Wicked Temptation

by Linda Verji

  "That's when you decided to take Richard's money." Misha didn't bother to phrase it as a question. She wasn't surprised when Lauren didn't deny it.

  "Yes. I dressed up as a doctor, slipped into the on-call room before Richard dropped his money and pretended to be asleep. After Richard dropped off the money and left, I moved the duffel bag from under the bed to the cockloft then exited the room. When Abigail left the hospital I came back for the money."

  Misha was struck speechless by Lauren's devious meticulousness and patience in tracking Eric's activities. It really was true. Still waters ran deep.

  Her brain still racing with all the information Lauren had given her, Misha asked, "You had the money before the party, right?"

  Lauren nodded.

  "Then why didn't you just leave then?"

  "I didn't want Eric, or anyone else, suspecting that it was me. And I thought it would be fun to watch the storm rain down on my father when Eric released the video and the world realized who he really was." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I guess I should've known that he'd never let that happen."

  The room hung with silence for a full minute before Tony spoke for the first time. "Lauren, you should've come to us the second you heard Eric was dead."

  "I was scared," Lauren said simply. "But I didn't want them to get away with it either. That's why I sent the email."

  With no more questions to ask, Misha and Tony walked out of the room a few minutes later.

  Misha asked, "You still think she did it?"

  Tony looked troubled as he answered, "I think you're right that she didn't do it but then with her having the money and lacking a credible alibi… I can't just let her walk. She looks guilty as hell."

  "I know but-" The shrill ringing of Tony's phone interrupted Misha's words.

  The conversation was one sided and barely lasted a minute, but when it was done Tony looked relieved. "I guess I won't have to charge Lauren after all."

  "You confirmed her alibi?"

  "No, much better." Tony grinned. "We found the killer."

  CHAPTER 31

  Filming for the day ended much later than Danny expected. By the time he got back to his room at Landa Eagle Hotel it was well past nine; which meant it was past midnight in New York. Misha was probably asleep. Shutting the door behind him, he glanced at his phone. The screen showed one missed call from her and a message.

  Call me when you're done with your meetings.

  It would be inconsiderate for him to call her now, to wake her up, wouldn't it? But he wanted so badly to talk to her, to hear her voice. After spending the whole weekend together one would think that he would be eager for a break from her. He wasn't. Misha was like an addiction and he wanted her right next to him every moment of his day.

  He started to dial her number, then stopped. No, it was too late. He shook his head as he strode deeper into the stylish, lavish and expansive room. He'd speak to her tomorrow.

  He stripped out of his suit then headed to the shower. Like the rest of the room, and every other room in the Landa Group of Hotels, the ensuite was ridiculously luxurious. The gleaming porcelain and gold-coated fixtures screamed of money, as did the plush monogrammed towels, marble floor, claw-footed tub and glass screened shower with water falling from the ceiling like rain.

  His shower was warm and soothing but it did little to ease the loneliness of being far from his woman. Naked, he walked back into the room. Lifting the luxurious covers, he slid between the silken sheets, switched off the lights then lay back on the plump pillows and stared into the darkness.

  Sleep was hard to come by. His thoughts kept circling back to Misha and the passionate weekend they'd spent together. He smiled as the memories crowded in. No woman had ever taken care of him as she had. When she wasn't driving him crazy with lust she was treating him like a king; bathing with him, cooking for him, and at his beck and call. Sure, he was a modern man, and he didn't expect her to do all those things every day. But what man didn't appreciate the royalty treatment once in a while. He wished she was here with him so he could show her that he could give her the royalty treatment too.

  She was his was his queen, as he was her king.

  After only a few nights of sharing a bed with her, it was already a strange feeling to sleep alone. A wrong feeling. He should have her beside him, her soft curves pressed to his harder planes and the scent of her hair and body surrounding him. Despite his good intentions he found himself reaching for his phone again. He'd only try once, he swore as he dialed her number. If she didn't pick up then he'd just let her sleep.

