by Vicki Hinze
That had Mandy’s attention. “Okay.”
“First, don’t get mad at the guys. They talked Tim out of telling you right away.” She slid Mandy a knowing look. “They’re protecting you so you have a wedding with good memories. Even Nora said they should wait to tell you.”
“So why aren’t you waiting?”
“Because we suspect NINA is here or coming, and you should know it.”
“That was the objective, Lisa, so I do know it.” Mandy frowned. “Is there more?”
“There is, yes, but I can’t tell you everything because I don’t know it all. I do know that you, better than anyone else, will pick up on anything odd or strange.”
“Seriously?” Mandy shuddered. “It’s all odd and strange.”
“You know what I mean.” Lisa licked at her lips. “Look, I love most of the people in this building, and you will, too, in time. I think you’re on your way to it already.” When Mandy nodded, Lisa added, “There’s danger and we all need to be aware and to know to expect it. Make sure you’re aware and your internal radar is engaged. Trust it.”
“I understand all that, and I will. So what’s happened? What exactly are the guys protecting me from?”
“I only know two things you don’t yet know,” Lisa said. “After your mom died, someone withdrew some of her thirty million from the bank.”
“Tim already mentioned that when he wanted permission to exhume her body. Do you know who went to the bank?”
Lisa looked her right in the eye. “She looked like your mother, but no one is sure who she really was yet. They’re still working on it.”
That stunned Mandy. “Lisa, are you saying there’s a chance it could have been her? That—that my mother could be alive?”
“I don’t know. NINA has substituted doubles before, so probably not, but there’s an outside chance. You didn’t see the body, but the detective there—“
“Walton, yes.”
“He says she’s passed and so does the medical examiner. And there were a lot of cops at the crime scene. That says it wasn’t her at the bank, but . . .” Lisa lifted her hands. “All I know is, whenever NINA’s involved, things are seldom what they seem. And they’re here. I can’t prove it, but I feel it. So I wanted you to know and be on your toes. That’s all.”
“I trust your instincts, and I appreciate your telling me.” Mandy reasoned through this input. A puzzle piece that didn’t fit slid into place. “Tim isn’t sure she’s dead. That’s why he needed her DNA and not mine.”
“Like I said, with NINA, little is ever what it seems. The dead show up alive. Some appear to be one person but they’re actually someone else—they pulled that on Nora, for pity’s sake. You never know who is who or what they’re up to until they strike.”
“Which is why you’re so afraid.”
Lisa nodded. “I’ve tangled with them before. I know what they’re capable of doing. That’s why I’m so afraid.”
Mandy swallowed hard. “You think my mother is with NINA.”
“I think that’s a logical deduction, considering all the money. But no logical deduction is proof it’s the truth. I truly don’t know.” Lisa frowned. “Where else would your mother get that kind of money?”
Thirty million dollars? Mandy frowned. “She wouldn’t. There’s nowhere I know of that could explain it.”
“I’m so sorry, Mandy. Having questions about her like this . . . It has to be incredibly hard for you.”
“It is, and I’m so sorry.”
“You haven’t done anything.” Lisa sent her a stern look. “Everyone is responsible for their own actions. No more.”
“And no less,” Mandy countered. “How could they both be involved in something so evil and I not know it?”
“They worked hard to keep it from you.” Lisa clasped Mandy’s arm. “I’ve been down this road, and I’m telling you. They’re very good at deception and diversion. Don’t beat yourself up for what you didn’t know or do. You knew what you knew, and did all you could. Be at peace with that.”
“Thank you, Lisa. I just hate feeling stupid. That they could do these things right under my nose makes me feel really thick.”
“You’re not. Like I said, if they’re both NINA, they’re motivated to keep you in the dark. Nora’s twin got past her. If she didn’t pick up on her twin sister—everyone knows she rarely misses anything—the rest of us missing signs is a given.”
