I shook my head, not really believing Barry wanted me to quit. Maybe this was another test, to see if I was committed. To be sure I wouldn’t freeze, or screw things up by backing out at the last minute. “I never imagined doing something like this, but the more I learn about the Golden Path, the more I want to stop them. I can make a difference.”
Barry’s normally unflappable expression distorted with distress. “You want to let that bastard Conrad grope you? Fuck you? Put his bastard in you? Do you really want me to help pimp you out to that frat boy?”
His words stung. Did he really think I was prostituting myself?
“What I want is to stop the people who stole my brother from me!”
Barry reached for my hands. “I understand, but I can’t do it, Marianne. I can’t help you sleep with another guy.”
Did he really care? Then I remembered he’d dated me on orders and slept with me that first time just to see if I was liberated enough to consider the project. More likely he just didn’t want to share his toy. Maybe I shouldn’t have continued to sleep with him. Maybe I should have kept it professional. He’d gotten possessive.
“That’s the mission, Barry. That’s the point of all the research and prep we’ve done, all the planning.”
Anger twisted his face and he jerked his hands free from mine. “If you won’t stop this, I will. I’m pulling out. I can’t do this. I can’t pretend to love Altesse’s child. I won’t marry you. Foxworth needs you to be married to help hide the child from anyone looking. He’ll have to start all over again.” Barry threw off the sheet and jerked on his pants.
So that’s what this is all about. “You don’t think this is wrong. It’s okay if some other woman spreads her legs for Conrad, just not the girl you’re screwing. You don’t want to share, and every time you look at the child you’re going to be reminded that I was with someone else.”
Barry turned abruptly to face me. “Is that so strange?”
Fury prickled over my skin. “It is when you set me up for this in the first place!” I hopped off the bed to square-off with him, heedless of my nudity. “You only slept with me because Kincaid asked you to, not because you liked me, or even because you found me particularly attractive. Maybe that changed over time, or maybe it didn’t, but Foxworth is right. This needs to be done, and short of assassinating Altesse and every member of his extended family, this is the only way to free Aldwyn. Pull out if you want to, but I’m going through with this.”
“You want to be a Mata Hari,” he said, shrugging into his shirt with quick angry movements.
“No, actually I don’t. I’d rather not be betrayed by the people I’m trying to help.”
Barry just shook his head, made a disgusted noise, and left.
Fury rose in my throat, and a second later I snatched Michener’s Chesapeake from the bedside table. It flew across the room, slamming into the door. Barry had duped me again, sweet-talking his way back into my bed only to pull the sheet out from under me. Only this time his agenda wasn’t for the Trust, it was purely selfish.
CHAPTER FIVE
MARIANNE
Mr. Mackson tells me that you’re having second thoughts about your mission, Miss Benton.” Mr. Kincaid’s hands were folded on the surface of his desk, but the tension in his jaw belied his calm demeanor. He’d summoned me to his office before I’d even had a chance to get a cup of coffee. Now I stood facing him like an errant child in a principal’s office. Barry sat off to one side.
I glanced at my erstwhile lover where he sat in one of the leather chairs. He’d just guaranteed himself a one-way ticket out of my bed. “Mr. Mackson is mistaken.”
Kincaid glanced at Barry. “I see.”
“You might as well tell Mr. Kincaid the truth, Marianne. I told him everything.”
This was going to get ugly. What was Barry thinking? How could he expect to succeed with me directly contradicting him?
“I have told him the truth, which is more than I can say for you.” I looked directly into Mr. Kincaid’s eyes. “Mr. Foxworth knows how committed I am. Unless he pulls the plug on this, I intend to go through with this.”
“Very good,” Kincaid said. “But that still leaves us with a problem. Mr. Mackson is no longer willing to be your contact with the Trust on this project. Without someone to be that relay, the mission cannot go forward. Our plan will have to be put on hold until someone else can be brought up to speed.”
“How long will that take?”
“A few weeks.”
