“Hallie, where are you going?”
She turned but already knew who would be standing there. Mick. Does he know what I’ve done?
“It’s none of your business.”
His grip tightened, and she wondered if Solomon was within hearing distance.
“But it is my business, Hallie. You are my business, my life. Why haven’t you called me?”
“I—I haven’t felt well,” she lied.
“Well enough to go to health clubs, go to the beach and to operas, but not well enough to call me. Is that it?”
He’d been spying on her. The thought shivered through her. “What have you been doing, spying on me? Mick, you’re hurting me. Let go.”
He smiled his eyes glittery. “I love it when you say my name. Say it again.”
She glared at him. “Mick, let me go!”
He didn’t loosen his grip. “You don’t realize how much you mean to me. How I long to hold you, caress you.”
When his grip turned into a caress, she pulled back. “Go away.”
His eyes became slits of dark anger. “Hallie, you know how crazy I get when I don’t see you. When I think you’re seeing someone else.”
“I’m a married woman. Can’t you understand that?”
His brown eyes blazed with anger. “No, I can’t. What I do understand is that you made a commitment to me. And what I understand perfectly is that you’re a woman who has in her possession a very expensive gemstone, and that I have someone waiting to buy it so that we can be very rich together. I didn’t come up with this idea just for you to enjoy the money with that man you call your husband.”
He obviously hadn’t heard yet that Dave had his gem back. Lucky for her. “Mick, please understand something. I don’t want it, I don’t want the money. I just want you to leave me alone.”
He smiled again, reaching a hand out to touch her shoulder. “You’re afraid of getting caught, aren’t you? We talked about all that, sweetheart. If you think they’re on to us, we’ll get Jazz to put on some of that Hollywood makeup of his and disguise us. No one will ever realize who we are. I’ve got phony passports ready to go if necessary. But darling, we have to get going right away. Now.”
She moved away from him, agitation creeping into her voice. “Stop calling me darling. Leave me alone or I’ll scream for help.”
His upper lip twitched, causing his mustache to flicker. “You’re planning to stay with him, aren’t you? I saw you the other night, watching him swim. You were standing there watching him… wanting him.”
Her eyes widened as she realized her paranoid visions of Mick lurking in the shadows had been true. He had been watching her a great deal. Her hand tightened on the car door handle, but she knew she couldn’t move fast enough to get in the car and lock it before he moved in on her.
“He’s my husband,” she stated without emotion. “If I look at him with wanting, it’s my business.”
He moved closer, pulling her hair back at the same time as he crushed her against his body. “It is my business, you bitch! You are my business, because you belong to me.” Then his mouth began kissing down her cheek. “I’ve held your body next to mine, naked and sweaty in the moonlight. I’ve made love to you a thousand times. How can you turn your back on me like this?”
She cringed and tried to push him and his words away. “Can’t you see that I’m a different person now, not the Hallie you used to know? I don’t know that Hallie, and I don’t know you. All I know is that I’m married, and I’m in love with my husband. I don’t care about the gem or the money it will bring, I just want to try to get my life together.”
The sound of a lawnmower was moving closer. He took her chin in his hand and squeezed hard. “Don’t you understand? You don’t have a choice. You will be mine, Hallie. And I will do anything to get you and the Manderlay back.”
He left her then, a shaking blob of fright and anger. She slipped into the car and locked the doors, pulling out and speeding down the driveway. All she wanted to do was get out of there… and get to Jamie.
The travel agent found a lovely resort for Hallie to relax and chase away her tensions. It was called Santa Caterina, located on the Isle of Constantine. Caterina was a sprawling resort that catered to its guests, and had a reputation for cleanliness, friendliness and a profound lack of stuffiness. Of course, it had one other valuable asset that the agent failed to point out: its enigmatic and debonair owner, James DiBarto.