They weren’t going to ostracize her. Relieved, Mandy took in a deep breath that filled her lungs and then slowly expelled it. “I’ve been standing here wondering about her and NINA and still wishing she were here for the wedding. Isn’t that crazy?”
“Not at all. Regardless of what else she might be, she’s your mother.”
“Then I remember if she were here, she’d be warning me not to marry Tim, and she’d be in a lot of trouble—deservedly so, if she is with NINA.” Mandy glanced away to a place far beyond the wall. “I just can’t imagine that she is—was—but that’s the only way any of this with Jackal makes sense, isn’t it?” Lisa withheld her opinion, and Mandy continued, “Oh, how I wish I had an explanation that was . . . different.”
“Of course, you do. Who wouldn’t?” Lisa asked. “Listen, your heart is torn about her and your father. That’s normal and you couldn’t be any other way and still be honest. You might not like them or what they’ve done, but you love them because they’re your parents. I get it.”
“I do.” Mandy nodded. Stilled. Her mother being gone made it possible for her and Tim . . . That was insane. She’d been murdered. “How can you love and hate someone at the same time?”
Lisa’s expression turned tender. “You love them in spite of their actions, and you hate their actions. Not them.” Lisa clasped Mandy’s hand, gently squeezed. “All normal. Not fun, not easy, but completely normal.”
“Just once, it’d be nice, if something could be easy and straightforward.”
“Something is.” Lisa smiled. “The way you and Tim feel about each other is easy and straightforward—no matter how hard others try to complicate it.”
“True.” Mandy smiled, but it was admittedly shaky. She still loved him, but did he still love her? She wasn’t sure. Yet, loving him was easy and straightforward. It was just whether or not he loved her back that had gotten a little muddy.
“Anyway, keep your eyes and ears open. You see or hear anything, press this.” She pressed a pearl near the neckline of Mandy’s dress.
“Press a pearl?” What good would that do?
“It’s a panic button.” Lisa’s smile faded and regret pierced her eyes. “Don’t be afraid to use it. Anything at all looks out of line, you push the button.”
“Okay.”
“And speaking of panic, I’m afraid I have one more thing to tell you.”
“What could possibly be left?”
“Your father is out in the hallway. Mark’s with him, so it’s okay. He’d like a word with you—before the ceremony.”
Her father? Here? Shock pumped through her body. It took a long minute to recover. “He came?”
“He did. Are you okay with that? Because if you’re not, just say so, and the guys will boot him out the door.”
“I’m fine with it.” Scared to death, but fine. “It’s what we wanted, remember? I—I just didn’t expect him to actually show up.” Mandy leaned against a chair, half afraid her knees would give out. Did she embrace him in gratitude, or slap him for his lack of respect to her mother? Not showing up for her funeral. How could he do that? And not for the first time, Mandy wondered if he hadn’t felt threatened by someone or something and shot her mother to protect himself. Mandy hated even thinking it, but if it came down to him or her, or him and anyone else, he’d choose himself every time. Of that, she had no doubt.
If only she knew for fact what had happened that day, she’d know what to do. But she didn’t know . . . yet.
“Shall I let him in, then?”
Mandy nodded. “Bu
t, Lisa, stay close. I don’t know that he shot my mother, but if he did, he could shoot me, too, to keep me from telling anyone about him.”
“I will. But, for the record, if he had that in mind, he never would have come here. You’ve got more security than the president right now, and long before he came inside, he’d been scanned, presented identification, and been questioned, so he would know it.” She gave Mandy’s shoulder a reassuring pat. “Besides, I know for a fact he’s not armed.”
“He could have stashed something somewhere. You can’t be sure he doesn’t have a weapon.”
“Yes, I can.” Lisa nodded. “I stumbled into him on the way back here to double-check. He’s clean.”
“So talented.” Mandy smiled. “I have such gifted friends here.”
“You do. And life’s going to keep getting better. You’ll see. You just remember that, okay? We’re all with you.”
