by Linda Warren
“It doesn’t make any sense,” she said with a sigh.
“Roger will probably have some kind of answer when we get back.”
“I hope so.” She sighed again. “Because I can’t keep dwelling on it with Blake’s trial coming up.”
“Then don’t,” he said. “In the morning I’ll take you to your parents’, where you’ll be safe—and I don’t want to hear any protests.”
“Yes, sir,” she answered glibly, and rested her head against him.
The silence of the night wrapped around them and Blair thought she should get up and turn the lights off, but she didn’t want to leave the comfort of his arms. She thought of all the things they’d talked about, and one stood out in her mind.
“Lucas?” she whispered.
“Hmm?”
“You’re not like him at all.”
“Who?” he murmured sleepily.
“Your father. You’re not like him.”
Suddenly she had his full attention. “Why do you say that?”
“From what you’ve said about him, he didn’t seem the type of man who’d sacrifice his needs for the feelings of a woman—like you did for me.”
He thought about it and had to admit that maybe Blair was right. His father had never cared about anyone but himself. Still, that didn’t explain everything; he resembled him in so many other ways that Blair didn’t understand. God, he was tired of thinking. He just wanted to go to sleep with Blair in his arms. Tomorrow…tomorrow…
The soothing sounds of the night enveloped them as they drifted off to sleep.
BLAIR WAS THE FIRST to wake. At first she was disoriented; then, as she felt Lucas’s strong arms, everything came flooding back. She observed how well their bodies fit together. They were both on their sides, her back against his chest. One of his legs was entwined with hers. This seemed so natural for Lucas—as if he was used to sleeping with a woman in his arms. Jealousy crept through her and she was horrified by it. She’d never considered herself a jealous person, but now she had to admit she was—jealous of all the other women in his life, past, present and future. She quickly brushed those negative thoughts aside. She was with Lucas now. So many things stood in the way of their relationship, but she didn’t want to think about that, either. Reality would intervene soon enough.
She knew that as soon as Lucas opened his eyes, he’d want coffee. She tried to slip out of his arms to go to the kitchen, but they tightened around her. She turned her head to see if he was awake or if it was just a reflex action. His head swooped and his mouth met hers in a heated, breathless kiss. She moaned, returning the kiss with equal fervor. Then Lucas broke away and crawled over her. “Run, I’ve got to run,” he mumbled in a ragged voice, standing there barefoot and dragging both hands through his hair.
“It’s dark outside,” she told him, sitting up and glancing at the clock. It was five-thirty in the morning.
“Doesn’t matter,” he muttered. He looked at her with sleepy eyes. “And you, woman, make coffee.” With that, he grabbed his shoes and made a dash for the back door.
Blair shook her head as she slid off the sofa. She’d have to work on Lucas’s disposition in the mornings. She filled the coffeepot and peered out the kitchen window to catch sight of him, but it was still dark and she couldn’t see a thing.
She sat at the kitchen table; she’d retrieved her brush and slowly, steadily, untangled her hair as the thoughts clamored to be heard. What was she doing? She was weaving a fantasy around Lucas and that was bound to be a mistake. But when Lucas touched her, kissed her or looked at her with those dark eyes, she forgot everything else. Maybe that was a good thing, she told herself. At least then, the fear couldn’t control her completely.
LUCAS RAN BLINDLY through the dark until he was exhausted and gasping for breath. He had to. He had to relieve all that sexual frustration. He couldn’t go through what he’d endured last night, couldn’t do it again. His body still ached with wanting her. God, it felt so good to wake up with her in his arms. He hadn’t been able to resist kissing her. A big mistake. All those feelings he’d denied last night came rushing back.
He told himself he was doing the right thing. He just wished he could persuade his body to believe that. He slowly made his way back to the house, clutching his side in agony.
As he opened the gate, he saw Blair sitting on the back steps in a T-shirt and shorts with a cup of coffee in her hand. And not a cup—a big mug.
