Falling For A Stranger

by Barbara Freethy

  "We're alone," he said. "No one is following us."

  "Not this time," she said. "But I have to be careful."

  They walked into the building and Ria pushed the button for the elevator. "Your grandmother told me that she loves to sail. I guess she doesn't know that Patrick is selling her boat to her grandchildren."

  "He doesn't want her to know. He doesn't think it's safe for her to be out on it anymore. I really wish I could do something to make things easier."

  "You're lucky to have had your grandparents for so long," Ria said as they got on the elevator. "But I know it's never long enough."

  "You said your grandfather died and your parents and your sister," Drew said, his gaze narrowing on each word. "That's a lot of death for anyone to handle."

  "It is," she said tightly.

  "Is there anyone else left in the family?"

  "No, it's just me and Megan."

  They stepped off the elevator and walked down the hall. Ria opened the door and set down her bag. "I'm going to check on Megan next door. Then I'll see if I can find some food for dinner."

  "We can always order take-out. My treat," he said.

  "I think I can find something to make if you're not too picky."

  As she left the apartment, Drew walked around the living room, noting the contrast to his grandmother's place. There were no personal photographs anywhere. A few fashion magazines were on the coffee table, but he didn't see any books anywhere. No personal or sentimental type items. He doubted there was anything in the apartment that Ria couldn't leave behind at a second's notice, and that thought bothered him.

  A cell phone began to ring, and it took him a moment to realize it wasn't his phone. He walked over to Ria's bag and grabbed her cell phone. As he thought about taking it to her, the phone stopped ringing. It was a cheap throwaway phone. He was almost surprised that she had a phone; she was so secretive. Then again, she had a kid to stay in contact with.

  The voice mail lit up with a message, and he battled a very strong urge to see who was calling Ria.

  It was a total invasion of her privacy. But damn…

  His curiosity overrode his conscience, and he played back the message.

  A female voice said, "It's your mother. Call me."

  His gut tightened. Her mother? She'd told him her mother was dead. Megan had said the same. He was staring at the phone when Ria re-entered the apartment.

  She turned white when she saw him holding her phone. "What the hell are you doing?"

  "I thought you said you didn't have any family. So do you want to tell me why your mother just left you a message?"

  Chapter Twelve

  "You had no business answering my phone," Ria said, fury and fear running through her at the same time.

  "I didn't answer it. I just listened to the voicemail."

  She grabbed the phone out of his hand. "And that's supposed to be better? Get out, Drew."

  "No. Not until you tell me why you lied about your mother."

  "I don't have to tell you anything. What is wrong with you? Do you really think it's all right to listen to someone's phone messages?"

  "You're what's wrong with me, Ria—you and your secrets. I can't stop thinking about you. And now when I think about you, I worry about you. I wonder why you had to change your name, why you let people think you were dead, why you look over your shoulder every three minutes."

  "I never asked you to worry about me."

  "You didn't have to ask. You and I have been connected since our night together on the island. Maybe if you hadn't died so suddenly, what was between us would have run its natural course. But the shock and tragedy of your death hit me hard. You were so alive, so passionate, so vibrant, and then you were gone. What was I supposed to do with that? Did you really think I could just forget you?"

  "I told you I didn't know you thought I was dead."

  "Well, you know now."

  "Yes, I do."

  They stared at each other for a long minute.

  There was a depth of caring in Drew's words and in his gaze. She felt herself weakening, wanting to let him in to her secrets, but how could she do that?

  "You still had no business listening to my messages," she said.

  "I know. You should call your mother back. It sounded important."

  She could not call her mom back with Drew in the room. "I'll do it later."

  "Where is your mother, Ria? Why did you tell me she was dead?" He paused. "Is anyone actually dead? Or do people in your world just start over with new names?"

  Before she could answer, the front door opened, and Megan walked in. "Hey, Drew," she said with a welcoming smile. "I didn't know you were coming over."

  Drew forced a tight smile on to his face as he gazed at Megan. "How are you feeling? Your face looks better."

  "Except for the black eyes that make me look like a raccoon." She paused, looking from Ria to Drew and back again. "What did I miss?"

  "Nothing," Ria said.

  "Only the fact that your mom called," Drew said.

  Megan gasped. She sent Ria a shocked, questioning look, and Ria knew that Megan was about to give away something, if not everything.

  "My mom," she told Megan. "Drew listened to my phone messages."

  "That's not cool." Megan gave Drew a wary look. "Why did you do that?"

  "Because I'm worried about you and your sister, and no one will tell me anything." He turned to Ria. "Why did you just say my mom when you and Megan are sisters? Why don't you have the same mother?"

  "Because we don't." She took a breath, glancing over at Megan. "Would you give us a minute?"

  "Sure." Megan stopped by her bedroom door. "If you trust him, I trust him," she said.

  "Thanks. I'll get dinner going soon," Ria promised.

  "Okay."

  As Megan disappeared into her bedroom, Ria knew she was facing a pivotal moment. Whatever decision she made now could be the difference between life and death, maybe for all of them. But Drew wasn't going away, and she was out of lies.

