by Marie Force
“I came to clean today. That’s why I’m here.”
“Where are you living?”
Swallowing hard, she said, “With a friend. No one you know.”
“What friend do you have who isn’t a friend of mine, too?”
“I’m not talking to you about this,” she said, her heart racing with anxiety.
He studied her for a long time, a nerve in his cheek pulsing with tension. “What happened to your forehead?”
“I banged it.”
He picked up the letters that she had left on the kitchen table. “You’re not reading your mail?”
“Look, Jer, I don’t know why you’re here or what you thought was going to happen when you came home this weekend, but we agreed to spend three months apart. It’s only been one. You’re not being fair.”
“I want out of that stupid agreement.” He took a step toward her. “I haven’t been with anyone else, and I don’t want to be. That was the whole reason we were doing this, right? So the deal’s off.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Why are you having so much trouble looking at me, Juliana?”
“I’m not.” She tilted her chin to make eye contact with him.
“It’s almost like you’re guilty about something. Are you seeing someone else?”
“I’m not having this conversation with you. We have a deal. I’m not giving in on this. I’ll talk to you in two months. Not before.”
“Something’s going on, and I want to know what it is.”
“We’ll talk in two months,” Juliana said, picking up her purse to leave. He had cleaned, so there was no need for her to stay.
He took hold of her arm. “One month, Jule. I’ll do one more month. Not two.”
She looked up at him, at that oh-so-familiar face, and knew she couldn’t deny him this. “Fine. One month from today.”
“Meet me here.”
“Okay.”
“Jule? Will you let me hold you?” He held out his arms. “Just for a minute?”
She bent her head and rested it against his chest as his arms went around her. Her hands rested on his hips, and she felt his lips brush against her hair.
“I miss you, babe,” he whispered. “I miss you so much. I’m going crazy without you.”
Juliana looked up at him and was startled when his lips came down on hers. When she felt his tongue nudging her mouth open, she pulled back. “Don’t, Jer,” she said, stepping out of his embrace. “I’ll see you in a month.” She bolted out the door and drove away before he could notice a police car was following her.
Michael left the courthouse and drove to his office, trying to process the possibility that Paige could be pregnant. He’d ignored a new burst of phone calls from her over the last few days, but she’d made damned sure he wouldn’t be able to ignore her anymore. He parked the car and reached for his cell phone.
“Hello, Michael. How good of you to finally call me back.”
“What are you trying to pull, Paige? Do you expect me to believe you got pregnant the one time we didn’t use protection? Do you think I’m that stupid?”
“You can believe whatever you want to, but I am pregnant. Exactly four weeks.”
Michael took a ragged deep breath. “I don’t believe you.”
“Well, you’d better believe it. You’re going to be a daddy, Michael, so you can forget all this business about calling off our engagement. It’s just as well I never cancelled the wedding plans. We can just proceed as planned.”
“Yeah, in your dreams.”
“I’m pregnant. You will marry me.”
“I will never marry you. I don’t care if you’re having triplets. I’m not marrying you.”
“Then you’ll never see this child. Do you understand me? Never.”
Michael laughed. “Have you forgotten I’m a lawyer, Paige? Bring it on. By the time I’m through with you, you’ll never see this phantom kid of ours. Besides, how do I even know it’s mine?”
“Go to hell, Michael.”
“You’re not going to blackmail me into marrying you, and you failed to mess up my trial by leaking this to the media because the judge sequestered the jury. And you’re certainly not going to stop me from seeing my kid—the kid I highly doubt even exists. So you may as well give it up. Oh, and it’s probably safe to go ahead and cancel those wedding plans. The groom won’t be there.” He slapped his phone closed.
“Fuck!” he cried within the confines of his car. “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” As he slammed his hand against the steering wheel in frustration, the phone rang. Expecting it to be Paige calling him back, he flipped it open and roared, “What?”
“Michael?” Juliana said.
Just the sound of her voice chased away the rage. “Oh, baby, I’m sorry.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing now that I’m talking to you. Are you okay?”
“I just had a run-in with Jeremy.”
Michael went still. “What kind of run-in? What happened?”
She told him about finding Jeremy at their house and the conversation they’d had.
“Why did you agree to meet him in a month?” Michael asked, despondent to hear their two remaining months had been cut in half. “You said three months.”
“I’m sorry, Michael, but I can’t let this go on for another two months. I’ll work myself into an ulcer by then.”
“You could’ve just told him today that it’s over between you guys. Why didn’t you?”
“Because it’s not over. You know that. Why are you being this way?”
He sighed. “I’m sorry. Paige is pregnant—or at least she’s claiming to be.”
Juliana gasped. “How, I mean—”
“Meet me at my office, will you? I’ll tell you when you get here.” He gave her directions.
“I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
“I’ll wait for you in the car.”
Ten minutes later, Juliana slid into the passenger seat of Michael’s car and reached for him.
He fell into her arms and held her close for a long time. “God, baby, I’m so glad to see you.”
