His ruthlessness was an inherent part of his nature. After all, much as he might dislike it on occasion, he was still a Carter.
Angel didn’t stand a chance.
“I DON’T LIKE IT. I think you should tell Derek.”
Angel was so sick of hearing Mick’s refrain. He and Derek got along wonderfully, but then who wouldn’t get along with him? Derek was generous and thoughtful and attentive and protective. He’d shown up every day for the past week, helping with everything from bathing the baby to shopping and housework. Twice he had brought over dinner, then cleaned up the mess so Angel could get caught up on her typing. He’d tried to give her money, but after she’d told him exactly what she thought of that idea, he hadn’t mentioned it again.
Instead, he asked questions, hundreds and hundreds of questions. Sometimes it made her nervous, though she couldn’t say why. He just seemed so…different.
“The job he got me is awesome.”
She smiled at Mick’s enthusiasm. He’d been with her since six o’clock while they went over his homework. Now it was nine and he’d done little else but talk about Derek in between lessons in calculus and conjugating Spanish verbs. “So you like it?”
“Are you kidding? What’s not to like? It’s a private investigations office and the people there are so laid-back and friendly. It’s like a big family.”
Angel’s heart twisted. Mick had never had much family to brag about. His mother was more absent than not, and even when she was around, she didn’t demonstrate any maternal instincts. Mick had pretty much raised himself, and Angel knew what a lonely existence that could be.
“They’ve been telling me some of the cases they’ve dealt with. Incredible stuff, like shoot-outs and drug busts and all kinds of stuff. This one guy, Alec Sharpe, he’s actually sort of scary, but don’t tell Derek I said so.”
Angel smiled in amazement. If the man spooked Mick, who wasn’t afraid of anyone as far as she could tell, he must be one frightening character. She pretended to lock her lips with an imaginary key. “Not a word, I promise.”
“The guy has the darkest eyes and he’s real quiet and when he talks, even if it’s just to ask for coffee, everyone around him shuts up and listens. I think he’s sort of a boss or something.”
Angel gathered up pencils and pens and put the calculator away. “What do you do there?”
Mick made a face. “All kinds of stuff, from cleaning and running out for doughnuts to making coffee and putting files away. But they’re all real nice about it. They don’t act like I’m getting paid, but more like I’m doing them a huge favor and they really appreciate it. And Alec gave me this really cool car to drive. It has the best stereo.”
Angel knew Mick would be paid more working there than he had made doing both jobs before. And it had been agreed he wouldn’t work past six o’clock on school days, and only until the afternoon on the weekends. She was so incredibly grateful to Derek, seeing the change in Mick. He was more like the average kid now, happy and proud. And he adored Derek.
Of course, Mick didn’t know everything that had happened between Angel and Derek in the past. And she’d never tell. Derek was doing his best to prove the past really was over; not for the world would she take away Mick’s present happiness.
“Why do you still dislike him so much, Angel?”
“Mick…”
“He could help,” Mick said, anxious to convince her. “The phone calls were bad enough, but now the letter—”
She rubbed her head. “I know. The letter proves whoever it is knows where to find me. I’ve been thinking about this a lot.” She hesitated, almost afraid to voice her suspicions out loud. “It’s possible Derek is the one behind all this.”
He stared at her hard, then got to his feet and paced away. “You don’t really believe that.”
She didn’t want to believe it. But the letter proved her alias hadn’t worked—an alias Derek had noticed his first time to her apartment. She didn’t want to think he could be so vindictive, but he might have slipped up and told his family, and they were using the information to drive her away. That she could believe only too well.
“I don’t know what all’s going on between you two, but I do know you’re in trouble. You’re being stalked, and whoever’s been making the calls could have gotten your number from anywhere, maybe even from the ads you ran for typing. But now he knows where you live. The letter proves that. If you keep putting off telling Derek, you could end up hurt.”
“Well, I can’t do anything about it tonight. Derek had business and couldn’t come over. And it isn’t something to discuss on the phone.”
Mick nodded slowly as he slipped his jacket on. “I’ll try to watch out for you, Angel. I wouldn’t let anyone hurt you if I could help it, but I can’t always be here.”
Her blood ran cold with his words. “Mick, if you ever, ever hear anything suspicious, or see anyone around the mailboxes, you call the police. Don’t you dare try confronting anyone on your own.”
He didn’t reply to that, merely made his way to the door. “I’ll lock this behind me.”
“Mick?”
“Call him, Angel. Tell him what’s going on. He cares about you and Grayson. I know he does.”
It would have been nice if Mick didn’t act like the typical domineering, overprotective male. Why were men, of all ages, so blasted stubborn? She sighed. “I’ll think about it.”
Mick looked at her a moment longer, then nodded. “All right. I’ll see you tomorrow?”
She smiled at him. She was very lucky she’d met him when she had. Knowing him, having his friendship, had made her life much easier. “Yes. Get some sleep so you’re well rested for that test.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
After checking that the door was securely locked, Angel peeked in on Grayson. He was sleeping soundly, which would give her a chance to take a quick shower. With all of Derek’s help of late, her leg had more time to rest. It didn’t hurt as often anymore, but tonight it was sore. She’d sat too long typin
g at her desk earlier and the muscles felt cramped. A hot shower usually helped.
Leaving the bathroom door open so she could hear Grayson if he cried, she stripped off her clothes and reached into the tub to adjust the temperature of the water. Once the steam started billowing out, she slipped in under the spray.
It felt wonderful to once again wash her hair with scented shampoo, to use all the toiletries she’d given up on due to lack of funds. At first she’d tried returning the things to Derek, but he’d been so sincere in wanting her to keep them, so anxious to relieve the guilt of his past sins—his words for his execrable behavior of the past—that she couldn’t deny him.
She lingered for a long time, relaxing in the hypnotic warmth of the steam and stinging spray, until she became sleepy and knew she needed to put herself to bed. Grayson still woke during the night for a feeding, and he was usually up with the birds in the morning.
She was just stepping over the side of the tub when the phone rang.
Her first thought was that it might be Derek, and ridiculously enough, her heart leaped. He’d taken to calling her several times a day, whereas before her phone had seldom rung at all. Many times now he’d called to tell her good morning, or good-night, even if he’d spent hours at her apartment.
Wrapping a thick white towel around herself, she hurried out of the bathroom and into the kitchen to snatch up the phone. She was smiling as she said, “Hello?”
A rough, rasping breath answered her, then turned into a growl. Her smile died a quick death.
Shaken, Angel started to slam the phone back down, and then she heard, “Bitch. Give me what I want.”
The rasping tones didn’t sound human and her blood rushed from her head, leaving her dizzy. “I don’t know what you want,” she said, her voice shaking despite her efforts to sound unaffected.
“Yes, you do.” There was a laugh, taunting and high-pitched. “You’re not as innocent as you like to pretend, Angel Morton. But your time is up. Do you hear me?”