First she went and released the security code. Then she unlocked the door and departed. The grass was wet with dew as she passed through the lawn to where her SUV was parked in the driveway to the right of the house. She threw her bag in the backseat and rushed to get inside herself. A chill raced up her spine, but she ignored it as she realized her keys were in the car waiting for her.
A moment later the car engine roared to life. She glanced up and down the street and then at the house one more time. John Morgan was the man she would always crave, and her crush on him had grown into love.
She backed out of the driveway and headed toward her new condo. She refused to get mopey or weepy—she was not Cinderella. No one forced her to do anything. If she and John were to have a future, it would need to be much later, after they'd gotten their lives sorted.
Alice wasn't against dating, but she had to live for herself too. Before she met John she spent months picking her first condo, painting it in yellow and white with a blue trim. The furniture was soft golden oak to let more sunshine in and her place was the first thing that would ever truly be hers.
First and foremost, after coffee, she'd brainstorm and then reach out to new fruit buyers for the farm.
She refused to let her mind wander back to John Morgan for one second.
Alice's phone rang and she rummaged through her pocketbook. On the second ring, she fished out the phone and saw a number she didn't recognize. If it was John calling from his house phone, she would do the right thing, and turn around to talk to him in person. Her heart hammered in her chest as she answered, "Hello."
"Alice? I would love for you to join me and Jennifer this morning. Please?"
Vicki's voice bubbled with the happiness Alice remembered from the old days. Alice touched her best friend necklace. "Where are you going?"
"The Miracle Mile for coffee and then I want to show you both my new idea for my future."
Vicki's take-charge attitude might rub off. It's what Alice needed to do, too. She shifted the wheel to turn in her new direction as she agreed. "We'll meet at the book store like we used to, but I can't stay for long."
"Deal," Vicki said.
Alice danced in her seat. A friend was what she needed. Vicki ended the call and Alice threw her phone onto the passenger seat. Today she'd find out where Vicki had spent the last few years and avoid all conversations about John. No one pretended to be dead without a good reason.
Chapter 22
Near his ear, something rang on the bedside night table. For a few seconds, he ignored it, but then remembered it might be the FBI. They hadn't called him. John woke up and glanced at the number on the voicemail message. No caller ID available might mean it was the FBI or a telemarketer.
He licked his lower lip and tasted strawberries. Alice's scent was in the air. He turned to his side, but where she'd slept was cold as if she'd been gone for a while.
He rubbed his forehead. He never slept like this. Then he picked up his phone and hit play.
A garbled voice that had been processed through a changer spoke.
John, your girlfriend was smart enough to leave you. You're the reason she'll die now. Prepare to live with what you've done.
His body went still. Why had the FBI done nothing? This was something he needed to solve on his own or use more of the Morgan security. He stood and walked to the window. Money was power. The sun was in the morning sky. He clutched his phone, threw on his pants and then made the one call he'd never wanted to make.
Peter answered, "This is a surprise."
John said, "I need your help."
"How?"
The coldness between them didn't deter him. He had to get his brother's help. The FBI wasn't working fast enough. "Let me play you a message."
The repeat of the threat to Alice made his blood freeze. Peter sucked in an audible breath as the voicemail played. John's heartbeat quickened as the deadly voice sent a chill down his spine. He shrugged into a shirt. As the voice finished, John said, "I need to find Alice before anything happens to her."
Peter didn't hesitate. "What do you want me to do?"
John ran one hand through the left side of his hair. His brother would help. "You have the staff to find her fast."
"You need me to employ our handlers to get her back."
John's mind raced. Peter had their father's confidence but not the venom that implied John once again was the always-in-trouble son. He'd call the local police once he finished with Peter. "Yes. Thank you."
"Why did she leave you in the first place?"
John straightened his back. Now was not the time for this. "I've no idea, and it doesn't matter right now. Alice's safety is on the line."
"I'm on it. I'd recommend you talk to Vicki. They were friends."
John's eyebrows arched. Now that was a good idea. "Is she up?"
"She's not here. She left the house early this morning. She mentioned that dress shop again and a future fashion empire she'd build."
John changed his screen while he spoke to his brother so he could make a note. "Does she have a cell?"
"I bought it for her yesterday. I'll text you the number, but it's the same as when she left."
Even better. Peter wasn't completely their father. "Thanks."
"We are family. Dad was right about one thing."
John rolled his shoulders. He might have spoken too soon. "What was that?"
"I don't want children or a relationship, John. I'm more than happy if you live that life and then I will leave money to nieces and nephews."
His mouth opened and wouldn't close all the way. "Why?"
"I don't want to be like our dad. I wish I didn't remember Mom."
John scratched his head. They'd talk once everything was over. He might have been too hard on his brother. "Peter, once I find Alice and make sure she is safe, then let's sit down and talk."
"Deal."
They hung up. His brother would have specialized guards a phone call away.
The local Miami PD would be on his side. He probably should have called them already, but he thought the FBI and Morgan security would be enough. He held himself together and dialed.
"This is the emergency line. How can we help you?"
