by Jane Godman
Her whole body quivered as she subsided against him. “Or there could be one very obvious one. They didn’t adopt me because they wanted me. They took me in as a favor to their friend Walter.”
The pain in her voice caused that wire to rip deeper into Bryce’s heart. How had he ever believed the connection between them was just physical? Seeing her hurting like this tore him apart. He would do anything in his power to make this better, but he couldn’t think of a single thing. All he could do was try to ease some of the heartache by holding her, by using his body to show her he was there and he cared.
After a while, the trembling in Steffi’s limbs subsided and she straightened. Remaining within the circle of Bryce’s arms, her gaze was fixed on the screen as she began an internet search.
“What are you looking for?” Bryce asked as her fingers flew over the keyboard.
“Just a hunch. Todd works as a legal assistant, but I know he has a law degree. I once asked him why he didn’t practice law, but he never gave me a straight answer.”
Bryce watched in silence as she searched. She had that intent, determined look she got when she wasn’t going to let something go. Stubborn Steffi had returned. He bit back a smile. After about ten minutes she sat back with a little huff of satisfaction.
“There.” She pointed triumphantly to a black-and-white picture on the screen. It looked like it had been cropped from a newspaper. A much younger Walter Sullivan stood on the steps of a courthouse with his fists raised in a triumphant salute above his head. The caption above the picture read Sullivan’s Legal Team Achieves the Impossible.
The article, which was twenty-five years old, went on to recount how Walter had been prosecuted following a major accident at one of his factories in which twelve employees had died and twenty more were left seriously injured. Despite a damning report by health and safety officers criticizing every aspect of Walter’s approach to employee safety, he had walked out of the courtroom without a fine.
“See the man standing in the background?” Steffi indicated a figure to one side of Walter. While the rest of the people in the picture had joined Walter in celebration, this person’s stance was more subdued. “That’s Todd Grantham.”
* * *
They had agreed that Bryce would drive the rental car from Los Angeles to Sheridan. Although Vincente had retrieved Steffi’s driver’s license from her locker at Delaney Transportation before they embarked on their quest, she was still wanted for murder. Walter had been scathing about the fact that the police were looking for Anya Moretti instead of Steffi Grantham. Both Steffi and Bryce had more faith in the forces of law and order. The police hadn’t released her real name to the press, but it was unlikely—strike that; it was impossible—that they didn’t know it. If Steffi took the wheel and they were pulled over, there was a chance, probably a good one, that her ID would be checked and she would be arrested.
The burden had fallen to Bryce. Having traveled across California and into Nevada, they had left I-80 in Utah and cut across and up through Wyoming. Frequent stops for food and strong coffee had broken the journey and kept Bryce from dozing at the wheel. He explained that early in his army career he had been trained to drive in different conditions, including the demanding environments he would face on operations. During that time, he had acquired the knack of being able to pull over at the side of the road and nap in his seat.
Steffi, who found it impossible to do anything more than doze lightly, had spent a lot of time watching him and coming to terms with a new and profoundly disturbing revelation.
In the middle of all the action, heartache and shock, she had managed to fall in love with Bryce without noticing what was happening to her. Or maybe I did notice, but I pretended not to.
Because it was easier to fool herself that it had sneaked up on her. That way, she didn’t feel quite so naive. She wasn’t really that much of a cliché...the woman who had fallen for a beautiful face, a perfect body and a man’s ability to drive her wild in bed.
As soon as that thought struck, she knew she was being unfair, to herself, and to Bryce. She was a Hollywood actress. If she was going to fall for superficial things, she’d have done it long ago. But Bryce was about so much more than his looks, and that was why she knew this was real. She’d called him a hero, and that was what he was. Her damaged hero. Steffi had fallen in love with who he was, not what he looked like. And now she had to deal with that.
So this was what being in love felt like. It wasn’t all the things the poets said it would be. It wasn’t stomach-swooping and starry-eye inducing. It was scary and lonely. Maybe that was because, for Steffi, it was one-sided. She and Bryce were destined to be a short story instead of an epic romance. She snorted at her own analogy. At least we get to be an erotic story. With the start we had, we could so easily have been a comedy or a work of horror.
The noise made Bryce glance briefly away from the road and in her direction. “Everything okay?”
How was she supposed to answer that? If she was going to be truthful, where would she start? Let me see... No, everything is very far from okay. We have been in this car for a day and a half. These clothes feel like they are molded to my body, and I need a shower. I’m still on the run from the police. The man who killed my parents, my brother and my brother’s girlfriend is still bragging on social media about what a great senator he’s going to make. I don’t know what Walter Sullivan meant when he said he made me, but I have a feeling I’m not going to like the explanation when I hear it. And it looks like my adoptive parents have been keeping secrets from me.
And, as if that wasn’t enough, guess what? I’ve fallen in love with you, Bryce. Totally, head over heels, point-of-no-return in love...and I have no idea how I’m supposed to deal with that feeling. No matter how much it frightened her, there was a part of her that wondered if Bryce didn’t deserve to know how she felt. Not because she expected anything in return, but because it felt sad that he would never know how wonderful she thought he was. That, whatever the outcome of this mad, dangerous adventure of theirs, he would walk away from it never knowing that Steffi had looked his way and seen magic and beauty.
