Drawing back, she scanned the small face. Had something happened to Angus? Was that why she had come? “What are you doing here?”
Vikki shifted uneasily. “I had to see you. Whatever Angus said, he didn’t mean it. He’s real upset you’re gone. Please come back.”
If Angus was upset, she doubted very much it had to do with her. Still, she was touched by the plea. Rebecca ran her hand over Vikki’s head. “Oh honey, it’s not that simple.”
Vikki planted small hands on her hips. “I want you. Angus wants you.” Her mouth drooped at the corners as she entertained the next thought. “Don’t you want us?”
Rebecca hugged Vikki to her again. The last thing she wanted was for Vikki to think she was being rejected. “Oh, so very much.”
Vikki’s voice was muffled against her shoulder, creating a warm spot close to Rebecca’s heart. “Then it’s simple.”
“No, I—” Rebecca’s head jerked up as she heard the key being inserted in the lock. Some inner instinct had her instantly gaining her feet, warning her not to remain where she was.
Grabbing Vikki’s hand, Rebecca pulled the little girl after her, down the hall and into her bedroom.
“What’s the matter?” Vikki demanded, confused. “Why are you running?”
Rebecca couldn’t explain, didn’t even know why she was running but something urgent within her told her they weren’t safe. “I have to get you out of here.”
Vikki didn’t understand. Shaking, she fought against tears. Rebecca was scaring her. “Why?”
Rebecca heard nothing but the pounding of her heart.
There was someone else inside her house. She knew it, sensed it. Someone was coming after her. To kill her.
“Don’t ask questions, just climb out the window.” Moving quickly, Rebecca slid the sash to the side as quietly as she could. “As soon as you’re out, call your father.”
Vikki seemed almost paralyzed with fear.
“But—”
“I mean it, Vikki. Call your father. Tell him to come quick.” The window screen refused to budge when she tried it. Afraid of wasting any more time, Rebecca shoved her hand against it hard, pushing it out. The screen fell into the bushes outside. “Go, go,” she urged.
Coming to life, Vikki jumped on the sill and started to climb out.
Suddenly someone reached from behind Rebecca and grabbed Vikki’s leg, jerking her back inside. Stifling a scream, Rebecca caught the child before she hit the floor. But even as she swung around, she felt Vikki being yanked from her arms.
Her breath froze in her throat as Rebecca looked up into the eyes of Howard Dunn.
The handsome face was contorted with a mocking malevolence. “You remember, don’t you?”
He had been afraid of that, afraid that he’d finally pushed his luck too far. As soon as he saw Rebecca at the window trying to get the brat out, he knew. He didn’t need her answer.
“Let go of her,” Rebecca ordered, reaching for Vikki.
He pulled the child aside, out of Rebecca’s reach, as if Vikki were nothing more than a pawn to be bargained for. “No, I don’t think so. As long as I have her, you’ll do anything I want.”
His eyes were cold, merciless. Rebecca struggled to think, knowing Vikki’s safety depended on what she did in the next few seconds.
“I’ll do what you want,” she said evenly, managing to eradicate the fear from her voice, “if you let her go. She doesn’t know anything. She can’t hurt you.”
But Vikki could. “She can put me here, with you.” He couldn’t risk the police finding that out. His eyes narrowed to small, steely slits, slicing through her. “And that would be a very bad thing. Later.”
Her blood ran cold. He was going to kill her. Just as he tried to before.
Dunn was the one who had shot at her. It all came back.
“Rebecca? Rebecca, open up the damn door. Let me in.”
The loud pounding, coupled with Angus’s voice, momentarily distracted Dunn. On reflex, he turned his head toward the sound.
It was all Rebecca needed. She lunged for him, grabbing the hand with the gun. With the element of surprise in her favor, she managed to jerk his hand upward. The gun discharged, lodging a bullet in her ceiling.
“Run, Vikki, run!” she cried.
Instead of going out the window, Vikki darted from the room into the hall.
