“Sorry to disappoint you, Anneliese. I know this is confusing for you.”
“Confusing? That’s an understatement, Carter!”
Tying the towel around her foot, she jumped down onto the hardwood floor. She winced at the pain that shot through her swollen foot and up her leg.
“Where have you been?” Anne asked through gritted teeth.
Carter paused for a second, searching to find the right words, the best explanation to ease his love’s tortured soul.
“I just couldn’t stay away from you any longer. There’s so much I want to say, so much I want to tell you. Once I heard you were engaged to Adam I couldn’t…”
“Wait, how did you know about that?”
Anne took a step toward Carter, holding his dark gaze.
“He’s not who you think he is, Anneliese.”
“That’s ironic for you because I thought I knew you too but I guess not! How could you do this to me, to your mother! Oh my god! Have you seen her, Carter? She is a mess! I was a mess when you disappeared.” Broken cries fell from her lips. “My heart died, my world came crashing down around me!” Her irises were black with fury. “Do you even care? Do you?!?!”
“Yes! Why do you think I’m here?”
Carter launched back, his face turning a deep shade of crimson.
“I loved you! And you left me. Why? I want to know why!”
Anne pounded her tightly clenched fists at his chest. Carter grabbed her hands, securing them forcefully behind the small of her back.
“Stop it! Listen to me!”
Carter bent down and pressed his lips firmly against hers. Anne yanked away, almost losing her balance.
“No! I want answers!”
Carter looked down at Anne’s exposed neck, releasing her hands.
“You still wear the pearls I gave you.”
She looked down and touched them with her hand which revealed the diamond perched upon her finger. Carter’s face twisted with anguish as he backed up against the wall.
“You can’t marry him, Anneliese. You don’t know him like I do,” Carter begged.
“What does that mean? How do you even know Adam?”
“Sit down please,” he instructed.
Anne hesitantly took a seat at the black bistro table, and Carter followed suit. This better be good, she thought.
“My father’s business was heading into financial ruin. The banks wouldn’t give him any more money so he became desperate. He asked the Montgomery family who are, well, let’s just say very influential in the illegal activities arena and extremely powerful. When I found out about it, I threatened to go to the feds because the Montgomery’s were already under investigation for extortion, credit card fraud and jury tampering. They caught wind of my intentions and told my father that I was a liability and needed to be taken care of. My father refused, so they decided to send over their own guy to take me out—Adam Whitney.”
Anne couldn’t believe her ears. Bile rose from Anne’s stomach when Carter said Adam’s name in the same context as a murderer. The room was spinning.
“So you’re telling me that Adam was contracted to kill you?”
“Yes, I knew too much and the Montgomery’s knew who to send. I faked my death so they wouldn’t come after us. That day I vanished only two people knew I wasn’t really dead—my father and Sam.”
“Sam knew about this? He’s the one that called me and told me you were dead! And what’s this ‘us’ business? Why would they come after me?”
Anne was trembling. He leaned toward her, placing his hands on top of hers. This time she didn’t pull away.
“He’s the one who delivered the note and pictures to you. I couldn’t take that risk of being seen. Once I heard Adam made his move, I couldn’t hide any longer from you. He has been using you the entire time. The Montgomery family suspected my death was a sham, even when my father showed them the death certificate. They sent Adam to you in hopes to lure me out and to see if you knew anything.”
“Oh my god!” Anne whispered looking around the room as it faded in and out of focus.
In the midst of Carter’s shocking revelation, Anne’s phone began to ring. They stood up simultaneously. It was Adam’s ringtone chirping at them. She didn’t know what to do. What would she say? Could she even believe anything Carter was saying?
“Don’t say a word to him about me,” Carter whispered, motioning her to answer it.
Swallowing hard, she tapped the screen that revealed Adam’s gentle smile.
“Hey babe,” Anne pushed out in a tight exhale.
“Hey, I’m so sorry. I hadn’t expect to be running so late and I couldn’t get away to call you back. I’m leaving right now so I should be there in about an hour.”
There was a slight pause then Anne replied.
“Um, it’s all right. I’ve just been relaxing by the fire.”
Clearing her throat she continued to maintain her composure. Carter watched her, coaxing her to wrap it up.
“Are you okay? You sound funny,” Adam inquired.
“I’m just tired, you know? That drive is exhausting plus I’ve had a couple glasses of wine.”
She awkwardly giggled.
“You don’t have to wait for me, just go ahead to bed and we’ll have a nice breakfast in town tomorrow morning.”
“Sure, that sounds great. See you in a bit.”
Anne began twisting the string of pearls around her shaky index finger.
“I love you, Anne.”
She closed her eyes and blurted out those words that she knew would rip through Carter’s chest.
“I love you too.”
Choking back her tears, she ended the call. Carter approached her, winding his arms around her whether she wanted him to or not. There would be no struggle. She gave in, sinking into his chest where she quietly sobbed. Since her first discovery of Carter’s renewed existence, she hadn’t really focused much on his appearance. She studied his face; time had stood still for him. Same gorgeous wavy russet hair, same perfect olive skin and his eyes were just as mesmerizing as ever. Even his smell was the same.