Returning to Theresa’s home washed away the warm, sunny feeling that had befallen her since her decision to go to Caterina. The mansion lacked the interesting feel it had when she knew Jamie was there. Still, one more night, and she was flying to the kind of place she’d only seen in magazines and travel brochures.
Hallie carefully scanned the area surrounding the garage, looking for signs of the maniac. Everything seemed quiet, and soon she forgot about Mick and thought of that night she and Jamie had gone to the laser show. They had walked along this very route, from the garage to the front doors, and she had hit him with a pillow. He must think her some kind of schizo, changing from a selfish, uncontrolled woman with her hand in the nookie jar to a woman who liked to lie on floors and watch laser shows, who remembered nothing of her shady past, and who would try just about anything to save her destroyed marriage. A marriage she herself had taken an axe to. She could understand his reluctance to include her in his life again. She would overcome it.
When she opened the front door, she felt like an outsider, someone who didn’t belong. After all, Jamie was the only reason she was here, and now he was gone. Left was a bitter mother-in-law and an angry servant. She longed to have Theresa’s friendship and motherly advice, but that wouldn’t happen for a long time. If ever.
Hallie packed up the suitcase with her new clothes, then tidied the room up. It was still about an hour before dinner time, and almost twenty-four hours before her plane left. She headed downstairs to find something to snack on.
When she passed the family room, a voice called out, “Hello!”
Hallie peeked her head in and found Theresa stretched out on the brown couch. When she hesitated, Theresa waved her in.
“Are you looking for something to eat?”
Hallie gave her a small smile. “Well, yes. I was just going to see what I could fix.”
Theresa gave her the friendliest smile she had ever seen. “Don’t worry yourself.” She tilted her head toward the kitchen. “Elena! Fix Hallie something nice for dinner. Maybe some veal parmigiana.”
“Thank you.” She wasn’t sure how to interpret this new side of her mother-in-law. Had she finally made Theresa see how different she was from the former Hallie? “I’m glad I got to see you before I leave. I wanted to thank you for letting me stay here.”
Theresa sat up and clasped her hands together. “You’re leaving? When?”
“Tomorrow evening.”
“I hope Jamie made it clear that you are welcome to stay here longer if you wish.”
“He did. That is very kind of both of you, but it won’t be necessary. I’ve already made my plans.”
“So where are you off to? France, maybe?”
Hallie’s heart quickened. To tell the truth or not? Always the truth. “I’m going to Caterina.”
Theresa’s eyes frosted over, and she leaned her elbow on the arm rest. She looked as relaxed as a cat. “Now that’s interesting. To pick up your things, no doubt. You left in quite a hurry last time.”
Hallie’s hands clenched in her lap, and she flattened them out against her thighs. “I’m planning to stay there. For a while.”
Under Theresa’s scrutinizing eyes, Hallie shrank, but she refused to be intimidated by the little spitfire who had loved Jamie longer than any other woman in the world. They were both on the same side, but her mother-in-law would never see it that way. Silence hung around them like fog, and when Hallie decided to get up and leave, Theresa finally spoke.
“What is it that you want, Hallie? It’s ce
rtainly not my son, that’s been apparent for some time. Is it money? What would make you leave him and never return?”
Hallie swallowed audibly, and the blood drained from her face. “Are you bribing me to leave Jamie?”
“Yes. Divorce my son, ask for nothing from him, and I’ll give you five hundred thousand dollars cash and a condominium we own in San Diego. If the divorce goes to court, your ugly past will gain you little sympathy from the judge, you know.”
Hallie tried not to flinch at the number she was offering. Still, she couldn’t help respect the woman reclined opposite her. “You must love your son very much, Mrs. DiBarto.”
“Yes, I do. I want him to be happy again. You are incapable of doing that,” she said, grinding the words in. Then her expression softened slightly. “He loves you.” She drew the words out reluctantly, like a sigh. “I can still see the fire in his eyes that burned for you long ago. It’s clouded with pain, hurt. Anger. But it’s there, and I hate it. And I hate you for putting it there. A man shouldn’t love a woman that much. Especially a man like Jamie. Especially a woman like you. He loves with abandon, always has. You.” Her lips turned up. “You love for what it brings you. Then you get bored and go onto other things. And people.”