“Daddy, Daddy, save her,” she screamed as she ran to the door. Her fingers were slippery with sweat when she yanked it open.
She never called him Daddy. Angus grabbed her, his heart pounding with an unnamed fear. Vikki’s face was a mask of terror and tears.
“She’s in the bedroom, fighting with a bad man. Rebecca!” Angus was already running, two-thirds of the way there. “He’s got a gun,” she called after him.
“Stay put!” he ordered, praying she’d listen for once. Praying he was in time.
His gun was in his hands by the time he ran into the room. The scene registered in a single glance. Rebecca, blood trickling from her mouth where Dunn had hit her with the gun, was grappling with him for possession of the weapon.
“Drop the gun!” Angus ordered.
Swinging around, Dunn whipped one hand around Rebecca’s clavicle, using her as a human shield. The other hand held the gun to her temple.
Hatred blazed in Dunn’s eyes as he looked at Angus. “My thoughts, precisely. Drop yours—or she dies right here in front of you.”
Angus couldn’t get off a clear shot. With little margin for error, he had no choice. One hand raised, he slowly used the other to begin to set his gun down on the floor.
“Let her go, Dunn. You can’t get out of here. I’ve already called the police.” It was a lie, but Dunn didn’t know that.
“Then they’ll be just in time to find three dead bodies,” Dunn declared.
He was going to kill them, thought Rebecca. Her, Vikki, Angus. They were going to die. All because of her. She had one chance. Desperate, Rebecca brought her heel down on Dunn’s foot, grinding the three-inch spike in as she simultaneously jerked her head down and sank her teeth into his hand. She bit him as hard as she could.
Dunn howled and the shot he fired went wild.
Taking aim quickly, Angus fired and hit Dunn in the shoulder. Obviously stunned, Dunn jerked his gun into position, but Angus fired again. The second bullet hit his knee.
Screaming obscenities, Dunn went down at Rebecca’s feet.
“Daddy, Daddy, are you all right?” Vikki came running into the room.
Angus caught her by one arm, keeping her back. “I thought I told you to stay put.”
“I was scared you were hurt,” Vikki protested. She had a death grip on his arm.
His face softened, but he kept his arm around her and his eyes still trained on Dunn, just in case. But the man seemed to be out cold.
“You never called me Daddy before.”
Flustered, she began to apologize. “I’m sorry, I didn’t—”
“It’s okay,” he said softly. “I like it.”
Vikki turned her face up to him. Her voice was small as she told him, “Me, too.”
His attention shifted to Rebecca. “Are you all right?” he demanded, concern and raw fear putting an edge on his voice.
Numb, she could only nod. “Thanks to you.”
He put his other arm around her, allowing himself one quick hug to reassure himself that she was unhurt. “I’ve got to call Biordi.”
“And an ambulance,” Rebecca added. She looked at Dunn. He was still breathing. “He’s just unconscious.”
The fact didn’t impress him. “I’ll take my time with the ambulance.” Taking her hand, he placed his gun in it. “Can you use this?”
She nodded. “If I have to.”
“Good. If he makes a move, don’t hesitate. Shoot him.”
Biordi sighed, surveying the scene. “You keep bringing me business like this and we’re going to have to put you on the payroll.”
He had arrived s
oon after getting Angus’s call. Having been quickly filled in, Biordi told them he’d hold off calling for backup until he completed assessing the situation.
Right now, it was just him and two paramedics crowding into Rebecca’s town house. Biordi had asked the paramedics to step into the other room with Vikki while he remained with the three key players.
The color was just now beginning to return to Rebecca’s face. She’d been whiter than Sierra snow when he’d first arrived.
“Look, you can tell me all about it tomorrow.” He smiled at her. “I type slow, anyway.”
Rebecca shook her head. “No, I want to get it all out now.” It was important to her to tell him everything, before any of the details were lost again. “None of this would have happened if I’d told the police my suspicions in the first place.”