When Juliana finally pulled back to look at him, she kept her hands on his face. “How can she be pregnant?”
“That last night, the night of the engagement party, she got in bed with me when I was asleep. I’d had a lot to drink so I thought I was dreaming and didn’t realize I wasn’t until it was too late, if you know what I mean. I found out about it today when a reporter asked me if it was true that I’d recently left my pregnant fiancée. I didn’t return Paige’s calls, so she leaked it to the media.”
“Oh, Michael. What are you going to do?”
He shrugged helplessly. “First of all, I don’t believe her, so I’m not going to do anything. Not now anyway. She said if I don’t marry her, I’ll never see the kid.”
“She can’t do that!”
“I know, honey. I told her she’s not dealing with an idiot. She’s the one who won’t see the kid if she wants to play hardball with me.”
Juliana put her arms around him again. “I’ll never understand a woman who’d stoop to blackmailing a man into marrying her.”
“That’s because you could never be so evil. She hasn’t cancelled any of the wedding plans. Can you believe that?”
“She still thinks it’s going to happen?” Juliana asked, incredulous. “After everything?”
“It’s not even about marrying me anymore. It’s about saving face. If she cancels the plans, she’ll have to deal with the humiliation of being dumped. She’d rather blackmail me with a fake pregnancy than be embarrassed.”
“I’m sorry. It’s just one more thing on your already too full plate.”
“Which is exactly why she dropped it on me in the middle of the trial.” He reached for her hand. “Where’s the ring?”
Juliana found it in her pocket and reached around to unhook his chain to return it to its place next to the St. Christopher medal.
Michael kissed her left hand. “I liked it better here.”
She leaned over to press her lips to his and combed her fingers through his hair. The kiss turned hot when Michael tilted her head so he could delve deeper. For a moment they both forgot where they were and that four cops were watching them as they feasted on the comfort only the other could provide.
Michael groaned when he finally pulled away from her. “Why couldn’t it be you who’s pregnant with my baby? I want it to be you.”
Juliana tightened her hold on him.
After he took a few more minutes to collect himself, Michael led her into his office where several of his co-workers stopped what they were doing to watch them walk by. He knew they were curious about the woman who had been hurt at his house, but he wished they wouldn’t stare. Outside his office, he introduced her to his assistant Angela, who handed him a stack of pink message slips. Michael asked Angela to pull the mug shots of the Red Devils. He ushered Juliana into his office and gestured for her to have a seat.
“Nice office.”
“Thanks.” Michael tossed the messages onto his cluttered desk and draped his suit coat over the back of his chair.
Angela came in with the mug shots. “Here you go. Let me know if you need anything else.” She closed the door and left them alone.
Michael sat down next to Juliana and handed her the book. “Take your time, hon. See if you recognize anyone.”
Juliana nodded and flipped open the book. “You don’t have to sit with me. I’m sure you have work to do.”
He glanced at the disaster on his desk. “I’ve got a few things I could do.” With a kiss to her cheek he got up to weed out the messages that needed immediate attention. Then he rolled up his shirtsleeves and turned his attention to his e-mail. When Angela buzzed in with a call from a reporter, he told her to tell him “no comment.” He checked on Juliana and found her looking at him. “What?”
She smiled. “I like watching you work. Very sexy.”
“The book, Juliana. You’re distracting me.”
“You’re easily distracted.”
“I’m always distracted when I’m with you.”
“The computer, Michael,” she said, mocking his tone. “You’re distracting me.”
He grinned and turned back to his computer.
Juliana went through the book twice but didn’t see anyone she recognized. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. Thanks for trying.” He got up and came around to her. “What are you doing the rest of the day?”
“I’m going to clean my mother’s house.”
“You’re good to her. She’s lucky to have you.”
Juliana shrugged. “You do what you have to.”
He hugged and kissed her. “I should be home early.”
“Good. I’ll make something for dinner.”
“Mmm,” he said against her lips. “I can’t wait.”
“Are you okay?”
“I am now that I’ve seen you. Somehow you manage to make everything better.” With one last kiss, he walked her out to meet her police detail.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The night before Rachelle was due to testify Michael lay awake while Juliana slept with one arm wrapped around him.
As the clock edged toward four, he thought about how badly he wanted this trial to be over. After tomorrow, the prosecution would rest. The defense would take a week, maybe two, to present its case, followed by closing arguments and jury deliberation.
Everything had gone perfectly so far. The detectives and ballistics witnesses had been unshakable. The kids who witnessed the fight between the victims and the Benedettis in the arcade had been nervous, but they managed to get through their testimony and presented a cohesive, consistent story that established a firm motive.
Based on the reports of the consultants who tracked jurors’ body language, Michael had won them over thus far. But it was Rachelle’s testimony that would ensure a win. She really was his “slam dunk.” No way would the jury fail to convict after they heard her chilling account, or so he hoped.
