Betrayed by Trust

by Frankie Robertson

  I was glad now that I was sitting down. Was this the danger I’d sensed on the map of Vancouver? My “feelings” usually only related to events that affected me. Foxworth had guided the Trust for over a decade with a sure, but nearly unseen hand. How the Trust weathered such an abrupt and unexpected change in leadership would certainly affect me, but not very directly. My course had been set months ago.

  Kincaid paused for a moment to let the news sink in. “The cause of death has not yet been determined, but poison seems likely.” He lifted a hand to quiet the exclamations that news excited. “The Vancouver director believes the Golden Path may be involved.”

  Should I have told someone about my premonition during training? Maybe if I had, Foxworth would still be alive. But I hadn’t known that the Chairman was in Vancouver. I couldn’t have connected the dots.

  Kincaid looked around the room, meeting the eyes of several department heads, and mine as well. Did his eyes narrow when he looked at me? “I encourage you all to be alert, but not fearful. There is no reason to believe there is any general threat to Trust employees. In the meantime, until the board of directors elects a new Chairman, the Trust will be guided by Mr. Anders of the Helsinki office, Mr. Scogg of London, and myself.” He thanked us all for coming and then left the room.

  After a moment of silence, a dozen conversations broke out as coworkers turned to their neighbors to share their shock. Barry stood, met my eyes briefly, then left without saying a word to anyone. I was glad he didn’t try to speak to me. I waited in my chair as the room slowly emptied, then rose. Dan had waited for me. He took my hand, then frowned. His fingers felt wonderfully warm, so mine must be like ice.

  “Are you all right?” he asked.

  I started to say I was perfectly fine, that I didn’t need coddling, but I shivered and felt my fingers tremble in his. I couldn’t get the thought out of my head that if I had done more, Foxworth would not have died. “No. Would you take me home?”

  “Of course.” Dan put his arm around me, and I didn’t complain.

  We were on our way out, when Bettina intercepted us. “Mr. Kincaid wants to see both of you in his office.”

  “Do you feel up to it? I’ll take you home and explain later, if you’re not,” Dan said.

  His concern made me feel warm and cherished, not diminished as a member of the weaker sex. I didn’t particularly want to climb three flights of stairs to fence with Kincaid, but I wasn’t shaking anymore. “No. I’m fine now. Let’s see what he wants.”

  Dan didn’t look happy, but he didn’t object.

  Kincaid’s office was still the same, all dark wood and heavy furniture. At least this time Barry wasn’t sitting in one of the chairs scowling at me. The director gestured for the two of us to be seated.

  “Kalisa told me about your training session,” he said without preamble. “As far as we know, you’re the only one who stumbled on any information at all. Aside from location, did you experience any other input?”

  I wished I had. “No. I’m sorry.”

  “I’d like you to try again. I’d like to see if you can get some indication of who or where the responsible parties are.”

  “Marianne isn’t feeling well. We were on our way home,” Dan said.

  “No, it’s okay,” I said. “I doubt I’ll be able to help, but I’d like to try while I might still be able to do some good.”

  Dan’s jaw muscles jumped, but he didn’t argue.

  “Excellent.” Kincaid ushered us out of his office and down one floor to Kalisa’s brighter room.

  Kalisa already had the map of Vancouver spread out on her desk. I sat in front of it, with my hands to either side, trying to empty my mind of nervousness. Mr. Kincaid stood behind my right shoulder, Dan behind my left, Kalisa in front, twisting her fingers. Their concern and hunger for results rolled off them in waves, like the ocean battering the shore.

  I glanced at each in turn. “Perhaps you all could take a couple of steps back?”

  They did as I asked, and that gave me the psychological space to ignore them. I half-closed my eyes and thought of Mr. Foxworth, of his ability to scan the surface thoughts of my mind. How had someone gotten close enough to poison him? Perhaps the person delivering the fatal dose hadn’t known what he was doing. The assassin could have poisoned Foxworth through an unknowing dupe, who might still not recognize his part in the murder. Had just one person wanted Foxworth dead? Or was it a conspiracy?

