“He’s not important,” Michael said. “He can be dealt with.”
Carter nodded. “I know, but that was before. . . . Now that she’s pregnant, I have too much more to consider.”
“What are you thinking about?” Janet asked. “With her husband, I mean. Are you planning something?”
“No,” Steven said. “Leave him out of this for now.”
“I can’t,” Carter said. “She’s mine and he—”
“She’s not yours,” Steven corrected. “You can get her back if you want her, but right now she is not yours. Get that through your head.”
“There are records,” Michael said. “Now that she’s back, we can trace her and find out where they live. We’ll get the records and find out how far along she is.”
“She can’t find out,” Carter said. “I can’t risk her running away again.”
“So you made it,” Leigh said as she reached Lyndon, who was waiting at the clinic’s front door for her.
Lyndon didn’t seem so sure. “If you say so.”
“You picked a good day to start.” They walked outside. “It was pretty slow.”
“This was slow?” Lyndon asked. “Tell me you’re joking. Even with the kid that had the gun?”
“It was a toy gun.” Leigh typed in the security code.
“Don’t play me, Leigh. The look on your face when he lifted his shirt and you saw it tucked in his pants gave you away. You were scared.”
“You learn to conquer your fear if you’re going to work in a place like this.”
“I got it, dude.” Lyndon was gesturing for Carlos to leave, but he wouldn’t. “I’m walking her, okay?”
Carlos looked at Leigh, who nodded her approval. “Good night, Carlos.”
“Thank you, Dr. Chase.” His voice naturally sounded as if it had a microphone attached to it.
“He’s still watching us,” Lyndon said, glancing back.
“That’s his job per my father’s instructions.”
“He wanted you to be afraid,” Lyndon said.
Leigh looked at him, confused.
“The kid.” Lyndon snapped his fingers. “What was his name?”
“Dondre,” she offered, intrigued by his statement. “What do you mean?”
“They test you, right? They want to know that you’ll still help them even when you realize they aren’t, in their own opinion, good like you.”
“Where most of them come from, you prove yourself through violence, either enduring it or acting it out.”
“So how do you do it?” Lyndon asked. “ ’Cause I’ll be honest with you, I was ready to wet my pants. An eleven-year-old with a gun and it was still a slow day? How do you . . .”
“Conquer my fear?”
A loud horn sounded as a black Mercedes drove up alongside Leigh’s car just as she and Lyndon approached. The roof opened and a beautiful blonde jumped up.
“Lyndon!”
“Your ride?” Leigh asked.
“Hey, Polly!” Lyndon turned back to her. “Yeah. My agent said my insurance company won’t let me drive the Porsche down here.”
“He doesn’t like the neighborhood,” Leigh said.
Lyndon shrugged. “It’s kind of hard to get a car service to come down here too.”
Leigh laughed at the idea that Lyndon was still kind of confused as to why. “Well, at least you’ve got her.”
“Her?” Lyndon waved a dismissive hand. “What I’ve got is her boyfriend, Jack. He’s my boy and we’re . . . Hey, come with us.”
“Where?” Leigh asked. “And . . . no.”
“We’re going to grab a bite at Koi and have a few drinks. I’ll make sure you get home.”
“That’s not my thing.”
“What’s not your thing?” Lyndon asked. “Having a good time? Don’t you think you’ve earned it?”
“I’m not into the Hollywood scene.”
Lyndon threw his hands in the air. “Oh, here we go with the stereotyping again. I thought we were past that. Besides, it’s not Hollywood. It would just be the four of us. I haven’t seen you eat since you had a BLT around noon.”
Leigh was starving, but . . . this was just not her world. “Thanks, but—”
“I want to hear about how you do it.” Lyndon’s charm and good-time grin were gone as he looked earnestly into her eyes. “How you conquer the fear.”
Carlos cleared his throat as he approached the car. “Is everything okay, Dr. Chase?”
Leigh nodded. “Thanks, Carlos. I’m going for dinner with Lyndon. I’ll come back later for my car.”
With a delighted, boyish smile, Lyndon rushed to the car and opened the backseat. As Leigh stepped inside, she only hoped she wouldn’t regret this.
This was simply not doable, Kimberly thought as she grabbed Evan with her free hand. She had three bags in the other and could only pray that Daniel would behave.
“Boy, I’m not gonna tell you again to stay right next to me.” She eyed him sternly, but he was already pouting.
“I want some ice cream now!” He stomped his foot, but didn’t pull away from her.
“You won’t get anything if you keep acting up,” Kimberly warned. “I’m gonna tell your father.”
That seemed to have some effect as Evan lowered his head. She let go of his hand to test him and he stayed at her side. She was thankful the boys had a healthy fear of Michael. Kimberly just didn’t know how women did this on their own. Without Michael to back her up, getting these kids to obey would be impossible most times.
She should have known better than to think she could manage both of them on a shopping trip to Rodeo Drive, but Kimberly was letting her fear get the best of her. Last night, she had seen Michael tumbling around with the boys in their bedroom. He was trying to make them tired so they would go to bed without complaint, but the scene touched her so deeply. Her family was everything and Michael was the glue to it all. She couldn’t lose him and she would die if she lost her boys.