That would put us near the end of the semester. I wouldn’t have much time to seduce Conrad before finals, and then he’d be going home to daddy in France for the summer. “Why do I need a contact at all? It’s not like I’ll be pumping him for state secrets. I just want to get into his bed. That’s a solo job. We can figure out the marriage thing later.”
Kincaid shook his head. “This is something Mr. Foxworth was very firm about. You must marry, both to protect your reputation and to conceal the parentage of the child. In addition, he wants you to have recourse to assistance during your mission in case something goes wrong, without risking direct contact with the Trust. Conrad and his security must not suspect your association with us. Your safety, and the safety of the child, are of the utmost importance.”
A cold shiver raced down my spine. Yes of course—the child. What would the Golden Path do if they knew I’d conceived Conrad’s firstborn?
“Who can we get on short notice who understands the mission?” As soon as I asked the question, the answer was obvious. “What about Dan?”
Barry snorted. “Dan? Are you kidding? He’s a research guy, not a field agent.”
Anger flared. “Yes. Dan,” I snapped. “He’s up to speed on the plan and he knows more than you do about the Golden Path—and he’s certainly more dependable!”
Mr. Kincaid cleared his throat. “I believe this will be an acceptable solution—if he’s amenable.”
Kincaid issued an order to Betina through the intercom.
“You can’t be serious about this, Marianne!” Barry said. “Collier? He’s—”
“Mr. Mackson,” Kincaid interrupted. “Would you pull a chair over for Mr. Collier?”
Barry stiffened but did as our boss requested, pulling a chair up from the back of the room. He hesitated, clearly wanting to position the chair on the other side of his from mine, but there wasn’t room for it there. After a reluctant moment, he pushed the chair to my left and resumed his seat on my right, unhappiness tightening his handsome features. A few minutes later, Dan joined our little chat. In few words, the director posed the question to him.
Dan regarded me with quiet brown eyes. His expression was as neutral as always, and I wondered what was going on inside his head. Did he hate the idea? Would he take one for the team?
He answered without looking back at Kincaid. “I’ll do it—I’ll go with her on the mission—but only if I’m also the one who marries her afterward.”
I felt a rush of relief—and something else—an unexpected lightening of my heart. I couldn’t help smiling. I pursed my lips and pushed the feeling aside.
Kincaid was talking and I forced myself to pay attention. “Is that unacceptable to you, Miss Benton?”
“I won’t be part of this if you don’t want it, Marianne,” Dan said, frowning.
“What? No—I’m fine with it.” I smiled again at Dan. “We’re friends. We’ll be fine.”
“Wait a minute!” Barry stood abruptly. “You hardly know this guy! He’s never been in the field. He’s a research nerd—no offense.”
“None taken,” Dan said dryly.
“How do you know you can depend on him, if something goes wrong?”
My mind swam with possible retorts. “God, where do I start Barry? You’re questioning his dependability?”
“I have no concerns about Mr. Collier’s abilities,” Kincaid interjected. “I believe his previous experience in the military provides sufficient evidence of that.”
Dan shot Kincaid an irritated look but said nothing.
Dan had been in the military? He seemed so—so unassuming. What branch? Had he fought in Viet Nam like Mark? Or had he been a file clerk somewhere?
“He’s just doing this to get in your pants,” Barry sneered. “And you can’t wait, can you?”
“Now that I do take offense to,” Dan said.
Suddenly, it was no longer difficult to imagine Dan having been in the military. The air crackled with energy, and without any obvious movement, Dan’s posture communicated potential violence.
Barry’s eyes widened slightly, but he didn’t back down.
“Enough, gentlemen.” Kincaid’s voice sharpened with authority. “As all pertinent parties are agreed, the plan is a go.”
Dan cocked an eyebrow at me and shrugged slightly. “Let’s do it, then.”
