“Olivia!” Yasmine Hernandez rushed toward her. “What are you doing here?”
“Gee, that makes me feel welcomed.” Olivia smiled wryly.
Yasmine waved a dismissive hand. “I just meant you’re not supposed to be back till after Christmas.”
Olivia shrugged and gave a purposely vague response. “Stuff happens.” Yasmine was a wonderfully competent office manager, but unfortunately she was equally talented at snooping into everyone’s personal life.
“Didn’t you go to Greece?” Yasmine asked.
“Yes.” When Yasmine opened her mouth to dig for more information, Olivia quickly added, “I need to talk to Barker. Is he in?” She glanced at the glassed-in corner office of her supervisor, Patrick O’Shea Barker. The door and the window blinds were closed, but the light was on inside.
“He’s in a meeting right now.” Yasmine’s mouth thinned. “With Special Agent Harrison.”
Olivia nodded. She felt a brief spurt of anger from Yasmine, no doubt caused by Harrison, who could be overbearing and rude. Yasmine’s emotions were usually steady and cheerful, and Olivia had always sensed that her nosiness was not caused by malice but rather by curiosity and a sincere desire to help. Harrison, on the other hand, took pleasure in being a jerk.
“Why do you need to see Barker?” Yasmine asked. “Is something wrong?”
“Just something I need to discuss.” Like how on earth did Otis Crump find her on Patmos? This stalking had to stop. It had been bad enough when it was focused just on her, but Olivia was worried that he’d broadened his scope to include her family, especially her grandmother, who lived alone most of the year. Otis was locked away, but what if he had an accomplice who was free to harm her loved ones?
A spurt of alarm emanated from Yasmine. “You’re not thinking of transferring, are you? We don’t have enough women in this office as it is. You can’t leave.”
“I don’t want to leave.” Olivia kept an eye on Barker’s door, wondering how long his meeting would last.
Yasmine gasped with a sudden thought. “I know what will cheer you up! A package came for you this morning.”
Olivia stiffened. “Not apples.”
“No, no, of course not.” Yasmine waved her hands, then lowered her voice dramatically. “We don’t accept any mail from you know who.”
“Is he still sending mail here?” Olivia asked.
Yasmine shook her head. “Not for several months. He gave up when it was all returned.”
“Do you remember what return address he used?” Olivia always checked that. The last few times she’d received apples, the return address had been a post office box that had turned out to be bogus.
Yasmine frowned. “I think it was his address at Leavenworth. But that was months ago.” A wave of curious excitement rolled off her. “Are you still getting stuff from him?”
Olivia didn’t want to discuss it further. “You said there was a package for me?”
“Oh, right. I’ll get it.” Yasmine hurried off, her low-heeled pumps clicking on the wooden floor.
Olivia booted up her computer to check her e-mail. For the hundredth time she chastised herself for not leaving her e-mail address in the note to Robby. Or her cell phone number. The island seemed so far away now. The memory of her time with Robby seemed magical. Not quite real.
She suspected there was a part of her that hadn’t wanted to make it easy for him. She’d had her doubts that two people could fall in love in less than a week, so maybe now she wanted proof. She wanted to know if he’d make the effort to find her and contact her.
She glanced up when Barker’s door opened and her supervisor exited with Harrison. At six-foot-six, Barker was easy to spot. He murmured something, then slapped the special agent on the shoulder. Harrison laughed before heading toward his work area.
Olivia jumped to her feet and approached her supervisor. “Excuse me, Barker. Do you have a minute?”
“Sotiris, I didn’t know you were back.” Barker’s brown eyes narrowed. “Are you supposed to be back?”
“Not till after Christmas, but there was something important I wanted to discuss with you in person.”
“All right.” He motioned for her to enter his office. “Take a seat.”
She perched on the edge of the black leather and chrome chair and gripped the armrests.
Barker approached his desk slowly, studying her. “I sent you away to relax, but you still look tense.”
“I—” She lifted her chin. “I want to take another look at the Otis Crump files.”
