A Love to Cherish

by Connie Mason

  Finally sleep did come, but it was fraught with dreams. No matter how hard he tried, he could not forget Belle’s horror upon learning he had worked for McAllister. Only one other time in his life had he felt this defeated, and that was when his brother had been found guilty of murder. With any luck Mark would be free, but it would take more than luck to regain Belle’s trust.

  Casey awoke early, ate breakfast at a nearby diner, and went directly to McAllister’s residence. Since it was Sunday, Casey expected to find McAllister at home. Casey was determined to see Tommy no matter what, and no gunman was going to turn him away.

  McAllister’s bodyguard answered Casey’s knock. “What do you want?” he asked curtly.

  “To see your boss.”

  “He ain’t receivin’ this morning. Don’t you know it’s Sunday? Save your business for tomorrow.”

  “This business won’t wait,” Casey said, shoving past the bodyguard. “I’m not a helpless woman you can intimidate with your brawn.” His right hand hovered dangerously close to his gun. “You can try to make me leave but it will be at your own peril.”

  “State yer business and I’ll see if Mr. McAllister will see ya.”

  “He’ll see me. Tell him Casey Walker is here to pay his debt.”

  The man pinned Casey with a speculative look, then shrugged. “Wait here. Don’t go gettin’ nosy or you’ll be sorry.”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Casey said, leaning against the door and crossing his arms.

  The bodyguard disappeared down the hallway, and Casey cast a curious glance up the staircase, wondering if Tommy’s room was up there on the second floor. Then suddenly he no longer had to wonder, for Tommy appeared at the top of the stairs, accompanied by a stern-faced woman wearing a starched uniform over tightly corsetted flesh that gave the appearance of being stuffed into her dress.

  Tommy spied him and gave a whoop of joy as he bounded down the stairs. Casey sank down on his haunches and scooped Tommy into his outstretched arms. Huffing and puffing, the nursemaid bounced down the stairs after him.

  “Casey! I knew you’d come for me. I told mean old … I mean, grandfather, that you’d come and take me back to Mama.” He glanced hopefully behind Casey. “Where is Mama? Why didn’t she come with you?”

  T.J. McAllister walked briskly down the hallway, saw Tommy in Casey’s arms, and sputtered with outrage. “Mrs. Grundig, take the boy to his room!”

  “No!” Tommy cried, clinging to Casey with almost frantic desperation. “I want my mama. Casey is going to take me to Mama and you can’t stop him.”

  “You’re wrong, my boy. You’re mine to raise now. You’re never going to see your slut of a mother again.”

  Casey carefully set Tommy aside, rose to his full, impressive height, and turned his glacial stare on McAllister. He bared his teeth in a feral smile. “If you ever call Belle that again you’re going to be very sorry.” His expression was hard, implacable, his voice threatening.

  McAllister recognized the cold fury emanating from Casey and sidled close to his hired gunman. “Your threats don’t frighten me, Walker. One false move and my man will blow you to kingdom come. You’re trespassing, it’s no crime to protect one’s home and family.”

  “I’m here on business, and to see that no harm has come to Tommy. You’re a ruthless bastard, McAllister. What would it have hurt to let Belle see her son when she called here yesterday?”

  “Mrs. Grundig, do as I say, take Tommy to his room. Now!”

  “No! I won’t go! I want to go with Casey.” Winding his arms around Casey’s legs, Tommy refused to be dislodged. “Do I have to stay here, Casey?”

  His little face was so pathetically hopeful, it nearly broke Casey’s heart to have to tell him he couldn’t return to his mother any time soon. Dropping to his knees, he pulled Tommy against his chest and hugged him tightly.

  “You have to stay with your grandfather for the time being, Tommy. The law appointed him your guardian. But I’m going to do everything in my power to change that. Be brave and remember that your mother loves you. Go now with your nursemaid. I need to speak with your grandfather.”

  The nursemaid finally succeeded in prying Tommy from Casey’s arms. As he was being dragged upstairs, he turned his tear-stained face back to Casey and gave him a watery smile. “I’ll remember, Casey. Tell Mama I love her.”