  How many people should I be looking for?

  I decided to look for just the person who had been closest to Mr. Foxworth, before his death. If we could find that person, he might be able to lead us to the source of the poison.

  I ran my hands back and forth over the map, not quite touching. All I knew was that the person I was looking for had probably intended no harm to Mr. Foxworth, otherwise the Chairman would not have been taken off guard. That person was probably just as horrified and saddened by Foxworth’s death as nearly everyone else who’d witnessed his death. That didn’t seem like enough to go on, but it was the best I could come up with. I cleared my mind and let my fingers roam over the streets of Vancouver.

  I felt nothing.

  “Sorry.” I let my hands drop into my lap and looked at Kalisa. “You know I’ve never been good at this. You’re the expert.”

  “I already tried, but I can only find objects, not people. We thought that since you had that premonition, you might pick up on something.” Kalisa shrugged. “It was worth a shot.”

  “Maybe the killer isn’t in Vancouver anymore,” Dan said.

  “You could try with a larger map,” Kalisa said.

  “Good idea,” Kincaid said.

  “Do you feel up to it?” Dan asked.

  I nodded. I was tired, but if there was any chance at all that I could find Foxworth’s killer, I wanted to try.

  Kalisa put a map of North America in front of me. “I could try a spell to temporarily enhance your skill,” she said.

  “What effect would that have on the baby?” Dan asked.

  The witch shook her head. “I doubt it would have any lasting effect. But I don’t know for sure.”

  “Better not risk it,” Kincaid said.

  So I tried again, with only my own limited ability. The results this time were no better than before, and when I dropped my arms this time, my hands were shaking.

  Dan and Kincaid moved to stand on either side of me. Dan put a hand on my shoulder and I leaned against his solid strength.

  “If the assassin got on a plane, he could be almost anywhere by now,” Kincaid said.

  “We could try with a larger map,” Kalisa suggested. “Then narrow it down.”

  “I think that’s it for today,” Dan said firmly. “Marianne needs to rest now.”

  I hated to give up, but Dan was right. I was wiped out.

  Dan insisted I rest when we got home, and I didn’t argue. The summer sun was still well above the horizon, so I drew the bedroom curtains and lay down. I didn’t sleep, though. My mind kept whirling, remembering the danger and dread I’d sensed before Foxworth was killed. The feeling was similar to what I’d experienced in Pennsylvania, but less urgent. Was that lack of urgency because Foxworth’s death would have less direct impact on me, or because he was hundreds of miles away?

  Disaster had been averted at Three Mile Island, but only just barely. Half the reactor core had been exposed, and radioactive gasses had been released into the air. How much, and how far the plume had spread was still under investigation. Dan’s family had gotten out of the area before the governor had called for pregnant women and young children to evacuate. They’d avoided the traffic jams of the mass exodus, and now I had the same reputation for good hunches among the family that Gran had.

  The warning I’d felt for Foxworth might not have been as forceful as the earlier one had been, but why had I felt it at all? My intuitions were always personal. Why would a threat to Foxworth be a danger to me?

  CHAPTER TWENTY

&
nbsp; DAN

  Dan clenched his jaw as he pushed the reel mower over the small plot of grass in the backyard, carefully overlapping each pass by habit. Marianne had been pale and shaky when he’d called a halt to her searching for Foxworth’s killer. If he hadn’t been there, she probably would have kept trying, and he didn’t have any confidence that Kalisa or Kincaid would have stopped her before she collapsed. Kincaid, in particular, only saw Marianne as an incubator. The bastard should be more careful of her, even if he only saw her as a tool for the Trust. Kalisa, at least, should have looked out for Marianne, but she’d been just as intent on the search as Kincaid. Which in Dan’s book, didn’t make her much of a friend.

  Marianne stepped through the sliding door onto the patio just as he finished mowing. “No hotdogs?” she asked.

  He grinned, liking that she remembered the family story. “You planning on sticking your fingers in the blades?”

  She sat on the wicker loveseat. “Not today.”

