“Did they?” she asked. “I mean, did terrible things happen to you?”
Question after a question. He realized they could keep this up until the morning. “What do you want, Micheline?” he asked tiredly. “First you call me up and tell me you’re dying, then you seem dedicated to avoiding me. Now all of a sudden, you’ve got something important to say. Why don’t you just spit it out?”
Another woman might have decried the hardness in his voice or tearfully demanded to know what she’d done to deserve his apathy. Not Micheline. Either she already knew or she simply did not care. Jake would bet on the later. Or maybe even both.
“Fine,” she sighed, her tone more annoyed than apologetic. “You’re not really my son.”
“What?” He snapped his head up, summoning back his first reaction when he’d learned the news. Shock and disbelief.
“It’s true. We’re not blood related. I switched you with another infant at the hospital when you were a day old.”
Pretending shock seemed anticlimactic. Instead, he settled on rage. “Why?” he asked. “Why would you do such a thing?” Maybe now she’d give him some answers.
“I should have just given my baby up for adoption,” she mused, still avoiding his question. “There was this other infant who wasn’t doing so well. You.”
Confused, he eyed her. “So you traded your healthy child? That doesn’t even make sense.” But then, knowing her, he realized it did. “You thought I was going to die, didn’t you?” Horror filled him—fury, too.
Micheline, being Micheline, merely shrugged. She didn’t even have the grace to try and appear ashamed. “To my surprise, you didn’t. You thrived. The other baby started out sickly, but he did, too. My baby. I was able to keep tabs on him, because he became part of the most prominent family in Mustang Valley. My birth son is a Colton now. While you...” She let her gaze travel over him. “Clearly never felt any connection to me at all.”
No remorse. No apologies. If anything, she seemed to be gloating. Horrible, awful woman.
When he’d been a child, he’d wondered what was wrong with him that his own mother couldn’t seem to love him. As he’d grown and come to realize what kind of person Micheline actually was, he’d reckoned her lack of maternal instincts were a blessing in disguise. Despite that, he still carried scars from his younger years. This was one of the reasons he’d continually shied away from relationships: his fear of allowing any woman to hurt him the way his mother had.
“Do you even have cancer?” he asked abruptly. “Or was that sob story a ruse to get me to come home and see you?”
She narrowed her eyes. “How could you think such a thing?”
Again, not answering his question. “Because I know you. Do you or do you not have cancer?”
“I do,” she finally replied, though she dropped her head to avoid meeting his eyes. “I’ll be starting treatment soon.”
“What treatment? Chemo? Radiation?”
“Yes. Both of those.” She sighed heavily. “Instead of focusing on me, don’t you want to know the name of the man who grew up with the life that should have been yours?”
Right for the jugular. She was a real piece of work, that Micheline. “You already told me. A Colton.”
“There are a lot of Coltons all over the country,” she countered.
“Sure.” All he wanted now was to get her out of his room. “Who is it?”
“Ace Colton.” Triumph rang in her voice. “He’s one of the most valuable members of that powerful family.”
Valuable. Odd choice of words. But sadly appropriate, since she always made sure Jake knew his existence held no value for her.
Be Your Best You. Her catchy little meaningless phrase flashed into his mind.
A flash of rage went through him, so strong he had to clench his hands into fists. He wanted to lash out, to tell her what he thought of her, and on top of that, how he felt about this, the ultimate betrayal.
Instead, he did none of those things. Partly because he suspected she wouldn’t care and partly because he really wanted to know what she planned to do now.
Swallowing, he looked down at his feet, taking deep breaths and stuffing his anger back deep inside. When he felt he could speak normally, he raised his head to find her watching him, her expression both gleeful and yet somehow full of pseudo-concern. Even here, alone with him, she still felt the need to continue to play a role.
“Why tell me this now?” he asked.
“I’m dying,” she replied, injecting a note of pathos into her tone. “And I’m trying to right the wrongs of my past.”
Coming from anyone else, anyone but her, he might have believed that. After all, that was exactly the kind of thing a rational, caring human being might do in their final months or years of life. But this was Micheline. He might have been gone from her life for the last twenty-three years, but he knew damn well she hadn’t changed. Not one bit.
“The truth, Micheline,” he prompted, letting some of his exhaustion show. “What’s your angle?”
At that, she drew herself up. “I don’t have an angle, as you so charmingly put it. I run one of the largest self-help organizations in Arizona. People look up to me, and I help them. I help them, Jake. Not hurt them. Because of me, thousands of people are becoming their best selves.”
Ugh. If he heard that tired old phrase one more time.
“Are you afraid the baby-switch story will get out?” he asked, watching her closely. “If your followers learned what you did, maybe they wouldn’t follow you.”