John swallowed, aware that every word he spoke was recorded. "Someone left me two threats that they intend to kill Alice Collins. Now she's disappeared and I don't want anything to happen to her."
The word kill must have been all he needed to say. The second he finished his sentence, the woman on the phone responded. "Dispatch is on its way, Mr. Morgan."
Of course everyone knew who he was. Today he'd have to use the name. "Thanks."
He hung up the phone and gazed out at the morning sun. The smell of coffee from the automatic machine permeated the air. He went to the garage but Alice's SUV was gone. He picked up his phone to call her, but the squad car squealed in the distance.
In the front hall, he put on his socks but left his sneakers at the door.
John's mind ran through everything. Alice would likely go to her parents. Her mother hated him. If he went to her as he was, he'd smell of sex. A shower would cure him, but there was no time.
Instead he walked into the kitchen, picked up his phone, texted Vicki and Alice to call him and poured two mugs of coffee. One was an offering to the officer who would arrive any moment.
The silence in the house made his skin itchy. He sipped his coffee. The caffeine sent his blood into overdrive. He had to do more. He picked up his phone again. No text from Alice. No missed calls. Her mother might have answers. As he dialed her house phone, he prayed everything was fine and that Alice was there.
On the second ring, her mother Ellie answered, "Hello?"
"Mrs. Collins."
The gasp held obvious disdain. "John Morgan."
Now wasn't the time to win her over. His words rushed together. "Is Alice there?"
"She's not with you?"
The more people that looked for Alice, the safer she mig
ht be. He had to tell her. He blinked. No police cars were on his street yet. "I know you don't like me."
"Like is too soft a word, Mr. Collins. My daughter deserves better than you."
"I agree. She deserves everything the world can offer her."
"Then let her go."
A lump formed in his throat and he couldn't get rid of it. "I can't."
Her loud breaths said plenty. "Why are you calling me?"
John closed his eyes. He wished he didn't have to say this. "Alice is in danger. Someone wants to kill her because of me, and now I don't know where she is."
"What do you mean, kill her? I thought the news said that was because of the threat to the President, and that was your brother, Peter Morgan, who sent that security car outside our farm."
Her words were crystal clear. He blinked and in the distance he saw the lights of police cars. "Someone wants to murder her."
"Who?"
There was so much to say, but he had no answers. "I don't know. The police are on their way to my house to pick up the threats. She's gone. I don't know where she is and I was wondering if she'd contacted you."
"Oh my goodness. You're not making this up. My daughter had better be safe."
He walked toward his shoes and slipped them on. "Call her. She's not answering my calls or texts."
"She'll answer mine. Give me your address, John. I'll send her brother to you to get as much information as possible."
Unlocking the front door, John stepped outside. The blaring sun made his skin heat. He told her his address and then said, "The police are here now, Mrs. Collins. Please let me know if you find her."
The sirens stopped in his front lawn, but the black SUV behind them held a camera crew. He pressed his lips together and stared into the tinted windows of the police cruiser that was followed by a local station.
Years of training told John television cameras might make everything worse. It would illuminate angles that the bad guys shouldn't know. With luck Alice was fine, but he'd not take that chance.
The officer, who had been speaking to Alice at the wake, got out of the patrol car. Good. At least this man knew her and knew she was a sweetheart. "Rafe. Alice is in danger."
The man stepped closer on the grass as cameras took their picture. "How?"
With his head down, John led them to the front door.
"I sent this to the FBI the other day." He slipped the letter in the plastic bag into the other man's hands. He stared at the camera crew and then said, "Please come inside."
Rafe walked inside and John closed the door. The officer put on plastic gloves and John handed him his phone to listen to the message. "Here. This is what I heard this morning."
John hit replay on speaker, knowing there was no way to recognize the distorted voice pattern.
Rafe read the note and listened to the short message. "Where is Alice now?"
His heart beat in his chest, loud. "I don't know."
"Alice was always a kindhearted girl. I don't want her in any sort of trouble."
John's gut twisted, but he ignored the pain. Instead he simply asked, "Will you help me find her?"
Rafe sucked in his lower lip and tapped his pen against a piece of paper. "We solve crimes after they happen. I can release an APB to be on the lookout for her, but I can't promise anything. What I can do is track the voicemail and try to match the handwriting and any fingerprints in the database."
No. They'd not find Alice's body somewhere in the bottom of a swamp picked apart by alligators. "Do what you can. I can't let anything happen to her."
Rafe's face paled as he said, "Alice Collins will turn up fine. She's smart, sweet, and a loyal friend. She used to tutor me in math."
John put his hand on the knob, feeling determined. "And someone wants her dead because of me." He opened the door.
Rafe walked outside but turned back before he reached the patrol car. "I will do everything I can. She was always a good girl."
Was meant past tense. John lifted his head. "She is a good woman. Thanks again Rafe."
Rafe lifted John's phone. "Just doing my job. Can I keep this?"
"Answer if it's Alice." No real choice existed. John shrugged as that was the only answer he could give, but then he stared at his brother's men who appeared on the street. He nodded at Rafe. "I'll get another line connected."
