Unnatural Relations (Lust and Lies Series, Book 1)

by Marilyn Campbell

  Barbara clucked her tongue and sighed. "Don't tell me you were sucked in by his chemistry."

  "I'm pretty sure any natural chemistry he has was canceled out by the shot of morphine he was given while I was there. He was a little out of it, but he managed to tell me an interesting story about who he is and why you now hate his guts."

  "And you believed him?"

  Dani chuckled. "A man pumped full of narcotics is usually fairly truthful."

  "But did he admit that he planned the whole thing to get his hands on Hamilton money through Matthew?"

  "He doesn't need their money."

  "Are you sure they didn't give you some hard drugs while you were there?"

  With a shrug, Dani said, "You'll believe whatever you want, so I'm going to save my breath, except for one suggestion. Look up a list of the wealthiest people in the world and see whose name ranks above whose."

  When she was alone again, Barbara tried to busy herself by reorganizing the kitchen cabinets, but Dani's suggestion kept haunting her. What if Kyle had told the truth about having more money than the Hamiltons? What other reason would he have for seducing her?

  "Maw? Could I talk to you for a minute?"

  Barbara withdrew her head from the cabinet under the sink and smiled at Matt. "Did you sleep all right?"

  He nodded and sat down on the floor next to her. "Is Kyle going to be okay?"

  "Yes, he'll be fine. Dani checked on him earlier." They had talked about the shooting for a while after the police left, but she was willing to go over all of it again if he needed more reassurance. Barbara gave Matt time to ask for more details, but he didn't. "Is that what you wanted to talk about?"

  "No. I mean, I wanted to know if he was okay, but that wasn't it." Rather than say what it was, he untied and retied the shoelaces on his new sneakers.

  "You know you can ask me anything." He stopped playing with the laces, but he couldn't seem to find a comfortable position. "Should I start guessing, or will you give me a hint first?"

  Though Matt stopped fidgeting, he kept his eyes downcast. "I've just been wonderin' about... stuff."

  From the embarrassed look on his face, she thought she'd figured it out. Once upon a time, nine-year-old boys didn't know about sex and didn't want to. Today, they had knowledge forced on them at an early age. Either that or being around Tammy was playing havoc with his prepubescent hormones. "Is this about boy-girl stuff?"

  He wrinkled his nose at her. "Naw. I told you I know all about that junk."

  "Oh, that's right. I forgot. Come on, kiddo. I can't fill in the blanks if I don't know the questions."

  He went back to playing with his laces, as he asked, "Did you and my real father ever get married?"

  Her stomach clenched. So that was the problem. He wanted answers to the questions she'd been putting off. Evasion would no longer do, and she couldn't lie. "No, we weren't married."

  He let that sink in then went on to the next question. "Is he really dead?"

  "Yes. He died in a car accident the night before you were born."

  "Why didn't you two get married?"

  Again, honesty seemed to be the best policy. "We loved each other very much, but we were from two different worlds. His family was very wealthy and didn't think I would fit into their social circle, so they... did things to convince him not to marry me."

  "Huh?" Her explanation clearly made no sense to him.

  "His mom and dad didn't like me," she summarized more simply.

  "Oh. They must have been real assholes. Oops!"

  "Matthew!" She was about to scold him, but the devilish grin he was trying to hide made her laugh. "Yes. They were royal assholes, but I don't want to hear that word out of your mouth again."

  "Sorry." He started to retie the lace then abruptly looked directly at her. "That means I do have another gramma and grampa, just like Tammy said I did. How come I never saw them? Are they dead, too?"

  "No, they live in Boston in a big, stuffy old mansion with lots of servants who aren't allowed to smile. You've never met them because they didn't know about you. I always figured, when you got a little older, you could decide if you wanted to meet them. But as long as you brought it up, you may as well know it all. That gray-haired man, Simon Decker, works for them. Through him, they've offered to buy you from me."

  "Huh? That's dumb. You can't buy kids from their moms." He paused and cocked his head at her. "Can you?"