  "Megan is my niece," she said finally. "Her mother, Kate, was my sister. Kate died two years ago in a car accident."

  Drew's gaze was dark, unreadable. "Is that the truth?"

  "Yes. My mother is still alive. That's who called me."

  "Where does she live?"

  "Massachusetts, and no, I can't be more specific. She's remarried, has a second family, and is far removed from anything going on with me and Megan."

  "Not that removed if she has the phone number to what I'm sure is a disposable phone."

  He had her there. Drew didn't miss a thing. "I update her periodically. Megan is her grandchild."

  "What about Megan's father? Your father? Where are the men?"

  "They are both dead. My father died of cancer when I was twenty-one, and Megan's father was killed in the same accident that took Kate's life."

  Drew paced around the room and then sat down on the couch, kicking up his feet on the coffee table. "Go on."

  She sat down in the chair across from him. "What else do you want to know?"

  "Why are you and Megan living like you're in the underground?"

  "Megan's mother, Kate, was involved with some dangerous people. Before she died, she made me promise to take care of Megan. I'm trying to keep that promise."

  Drew blew out a breath that was filled with frustration. "Dammit, Ria. Do we have to play twenty questions? I'm tired of going around in circles. Tell me what's going on."

  "I just did, Drew."

  "You said before you couldn't go to the police. But nothing you've just told me explains that comment."

  She thought for a long moment, debating how best to phrase her answer. "In order to save Megan, I had to break the law. If I tell you what I did, you might feel compelled to turn us in, and I can't take that chance."

  He stared back at her with shock in his eyes. Whatever he'd been expecting her to say, it hadn't been that.

  "You're a man who's used to def
ending right against wrong," she continued. "You've spent the last decade living by a code of ethics and honor. I can't believe you would throw all that away for a woman you met in a bar one night."

  Silence followed her words. Apparently, she had finally found a way to halt Drew's endless list of questions.

  "You're more than a woman I met in a bar, Ria," he said slowly. "If you weren't, I wouldn't be here right now. And you know it."

  The intense look in his eyes made her swallow hard. "And you're more than a man I just had a one-night stand with, which is why I think you should go home and forget we ever met again. You may not believe me, but I'm not just trying to protect myself, I'm also trying to protect you."

  "I can take care of myself."

  "When I tell you the same thing, you don't believe me," she said dryly.

  The tension in his jaw eased. "I know," he admitted. "But that's different."

  She sighed, then got to her feet. "I should get dinner started. Megan is probably hungry."

  "I'd like to stay."

  "Why?"

  "Because we're not done yet."

  "I'm done answering questions for now. If you want to stay for dinner, fine, but it won't be much."

  "I don't need much."

  "I have to call my mother back first." She picked up the television remote and handed it to him.

  "Ria—I'm sorry I listened to your message. That was wrong."

  "Thank you, but I probably would have done the same if our positions were reversed," she admitted. She took her phone into the bedroom and closed the door.

  Megan was sitting on the bed with her computer in front of her and headphones on. She pulled out the earpieces and gave Ria a questioning look.

  "I told Drew that you're my niece, that your parents were killed in an accident, nothing else," she said.

  "That's a lot," Megan said, surprise in her eyes.

  "I had to say something. He's relentless."

  "He likes you. And he seems like a good guy." Megan frowned. "Although, he did spy on your phone, which is weird."

  "I made him way too curious." Ria sat down on the edge of the bed. "I don't know what I'm going to do about him. I know you don't want to hear this, but the best thing for us to do would be to disappear."

  Megan immediately shook her head. "No way."

  "After the prom," she said.

  "No. I'm not leaving San Francisco. I want to stay with my friends and with Eric. I want to graduate from the school I'm in now. I don't want to start over again from scratch. We have a life here, and I don't think Drew would do anything to hurt you or me."

  "He's a link to my past. And even if he didn't do anything intentionally, if anyone put us together—"

  "Who would do that?" Megan challenged.

  "I don't know," she admitted, but she couldn't shake the feeling that keeping Drew in her life was a dangerous idea.

  "Maybe you're just afraid you're going to like him too much," Megan suggested. "Maybe that's the real reason you want to run."

  Her niece had a point.

  "Would it really be so bad if you let yourself care about someone?" Megan asked.

  "We may not be able to stay here, Megan. I know you don't want to face that fact, but it's there. And while I want you to have as normal a life as possible, I need to stay vigilant, and I might not be able to do that if I let myself get distracted."

  "Drew is distracting," Megan said with a smile. "I mean, seriously, Ria, have you ever dated someone that attractive before?"

  "He would be at the top of the list, but that's beside the point."

  "I think you should give him a chance." She paused. "Is he gone?"

  "No, I had promised him dinner before he picked up my phone. So I'm going to keep my promise. But I need to call my mother back, so can you entertain him for a few minutes? Preferably without any stories from the past?"

  "Sure. What do you think your mom wants?"

  Ria heard the edge of bitterness in Megan's voice when she emphasized the word your, and she couldn't blame her niece for having hard feelings towards her grandmother. Megan had never met her grandmother, but obviously Kate had filled her daughter's head with long lists of her mother's flaws. Kate had picked sides in their family a long time ago, and her sister's side had always been with their father, not their mother.