Barker closed his eyes briefly with a weary look. “Olivia, we went over this before. He was tried and convicted for three murders, and he’s serving three life terms. Thanks to you, he confessed to ten more murders, but at this point it’s a waste of taxpayer money to prosecute him. He’s not going anywhere. Ever.”
“I believe he may have had an accomplice.”
“Not for the murders. Our forensic team went through all the evidence with a fine-tooth comb. He worked alone.”
“He hinted to me several times—”
“He was playing you.” Barker planted his hands on his desk and leaned forward. “The man is desperate to keep you on a leash. He’d tell you little green men helped him if it got you to heel. The case is closed, and frankly, I’m getting worried about your obsession with him.”
“I’d get over it if the bastard stopped stalking me!” Olivia took a quick breath to calm herself.
Barker straightened. “You’re still getting apples?”
“Yes.” She jumped to her feet and paced to the window. “He sent them to my grandmother’s house on Patmos. My grandmother! I had to rush her over to my dad’s house in Houston to make sure she’d be safe.”
Barker winced. “I can see why you’re upset.”
Olivia paced back to the chair. “There has to be someone helping him. Someone’s mailing the apples for him.”
Barker crossed his long, lanky arms over his gray pinstriped suit jacket. His frown made his long, lean face appear even longer. “I agree he has an accomplice now.”
“It could be someone close to him,” Olivia suggested. “If we reopen the investigation, we can interview all his friends and family.”
“Or it could be a groupie. The serial killers always acquire a few of those.” Barker rubbed his chin. “Does your family understand the importance of keeping this quiet? We don’t want the media turning this into the latest fashion. Next thing you know, every prisoner in the country would be stalking their favorite officer of the law.”
“And Otis would love the publicity,” Olivia grumbled. “Don’t worry. My family thinks this is awful enough already. They’re not going to make it worse.”
Barker frowned at his desk, deep in thought, while she paced about the office.
“I want to go back home a few days for Christmas,” she murmured. “I’d like to be able to tell my family that we found the accomplice, and that it’s all over.”
Barker nodded. “This person was able to track you to a remote Greek island. There could be a different explanation for this.”
“Like what?”
“Not an accomplice, but an employee. Crump may have managed to hire a P.I.” Barker leaned over his desk once again. “Think, Olivia. Did you see anyone on that island who could have been a private investigator?”
She halted with a jerk. MacKay Security & Investigation. The room swirled around her, and she grabbed onto the back of a chair. No. It couldn’t be. But there hadn’t been any other P.I.’s on the island.
“It would most likely be a man who was visiting the island and keeping a low profile,” Barker continued.
A shudder racked her body. No, not Robby. Anyone but Robby. Carlos? But they worked for the same company. They were probably on the same assignment. She pressed a fist to her mouth. What if the assignment had been her?
“Hey, are you all right?” Barker skirted his desk.
“I–I need to go.”
&nbs
p; “But we’re not—”
“I have to go!” She wrenched open the door and lurched outside. Heads turned her way. No, she couldn’t think about it. It was too awful. She couldn’t fall apart here.
She dashed into the hallway to the women’s restroom. No, not Robby. He couldn’t have done that to me. She shoved the stall doors open. Empty. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. That pale, panic-stricken face was hers. Could she have been duped? Had she fallen in love with the enemy?
With a sob, she ran back and locked the restroom door. A long keening cry escaped, ripped from her soul, and she slapped a hand over her mouth. She couldn’t let anyone hear.
Her knees gave out and she slid down the door to plop onto the linoleum floor. Oh God, she should have known. Maybe a part of her had always known. He couldn’t have fallen in love with her so fast.
Tears streamed down her face. What a complete fool she’d been! The first time in her life that she couldn’t detect lies, and she’d fallen for such terrible deceit.
No! She shook her head. She still wanted to believe. She wanted love to be true.
“Robby,” she cried. She didn’t want to lose him, didn’t want to lose the dream, the magic, the glory of his love. She leaned her head onto her knees and wept.
