by HELEN HARDT
My heart slammed against my sternum. Was that the same voice of the woman who’d called me before? It could have been. I hadn’t paid much attention the first time.
Who was this nutcase?
No, wait. I’d blocked the number the previous time this had happened. This had to be a different number. I looked at my phone and quickly scratched the number on a sticky note. Then I hung up.
Why would anyone do this to me?
My mother was dead. Had been for over two decades. I was only nine when she died, and I didn’t have many memories of her. I wasn’t sure why. Talon and Joe had lots of memories, but they were older. Still, nine wasn’t exactly young. Why were my memories of her so few? I had lots of memories of my father and brothers during that time. Honestly, I hadn’t thought much about her in a while. Not until Jade had uncovered my mother’s true birth certificate and we found out she was the half sister to Larry Wade.
Then, all of a sudden, Daphne Steel had invaded my thoughts, and it had hit me like a cement block. I didn’t remember much about my own mother.
Very strange.
Maybe I’d talk to Melanie about it. She’d helped both my brothers deal with the demons of their pasts. Maybe she could help me. Not that my mother was a demon. She had been a loving woman.
I thought, anyway.
How much was my own memory, and how much was me just remembering what my brothers had told me?
At any rate, the loon who’d called me was not my mother. My mother was dead and buried. At least I remembered a little about her. Poor Marjorie had no memories at all.
I had to call my brothers and let them know that this had happened twice now. Once could have been a fluke. Twice? That merited looking into.
I called Joe on speed dial.
“Hey, Ry. What’s up?”
“How’s married life, bro? How’s Melanie?”
“Great.” He laughed. “And she’s good. A little nausea, but she’s handling it like a pro.”
“Glad to hear it.”
“I doubt you called to ask about my wedded bliss.”
“Yeah, well, there is something else. I got a weird phone call this morning. In fact, I got another one before we left for Jamaica. Both different numbers though.” I explained the situation.
“That is weird.” Joe’s voice had a slight edge to it. “Did the woman give you a name?”
“A name? Why would she give me a name? I only have one mother, and she’s dead.”
“Right. Of course.”
What was up with my brother? “I saved the second number. I’m going to give Trevor Mills a call and have him look into it.”
“No, don’t.” My brother’s voice was stern.
“Why the hell not?”
“Because this is just some prank. Mills and Johnson are on Mathias. That’s where they need to be concentrating.”
“Joe, what gives? You know as well as I do that tracing a phone number will take Mills all of three seconds.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I’m sorry. It’s just…”
“Just what?”
“Shit. Nothing. Go ahead and give them a call. Let me know what you find out. Do you want me to call Talon?”
“Go ahead if you want. I’m going to get Mills on this first.”
“Sure, I’ll call him. And Ry?”
“Yeah?”
“Love you, bro. No matter what.”
What? When was the last time either of my brothers had said they loved me? Probably the fifth of never. Not that I doubted their love. We just weren’t a touchy-feely bunch.
“Love you too,” I said and ended the call.
That was weird. Very weird.
After a quick call to Mills to look into the number—I left him a voice mail—I called Ruby.
“Detective Lee.”
“Hey there, baby.”
“Oh, hi, Ryan.”
“Don’t sound so excited to hear from me.” I smiled into the phone.
“No. I’m happy you called. I’m just in work mode.”
“What are you working on?”
“What am I not working on? I have a huge caseload, plus all my spare time is spent tracking my father. I’m also looking into the situation with Juliet and Lisa.”
“Any leads?”
“On my father? No, I’m sorry to say. On Juliet and Lisa? Still no, but I’m investigating kidnapping rings in the Caribbean. There are more than a few. Several women have gone missing from resorts in the area. Not just Jamaica, but the Virgin Islands, the DR, even a few from the Bahamas. These guys don’t discriminate, that’s for sure.”
“Is there any way to find Juliet and Lisa?”
“Not without money I don’t have. They were essentially naked when they disappeared. They had no ID, nothing.”
My nerves rattled. “Ruby, what happens to these women?”
She sighed across the phone line. “It’s not pretty, Ryan.”
“I’ve seen a lot of ‘not pretty’ in my life. You can tell me.”
“They’re usually drugged, deprived of food and water, and beaten and raped to learn submission. Once they submit, they’re fed to gain weight. They need to be attractive for buyers.”
“What if they don’t submit?” A lump was lodged in my throat.
“Then they don’t survive. They are eventually starved and beaten to death.”
God. I didn’t know those two women, but the thought of this… “Thank God Shayna got away.”
“I say that every day,” she said.
“I didn’t mean to start this conversation on a downer.”
“Most of what I do is a downer. Detectives don’t usually investigate good people.”
I chuckled. “Touché. How do you deal with it? All day and every day?”
“I guess you could say I’m driven.”
“What drives you?”
“My father. The guilt I feel for not being able to bring him to justice. So I bring a lot of others to justice instead. It helps.”
Her answer didn’t surprise me. “You’ll bring your father to justice, Ruby. We’re all here to help.”
“I know. But believe me, he’s cunning. He doesn’t slip up.”