  “I’m not a monster, Walker,” McAllister declared. “I’ve grown fond of the boy. I’ve already changed my will in his favor. When I die everything I own in the world will go to Tommy. Taking the boy from his mother is for his own good.”

  “If you had a heart you wouldn’t cut him completely from his mother. You’re a compassionless, vindictive bastard, McAllister.”

  McAllister’s face hardened. “State your business, Walker. It’s Sunday, I’m not in the habit of conducting business on the Sabbath.”

  “And I’m not in the habit of conducting business in front of paid gunmen.”

  “Kellerman said you mentioned something about repaying a debt.”

  Casey nodded. “Can we speak in private?”

  “Very well. Come into my study. But let me remind you that Kellerman will be right outside the door. One word from me and he’ll come in blasting.”

  “How comforting for you,” Casey remarked dryly.

  McAllister led the way down the hall, opened a door and motioned Casey inside. “I’m not going to ask you to sit down, because you’re not staying long enough to make yourself comfortable. Now, about that debt …”

  Casey removed a thick envelope from his vest and tossed it on McAllister’s desk. McAllister picked it up, pulled out the wad of bills, and started counting. “It’s all there. My debt is paid in full.”

  “Where did you get this much money?”

  “It’s none of your business. We’re quits, that’s all that matters.”

  “So it seems. I’m a busy man, Walker, forgive me for not seeing you out.”

  “There’s one more thing.”

  McAllister smiled cynically. “I knew there might be, but I’m disinclined to listen. Good-bye, Walker.”

  “Let Belle visit her son,” Casey pleaded. He hated like hell to beg. “What can it hurt? You’re killing her, McAllister.”

  “Payback time, Walker, she killed my son.”

  “Your son drowned.”

  “He wouldn’t have if he’d married a woman worthy of him. Belle dragged him down in the gutter with her and forced me to disinherit him. If he hadn’t married the slut, he wouldn’t have been forced to take a dangerous job and he’d still be alive today.”

  “Your son had the gumption to stand up for what he wanted. Can’t you bring yourself to relent? You already have custody of Tommy, what will it hurt to let him see his mother?”

  “What will it hurt? Will it bring back my son? Will it make the boy a better person to know his mother is a whore? There is no way Belle Parker is going to corrupt my grandson like she did my son. Get out of here, Walker. You’ve said your piece and I’ve said mine.”

  White ridges of anger formed around Casey’s clenched lips. “I’m not going to give up. I’m a detective, remember? I’m going to dig into your past until I find something so discrediting you’re going to be forced to relent. If not, I’ll lay your entire past dealings before the world. There’s a streak of cruelty in you, McAllister. A man with your proclivity toward ruthlessness must have hurt people and made enemies to get to the top. I’m going to find those people.”

  For a moment McAllister looked discomfited. No, more than that, Casey thought, more like frightened. There was something in McAllister’s past he didn’t want revealed, Casey decided, and he was just the man to find it.

  “You don’t scare me, Walker. Do your worst. Now get out of here before I call Kellerman to show you the way.”

  “I’ll be back to see Tommy.”

  McAllister laughed. “Good luck.”

  Belle sat at the desk in her hotel room contemplating the options
open to her with regard to Tommy. They were pitifully few, and most of them unworkable. There seemed no way legally to get custody of Tommy. The law was against her. That left illegal means. And she was desperate enough to break the law. She was considering the various methods available to her when someone knocked on the door.

  Recalling how she had opened the door last night and found Casey on the doorstep, this time she wanted no surprises. “Who is it?”

  “Casey.”

  Belle went rigid. “Go away.”

  Determined to gain entrance, Casey said, “I’ve seen Tommy.”

  Predictably, the door was flung open immediately. Casey had spoken the magic word that had assured his entrance.

  “You saw Tommy?” Excitement colored her words. “How is he? Is he being treated well?”

  Casey stepped inside and closed the door behind him. “He is well, Belle. He misses you.”

  “Oh, God,” she sobbed brokenly. “I can’t stand it.” She would have collapsed if Casey hadn’t caught her up against him.