He'd send one of them to get him a phone as he went in search of Alice himself.
Chapter 23
Alice parked her car and got out into morning sunshine. Palm trees lined the fashionable street where Alice intended to go a few hundred feet to meet her friend.
She dropped her phone to the bottom of her bag and stopped to find it and hold it in her palms. Her neck grew cold, like someone watched her. She turned around but didn't see anything. She took her phone and walked forward.
Then footsteps echoed in the alleyway behind her. Alice's limbs shook as the image of a laser pointed to her head emerged in her mind. She ran fast down the street.
The shuffle of footsteps followed her. Her stomach was rock-hard as she went as fast as she could. She turned onto the busy street with children eating ice cream, but her insides quaked.
The heavy steps behind her became louder, and Alice blinked as she ran to blend into the people on the Miracle Mile.
A large hand brushed against her back. A scream got stuck in her throat.
Then Vicki grabbed her arm and dragged her into the bookstore. She pushed Alice toward the carpet, between aisles of books, like she might protect them both.
Books wouldn't stop a bullet, Alice thought. She stood up and dusted off her jeans, but said nothing as her voice wasn't able to function at the moment. Perhaps John was right that someone wanted her dead.
A pair of designer heels and a black pencil skirt joined them. Alice rocked on her feet and then gazed toward Jennifer. Her hands trembled as she waited for the insult.
Vicki, pale, asked, "Are you okay?"
"Now. I'm here with you both." Alice walked to the window and looked out. So many people were outside and she had no idea who had frightened her. She'd have to call John.
Without another word, Vicki dragged her farther into the bookstore and away from the glass. "Who was that?"
Alice wiped her hands on her pants. In a minute her heart would stop the frantic pace now that she was safe. "I don't know. Some guy was following me."
"I have it on video from my phone. I'll text it to John and Peter. The guy chasing you had a cap on."
"You saw him?"
"I couldn't make anything out, but perhaps the police can. I hate stalkers." Jennifer stood with her arms crossed, but then she sniffed the air. "You smell like sex."
Alice's entire body heated. Leave it to Jennifer to change the subject.
Vicki turned her small frame from where she'd been staring out of the window and looked at both her friends. She sniffed the air. "You mean she smells like my brother's cologne."
Alice stepped away from the pair of them. This was not a good conversation at all. Her face warmed. "Stop."
"You slept with John and then left him in bed." Jennifer tapped her foot, and Alice realized they stood in the romance section. "I thought good girls like you never did anything like that."
There was no way a normal person would ever assume such a thing. Alice lifted her head and dared Jennifer. "Like what?"
Jennifer laughed as if they shared a secret and didn't really hate each other. "Like sleep with a man before marriage. Isn't that what you hated about me in high school?"
No, it was all in the superior attitude. Alice kept her hands crossed. "You slept with every guy in our high school."
Jennifer lifted her eyebrow. "Not every guy."
Alice's feet grew apart. "Like who did you miss?"
Jennifer traced the neckline of her dress. "Not your John or Colt."
Alice opened her mouth but Vicki cut her off. "My brother had said someone was after you from the funeral. I didn't think about that w
hen I invited you this morning, and I don't like you here without protection."
"Let it go." Alice shrugged. The further her mind went from those few moments, the better her sanity, though she quickly texted John. With only one bar of service, she could only hope it went through.
Her mind flashed to the gun shot through the glass doors of the funeral. She sighed. "Creeps don't get more than a second of our thoughts. I'll be more careful from now on."
Jennifer's grin grew wider. "Yes, let's talk about you and John."
Alice wouldn't run away from more sly insults. She took a step forward. "We could talk about you and Peter."
Jennifer shrugged. "Old news."
Vicki then tilted her head and stood next to Alice. "No. I want to know, too. What is going on between you and Peter?"
Jennifer's grin fell and she shifted toward both of them. "Peter and I are not in a relationship."
Alice had assumed they were. At the funeral, Jennifer had been on Peter's arm. "You're not?"
Jennifer's perfectly formed nose on her flawless skin gave off an effervescent air that her long dark hair silhouetted with her angelic face. "No. We're friends with benefits."
Vicki's face went white. "And you're okay with that?"
Jennifer flicked her hair behind her ears. "Of course. It was my idea."
Alice didn't believe a word. She'd never agree to that with John. She'd die if another woman entered the picture. Maybe Jennifer never worried about that. On the outside, no one competed in looks with her.
It was strange John hadn't texted her back right away. The tower hopefully sent her signal through as it read ‘sent.'
Vicki asked, "Does he not want a relationship?"
Poor Vicki had no idea what her brothers were like, since she'd been "dead" for the past six years. It was time to ask what happened.
Jennifer took Vicki's hands. "As I said, I don't want one so it doesn't matter."
Part of Alice liked that Jennifer's life wasn't perfect. It might be wrong to say that out loud, so she kept her lips sealed. Jennifer continued. "I'm not the one who walked out of your brother's bed today without a word. Why don't we ask Alice what's wrong with her relationship with John?"
[House of Morgan 01.0 - 03.0] Boxed Set Page 14