Not-So-Secret Baby

by Jo Leigh

  He smiled. But only for a second. Then they were walking toward the escalator, still not touching, not talking, even in this public place, because you never knew who was around the next bend, behind the pillar, the elevator door.

  He entered the coffee shop first, while she waited. He was back in a moment and they were at a booth, holding menus, the waitress pouring water. Just like real people.

  When the waitress left, she sank back, closed her eyes. “God, I’m tired.”

  “I know,” he said, and even his voice was different here. Like the Nick she used to know. “You seem to be settling in.”

  She opened one eye; stared at him. “Settling in? Is that what you think?”

  “I see you with him. How you touch him.”

  She opened the other eye, not believing what she was hearing. “You’re kidding, right?”

  Nick reached across the table, grabbing her wrist. She couldn’t stop her wince or the fact that he saw it. He let go of her instantly and his gaze shifted to the reddish bruise.

  The air seemed to leave him in a whoosh, emptying him until he could hardly hold up his head. “I’m sorry.”

  “Yeah. Me, too.”

  “It’s because of what I said, isn’t it? That you let him—”

  “Let him? Like I have a choice?” She leaned over, her gaze never leaving his. “He has my son.”

  “Yeah.” He nodded. “Yeah, he does.”

  She sat back, then picked up her menu and marveled at the wonders there. Cheeseburgers. Fries. Meat loaf. No pâté, no foie gras, not a piece of endive to be seen.

  “You need another minute?”

  Jenny looked up at the very ordinary-looking waitress. She smiled. “I know what I want. A cheeseburger, French fries, well-done, please, and a thick, chocolate shake.”

  “Got it.” The woman who was somewhere on the far side of thirty, turned to Nick and gave him a blue-plate smile. “What about you, hon?”

  He grinned, but not at the waitress. “I’ll have what she’s having. Only make my shake vanilla.”

  Jenny nodded. She knew how Nick watched his diet. Nick lived on egg-white omelets and poached chicken breasts.

  “You’re a wicked woman, Jenny Granger.”

  “Yes, I am. And let me tell you something else, Mr. Mason. I intend to have a hot-fudge sundae for dessert. With whipped cream and a cherry. This, despite the fact that I’m having a chocolate shake.”

  “You maniac. Is there no holding you back?”

  “No. Wild horses couldn’t stop me.”

  He laughed. And before she knew it, she laughed, too, and it was the first time she’d laughed in so long that tears came to her eyes, and then she wasn’t laughing at all.

  He leaned forward, took her hand in his. “Don’t. Don’t let him take this, too.”

  She nodded. He was right. This was hers, damn it. Todd couldn’t touch her here. Not here, in this dumb little coffee shop with the plastic seats and fake flowers. But the tears, they wouldn’t stop.

  Not even when Nick got up, walked over to her side of the booth and slipped in next to her. And when he put his arm around her, she was lost.

  It didn’t stop for a long time. She just cried and cried, and leaned her head on his shoulder. His firm, wide shoulder. She smelled his smell, felt his fingers gentle on her arm. And the tears, they just kept coming.

  What stopped them wasn’t the milk shakes. It wasn’t the cheeseburgers.

  What froze the tears in her eyes and the blood in her veins was Henry Sweet, standing on the other side of the coffee-shop door, staring at her and Nick. Lifting a cell phone to his ear.

  Chapter Eight

  “Damn it.” Nick stood just as Sweet disappeared into the mall crowd.

  The look on Jenny’s face was pure panic. She’d paled and her eyes had grown wide, tears of frustration glistening on her cheeks.

  “It’s okay,” he said, returning to the seat opposite her.

  “He saw us, Nick.”

  Her voice had gone back into the low whisper that characterized all their talks. He hated that damn whisper. “So what? We weren’t doing anything.”

  “No? My head was on your shoulder. Your arm was around me. That’s not nothing.”

  “I’ll tell Todd what happened. If we don’t make a big deal out of it, it’ll be fine.”

  “What planet are you on? This is Todd we’re talking about. He can make a big deal out of a hair clip.”

