by Donna Hill
The call disconnected and he turned off the recorder. This was it. He could feel it in every fiber of his being. Gail was going to make an offer, and once she did the trail had to lead back to the real source. He was hard-pressed to think that Gail Hastings was at the top of this particular food chain. No. It was someone else. That much he was sure of.
He was itching to share the news with Ashley and couldn’t wait for her to get home. Home. His stomach jumped. He hadn’t thought of anyplace as home in more than too many years.
Elliot pulled open the fridge and took out a bottle of Coors. What would it be like not to be in a pretend relationship with Ashley Temple, but in a real one? He twisted off the top and took a long, icy-cold swallow.
After their awkward and tense beginnings, they’d found a rhythm together, and not just in bed, that was an added plus. They found their rhythm in day-to-day life, doing for each other, looking out for each other, listening, supporting, laughing with each other.
He enjoyed her company. He looked forward to seeing her standing at the stove in the morning, and inhaling the scent of her shower gel at night. Over the weeks that they’d shared a life as a husband and wife, he’d come to embrace the idea of Ashley in his life, enjoying it. And it had become so easy and comfortable that it felt, natural, the way it should be.
When he thought of Ashley, it made him smile from the inside out, from her no-nonsense attitude to her unbelievable sensuality. She was smart, beautiful, funny, sexy and a damned good agent.
He sat down on the recliner, pressed the button on the arm that raised the leg rest.
And for all that was good and wonderful about the life he was living, he knew that it was temporary. They were actors in a play and soon they’d get their curtain call. If things moved in the direction he felt that they would, that call may come much sooner rather than later. Then he and Ashley would go back to the way it was before.
Something deep inside him twisted and he felt an emptiness inside. And he realized with sudden clarity that he didn’t want “the way it was before.” That realization scared him, scared him more than flying bullets, car bombs and threats of terrorism. Because he had no gadget, no protective gear, no retaliation to fight off feelings. He’d tried and for a long time he’d been successful. Until Ashley.
Elliot finished off his beer. He could almost see himself with Ashley for the long haul. But that wouldn’t be fair to her. And he had no idea what he would do for a living if he stopped his line of work.
Humph, wishful thinking. He was certain that making a life with him was the last thing on Ashley’s mind.
He felt the vibration of his cell phone inside his pants pocket. He pulled it out and checked the lighted screen. It was a text from Jasmine. May have a line on that other project. Need to unravel some threads and let you know. He halfway smiled. At least when he left her for good, he hoped to leave Ashley with some answers.
Chapter 17
When Ashley came in later that evening she was bubbling with excitement over the latest client that MT Management had landed, which was a new cable station that wanted to sponsor a virtual watch party of its launch in all of its markets across the country.
“It’s an incredible opportunity,” she enthused as she stepped out of her shoes and tucked them away in the closet that she and Elliot now shared. She pulled her hair away from her face with a headband that had magically appeared.
For a moment, Elliot was taken aback by her raw, natural beauty. Never one to wear makeup, her warm brown complexion was clear and glowed with vitality. Her large, luminous brown eyes sparkled with energy when she talked in concert with her slender fingers that fluttered and flowed, organizing the distribution of her narrative like a symphony conductor. Her body was a work of art and her smile could warm the coldest room. He was totally enchanted with her, thrilled by her, turned on by her and very much in love with her.
“So what do you think?” she asked, diving onto the bed and landing next to him, unceremoniously jolting him from his assessment of her.
His eyes danced over her for a moment. He stroked the curve of her jaw. “I think that there’s not a better team out there that can do what you and Mia do. And they’re damned lucky to get you,” he said, searching every corner of his mind to piece together what she’d been talking about while he was daydreaming.
She rolled onto her back and giggled like a little girl. “MT Management is seriously in the big league. The sky is the limit.”
Elliot braced himself on his elbow, leaned down and kissed her ever so tenderly. “Congratulations.”
The rhythm of Ashley’s breathing stuttered then sped up as she witnessed an outright look of lust in his eyes.
Elliot kissed her again while he lifted her top. “I want to make love to you,” he said against the swell of her breasts, his voice laden with an emotion that he couldn’t name. He could never tell her how he felt, what he was feeling about her. It wasn’t fair. But he could show her. He could show her by the way he touched her, the way he kissed her lips, the way he got her wet enough to receive all of him, the way he moved inside her and held her on the brink until she could no longer bear the denial. Those things he could do. But he could never tell her what it all meant.
They lay together afterward beneath the soft light of the full moon. The evenings had grown warmer and the days longer as spring began to step aside for summer.
Elliot held her close, gently running his hand along the soft curve of her spine. “Got a call today.”
“From who?” she asked, her voice heavy with sleep.
“Gail Hastings. She wants to meet us, privately.”
Ashley blinked away her fatigue. She was fully awake now. She pushed herself into a semi-sitting position. “When did she call?”
“Earlier this evening.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I’d intended to but I got so caught up in your coup today and then…” He ran his thumb across her still-tender nipples. “You know I get distracted,” he joked.
