Dangerous Temptation

by Anne Mather

  For the present, he had to concentrate on dealing with his brother's treachery. Had there ever been any drugs and, if so, where were they now? It occurred to him that his brother might have double-crossed not just him, but Carl Walker. Had Nathan hoped the other man might demand his pound of flesh in kind?

  Jake's fingers tightened on the wheel. He had the feeling that he was getting closer to the truth. But Walker hadn't contacted him, probably leaving it to Lisa Abbott. And thankfully, he still believed the drugs had been destroyed.

  According to Caitlin, there had only been one phone call for him, and that had been from the woman he'd visited the day before. Lisa still believed that Nathan's intention had been to come back to London, as he'd said, although Jake guessed she was having second thoughts when he left Majestic Court…

  Majestic Court!

  Jake looked up at the rather ugly block of apartments, wondering why developers thought that giving a building a fancy name might somehow improve its image. Nothing could change the stark lines of the sixties era, when building high had seemed the answer to the housing problem.

  Lisa Abbott's apartment was on the fourth floor, and he was relieved to find the elevators worked. His strength was returning, and he didn't doubt he could have climbed the stairs if he'd had to; but he was impatient and he didn't want to arrive panting at her door.

  All the same, he couldn't deny a certain sense of apprehension when he rang the bell. She was expecting Nathan after all, and he had the feeling that it was going to be harder to fool her than Nathan's wife.

  Not that he wanted to think of Caitlin right now. It disturbed him that he found it difficult to get her out of his mind, because whatever kind of an opinion he was forming of his brother's behaviour, she was still married to Nathan and not him.

  Not that he had respected that.

  The door opened as he was remembering how good it had been to hold Caitlin in his arms. She was so warm and soft, so giving. He'd never known a woman who had affected him so strongly; never wanted to submerge his own identity before…

  "My God! Nate!"

  His treacherous thoughts were arrested by the cry from the woman who had opened the door. Not Caitlin this time, but a woman who much more closely resembled the kind of woman he'd expected his brother to admire. Or at least find appealing, he reflected drily, until something more attractive came along.

  Briefly, it crossed his mind that Nathan might have left his wife—and his mistress—for another woman. But the thought barely claimed a second of his time. Nathan was not the kind of man to risk his reputation, his comfort, his life, for sexual gratification. He might use a woman, as he had apparently used Caitlin, but he wouldn't sacrifice himself for love.

  "Where the hell have you been?"

  The woman was gazing at him with a mixture of anger and indignation, and Jake realised she was older than he had at first thought. Perhaps Nathan's age—to age—or even older. It was difficult to tell in the shadowy hallway, and she hadn't yet invited him in.

  "Bastard!" she added, sniffing, as if she was on the verge of bursting into tears. "Oh—come here, you idiot! Don't you know I've been half out of my mind with worry over you? Weren't there any phones in that fucking hospital, or was that prissy wife of yours always on your back?"

  She lunged towards him, catching Jake unawares, and it was all he could do to prevent himself from recoiling from her eager embrace. Accustomed to Caitlin's delicate beauty, he found Lisa's ample breasts and sultry lips a distinct turn-off, and it was a relief when she uttered a disgusted cry and pushed him away.

  "You're not Nate!"

  "No."

  Jake decided there was no point in trying to deny it, though the fist that connected with his midriff at that moment made him catch his breath. He had hoped he might learn something from her before she realised he wasn't his brother, but the way she was glaring at him now seemed to have put paid to that.

  "I know who you are," she added, reaching for the door, and he automatically wedged his foot against the jamb to prevent her from slamming it in his face. "You're his brother," she declared. "The twin he thought I didn't know about. So why are you here pretending to be Nathan? Because he's too scared to come and see me himself?"

  "No." Jake was thinking on his feet now, and it wasn't easy. Somehow, he'd got to convince her that Nathan knew what was going on. "There's been a hitch," he said. "Um— Nathan got held up in New York, so I was supposed to come to London in his place."

