James heard the patio door open, but he didn’t turn around. If he saw Mira, the still fragile wall that he was building around his emotions might come crashing down. “Why did you not tell me?” he finally asked in a soft but emotionless voice.
“I tried,” Mira replied. The fact that James wasn’t yelling yet should have been a good sign, but it didn’t feel like one. His voice was so cold and distant that it was almost as if he was already gone from her. With the flagstone cold on her bare feet, she rounded the table and sat down opposite him.
He glanced up and the veil briefly slipped from his eyes allowing her to catch a glimpse of the rage and pain that he was obviously holding inside before his head lowered once more. She had known that he would be angry when he found out, but she had never imagined it would actually cause him pain. The thought that she had managed to bring such a strong man to such a low depth had tears slipping down her face. “I’m sorry,” she whispered brokenly.
“What is it you’re sorry for?” he growled with barely suppressed violence. “Are you upset that you deceived me or are you just sorry that I found out?” He clenched his fist around the locket and lifted his head to look at her. “If I hadn’t found this would you even have told me?”
“I meant to,” she said, “and I did try, many times, but I just couldn’t make myself.” She wiped the tears from her face. “Please try to understand. I didn’t expect things between us to go so far, but once they did I was terrified of ruining it.”
James heard the underlying pain in Mira’s voice and a small part of him still wanted to comfort her, but he ruthlessly smothered the urge. He had briefly allowed himself to believe that she might somehow be different, but he would not allow himself to be duped again. With nothing but escape in mind, he gathered the shreds of his control around himself, carefully put the locket on the table, and pushed back.
“Please don’t leave like this.” She stood up and placed a restraining hand on his bare arm. “I’m so sorry that I hurt you. I never meant to. Please just let me explain.”
“What makes you think that I cared enough for you to hurt me?” he asked in a chillingly cold voice.
“But after last night I thought…”
“By all means talk. I would love to hear the excuses that your agile little brain came up with. They’re sure to be inventive.” He crossed his arms and waited.
“Well,” she licked her suddenly dry lips and tried to gather her scattered thoughts. “Originally,” she continued. “I just wanted to see how you were doing. After we lost touch I admit that I did periodically look into your career. It wasn’t like I was spying,” she said defensively. “You regularly made the front pages of industry magazines for your work and,” she muttered under her breath, “the pages of other magazines for the many rich and famous women that you dated.”
“I’m not impressed yet and I don’t have all day,” James interrupted. “So if you have a point please get to it.”
Mira shrank from his cold gaze and crossed her own arms, suddenly feeling extremely vulnerable in her scanty clothing. “I’m aware that you know all about my problems in California so I’ll skip that part.” She cleared her throat and continued. “Because of the media coverage I had a very difficult time finding a job despite my qualifications. When a friend suggested that I consider working at EcoSpace I decided that it was worth a try and, to my surprise, you gave me a job.”
“Interesting, but not surprising information. I hardly see, however, what this has to do with the fact that you failed to tell me who you were when you had ample opportunity.” He tried to modulate his voice, but the reminder of her betrayal cracked his calm control. “What did you think that I would do?” he almost yelled. “Turn you away because of your last name?”
“What else was I supposed to think?” she shouted as her own fiery temper suddenly ignited. The anger felt much better than the sick pain that she had been feeling so she clung to it for all she was worth. Tossing her head angrily, she stomped over to James and pushed him. “That’s exactly what you did all those years ago. Abandoned me just when I needed you. I was barely a teenager you bastard and my parents had just been murdered!” She took a deep breath and tried to calm down, but it was impossible. The anger had been festering too long. “You were the closest thing to family that I had and you couldn’t even be bothered to come to the funeral.”
“You think that you’re the only one who lost something that day?” he shouted back. “I lost my mentor, my trust, and a company that I helped build up with my own sweat and blood.”
“What did any of that have to do with me? I’m sorry for what you had to go through, but you were already an adult and you were always stronger than me. I didn’t just mourn for my parents, I cried for you every night for months afterward.”
The admission shocked James, but it gave him a motive that he understood. “Is that why you lied to me?” he asked. “Were you trying to exact some kind of revenge?”
“You think that I dated you and slept with you because of some twisted idea of retribution?” Mira asked in outrage. She turned from James and paced across the patio. “What was I going to do, make you care about me and then dump you?”
“Is that what you were doing? Tell me the truth,” he coaxed, suddenly seeing a way to get out of the situation with some of his pride intact. “I won’t say that I agree with your motives, but I could be willing to let it slide. I know that you enjoyed my company last night and I did get some pleasure from it. Perhaps we can come to some kind of arrangement.”
“I will never be a man’s convenience and I would never even consider that kind of tawdry arrangement.” She stripped off the shirt and threw it at him, completely ignoring her near-naked state. “Take your clothing,” she spat, “and get out of my house!”