“He will. We’ve taken out his two partners. He’ll screw up eventually, and when he does, you’ll swoop in and get him. I promise you.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“Of course I am. Hey, it’s Friday. Do you want to come to my place for dinner? Maybe spend the weekend? You could use a break.”
She laughed. “I just got back from vacation.”
“Yeah, and you’re back at your job and everyone else’s already.”
“I was going to do some research this weekend.”
“Funny thing about my place. I have Internet.”
“Okay, okay. Sure. Can I bring anything?”
“Like a bottle of wine?”
She laughed. “No. Like…I don’t know. Dinner? Do you cook?”
“I happen to be a great cook,” I said. “I’ll make you seared scallops a la Ryan.”
“Seafood? On a beef ranch?”
“Man cannot live on bovine alone.”
She laughed once more. It was a musical sound. I was glad I had that effect on her.
“All right. What time?”
“Be here around six if you can.”
“How about six thirty? I get off at five thirty. I’ll have to…pack a bag.”
“Six thirty it is. Come hungry.”
“I will.” She ended the call.
No sooner had I put my phone down when it buzzed again.
The same number that had called before…
Chapter Twenty–One
Ruby
A weekend with Ryan Steel.
Things could definitely be worse.
Before I let myself freak out about it, my phone buzzed again.
“Detective Lee.”
“Hi, Ruby. It’s Marjorie Steel.”
Marjorie? Why was she calling? Right,
to get together for exercise and lunch. “Hey. How are you?”
“Good. You?”
“Can’t complain. What’s up?”
She sighed across the phone line. A heavy sigh. “Are you seeing Ryan again?”
“Tonight, actually.”
“Wow. That’s quick.”
“He called me. I told him I didn’t expect anything from him.” Shit. Was that the kind of thing I should say to his sister? Of course, she didn’t know we’d had sex. I wasn’t one to kiss and tell. Especially since this was the first time I’d ever been kissed.
“No, that’s not what I mean. I’m thrilled for both of you. We all are. It’s just…”
“What?”
“I’ve talked to my brothers and their girlfriends—I mean, wives.” She laughed shakily. “Anyway, we agree there’s something you need to know. About Ryan.”
My heart began to thump wildly. I didn’t have a good feeling about whatever was coming.
“What?”
“Has he told you about any mysterious phone calls he’s gotten?”
“No…”
“Someone has been calling him, claiming to be his mother.”
“I’m sorry. Isn’t your mother…?”
“Dead? Yeah. At least that’s what we’re all hoping.”
Say what? “What are you getting at, Marjorie?”
“Call me Marj. Everyone does.” She sighed. “This is still so surreal… There’s a chance that Ryan has a different mother than Talon, Joe, and I do.”
I went numb. I had no idea where this could be leading, and a feeling of dread overwhelmed me. “Oh my God. Who?”
“Wendy Madigan.”
I knew the name well. She was a member of my father’s infamous future lawmakers club in high school, and Melanie and I had talked in detail about her. She was currently in psych lockup here in the city.
“It’s a long story, but she told Jonah and Talon that she was Ryan’s biological mother, and that she gave him to our father in exchange for five million dollars.”
“She’s obviously lying.”
“That’s what we all thought at first too, but it makes an eerie sort of sense. The psych ward assured Jonah that she didn’t have access to a phone. But how hard can it be to hijack a cell?”
Not hard at all. As a police officer, I knew that security in psych detention centers wasn’t the best. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Because Jonah and Talon have a lock of her hair. We need a lock of Ryan’s to get a DNA test done. We need you to get one for us.”
I about fell off my office chair. “Excuse me?”
“I know it’s a little unorthodox—”
“Unorthodox? That’s a pretty tame word for what you’re talking about here. It’s a total violation of his trust. I can’t have any part in this.”
Marjorie sighed across the phone line. “Melanie and Jade agree with you. But Jonah, Talon, and I are determined to keep this from him for his own good. Even thinking there’s a possibility that he might not be our full brother will cause him tremendous trauma. We want to avoid that. If we find out he’s not Wendy’s son, he never has to know there was an issue.”
“You’re his sister. How can you possibly condone this?”
She sighed again. “I don’t like it, not at all. Neither do the guys. It’s the lesser of two evils, though. We want to protect our brother as much as we can.”
“Wouldn’t it make more sense to let him know there might be an issue than to spring this on him all of a sudden if the DNA proves he’s Wendy’s son? That way he can at least prepare for it.”
“You think just like Melanie. That’s what she said. And Ruby, we have considered it. But our family has been through so much already. Why create more havoc if there’s no need?”
Poor Ryan. What if this turned out to be true? He’d be devastated. I was just starting to know him. Maybe even starting to fall in love with him. If he found out I had a part in this deception, what would he do?
I couldn’t take that risk.
“I’m sorry, Marj, but I can’t help you. It just feels wrong to me in so many ways.”
“I understand. I really do. We’ll figure out another way to get a strand of his hair.”
“Why not just grab his comb or brush? Certainly there are hairs there. Or get another type of DNA sample?”