Hallie swallowed hard, finding her throat parched. How could she defend herself when she had been an awful person? But she had one thing to go on. She had seen the video tapes.
“I didn’t marry Jamie for what he could give me. I married him because I was in love with him. You can’t deny that you didn’t see love in my eyes.”
The woman looked only a bit disconcerted. “What was doesn’t matter. Can you tell me that you’re in love with him now?”
“Yes, I can. I am very much in love with your son.”
That threw her off, but Hallie tried to keep the satisfaction from showing. Could the woman see the glow of love that burned in her eyes? It was there, if only a tiny flame now. But it held promise of growth, and the more time she spent with Jamie the closer she grew to him.
Finally, Theresa rose to her feet. “Don’t lie to me. I have seen you in action, Hallie Parker. And a woman who acts like that with another man does not love her husband. I know that. Jamie knows that. I want you out of his life, and I’m prepared to pay you for it. Tell me, do you even see how you have made him suffer?”?
Damn, the woman had her. “Yes, I do…”
“Well, at least you’re being honest now. Don’t make him suffer further by dragging your misdeeds through court. You think about my offer. And I suggest you not take it to Jamie, for I’ll deny ever bringing it up. And who do you think he’ll believe, after all you’ve done to him?”
Hallie tightened her lips, holding back words of defense. It wasn’t fair to take the blame for sins she didn’t commit. But things would change. She lived here now.
“I won’t go to Jamie with your offer. Nor will I accept it. I’m his wife, not his girlfriend, so when you address me, call me by my real name: Hallie DiBarto.”
Theresa flinched but held her determined expression. “You’d be better off with the money. You’ve already lost him.”
Panic tightened Hallie’s throat. “What do you mean?”
Theresa smiled, obviously feeling as if she had gained a foothold on victory. “Why do you think he turns away from you? Why do you think he refused to let you return to Caterina with him? He’s in love with someone else.”
Panic gripped her, now moving down to her heart. “With someone else? But you said you saw love in his eyes.”
“Maybe so, but you’ll never be able to overcome the past. Renee works at Caterina, and though I’ve not met her yet, I hear she is beautiful, loving, and very much in love with Jamie. With her he has the chance you never gave him. If you really love him, you’ll let him go.”
Hallie couldn’t hide the disappointment she felt in those words. With their past, how could she compete with someone who worked with him, who promised a better future? Someone he was already in love with? Theresa’s expression was free of smugness when she walked over and placed her cool hand on Hallie’s arm.
“Let him go. I’m offering you enough money to start over. Take it and go. You have nothing to lose.”
Thoughts ran rampant through her mind, giving up Jamie, him with another woman, Theresa’s offer. Had he been running away from her when he’d left for Caterina, or running to Renee?
She stood. “You’re wrong. I have a lot to lose.”
She walked up the stairs, grabbed her suitcase, and left. She had so wanted to win her scornful mother-in-law over, but Hallie-of-the-past had made that virtually impossible. Hallie-of-the-present hadn’t helped the situation either. But she wasn’t going to take a pay-off to leave her husband. She had a lot of bad actions to make up for, many ridges to smooth over and hurts to soothe. If she couldn’t win Jamie back to his wife’s heart, then she would walk away and leave him to heal alone. Or to heal with Renee. Without taking any pay-offs. No amount of money was worth giving up that chance.
She threw the suitcase into the car, pulled out of the garage, and drove off into the sunset.
CHAPTER 9
From the window of the airplane, the isle of Constantine looked like an emerald set in the middle of a huge, sparkling aquarium. Hallie pressed her forehead against the plastic window, her heart beating a staccato. Jamie was down there somewhere. And he didn’t want her company. The excited voices from the other ten passengers filled the plane, but their talk of island adventures seemed far away from her own thoughts. Peace. Jamie had said he wanted peace with her, so maybe he wouldn’t have her thrown off the island.