Carter placed his fingers under her chin. This time his kiss was without force, full of eagerness and compassion. Anne backed against the counter and Carter pressed his body against hers. Placing her hand on Carter’s chest, she gently pushed him back.
“This is wrong. I can’t do this Carter, and you have to go.”
“I love you my Anneliese. I’m here for you.”
Carter’s gaze burned into hers with confusion of her rejection.
“I need to be alone. You can’t just appear out of nowhere and expect us to pick up where we left off. It doesn’t work that way. I’m engaged to Adam.”
“He’s dangerous!”
Carter threw his arms up in frustration.
“He’s never hurt me. I’m not afraid of him.”
She hoped she sounded convincing.
“You should be.”
“You have to go. He’ll be here soon,” she moved further from his reach. “Don’t think for
a moment that I’m finished with you. I want to know everything, and I mean everything, Carter.”
“I’ll tell you everything, I promise, but you must stay silent regarding my whereabouts,”
Carter warned, before walking toward the door that led to the deck.
“I won’t say a thing, but when will I see you again?” Anne asked.
Deep down, Anne dreaded that her eyes would never fall upon his face again.
“I’ll be in touch very soon.”
And just like that, Carter vanished into the thick night air. Anne stood in the kitchen breathless and bewildered. She was trying to make sense of what had just taken place. Did it really happen? Is her fiancé truly a killer? She didn’t know how she would act around him knowing what she knew. She quickly cleaned up, bandaged up her foot and got ready for bed. If she was asleep when he arrived home she wouldn’t have to speak to him. At least she
would have tonight.
Tomorrow, she would have to come up with a different plan. She drifted off still feeling Carter’s phantom hands. Her sweet dreams would be interrupted knowing that the man who was behind Carter’s disappearance was sleeping soundly in the same bed with her. What would he do to her once he discovered that she knew the truth?
Chapter 7
Anne couldn’t help but continue to stare in wonder at Adam who sat across from her at the white-on-red cotton-draped table. They were at breakfast in a quaint little café in town. Adam read the newspaper and drank his black coffee. When Anne awakened that morning, she questioned whether it had been just a dream but when Adam asked about the broken glass on the deck she knew it was indeed true. Carter was alive. She threw out a random excuse and showed him her bandaged foot.
They took separate cars to the café; Adam had to head to Duluth and finish his case there. The Friday morning air felt heavy, almost suffocating. There was a light layer of fog that hung low over the pine trees. It danced across the lake like a scenic ballet. Soft pink tones painted themselves through the sections of the watery haze.
Anne took a sip of her coffee and began fidgeting with her ring. How could it be true? Adam was always so gentle and loving with her. He would give her the world on a silver platter if he could. He looked so average reading his paper; he didn’t look like a contract killer. Adam shifted his gaze toward her. She quickly looked away.
“Okay, what’s going on?”
Closing his paper, he turned toward her.
“Nothing,” Anne said, giving him a quick smile of reassurance.
“You seem restless. Is this about the broken glass? Look, my mom isn’t even going to notice, so don’t worry about it.”
If only that was the biggest of her worries.
“I know. Will you be gone all day?” she asked, attempting to sound casual.
“I don’t know. I’ll do my best to wrap it up so we can enjoy the rest of the weekend together. I’m sorry about last night, but you did look quite sexy wearing my shirt,” Adam said as the corner of his lips lifted.
A flush of heat spread over the apples of Anne’s cheeks.
“Yeah, me and sexy don’t go hand-in-hand all that well.”
Adam enveloped her hand in his, kissing it softly.
“I think you’re sexy no matter what you wear.”
She smiled and looked out toward the road where she noticed a black Escalade parked across the way. Carter ducked inside. Anne gasped, nearly knocking over the coffee-filled white porcelain.
“Whoa, what was that?” Adam asked, puzzled by her sudden jolt.
“Um, just a chill. I shouldn’t have worn a dress out today. It may be spring but the temperatures aren’t quite that warm yet,” Anne replied, trying to recover from her seizure-like behavior.
Adam motioned to the waitress for the check.
“So what are you going to do today, darling?” he asked.
Adam had many endearing pet names for her, which always caused a flutter in her chest. Until she knew more, she couldn’t envision him as a cold-blooded killer.
“I think I’ll just do some antique shopping and then head back to cabin and read.”
“That sounds nice and relaxing. Just what you needed.”
“Yeah,” Anne replied quietly.
There would be no relaxing for her. They walked hand–in-hand to the gravel-spread parking lot. She kept from gazing in Carter’s general direction. Adam squeezed her hand as they stopped at her driver’s side door.
“I’ll call you when I’m finished and I promise it won’t be late like last night. I love you.”
He kissed her on the lips chastely. Anne had to remind herself to breathe.
“I love you too,” she replied, wanting to tell Adam the truth, tell him everything, but she withheld the notion.
“Stay out of trouble, my angel.” He smiled and gave her a playful wink.
They both got into their cars and exited the parking lot. He went one way toward Duluth and she turned the other, waiting for Carter to follow her lead. About a mile away from the café, the black Escalade sped up behind her. She couldn’t help but smile when she saw his face in her rear view mirror. They continued down the two-lane highway when Carter began to flash his headlights at her, motioning for her to turn left onto the upcoming dirt road.