Oh God, the last time she’d cried like this, she ’d been in Robby’s arms. He’d held her and comforted her. Then he’d made love to her.
A twinge of nausea twisted in her gut, and she breathed deeply to get control. She was at work, dammit. She needed to get a grip. She could fall apart later when she was alone in her apartment.
She stumbled to a sink and splashed cold water on her face. She leaned over the sink, reluctant to even look at herself. She didn’t want to see living proof of how badly her heart was breaking.
The door shook as someone tried to open it. Then she heard a knock.
“Olivia?” Yasmine asked quietly. “Are you all right?”
She took a deep breath. “I’m fine.” She glanced at the mirror and winced. Her eyes were red and puffy, her nose pink and runny.
“Do you want to talk?” Yasmine asked.
No. Olivia trudged toward the door and unlocked it. Yasmine slipped inside with a large brown package hugged to her chest. She took one look at Olivia and gasped.
“I’m not feeling well.” Olivia yanked a tissue from the dispenser and blew her nose.
“Man trouble?” Yasmine whispered. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone. I’ll say you caught a bug on vacation. Happens all the time.”
“Thanks.”
Yasmine sighed. “It’s so hard to find a good man these days. I should know. I’ve looked everywhere.”
Olivia’s tears threatened to flow again. “I should go home.”
“Of course.” Yasmine patted her on the back. “You still have some vacation days, so stay home and take it easy.”
Olivia glanced at the mirror and winced. “I’ll have to cross the office to get my handbag.”
“I’ll get it. You wait here.” Yasmine moved toward the door, then stopped. “Oh, I forgot. Here’s your package.” She handed it over and left.
Olivia’s heart lurched when she read the return address. It was from Grikos. Her fingers trembled as she ripped open the sticky flap on the supersized bubble envelope. Inside, she spotted cream-colored yarn. Her sweater. She’d left it at Robby’s house.
She dropped the envelope on the vanity between the two sinks and stepped back. Memories of that night flooded her mind. She’d lain naked beside him. She’d let him touch her and kiss her everywhere. She’d felt so much love and desire for him, she’d been ready to give up her virginity.
She doubled over as her heart squeezed painfully in her chest. How could she have fallen in love so fast with a complete stranger? She should have followed her first instincts and stayed far away from a man she couldn’t read.
Yasmine strode back into the restroom. “Oh my gosh, are you all right?” She dropped Olivia’s handbag on the floor and rushed to her side.
Olivia took a deep breath and motioned to the package. “There’s a sweater inside. Would you like it?” She and Yasmine looked similar in size.
“Are you sure?” Yasmine slipped the sweater out of the package. “It’s very nice.”
“Take it. Please.”
Yasmine frowned. “Is it from him? He has good taste.”
“It was mine. I don’t want to see it again.”
“Well, okay.” Yasmine peered inside the package. “There’s something else in here. A note.” She pulled out a small envelope. “It has your name on it.”
Olivia swallowed hard. She took the envelope, and her hand trembled when she saw the bold, masculine handwriting. Robby. A surge of love rose inside her, still clinging hopelessly and desperately to a dream that now appeared false. Before she could weaken, she ripped the envelope in two, threw the pieces in the toilet, and flushed it down.
“Whoa.” Yasmine’s eyes grew wide. “That bad, huh?”
Her eyes blurred with hot tears. “It’s very bad. The worst ever.”
Yasmine wrinkled her nose. “You deserve better than him.”
Olivia sighed. Part of her still believed there was no one better than Robby. No man could ever touch her heart like Robby had.
No wonder this hurt so damned bad.
CHAPTER 11
Two weeks later…
Robby hesitated at the open doorway. He dreaded this evening, but everyone expected him to be here. No one ever missed the Christmas Ball at Romatech Industries. The partitions from eight large meeting rooms had been pulled back to make one huge ballroom. The band, the High Voltage Vamps, was onstage, playing a waltz. Normally, he would enjoy the lyrical music, but tonight it was just noise.