  Dan pushed the mower around the corner and into the garden shed. A minute later he sat next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. He wished she’d rested longer. Her body still felt tense, but her color was better and she wasn’t shaking anymore. “Feeling better?”

  “Much.” She snuggled closer, despite him being sweaty from his chores. “I couldn’t sleep, though. I couldn’t stop think about everything.”

  He nodded and squeezed her shoulder. “Me, either. Marianne, I want you to be careful. Don’t let Kincaid pressure you into doing more than you can. And tell me if you have more ‘feelings,’ or if you see anything unusual. If the Path can get to Foxworth, they can get to you, too.”

  She pulled away and looked him in the eye. “Why would they bother? Foxworth was a high profile target. I was just a one night stand.”

  He frowned, hating the way she demeaned the importance of what she was doing, even while he hoped she was right. “I don’t think Conrad saw you that way. Don’t forget, he asked you to go to Paris with him.”

  “He asked Mary Potter to go to Paris, not Marianne Collier. Even if he did try to find me, he’d lose interest once he found out we’re married.”

  “If he finds us, he’ll know something’s up because you married your ‘brother.’”

  She chuckled. “True, but that’s not likely. It’s been five months. He’s moved on. He’s probably had half a dozen other women on his sheepskin rug by now. No one else at the Path has any reason to look for me until Conrad dies and the person everyone thinks is his firstborn doesn’t inherit Aldwyn. That won’t be for years, I hope. By then, no one will remember me from among Conrad’s many conquests.”

  “If the Golden Path isn’t a threat, why did you get that warning about Foxworth?” He was the architect of this plan. His death could change how the Trust followed through with it.

  “I don’t know.” Marianne shivered despite the July heat, and pressed her face against Dan’s chest.

  Dan pulled her close, wishing he hadn’t said anything. “Never mind, let’s not worry about that now.”

  He stroked up and down her arm until she began to relax. He rested his other hand on the roundness of her belly. A new little life was growing in there. It didn’t matter to him that he hadn’t planted it; it was part of Marianne and he’d love it just the same. Dan pressed his cheek against her hair. He loved the way she smelled, and how she felt in his arms. His body stirred. Her growing pregnancy hadn’t made her any less attractive, and once she’d entered her second trimester her interest in making love had increased. Dan dropped a kiss on the top of her head, but stopped there. He wasn’t going to initiate anything. She’d been ready to drop only a couple of hours ago. Getting frisky wasn’t on the agenda tonight.

  Marianne apparently had a different plan, however. She lifted his hand from her tummy and put it on her breast as she sought his lips. Her mouth tasted perfect, as always, and the world fell away. He nipped at her lips and teased her breast lightly. His dick started to ready itself despite his good intentions.

  “Come inside,” she said.

  “I’d love to.” He smirked, turning her invitation into a pun.

  She rolled her eyes, but grinned as he helped her to her feet.

  The bedroom was cool and dim, the sheets rumpled from her rest. Dan stepped over the pile of discarded clothes she’d left on the floor. They had different standards of tidiness. He was an “everything in its place” kind of guy, and she tossed things wherever, but he had enough sense to keep his mouth shut and not spoil the mood.

  Marianne lit a vanilla candle on the dresser, then Dan turned her so she faced the full-length mirror. He wrapped his arms around her from behind. He loved watching her reflection as she leaned back against his shoulder and nuzzled his jaw. He quickly unbuttoned her blouse, exposing her bra and the tight skin of her belly. She was carrying the baby all in front, and since she was petite, she was already fairly round.

  Dan slipped her top off her shoulders and undid her bra. It was a testament to how tired she’d been that she hadn’t taken it off before this. Freed of their confinement, her nipples stood up happily and he rubbed his palms over the tight points. She shivered and pressed into his hands. He loved the way her pregnancy had made her already lovely breasts more sensitive. He lifted her full breasts, enjoying the weight of them. “These things are heavy.”

  She laughed. “Yeah, I know. I carry them around all day.”

  Dan kissed the indentations her bra had left on her shoulders, then nibbled her earlobes. “Your sacrifice is much appreciated,” he murmured. His palms traveled down to caress her rounded tummy. Her skin was tight and warm, and he savored the sensation.