  She picked up on the second ring.

  "I was waiting for you," she greeted gruffly.

  "Really?" Danny asked as a satisfied grin stretched the corners of his mouth. "Then why do you sound like you were sleeping?"

  "I wasn't sleeping." Her breath hitched as if she was shifting on the bed. "I was just resting my eyes."

  "Yeah, right." Danny laughed.

  She was silent for about a second, then she breathed. "I missed you today."

  Danny's breath caught at the confession, his heart leapt at the knowledge that their feelings were so in sync and he said, "I missed you too."

  Another pause then she said, "Do you have your laptop with you?"

  "Yeah." Danny rubbed a hand over his chest right where his heart was as he asked, "Why?"

  "I want to see your face."

  "Okay." It took some time for them to set up their respective laptops and sign into Face-Time. However, a couple of minutes later he was staring at her beautiful face on-screen. He smiled. "Hi."

  "Hi." She returned his smile as she settled on her side on the bed with the laptop propped on the pillow beside her. "Did you just get to your room?"

  "Yeah." He settled head against the headboard and laptop propped on his upraised knee over the covers. "The shoot ran later than I expected."

  "You sure?" She narrowed her eyes. "I know how you film folk get down in Hollywood. Brad Pitt-ing and Angelina Jolie-ing up in the there."

  Danny grinned. "So that's a thing now? Brad Pitt-ing and Angelina Jolie-ing?"

  "Don't change the subject."

  His smile still intact, he lifted an eyebrow. "You jealous?"

  "Damn right." Misha didn't refute his assertion. "You're mine, and I will cut a bitch for even looking at you wrong."

  He had to laugh at that. "Aw, baby-girl. You say the sweetest things."

  "You know me; sweet as sugar." Misha smiled before asking, "Did you see the press-conference?"

  His brow wrinkled in confusion. "What press-conference?"

  "Ho, honey. You missed the fireworks." Her voice lowered to confidential tones. "They arrested Pip."

  His eyes widened. "What? What? What?"

  "Apparently they found the .38 used to kill Eric and shoot me in his room."

  "Pip? Really?" Danny shook his head. "Wow! I know we considered him as a suspect but he wasn't even top five on my list. Who would've thought? He's just so…" He left the sentence hanging unable to express why Pip hadn't been a serious suspect in his opinion.

  "Dignified?" Misha found the perfect word.

  "Yeah." Danny nodded. "I get that he was probably in love with Richard considering how long they were involved, and he was loyal to the Wildes, but still… I don't see Pip picking up a gun and murdering someone in cold blood."

  "Babe, if there's anything I learnt working the crime beat is that anyone is capable of murder given the right push."

  "So you think he did it?"

  She shrugged. "If he didn't why did he have the gun?"

  "Planted," Danny suggested. "Don't you think it's too convenient that this case ends with the butler being the killer? That's so Agatha Christie."

  "Oh, look at you. Throwing around mystery writer's names. " Misha laughed. "Been raiding my bookshelf, Hollis?"

  "You're a bad influence." Danny smiled, but a few seconds later his smile dimmed. He sighed. "Ah, I'm so disappointed. I liked the guy."
r />   "Then be glad you didn't see the hatchet job Richard and Katherine's PR war-machine did on him."

  "The press-conference?" he asked.

  "Uh huh." She nodded. "The family, flanked by lawyers and with Richard as their spokesman, stated how they were glad the police had captured the culprit who'd murdered their dear, dear, dear Eric. According to them, Pip and Eric were allegedly fighting over an unidentified woman. This was just a love-triangle gone wrong."

  "Wow." Danny shook his head, appalled by the brazenness of the Wildes. "And Richard was the spokesman?"

  "Yup!"

  "And he ran right over Pip like that?"

  "Yup. Ran over Pip with his limo. Backed up, ran over him again. Went and bought a truck. Came back and ran over Pip. He went and hired a train then came back for another session of 'Run Pip Over'. Richard went in on Pip like he was a bug that needed to be quashed."