  “I can handle it.”

  He looked at her wrist, the bruise marring her beautiful skin, but more than that, her spirit. She wasn’t the Jenny he used to know. Of course she wasn’t. Who could live with a monster like Todd and be anything close to normal? It was more than anyone could take.

  “I’m an idiot,” he said. “Of course, if anyone’s going to pay, it’s going to be you.”

  “He doesn’t need an excuse,” she said. “He just likes them. This will make his night.”

  “It’s not funny.”

  “No, it’s not. But what am I going to do about it?”

  “You? Nothing. Me? Plenty.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Never mind. Eat something. I know how much you wanted that burger.”

  “Oddly enough, I’m not hungry.”

  “Screw him. Eat it. Enjoy it. Get your hot-fudge sundae. Get two.”

  She laughed, although it was without joy. “Yeah. Why not?” She lifted her burger and took a big bite, the lettuce crunch louder than their conversation. He took a huge bite out of his, too, but thoughts of retribution and revenge were the only spices he could taste.

  He had to figure out what Todd was planning. And he had to find out damn fast.

  Jenny drank her thick shake, her cheeks sucked in with the vacuum pressure. Her color had come back. When she looked up at him, still drinking, her gaze held a curious determination.

  “What are you up to, Jenny?”

  She lifted her lips from her straw. “Eating. Drinking. Making merry.”

  “I mean it. I can see you’re up to something. Tell me what it is.”

  “Right. Like I’m supposed to trust you?”

  “Damn right you are.”

  She laughed again. “And I would do that because…?”

  “Are you joking?”

  “No. Are you?”

  “Come on. You know me.”

  “No I don’t. I thought I did, but clearly I was just as wrong about you as I was about Todd.”

  “Things changed—”

  “My point exactly.”

  “You know that’s not what I meant. I’ve been behaving this way for your own good.”

  “Gee, thanks.”

  “I mean it, Jen. I know I’ve been acting like a jackass, but I have my reasons. I thought you understood that.”

  “No. I understand nothing. Except Todd has my son. That’s the only thing that matters to me in the whole world. He can’t continue to have my son. I will do whatever I have to, to make sure he won’t.”

  “That’s what I’m worried about.”

  “Tough.”

  “You could screw things up for a lot of people.”

  “Gee, my heart just bleeds for all the other poor folks who aren’t being held prisoner in their own homes. I’m just all broken up about them.”

  Nick rubbed his hand over his face, wishing like hell he knew what to do. His first and only priority was the weapons deal. If Todd was messing with biological or nuclear weapons, it was a threat on an international level. “All right,” he said, leaning into the table, taking his voice low enough that she’d have to strain to hear. “I can’t tell you everything, but I can tell you something is coming down, and it’s coming down soon.” He looked behind him, checking to make sure the coast was clear. “Pretty damn soon Sweet’s going to be out. And when that happens, things are going to change. I’m gonna make it real clear to Todd that he doesn’t get within ten feet of you. Got it?”

  “And what on earth makes you think he’ll list
en to you?”

  “I’ll have a certain amount of leverage.”

  “Leverage. And you don’t think Todd will kill you the first chance he gets?”

  “No. He won’t.”

  She studied him for a long time, her teeth working a small bit of her lower lip.

  He doubted she’d bought the tale. A coup within Todd’s own organization? He wouldn’t have believed it. But she might. She had to. Because he couldn’t tell her the truth. Not yet.

  “I think there’s a way we can help each other,” he said, wanting her to stop thinking so hard. “So we can both get what we want.”

  “What is that you want, Nick?”

  “I want my share,” he said. “I’m tired of being odd man out. I’ve done things, Jenny. Things I won’t tell you about. But believe me, I’m going to get my due. And when that happens, things aren’t going to be easy for C. Randall Todd. Trust me on this.”

  She shook her head and in that moment he knew she didn’t believe him. Jenny was a lot of things, but stupid wasn’t one of them.

