by SUE FINEMAN
Blade headed toward town, threading his way between the cars, leaving the sports car several cars behind him. Watching in his rear view mirror, Blade kept a close eye on the car. They must be desperate to try to trade Molly for his inheritance, and he knew that was what they intended to do.
So far no shots had been fired, and he prayed none would be fired, because he was out in the open, with no protection whatsoever. His helmet and leather jacket wouldn’t stop a bullet.
“This is Deputy Loring,” said the voice in the headset. “Take him through the parking lot to the right just over the Purdy Bridge, by the Texaco station. Go past the station and the restaurant. We’ll block him off there. How close are you?”
“I’m on my way down the hill right now. About two miles.”
Blade rode around and through the traffic that had stopped for the traffic light in Purdy, working away from the red sports car and, he hoped, away from any flying bullets. As soon as the light changed, he gunned the engine and roared through the Texaco station parking lot and past the restaurant. The pavement was torn up, and he had to slow down to weave his way through. He’d nearly reached the end when the sports car turned off the road behind him. A car backed out in front of the red car, forcing it to stop, and another car pulled up right behind it, blocking it in.
Michael and Vanessa had no place to go, and four armed officers had their guns drawn and pointed at the car. Blade rode slowly back toward them to get a good look at the uncle who’d played a priest, who’d bilked his own parents out of millions, who’d kidnapped an innocent young girl to get the inheritance he wanted for himself.
Blade turned off the engine and stared at his uncle. He didn’t remember his father well, but this man looked so much like him it was uncanny. “Uncle Michael, I presume.”
“The estate belongs to me and my daughter.”
Lonnie hadn’t gotten back to him on Vanessa’s natural father, but Blade suspected there was a connection to Michael, especially when he realized that she was the woman who’d taken Molly.
“You want the company stock or the whole thing? How much can you spend from prison? Or do you need that much to hire a defense attorney?”
“Molly came with me willingly,” Vanessa told the officer. “I have connections to a modeling agency in New York.”
Maybe she did, but Blade knew that wasn’t why she took Molly. “You’ll need a defense attorney for the murder charge.”
Her eyes grew. “What murder charge? I don’t know anything about a murder charge.”
“Shut up, Vanessa.” Michael snapped the words.
A voice over Blade’s headset said, “We have Molly. She’s scared, but okay.”
“Thanks, Lucas. Michael Banner and Vanessa Milhauser are in custody. Unless they brought more people with them, it should be over.”
“The feds are on the way. They’ve been after Michael Banner, aka Mike Covington, aka Micah Milhauser, for years.”
Blade’s inheritance started this ball rolling. If Colin Jacobs had never called, Blade would never have met his grandfather and never known he had an uncle. Colin Jacobs wouldn’t be dead, Sunny would never have found him, and Molly wouldn’t have been lured away for what she thought was a modeling contract.
Would Maria have married him without the money? Yes, because she loved him, but he wouldn’t have pursued her. How far he’d come these past few weeks, and not just with the inheritance. He had someone who loved him, and no amount of money in the world could buy Maria’s love. She didn’t care about the money. She cared about him.
He felt like the luckiest man on earth.
<>
Maria listened to Lucas talking on his headset to Blade. Her heart still pounded with fear for Molly’s safety, but she’d been plucked out of the woods by the park and was being taken to Nick and Cara’s house. Maria was on her way there, too. Blade had risked his life to get Molly away from those people. If they’d waited for the sheriff’s deputies to get into place, someone could have gotten hurt or killed.
Lucas drove Maria to Nick and Cara’s house. She jumped out of the car and ran inside before Lucas turned the engine off.
Maria hugged Molly tightly. “I’m okay, Mom.”
“You had us scared half to death.”
“I’m sorry. She said I was perfect for this modeling gig and wanted to take some pictures to show her boss in New York.”
