by Jayne Castle
It was not the decision to accept the job offer that she questioned. That was easy to understand. She needed the money and she had been told that she could name her price. Drake Sebastian was a powerful man with resources far beyond anything she could muster. If anyone could find the man who had murdered Fulton, it was Drake.
It was the second part of the deal—the Marriage of Convenience to a man she had only just met—that had her second-guessing herself. The last time she had been talked into an MC followed by a honeymoon on Rainshadow, things had not gone well.
She tightened the sash of her robe and crossed the room to the open door. She knew that Drake was aware of her presence, but he did not turn around until she spoke.
“The bathroom is all yours.” Hesitating, she added, “I lowered all the lights for you.”
“Thanks. That was very thoughtful of you.”
He turned toward her then, and she realized that he had removed his mirrored sunglasses. She saw his eyes for the first time. It was impossible to be certain of the color because he was etched in the eerie green chiaroscuro created by the glow of the ruins. But they burned with a silvery paranormal energy that both startled and fascinated her.
A shiver of excitement kicked up her pulse.
This is the real reason why the MC is a huge risk, she thought. There is something between us, something hot and potentially dangerous.
“Your vision is okay in this kind of light?” she ventured.
“Yes,” he said. “But warn me if you decide to turn on a lamp, okay?”
“Okay.”
She could not think of anything else to say, so she started to retreat back into the darkened apartment. She paused when Houdini chortled a cheerful farewell and bounded down to one of the lower balconies. He quickly vanished into the night.
“Where’s the dust bunny going?” Drake asked.
“I have no idea,” Alice said. “Maybe down into the rain forest. Dust bunnies are night hunters, I think. Or maybe he just went out to meet a girlfriend. He’ll be back before dawn.”
“He seems to have bonded with you,” Drake said.
“We’ve been a team ever since he rescued me on Rainshadow.”
“That’s how you found your way out of the Preserve?”
“Yes. I told you, after I ran from Fulton I got lost almost immediately.”
“Most people do inside the Preserve. Houdini found you?”
“I was in a panic,” Alice said. “You know how it is inside the fence.”
“Beautiful but treacherous.”
“I wandered around for hours. Spent a night in a cave. The next morning I was sitting on a rock near a grotto pool, trying to come up with a strategy for finding my way back to the fence. Houdini showed up. He started dashing back and forth. Eventually I realized he was trying to get me to follow him. He seemed to sense that I was in trouble. I decided I had nothing to lose, so I followed him.”
“He led you back through the fence?”
“Yes. And then he seemed inclined to stick around. We became partners. He loves the magic biz.” Once again she started to step back into the shadows. “It’s getting late.”
“Were you the only suspect in Fulton Whitcomb’s murder?”
The question jolted her to a stop. “As far as I know. But remember, officially, Fulton’s death was ruled as from natural cause, so I’m not sure how hard the police looked for other suspects.”
“Do you have any theories?”
“No. I hired a private investigator of my own, Samson Crisp of Samson Crisp and Associates. Turned out there were no associates, just Samson. He took my money and made a lot of promises but he never came up with any leads. I got regular updates at the beginning. And regular bills.”
“He assured you that he was making progress,” Drake said. “All he needed was a little more time and a little more money.”
She winced. “Sounds like you’ve done business with Mr. Crisp.”
“No, but I had a feeling your business association with him didn’t end well.”
“You’re right. Eventually he stopped calling. The bills stopped, too. I went to his office a couple of times but he was never there. By then, Ethel was after me in full force and I didn’t have any money left to hire another investigator. I had to disappear.”
Drake smiled. “Something you happen to be very good at.”
“Like I said, the talent has its uses. It was how I got away from Fulton that day in the cave. He flew into a rage and came at me with the nearest blunt object, which happened to be one of the crystals. I pulled my vanishing act and ran. It caught him off guard.”
“He knew you were a light-talent but he didn’t know about the invisibility thing?”
“No. I never told him or anyone else at the museum, for that matter. For the most part, I’ve kept my ability a secret all of my life. It’s not what you’d call a socially acceptable talent. Tends to make people nervous. Men, in particular, always freak out if they think a woman can actually become invisible.”
Drake seemed amused. “I can see where it would add an element of unpredictability to a relationship.”
“That’s one way to describe it.” She thought about the folder on the kitchen table. “Find anything interesting in the file that you took from McCarson?”
“I haven’t had a chance to study it yet, but it looks like a lot of detailed reports about your previous addresses, phone numbers, that sort of thing.” Drake paused. “Which reminds me, I’ve been meaning to ask, have you kept in contact with anyone?”
“No. I told my closest friends, the few who believed I didn’t murder Fulton, that I was going to disappear for a while until the scandal died down. They understood. I was afraid that if I stayed in touch with them, Ethel’s thugs would go after them and try to use them to find me.”
“Cutting yourself off from your friends was good strategy, but it must have made for a lonely life this past year,” Drake said.
“Luckily I had Houdini. I’m not sure I would have been able to keep going without him.”
“You would have kept going, with or without Houdini,” Drake said.