She would never do it, of course. Never open up and make herself vulnerable in that way. She couldn’t bear to see the look of admiration and arousal in his eyes fade, only to be replaced with embarrassment or, even worse, with pity.
“Fine.” She kept her voice light. All those years of acting classes came in useful. And earned her millions, of course. She really shouldn’t forget that. “I just wish I could share the driving.”
During the journey they had talked endlessly, on just about every subject under the sun. Now, when they were just a few hours from Sheridan, Bryce threw a sidelong glance Steffi’s way. “What causes your eye condition?”
She sensed something in his manner, possibly a slight hesitation, as he asked the question. Having lived with it all her life, she didn’t have a problem with being asked about it, but she was used to other people’s reluctance to approach the subject. At the same time, she knew it aroused curiosity. There was something almost mystical about the way her eyes looked. Even Steffi, who saw them every day in the mirror, had to acknowledge it.
“Coloboma? The word itself means ‘defect.’ It can affect different parts of the eye, and it happens when that part doesn’t form properly in the womb. I have coloboma of both irises, but it can also affect the lens or the eyelid. There can be complications, but my only problem is some light sensitivity. To be honest, I wear dark glasses more to hide my eyes than to protect them.”
“Is it hereditary?” Bryce asked. It was an unusual question. Most people wanted to know how it affected her sight.
“It’s something I’ve wondered about. But there never seemed to be any clear answer to that question, so I consulted a geneticist a few years ago.” She bit her lip, wondering whether her reason sounded foolish, giv
en her single status. “A doctor once told me that males can experience more severe symptoms than females. I wanted to know what it would mean if I ever had children.”
“And what did you find out?”
“It’s a condition that is usually not hereditary. Whether it’s passed down in families or not can be a complex subject. Since Aleksander did not have it, it is impossible that I inherited it from him. Apparently, I could only inherit this disorder from a father who had coloboma himself. It is possible that I inherited from Ekaterina, if she was a carrier, although I remember her saying to a doctor when I was a child that there were no other cases in her family. So it seems likely that I’m an isolated case.” Steffi recalled the detailed, complicated and very expensive report produced by the geneticist. “Unfortunately, it is possible that I could pass it on to my own child.”
“Would you let that stop you from having children?” Bryce took his eyes off the quiet road briefly to look at her.
“I don’t think so.” It was something she had already thought long and hard about. “Coloboma has never caused me a problem. It’s a minor inconvenience, not even a disability.”
Even after hours spent talking about favorite books, just as long arguing the merits of rival pizza toppings and then drifting into a nighttime analysis of their own childhood fears, this conversation felt uncomfortable. Talking about the children she might have in the future with the man with whom she was currently having red-hot, no-strings-attached sex seemed all wrong. Particularly as he was the reason she might never have children. Loving Bryce was going to be a powerful impediment to prospective future relationships.
Steffi turned her head to look out the window at the landscape. It comforted her to be back in her home state, even though each mile took her closer to the confrontation she was dreading. During the drive, they had seen everything Wyoming had to offer. Ranch land and rodeo country, isolated mountain ranges and vast empty spaces. Small towns and abundant wildlife. Wyoming had welcomed them home in style.
They had been traveling for so long, she barely knew what time of day it was. Even so, she was aware enough of her surroundings to notice that something was wrong. This was not the route she had expected them to take. “We’re not going to Sheridan, are we?”
“No.” Bryce cast another sidelong glance in her direction. “I thought it would be better if you called your adoptive parents and asked them to meet you in Stillwater.”
“Walter is in Stillwater.” Since they had last seen him, Walter had been campaigning in earnest. Her internet searches had shown her his recent activity. Finally based at his Stillwater home, he had been getting out and about among the voters of Wyoming. “As soon as I arrange to meet my parents there, he’ll know about it.”
“Wherever you arrange to meet them, he’ll know,” Bryce said. “Walter probably feels safe right now in his hometown. But Stillwater is my hometown, too. If we’re taking this fight to him, that’s where I want to do it.”
Steffi nodded. “Then let’s finish this in Stillwater.”
* * *
As they approached Stillwater, Bryce experienced a pang of sadness. They were close and that was a cause for happiness. Getting out of this car, stretching his limbs, showering, changing out of these clothes...all would be welcome. But he and Steffi had been wrapped in their own world for almost forty-eight hours, and he would miss that. Speaking in low voices—sometimes talking complete nonsense—laughing together, drifting into companionable silences, sharing confidences and silly jokes. Over the past few days he had spent more time in her company than he had with anyone other than his brothers and his army colleagues, and she was the only person who had never bored him. He knew she never would.