  "I don't know what she wants, but we agreed to speak only every three months, so I need to make sure nothing is wrong."

  "I'd tell you to say hello for me, but I don't think she'd care."

  "She does care, Megan, and the fact that you've never met her is not all her fault."

  "I don't want to talk about it." Megan slid off the bed and left the room.

  After she closed the door, Ria punched in her mother's number. "It's me," she said when her mom answered. "Is everything okay?"

  "I'm not sure," her mother said. "I might just be being paranoid."

  Her stomach tightened. "Tell me."

  "I've seen a car a couple of times in the neighborhood. This afternoon there was a man in the front seat and he was talking on the phone. I got a license number, and I asked a friend of mine's husband if he could check it out for me."

  "What friend is that?"

  "A woman I play tennis with. Her second husband is a police officer. I told her I'm part of a neighborhood watch group, and I'm trying to be vigilant."

  "I hate to get the police involved."

  "Well, I have other children to worry about, and I need to make sure this car is not connected to you."

  "I understand. Let me know what you find out."

  "How's Megan?"

  "She's doing well," Ria said, realizing it was true. Megan had really begun to blossom in San Francisco. She was finally living the kind of life she was supposed to live. "She's going to the prom on Saturday."

  "Really?" her mother asked in surprise. "You're letting her go out?"

  "I don't have a choice. She's trying to be normal, and normal kids go to the prom. We bought a dress the other day, and she looked gorgeous. She has Kate's smile. I just wish Kate could see her."

  "I do, too," her mom said with a sigh. "I remember when Kate went to the prom. It was right before your dad left, before everything turned upside down, and she decided that she hated me. It seems like a different life now."

  "It is a different life. I can barely remember when it was the four of us together. And now it's just me and Megan."

  "You've acted with great courage, Ria. You're saving Megan's life. I'm very proud of you."

  Ria was shocked at her mother's complimentary words. She didn't think she'd ever made her mother proud. Most of her decisions, like not going to college, had filled her mother's eyes with disappointment. "Thank you," she said slowly.

  "I know we haven't been close in a long time, and a lot of that is my fault. But I do love you, Ria. And I love Megan, too, even though I don’t even know her."

  Her mom paused, and Ria could hear her talking to someone, telling them they couldn't have ice cream unless they ate their green beans. One of her half-siblings, Ria thought, feeling both connected and disconnected to the woman on the other end of the phone.

  "I have to go," her mom said.

  "Call me if you find out anything."

  "I will."

  Ria closed her phone and returned to the living room. She'd expected to find Megan talking Drew's ear off, but instead the two of them were on their feet playing an interactive videogame called Street Fighter. Drew seemed to be frustrated with the game, which didn't surprise her. Megan was an expert player.

  After they'd first left the island, they'd had to stay out of sight for weeks at a time, and videogames had been their sole entertainment. At first Ria had shied away from the battle games, but she'd soon come to realize that Megan gained confidence and strength by defending herself, even if it was only in the virtual fighting world.

  "What the hell," Drew muttered, looking down at his controller. "Mine is broken."

  "It's not
broken. I'm kicking your ass," Megan said.

  "Don't feel bad," Ria interjected. "She kicks my ass on a regular basis."

  As Megan gave Drew a few tips to improve his performance, Ria moved into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. She had eggs and vegetables, so it was going to be omelets for dinner. Megan would appreciate not having anything tough to chew, and if Drew didn't like it, he could certainly find his own dinner somewhere else.

  She sautéed vegetables in a pan, then whipped up the eggs and folded in the vegetables. She cut up some fruit, made toast, and set out plates on the small table. "Dinner is ready," she said a few moments later.

  "Gotcha again," Megan said, a triumphant note in her voice. Then she set down her controller and headed to the table.

  Drew followed more slowly. "Well, that was fun," he said dryly. "I used to be good at videogames."

  "Really?" Megan asked doubtfully.

  "Yeah, really," he said. "I used to beat all my brothers."

  "How many do you have?" Megan asked.

  "Four brothers and three sisters," he replied.

  "That's crazy," Megan said.

  "That's the way I'd describe it."

  "Are you the oldest?" Megan asked.

  "No, I'm right in the middle. And my family is getting bigger every day. My sister, Emma, and my brother, Aiden, are both engaged. Emma and Aiden's fiancé, Sara, were childhood friends, so they're planning a double wedding in August. And I just found out today that Sara is expecting a baby. I'm not sure how that will affect the double wedding, but there's certainly a lot of action in the Callaway family."

  "Weddings and babies," Ria murmured, thinking how lovely it all sounded. How nice to be in a family with no bigger problems than that.

  "A double wedding is so romantic," Megan said. "I would love to get married on the same day as my best friend, Lindsay."

  "You wouldn't want your own day?" Ria asked.

  Megan shook her head. "Double the wedding, double the fun, double the presents."

  "I guess that's true," Ria said with a laugh.

  "Good eggs," Drew murmured as he quickly worked his way through his omelet.

  "I told you it would be nothing fancy."