“Think so?”
“It’s how you’re built.”
She folded her arms. “You know this . . . how?”
He shrugged. “I just know it.”
“An aspect of your talent?”
“Beats me. I’ve always been fairly good at analyzing a person’s strengths and weaknesses. It’s what makes me good in the business world and is one of the reasons why my family decided to put me in charge of Sebastian, Inc.”
“You say that like it’s no big deal, that it’s just a gift.”
His mouth curved in a grim smile. “Doesn’t mean I don’t make mistakes. And when I do, they tend to be memorable.”
“Is that so? When did you make your last really serious mistake?”
He was silent for so long she started to think that he was not going to answer.
“Three years ago,” he said finally.
She caught her breath. “The lab accident that ruined your day vision?”
“Uh-huh.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to go there.”
“I know. Don’t worry about it. Not like it’s a secret.”
And suddenly she knew.
“But it is a secret,” she blurted before she could stop herself.
He stilled. “What?”
“Never mind.” She realized she was turning warm. “It’s not any of my business.”
“What are you talking about?”
She uncrossed her arms and held up both hands, warding him off. “It’s nothing. I just got the impression that there was a lot more to the lab accident than you want outsiders to know. It’s okay. A proprietary business secret, right? Wouldn’t be good if your competition found out about it. I’m okay with that, really.”
“Are you?”
He watched her with his molten eyes, and she knew that he was assessing her, probably trying
to decide if she was a threat to the family empire.
“Hey, I’m in the magic business, remember?” she said brightly. “Secrets are my stock in trade. Besides, I don’t even know what your secret is, so there’s no problem here. Well, it’s late. We should both get some sleep.”
“Yes,” he said. “Long day ahead. We’ll get married first thing in the morning and head for Rainshadow. If the weather in the Amber Sea holds, we’ll be on the island by late afternoon.”
“Right.”
She turned away and started toward the small alcove. Not like I’m going to get much sleep tonight, she thought.
She hauled a spare blanket out of the cupboard and, in a burst of what she considered stunning generosity, gave up one of the two pillows from her bed. When Drake disappeared into the bathroom, she put the blanket and the pillow on the sofa.
She hurried back into the alcove, pulled the curtain closed around the bed, and crawled under the covers.
For a time she listened to the muted sounds that Drake made as he moved around in the small space. After a while she heard the ancient springs of the sofa groan under his weight. Then all was silent.
She was right about one thing: She did not sleep well. She lay very still, intensely aware of the stranger with the silver eyes on the other side of the curtain.
Sometime before dawn she heard the balcony door open and close. Drake said something in soft, low tones. Houdini chortled a response and fluttered under the curtain. He vaulted up onto the foot of the bed and murmured a greeting.
“It’s about time you got home,” Alice whispered. “I hope you had fun.”
Houdini settled down and closed his baby blue eyes.
Alice slept better after that.
Chapter 6
THE SOUND OF SOMEONE BANGING LOUDLY ON THE front door brought her out of a groggy twilight sleep. Houdini growled. Alice opened her eyes just in time to see him sleek out and hop down from the foot of the bed. He dashed under the curtain, his small claws clicking on the wooden floor.
Alice glanced at the clock and winced. There was only one person who would be pounding on her door at six thirty in the morning. She pushed the covers aside, got to her feet, and reached for her robe. She was tying the sash when she heard Drake speak to Houdini.
“I’ll take care of this,” Drake said. “No need to risk a lawsuit.”
The front door opened.
“Where is she?” Fred Malloy roared. “She owes me a week’s rent. And I swear, if that little rat of hers bites me, I’ll sue.”
Alarmed, Alice whisked the curtain aside. Drake was at the door. He was barefooted and dressed in trousers and a black T-shirt. He had put on his wraparound sunglasses, and Houdini was crouched on his shoulder, all four eyes open. Malloy was backing out into the hall, watching Houdini as if the dust bunny were a snake.
Malloy was a big, burly man who had no doubt been hired because of his intimidating size and junkyard-dog demeanor. He was very good at collecting rent from a clientele that was equally skilled at explaining why they needed one more day to get the money together.
“Houdini, no,” Alice said. She rushed across the room, whisked him off Drake’s shoulder, and tucked him into the crook of her arm. “Please. We don’t need any more trouble.”
Malloy stopped retreating. He glowered at Alice and jerked a beefy thumb at Drake. “I told you, no sneaking in overnight guests. There’s an extra charge if a second person spends the night in the apartment.”
“It wasn’t a whole night,” Alice said. “We didn’t even get here until after midnight.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Malloy announced. “Rules are rules. I already bent one of ’em when I said you could keep the rat here in the apartment.”
“Yes, I know,” Alice said. “It was very kind of you. I realize you’re not going to believe this, but the show closed last night.”
“You’re right, I don’t believe it,” Malloy rasped.
“But I’ve got a new job,” Alice said quickly.
“Is that right?” Malloy did not look impressed.
Drake held up a hand. “How much does she owe you?”
Malloy slitted his eyes. “One fifty.”