Two days later, all our preparations were in place. Dan had a fake I.D. that declared him to be my brother, Dan Potter. I was Mary Potter, visiting from Illinois. The Chicago chapter had an apartment that any inquiry would show as my residence for the last five years, and the Evanston Ferrari dealership would acknowledge my employment there, should anyone ask. It seemed unlikely to me that the Golden Path would scrutinize all the women Conrad screwed that closely, but Dan said I was being naive; Conrad was as important to the Path’s long term plans as my child would be to the Trust’s.
My last stop before leaving work was the practitioner’s office on the second floor. I wasn’t sure what to expect and I wished I’d asked Dan for more details. I’d met Kalisa a couple of times at office parties, but I’d never had much chance to talk with her. She had a slight accent I’d never been able to identify, and she wore her long wavy gray hair down. Not the usual style for a woman her age. She dressed her plump middle-aged figure pretty conventionally, though.
I had no idea what she would do to me, but it couldn’t be too bad, could it? I paused outside her office to wipe my sweaty palms on my skirt. Kalisa opened her door immediately when I knocked, as if she’d been waiting on the other side. She greeted me with a welcoming smile.
Her office was as different from Mr. Kincaid’s as it could be and still be in the same building. Where the director’s lair was designed to impress, Kalisa had decorated to put her visitors at ease—and it worked. I felt myself relaxing as soon as stepped inside. The room looked like a solarium. White bookshelves lined one wall and a wicker sofa and chairs with green cushions were grouped around an open area. Sunlight streamed in through three side-by-side windows onto a round floor-cloth painted with bright red poppies. Asparagus ferns hung in planters from the ceiling and broad-leafed dieffenbachia sprawled below. Where Kincaid’s office was dark, all the woodwork here except the floor had been painted white. The effect was bright and charming.
“Have a seat, Marianne. I have everything ready.”
I perched on the edge of the sofa and twisted my bracelet around my wrist.
As she poured a yellow liquid into a glass she asked, “Nervous?”
“No. Yes.” I shook my head and rolled my eyes. I sounded like a ninny. Would she report this back to Kincaid? “A little. I’ve never had magic done on me before.”
Kalisa smiled. “Nothing to be worried about. But I was asking about the mission.”
No one had mentioned that she’d been told, but of course Kalisa would need to be briefed so she could do her thing.
Her gaze was steady on mine. “Before I proceed, I need to know you still want to go through with this. Do you have any reservations?”
I’d been fiddling with the metal band around my wrist again and made myself stop. “Am I nervous? Hell, yes. Do I have reservations? No.”
Kalisa nodded and handed me the glass. “Here you go.”
I looked at it skeptically. Sniffed it. Sipped. The flavor was cool and slightly sweet. It didn’t seem like a witch’s brew at all. I drank about half the glass, then asked. “This is it?”
Kalisa laughed and sat down beside me. “What did you expect?”
I shrugged and lifted the glass. “More than this.”
Her laughter subsided to a smile. “Well, there is a little more to it. Finish it off, first.”
I sipped a little more, and felt my toes and fingers grow warm.
Kalisa lightly lifted my free hand to look at my MIA bracelet. “Your brother?”
“Yes. I never take it off.”
She nodded. “You probably should when you’re with Conrad. So nothing points back to your real identity.”
I nodded and finished the drink. Suddenly heat began to rise up my legs and arms. “Oh!”
Kalisa knelt before me. “Yes, most of the magic is in the elixir, but I need to guide it a bit. Lean back and close your eyes.”
I did as she told me. I could hardly not. Warmth spread upwards through my body simultaneously relaxing and arousing me. My hair felt hot.
“I’m going to touch you now. Don’t be alarmed.” Kalisa’s fingers trailed lightly over my eyelids, then my ears. Her hands trailed down my shoulders and then to my breasts. I’d never had another woman touch my breasts before, but her intent didn’t feel sexual, even though a jolt of arousal zinged down between my legs as her fingers stroked past my puckered nipples. Her hands moved downward, then pressed flat against my womb.
Heat gathered there like a hot coal. I felt myself grow wet and empty, hungry to be filled. I think I moaned and spread my legs.