  "Not unless the mom agrees to it."

  "Then they're bad people too."

  "Yes, but they're very rich and they think that makes it okay to do whatever they want."

  "I don't want to meet them. Ever. Tammy's wrong. I don't care if they could buy me anything I want and fly me to Disney World every weekend in a private jet."

  Barbara felt a chill run through her. "What did you say about Tammy?"

  He had to think for a second. "Oh. We were talking about rich people last night. She thinks being rich is the coolest thing. She said if I had a family with lots of money, I could have everything I ever wanted and so could you, and Russ would never be able to scare us anymore."

  There was something terribly unsettling about Tammy bringing up wealth and grandparents with her son on the same evening. "And what did you say to that?"

  "Wel-l-l, when we were talking, I thought it might be cool to have piles of money. I mean, I'd like to have all that stuff and for you not to have to work so hard. But if being rich turns you into the kind of creep who thinks you can buy somebody else's kid, I don't want to be like that. Kyle isn't rich like that, is he?"

  Barbara's brain was still focused on Tammy and the odds of her casually discussing the benefits of having rich grandparents with Matt.

  "Is he?"

  "Oh, I'm sorry, baby. What did you say about Kyle?"

  He made a face, but didn't complain about the endearment. "I was just wondering if he was rich, but I guess not, 'cause he doesn't even drive a fancy car. Can I ask one more question?"

  "Of course."

  "What was my father's name?"

  After years of careful answers and guarded secrecy, it took a lot of courage for her to fill in the final blank, but it now appeared as though she needed to arm him with all the facts for his own protection. "Howard Hamilton the fourth was your father. He was a big, strong, handsome man and you look just like him."

  Having cleared his mind of puzzling questions, Matt went off to play a video game. Barbara tried to get back to her project, but she now had even more to wonder over than before.

  She didn't really care what Kyle's financial status was, but Dani had roused her curiosity and the conversation with Matt had given her an idea how she could get more facts than what would appear on a published listing of wealthy people. She vacillated for several more minutes then called Simon Decker.

  "Why, Ms. Mancuso. What a pleasant surprise. But I heard you had a bit of an unpleasant surprise last night. Awful business, these drive-by shootings. Just awful. Believe me, I was appalled that the policewoman thought to question me, as though I would stoop to such a level to convince you to be reasonable."

  Barbara listened to him ramble for a little longer. It was reminiscent of how Kyle had gone on and on the other night after she caught him making a phone call from his car. "Mr. Decker, excuse me for interrupting, but I didn't call about the shooting. I called to let you know I have considered the Hamiltons' final offer."

  "Really?"

  His surprise and excitement were exactly what Barbara counted on to get what she wanted. "But I wonder if you would help me clear up a bit of confusion I have."

  "Anything. Anything at all."

  She could imagine him salivating. For the first time in weeks, she had a flurry of self-confidence. "Good. I assume you were told who was shot last night."

  "As a matter of fact, I was, but it was quite bewildering to me how Hamilton Treadwell happened to be in your front yard."

  "Then you didn't know he was here and had spent the last two week
s trying to seduce me into marrying him?"

  "I beg your pardon?"

  His response sounded as though he was genuinely confused. "You're surprised? When I found out who he really was, I assumed you had hired him."

  "H-hired him? My dear lady, Hamilton Treadwell would never... has no need... oh, my, no. I haven't even seen him in a decade. Since... since young Howard's funeral. His family and the Hamiltons do not associate with one another. Oh, my, no. If Mr. Hamilton ever heard a rumor that I... well, I just wouldn't."

  "Are the Treadwells rich?"

  He let out a nervous laugh. "Oh, yes. Quite."

  "So, Kyle, or rather Hamilton, wouldn't need to marry me and adopt Matthew to get his hands on millions."

  Another high-pitched laugh preceded his response. "I should say not. If he was pursuing you, his motives would have been for an entirely different reason."

  "Oh. What other motive might he have?"

  "Revenge."