“We’d need his blood or his saliva or a piece of his skin. Those are impossible to get without his cooperation. As for taking hair from a brush or comb, there’s no way to make sure that it’s actually his. Plus the root needs to be intact.”
I shook my head, even though she couldn’t see me. This was rattling me. Really rattling me. I had a lot of respect for all the Steels, but what they were planning to do was wrong on so many levels. “How do you know the hair sample from Wendy is usable?”
“Jonah pulled it right out of her head. The roots are intact.”
“So you just need Ryan’s hair to compare?”
“Right.”
“You really want me to pull a strand of his hair off his head?”
She sighed once more. “It’s impossible, isn’t it? Please forgive me. I’m sorry I asked. I truly am. We’ll figure out another way. He’s just dealing with so much right now, with someone calling him, claiming to be his mother. Wendy isn’t supposed to have access to a phone.”
“Security is pretty lax in those psych units.”
“Not surprising. The phone calls have alerted him to something. I don’t blame you for wanting no part of it.”
“I get that you want to protect your brother.”
“We Steels take care of our own. I’m glad to be one of them.”
One of them.
Could I ever be one of them? Did I want to be?
The answer frightened me.
Yes.
I wanted to be a Steel.
I hardly knew Ryan Steel, but I was drawn to him like I’d never been drawn to anyone. Of course, I’d never let myself be drawn to anyone…
“You are all pretty amazing,” I said, though that didn’t convey at all what I wanted to say. Amazing wasn’t strong enough. Strong wasn’t strong enough. They’d fought battles that made mine look like mere schoolyard quarrels. But while I understood their need to protect their brother, I couldn’t go along. From what little I knew about Ryan so far, he would want to know what was going on.
“Who will tell Ryan?” I asked. “I mean, someone will have to tell him eventually…if you get a sample and the test is positive.”
“I imagine Talon and Jonah. They’re the closest to him. I’ll keep you posted.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that.”
* * *
Ryan Steel had a dog—a gorgeous golden retriever named Ricky. I fell instantly in love. I loved dogs but had never had one of my own. I kept my life simple, and a dog didn’t fit into simple.
“Joe has one of his siblings. Her name is Lucy.”
“Ricky and Lucy.” I laughed. “Cute. He’s just gorgeous.”
“The whole litter was. There’s some champion blood running through his veins. A few of their littermates actually do shows. Ricky and Lucy weren’t considered show quality.”
“Really? I know nothing about showing dogs, but he’s beautiful. The most beautiful golden I’ve ever seen. How old is he?”
“Four.”
I sank my fingers into his soft yellow coat. “I love him already.”
“Looks like he loves you too. Lucy’s a little darker than he is. More golden. He’s more blond.”
“I hope I can meet her.”
“Anytime. I’m sure Joe and Melanie would be happy to introduce you.”
The mention of Joe and Melanie made me think of my earlier phone call with Marjorie. I regarded Ryan, handsome as always in perfect-fitting jeans and a black button-down shirt. He wore cowboy boots. Yes, cowboy boots. I hadn’t seen him looking cowboyish while we were in Jamaica, but wow, he was made for western wear.
He looke
d happy. So happy.
I hoped to God his happiness wasn’t about to be destroyed.
“I opened a bottle of my Rhône blend,” Ryan said. “Would you like a glass?”
“Sure, sounds great.”
I followed him into his kitchen where he poured two glasses and handed one to me.
I swirled it in the glass. “Gorgeous color,” I said.
“This is a younger wine, hence the deep ruby hue.”
I chuckled. “Hence?”
“Would you prefer thus?”
“Neither are words I hear used in everyday conversation. At least not around a bunch of balding cops. Hence my surprise.”
“Do I look like a balding cop to you?”
And I laughed once more. “Definitely not.”
He joined in my mirth and swirled his own glass. “Give it a taste. I want to know what you think. This is Jade’s favorite of my wines.”
I inhaled its fruity fragrance and took a sip. “Mmm. It’s good. Really…” I searched for words. “I don’t know how to say this.”
“What’s the word that came to mind?”
I smiled. “Meaty. But not meaning meat, like beef.”
He smiled back. “Like meaty fresh fruit. A meaty plum, right?”
“Yeah, that’s exactly it. By gum, you are a genius!”
“I’ll take the compliment, but ‘by gum?’”
“Haven’t you seen the original Willy Wonka film, where Violet blows up into a blueberry?”
“About a million years ago.”
“That’s what she says. ‘By gum, it’s gum.’”
He smiled. “You’re pretty adorable.”
“Not quite as adorable as when you said ‘hence,’ but I’ll take it.” I took another sip. “This really is great wine. Which grapes do you use?”
“This is a blend of grenache, syrah, and mourvèdre. Three classic Rhône blend grapes.”
“Mmm. It’s excellent.”
“Glad you approve.”
I was beginning to feel a little self-conscious. He hadn’t tried to kiss me. Had barely touched me. Maybe this was just an overnighter between friends. I could deal with that. Not that I had a choice. Besides, I did have a ton of work to do over the weekend. I’d brought my laptop and some files.
But then he walked toward me, took my wineglass from me and set it on the kitchen table, and cupped my cheek.