A rush of emotion washed through her. She wasn’t alone anymore. Mandy nodded, wanting desperately to believe it.
Lisa opened the door. “You can come in now, Mr. Travest.”
He stepped inside. Lisa stepped out and closed the door.
When it clicked shut, he nodded. “Hello, Mandy.”
She nodded back. “I’m surprised you came.”
“Frankly, so am I. But here I am.”
He looked nervous. Uncertain. She’d never seen him like this. “Are you going to kill me to keep your secrets?” Might as well get the question out on the table and see what he said.
He hadn’t expected her to baldly ask. His tone took on a reprimanding edge, and his expression tightened. “You’re my daughter. I’m going to walk you down the aisle to marry the man you love.”
She reminded herself that he was a lawyer. A good one. Great with words. Not so great with actions, especially positive ones toward her. “Did you kill my mother?”
“I loved your mother.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“No.” He looked her in the eye. “Did you?”
Anger rippled through her. “How dare you ask me that?”
“How dare I do to you exactly what you just did to me?”
He had a point. She shifted on her feet, held tight to the back of the wing chair. “You didn’t come to her funeral.”
“I couldn’t.”
“Because someone might tell your wife or your children?”
“Because I was in court on a three million dollar case and the judge refused to give me a continuance. I asked, but the request was denied.”
“You didn’t tell him it was for a funeral.”
“No, I didn’t.”
Inside, Mandy again felt torn. Part of her wanted him to be innocent and good, and part of her wanted to strike out and hurt him for hurting her all of her life. Lisa was right about loving and hating the actions of a person. Not the person. But if he was Jackal and he had shot her mother . . .
A knock came at the door.
“Yes?” Mandy called out.
“It’s time.” Mark’s voice carried to her, not Lisa’s.
Mandy looked at her father. “It’s time.”
He crooked his arm. “You make a beautiful bride, Mandy.”
The kind words shot straight to her starved heart. Had that been honest or intentional manipulation? “Thank you.”
His eyes took on a dreamy quality. “You look so like your mother.”
The bubble of joy popped and, inside, she seethed. He wasn’t here for her. Once again, he looked at her and saw only her mother.
Maybe he wasn’t here for her or her mother. Maybe he was here for NINA. They could have sent him. But it didn’t matter. Not really. Not anymore. Whatever motivated him to come, it wasn’t her. He wasn’t here for his daughter. She was an end to some means only clear to him in his own mind.
And Nora was right. Mandy couldn’t count on him for anything. Not funerals or weddings. Nothing. As much as that hurt, she did know it for certain now, and having realistic expectations settled doubts and distanced guilty feelings for lacking faith in him.
Still, the truth hurt. But like on so many other things, it had to faced, addressed, and accepted.
“Wait.” With an outstretched hand pressed against the wood, Mandy stopped him from opening the door. “I want no trouble here today. You know what I mean, so don’t insult either of us by pretending you don’t.” She looked him in the eye. “Beware.”
“Of what?”
Her tone turned deadpan flat. “You’re unarmed, but I’m not.”
His eyebrows shot up on his forehead. “You’re going to shoot me?”
“Am I going to have to shoot you?”
He didn’t answer.
“For once, let’s be honest and totally candid,” she said. “You say you didn’t kill my mother but, frankly, I don’t believe you. So could I shoot you? Oh, yes, for that, I could. But I’d rather not. Recalling that on every wedding anniversary from now on would be awful. So here’s what I want—and it’s not negotiable. You’re going to walk me down the aisle, cause no trouble during the wedding, then after it, you make your excuses and leave.”
“I should stay for the reception, Mandy.”
“No.” She lifted her chin. “I don’t want you there.”
“But—“
“Don’t push me. Not today.” She let him hear her resolve. “You walk out of this church and get in your car, and go. Stay away from me and mine—and for the record, everyone here is mine.”
“Unbelievable.”
“Believe it.”
“I put everything on the line to be here today, and this is how you thank me?”