Shanna Draganesti had outdone herself this year. Instead of the usual fifteen-foot Christmas tree, there were four of them, one in each corner of the ballroom. Giant ice sculptures in the shape of reindeer adorned the buffet tables. By the looks of their shrinking antlers, they’d been in place for several hours.
The party usually started at four in the afternoon, with tons of mortal food and a mortal band for the unsuspecting human employees who worked at Romatech during the day. By six-thirty the last of them were shooed away, and a subtle change came over the ballroom.
All the buffet tables but one were cleared of mortal food. Huge tubs of ice were hauled in, each one containing bottles of Vampire Fusion Cuisine. Roman Draganesti had used his scientific genius to mix synthetic blood with beer, whiskey, chocolate, and champagne, resulting in Bleer, Blissky, Chocolood, and Bubbly Blood. For those who overindulged, there was Blood Lite, synthetic blood with low cholesterol and blood sugar.
Robby watched the couples happily twirling about the dance floor and decided to partake liberally of the Blissky. It would be the best way to survive the night. Hell, it was the only way.
As he trudged to the Blissky table, he spotted Howard Barr dressed as Santa Claus and sitting on a throne. Howard had a baby in his lap, a little girl with curly black hair. That had to be Sofia, the youngest Draganesti child. Her older brother, Constantine, was dressed as an elf, and he bounced around the throne, trying to make the bells on his pointed shoes jingle. Shanna had chosen well, having Howard look after her children. The were-bear would be ferocious if anyone threatened his charges.
Two little girls ran up to join Constantine. Robby recognized them as Bethany, Jean-Luc’s stepdaughter, and Lucy, Maggie’s stepdaughter. That could only mean that Jean-Luc and his wife Heather were in attendance, along with Maggie and her husband, Pierce O’Callahan.
Robby groaned inwardly. Just what he needed, an evening surrounded by happily married couples. He yanked a bottle of Blissky out of a tub of ice. There were glasses on the table, but he didn’t bother with them. He unscrewed the top and jammed the bottle into the microwave.
Why didn’t she call? Olivia should have received the package by now. He’d double-checked the tracking information, so h
e knew her jumper had arrived at the FBI office in Kansas City. He’d included a note, telling her how much he missed her and wanted to see her again. He’d written his cell phone number down so she could call him.
She never called. How could he interpret that except that she didn’t feel the same way he did? He’d returned to New York two nights ago, his prison term over. If Angus and Emma had expected him to return all cheerful and full of energy, they were in for a big disappointment.
If anything, he felt worse. At least before, when he was consumed with anger, he’d had a purpose. His quest for revenge had motivated him and filled him with passion. Now, he just felt like an empty shell, quietly enduring each night, doing his duties and trying not to check his cell phone every five minutes for missed calls.
He opened the microwave and burned his fingers on the hot bottle. “Bugger.” He’d left it in too long.
Some giggles sounded behind him, and he turned to find Constantine, Bethany, and Lucy watching him.
Bethany lifted her chin with a prissy look. “You said a naughty word.”
“Aye, that I did.” Robby inclined his head. “My apologies.”
“You’re wearing a kilt,” Constantine announced.
“Ye’re verra observant.” Robby swallowed some hot Blissky. It sizzled painfully down his throat, and he liked it.
“Go ahead,” Constantine whispered to Bethany, nudging her with an elbow. “I dare you.”
“Eew!” Bethany made a face and ran back to Howard, followed by a giggling Lucy.
“Tino.” Robby arched a brow. “What are ye up to, lad?”
Constantine assumed an angelic look, easily done with his blond curls and big blue eyes. “I was just wondering if you do like Uncle Angus. I heard he doesn’t wear any underwear. So I dared Bethany to look under your kilt.”
Robby took another swig from his bottle. “First, ye shouldna be frightening the young lassies. Ye could end up old and alone.” Like me. He gulped down more Blissky. “And second, ye shouldna be spending all yer time thinking about a man’s private parts.”
Tino’s mouth dropped open. “I–I don’t. I was just teasing Bethany. Really.”
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