Deadly Race

by Margaret Daley

  “You know, I think your next job ought to be as a private detective. Your powers of deduction are amazing.”

  “Sarcasm won’t deter me, Ellie. You should know that by now.”

  “He doesn’t want to get married.” Ellie laughed, a sound that held no merriment. “I don’t even know how he feels about me. There were no vows of love.”

  “You can tell a person you love them without saying those words. Did you give him a chance or did you get out of there? I know how you are with good-byes.”

  “I didn’t hang around for the dear Jane speech.” Ellie ate another bite of pizza, not really tasting the dish as she chewed.

  “That’s your problem, girlfriend. You’re too busy running away to discover what a person might really feel for you.”

  “I don’t have to be told twice that he doesn’t want to marry ever again. Once was enough for him. Besides, he’s out of my league.”

  “So you would like to marry this guy, if he wanted to?”

  Ellie stared at Kayla for a long moment. “Yeah. I love him with all my heart.” There, she had said it out loud. It was official. Moisture in her eyes made her vision blur. She didn’t shed tears for any missed relationship, hadn’t since she was a small child. But ever since she had walked away from Slade, she couldn’t stop the tears from falling. They came at odd moments and left her vulnerable and hurting, two emotions she would just as well not experience.

  “Oh, honey, what are you going to do?”

  “Nothing.”

  “You’ve got to fight for him.”

  “Fight who?”

  “I don’t know. I just hate seeing you like this. You’re not eating. You’re moping around. You’re not working. This isn’t you.”

  “You’re right. I declare my vacation over. I’ll go to the agency tomorrow and get a new assignment. Work is what I need to do, preferably far away from the United States. I need to see the world.”

  “Isn’t that what got you into this mess in the first place?”

  “Look, Bella Isla was the exception, my one adventure. It won’t happen again.”

  “Your whole life is an adventure,” Kayla muttered as she finished off her piece of pizza. “Eat. I have this feeling you’re gonna need your strength.”

  * * *

  “Mr. Calvert, you need to be in San Francisco at the end of this week to sign those papers. Then you will fly to Washington to meet with the State Department and President Foster. After that—”

  Slade tuned out his administrative assistant and swiveled his chair around to look out upon the skyline of Boston. He tapped his pen against his fist and took several deep breaths. He’d felt as if he were suffocating ever since he’d come back from Bella Isla a month ago.

  What was wrong with him? He loved his work. It was his life. Then why wasn’t he satisfied?

  “—and then you’ll be back here for the reception for the company’s tenth birthday, a week from Saturday,” his administrative assistant finished.

  “Just leave the itinerary on my desk. I’ll look it over and let you know if there are any changes.” Slade waved away his assistant, wanting to be alone.

  Slade waited until he heard the door closing before he swung his chair around to face his desk, piled high with reports he needed to go over, letters he needed to sign, decisions he needed to make. But all he could think about was Ellie. Where was she? What was she doing? Why had she left him without saying good-bye?

  After a month she was still in his system, and he was beginning to think he wouldn’t be able to get rid of her. Ever. He loved her, had admitted that to himself two weeks before. Somewhere in the jungle he had fallen hard for her, and she was now a part of him, whether he liked it or not.

  So what are you going to do about it?

  He didn’t have an answer. She had walked away from him. Obviously she didn’t return his feelings.

  Feelings he had never made known to her, he thought, pushing himself to his feet.

  He paced from one end of his office to the other. He would never know how she really felt about him if he didn’t take a risk and tell her he loved her. For a brief moment he experienced again the night his ex-wife had told him her family was more important to her than he was. The pain was nothing compared to what he’d felt when he’d discovered Ellie had left him, without letting him know she was leaving.

  He walked to the door and thrust it open. “Cancel all my appointments for the next few days and have the company jet ready to leave for New York City in one hour.”

  “But, Mr. Calvert—”

  “Do it,” he tossed back at his administrative assistant. Slade strode across the reception area and headed for the bank of elevators.

  * * *

  “I appreciate you seeing me on such short notice.” Slade sat in the chair indicated by Ahmed Habbash, a wealthy Mid-eastern businessman. “I’m here to inquire about Miss Winters. I understand she was employed by you to work with your children as a governess.”

  “She was, but she didn’t work out. She left my employment four days ago.”

  “She did? Do you know where she went?”

  “I’m afraid not.” Ahmed stood abruptly, signifying the meeting was over.

  As Slade walked from the office, the hairs on the back of his neck tingled. Something was wrong. He could feel it in his bones. Ahmed Habbash was lying about Ellie.

  As he left the compound, Slade’s feeling that something wasn’t quite right was heightened. Of course, the guards with machine guns didn’t help the situation. Nor did the pit bulls that had free rein in the gardens make him feel any better. In his gut he knew Ellie was in trouble again.

  Slade stood across the street outside the walled mansion, hidden from view of the guards who were on alert at the front gate. He had to find a way into the compound and search for Ellie. He didn’t come halfway around the world not to see her, to be told she was no longer there. If he was wrong about her being in trouble and she wanted to stay, he would leave, but not before he kissed her and told her he loved her. He had promised himself he would do that, at least. He didn’t care what that made him look like, because until he did, he would have no peace.

