It didn’t make sense.
“How long was he going out there?”
Amber adjusted her position, pressing both hands to the small of her back.
“I don’t remember. A few months. Long enough for us to get to know each other a little.”
“And this man, you really have no idea who he is?”
“No. I even asked around, but no one knew him.”
“Ada’s a small town…”
“Yeah, but we get strangers through there all the time because we’re right on Interstate 45.”
None of it made a lot of sense to me. Peter going out to Ada. Peter making a baby with a virtual stranger. Peter getting killed in a car accident a few weeks later.
I had so many questions, but it was obvious that she was uncomfortable.
“Would you be able to stay around town for a few days? I could pay for a hotel.”
She shot up out of her chair quicker than I would have imagined she could move.
“I didn’t come here looking for nothing,” she said. “I just wanted to talk to Peter, make sure he knew about this kid. But now that I know he’s gone…” There was a catch in her voice when she said that last. “I’ll be going back home.”
“What about this guy who has been following you?”
Fear moved over her face like a cloud over the sun on a bright, summer day.
“I’ll admit that scares me a little. I thought it was about Peter, that he was having someone watch me for some reason. But that’s obviously not it.”
“I can help you.”
She shook her head. “Don’t want your help.”
“Well, will you at least let us know when the baby’s born? It’s part of our family if it’s Peter’s.”
It was as if I slapped her face when I said “if.” She narrowed her eyes as she studied my face.
“I don’t know who you think I am, Ms. Bradford. I might not look like much, but I have self-respect. I don’t sleep with just any guy who gives me a few swallows of bourbon. But your brother…” She bit her lip, this dark, grief-struck look coming into her eyes. “He was a good man, and he was real nice to me. I’m sorry he’s dead. But I didn’t want anything from him he wasn’t willing to give, and I certainly don’t want anything from you.”
She moved slowly to the door, her belly forcing her to walk in a sort of waddle. I grabbed a clean business card off my desk and followed her, grabbing her wrist and pushing the card into her hand.
“Please call me when the baby comes.”
She studied my face for a long second, distrust written all over her. But she nodded.
I watched her go, aware of Cole standing off behind Sam’s desk, his arms crossed, his eyes narrowed as he watched her go. The moment she was gone, he made a beeline for me.
“What did she say?”
“Do you still want a job with my company, Cole?”
He tilted his head, clearly suspicious of my sudden change of mind.
“Why?”
“She thinks someone’s been following her. If she’s right, it could be connected to Peter.”
“How?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“What do you want me to do?”
I thought about it for a second, telling myself this was a very bad idea. I should put one of my own men on it. But Cole wanted to prove himself, and his anger might actually be an asset in this one instance. I needed to know if that girl was telling the truth because, if she was, then I owed it to Peter to watch over her and that baby.
Peter had given her my card and told her I would help. My brother didn’t say things like that lightly.
“Follow her. Watch her. If you see someone following her, I want you to report right back to me. Understood?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Phoenix,” I said, grabbing his arm before he could leave. “Your code name will be Phoenix. If you have any problems, something you need help dealing with, you use that name when you call in.”
He nearly saluted, this huge grin on his face.
“I won’t let you down.”
Then he turned and rushed from the building.
I really hoped I wasn’t making a mistake.
Chapter 2
Amber
It was a mistake to go there. I’d known it would be, but I had to do it. I had to find out what had happened to Peter. He was such a nice guy…I would never forget the way he looked at me, the way he said my name like it was a jewel instead of a stupid, childish name. The first time he invited me to sit with him in that dirty, sticky booth, the smile that warmed his eyes when he looked at me. I’d never had anyone like him pay attention to me.
I was a small town girl, the daughter of the town drunk. I was the girl who went to school with holes in her shoes, wearing shorts when it was thirty degrees outside because my mom hadn’t bothered to buy me new jeans to replace the ones I’d worn so long that I couldn’t button them anymore and they looked like capris because of where they came up on my shins. I was a joke, the girl everyone whispered about, but no one never bothered to really get to know.
Momma was gone now, but I was still there, still living in that same little town because I couldn’t afford to go anywhere else. No high school diploma, no college education. That diner was about the only work I could get. But Peter…he didn’t see all that. He saw the person I was behind closed doors, the girl who couldn’t read enough, who couldn’t stop dreaming about the world outside this stupid town.
He saw me. No one else ever bothered to look that close.
I’d be lying if I hadn’t seen him as my escape. I didn’t know who he was at first, but it didn’t take long to figure it out. A trip to the library and a few hours with Google, and I knew who Peter Bradford was. Son of Frank Bradford. Grandson of Rufus Bradford. He was the heir apparent of a self-made millionaire and his son who’d grown that family business—and all that family money—into billions.
I hadn’t meant to get pregnant. Hell, the last thing I wanted was to bring a child into this world. But I’d be lying if it hadn’t crossed my mind when that stick turned blue that this might be my chance, that this might be my opportunity to finally get out of this town. But then he didn’t answer the phone, and I knew that I’d done it again. I’d put my faith in someone who wasn’t going to be there for me.