The early morning sun glinted off the water and made her squint, reminding her of how tired she should be. A long flight to Miami, Florida, then the flight to Montego Bay, yet another layover in that tiny airport before the flight taking her to Constantine. She should be tired, but she wasn’t. Every fiber was buzzing, crackling with electricity. If only she knew Jamie better, then she could guess his reaction when he saw her.
The plane landed on a small strip with only one jarring bump. She was the last one off the plane, gathering her courage as well as her carry-on. The rest of her luggage, the flight attendant announced, would be delivered to the lobby where a porter would take it to her room. Only she didn’t have a room. Caterina was booked. The travel agent had warned Hallie against showing up without a reservation, advising her to wait the extra two weeks before a room opened up. Hallie booked the flight anyway. California or Constantine, she had no place to stay.
Warm, moist wind embraced her when she stepped outside the plane. An orange golf cart sped her to the lobby a short distance away. A steel-drum band played in the open air bar next to the reservation desk. Two black women in flowery dresses approached the newly arriving guests with glasses of fruit punch and welcomes.
“Ah, Mrs. D,” one said to her with a large, white smile. “It is nice to see you back.”
“Thank you,” Hallie said, a little disconcerted. Since she had never been there before, she hadn’t thought about anyone knowing her, anyone except Jamie. She had even considered checking in with the registration desk to see if there were any cancellations. How silly. She was the owner’s wife, and these people knew her well. Her heart dropped a few inches. They knew the old Hallie, and probably felt as warm toward her as anyone else who liked Jamie did. They put on a good show, anyway.
“Any liquor in those, Ruby?” Hallie asked, reading the woman’s nametag.
“No, ma’am. These here drinks be for everyone, including the wee ones.” Ruby placed a plump hand on Hallie’s shoulder. “You had a long flight, poor t’ing. But you look good, after what happened to you. Go see Juicy. He fix you right up.”
“Who’s Juicy?”
Ruby laughed, deep and hearty. “Oh yeah, I heard you lost your memory a little. He be the big bartender man ‘round here. I think he work down by the pool today.”
“Okay, thanks. Uh, do you know where Jamie is?”
“Well, actually, he doesn’t know I’m coming.” Hallie left it at that, not wanting to explain further.
“Oh. Hm.” She shrugged. “I never know where dat man be. If he be somewhere two minutes before, he not there now. I can go find him if you like?”
“No, no that’s all right. I’ll find him.”
“Do you have luggage, Mrs. D? I’ll have Bailey take it to the house.”
“Yes, this and that piece sitting over there. Thanks, Ruby.”
“No problem. Now you go see Juicy.”
With that, Ruby was off to help the other woman with the rest of the guests. Hallie soaked in the music, fresh air and warm atmosphere. So Jamie had chosen paradise for home, she thought with a smile. It was relaxed, friendly. No wonder the old Hallie had upset his ways so much.
She followed a winding path past crisp white bungalows and foliage that made her mind reel with its beauty and fragrances. The sound of children splashing in the water led her to a huge pool that sparkled like diamonds in the sunshine. On one side was a rocky waterfall, and on the other was the bar, catering to swimmers as well as those on dry land. In between those two, the pool became narrow enough to allow a wooden bridge to cross over.
She searched the area for Jamie before stepping out into the open. She wanted their reunion to be, well, perfect. And private. It wouldn’t be long before someone mentioned her presence to him, so it would have to be soon. Hopefully after she had a drink to calm her jumbled nerves.
“Hello, Mrs. D!” a voice called as soon as she neared the chickee hut with palm fronds for a roof. “‘Tis good to see you, lady, truly it is!”
Until I Die Again [On The Way To Heaven] (Soul Change Novel) Page 14