She swiped at his hand. “This is important.”
He sat up. The sheet slid down to his waist. “I’m sorry. I know. This may be the break we’ve been waiting for. She sounded like she wants to make some kind of deal. We’ll have to go the meeting and just play it by ear.”
Ashley was bobbing her head in the semi-darkness. Her mind went fast-forward to finally cracking the case and finding out who was behind the abductions, and somewhere at the end of that rainbow she would find her sister.
“Her birthday is in two weeks,” she said softly. “She would be twenty-three.”
Elliot drew her close. She rested her head on his chest. “If Layla is out there, we’ll find her. I promise you.”
They went over all the details one more time before they headed out. Ashley would ask all the questions and Elliot would speak for both of them. They had to be sure to insist that money was no object. They had money and could get more.
Ashley had a mini recorder that looked like a cell phone inside her purse that she would activate as soon as conversation began. The digital device could record up to five hours before you had to upload the audio files to a computer.
“Ready?” Elliot asked.
Ashley angled her head and put her hand on her hip. “I’m supposed to be asking all the questions,” she joked.
“Yes, dear,” he tossed back. He put his arm around her waist. “Let’s go.”
The Bombay Lounge was a high-end, very expensive restaurant complete with authentic Indian food and decor located in the posh Upper East Side of Manhattan.
Ashley and Elliot arrived minutes before eight and were seated right away. Gail Hastings had already arrived. And so had Dr. Ettinger.
Elliot and Ashley, hand-in-hand, greeted Gail and the doctor and sat down at the round table.
“I’m so glad you could come,” Gail began.
“Yes, we feel very confident that we can help you,” Dr. Ettinger stated.
Ashley grabbed Ellio
t’s hand and squeezed it. “You found a baby for us?” Her eyes widened with hope.
The answer was interrupted by the waiter who came to take their order. Dr. Ettinger made some recommendations to Ashley and Elliot.
“We think we may have found the perfect baby for you,” Gail said once the waiter was gone.
Ashley’s hands flew to her mouth. Her eyes filled with emotion.
“We’ve gone over your entire profile, did a check on your backgrounds and we have every reason to believe that you will make ideal parents,” Dr. Ettinger said.
Elliot used the opportunity to kiss Ashley. He turned to Gail and her husband. “I told Ash that we finally found the right place when we came to you.”
“So what’s the next step?” Ashley asked.
“I’m sure you’re both aware that adoptions can generally take up to a year,” Gail said, playing out each word.
Elliot straightened in his seat. “But I thought you said you had a baby for us.”
Dr. Ettinger held up his hand. “What my wife is saying is that for very select couples, couples that are needy and deserving…Well, sometimes we can speed things up.”
Ashley ran her tongue across her lips. Her voice lowered. “So what do we need to do…to help?”
“Speed is often costly,” Dr. Ettinger stated.
Ashley looked at Elliot.
“I can’t impress upon you enough that for us money is no object,” Elliot said. “Whatever it takes.”
The waiter brought their drinks and the food was right behind it.
Elliot was coiled as tight as a cobra ready to strike. It took all of his training and strength of will not to reach across the table, snatch the both of them by the necks and shake all the answers out of them. Instead he concentrated on his meal, making small talk and sipping his drink.
When the dishes had been cleared away, Gail and Dr. Ettinger resumed the conversation as if discussing selling babies during dinner was bad manners.
“I won’t beat around the bush. If you are truly interested, it will cost you $50,000 now and $50,000 upon delivery.”
“How long is delivery going to take?” Ashley asked.
“No more than two weeks. Maybe sooner,” Gail answered.
Ashley expelled a breath of relief. “Two weeks,” she said, her voice shaky with excitement. “We’ve waited so long.” Tears slid down her cheeks. She grabbed the white-linen napkin and dabbed at her eyes. “Sorry,” she murmured. “Our dream is so close.” She turned to Elliot. “Oh, honey…”
“You said $50,000. How do we work that out?” Elliot asked.
“We’ll be in touch when we’re sure about the baby. At that time we’ll arrange to get the deposit. When we bring the baby we’ll expect the balance. You’ll be given all the papers to make it official.”
The waiter reappeared with the check. Elliot went to take out his wallet.
“No, please, Mr. Morgan,” Dr. Ettinger said. He put a black American Express card in the leather folder and handed it to the waiter.
“Can we drop you somewhere?” Gail asked.
“No, thank you—we drove,” Elliot answered.
“When do you think we can expect to hear from you?” Ashley asked.
“Soon, I promise,” Gail said, reaching across the table to cover Ashley’s hand with her own.
Ashley nodded her head.
On the ride home Ashley and Elliot tossed kudos back and forth for their performances.
“You were totally on point with the questions. All of their responses will be used to nail them,” Elliot said.
“You weren’t so bad yourself, handsome.” She squeezed his thigh. “The strong, take-charge husband. Perfect role for you.”