Michael had spoken to her the previous evening. She had been subdued, but she’d assured him she was ready—to testify and to put the whole ordeal behind her. After she appeared in court, a police escort would deliver her and her mother to a private jet that would take them to their new life in St. Louis, Missouri, where they would be reunited with Rachelle’s father and brothers.
Juliana stirred and rested her cheek on his shoulder. The T-shirt of his that she had worn to bed had ridden up, so he laid his hand on her warm back and pulled her closer to him.
In her sleep, she curled around him and sighed.
How did I ever live before her? How will I ever live without her if she chooses Jeremy over me? She won’t. She can’t. Not after everything we’ve shared and been through together. She’ll stay with me. The alternative was unimaginable. He was doing his best not to think at all about Paige and the possibility that she could be pregnant. He would deal with that once the trial was finished and not one minute before. If she was in fact pregnant, she still would be after the trial.
Michael must have dozed off because he was jarred awake by the ringing of the phone just after six.
“Mm, Maguire,” he said, struggling to wake up.
“Michael!” His co-worker George Samuels’s frantic tone got Michael’s full attention.
“George? What’s wrong?”
“Jesus Christ, Michael, they’ve been poisoned!” George cried.
Michael sat up. “Who has? What’re you talking about?” His gut clenched when he remembered assigning George to stay at the hotel in Annapolis so he could escort Rachelle to court in the morning.
“Rachelle, the cops, all of them,” George whispered.
Michael released an anguished wail.
“Michael!” Juliana said. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
He fought through growing hysteria to ask, “Is she dead?”
“No, but she’s really sick. One of the cops is in a coma.”
“Call me as soon as you know more.”
Michael put down the phone and dropped his head into his hands. “God,” he whispered. “Oh my God.”
“Michael, you’re scaring me,” Juliana said. “What’s wrong?”
He reached for her hand. “Rachelle’s been poisoned,” he said. “George said she’s really sick.”
Juliana inhaled sharply. “No!”
Michael drew her into his arms, and they held each other until the persistent ringing of his cell phone reminded him of the job he still had to do. “I’ve got to find out what happened.” He pulled the covers up over Juliana’s trembling body and reached for his cell phone.
“Yeah,” he said softly.
“Michael,” Tom Houlihan said, his tone grim.
“How did this happen, Tom? How in the world did they get to her?”
“Their food was poisoned. Probably arsenic.”
“Arsenic?” Michael asked in disbelief.
“Her mother found them, Michael. She’s out of her mind.”
“Oh, God, I promised her this would never happen! I gave her my word!”
Juliana sat up and put her arms around Michael from behind. He reached down to clutch her hand.
“You did everything you could to keep her safe,” Tom said. “We all did.”
“Clearly, we didn’t do enough. Where do I need to be?”
“Stay put for now. I’m on my way to the hospital. I don’t want you anywhere near there, not after they’ve already come at you once.”
“She’s my witness. I need to be there.”
“No. Stay there until you hear from me, you got it?”
“All right.” After he hung up Michael lay down next to Juliana. “I should’ve put her on first. She would’ve been long gone by now.” He blinked back tears. “Why didn’t I put her on first and get her the hell out of here?”
“Don’t do that to yourself, Michael. This isn’t your fault.
”
“I could’ve prevented it.”
“No. They were determined.”
“I don’t even know what I should do right now.”
“Should you go to the office?”
“Tom told me to stay here. He’s really scared now. I could hear it in his voice.”
“Michael,” Juliana whimpered, her lips brushing over his hair. “What if they try to hurt you, too?”
“What if they try to hurt you?” He got up abruptly. “This is what I’ve been trying to tell you was going to happen.” Stalking into the bathroom, he slammed the door.
Juliana rolled her face into the pillow and thought about Rachelle who dreamed of having a boyfriend and wanted to see her father and brothers again. Juliana prayed harder than she ever had before for her young friend, a girl who had shown more courage in her fifteen years than most people did in a lifetime.
Michael came out of the bathroom, his hair wet and his face shaved. He put on a suit and was knotting his tie when he came over to sit next to her on the bed.
“I want you to take a leave of absence from the salon for at least a week,” he said in a flat tone she had never heard before. His eyes were dull with shock. “Call your brother and tell him you won’t be able to take care of your mother. I want you to stay home until we get a handle on what’s happened. I just can’t deal with worrying about you right now. If they’ve been watching us, then they know by now that you’re my weak spot. I know it’s a big thing for me to ask and that you can’t afford it, but I’ll take care of anything you need. Will you do this for me, Juliana? Please?”
“Of course. Where are you going?”
“To the hospital.”
“But your boss told you to stay here.”
His jaw clenched with tension. “I can’t just sit here and do nothing.”
She reached up to caress his face. “Don’t shut me out, Michael. Let me help you.”
He got up. “There’s nothing you can do. Just stay here. I’ll be back.”
She heard him go downstairs, activate the alarm, and shut the front door. The phone rang not a minute after he left.