“If that’s what you want.” James pulled on the shirt and started to go. He couldn’t, however, stop himself from taking one last look at Mira as she stood proudly before him. Despite everything, the pull was still there and the intense attraction was stronger than ever. He sighed deeply and turned around. “You know where to find me,” he said finally, “if you change your mind.”
“Don’t hold your breath.”
Chapter 23
“Mary, can you find me the files on the Jameson project?” James asked as he held down the intercom button. A few weeks ago he would have simply yelled out his request or, more likely, delivered it in person and spent a few minutes talking. Mary had been with him since the beginning and they usually shared a somewhat distant, but amiable relationship. The current strained atmosphere, however, did not lend itself to social niceties.
“I’ll bring the files right in,” Mary replied in a frost-coated voice. “Will you require anything else of me sir?”
“No thank you Mrs. Beecham. That will be all.” He released the button and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He had been at work less than two hours and he was already developing what promised to be a pounding headache. It did not bode well for the rest of his day.
Moments later his secretary marched through the open door and tossed a fat file on his desk. Without uttering a single word, she turned around and stomped out again, pulling the door closed behind her.
When the reverberations of the slamming door stopped echoing in his skull, James leaned back in his leather chair and closed his eyes. After the ugly altercation with Mira he had wrongly assumed that his working environment wouldn’t be affected. He had thought that they would both be able to act like adults and their issues would stay strictly outside of work. Obviously, he had been wrong because, despite the fact that he had not said anything and he didn’t think she had either, everyone seemed to know about their argument.
The men, at least, either acted oblivious to the tension or else preferred to stay out of it. The women, on the other hand, all seemed to hold the same opinion that he was a cold bastard who had summarily and wrongly judged and condemned the sweet, kind Mira without giving a thought to her explanations
or her feelings.
After the blow up, he would have said that the women were wrong, but something was changing. Perhaps it was the many cups of cold coffee that Mary brought him or the constant glacial stares that he encountered, but his conscience was starting to act up and he was beginning to think that he may have been just a bit too harsh on Mira. He was absolutely not ready to forgive her, but he might be willing to bend a little.
He was a mature, intelligent adult, he reasoned, and as such he should be able to make the first overture toward some kind of peace and the sooner the better. The fact that he missed Mira’s company and woke every morning craving the feel of her body, he told himself, had absolutely nothing to do with his decision.
Headache already starting to fade, he pushed back his chair and strode out of the room. Recently, Mira had been skipping her coffee break so he might be able to catch her alone if he left now. The whole office didn’t need to know what was going on.
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Mira tilted her head and examined the completed rendering. The resort was designed with rugged lines that would suit both the native building material and the mountain surroundings. Except for the solar panel dome made of special glass in the lobby, which added a touch of elegance, the place looked like it had always been there. The team still needed to get together and create a three dimensional model but, apart from that, her work on Mr. Ashton’s corporate retreat was finished and, if she said so herself, it was some of the best work she had ever done.
She should have felt drained or at least ready for a short break, but she didn’t. She was ready to start on something else, hopefully something difficult and involved that would take up all her energy and leave her little time to brood on things that were better left alone. But before that could happen, James would have to approve the final design. She stood up and glanced around, hoping to see someone who would be willing to take bring take the drawing to his office. Instead, she almost ran into the man himself.
“Mira,” James said as he reached out and steadied her. “You’re just the person I wanted to see.” She backed away quickly as if she had just touched something noxious.
“So, you’ve decided that we should speak again, have you?” Mira sniffed and turned quickly away. She crossed her arms and tried to pretend that he didn’t exist despite the fact that the mere touch of his hands had caused her traitorous body to start humming.
He walked around, ignoring her defensive stance, and stood in front of her. “We’re both mature adults who have to work with each other. I think it’s time that we started acting like it.”
“I believe that I’m being very adult by ignoring you,” she narrowed her eyes and clenched her hand, “when what I’d really like to do is punch you.”
That really knocked him back. “What do you have to be angry about?” He demanded. “You’re the one who lied to me.”
“I already explained my motives and, unlike you, I at least apologized. You did nothing but manage to insult me.”
“Wait a second. Back up. What do I have to apologize for? Are you still mad about the fact that I suggested an affair?” He slowly stalked forward, forcing her back against her worktable. She kept her eyes level on his, obviously not impressed by his intimidating tactics. He stepped forward again and narrowed his eyes, hoping to force an answer. Unfortunately it didn’t work. Not because he didn’t think he could manage it, but because he had come too close and his mind became clouded from her intoxicating smell and the heat emanating from her body. “I thought that we were attracted to each other,” he murmured as he gradually dipped his head. She compressed her mouth and turned her head away. At the last minute he changed direction, skimming his lips along her neck instead.