  “You have to be strong, Belle. I tried to get McAllister to relent, but he was inflexible. Don’t worry, I’ll find a way to help you. I need time, please don’t give up.”

  “Don’t make promises you don’t intend to keep, Mr. Walker,” she snapped. “Just tell me about Tommy and get out of here.”

  “Tommy seemed fine, Belle. Though I don’t condone his despicable behavior toward you, I believe McAllister cares for Tommy in his own way.”

  “How did you get in to see Tommy when his own mother wasn’t allowed past the guard?”

  Casey patted his gun. “It took a little persuasion, but I managed to convince the man to let me in. Besides, I had business with McAllister.”

  Belle scowled at him. “Unscrupulous business, I assume.”

  “I returned the money I owed McAllister. And I tried to convince him to let you see Tommy. Unfortunately, the bastard wouldn’t listen to reason. But I’m not giving up, Belle. It hurts like hell to think of the pain I caused you, despite the fact that I’m guilty of nothing but taking the case before I got to know you and Tommy.”

  “I didn’t expect McAllister to change his mind,” Belle said with resignation. “He’s always hated me.”

  “Did you know McAllister changed his will in Tommy’s favor? Your son is going to be extremely wealthy one day.”

  “Money! Ha! Tommy needs me more than he needs money.”

  “I agree.”

  She lifted her brows in honest surprise. “Isn’t it rather late for that sentiment?”

  “It doesn’t have to be. We can work together to get Tommy back.”

  “If you have nothing more to say, you can leave.”

  He couldn’t stand it any longer. This coldness was tearing him apart. “God, I want you.” The sincerity of his agonized words was evident in the spasmodic tightening of his hands as they reached out for her, in the gentleness of his touch as he drew her closer, and in the incredible yearning in his eyes as he touched her lips in a bittersweet kiss.

  Belle’s eyes widened in dismay as his lips came down on hers. A shaft of sunlight pierced through the window, sharpening the edges of his rough-hewn face and making the regret in his dark eyes more pronounced. Her pulse rioted even as her mind screamed in protest. She did not trust this man. Would never trust him again. Casey Walker would only cause her grief, and more heartache than she could bear.

  Belle had given herself to him because she cared for him, and steadfastly refused to fall victim to his sweet lies a second time. But with him kissing her as if he’d die if he didn’t, the will to resist fled. Yet if she didn’t stop this assault upon her senses she’d be lost forever. She couldn’t allow herself to feel anything for Casey Walker, not after the way he had betrayed her trust.

  “Belle, please don’t send me away. Let me comfort you. We need each other now more than ever.” He wanted to lay her down on the bed and make her his again in a way that was as wild and tumultuous as a summer storm, as enduring as the moon and stars, and as sweet as ambrosia.

  “I don’t need you, Casey. All I need is my son.”

  “Tell me you don’t want me,” he challenged, kissing her again and again, begging her with his compelling kisses to believe him.

  With Casey’s mouth on hers, Belle found it difficult, if not impossible, to think rationally. Beset by insurmountable problems and assailed by Casey’s passion, she felt as if she had entered the eye of a storm and was being buffeted from every direction.

  “You’re very persuasive, Casey,” Belle said when she came up for air. “But not persuasive enough.” She pushed herself from his arms, finding it the hardest thing she had ever done in her life. “I want you to leave. I’ve plans to make and people to see.”

  Casey eyed her narrowly. “You’re not going to do anything rash, are you?”

  She averted her gaze, refusing to look him in the eye. “I’ll do whatever I must for Tommy’s sake.”

  “Don’t do anything until you hear from me. Promise me, Belle. I haven’t finished with McAllister yet.”

  “I can’t promise you anything. I have to leave now, I told Wan Yo I’d stop by Naomi’s to see how he’s getting along.”

  “I’ll leave, but I’ll be back. I’ve got some ideas of my own to pursue. If you need me, you’ll find me at the Waterfront Inn. Send someone around with a message.”