  "Man, that's cold."

  "Tell me about it." Misha shook her head. "I wonder how they plan to spin the story when Pip's trial comes up, and the truth is revealed."

  "You're assuming that Pip will talk and that they'll be a trial."

  Misha's eyes widened. "You think they'll pay him off?"

  Danny just quirked his eyebrow. He knew his kind; the Wildes would try to shut Pip up before the trial. Next week's headlines would probably read that Pip had pled guilty and there was no need for a trial.

  Misha protested. "But Pip isn't the only one who knows the details of the blackmail. The police already have the email Lauren sent me."

  "I'll bet you anything that gag orders are already flying left, right and center as they bury the evidence. You'll probably get yours by tomorrow."

  "But Tony wouldn't let-"

  "This is way above Wu's pay grade." Danny shook his head. "In fact check your inbox right now. If Lauren's email is still there, I'll eat my tongue."

  He watched Misha tap on her keyboard as her attention focused on her email address. A minute later, her jaw dropped. "It's gone."

  "Told you."

  "Jokes on them though." Misha gloated, "I saved all the info before I showed it to Tony."

  The information should've made Danny smile. Instead his heart jerked in alarm. "Don't tell anyone that you have that info."

  "Why?" she asked. "If I give it to NTN, they'll publish it then-"

  "Because the second you reveal that you have the info, you'll become a target too. They could sue you, destroy your career, or…" His muscles tightened with alarm as he added, "… even kill you."

  "Please." Misha guffawed. "They wouldn't. And besides I've been in this business long enough to know how to navigate the system. By the time I'm done, they won't know that it came from me."

  Normally, he was a fan of Misha's bravery. But not tonight. He said, "If Pip is being framed then the real killer is still out there. What do you think they'll do when they hear that you're peddling the exact same info that Eric was killed over?" Icy dread bloomed and wrapped around his heart as he reminded her, "They already tried to kill you once."

  Frustration rang in her tone as she said, "I can't just sit and do nothing."

  He took a deep breath then started, "Michelle, I've never asked you to sit out an investigation-"

  "Then don't," she cut in before he could make his plea. Her tone softened as she said, "I know the system isn't perfect but that doesn't mean that we should stand back and let it all go to hell. Daniel, I've dealt with people more powerful than the Wildes. I'm still here and they're paying for their crimes. I won't back down just because they know a few senators here and there."

  He knew that it was the right thing for her to stay on the case. He was also aware that she'd dealt with worse than the Wildes and come out on top. But that didn't make this any easier to swallow. The idea of her in danger stirred primitive feelings of protectiveness within him. She could very well be carrying his child right now. Justice for Eric be damned. The thought of her - and his child - being the targets of anyone's rage was enough to make his heart rate spike in terror.

  He didn't know how to express all this to Misha without sounding like he was trying to keep her from following her passion so he kept silent.

  But Misha must've read the worry in his expression, because she suggested softly, "What if I don't reveal that I have the information to NTN?"

  Relief fluttered in his belly but he tapped down on it because he knew she wasn't the type to just let go. There was more to her offer. His eyebrows notched as he asked, "And?"

  "I'll only tell Tony, so that if he ever needs to use it he'll know where to come." She pulled on her lower lip. "It won't be as satisfying as watching Katherine burn in the court of public opinion but at least I won't be helping in the cover up either."

  The fist of fear that had clamped over Danny's heart eased its grip. "Okay."

  It constricted again when she added, "But-"

  "There's a but?"

  "I need to make sure that Pip is the real killer before I let it go," she said.

  He wanted to insist that she quit the investigation all together and leave it to the police, but he knew that she was at the limit of her concessions. Besides that he wanted her happy, content, and, for her, solving Eric's murder seemed critical. He sighed. "How exactly do you plan to do that?"

  "I'm thinking I should go talk to him tomorrow and find out his side of the story."

