Jack loosened his collar but otherwise seemed composed. “I’m from San Francisco originally. My father heads a large corporation in Seattle.”
That was interesting. No wine business? “What kind of business might that be?”
“Seattle West Insurance. One of the largest in the United States.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t follow in his footsteps. In our family, it’s mandatory to go into the family business.”
“Too boring. Give me these fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of investments, that’s more my style.”
“Your father was probably disappointed.”
Jack shrugged. “He didn’t much care what I did, Mr. Santucci. In fact, he would have been disappointed if I had joined him. I left home when I was seventeen and never looked back. What I’ve accomplished, I’ve done on my own.”
Adrian tried to conceal his surprise. He may have been the black sheep, but for a different reason than the one he’d given Nikki.
Devlin’s story coincided with Nikki’s version, how Addington Madsen worked his way up in an industrial plant in Connecticut before buying it when he was fifty-two. He was an investment genius, making a huge profit when he sold the plant only five years later and retiring to Palm Beach. Devlin left out the fact that he hadn’t inherited that genius, already losing the millions he’d inherited when his mother was killed.
Adrian stood and shook hands with both men. “Call me when your proposal is ready.” He patted his breast pocket. “Ah, shoot. Forgot my business cards.” He reached for one of Devlin’s, sitting next to his leather folder, and jotted down the number at the rental house. “I’ll be here for a few days.”
Jack smiled, looking more relaxed now that the conversation was off his personal life. “Feel free to call if you have any questions.”
“Yeah, I’ll do that.”
Just as Adrian turned to leave, Devlin finally spoke up. “I know you, now. You came by the house and asked for my sister, Nikki.”
Adrian tried his best to look calm as he shook his head. Devlin was smarter than he’d given him credit for. “Who, me? Nah, I don’t even know where you live, or who your sister is. You must have me mixed up with someone else.”
“Are you sure? You look just like him.” Devlin scratched his head.
“I’m sure. But if she’s hot, I’d be happy to meet her.” He gave them a dumb smile.
Devlin twitched in response.
Jack watched Adrian Santucci get into his Mustang convertible and leave, then walked back to his office with Devlin right behind him. He dropped into his leather chair and propped his new Italian shoes on the desk top. “There was something about that man that bothered me.”
Devlin nodded. “There’s a lot about that man that bothered me. He’s Mafia, I guarantee it. We deal with him and we’ll end up in some concrete block. But the weird part is I swear it’s the same guy that came up to my house about a week ago. It was those eyes.”
“You’re sure?”
“Well, he didn’t have that accent, and his hair was different, but yes, it was him. Do you think he’s been scoping us out?”
Jack stuck an ivory toothpick in his mouth, wondering the same thing. But where would he get Nikki’s name in all this? “Ah, it’s probably a different guy.”
“It’s the same man, I’m sure of it.” Devlin sat down. “You didn’t arrange this meeting, did you?”
“This guy came out of nowhere. I know what you’re getting at, but you already took the deal. Now you’ve got to trust me on it. If you’d talked to me in the first place, you wouldn’t be in this predicament.”
“You would have fallen for this guy’s ruse, too. He was good.” Devlin paced in front of the desk. “Someday I’m going to make the business deal of a lifetime, and I’m going to do it without anyone else.”
“Not while I’m in charge. You know the rules now.”
“And you know I had no choice.”
“Sure you did. But you’re not going to regret this, Dev. I’m going to make us both rich men. We might still find the schlep who sold you this lemon. But if we don’t, then we’ll find some other way to get out of this.”
“Like maybe with this Carlo D’Aprile?”
Jack stared out the window. “Maybe.”
CHAPTER 14
“Adrian, where were you today? I stopped by the shelter, but Dave said you had taken the day off.”
He hated lying to Nikki again. What would she do if he told her exactly where he’d been today? She’d be angry. No, he couldn’t lie to her, not anymore. The other alternative wasn’t going to get him any brownie points either.
“I had some business to take care of.”
“Business? With your studio, you mean.”
“Something like that.”
“Oh.” She nodded, but he could see she didn’t understand why he was being evasive. “Why didn’t you tell me this morning?”
“I’d forgotten until I was heading down to the shelter.” A tiny lie. He smiled, changing the subject. “How’s it coming?”
“It looks almost done. They only have to put the shingles on the roof. The kitchen still looks a wreck, but Dave said it’s only a few days away from being completed. I even helped out, did some hammering and sweeping up.” She studied him. He kept it straight, showing nothing of the guilt he felt inside. “Is anything going on?”
He pulled her down next to him on the couch so that he didn’t have to look into her eyes. “Everything’s fine.”
But she turned to him anyway. “Are you planning to leave soon?”
He could tell by the tone of her voice how painful it was to push those words out. He brushed his finger beneath her chin. “I want you to trust me, Nikki. No matter what, trust me.”
“I do trust you.”
“Good.” He kissed her lightly on the lips, wanting to linger there longer. The perplexed look on her face stopped him from becoming more amorous. For now, anyway.