  Lisa's expression was not encouraging. "Really?"

  "Yes, really."

  "So how come you didn't tell me who you were when I opened the door?"

  That was a difficult one. "I guess—I guess I was hoping you wouldn't notice," offered Jake unctuously. He swallowed. "It's not every day a beautiful woman throws herself into my arms."

  Lisa still looked uncertain, but he could tell that his words had mollified her. She was still sufficiently confident of her own charms to believe he might be telling the truth. "You'd better come in," she said, saving him the trouble of asking. "I'm not saying I forgive you, but I'm prepared to listen to what you have to say." They went along a narrow corridor into a lamplit living room. It wasn't yet dark outside, but the illumination helped to banish the gloom of the day. "English weather," she muttered, gesturing towards the windows, evidently expecting a fellow American to sympathise with her. "When Nate and I get enough money, we're getting out of here for good."

  Jake made no comment. But he had the feeling Lisa was going to be disappointed about that, as well. He suspected that Nathan might well be bored with her. Could he have had yet another betrayal in mind?

  "D'you want a drink?"

  She gestured towards a tray containing a decanter of Scotch and two glasses, but although he was tempted, Jake shook his head. He needed to keep his wits about him, even if the idea of a shot of Scotch was attractive. For all she seemed gullible in some ways, she might well be leading him on.

  "So why did Nate send you here?" she asked, giving him little time for consideration. "And why haven't you been in touch before now if Nate asked you to see me?"

  Jake took a breath. "Because—well, because of the crash," he said. "And because I lost my memory."

  "Say what?"

  She looked disbelieving, and Jake hurried to reassure her. "It's true." He paused. "Even Caitlin didn't know who I was. As far as she's concerned, I'm Nathan. My memory's just come back in the past couple of days."

  Lisa stared at him. "If this is Nate's idea of a—"

  "It isn't." Jake was on firmer ground now, and he showed it. "Ask anyone at Webster's. They'll tell you I'm speaking the truth."

  "That still doesn't explain why you were travelling to London." She hesitated. "Did Nate tell you why he'd gone to New York?"

  Jake took a chance. "The drugs, you mean?" he asked, and her expression revealed all he'd needed to know. Lisa had known about the drugs; but did she know Nathan hadn't sent them? "I guess you're as gutted as he is about the crash."

  Lisa's face cleared. "Christ, yes," she said fervently. "Carl isn't too happy about it, either. I thought at first that was why Nate had sent you to see me. He's pretty intimidated by my boss, you know."

  "Your boss?"

  The words just slipped out, but happily Lisa didn't regard them as anything significant. "Yeah, didn't he tell you I work for Carl at the club?" She grimaced. "I guess you could say I set up the deal in the first place. Well, it was my idea that Carl use Nate as a courier. I mean, who'd suspect a law-abiding businessman like him?"

  Who indeed?

  Jake knew a moment's uncertainty. For a moment there, he'd thought Lisa had been going to say she set him up. It was possible, of course, though not entirely credible. He knew Nathan of old, and he wouldn't make that kind of mistake.

  Nevertheless, he was beginning to get another idea, one that he didn't like one little bit. "I guess it's something you get used to," he said. "I must say, I was a bit apprehensive. I haven't acquire
d Nathan's experience yet."

  "Hey, Nate's only done it once before," said Lisa at once, confirming his suspicions. "Course, that time everything went as smooth as silk, just like Carl said. I don't think Nate was keen, but hey—the rewards are worth it. What other chance would he and I have of getting it together?"

  "He—plans to get a divorce?" probed Jake, realising he was pushing it, but Lisa seemed happy to confide in him, now that he'd proved his credentials, so to speak.

  "I guess," she said, although a frown creased her forehead. "I suppose it depends on what Carl will do now."

  About the drugs, finished Jake silently. And if he hadn't carried them to London, where the hell were they? With his brother, he guessed, which seemed to prove he had been just a decoy. So what had Nathan hoped to gain by sending him there? Nirvana?