A smile spread across his face as he plopped down in front of her. She was tying him up in so many knots he was never going to unravel everything he felt for her. He took the mug and sipped the coffee gratefully, trying not to let that last thought weigh him down. There’d been times in the past when he’d questioned his feelings for a woman, but he didn’t want to do that with Blair. She deserved so much more than his screwed-up emotions and inconsistent logic. But he couldn’t deny that what he felt for her was stronger than anything he’d ever felt before.
“Feel better?” she asked, resting her chin on the top of his head.
“Oh, yeah,” he answered, sipping coffee.
She sat on the top step and he sat on the bottom. Her legs enfolded him, and sitting with her in the early hours of the morning, surrounded by her softness and sweetness, was the most sensual experience of his life.
He knew he was in trouble again. But his attention was abruptly diverted when the sun began to play peekaboo with the trees. As it slowly rose, it bathed the trees in a luminescent yellow glow. The earth seemed to sigh and yawn under its brilliance, then quickly gave in to the magnificent awakening.
“Beautiful,” he said in a low voice.
“Yes.” She echoed his feelings, sliding her arms around his neck.
They were quiet as they enjoyed the early morning. The breeze lightly ruffled the corn, and morning dew glistened invitingly. This time of day was pleasant, but later the hot Texas sun would raise the temperature almost unbearably.
Soon their problems overshadowed the loveliness of morning and Lucas knew he had to talk to her. “You’re not going to fight me about staying with your parents, are you?”
“No.” She shook her head. “I can’t stay in my apartment just yet.”
“I don’t want you staying there until this maniac is caught,” he said emphatically.
“Okay,” she replied without even a hint of argument; Lucas realized she was still afraid.
“I want you somewhere safe while I’m working on Blake’s trial,” he added. “Carl is trying to push the trial date through, so I think it’s going to be soon.”
Thinking about the trial and what could happen to Blake sent chills racing down her spine. But Lucas would do everything he could for Blake, which meant he needed his total concentration. They would have to put their feelings on hold until this was over.
They continued to sit, both knowing they’d have to leave, and soon. The outside world was waiting, their lives were waiting, but neither made a move—both reluctant to end this special moment, this time out of time.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
LUCAS MET with Blake as planned. They went over his story again, and Lucas showed him the photo. For the first time he saw hope in Blake’s eyes. He knew there was no way he could prove it was a picture of Blake’s vomit, but he would sure as hell try to make a jury believe it. The investigator was busy attempting to locate the photographer and Blair was once again sorting through material from the first trial.
The next weeks were hectic. The trial date was set for September, which was even sooner than Lucas had imagined. He knew Evan’s team was ready; now he had to detail his own strategy. Every day he, Derek, Frank, Greg, Brad and Blair were in conference, studying evidence, making sure they hadn’t missed a thing. Blair caught problems and inconsistencies the others had overlooked and Lucas saw why she was a good prosecutor. She was doggedly thorough, needing an answer for everything.
Lucas met with Blake several more times, ensuring that there were no holes in his story. Theo had just
gotten back from London and his reports looked solid. Everything was running according to schedule and all the team members were doing their jobs.
Roger hadn’t found any leads as to who was harassing Blair, but he was keeping a close eye on her. That was good, but it still bothered him, and he knew his feelings were primitive, selfish and purely male.
Sam was waiting to hear his defense, so Lucas scheduled a meeting. He’d wrestled with it for weeks. It was a difficult case, with some damaging evidence—Blake had been there at the time of the murder and his DNA was found under the victim’s nails. Lucas was still searching for new evidence. What he counted on to set Blake free was the jury’s belief in his innocence. In Lucas’s opinion, there was only one way to achieve that. Of course, he expected a lot of opposition, especially from Sam, but he was willing to take his chances.
In the middle of the night, he had the urge to call Blair and talk about his strategy. He picked up the phone, then slowly put it back down. If he told her, she’d tell Blake and encourage him to go along with his plan, and Lucas wanted Blake to make that decision on his own.