“Honey, if you want to model, it’s okay with me, but only if you go through a reputable agency. And no reputable agency would take you out of school or do anything without a parent’s signature.”
“Well, actually… Grandma signed for me, but she didn’t know what she was signing.” Before Maria could digest that, Molly rushed on. “Mom, you should have seen Blade. I heard him coming, and the woman went upstairs, so I climbed out of the basement window and he rode right up on Grandma’s lawn to get me. It was so cool.”
Cool? Molly was still shaking, so Maria held onto her.
Little Max tried to push between them. Bridget picked him up. “Come on, Max. Let’s go answer the door.”
Blade walked downstairs to the bedroom level calling, “Where’s my girls?”
“Right here,” Molly said, and Blade came in with his arms open wide enough for them both. Seeing him, Maria knew things would be all right. Molly was okay and Blade wasn’t hurt, and they were going to be okay.
She held onto Blade and kissed him. “Molly, meet your new stepfather. We were married on the way back from New York. You can help me plan a church wedding here in Gig Harbor, so we can celebrate in style.”
“Mommm, why didn’t you tell me?”
Blade squeezed Molly. “You like me better now?”
Braces flashed in Molly’s shy grin. “Yeah.”
“So you’re okay with this?” asked Maria.
“Yeah, I think it’s cool.”
“Good. Your punishment isn’t going to be cool. You’re grounded for the rest of the school year. No more trips to the mall, no nothing except school.”
“Mommm, that’s not fair.”
“What’s not fair is scaring your mother,” said Blade. “What’s not fair is leaving school without permission when you know there’s a killer out there somewhere. Does your mother do things that aren’t in your best interest?”
“No,” she whispered.
“Then behave yourself, learn from your mistakes, and when we get the house built, you can invite all your friends over for a big party. Okay?”
“Yeah, okay.”
They sat around the table in Cara’s sun room, eating soup and sandwiches that Bridget had made. Blade wondered if anyone had told the kids what happened in court. He glanced at Maria, eyebrows raised. Do you want to tell her now?
Yes. She cleared her throat. “Molly, Dad signed away all his rights as your father.”
“Yessss!!” She pumped her fist and grinned.
Blade looked directly at Molly. “So, does this mean you’ll let me adopt you?”
“Can I change my name?”
“Of course.”
“Okay,” she said, and Maria blew out a breath.
“She loves me,” said Blade. “I saved her bacon and she loves me.”
“So do I,” said Maria.
“And I love you and all your ornery kids. I even love their stupid dog.”
While Maria’s eyes floated in a pool of tears, Molly defended Daisy, just like Andy always did, and Blade knew they’d make things work.
Chapter Twenty-One
Maria and Blade moved back to Sophia’s house with the kids, who all went back to their regular schools. Sophia stayed at Nick and Cara’s house to give them time to be a family, and Daisy continued to chase Fluffy, the cat that loved to torment her.
Fred paid what the judge ordered, and Maria put the money in a savings account for Robbie’s education. She wanted to find him a private school, one where he’d be challenged instead of bored.
Blade worked with Nick’s crew every day, helpi
ng where he could, approving small changes, and watching his new house go up. Angelo and Teresa’s property, across the street between Nick and Cara’s house and Blade’s, had sprouted framing for their new home. Angelo did most of the work himself. Blade suspected it was a matter of pride.
<>
As soon as the kids got out of school in June, Blade took them to New York, where they hired a guide to show them all the traditional tourist sites. They also toured the Elizabeth with Captain Studebaker. Molly seemed bored with the ship until a couple of the younger deck hands whistled at her.
Maria took the kids shopping for bathing suits and clothes to wear to Palm Beach while Blade signed the closing papers on his grandfather’s house. Most of the money would be wired to Maria’s bank account in Gig Harbor. He hadn’t forgotten about his promise of ten million and a house if she married him, and she’d kept her part of the bargain. He didn’t want her to think he was buying her services, but he did want her to be financially secure.