  Unlikely, he opined impatiently. But he'd gotten his passport, which might have been his intention all along. But surely Nathan knew that as soon as Jake realised the deception, he'd have reported its loss to the authorities. Nathan must have known he wouldn't let him get away with that.

  "I bet you're wondering how come I knew you were Nate's brother," remarked Lisa consideringly, and he hoped she wasn't going to take him up on his flattery now.

  "Well—yes," he said, although that thought hadn't entered his head.

  "I've known Nate for a long time," she said. "Since before he came to England. His old man might have kept it a secret, but my mother used to work for Nathan's mother, and Iris spilled the beans before she died."

  Looking back now, Jake was amazed at how quickly she had accepted his story. In her place, he'd have wanted to know what Nathan was doing in New York, why his brother hadn't phoned. Her main concern was that Carl shouldn't find out that Nathan hadn't been carrying the drugs to London himself. Her opinion that Carl wouldn't like them involving anyone else was probably the truest thing she'd said.

  In addition to which, she had her own future to think of. If she had arranged for Nathan to become involved, she was just as likely to be accused of double-dealing as Nathan. Jake had the feeling that, given time, she was going to feel very aggrieved towards his brother. Her own fears would stop her from betraying him to Walker, however.

  It had been easier for him to do what he had to do, knowing the kind of humiliation Caitlin must have suffered at their hands. Besides, Lisa was just as guilty as Nathan. She'd been quite willing to assist Carl Walker in his dirty trade.

  It had been Lisa's hatred for Caitlin that enabled him to find out where Nathan had obtained the money to buy the consignment. Lisa had confirmed that it was through the contract for the Magdalena dam that Nathan had defrauded the company, and Jake was appalled to discover the extent of his brother's guilt. Some he'd guessed; some he'd gleaned during his conversations with Marshall. Had Nathan really believed he could get away with it? Hadn't he realised that Marshall was watching his every move?

  It must have all stemmed from Matthew Webster's illness. Nathan must have believed the gods were on his side then. How soon, Jake wondered, had he attempted to wrest control from the old man's failing hands? How soon had Matthew Webster become aware of his son-in-law's guilt?

  He wondered how long it had taken him to realise why Nathan had married his daughter? Pretty quickly, was Jake's guess, as he drove south on the Garden State Parkway. New Jersey in the fall was one of nature's small miracles, but Jake took little interest in the changing colours of the trees. His mind was too intent on reaching Prescott and finding out from Jacob where his brother was hiding. Surely Jacob would know where Nathan was. It was the only lead he had.

  He sighed, thinking about how peeved Nathan must have been when the old man got better. Particularly after Caitlin's father had appointed his own son. How had Matthew persuaded Marshall to join the company? he wondered.

  Although Matthew depended on the younger man, there were times when Jake had sensed a certain tension between them. It was ironic that he should be prepared to put so much trust in the son he had never acknowledged.

  Nevertheless, it seemed obvious that Marshall's arrival had precipitated Nathan into taking drastic action. He'd been ripe for any scheme Walker had put before him, and Jake knew enough about the Colombian deal now to make an educated guess at what Nathan had planned to do. But he'd taken an enormous risk when he'd double-crossed Walker. If it hadn't been for the crash, what might Walker have done to him?

  Jake decided he owed none of them any favours, whereas he owed it to himself to clear his name. He didn't like being mixed up in any part of this filthy business, and he meant to find out why Nathan had been lying from the start.

  23

  Caitlin was seated at the cash desk, trying to make sense of the column of figures on the page in front of her. Janie had gone shopping, and she was in charge of the shop at the moment. And, as it was quiet, she'd decided to try and get a little book-keeping done.

  It was useless.

  No matter how she tried, no matter how she concentrated on the entries Janie had made over the past three weeks, she kept coming up with a different total time after time. It wasn't as if she was attempting to add the figures up herself. She had an efficient little calculator beside her, but it didn't make any difference. She couldn't seem to key in the figures correctly, and the bottom of the page was already half-worn away with her rubbings out.