Steffi had the opposite effect on him. The more he was with her, the more she fascinated him. It had gotten to the point where he thought she must be conscious of it. When he was driving it was easier to hide the fact that he wanted to gaze at her. All the time. As soon as they’d leave the car to get a snack or a coffee, she had to be aware of him staring at her like a moonstruck kid. Or maybe that was how everyone in Steffi’s life looked at her? Perhaps it was all part of being a movie star.
He longed to just keep on driving. To say to hell with the rest of the world and find somewhere he could take Steffi and hide away with her forever. There are laws against abducting people, he reminded himself. Now and then he liked to think that Steffi wouldn’t mind locking herself away with him and throwing away the key. Occasionally, he thought he saw a glimpse of his own feelings reflected back at him in her expression. The same raw emotional need. He bit back a laugh. How had he gone from flat-out despair to extreme arrogance in the space of a few days? We Delaney boys don’t do things by halves. Even so, that had to be the biggest mood swing ever.
Steffi had been quiet ever since the call she had made to her adoptive parents. They had to know something was up, but they had agreed to meet her at Dino’s. They had assured Steffi they would be leaving right away. Bryce figured it would take them about three hours from that moment to reach Stillwater. And if what they believed of June and Todd Grantham was right, at some point they would need to let Walter know what was happening. Would they call him or stop by his house? Doesn’t matter. The end result will be the same.
“Walter will have worked out who I am by now.”
Steffi wrinkled her nose. “How would he do that?”
“My story to Walter was that we were workmates who had a one-night stand, but his guys found us at the lake house...a house owned by Mayor Delaney. He knows you worked for Delaney Transportation. A little snooping around is going to get him the news that Bryce Delaney hasn’t been around for a few days.”
A glance at her profile confirmed his suspicion that she was gnawing her lip. “Do you think he may have gone after your family?”
“I doubt it. Walter has presented himself as a legitimate businessman for many years, remember? He’s running for the Senate, possibly with even higher ambitions in the future. My brother is the mayor of Stillwater and his wife is a police detective.” Bryce was doing his best to convince himself as much as Steffi. “Walter won’t go there. Not unless he has to. And we can use that to our advantage.”
“How?” Steffi turned in her seat to stare at him.
“We are only in danger when we’re alone. Until we want to be in private with Walter, all we have to do is surround ourselves with people.”
“So we call the shots?”
Bryce laughed. “I wouldn’t go that far. Let’s say Walter isn’t as powerful as he thinks he is.”
They were driving into Stillwater now, and his heart lifted at the sight of the beautiful old town with its historic buildings and backdrop of mountain scenery. Given what he’d just said, he had discarded his original plan to continue on through town and straight to his own house. They would be isolated there and at risk from Walter’s men. Instead, he drove to Lakeside Drive and pulled into the parking lot in front of Stillwater City Hall. This majestic structure housed both the mayor’s office and the police department, among other municipal services.
Steffi eyed him warily. “What are you planning?”
“I think it’s time you met my other brother.”
“Bryce, I have been in this car for two days. I’ve barely slept. I haven’t showered or brushed my teeth. I’m disguised as a teenage boy, one who has possibly the worst hairstyle in history—” with her huge cat’s eyes and her spiky hair standing on end, Steffi reminded him of an outraged kitten “—and you want to take me in there to meet the mayor?”
“Look on the bright side, Steffi.”
“There’s a bright side?” She pulled on her hat and donned her shades.
“At least no one will look at you and think ‘beautiful movie star.’” He was still laughing at her expression as they grabbed their backpacks from the trunk, went across to the building a
nd entered the lobby.
Bryce led the way through a set of double doors to the left of the central reception desk. From there they climbed a flight of stairs up to the second floor and went through another set of double doors leading to an outer office. Here, Cameron’s secretary, Alberta Finch, guarded her boss’s privacy like a tiger protecting her cub. She gave Bryce her usual frosty look over the top of her glasses before casting a disapproving eye over his grungy companion. He knew from experience that she wouldn’t lower her guard for family.
“He’s busy.” Alberta was a woman of few words.
“In-a-meeting busy, or paperwork busy?” Bryce asked.
“I really don’t think that’s any of your—”
Bryce didn’t wait to hear any more. Stalking past her desk and dragging Steffi with him, he made his way to the door of Cameron’s office. Ignoring Alberta’s outraged protests, he marched in.
Cameron was seated at his desk. Another man was opposite him with his back to the door. At the interruption, Cameron looked up from his conversation with a frown. Bryce paused on the threshold, the words of apology for interrupting his brother’s meeting dying on his lips.
When the door opened, Cameron’s companion had turned his head to see who had come into the room. As he recognized Bryce, a smile touched his lips. It widened when his eyes moved on to take in Steffi.
“I’m sorry,” Cameron said. “I gave my secretary instructions I wasn’t to be disturbed.”
“It’s not a problem.” Walter Sullivan was charm personified. “Please introduce me to your visitors.”
Chapter 17
In looks, Bryce and Cameron were very alike. And right now they wore matching frowns. The only person who looked remotely at ease was Walter. It was a situation that infuriated Steffi, and it stiffened her spine. You killed my family. You’ve turned my life upside down...twice. You don’t get to sneer at me, as well.