Blade rented a minivan and drove Maria and the kids down the coast. It was the first family vacation he’d ever been on, and although the kids fussed with each other, he enjoyed himself. Since the kids all knew they were married, he and Maria didn’t have to sneak around to sleep together.
Robbie still hadn’t told his siblings he had a different father, and Blade didn’t know if he ever would. The kid said he wanted to be adopted along with the others, so he didn’t have any expectations of a happily-ever-after with his natural father. Blade was a little concerned about that meeting. What if Maria decided to continue her affair with Roberto? She wouldn’t do that, would she?
The kids helped Blade find the street and house number in Palm Beach, and he punched in the code at the gate, the same numbers that opened the safes in his grandfather’s house in New York. The black iron gates opened and he pulled through. The house, washed in bright sunshine and so white it made his eyes hurt, sat right on the beach. He could hear the waves before he opened his car door.
The kids scrambled out and Blade called them back. “Suitcases inside first and then you can check out the beach.”
The house curved around a swimming pool and most rooms faced the beach. The house was magnificent, but too clean and fancy for his taste. Blade had already decided to sell it. In talking with the accountant, he knew he’d have to come up with more money for taxes, and selling his company stock, even now that the trouble had ended, was completely out of the question. The value of the stock had taken a nosedive when the news of a possible takeover became public. He’d lose a bundle if he sold now.
Hanzer Ships, under investigation for smuggling, had been temporarily banned from U.S. ports. Michael Banner owned a big chunk of stock in Hanzer Ships, and he’d sold much of it to pay for his legal defense team. By the time he paid his lawyers, he wouldn’t have anything to leave to his only child, his daughter, Vanessa Milhauser.
The shooter in Gig Harbor had finally given up the name of the person who’d hired him to kill Sunny and frighten Blade, and the identity of that person was no surprise to anyone. Mike Covington, also known as Micah Milhauser and Michael Banner.
Michael would undoubtedly spend the rest of his life in prison. Even if he negotiated for a lesser plea, he’d never get out alive. He was sixty-nine years old and his health wasn’t that good. The charges against Vanessa had been dropped in exchange for her testifying against her father. She had no record, not even a speeding ticket, and she had no knowledge of Sunny’s murder. All she did was lure a kid away from school on false pretenses, but she’d protected that kid from Michael and deliberately left her alone so she could escape.
Blade didn’t care if they punished Vanessa or let her go. Michael was the one he wanted punished, and he’d get what he deserved. The funny thing was, if Michael had come to Blade in the beginning and asked for a share of the inheritance, he might have given it to him. If Michael had told his father the truth before the old man died, if he’d told Edward he had a granddaughter, the inheritance would probably have been split, but once Michael faked his death, he had to stay dead in his father’s eyes.
Blade had the entire inheritance. Maybe he should feel bad about getting it all when Vanessa got nothing, but he didn’t. She could have told Blade who she was, but she didn’t. That day in the board meeting, when he asked her if she intended to vote with him or with her father, she was flustered, and now he understood why. She voted with her cousin instead of her father, betraying one to save face with the other. Vanessa should never have been put in that position in the first place, and she should never have pulled a scam on an innocent fourteen-year-old girl.
<>
Maria made spaghetti for dinner that night, and after the kids went to sleep, she and Blade walked on the beach. Gentle waves lapped and sucked at the shore, and she felt at peace.
“I’ll call a real estate broker in the morning,” said Blade. “Too bad we don’t have a pool in Gig Harbor. This one is kinda nice.”
“We don’t need a pool, Blade.”
“What if we get a beach house in Hawaii, someplace to go when the kids are off on Christmas vacations?”
Whatever you want.
I want you, honey. All I want is you. I love you.
I love you, too, Blade. I always will.
No regrets?
None.
<>
Robbie talked about his natural father so much that Maria knew he wouldn’t be satisfied until they met. As soon as they got back from Palm Beach, she called the University of Washington and asked where she might reach Professor Roberto Galterio.