  She turned her back on him. “I won’t need you.” She didn’t turn around until she heard the soft click of the door closing behind him. Then she whirled to stare after him, her eyes misty with tears.

  Things could have been so different, she lamented sadly. If Casey had been what and who he’d claimed to be when they’d first met, she could have found happiness with him. He had made love to her as if he truly cared for her, and like a fool she had fallen for his charming lies. She touched her lips, imagining the sweet pressure of his kisses. The taste of him, unique and totally his, still lingered in her mouth. Heat throbbed in her belly. To make it stop, she bit her lip until pain brought tears to her eyes. Determined to forget Casey, she cast his image from her mind and heart. Then she left her room and walked the entire distance to Naomi’s Pleasure Parlor.

  Naomi welcomed Belle with open arms and tears. “Oh, honey, I’m so sorry about Tommy. I’d give everything I owned if I could restore him to you. You know how much I love the little scamp.”

  Belle gave her a watery smile. She loved Naomi like a mother. Plump and pretty in an ostentatious way, Naomi was no longer young and was content now to forgo physical pleasure and run her establishment profitably. She was fair to her girls and they appreciated her care of them. Her place was clean, orderly, and extremely popular.

  “I’m going to get Tommy back, Naomi, or die trying.”

  “Don’t talk like that, honey,” Naomi cautioned, leading her into the kitchen. “Of course you’re going to get Tommy back. With that big detective on your side, you can’t lose.”

  “Forget Casey. You don’t know him like I do. Are you aware that he lied to me? He was working for my father-in-law.”

  They sat down at the kitchen table, and Naomi poured Belle a cup of tea laced with a dash of whiskey. “Drink this, honey, it will make you feel better. Casey was here yesterday,” she continued. “He wanted to know where to find you. He spoke with Wan Yo. If that Chinaman didn’t trust Casey, he wouldn’t have told him a damn thing.”

  “In the beginning, Wan Yo was the one who didn’t trust Casey. It wasn’t until Casey spoke with him shortly before we left Placerville that Wan Yo changed his mind about him.”

  “I know. Wan Yo told me everything. I even spoke with Casey myself. I tend to believe him. I’ll admit I didn’t trust him when he came here weeks ago asking questions, but he didn’t know you then. He swore he didn’t tell McAllister you were in Placerville and I believe him.”

  “You’re too good-hearted, Naomi,” Belle contended. “But I didn’t come here to talk about Casey. I have a plan and I need your help.�
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  “I’ll do anything, honey. Just tell me how I can help.”

  “First, don’t scold me because my mind is made up. I want to hire men to kidnap Tommy from McAllister’s house, and I don’t know how to go about it. Tell me where to find the kind of men who will do anything for money, and I’ll do the rest.”

  Naomi stared at Belle as if she’d just sprouted horns. “You can’t be serious!”

  “Very serious. If you won’t help me, I’ll do this on my own.”

  “Come on, honey,” Naomi cajoled. “This kind of thinking will get you into a heap of trouble.”

  Belle’s jaw tilted stubbornly. “Are you going to help me?”

  “Is there any other way? Can’t I talk you out of this?”

  “No, I’m determined. Once I have Tommy again I’ll head to Mexico, or maybe take a train east. I haven’t decided yet. Now, where can the type of men I need be found? I don’t care how unscrupulous they are, as long as they’ll do as I ask.”

  “I’ll blame myself if something goes wrong.”

  “Nothing will go wrong,” Belle said with more confidence than she felt.

  “I don’t personally know anyone like you described, but I’ve heard my customers mention ‘Sydney Ducks.’ They’re Australians who have jumped ship at one time or another and hang out at waterfront dives. They’re a lawless bunch and will do anything for a price. They can be found almost any night in any one of those low places where no lady should be seen. Let me send Wan Yo, or one of my bouncers, to pave the way for you. I’ll send word around to your hotel when contact is made.”

  Belle shook her head. “No, I have to do this myself. T.J. McAllister is a vindictive man. He could ruin you. I don’t want you or your employees involved in my problems. All I ask is that you find transportation out of town for me and Tommy. I’ll let you know the day.”