She walked into the kitchen to start the chicken he’d brought home for dinner. She had arrived only minutes after Jack had called to set up another meeting for the following morning. That seemed awfully quick for them to get a report ready. Maybe they were going to tell him to forget it. That would make him feel a little more comfortable about Nikki’s safety.
Another alliance based on lies. This time those lies went both ways. Jack Barton had lied about his past, either to Nikki or to Adrian. Maybe both. More interesting, Jack seemed to be the man in charge, not Devlin. So Devlin had taken the bargain, but why would Jack bail out LandCorp to take control of a company that seemed little more than a failing business?
Devlin still didn’t seem capable of enough smarts or passion to blow up his family. Of course, looks could be deceiving.
Adrian had confirmed that a John Barton headed the insurance company in Seattle, though he wasn’t able to talk to the man to confirm he had a son named Jack.
“Is something wrong?” Nikki asked, peering into the living room.
Adrian stood, wandering into the kitchen to help with dinner. “No, nothing’s wrong. I’ve just got a headache.”
Even cradled in Adrian’s arms, Nikki couldn’t fall asleep. He was up to something. “Trust me,” he’d asked. How could she trust him when their whole relationship had started out with a lie? He was gone all day from a job he seemed dedicated to, and all he said was that he was taking care of business.
It was more than that vague answer. He had been quiet all night, avoiding her eyes. It wasn’t like him, or at least like the man she had come to know this past week. He had moved away from her that night, not physically, but emotionally. Could it be that he was getting tired of her?
Well, what did she have to offer him, anyway? A woman who was hiding for her life, living on the streets by day, sneaking back to his place at night to make love and have dinner. He would have to leave soon, and the pain that rumbled through her already would rip her heart in half when he left. She was falling more in love wi
th him every day, and he was falling out of love with her.
Nikki thought of the reflection she’d seen in the mirror that night before getting into bed. No makeup, no fancy hairdo. He was used to beautiful women posing on beaches in bikinis, not street urchins.
A sob caught in her throat, and she swallowed it back. She didn’t regret a moment with Adrian, not even the ones where she was uncertain of him. Most of all, she didn’t regret giving him her most precious gift. He had been tender, loving, passionate. A tear slid down to the pillow. She could feel his heartbeat against her bare back. When he breathed, she moved with him. Saying goodbye was inevitable, and every night she spent in his rented house put her in danger. She had to let him go. Maybe he would stay around another few days, or a week. She would be more in love with him, and he would be glad to be rid of her. No, she had to be the one to say goodbye, and soon.
Adrian was determined to get to the bottom of Nikki’s mother’s death. More determined to free her from this two-year sentence she’d imposed on herself. If she doubted him now, someday she would thank him. He’d bid her goodbye that morning, making a plan to meet her for lunch.
He walked into the LandCorp offices and told the receptionist he was expected. Jack seemed different at this meeting, not quite as charming. Was he suspicious of good old Uncle Carlo, or of Adrian himself?
“Hello, Mr. Santucci. I have to apologize. When I called you yesterday, I thought I’d be able to spend the whole night working on these numbers. Unfortunately, something came up that prevented me from completing them. Then I realized I’d left your number at work, and by the time I got here, well, you were pulling in. How about tomorrow morning? I promise I’ll have them done.”
“I understand. Tomorrow’s fine.”
They shook hands. Adrian noticed that Devlin wasn’t in this meeting and seemed to be nowhere around. No matter. Jack seemed the mastermind behind LandCorp now that Devlin had given him control.
Nikki pulled up to the shelter, sitting in her van for a few minutes. Adrian hadn’t gotten to the shelter until nine o’clock, and he’d been dressed in nice pants and shirt. Maybe he would tell her what was going on at lunch. Her heart ached at the thought of losing him, but there wasn’t any choice. Adrian was still keeping secrets from her. She had to be strong and walk away, and she had to do it before it was too late.
A knock on the glass beside her jarred her. Adrian leaned against the door, a sweet smile on his face. She opened the door and stepped out, slipping so easily into his arms. He stooped to her level, not letting her look away.
“You looked deep in thought. Is everything all right?”
“I’m fine.”
They walked around to the van’s side door and sat on the bed eating egg salad sandwiches. Adrian had once mentioned that he liked them. While he ate, he talked about how close they were to finishing.
“I can’t wait to see that inspector’s face when he returns, ready to shut us down.”
Us. Adrian had taken a real interest in the shelter. Soon it would be done, and then what?
“All the homeless people keep coming by every night to see if we’re open yet. It’s sad. The blanket collection’s been going well, though, so at least we can give them something to keep them warm.” At her wan nod, he asked, “Are you all right? You’ve been awfully quiet.”
Putting on a casual face, she said, “I stopped by earlier, but your car wasn’t here.”
Instead of looking uncomfortable, he reached out and touched her chin. “Didn’t I ask you to trust me? Can you do that?”
She nodded again but couldn’t quite meet his eyes. Trust didn’t come easily to her, especially with Adrian. Every time he touched her, every time he looked into her eyes, her heart shattered a little more. She couldn’t take anymore of this. Not another night with him, not making love with him. It hurt too much.