Biordi exchanged looks with Angus. Neither had any idea what she was talking about. “Go ahead, then.” Biordi took out his notepad and waited.
With Angus’s arm around her for support, Rebecca took a deep breath and began.
“Last month, I overheard part of a conversation that made me think Dunn was involved in selling security-sensitive software to an international conglomerate that had its eye on a hostile takeover of our company.”
“The people in Japan?” Angus guessed.
“Their headquarters were domiciled there, yes.”
“What was your part in this?” Angus asked.
But she shook her head. “I didn’t have any. I was never supposed to go to Japan. That was just what he told you.” It was hard to sort the lies from the truth, but she tried. “That’s why I had your card in my pocket. I didn’t want to make accusations I wasn’t sure about. After all, Dunn is one of the key people in a very lucrative, cutting-edge software company. The government is one of its clients. If I accused him without proof, it would be my neck on the chopping block, not his.” She took another cleansing breath. “I asked around about a private investigator and someone told me about you. She said you were very good at conducting discreet investigations. I was going to ask you to investigate Dunn for me.” She bit her lip, looking over toward the man laying on the gurney.
Dunn had come to as the paramedics had worked over him. His hostility was ripe. “I’m going to bleed to death here, listening to her lies. Get me to the hospital,” he ordered.
Angus moved over to glare down at him. “You’re in no position to give any orders.” Then, to Rebecca, he said, “Go ahead, Becky.”
“I was working late one evening, trying to get the bugs out of a new program. When I went to my car in the company garage, it wouldn’t start.”
“He tampered with it,” Angus accused.
“Probably. Dunn came by just as I got out of the car, asked me if I was having any trouble. When I said it wouldn’t start, he offered to give me a lift. I didn’t think that was a good idea and I turned him down, but he insisted. He said this seemed to be fate because he’d been meaning to talk to me about my future with the company. I didn’t think he knew that I’d overheard him and I didn’t want to arouse his suspicions by saying no, so I got in.” She let out a ragged breath.
“Take your time,” Biordi advised.
“He seemed agitated,” she recalled. It was all so clear now. “He took me some place I’d never been to before.” She looked at Angus. “That parking structure we found. I began to get very uneasy. When I told Dunn that I was going to get out and call a cab, he reached into the glove compartment. As soon as I saw the gun, I pushed the door open and jumped out of the car. It was still moving.”
She pressed her lips together. It was coming back almost too fast now, rushing at her like an oncoming train.
“He chased me with the car, but I managed to get away. Then I heard this loud pop and felt something—the bullet grazing me.
“I remember seeing the Dumpster. There were fire engines all over. The store near the restaurant was burning. I thought I could lose him in the confusion. I ran toward the Dumpster in back of the restaurant and hid there, hoping he’d give up. That’s all I remember. I must have passed out.”
Angus guessed at the rest. “And he couldn’t do anything because of the firemen. By the time he came back looking for you, you were gone. Right, Dunn?”
The man glared at him in stony silence.
Rebecca had a question of her own. “How did you know where to find me?” she asked Dunn.
Clutching his bandaged arm, he growled, “I’m not saying anything without my lawyer.” .
Angus squatted beside the gurney. Removing the revolver from his waistband, he pressed the muzzle against Dunn’s cheek, hard enough to hit the bone. “The lady just asked you a question. I’d answer it if I were you.”
Rage and fear mingled in the look Dunn shot Biordi. “Are you going to just stand there and let him do that to me?”
Biordi appeared to think the question over, then smiled mildly. “Yeah. I am.”
When Angus cocked the trigger, Dunn began to shake. “All right, all right, I’ll tell you. I didn’t know where she was. I called all the hospitals and someone matching her description had been brought in to one—but the name was all wrong. I knew I had to find her. I figured a missing person report was the fastest way.” His eyes gleamed with hatred as he looked at Rebecca. “I couldn’t take a chance on you talking to someone.” He answered her question before she asked. “I saw you eavesdropping and knew I had to get rid of you.”