To find out that he was dead…I hated myself for all the dark thoughts I had about him these last seven months.
“Damn! Damn! Damn!”
I slammed my hand against the steering wheel, then immediately regretted it. The pain that burst through my arm was intense.
Great. My back hurt. It’d been hurting for weeks, but it seemed worse these last few days. And my bladder felt like the baby had decided to just camp out there for the next month. And my legs were so sore, ballooning up every night during my shifts at the diner. And now I might have broken something in my hand. Just what I needed.
I sat there for a little bit, feeling sorry for myself. How could I ever have imagined that Peter would want me? I was a mess. A hot mess. And things were just getting worse. What was I going to do when this baby came? Who was going to take care of it while I was at work? How was I going to afford all the things it was going to need? I couldn’t afford to buy myself a decent week’s worth of groceries. How was I going to buy diapers and wipes and clothes and a crib and all the other things it was going to need?
It was just all so overwhelming. My boss, Art, had already warned me that he could only give me two weeks off when the baby came—unpaid—and that he wasn’t going to put up with any drama surrounding the baby. No call ins, no babysitter disasters. He didn’t give a shit what was going on in my life. He needed a waitress. If I couldn’t do it, there were half a dozen girls in town willing to step up.
I sighed as I started the car, listening to the starter drag. That would have to be replaced soon.
Maybe I should have asked them for money. I’d come here with the intentions of doing just that, b
ut then that guy started calling me a gold digger. I was a lot of things, but I wasn’t a gold digger—and I’d be damned if I let anyone think I was. I’d gotten by on my own this long. I could do it a while longer.
I pulled out of the parking garage and navigated the dark corners and emerged into the sunlight. It was late afternoon. It would be dark before I got back to Ada. It crossed my mind to stop for a good meal somewhere, but I had exactly thirty dollars in my wallet and it would take that much to gas the car up. So gas or food? It wasn’t a hard choice.
It was an hour’s drive. I pulled up to the diner just in time for my shift. I changed in the bathroom, struggling in the confined space of the stall, cursing as I struggled to loosen the laces on my tennis shoe because the long drive had made my foot swell a little.
I didn’t see him until the dinner rush was over and I had a second to take a deep breath. He was in the parking lot, watching the diner from the front seat of an Audi sedan. I’d only set eyes on him for a few minutes, but I’d recognize him anywhere. He looked a lot like Peter. He was slightly taller and bigger, more muscular. Peter had more of a lithe appearance, the kind of masculine thinness that looked really good in a suit. His brother was more suited to workout clothes even though he was wearing a blue linen button down and a pair of dark slacks. They both had blond hair. Peter’s had been slightly longer, falling into his eyes sometimes when he was listening to me voice my opinion on some Dickens’ character. His brother’s was short, cut like a military buzz. But there was something about the eyes, about the shape of their jaws, that was the same. I wanted to see Peter’s kindness in his eyes, but when I carried a cup of coffee out to him, all I saw was anger.
“It gets cool out here at night,” I said. “You might want to come in.”
“I’m fine.”
“Did she send you to find out if I’m really pregnant or something?”
“Should she have?”
I just shook my head and went back inside. Let him freeze his balls off if he wanted to.
He was still there when my relief came in. I didn’t bother to change out of my uniform before heading home. I drove slowly, the windows open, trying not to fall asleep as I made my way down the winding lane that led to the small trailer where I lived. I heard his car pull up and park out on the lane, but I didn’t acknowledge him. I was simply too tired.
I managed to shower before I fell into bed. My last thought, as the baby kicked against my bladder, was of Peter.
He’d held me here. He touched me and whispered beautiful things into my ears. He’d done everything the way I’d imagined it would be and I had no regrets. I would never regret that part of it.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered against my ear. “I’ve been wanting to tell you for the longest time.”
“Okay. You’re drunker than I thought.” I laughed as I helped him up the last few steps to the trailer. “I’m glad I didn’t let you drive.”
“Not so drunk that I can’t appreciate a beautiful woman.”
He kissed my neck. I wasn’t sure how to respond. I’d had guys come on to me in a million different ways before. Some were customers at the diner like he was. They’d pinch my ass and say things they thought were romantic but were simply vulgar. I knew how to brush them off, how to put them in their place without wounding their egos too much. But Peter was different. I didn’t want to brush him off.
He turned me into him as we stood in the middle of the living room, his hands moving slowly over my face. I wanted to look away, but he made me look at him. And when I did and I saw the open admiration in his eyes, the desire shining all over me, I think I just melted right there and then.