  She sighed. “Fine, whatever. I don’t know what you’re really up to, and frankly, I don’t give a damn. I’m taking care of my own situation, and I expect no help from you or anyone. So let’s leave it at that, shall we?”

  “But you have access—”

  “I have my son. I’m not going to put him at risk, and I’m not going to risk my own life. If I’m not here, who watches out for Patrick, huh?”

  “I—”

  She put up a hand. “No. I’ll pay for my indiscretion tonight. I’ll probably pay for a lot more. It won’t stop me from what I have to do. Neither will you.”

  “I can’t say that I blame you. Just, please, be careful.”

  “Yeah. Sure. Careful. Like not letting what we had a lifetime ago make me think there’s any reason to trust you.”

  “That’s not what I meant.”

  “I know.”

  He leaned back. Closed his eyes. “No, you’re right. It’s the only way you can think, and survive this.” He looked at her again. “Just, somewhere, hold on to the fact that you’re not alone. That’s all.”

  “That one thought, Mr. Mason, is more likely to get me killed than anything else. So, no. I won’t hold on to that. I can’t hold on to that.” She put her napkin on the table, scooted out of the booth. “Now I have to buy a dress to wear to a party. And you have to come with me to make sure I don’t escape. Let’s get on with it.”

  He almost reached out for her. But he didn’t. Because she was right. She was exactly right.

  TODD SAID NOTHING about Sweet, about Nick. He told her she looked beautiful in her new dress. He’d kissed her, which made her more nervous than anything else.

  She’d been perfect at the party, hardly leaving his side for a moment, smiling at all the right times, laughing at his stupid jokes, touching him just so, letting everyone there see she was his pet, his toy poodle. She’d also fed him what she believed were just the right number of drinks.

  Now they were back at the hotel and he was in the bathroom, getting ready for bed. He wasn’t all that steady, but she knew there was something that had to be taken care of before he would sleep. And she would see to that, too.

  She brushed her hair until it shone, then she sat on the edge of the bed. With no effort, her eyes watered for the full effect. Her hands went to her lap, she cast her eyes down and bowed her head in subjugated repentance.

  When he finally came out of the bathroom, he stood in front of her, his broad, flat feet sunk into the plush carpet, toes curling with anticipation.

  “What’s this?”

  “I was bad today, Todd.”

  “Bad?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  He walked around the bed, but she didn’t move an inch. She heard him breathing behind her. “How were you bad?”

  “I ate lunch with Nick at a diner at the mall. I got all emotional about something foolish. He came over to make sure I was all right, and I acted like a silly female, weeping all over his shoulder.”

  “And why is that bad, Jenny?”

  “Because I touched him. It was wrong, and I’m sorry.”

  “You touched him?”

  “Yes, sir. His shoulder.”

  “Is that all you touched?” he asked, moving to stand in front of her once again.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “You didn’t perhaps steal a kiss? Take comfort in his bed?”

  She looked up then, shock widening her still-damp eyes. “Oh, no. I would never do anything like that.”

  “No?”

  “I belong to you, Todd. Only you.”

  “That’s right. You belong to me.”

  His voice had gotten louder. A little more slurred.

  He took the edge of his finger and put it under her chin, lifting it until she looked into his red-rimmed, boozy eyes. “You touched him even though you know you belong to me.”

  “I’m sorry, Todd.”

  “Sorry.”

  “It won’t happen again,” she whispered.

  “I know it won’t. Because we both know the consequences.”

  “Yes, sir. I understand.”

  “Do you? Do you know what will happen if you touch him again?”

  “You’ll kill him.”

  “That’s right. And then…”

  “You’ll kill me.”

  “Good girl.” He smiled. “You know what to do, don’t you, Jenny?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  His right brow rose imperiously.

  She let her tears fall again. Giving him just what he wanted. Only this time, they were real.

  NICK KNEW WHAT he had to do. He had the weapons and he had the access. He could get into Todd’s room, and before security had a chance to get him, he’d blow the bastard’s heart out. He’d never make it out alive, but who cared? Jenny would be free and the problem with the weapons would be solved. Maybe.