Drake looked at Alice, his brows slightly elevated in a silent question.
She sighed. “I’m afraid that’s the correct amount. I had to pay extra for Houdini.” She cleared her throat. “Would you consider advancing me the money and deducting it out of whatever you’re going to pay me for the work on the island?”
“No problem,” Drake said. He went to the small end table next to the couch and picked up his wallet. He took out some cash, came back to the door, and handed the money to Malloy. “You can leave now. And by the way, Ms. North is checking out today.”
“Huh.” Malloy took the bills and glared at Alice. “If you’re not out by noon, you’ll owe me for another full week.”
“We’ll be out by noon,” Alice said.
“Also, there’s a cleaning fee,” Malloy added. “Another one fifty.”
“You got that up front,” Alice shot back.
“We have a policy here at the Dead City Suites. Policy says you pay a move-out cleaning fee as well as a move-in cleaning fee.”
“There was nothing about a second cleaning fee on the rental agreement,” Alice said.
“Policy is policy,” Malloy said.
“You’re right,” Drake said. “Policy is policy, and it had better be in writing because if you really want to collect that cleaning fee, you will have to contact the legal department at Sebastian, Inc. I can guarantee you that the lawyers there will want to see a written agreement detailing cleaning fees.”
Malloy squinted. “Legal department? What the hell are you talking about?”
“Policies,” Drake said. “My company, Sebastian, Inc., has them, too. One of our policies is to make sure our employees don’t get scammed. Ms. North is an employee of the firm so she is entitled to full legal representation in this dispute.”
“Look, I don’t want any trouble with a big-time legal department,” Malloy said uneasily.
“Then get lost.”
Malloy took off, and Drake closed the door.
Alice sighed. “Welcome to my life. It’s a little embarrassing at times.”
“You’d better start packing.”
“That won’t take long,” she said. “I’ve been living out of a couple of suitcases for nearly a year. It’s amazing how much you can do without.”
Drake looked around the sparse space and shook his head. “You’ve been living like this all these months because of Ethel Whitcomb?”
“I told you, the woman thinks I got away with murdering her son. She’s obsessed with punishing me.”
“No question about it,” Drake said. “We need to find out who really did kill Fulton Whitcomb.”
She paused in the bathroom doorway. “Thanks for the cash advance.”
“Money can’t fix everything, but it can make a lot of problems go away.”
* * *
THE MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE TOOK PLACE IN THE Crystal City Courthouse. Alice estimated that the short business-like process required about the same amount of time as paying a parking fine and involved possibly even fewer ceremonial trappings. The clerk, a plump, gray-haired woman with a kindly face, tried to put a romantic gloss on it all, but when you got right down to it, there was nothing heartwarming or romantic about an MC.
Alice was pretty sure she knew what the sweet-faced woman on the other side of the counter was thinking. Men of wealthy families—families such as the Sebastians—were notorious for using Marriages of Convenience to placate lovers and mistresses who demanded something more in the way of a commitment. The MCs were always terminated when the next woman came along or when the man finally did his duty by the family and entered into a formal Covenant Marriage. He might continue to have women on the side after contracting a CM, of course, but he could no longer offer his lovers the sop of a quasi-legal relationship. They,
in turn, had no claim on him.
Although the clerk’s assumptions were obvious enough, Alice was amused to see that Drake was evidently oblivious to them. He focused on the expeditious handling of the business at hand, working swiftly through the paperwork. It was becoming clear that he approached every task with the same single-minded focus.
The only one who appeared to enjoy the short ceremony was Houdini. He went into full-on cute mode and blinked his baby blue eyes at the clerk.
“Aren’t you adorable,” the clerk cooed.
Houdini stared at a jar of wrapped candies and made encouraging noises. The clerk looked at Alice.
“Is it okay to give him one?” the clerk asked.
“I think so,” Alice said. “He seems to be omnivorous.”
The clerk whipped the glass lid off the jar and plucked a candy wrapped in gold foil from the bouquet inside.
Houdini ignored the offering. He sidled up to the jar and selected a different piece of candy—one wrapped in red foil—instead. Chortling with glee, he scurried back to Alice’s shoulder and went to work tearing off the wrapper.
“He likes red,” Alice explained. “It goes with his bow tie.”
The clerk smiled. “I can see that.”
Ignoring them all, Drake signed the last piece of paper registering the MC and handed it to the clerk.
“How long before the record gets into the system?” he asked, indicating a nearby computer.
“Right away,” she assured him. “I’ll enter it as soon as you leave.”
“We’ll wait,” Drake said. “I want to be sure the MC comes up immediately if anyone does a search.”
The clerk raised her brows but merely nodded and moved to the computer. Alice got the impression that people rarely said no to Drake.
It took the clerk only a few minutes to enter the record of the MC.
“There you go, Mr. Sebastian,” she announced. “Congratulations to you both.” She winked at Drake. “You may kiss the bride.”
“Thanks,” Drake said. There was a distinct chill in his voice now. He clamped a hand around Alice’s elbow and steered her toward the door. “Let’s get out of here. We have a plane to catch.”