Kalisa lifted her hands away and coolness began to flow into me, putting out the fire. I closed my legs and sat up straight again, mortified. Had I really just been writhing about like a horny co-ed in front of another woman? Kalisa stood and moved away, collapsing into the cushioned chair opposite. She looked worn out, and I noticed that the sunlight now stretched all the way across the floor.
How much time had passed? Much more than the few minutes it had seemed to be, obviously.
“There. It’s done. You will draw his eye as no other, and your body will welcome his seed.”
I remembered something Dan had said. “Won’t his people see the magic on me?”
“No. I know my job. No trace of my magic remains. It changed your body and is gone. All that’s left is the result.”
At home, I packed my suitcase, then called my folks. Mom answered on the second ring.
“Is something wrong?” she asked after we’d exchanged greetings. “You usually call on Sunday.” It was typical of Mom to jump to the worst possibility. She only had one chick left, and she was going to make sure I stayed safe.
“No Mom. I’m taking off with my friend Janna for a week, remember? We’re driving up the coast. I wanted to call you before I left.”
“That’s right. Who’s car are you taking?”
“Mine.”
“Oh, good. You’ll know that it’s been taken care of then. You checked the tire pressure, didn’t you?”
Dad got on the line. “She’s a grown woman, Helen. She’s been taking care of her car for years now, just like I taught her.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Just remember to keep your tank full,” he added. “Don’t wait for the needle to hit E before you fill up. Stop for gas when you still have half a tank.”
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help grinning. The oil embargo and the long lines at the stations had made a big impression on him. “I will, Dad.”
“Are you going to call us next Sunday?” Mom asked.
I didn’t know how long seducing Conrad would take, or what I’d be doing a week from Sunday. “I don’t know. I’ll try.”
“She’ll be off having fun with her friend, Helen. She’ll call us when she gets back.”
“I only asked!”
I decided it was time to say goodbye before they started bickering in earnest. We exchanged “Love-you’s” and hung up.
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. It always made me feel safe, knowing how much my parents loved me, and it stressed me out, too. Mom worried too much about
me. Dad did too, but he hid it better.
They would never understand what I was getting ready to do. Fortunately they’d never need to. Soon enough they’d be thrilled to know I was getting married, although they’d worry it was too sudden. And when I announced I was pregnant a few weeks later, they’d think we’d had to get married. They’d be both sad and happy. I hated to put them through that, but at least they were getting a grandchild out of the deal. And they’d like Dan, once they met him.
I took off my brother’s MIA bracelet and rubbed my thumb over the engraving. Most people thought the soldiers that hadn’t come home were dead. My parents did too, though they’d never admit it. I believed my brother was still out there somewhere. I knew it, but it wasn’t something I talked about. I set the metal band carefully on the dresser. Most people who’d worn the bracelets had borne the names of strangers on their wrists, and most of those people had given up wearing them when the POWs had returned. I wouldn’t do that, not until Mark came home, but I’d make an exception for the next few days. I couldn’t wear anything that might give away my real identity.
The doorbell rang just as I was reaching for the knob. I pulled the door open to see Janna leaning against the railing outside, still dressed for work in a pantsuit that hugged her generous curves. She flipped her long dark hair behind her shoulder and eyed my suitcases. “Going somewhere? With that hunky surfer, I hope?”
I shook my head and invited her in. “Nope. Surf boy is history. Dan’s the man, now.”
“Wow, when did that happen?”
“About three days ago.”
She leaned against the kitchen counter. “And you’re going on a trip with him instead of Barry.” She stated it as if it were a known fact.
I hated lying to her, but I said, “Yeah.”
Janna winced. “I don’t want to rain on your parade here, but are you sure you want to go away with a guy you just met?”
It was good having a friend who wanted to look out for me, even if it wasn’t very convenient at the moment. At least I could tell her a sliver of the truth about Dan. “Actually, I’ve known him about six weeks.”
Betrayed by Trust Page 3