He lay staring up at the ceiling, knowing that tomorrow there would be one person behind him a hundred percent—Blair. He fell asleep with that thought on his mind.
THE NEXT MORNING he waited in his office, rehearsing in his head what he was going to say. Joan opened the door and stepped in.
“They’re in the conference room,” she announced.
Lucas stood with his hands shoved into the pockets of his gray slacks, staring out the window.
“Lucas?” Joan called, seeing his preoccupation.
He turned from the window. “I’m on my way.”
“Lucas?”
He glanced at her.
“Smile. It wins them over every time.”
Lucas did just that. “Joan,” he said, “you’re good for my ego.”
“Yeah, yeah.” She waved him off. “Now, go get this thing settled. Explain your strategy.”
Lucas’s smile vanished as soon as he entered the board-room. Raised voices suddenly fell and there was a strained silence as Lucas took his seat at the head of the table. Everyone was here: Brad and Greg from his own team, and Sam, Blake, Blair, Derek, Frank, Theo and Howard.
Lucas’s eyes settled on Blair for a second. She gave a tentative smile, assuring him of her support, which he already knew. He tore his eyes away.
“Well, Lucas.” Sam spoke first. “How are we going to win?”
“In this case, there are no clear and obvious answers,” Lucas started. “I think that—”
“What do you mean?” Sam broke in. “Go after the girl, prove she was a drug addict and a slut. Let the jury see that.”
Lucas took a calming breath. “I’m not going after the girl. Her family’s been through enough.”
“I’m not worried about her family!” Sam roared. “I’m worried about my son.”
He could see that Sam was in one of his black moods, as Lucas was beginning to call them. Still, he stuck to his plan. “I’m not going after the girl,” he repeated sternly.
“Then go with Blake’s abusive childhood,” Howard put in. “That weighs big with a jury.”
“Blake did not have an abusive childhood,” Sam said angrily.
“What do you call controlling and manipulating him?”
“Shut up, Howard!” Sam shouted. “I don’t know what you’re doing here, anyway. This is none of your business.”
“Blake is my nephew, and I’m not letting you ruin his life any longer.” Howard spoke with grit in his voice and Lucas frowned. They were getting off track. This was not the time to air family squabbles.
“Calm down,” Lucas ordered. “I’m sure everyone has Blake’s best interests at heart.”
Silence stretched, then Derek said, “It’s not a bad idea to taint Bonnie Davis. We don’t have to go after her in a big way—just show the jury she wasn’t a saint.”
Lucas’s gaze swung to Derek. “I’m not going after Bonnie Davis in any way. I’ve already said that, so let’s move on.”
“Why don’t you tell us what you do have in mind?” Frank asked.
“I’ve gone over the transcripts from the first trial and the new evidence from start to finish. I’ve studied the reports Theo brought back from people in London who’ve known Blake for the past sixteen years. I’ve read through dozens of case histories.” He paused for a second. “We have to cast a shadow of reasonable doubt, and there’s only one way to do that.”
“What’s that?” Sam asked.
“With the truth,” Lucas said bluntly.
“The truth?” Sam bellowed. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about telling a jury the truth about what happened that night, and I plan on letting them hear it from Blake in his own words.”
“Are you out of your mind?” Sam jumped angrily to his feet. “My son is not testifying under any circumstances!”
Lucas’s eyes darkened. “Evan has a strong case and the only thing to weaken it is to have Blake tell his story. Then we support that story with the evidence.”
Sam shook his head. “No, no way. I thought you had the guts to go into court and fight to the bitter end, but I can see I was wrong. As of now, you’re off the case. Derek and I will take over.”
No emotion showed on Lucas’s face. He’d been expecting this, but it was hard to walk away. He glanced at Blair; she was staring intently at Blake as if she was willing him to speak out—to do something. In his heart, Lucas had been hoping for the same thing. If Blake was going to take control of his life, he had to do it now. Lucas waited an extra second, then stood.
“Fine,” he said, and headed for the door. Brad and Greg followed.