His kiss was soft. Gentle. He touched me with respect and that was something I’d never known before. When he took my hand and led the way to the bedroom, I didn’t hesitate. I’d worried and wondered and fantasized over that moment for years. My mom…she was a drunk and she had to get her booze somewhere. I used to lie awake at night and cry as the noises came from her bedroom, men using her like she was a piece of trash. I told myself I would never be her, I’d never live my life like that. I was careful. I kept to myself. When the boys whispered promises in my ears, I turned away. I didn’t care what they told anyone. I wasn’t my mother.
But that night…Peter undressed me carefully, kissing every inch of flesh that exposed itself under my uniform. He worshipped me, taking his time with all the places that the touch of his breath and the brush of his tongue made me moan. And when he was inside of me, it wasn’t what I’d feared it would be. He held me close, his hands moving over my hips, teaching me what to do. And it was all so slow, so gentle. I’d never imagined it could be that good the first time.
And, afterwards, he held me against his chest and whispered to me; he continued to tell me all those beautiful things no one had ever said to me before.
Peter Bradford was a good man. I was grateful that if I had to have a child like this, if I had to find myself in this position, that at least my baby would have half his DNA. Maybe this child would have a chance at a good life because of him, because of his gentleness.
Chapter 3
Cole
I woke with a start. Something hit the windshield of my car. I sat up, confused for a second. There was dark…fuck me! Was that cow shit?
I jumped out of the car just in time to see a couple of kids running up the lane beyond the trailer I was parked in front of. They were laughing, and one of them threw another cow chip in my direction.
“You better run, you little brats!”
The smell was disgusting. I sat back in the car and slammed the door, turning on the windshield wipers to wash the mess away, but that only managed to smear the mess. Of course, the girl chose that moment to come out of her trailer and waddle in my direction. She tapped on the glass and waited patiently for me to open the window.
“What?”
“There’s a car wash up on Third, if you’d like. The windshield wipers aren’t going to do much.”
“Thanks.”
She smiled as she stepped back, resting her hands on the top of her swollen belly. “I’m going to run a few errands. But I’ll be back here about noon.”
She walked away, slowly, her hands moving from her belly to the small of her back. She was clearly miserable. I could see it etched into her face each time she looked at me. Served her right. Who the hell gets knocked up and comes looking for money from a dead man’s family?
She wedged herself into her piece of junk car, moaning loud enough that I could hear her through the closed window. And then she turned the ignition and nothing happened. I don’t know how she nursed that car along this far. The starter was going, I could hear that yesterday in the parking garage. And the engine smoked like a chimney. She clearly had a leaky gasket, maybe more. Could be a cracked block. It was a fucking miracle the car even started. But start it did, and she took out of here like a bat out of hell.
I had to drive with the window open so I could see where I was going. I was relieved when she pulled into a business park not far from her place and waddled into one of the buildings. I was pouring the contents of a water bottle I bought from a small convenience store on the corner, hoping it would provide enough moisture to get rid of the cow shit, when my phone rang.
“How’s it going?”
Megan. Great.
“Fine. She’s running errands.”
“Well, I put my investigators on her, and they gave me a little info. You want it?”
“Sure.”
“Her names Amber Elizabeth Zavalas, born May 11, 1996 to Meredith Zavalas. Father unknown. She has no arrest record; just a couple of parking tickets, but nothing outstanding. She dropped out of high school her junior year when her mother died, and she’s been working at Stan’s Diner in Ada, Texas ever since.”
“Sounds boring.”
“Yeah, well, her mother has quite the record. Prostitution, public intoxication, petty theft, credit card fraud, check fraud…you n
ame it, her mother was arrested for it. Sounds like a great role model.”
I stepped back from the car a little, watching some of the shit run down onto the hood. I was really hoping this wasn’t going to cost me a paint job.
“So she’s the daughter of the town slut and she’s taken the family business up a step.”
“Don’t assume anything, Cole.”
“She’s a fucking gold digger, Megan. Surely you see that.”
“I don’t see anything until the facts are right in front of me. And if you want to be a member of my team, you’ll start thinking the same way.”
“Okay.”
“Peter gave her my business card, Cole. Told her I’d take care of her. Peter doesn’t do stuff like that without thinking it through.”
“But that doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s the baby’s father.”
“No. But it doesn’t mean he isn’t, either.” Megan sighed. “Just…keep an eye on her. Okay?”
“Will do.”
I disconnected the call and climbed back behind the wheel, turning the windshield wipers back on. The water helped. There was still a mess where the wipers didn’t reach, but I could see out the windshield now. Just in time to watch Amber come out of the office, push her hair back from her eyes with a frustrated gesture, and climb back into that multicolored thing she called a car.
She drove further into town and stopped at another small business building. I watched her go inside, her face set in this sort of pained grimace. Whatever she was doing, she was clearly not happy about it. Curious, I slipped into the building behind her. I couldn’t find her at first because the place separated into several different offices. But then I heard her voice.
“Come on! I only need three more days. I have half—”
“Half isn’t enough, Ms. Zavalas. And you’ve known for a month that the payment was due today.”
COLE (Dragon Security Book 1) Page 2