At the soft touch of his lips Mira fought the urge to tremble and focused her attention on getting enough air. “I never denied that,” she breathed quietly, “but I thought that we had something more than that and I won’t settle for the cheap affair that you’re suggesting.” Using her last vestiges of control she lifted her arms and pushed him away.
With his blood already turning to molten lava inside his veins, James forced himself to back up. He raked his fingers through his hair and tried to think. “What is it you want from me?” he growled in barely controlled frustration.
Her tone was just a little tart. “How about forgiveness or understanding or even, perhaps, a little bit of trust?”
“You lied to me right from the beginning,” he reminded her hotly. “If you had only been an employee it would have been different situation, but you let a personal relationship develop between us all the time knowing you were misleading me. I don’t know if I can forgive that.”
“You have to be the most stubborn, unbending man I have ever met.” She spun around and stalked to the window, no longer angry or hurt, just very frustrated. It was like talking to a brick wall. “I forgave you,” she said softly, “and I trusted you, even after you betrayed me.”
“I didn’t betray you,” James said, knowing instinctively that she was talking about the past. “I simply decided that it was time we went our separate ways. You were a young, naïve girl and I was a grown man. It was past time to move on.”
“We were more than just passing acquaintances,” she reminded him. “We were family. Both of us know that it had nothing to do with moving on.” She stared blankly out the window, completely oblivious to the beautiful day. “I know that what happened after my parents’ death couldn’t have been easy on you, but I had nothing to do with it. You were all I had left and you abandoned me just when I needed you most. I’d say that makes us more than even.” She turned to face him, wiping stray tears from her face. “Now, if you have anything else to say it will have to wait till later. I have things to do.”
James opened his mouth, not exactly sure what was going to come out, when a group of employees walked into the room, chatting amiably. He turned silently and left the room. He wasn’t sure where the guilty clenching had come from and why he was feeling it only now, but he had a lot to think about.
**********************************************************
Later that evening Mira walked out to her car in the gathering darkness. She had worked late, hoping to drive herself into a state of exhaustion so she could get a good night’s sleep. Her feet were starting to drag so she had managed that feat, but she hadn’t realized what it would mean to be the last employee leaving. Her car was sitting all alone in the lot, parked under a tree that had provided shade earlier, but now created deep shadows. Normally, the emptiness wouldn’t bother her, but something about the encroaching shadows felt sinister. She glanced around warily, hoping to see another person even if it was just the elderly security guard. There was no one in sight, but still she felt watched.
She quickened her pace and told herself that she was just being paranoid. The closer that she got to her car, the calmer she became but then the echo of footsteps sounded behind her. She tried to tell herself that it was just her imagination, but it didn’t work. Breaking into a sprint, she dashed toward her car, already pushing the unlock button on her keychain, and threw herself inside. Once she was safely behind the wheel with the doors locked she looked out the windshield. The lot was empty, but she could still dimly hear the echo of heels on blacktop and see a faint shadow disappearing into the tree line.
She was still a little jumpy when she walked up to her door and it didn’t help matters when she almost tripped over the small, cardboard box sitting on her front stoop. She couldn’t hold in the slightly squeaky, hi-pitched squeal and she was just glad that none of her neighbors had been outside to hear her. With her heart still hammering, she bent down and gingerly picked it up.
Turning it over she noticed that it held no return address, just like the letter she had previously received, which meant it was likely from Kim. She should probably just toss it in the trash can and forget about it, but she carried it into the house instead. She could do with a
little levity today and Kim’s threats were always amusing.
Sitting the box and her purse on the counter she went to get a knife. She was right, she thought as she stared down into the box a few minutes later and tried to hold onto the contents of her stomach, there was a threatening letter. Unfortunately, it was lying on top of what looked to be a dead mouse. The animal’s head was missing. She shoved the lid back on, dropped it on a table, and ran for the bathroom.
Chapter 24
“Eww!” Amy squealed as they stood in a corner of the break room. “That is so disgusting. Rodents are gross enough, but to find one without its head.” She paused and finished off her vendor-sized bag of Doritos before throwing it in the trash. “How do you know it was Kim?” she asked, pulling out some sanitizer and squirting a liberal amount on her hands. “Touching a dead animal really doesn’t seem like her thing.”
“I agree with you,” Mira said, “but if she really wanted to I’m sure she’d have no trouble getting some muscle-bound idiot to do it for her.”
“For only meeting the women a few times you seem to know a lot about her?” Amy leered comically. “What are you doing? Stalking her or something?”
“Not exactly.” Mira crossed her ankles and leaned against the wall. She hadn’t really intended to tell anyone about the blond woman’s silly threats, but things were starting to get a little creepy. She still didn’t intend to go to the police, but it would be nice to at least get someone else’s opinion. She leaned in and lowered her voice. “I think it’s more like the other way around. I don’t think she’s actively following me, but I’ve seen her driving around near my street a few times. That bright red car of hers is hard to mistake.”
Running from Fate Page 16