So much so that she kept them out of school so she could be with them today. She hadn’t been able to get rid of the image of the girl in the pink shirt. She hadn’t been able to sleep at all and knew the only thing that would keep her sane were the two little things that mattered most.
Then the crew came to work on the pool and to keep the boys out of their way, Kimberly decided to take them shopping. Only seven-year-old boys did not grasp the beauty of Rodeo Drive, and store owners weren’t too crazy about active kids next to their glass jewelry cases and designer silk dresses.
“Paige?”
Kimberly turned around before it even registered that someone was calling her by that name. When she saw the girl again, this time in a blue jean jumper and a ponytail, Kimberly realized what she had done and the bags dropped out of her hand to the ground.
Kimberly opened her mouth, but no words came out. She didn’t know this girl. How did she know that name?
“This is for you,” the girl said with a saccharine smile as she handed a stunned Kimberly an envelope. “You gonna take it or not?”
“Who are you?” Kimberly asked, her voice barely audible. She felt her entire body trembling.
“I’m a friend of a friend.” The girl shook the envelope, making a smacking sound with the gum in her mouth. “You’ll want to take this.”
“I don’t want anything from you.”
“Yours?” The girl looked from Daniel to Evan. “They’re cute. I’m sure you’ll want to take this so they don’t end up remembering this moment.”
She was warning her and Kimberly got her point immediately. She was going to do something if she didn’t take the envelope. She was ambushed while with her boys so she couldn’t make a scene; so she couldn’t follow the girl without dragging her boys along or leaving them. She couldn’t do anything but take the envelope and pray that they didn’t mention a word of this to Michael.
“See you ’round, Paige.” The girl waved to the twins before turning around and walking away.
/> “Who is that?” Daniel asked. “Why she call you that?”
The girl never looked back. She knew she wasn’t being followed. She turned the corner, her finger twirling the gum sticking out of her mouth.
“I don’t like her,” Evan said. “She called you the wrong name. She looks stupid.”
“Don’t say that,” Kimberly admonished as she opened the envelope. “That’s not nice.”
“How would you even know?” Daniel asked.
“Grandma says . . .” Evan paused, trying to remember. “Anyone who chews gum looks stupid.”
Paige—
It’s time we meet. Bistro 45—Pasadena at noon tomorrow.
Kimberly held the letter to her chest as she begged herself to stay standing.
“Looks stupid,” Daniel said. “Not is stupid. It’s different.”
“Same difference,” Evan argued.
Kimberly looked down at her boys as they argued over something they didn’t even understand. They were the most beautiful things in this world to her. They were the only purity in her life and the thought of losing them, even tearing them between their parents, wasn’t an option. She had the strength to see this through and she would do whatever it took.
As she picked the shopping bags from Gucci and Christian Dior and Valentino, Kimberly tried to remember where Michael kept the handgun. If she was willing to do whatever it took, she’d better start getting ready.
Carter wouldn’t let jealousy cloud his mind as he watched the two of them together. He had too much to do to let this little man mess him up. Anthony Harper was collateral damage, not the target. He had to remind himself of this as he watched Avery wrap her arms around him outside their hotel.
Carter was at least grateful they had decided to stay at a hotel instead of the Jacksons’ house. There was too much activity over there, too many restrictions. Here, at a small inn just a few miles away, he could have Avery to himself.
After his father calmed him down, Carter called Matt Tustin with what he had, which was a license plate on a rental car. Matt worked fast. Anthony Harper was a stats professor at the University of Miami in Coral Gables. Tustin told him he had gotten his hands on Anthony’s information and traced his credit card to this hotel. Earlier that morning, he had called with the room number for Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Harper.
He had also traced a credit card charge to Delta Airlines for a trip from LAX to Miami International Airport, leaving this morning and returning at the end of the week. He was going back to teach and Avery was staying behind. This was good news.
Carter’s hands gripped the steering wheel so tight it hurt as he watched Avery lean up and kiss Anthony like a loving wife. He wanted to kill him now, but told himself to control his rage. He was angry at so much: at Avery for leaving, at himself for hurting her, and at her family for helping her stay away so Anthony could get to her. But if he let his anger make his decisions, he would lose her forever.
He reassured himself by believing that whatever a sham of a marriage this was, it could never have the passion they had shared. From the first moment he saw her, the attraction was intense even though they hated each other. The stolen glances, the electricity-charged touches, and the kisses that made him forget how to think could never be duplicated with another man.
When they had had sex for the first time, Carter didn’t give a damn about what horrible things he’d done to get her in his bed. He just wanted her more than anything and would deal with the consequences later. He hadn’t expected to fall in love, but thinking back on the kind of woman Avery was, he knew there was nothing else that could have happened. Avery was the kind of woman men who didn’t want to get married said they would marry if they ever found because they were confident no such woman existed. Every day, the simplicity of her perfection made him want more. When he realized he would be willing to change his life just to make her smile, everything else came naturally.