He gave a mock bow as he pulled to a stop at the red light. “But I have to give it to you, Ash, the tears again were a real nice touch. How do you manage to cry on cue like that?”
Her brows flicked for a moment. “When I think about my parents and what they went through, how I felt…I imagine the pain that some other family will go through to make our dreams come true. Was Layla some desperate family’s dream come true?” Her voice cracked. She lowered her head. “I’m sorry.”
“You have no reason to apologize. It was insensitive of me.” He took a quick glance at her. “I think we’re finally on track. This may all be over soon, and hopefully we’ll make a lot of families happy, including yours.”
“And what about those families that will have to give up children they’ve grown to love and the children who love them?”
Elliot was silent. He had no answer.
The following morning they met with Jean and Bernard at The Cartel headquarters.
“Based on the information that you’ve provided, we’re putting Dr. Ettinger and his wife under twenty-four hour surveillance,” Jean said. “They could very well be getting these babies from mothers who are willingly giving them up for the right price. Either way, we’ll get to the bottom of it.”
“Any luck with the rest of the list?” Bernard asked.
Ashley shook her head. “Clean.”
Jean nodded her head. “So for now, Happy Homes is our target.” She closed the file on the desk. “Keep us posted.”
Ashley and Elliot rose.
“Seems you two are getting along much better,” Jean said, as she adjusted several stacks of paper on her desk.
Her comment froze them in place. They weren’t sure if they should respond or ignore her.
Jean slipped her red-rimmed glasses from her nose. “Have a good day.”
They practically ran out of the door.
“It’s spooky how she knows things,” Ashley whispered as they hurried out.
“Yeah, creepy. Her sixth sense is legendary,” Elliot said, as they rounded the last flight of stairs onto the ground floor.
Jasmine was coming up from the basement as they walked to the front door.
“Hey, E, Ashley.”
They turned to the sound of their names.
“Jazz,” they said in unison.
“I’m glad I ran into you guys. I have some information on your case. I was going to take it up to Jean.”
“What do you have?”
She handed over the file. “I’m almost 90 percent sure that Dr. Ettinger and Dr. Lester are the same person.”
Chapter 18
Ashley and Elliot spent the rest of the afternoon going over every line of information that Jasmine had put together.
“When you put their files side by side they’re practically identical,” Elliot said, “from city of birth to professions. I mean there are a few variations, but nothing major.”
“They can’t be the same person, they look nothing alike.”
“Nothing that a little nip and tuck couldn’t cure. Same body types, complexion…” He turned to Ashley. “What’s wrong?” he asked, seeing the strained look on her face.
“I don’t know,” she said, her voice drifting off. “Something is nagging me, but I can’t put my finger on it.”
Elliot gently massaged the back of Ashley’s neck and she moaned in pleasure. “Put it out of your head for a while and it will come to you.”
She closed her eyes and let Elliot’s fingers loosen the tension in her body. “You’re probably right. I’m overthinking this.”
“Exactly. I’m going to take a hot shower and then check the videos. From the other locations.”
“Do you think we should still pursue a hospital connection?” Ashley asked, stretching.
“Let’s see what happens with Gail and the good doctor.”
As Ashley lay in bed, all of the details that they’d been given by Jasmine ran around in disarray in her head. She was a person of detail and order, much like Mia. She firmly believed that for every endeavor there had to be a plan for a successful outcome.
She listened to Elliot’s deep, even breathing and let it relax her and allow her mind to clear of all the stuff that was cluttering it and blocking what she needed to see.
Her stomach suddenly tensed. She jerked up in bed. Her heart hammered. Could it be? She eased out of bed and tiptoed to the front. Digging in her purse that she’d left on the couch, she took out her cell phone.
It was nearly 2:00 a.m. but her dad was a notorious insomniac. He’d be annoyed by the call, but he’d be awake. Her father picked up the phone on the first ring.
“Dad, it’s Ashley.”
“I guess it is. You’re the only one to call me Dad.”
“Dad, listen, I need you to try to remember something. Was Dr. Herman Lester the name of Mom’s first doctor before she went to the specialist?”
“Hell, girl, I don’t know. That was more than twenty years ago.”
“Dad, I know. But please, think. It’s important.”
“Is this about Layla?” His voice rose in anxiety. “Is that what this is about? Why are you asking questions about that at this time? Why? You know how it upsets your mother.”
Her heart started to break all over again when she heard the anguish in her father’s voice. Her mother may have had the breakdown, but her dad suffered in many other ways. Not only had he lost a child, he’d lost the woman that he married.
“Dad, please. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Look, we’ll talk another time. Get some rest.” She waited for him to say something and when he didn’t she said good-night.
Totally shaken, she sat down on the couch, drew her knees to her chest and lowered her head. She wasn’t sure how long she sat there, drifting in and out of sleep until the chirping of her cell phone snapped her fully awake. She shook her head to clear it. Calls this time of the night were never about good news, some part of her brain surmised. She snatched up the phone from the couch and frowned when she saw the number. She pressed Talk.