  She turned in his arms to face him. “It’s no sacrifice. Not when you look at me like that.”

  He smiled, thinking of creative ways to play. “I can’t imagine looking at you any other way.”

  Her shoulders tightened, and then she said, “I read that some guys get grossed out by the birth. That they don’t want to go in where the baby came out.”

  Where did that come from? Dan made a dismissive noise. “Only stupid idiots. Don’t waste any brain sweat on that. That’s not going to happen with me.”

  Her tension eased, and he wished he could deal with all of her problems so easily.

  She wasn’t done. “Nancy in accounting told me her husband didn’t touch her from the time she started showing. Not sexually, anyway.”

  Dan winced. That was more information than he needed or wanted about Nancy and her husband. “I always thought Tad was a moron. Now I know.” He bent to kiss her and put a stop to this uninspiring conversation.

  As he stroked her back, shivers arced down her spine and she pressed into him. Her belly got there before the rest of her, but Dan bent over to nibble her ear. “Less talk, more action,” he murmured.

  She squeezed his buns, then stepped back enough to grapple with his belt buckle. “I hear and obey.”

  Dan snorted. “If only.”

  She backhand him lightly on the stomach.

  He grinned, but then an unpleasant thought surfaced and he bent to catch her eye. “You’re not giving Nancy details about us, are you?”

  She shook her head. “I didn’t want to make her feel bad.”

  Relief made him smile. “Good. That’s family stuff.” He bent more and kissed my tummy. “Isn’t it, squirt?”

  “That’s what Jill said.”

  Dan straightened, feeling a little queasy. “You talked about us to my sister?”

  “She’s been pregnant. She knows things. And she is family.”

  “But, about … us? Together?”

  His wife tried to maintain an expression of wide-eyed innocence, but she’d never been very good at being a prankster. A second later, she giggled, and confessed. “No. No details. You won’t have to sit across the table at Thanksgiving and wonder if she’s imagining us doing it doggy style.”

  “Minx.” Dan gave her a token spank, then waggled his eyebrows. “That sou
nds like a good idea.”

  She smiled back and unbuttoned her skirt. “Yes, it does.”

  Several play-filled minutes later, they were both naked and she was on her knees on the bed, with Dan braced over her. Nothing else mattered when he covered her this way. She was the center of his life now, and he almost felt like he could keep her from all harm with his much larger body surrounding hers.

  He kissed her shoulder, then slid home. A groan of delight escaped from his throat. This was where he belonged.

  “I can’t tell you how good this feels,” she said.

  The sensation of filling her, of her clasping him with her body, satisfied on a soul deep level, and his breath sped faster. “You don’t have to. I know.”

  He stroked into her gently. She moaned and arched her back. Dan smiled to himself for sharpening her pleasure.

  The baby kicked.

  “Whoa!” Dan exclaimed.

  “You felt that?” she asked breathily.

  “Yeah.” Maybe this is a bad idea. He started to pull out.

  She reached back to hold him in place. “Don’t stop.”

  “Are you sure this isn’t hurting the baby?”

  “I’m positive.”

  He eased back in, and teased her nipple again.

  She made a sound like a purr, and clenched around him The baby kicked again.

  Dan drew in a sharp breath. “It’s an interesting sensation. Does it bother you?”

  Marianne shook her head and pushed back, taking him deeper. “No. I’m fine. Keep going.”

  “We’re giving this kid an education,” he muttered, but he didn’t stop. He kept his measured strokes shallow and even, being careful to not be too forceful.

  “I need more.” Marianne dropped her head to the mattress and shifted her hips, changing the angle.

  Happy to give her what she wanted, he reached around her hips to stroke between her legs. In seconds she was coming, shuddering and gasping beneath him, clenching around him. Her back arched, and her pleasure intensified his. Dan thrust faster, his insistent cock growing harder. She shuddered as her orgasm continued and her inner muscles rippled around him. A moment later he grasped her hips and pushed deep, as his own release claimed him with wave after wave of hot bliss.