“But when you found me, I had amnesia,” Rebecca protested. Why had he come after her?
“You could always get your memory back.” A smile, like dark, crude oil seeping out of the ground, spread over his face. “You two idiots realize that none of this is admissible in court?” he jeered at them. “You got it out of me at gunpoint, without my lawyer present. They’ll throw it all out.”
“Not all. We’ve got you on attempted murder—” Angus countered, mimicking Dunn’s smile. “—Rebecca’s. We don’t need your confession.”
“You son of a bitch!” Dunn tried to get up, only to fall back in pain.
“You guys can come on back in now,” Biordi called to the paramedics. “It’s time to take the garbage out before it completely stinks up the lady’s house.” As the two men came in, bringing Vikki back with them, Biordi turned to Rebecca. He tucked his notepad back in his pocket. “I think I’ve got enough down to keep me typing all morning. Come in tomorrow afternoon and I’ll have it ready for you to sign.”
She nodded, relieved beyond words to finally have this all behind her. “I’ll be there.” She looked at Angus. If he hadn’t shown up when he did...
“What made you come here?” she asked him.
“He was looking for me,” Vikki piped up.
Angus grinned as he felt Vikki tighten her arms around his waist. It felt as if they were hermetically sealed together. Which was fine by him.
“That,” he agreed, “and I realized that your so-called fiancé wasn’t on your wall.”
He’d lost her. “What?”
“The photographs.” He nodded toward the hallway. “You didn’t have any of him. That didn’t seem very loving. Or very plausible, given all the other photographs you had. I knew he had to be lying. If he was lying about that, maybe there were more things he was lying about.”
One arm around Vikki’s shoulders, he slipped the other around Rebecca and drew her to him. “C’mon, let’s get out of here. I’m going to take you home.”
She liked the sound of that.
Angus sat with Rebecca on the sofa, his arm tucked around her shoulders. She rested her head against his. Between them, they had finally managed to settle Vikki down and gotten her to bed, but only after Angus had promised that tomorrow they were finally going shopping for a dog. Rebecca had read to Vikki until she’d drifted off to sleep. Reading had soothed them both.
“Well, I guess you’re down one fiancé,” Angus observed.
She felt too exhausted to raise her head or take exception to the term. Th
ey both knew Dunn had never really been her fiancé. That was a lie he’d concocted to make himself seem more sympathetic and to allow him easier access to information about her.
“Yes, I guess I am.”
Very slowly, he ran his fingers along her arm, stroking her. “Want another?”
Her heart thudded against her chest as she looked at him. Was he asking her to marry him? “That all depends,” she said slowly.
With the tip of his finger, he outlined her lips. “On what?”
Her mouth tingled. As did the rest of her. “No, on who.”
“Me.” He held his breath, waiting. Hoping.
Her smile went from ear to ear. “That’s the first right answer. Want to try for the second?”
“A second?” Angus studied her face. He wasn’t sure he knew what she was getting at. “All right, what?”
“Why?” she countered.
The smile was quick, bright, warming her in its light. “Because I love you.”
It was all she wanted to hear. To know that he loved her. “And the man gets the prize.”
“Yes.” His arms tightened around her as he drew her onto his lap. “I sure do.”
She touched his face, her heart bursting. “I love you, too,” she whispered softly. “So, when do you want to get married?”
“As soon as possible. I can’t wait to start doing my husbandly duties.”
There was laughter in her eyes as she brought her mouth to his. “Never too early to start practicing.”
“That’s why I love you, Becky, you’re so much smarter than I am.” His lips covering hers, he gave up resisting altogether. There was no more reason to.
ISBN : 978-1-4592-6555-4
ANGUS’S LOST LADY
Copyright © 1998 by Marie Rydzynski-Ferrarella
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Silhouette Books, 300 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017 U.S.A.
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