“He’s taken a position at Stanford University, in California. Would you like his phone number at Stanford?”
Maria wanted to say no, she didn’t want his number, but she couldn’t put it off any longer. Robbie wanted to meet him, and if Roberto was willing, she wouldn’t keep them apart. Roberto was probably gone for the summer anyway.
She punched in the phone number and got a recording, which she expected. He either wasn’t there this summer or he had a class. “Roberto, this is Maria Fredricks. We haven’t seen each other in years, but I need to talk with you about something important.” She left her phone number and hung up. Two minutes later, the phone rang.
“Maria? This is Roberto. Sorry I didn’t pick up. I have a crazy student and I’ve been screening my calls.”
“I’m surprised you remember me.”
“Of course I remember you, Maria,” he said in that deep, smooth voice that she remembered, the voice that had seduced her twelve years ago. “Are you still married?”
“Yes, but not to Fred. That’s not why I’m calling. I need to talk with you about something important, but I can’t do it over the phone.”
“Where are you?”
“Gig Harbor, Washington, but I can come down there if you want.”
“Actually, I’ll be in Seattle over the fourth of July holiday. We could meet then.”
“All right.” They made arrangements to meet in the lobby of his hotel in Seattle the day after he arrived. The timing wasn’t the best, with a wedding scheduled a few days after Roberto’s Seattle visit, but it couldn’t be helped. Blade had a board meeting in New York that month, and they were stopping there on their way to Italy, for their honeymoon.
There were times when Blade grew quiet, especially when Robbie talked about his father, the professor. Blade was clearly jealous not only that Maria had slept with him, but that Robbie hero-worshipped a man he’d never met. Maria tried to reassure Blade, and he seemed to accept that whatever had happened between her and Roberto had been in the past, but she knew he felt uneasy about her affair.
She couldn’t undo the past, and she didn’t want to. If not for Roberto, she wouldn’t have Robbie, and she wouldn’t have felt so guilty about cheating on Fred that she’d stayed in her marriage long enough to have Andy and Jimmy. No, she didn’t want to undo the past even if she could.
Blade would have to deal with it.
&n
bsp; While Blade worked on the house with Nick and Angelo, preparations for their wedding continued. It would be a small affair, as small as it could be with the entire Donatelli family there. She had five siblings and a cousin and their spouses, her mother, five nephews and her own four children. The family would nearly fill the small chapel.
Teresa and Molly shopped with her for dresses. Mom would wear the same thing she’d worn to Angelo’s wedding and to Tony’s, the dress Cara had bought her shortly after she married Nick. Mom looked great in the pale green dress.
Molly’s dress was pink, and she’d wear the diamond and pearl earrings Blade had given her. Her braces had come off, and she looked so sweet in pink. Maria chose a tailored cream silk suit and a matching lace mantilla to wear on her head. The simple, understated look was perfect for a second wedding.
Angelo, a former barber who cut hair for everyone in the family, kept busy in his off-hours giving haircuts, but he didn’t seem to mind. He’d even started cutting Blade’s hair.
Instead of having a maid or matron of honor and a best man, Maria and Blade decided to have all four kids stand with them at the altar. Robbie was so excited he couldn’t sit still, and Molly couldn’t wait to show all her friends her new dress, a frothy strapless creation that Maria said she could wear to formal dances, if it still fit by then.
Somehow, in the midst of all the commotion, Maria found time to help Max and Company choose the products for the other homes they were building. The house in Canterwood had sold and they were beginning construction on another one. Building was tough in the winter months, so they tried to get the foundations in, the framing done, and the roofs on before the rainy season. The inside work could be done in the rain, but they couldn’t work on a foundation or roof in the rain.
Maria chose maple cabinets with a natural finish for her new kitchen. The countertops would be dark green granite. She wanted to put hooks between the skylights along the side of the breakfast room for hanging plants.