  "Can't you wait until I get back? We can go on Wednesday morning." If he was there then he could protect her.

  "It might be too late." She ran her finger along the outer edge of the screen. "Like you said, the Wildes will try to get to him. I need to beat them to the punch."

  She was right. Again. Damn it. Danny couldn't wait for this investigation to be over so they could get back to their normal lives. Wait! Misha's normal was as bad - if not worse than this investigation.

  He broached the subject tentatively, "Misha, are you still planning to head back to the Middle East when your leave is over?"

  "I haven't thought about it." Her brow furrowed as her expression turned thoughtful. "We'll see."

  No, they wouldn't. She wasn't going anywhere near Palestine or for that matter any country seething with danger. He didn't know how he'd do it but sure as hell he'd make sure she stayed here. If she was looking for danger, there was plenty right here on American soil. At least here he could watch her back and protect her from it.

  He'd never felt as possessive of any woman as he felt about her. Never felt as consumed by, as focused on, as connected to anyone as he did to her. She was someone he wanted - no, needed in his life.

  Forever.

  He wanted to push her to tell him right now what her plans were so he could make a battle plan to counter it but changed his mind. Now was not the time. They needed to talk about this face to face without a screen between them. Besides, he still had one month before her leave ended. He'd seduced her into loving him. He was confident that he could seduce her into staying with him too.

  He smiled and changed the subject. "So how did group counseling go?"

  "Great." Eagerness lit her eyes as she described the session to him. His mood lightened as he listened to her. It pleased him that she'd finally stopped hiding from her demons and was now confronting them head on. Group sessions weren't his thing because that meant more people witnessing your weaknesses. However, if just one session with that group was enough to have Misha seriously considering sharing the details of her brother's death then who was he to knock it.

  When she paused to take a breath, he said, "You know what I wish?"

  "What?" She watched him carefully.

  "That I had a time machine so I could go back to when you were seven…" He paused, then added, "…and hug you and tell you that it wasn't your fault."

  After a brief pause, Misha burst into laughter. "That was corny as hell."

  "No, it wasn't," he protested, more than a little peeved.

  "Yes, it was," she said, but her eyes softened and she bit her lip. "B
ut I still love that you said it, and I love when you get corny."

  It was enough to ease his irritation. "You do?"

  "Uh huh." Her expression turned somber. "Danny?"

  Something about her expression had his heart twisting in both anticipation and dread. "Yeah?"

  She held his gaze for a long moment then said, "I love you."

  Her declaration rang between them, shocked him to the core because he wasn't expecting it. Maybe he'd imagined it. Maybe he'd heard what he wanted to hear. He hauled in a huge breath and pushed himself on one elbow before asking, "Like a friend?"

  "No," she started then paused. "Actually, yes. That too. But… but I don't just love you, Daniel. I'm also in love with you."

  It took a few seconds for her words to hit their mark. But it was the look in her eyes; the way they were riveted on him and wide with anxiety that sealed it for him. Her rapt, tense expression told him that she meant what she was saying and was anxious about his reaction.

  His heart swelled and his lips kicked up in a smile as he rasped, "I love you too."

  For a moment they were silent, watching each other, feeling, letting the long awaited moment swirl around them. There were so many things he wanted to say to her, to express how much he felt for her. There were so many ways he wanted to show her how much he appreciated her being willing to try to let go of her fears. Yet he couldn't.

  His lips quirked in a half grimace, half smile. "This is so wrong."

  Anxiety crowed her eyes. "What is?"

  "Not that we love each other," he rushed to quell her anxiety. "It's wrong that you're telling me this when I'm here and you're there. Do you know how long I've waited for you to say those words?"

  Misha smiled, warm and deep. "For a long time?"

  "Yeah." He wanted to kiss the words from her lips. He wanted to hold her and show her that he felt the same way about her. He wanted to make love to her, slowly, gently and for a long, long time until she knew that she was the only one for him.