  Damn it, that was the hitch, wasn’t it? He wouldn’t know if the problem would be solved. The deal might already be in motion. If Todd were out of the picture too soon, things could get messy.

  At this point Nick didn’t particularly care. He’d heard Todd threaten her one too many times. He couldn’t let it go on. Not and live with himself.

  But he wouldn’t go off half-cocked. He’d make sure he did things right. He’d call Owen, fill him in. Owen was smart. He’d clean up the mess. Find all the missing pieces.

  Then he’d go to Todd’s room and take him out.

  He got his weapon, made sure he had a full clip. Took another belt of whiskey, although he doubted in his current mood the liquor would affect him at all. Then he got his secure cell and headed out to the elevator. He’d call Owen from the street, away from the hotel. No reason to tip Todd off too soon.

  Bastard. Gonna fry.

  He got to the lobby, headed for the street. Only he didn’t make it. ’Cause his old buddy Henry Sweet popped up right by the front entrance.

  Nick stopped. It wasn’t a coincidence. Where Sweet was concerned, nothing was by accident.

  “You’re up late, Nick.”

  “You, too. Must be tiring, following me around all day.”

  “Who, me?”

  Sweet was an ugly bastard. Broad mug, sunken eyes, bulbous nose broken in who knows how many fights. In the years Nick had known the man, he’d never seen him laugh. He’d smile around the boss, but that was because he had to. The man didn’t have normal emotions. And even though Nick had personal knowledge that Sweet had taken care of several men, he’d never seen him get angry. Sweet was the perfect pet. He’d heel, he’d fetch, he’d even kill, all at the snap of Todd’s fingers.

  “Tell me something, Henry.” He hated to be called Henry. “You ever do anything without Todd telling you to? Anything at all?”

  Sweet, his expression placid and unchanging, looked at Nick as if he was a fly on the wall, ready to be swatted. “You don’t want to do this, Mason.”

  “Do what?”
<
br />   “You don’t want to get into it with me.” He stepped closer, keeping the conversation private. “I’ll snap your neck like a little twig if you mess with me.”

  “You will, huh?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I don’t think so, Henry. You’d have to bother Todd, and Todd’s a little busy tonight. You know. Women to hurt and all that.”

  Sweet’s lips curved up in what might have been a grin on a normal person. “Go on up to bed, Nick. You’re starting to piss me off.”

  “What did you tell Todd, huh, Sweet? When you called him from the mall?” He stepped close enough to smell the goon’s aftershave. Cologne. Like putting perfume on a toad.

  “Just told the man what I saw.”

  “What you saw was a woman on the edge. You know what he’s doing to her.”

  “It isn’t my business what Todd’s doing to her. It is my business what you’re doing to her.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong. She’s an innocent, Sweet. Practically a girl. You think it’s amusing that he treats her like an animal?”

  “Shut the hell up, Mason.”

  “When are you going to grow a backbone?”

  Sweet shook his head, scratched the side of his neck. Nick didn’t even see his fist. He just felt his head snap back and then he felt nothing at all.

  Chapter Nine

  Jenny had to bite back a groan as she slipped out of Todd’s bed. He slept, splayed across the bed, exhausted, snoring. He’d fallen asleep almost immediately, which had given her some much-needed respite, but now her heart was pounding as she faced the task ahead of her.

  Not even bothering with a robe, she went over to the desk in the corner. She wasn’t afraid to move around, as she knew for a fact there were no cameras in here. Todd didn’t want any kind of record of his hobbies.

  First, she reached far under the desk to retrieve the flashlight she’d taped to the underside this morning. She cursed herself for doing so as the sound of the ripping seemed sure to wake him.

  She stood quickly, her hand shaking, her heart loud in her ears, and checked the bed. Nothing had changed, not even the rhythm of his breathing.

  His briefcase sat on the desk, closed. After another quick glance at his prone form, she opened the heavy titanium case, not at all surprised by the tidy contents. Todd was a meticulous man. Everything was well or dered in his universe. She had no illusions that the briefcase would turn out to be the mother lode, that every piece was another nail in his coffin.