  Chapter 18

  "Revenge? I thought Howard and Ky—Hamilton were best friends."

  "Oh, they were," Decker confirmed seriously. "The dispute goes back to the prior generation. Treadwell Enterprises was Hamilton-Greene's stiffest competitor in the food industry at one time. Howard the third's sister, Celeste, fell in love with the founder, Kyle Treadwell, and married him despite all her brother's threats and warnings, thereby thumbing her nose at her family. Howard cut her out of his will and has never spoken to her since. It is believed she named their first son Hamilton to annoy her brother even more."

  "It was only at Edith's insistence that the two boys were permitted to play together so that her son would learn to associate with children in his social class rather than someone like the gardener's son."

  "Under Hamilton Treadwell's leadership, their company diversified into a number of other industries, allowing Hamilton-Greene to reclaim the lead in the food industry."

  "I'm not sure I'm following you. Are you saying that Hamilton Treadwell made some bad business decisions, but blames Howard Hamilton for getting ahead of him, so he would get revenge by gaining control of the only Hamilton heir?"

  "Oh, my, no. You've completely misunderstood. Hamilton Treadwell's decisions were far from bad. He multiplied the company's net worth many times over. The revenge would be for the rude treatment of Hamilton's mother and father by Howard Hamilton III all these years."

  "I see." In truth, she didn't see a logical reason for launching a vendetta at all, but she had learned long ago that rich people thought differently than she did.

  "And now that I've answered your question, are you ready to give me mine?"

  She could hear the confidence in his voice and wished she could see his face. "My dear Mr. Decker, I've been ready for some time. My answer is this—you can take the Hamiltons' offer, roll it up real tight, stick it up Edith's blue-blooded ass, and tell her to spin on it."

  * * *

  Simon dropped the phone into its cradle and felt the blood rush to his face as his heart reacted to the insult.

  "She said no, didn't she?" Tammy said snidely. "I told you she wasn't going to go for cash."

  "I... I... she didn't exactly say—"

  "Can it, Simon. That road's closed." She grabbed her sweater and walked to the door.

  "Where are you going?" He couldn't stand it if he lost her now.

  "It's obvious that I'm going to have to take care of this myself. I have a few errands to run, things to organize, that sort of thing. I'll call you when it's time for you to do your part."

  "But Tammy—"

  The door slammed before he could warn her about that policewoman.

  * * *

  "I'm sorry to bother you again so soon, but—"

  "Don't you dare apologize," Dani gently scolded Barbara. "As long as we're talking, I know you're alive. What's up?"

  Barbara related the portion of the conversation she'd had with Matt about Tammy's comments. "Under different circumstances, I wouldn't have given it much thought, but I got to thinking more about her vanishing act when the police were coming. Did I ever tell you I also met her for the first time after our picture appeared in the paper?"

  "Holy shit, not another one!"

  "I don't know. I thought I was just being paranoid, but when I put all the little oddities about Tammy together, I'm not so sure it's all in my head anymore."

  By the time Barbara told her about the insurance company where Tammy had either been employed for two years or not at all, Dani had heard enough. "I can't begin to guess where she fits into any of this, but I'll bet she does. I know Matt thinks she's the most beautiful girl in the world, but can you give me a little more detail?"

  Even before Barbara completed her description, Dani cursed again. "I think I've seen her."

  "Really? Where?"

  "I'll let you know if I'm right. Anything else?"

  "Just that I had a final conversation with Simon Decker and he confirmed that Kyle is very wealthy and was not seducing me for the Hamiltons' sake or to get in on their money. He said his motive was revenge for how Howard's father treated Kyle's parents."

  "Bullshit. Plain and simple. Now listen to me, girl. Remember what I told you about there being way too much smoke around you and how one of these days there's going to be a major explosion? Well, it's coming fast, I can guarantee it, and you don't have so many friends that you should count Kyle out as one of them."

  Barbara shook her head in denial even though Dani couldn't see the movement. "Everything he told me was a lie. I can't forgive that."