He leaned over and kissed her. His mouth caressed hers before his tongue slipped inside hers. She didn’t want him to think anything was wrong, so she kissed him back. It was a sweet kiss, filled with the promise of much more later. But she had already made a decision. She could not tell him in person. No, he wouldn’t let her leave. Adrian had already told her he’d almost pack her up and ship her back to New York to get her away from there. He wasn’t going to let her slip off into the night. She had to write him a letter.
“Are you going to tell me what’s bothering you?” he asked in that intimate tone that sent shivers up her spine.
“I’m all right, really. Maybe I’m coming down with something.”
“The last time you said that, you stood me up.” He smiled, but his words made her heart stop beating. “Why don’t you go back to the house and get some sleep? I’ll nurse you back to health when I get home.”
“Okay.” Her hand reached up to touch his cheek, already a little rough with stubble. “See you later.” She hoped he didn’t hear the thickness that had overtaken her voice.
She drove to the house, composing the goodbye letter in her mind. She was also trying to figure out where she would go for a while. Last time Adrian had stuck around town when she had disappeared, but it would be different this time. She would explain to him that there simply was no other way, with no mention of his so-called business. She didn’t want him to think he had to explain anything to her. She wanted to make it all perfectly clear that it was hopeless and for him to leave.
Nikki parked the van behind the house, not taking any chances even though this would be her last visit. She walked in, greeting Crackers as he nearly ran to the door. He was only a couple of days away from getting his cast off. She knelt down, and the pup tried to jump onto the shelf her legs made. She giggled as he licked her face and tickled her chin with his whiskers.
After trying to keep herself balanced, she toppled down to the tile. Crackers’s tail zipped through the air as he nuzzled her. She rested her cheek against the soft fur of his back.
“What am I going to do with you?” Nikki had thought about it all the way home. She couldn’t, wouldn’t, take him to the dog pound. He deserved better than that. But she couldn’t keep him in her van, as much as she had come to love his company.
She held the puppy’s face in her hands, looking at him. “Do you think Adrian loves you enough to take you home with him? If I ask him real nice in my letter, maybe? I know he cares about you, probably as much as I do. He’s already taken in some cat.” A weight lifted from her shoulders as searched for the notepad she knew Adrian kept around.
When she found it, she sat down at the table and took a deep breath. This was the coward’s way out, butt it was the only way. She didn’t think about the bleak future ahead of her without Adrian in it. She’d have two long years to wonder about him, who he was with, if he had fallen in love with someone yet. Two lonely years.
With a sigh, she started the letter:
Dear Adrian,
Please try not to hate me. I know you have to go back to New York soon; you can’t stay here for the next two years trying to protect me. I can’t keep putting myself in danger by coming here either. Even if I went to New York with you, I’d never feel safe. That leaves me with only one alternative: get out of here before I become too attached to you.
Okay, it’s too late for that. I have to leave before I stop being careful because I want to be with you. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you in person, but it’s hard enough to just write this letter. I hope you understand why I’m doing this.
Don’t get mad at me for leaving Crackers here. I can’t take care of him, and I can’t bear to leave him at the pound or put him back on the streets. Next time there might not be anyone so kind as to carry him ten blocks to the vet. I leave him in your capable hands, hoping that you’ll take him back with you. If you don’t want him, please find him a good home. I know you care about him, and if you ever cared about me, you’ll do this one thing for me.
I’ve never loved anyone the way I do you. Adrian, you’ve given me hope for the future and courage to face
the world again in two years. I hope we can at least be friends when that time comes. I know where to find you. How could I ever forget? “Visions, Inc.” Please don’t try to find me. It’ll just make this harder for both of us.
Nikki.
She folded the note and left it tucked beneath one of her framed pictures in the center of the table. Tears filled her eyes, and when she blinked, they spilled down her cheeks. She could almost picture Adrian wiping them away with his hand. Although he would never understand, she was doing this for him, too. If Devlin found her with Adrian, he might kill them both. It was best for everyone. Now if she could only convince her heart of that, she’d be fine. She gave Crackers a kiss on his forehead and slipped out the back door.
The grey clouds above looked pregnant with rain. Adrian drove through the streets of Palm Beach, thinking of what he would say to Nikki. He was determined to solve this murder of her mother, but he needed Nikki’s help. That meant coming clean about his visit to LandCorp. No more lies. All he had to do was convince her that together they could solve this and free her. He was as obsessed with that as he had been about finding Nikki.
The house was empty, a strange letdown with the electricity shooting through his veins. Crackers greeted him, and Adrian petted him as he scanned the public areas of the house. Maybe she was asleep in his bed. That thought kindled a warm feeling inside him.
He tossed his keys on the table and headed for the bedroom. The bed was empty, sheets and blankets still rumpled from that morning. The bathroom was dark and quiet.
“Nikki. Are you here?”
Only the sound of Crackers’s tail thumping against the wall. A thread of panic snaked through him, but he attributed it to his thoughts about Devlin. If he hadn’t found her after all this time, chances are he wouldn’t find her now. Then why did a panicky feeling pound in his heart?
“Nikki!” he shouted louder, but there was no response.
Touched by Lightning [Dreams of You] (Romantic Suspense) Page 18