Anne was unfamiliar with where this road led but she did as she was instructed. Gripping the steering wheel with both hands, she guided the car carefully over the unstable softening dirt. Up ahead, on their right stood an old abandoned barn. Most of the once vibrant red paint was chipped away and weathered by the many years of frigid northern winters. They parked on the side of the barn that was not visible from the road.
Anne’s instincts were to immediately run over to him and kiss every inch of his olive skin but her open-ended emotions held her back. She walked over to him as calmly as she could while the tremors shook her core. He hadn’t shaved in a couple of days and his hair was hidden under a navy blue baseball cap. Layered with a blue thermal was a red t-shirt that hung loosely over his dark jeans. For someone who has been dead for three years he sure does look good, Anne thought.
“Let’s go inside where we can talk.”
He gestured toward the rickety barn door.
“You mean hide,” Anne replied snidely.
The inside of the barn was hollow. There were about a dozen stacks of hay left and a couple of bags of feed. The critters of the outside made their homes there during the cold winter months. Anne’s brown leather boots that covered her legs just over her knees were sinking into the pockets of mud and hay. The lingering smell of horses was still quite prominent.
“Did Adam suspect anything?” Carter asked, leaving an ample amount of comfortable space in between them.
“No, but you promised me you would tell me everything, so start talking.”
Anne crossed her arms in front of her.
“What do you want to know?”
She rolled her eyes in annoyance to his question.
“I want to know everything! Hey, let’s start with where the hell have you been for the past three years?”
“I had a friend of mine make me a fake passport, driver’s license and social security card. I took on a whole new identity then decided to leave the country for a while, just until things cooled down. I traveled all over South America and a little in Africa,” Carter said very matter-of-factly.
“Well, isn’t that nice. You took a vacation while I spiraled into my own personal hell.”
“Anneliese, it wasn’t a vacation and you know it. There wasn’t a second that didn’t go by that I wasn’t thinking about you. After a year, Sam returned to the States from Asia and became my watcher, if you will. I had to make sure you were all right.”
Anne began circling the barn, absorbing Carter’s surreal explanations. She had heard through the grapevine that Sam went to Asia to close a business deal for Carter’s company; he was familiar with the supplier. After Carter’s death, Sam tried to fill the role the best he could.
“So you had Sam stalk me?”
“I like the term protect better but then he informed me about your relationship escalating with Adam. I knew I wouldn’t be able to stay away very much longer. I know I hurt you and I’m sorry.”
Anne hurled daggers with her glare.
“Hurt me? Really? I was devastated, Carter! I don’t understand why you couldn’t trust me! We could’ve left together or you could’ve at least told me what was going on!”
She walked over to the loose bales of hay and sat down. Tears dotted her beige cotton dress.
“I was pregnant, Carter.”
The words stung as they broached her lips. She looked up at him; his mouth was agape.
“Pregnant?”
Carter moved closer to her pensive body.
“I was late but wanted to wait until I went to the doctor. I would have dreams of a little wavy-haired boy running to me, pointing b
ack at you yelling ‘Daddy’ and you would scoop him up in your arms and kiss us both.”
Anne choked, feeling her heart ache with loss. The pain was almost too much to bear. Falling to his knees in the muck and mud, he placed his hands on the sides of her legs. She removed his baseball cap and ran her fingers through his disheveled hair. Strands of auburn reflected the shaft of sunshine that peeked through the holes of the dry-rotted roof.
Anne continued. “When Sam called and told me that you had disappeared and were presumed dead I blacked out and woke up three days later in the hospital, where they told me I had lost the baby. I had lost our baby.”
Carter laid his head in her lap, searching for words of comfort but he had none to give.
“Shit, we were going to have a baby,” he choked out.
“So Carter, not only was I mourning you but I was mourning our baby too. The last connection I had to you was gone just like you were.”
Carter grabbed her, pulling her into his embrace, trying to soothe her plaguing agony.
“I’m so sorry, my Anneliese. I’m such an idiot.”
Carter wiped away the black mascara that streaked down her face. She tilted her head ever so slightly and kissed his lips. They both inhaled deeply, feeling the rush of air expand in their lungs. Carter ran his hands inside her dress and up her thigh, leaving a trail of white as the blood vessels were thrusted away. The thumping of her heart increased to the point it thudded in her ears.
“I want you always, Anneliese,” Carter whispered between breathes.
The palm of her hand pushed against his stalwart chest to cease what would have been Anne’s yearning since she set eyes on him last night.
“What is it?”
Muddled by her abrupt decision, he moved back from her an inch or two.
“This is…I can’t….,” Her voice trailed off. “But I don’t want you to leave me again.”
“You have me right here, right now.” He replied, interlacing his fingers through hers.
“What about tomorrow, Carter, and the next day? We have to figure something out. You can’t keep running.”
Carter pulled himself away from her.
“There is no we in this. I will fix it. I know who I’m dealing with and I’m not going to put your life at risk.”
Deadly Deception (Deadly Series) Page 5