  "Maybe not. I'm only suggesting that you give it some more thought. If you still can't believe his story and forgive him after a few days, then you're probably better off without him. Okay? Will you at least do that?"

  "Sure. I'll give it some thought," she said, without any intention of doing so. She liked Dani and considered her a smart woman, but she seemed to have a blind spot when it came to Kyle. Perhaps he had seduced her as well.

  While he was in the hospital, injured and stoned on morphine? the annoying little voice in her head asked.

  Why not? she answered. Considering the effect he'd had on her, she would believe he was capable of any number of miracles.

  The fact that she had double-checked every door and window and knew there was a police officer watching her house didn't remove the anxious feeling that something else was about to happen. Only sheer exhaustion allowed Barbara to let go of the fear enough to fall asleep that night.

  * * *

  She was dreaming, or at least she thought she was. Her body weighed a ton. No, she was being weighed down. She could barely breathe for the pressure on her chest. Had she been buried alive? She pushed upward to free herself and felt the weight shift.

  "That's it, babe, move with me, just like you used to."

  Russ's murmur in her ear jolted her to full consciousness. He was lying on top of her, gyrating his hips against hers. She opened her mouth to scream, but he swiftly clamped his hand over it, muffling the sound.

  "Don't be mad, babe. I couldn't help myself. You just looked so beautiful lying here with your nightgown twisted up around your hips, like you were expecting me."

  She felt his erection poking at her body, blindly seeking entrance, and concentrated all her energy on keeping her muscles locked against him.

  "C'mon, babe, relax. It's been a long time, but you gotta remember how good it was between us."

  Knowing he was too strong for her to win a physical contest, she stopped struggling and made a pleading sound.

  "That's better. Now, if you'll promise not to scream or fight, I could use my hands to make it even better."

  She nodded her promise and controlled her panic as his hand eased off her mouth, then slid down her throat to her breast. As he kneaded her flesh, she whispered, "You'd better hurry, Russ. The moment you entered this house, you triggered a silent alarm direct to the police department. They'll be here any second and they're very anxious to have a talk with you after last night
's shooting."

  His body ceased all movement except for the sharp rise and fall of his chest then he abruptly jerked upright and slapped her across the face. "You fucking bitch. You just don't learn, do you? You're mine. And that boy's mine. And I'm tired of waiting for you to admit it."

  He got up from the bed and yanked on his jeans. "I brought you something to look at. It's on your dresser. When you see what's inside that envelope, you'll know once and for all that I'm the only one you can trust." He raised her window and pushed the screen out of the way. As he climbed out, he said, "I'm the only one who can keep you both safe from the Hamiltons. Oh, I had to change motels, so when you realize what a mistake you made tonight, you come to room 208 at the Sheraton and we'll finish this."

  Barbara's brave front disintegrated the instant he was out of sight, but she had one thing to do before she could fall apart. In a heartbeat, she leaped from the bed and ran to Matt's room.

  She saw him stretched out diagonally across his bed and moved close to assure herself that he was breathing normally. Matt was safe. Nothing else mattered.

  She tiptoed out, closed his door and made it back to her own room before the tears started to flow. She nearly sat down on the bed then jumped away from it. She could never use that mattress again.

  Her strength gave out and she collapsed to the floor. Wasn't there anything she could do to stop Russ from contaminating their lives?

  She gathered her energy and picked up the phone to call the police, then remembered that there was an officer parked in front of her house. A lot of good that had done. Rather than dial 911 or the police station, she called the one person she knew she could trust to help.

  As soon as Dani heard Barbara's hysterical tone, she went from sound asleep to alert.

  "I woke up... and... God, Dani... he was... on top of me... and—"

  "Just hold on, girl. I'll be there as soon as I can. In the meantime, I'll radio for your so-called guard dog to get out of his car and go sit inside with you till I can get there. His name is Harris. He's a big black man and he'll be in plain clothes, but make him show you his ID before you open the door anyway. Did Latham let you know where he was staying?"