  Darkness began to fall several hours later. Slade remained motionless, waiting for his chance to get inside. He had no plan, hadn’t been able to formulate one yet. He just knew he wouldn’t go back to the United States without seeing Ellie.

  While the night disguised his movements, Slade decided to circle the compound and ascertain if there was a way into the place other than the front gate. As he walked along the street on the side of the complex of buildings, he came to a halt when he saw a shadow slither over the top of the high wall and drop down to the pavement below.

  Suddenly an alarm sounded in the compound and lights flooded the area that surrounded the place. Slade saw a slight person, wearing yards of black material that concealed every inch except for the eyes. The person, who had to be a woman, tensed under the bath of lights and scanned the street. She unhooked the veil and took a deep breath.

  Ellie!

  Slade moved quickly, coming out of the dark shadows to take Ellie by surprise. He grabbed her hand and pulled her along behind him. The sound of men giving chase propelled Slade faster and faster. At any moment he expected to hear gunfire, and it compelled him to increase his running. The hot air burned his lungs. He heard Ellie behind him, breathing harder than he was. But he didn’t have time to stop and make sure she was all right. The American Embassy was only a few streets away. They would be safe there.

  A volley of shots that flew over their heads filled the silence.

  “They’re shooting at us.” Ellie exclaimed the obvious--she was so good at that.

  “I’d love to stop and chat about that, but I think we better keep going,” he said over his shoulder, his grip on her hand tightening.

  The embassy was in sight. Slade saw the Marines on guard ready their guns as he and Ellie raced for the gate.

  “We’re Ame
rican citizens who are being chased by men with machine guns. They tried to kidnap Miss Winters.”

  The guard took a look at Slade’s passport he flipped out, then quickly opened the gate. Several men came to a stop in the side street that opened up onto the plaza in front of the entrance into the embassy. Slade glanced back at the men as he pulled Ellie up the steps that led into the building. He didn’t feel safe until they were inside.

  “Ellie, what were you thinking? Were you thinking?” Slade rounded on her and stood in front of her in the room where they had been left while the authorities checked out their story. “To take the job in the first place? To try an escape over the wall? What about your fear of heights? What about the dogs? They could have torn into you for their dinner.”

  “I befriended them. Animals like me.” Seated, Ellie stiffened her back and gripped her hands in her lap. She still wore the black dress, but she had removed the head covering as soon as possible. She felt as though she hadn’t had a decent breath until she did. But the enraged look on Slade’s face stole her next breath, and she inhaled over and over to try and fill her lungs. She had never seen him this angry, and she really couldn’t blame him.

  “You befriended them?” he shouted at her.

  She lowered her gaze to her clasped hands that twisted and twisted the material of her dress. “All I can do is plead momentary insanity. I haven’t been thinking straight since I left Bella Isla.”

  “You’re right. You could have been killed tonight. You could have been—”

  His words came to a halt, and Ellie glanced up at him. Fear chiseled the lines deep into his face. “I put you in danger again. I’m sorry. I seem to have a gift for that.”

  “One that is going to have to stop when we get married.”

  “I know. I—” Ellie frowned. “What did you say?”

  He clasped her arms and hauled her to her feet. “I came halfway around the world to tell you, Ellie, that I love you. I want to marry you. I didn’t quite envision asking you like this, but I’d better grab the chance before you get us into another adventure and we’re running from men with guns again. Will you marry me?”

  For a few seconds she wasn’t quite sure she had heard him correctly. She had dreamed of this moment every night she had been locked in Ahmed’s harem, every night since Bella Isla. Now, it just seemed too good to be true. “Are you sure? You said in the jungle and at the press conference you didn’t want to get married again.”

  “A man has a right to change his mind.” Slade laughed. “I suspect I won’t have a minute’s peace with you as my wife. But then I also won’t have a dull life either. Of course, I’m going to have to insist that you quit being a governess.”

  “But I like children.”

  “Well, then we’ll have some of our own. I aim to please.”

  “I want at least four.”

  “Okay. I think we’d better start on the first one as soon as possible. We aren’t getting any younger.”

  “You don’t want a long engagement?”

  “I’m afraid of what trouble you’ll get us into. No, just as soon as we get out of this country, we’ll get married. I want the men of this world to know you’re off limits.”

  “I didn’t realize Ahmed was looking for a third wife. He wouldn’t take no for an answer. He locked me in his harem to try and change my mind. He thought if I spent some time with his other wives I would see what a great catch he was. He’s got a lot of influence in this country. What if he won’t let us leave?”

  “I have connections, Ellie. I have no intention of letting another man lay a hand on you.”

  She wound her arms around him and snuggled against him. “I love you, Slade Calvert. I would be honored to be your wife.”

  His mouth seized hers in a deep kiss that sealed their hearts as one. Ellie felt herself take flight in his embrace. She had finally found a place to call home, no more wandering the world. Her fantasy had come true.

  # # #

  About the author:

  Margaret Daley, an award-winning author of eighty-one books, has been married for over forty years and is a firm believer in romance and love. When she isn’t traveling, she’s writing love stories, often with a suspense thread and corralling her three cats that think they rule her household. To find out more about Margaret visit her website at http://www.margaretdaley.com.

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  Table of Contents

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