Blair continued to stare at Blake—willing him to take a stand instead of allowing their father to manipulate his life. Blake’s best chance was with Lucas. Blake’s testifying was a great risk, but she trusted Lucas and believed he could make it succeed. Blake had to believe it, too. He had to believe in Lucas as much as she did. If she and Blake had any kind of mental bond, she prayed it was working now.
Don’t let Lucas walk away. Don’t let Lucas walk away.
“No-o-o-o,” Blake cried, and leapt to his feet.
Relief swept through Blair and she released the air from her tight lungs.
“Don’t go, Lucas,” Blake beseeched. “I want you to stay as my attorney. You’ve believed in me from the start and if you think I need to testify, then I’m with you.”
“Son, you don’t know what you’re saying,” Sam put in. “I’ve been a defense attorney for a long time and I’m telling you this won’t work. Carl and Holt will tear you to shreds.”
Lucas could see that it was taking everything in Blake to stand up to his father. “It’s my life, my decision—and my decision is Lucas,” he said shakily.
“Son…”
“You heard him,” Howard said as he got up and patted Blake on the back. “It’s his decision, so step back and let him control his own life.”
“This isn’t some game, Howard,” Sam snapped. “This is his life—his future.”
“Yeah,” Howard retorted. “That’s the whole point. It’s his, not yours.” He paused, then said, “Why don’t you ask Blair how she feels? She loves Blake as much as anyone.”
“I’m with Lucas,” she replied without even having to think about it.
Those words gave Lucas the incentive he needed. He walked back to the head of the table. “What’s it going to be, Sam?”
Sam glanced at his two children, seeing the same dark hair, same blue eyes and the same determined expressions forcing him to capitulate.
He sank weakly into his chair. “You’d better be right about this, Lucas,” he warned. “You’d better be right.”
Lucas held his emotions in check because this wasn’t over. Blair and Blake were behind him, but he had to have everyone’s endorsement before he went a step further.
“I’m not
going into court with your warnings hanging over my head,” he said. “I either have your wholehearted support, everyone’s wholehearted support, or I don’t do it at all.”
The statement hung in the air as each of them wrestled with its significance. Sam cleared his throat. “You have my support. My kids have spoken.”
Lucas wanted more than that, but he took what he could get. Emotions were running high, and he just felt relieved that he was still on the case. He wanted a moment with Blair, but she was hugging Blake and he realized she also had to deal with Sam. Their time together, his and Blair’s, seemed to be nonexistent these days. He wondered if that bothered her as much as it bothered him.
LUCAS WAS SO BUSY the next few weeks that he had little time to think about Blair or anything except the trial. Pretrial motions and pretrial hearings kept him on his toes. Carl wasn’t willing to give on too many things.
Judge Seton was presiding over the trial. Lucas had tried several cases before him. He was a judge who went by the book, and Lucas knew he had his work cut out for him. Judge Seton didn’t allow a lot of leeway in a courtroom, but fortunately Lucas had a good rapport with him, as always, a crucial factor.
Jury selection started in earnest. Lucas was unwilling to accept anyone who didn’t fit his idea of the kind of person capable of judging the truth in this case. He wanted women, as many as he could get, and he didn’t mind trading on his looks and his smile to win them over. In his experience, women seemed to recognize the truth more readily than men. He managed to get nine women selected before Carl caught on to his tactics. Lucas then settled for a male college student, a male postal worker and an elderly retired gentleman.
The stage was set, and the showdown began. In his opening statement Carl painted a gruesome picture of a spoiled rich kid who thought he could get away with murder. An out-of-control, rich kid on drugs. Carl went through each chilling detail as the state saw it, from the party to buying drugs to the rape and murder. He said that Blake held Bonnie down, while Todd brutally raped her. When it was his turn, he saw what they’d done to her and chickened out. Carl said witnesses would place Blake with Todd and Bonnie, and his DNA put him at the scene of the murder. He said the state would prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Blake Logan had helped Todd Easton murder Bonnie Davis and would also prove that he’d attempted to rape her.