“I loved you and look what you did to thank me.” Anger shook her voice. “Something you’ve never understood is that I am not my mother. You can’t use or manipulate me like you did her. At one time, you had that power. But you don’t anymore.”
“I’m your father, Mandy. I’ll always be your father.”
“Yes, I guess you are. But all I ever wanted was a dad, and that’s something you’ve never been. At least, not to me.” She looked at him from under her lashes. “You might or might not know it, but there’s a big difference between a father and a dad.” She drew in a staggered breath. “I’m offering you détente. Accept it, and leave us all alone.”
“Or?”
“I’ll do whatever I have to do to take you down—and believe it or not, I have a lifetime of ammo with which to do it.”
“Blackmail?”
“If you insist. I considered this a truce but, like you, I’ll go to any lengths to protect what’s mine.”
“I’ve always suspected you were ruthless.”
“If I have to be to protect mine, I will be. Don’t doubt it.”
He seemed appalled and pleased by that. “We’re more alike than you know.”
“We’re nothing alike,” she countered. “I would never do to another human being what you’ve done to me or to my mother.”
“Yet you’d shoot me.”
“Would I?”
He stared at her a long moment. “Yes, I believe you would.”
“Then I wouldn’t provoke me, or force me to choose.”
He lifted his jaw. “So they know I’m Jackal.”
“Jackal?” She gave him a puzzled look. “You’re a vulture, that much I know for sure.” She clasped the doorknob. “Like I said, beware. You’re not armed but I am. I’ve given you fair warning. I suggest you remember it.”
He stared at her a long moment, took stock in what he saw, then backed up a step. “Very well. Détente, it is then. I wouldn’t want you to splatter my blood on your wedding dress.”
“That would not make me happy,” she said honestly. “But, a woman does what a woman has to do.”
Clearly he believed her, and just as clearly being afraid of her annoyed him. He grimaced. “I’ll leave right after the ceremony.”
“Great. Make your polite excuses to me, and then go.”
“Fine.”
They walked out of the bridal chamber and into position at the doors to the Sanctuary.
Lisa intercepted them. “Excuse us, Mr. Travest. I need a quick second.”
“Of course.” He stepped away, just out of earshot.
Lisa fluffed her dress, whispered. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Mandy smiled. Inside, she shook like a leaf.
“I had to ask. You just threatened to shoot your father.”
“I didn’t.”
“I heard you, Mandy.” Lisa tapped the fabric near the special pearl on Mandy’s dress.
The transmitter. “I forgot about that.” Caught red-handed, Mandy sighed. “Don’t worry. I wasn’t really going to shoot him.”
“You convinced me you were, and obviously you convinced him.”
“I meant to convince him, but I couldn’t have shot him. Well, not right this second, anyway.”
“Why not?”
“I don't have a gun.”
Lisa took in a sharp breath. “You’re lucky he didn’t put you to the test.”
“Maybe. But after all the years of him and his lies, treating us like . . . Let’s just say I have a formidable amount of pent up anger at him to vent.”
“Maybe he was the lucky one.”
Mandy gasped then groaned. “Tim couldn’t hear all that, could he?”
Lisa studied her a long moment, let her gaze drop. “I’m not sure.”
“Oh, no.” Mandy seemed totally distressed. “He heard it all.”
“Don’t you dare cry and make your mascara run. Even if he did hear it, what’s the problem? All you did was defend everyone you love. He wouldn’t think a thing of it. You didn’t do anything the guys haven’t done a million times.”
“But I threatened to shoot my own father.” Why had she let her temper get the better of her? She’d meant it, but she should have been more diplomatic. She should have had more discipline and control and appealed to his higher angels. Surely he had some.
“Well, yeah, you did,” Lisa said. “But you couldn’t actually do it because you don’t have a gun.”
“Right. Right, I don’t. Tim would know that. He’d know I was bluffing.” Mandy let out a relieved sigh. “Oh, thank you, Lisa.”