  If only she could stop thinking about Nathan, she might stand a chance of having some success, she thought frustratedly. But how was she supposed to get on with her life when the man she loved was more than three thousand miles away? If she knew he was all right, if she could believe that his journey was not just another wild-goose chase, she could try and put it all to the back of her mind. But her fears were so self-contradictory, she was living in a constant state of unease.

  Her greatest fear was that if—when—he did come back, he might not be the same man who had gone away. It was a crazy thought, and not one she could share with anyone else, but the fact remained, there was always that possibility. He'd changed already before he'd left, and she wasn't entirely convinced he didn't remember some things at least.

  Like Lisa Abbott.

  She didn't want to think about the other woman, but she couldn't help it. There was no denying that Nathan had been interested to hear her confirm who his anonymous caller had been. She'd been a fool to mention her, to blurt out her name as she had, but she'd been jealous. And whether the name had rung any bells with him or not, she'd played right into the other woman's hands.

  Still, Nathan wasn't with Lisa at that moment. He'd left for New York that morning, and she knew—because she'd rung the airline to check on it—that he had been travelling alone.

  She'd been quite foolishly pleased at her ingenuity in finding out that Lisa wasn't travelling on the morning's Concorde. She knew airlines didn't give out information about their passengers, so she pretended she was Lisa Abbott and that she was ringing to confirm her booking on the flight. She'd had the foresight to make a provisional booking, also in Lisa's name, on the evening flight instead, so the clerk quite innocently informed her that she'd got the bookings crossed.

  It was a small victory, but one which she had clung to in the hours since. She had to believe that Nathan was only going to the States, as he'd said, to try and find his roots. Not just his name, but his identity. And only his father could give him that.

  For her part, Caitlin was afraid to think of what might happen in the future. She had the uneasy feeling that nothing was ever going to be the same again. Not that she wanted it to be the same as it was before the accident, she reminded herself unhappily, but she was finding it hard to believe that the man she loved was anything more than a dream.

  The door of the shop opened, the bell breaking discordantly into her thoughts. She glanced up, half-hoping it was Janie, despite the other girl's attitude towards what had happened. Naturally, her friend expected the worst, and she was not averse to saying so.

  But it wasn't Janie. It was a
customer—a blonde woman, wearing decidedly too much make-up, and dressed rather too youthfully for her age. Caitlin estimated the woman must be nearing forty, yet the miniskirt and teetering high heels would not have looked out of place on a teenager.

  Contrary to normal practice, the woman didn't seem at all interested in browsing about the shop. Instead of casting even a salutary glance at the merchandise on offer, she swayed purposefully towards the cash desk, halting in front of Caitlin, forcing her to rise politely to her feet.

  "Can I help you?"

  The woman surveyed her between mascaraed lids, her gaze sweeping down over Caitlin's tight-sleeved T-shirt and ankle-length pinafore with a jaundiced eye. "Maybe," she said at last. "Although I doubt it. My guess is, you're more inclined to help yourself."

  Caitlin's jaw sagged. "I beg your pardon?"

  "So polite." The woman's lips twisted. "And exactly as I imagined. All milk-and-water innocence and no fire!"

  Caitlin blinked. "Look, Mrs—Miss—"

  "Ms will do," the woman inserted contemptuously, glancing about her. "Ms—Abbott. Does that name mean anything? How about if I mention Nathan? Does that ring a bell?"

  Caitlin's knees trembled. She'd been trying to identify the woman's accent, and now she knew. Lisa Abbott. As she lived and breathed, this was Nathan's mistress. The girl-friend he'd risked his marriage for. Why didn't she feel more impressed?

  "Of course," she managed now. "Ms Abbott." She forced herself to be polite. "How nice of you to call." She hesitated. "Did you get tired of phoning Nathan? Well, I'm afraid he's not here, if that's what you thought."