And the sex was incredible, especially when they were fighting. They would always lose control and make each other crazy. Just a touch, a brush of the shoulders as they passed would bring a sense of urgency from within Carter that consumed him.
Despite the women he tried to drown himself in over the past six months to forget her, to get back at her, none of them could compare to sex with Avery. And Carter would never believe she could have that with another man, especially not a hometown teacher from the middle of nowhere.
As Anthony’s cab drove off, Carter was unnerved by the fact that Avery stayed in the hotel driveway watching until the cab was out of sight. He didn’t like the affection implied in such an action, but that was Avery, completely devoted. That is, unless you screwed her over, of course.
Finally, she turned and headed back for the hotel and Carter started his car. Once in front, he placed the car in park and handed the keys to the valet.
“Don’t park this in the garage,” he ordered, pointing to the only empty spot inside the hotel driveway.
The valet smiled wide as he saw the hundred-dollar bill Carter had wrapped around the key. “Yes, sir.”
“Is there anything I can help you with?” another young bellboy asked as he opened the door to the hotel.
“No,” Carter answered, moving with quick, powerful strides. “I already know what I want.”
When she heard someone knocking on the door, Avery immediately glanced down at her watch. For once in her life could Taylor actually be early? Taylor had been unexpectedly reliable throughout this ordeal and maybe she was really maturing. At twenty, she had a ways to go, but Avery couldn’t thank her enough for being there for their mother while she was gone. Nothing was harder on Avery than being away from her mother, her best friend.
She was only half dressed, but that was fine. Visiting hours at the hospital didn’t start for another hour anyway.
“You’re ear . . .” Avery was shocked to see Carter standing there. He looked angry and confused, but still . . . he looked good. The man didn’t know how not to.
“Morning, Avery.” Carter had one-tenth of a second to enjoy the smile on her beautiful face before it disappeared upon seeing him.
She had taken off the shirt she’d been wearing outside, exposing a skimpy white tank. Her breasts were much larger and her belly stuck out from underneath the edges of the top. Her chocolate skin was glowing and begged to be touched. Carter felt the desire he had missed and he wanted her bad.
As his eyes lowered to her chest, Avery felt a rush of heat rip through her, and her body began to tingle all over. This was so wrong, but she couldn’t stop it. Her hormones were already making her libido go crazy. Afraid he would see the reaction he was causing, she turned away from him and rushed to the bed to grab her bathrobe.
Carter closed the door behind him, looking around. He didn’t want to look at the bed, only able to think of Avery lying in it with another man. “We need to talk.”
“Go home, Carter.” Avery took a deep breath before tying the bathrobe belt tight and turning around. “My husband will—”
“He’s on his way to the airport,” Carter said. He grabbed a cheap-looking chair from the desk against the wall and sat down. “He’ll be in Florida all week. Sit down, Avery. I want to talk to you.”
“Damn it!” Avery’s hands clenched into fists as she once again felt helpless against him. “You have no right to do this, to pry into people’s lives without their consent.”
“I have every right,” Carter said. “You won’t tell me the truth. You run away from—”
“Shut up.” Avery didn’t want to hear this. She wouldn’t let him make her feel guilty. “You drove me away and you know it.”
Carter hated this cold side of Avery because he knew that she only brought it out when she was angry beyond consolation. It was all she seemed to have for him toward the end. “I’m sorry.”
“No, you’re not.” She sat down on the edge of the bed, facing him. What else did he know? “I have to go see my father, so—”
“Is he
okay?” Carter asked. “Is he going to be?”
Avery felt the emotion welling inside her. “They aren’t sure. He’s out of ICU, but he’s still critical. He’s already had three surgeries, I can’t . . .”
As she lowered her face into her hands, Carter rushed to her side. Next to her, he wrapped his arms around her, but she pushed away. “Avery, please.”
“Don’t.” She stood up, afraid of the feelings his being so close stirred within her. She loved Anthony. She loved her husband. “Don’t touch me.”
“I can help you. I can get the best doctors from anywhere in the world to come and—”
“No.” Avery leaned against the dresser, feeling angrier by the minute. “Don’t try to buy me through my father.”
“You want the best for him.” Carter knew it was wrong to use her father to manipulate her, but he couldn’t care about that. “His policeman’s health insurance can’t afford that.”
“Please,” Avery begged because she wanted him to help. No matter what the consequences and strings attached, she wanted anything for her father and she knew that the Chase family had access to the best.
She had seen it firsthand while with Carter. The best of everything was the standard, and the highest quality was the least of what was expected. It was the way one could live when money was no object and influence got things done. She had no doubt that one call from a Chase could have the best doctor from anywhere in the world at the hospital within a day.
“Don’t talk to me about my father,” she said. “I can’t handle it right now. If you care at all for me, don’t.”
“If I care at all?” Carter was stung by her words. How could she say that? “Okay, I won’t talk about your father, but I will talk about that baby. I want to know—”
“It’s not yours.” Avery placed her hand protectively on her stomach.
“How can you prove that?” Carter asked.
“I don’t have to.”
“Yes, you do!” Carter stood up. “You can’t just show up pregnant and . . . I don’t know how far along you are, but—”
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