That made her laugh. And laugh. So long and so hard tears streamed down her cheeks. Finally, she got herself together, grabbing a tissue off his dresser and dabbing at her face. “Not likely,” she managed.
Since he didn’t have a response for that, he simply jerked his chin in a reasonable facsimile of a nod. About to tell her to get out, he closed his mouth when she spun around on her expensive high-heeled shoes and strode to the door. “Take care, Jake.” She fluttered her fingers. “I’m sure we’ll talk again. I’m guessing you’re sticking around awhile, since you and Fiona appear to have a thing going on.”
“Maybe,” he allowed. “But if I do decide to leave, I’ll make sure and have one of your minions inform you.”
“Minions!” She tittered, though her eyes remained hard. “How quaint. And really, you should give it a few more days. Things are just about to get really interesting around here. And you might be able to play a big part in it.”
And then she left, shutting him in his room with a decisive click of the door.
He wanted to throw something, break something, toss back a shot or two of whiskey. Instead, he thought of Fiona, with her lush body and huge brown eyes. Though she too had lied to him, she’d had good reason. She had a mission, a task, and if there was anything he could do to help her accomplish it, he would. He wanted to dedicate his life to bringing Micheline down. Helping Fiona, who seemed as different from Micheline as night from day, would help expunge some of his bitterness and maybe even help him heal.
Things were about to get interesting around here, Micheline had said. Which meant Fiona was right—the cult leader had something planned, though he didn’t know what, only that it appeared to involve him. And maybe even the Coltons.
Too drained to do anything but stay in his room, Jake tried to call Fiona, but she didn’t pick up. He wondered if she’d been summoned by Micheline. Still, she was the last thing he thought of before he drifted off to sleep.
Ace Colton called right after breakfast the next morning. “The family would love to meet you,” he said. “Payne was just released from the hospital. He’s a bit weak, but he’s eager to get to know you. Would you be available to come by the house for dinner tonight?”
“I’d love that,” Jake replied.
“Perfect.” Ace’s voice turned serious. “I’ll brief
you a bit ahead of time. All the Coltons are trustworthy—the siblings, the triplet cousins—but Selina Barnes Colton, my father’s ex-wife, is not to be trusted.” Here he gave a small, self-conscious chuckle. “I guess I should have said your father’s second wife. Selina is my ex-stepmother and is on the board of Colton Oil. She’s a witch. At least Dad had the sense to divorce her. Genevieve is much nicer. Whatever you do, don’t trust Selina. Just watch out for her, okay?”
“That I can do,” Jake said. “I’ve read a little about all of them. As for Selina, I have some experience with women like that. I was raised by one.”
“Ouch.” Ace went silent for a moment and then continued on. “Anyway, even though it’s going to be a huge family get-together, I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable. I can try to get them to scale it back some. Payne got really excited and went overboard, despite barely being out of the hospital. Genevieve loves big parties. Though she’s been invited, Selina is grinding her teeth.”
“You know, I’d rather just meet your immediate family right now, if that’s all right with you,” Jake admitted. “It’s already a lot to take in. Meeting the extended family right off the bat might be too much.” Overwhelming, actually. Still in shock, he’d prefer to take this in small doses, a few people at a time.
“Thank goodness.” Relief rang in Ace’s voice. “At least now I might stand a chance in hell of reasoning with Payne. Oh, and if you want to bring a date or a friend, that’s fine, too.”
Jake immediately thought of Fiona. Would she want to go, or was it too much, too soon? Though they’d made love, they barely knew each other. He guessed it would depend on whether or not a dinner with the Colton family fit into her mission. “I’ll let you know,” he said. “What time do you want me to be there?”
“How about seven?”
“Sounds good. I’ll text you if I decide to bring someone.”
“Ah, you’ve got to ask her first.”
“Exactly.” Smiling, Jake ended the call. He wouldn’t exactly blame Fiona if she begged off going. Still, it didn’t hurt to ask.
Chapter 7
As soon as she rose the next morning, Fiona showered and rushed through her makeup and getting dressed. At any minute, she expected either Leigh or Micheline to summon her and quiz her about her developing relationship with Jake. After all, the cult leader had walked in and found Fiona in Jake’s bed.
When nothing happened, it almost felt anticlimactic. She guessed Micheline had seen enough to feel confident Jake would stay.
Fiona thought of Jake. Of the way his hands had felt on her skin, how his body had filled hers, how they’d fit together so well. While she wasn’t usually prone to poetic, flowery thoughts about sexual mechanics, Jake had made her body sing.
Pleasantly sore, she wondered how he’d act around her now. Would things be strange? She hoped not. While Micheline’s dramatic entrance had made for an awkward ending to a wonderful night, she hoped Jake could get past all that. Privately, Fiona considered him the best part of this entire undercover assignment.
She pushed away her thoughts and made her way to the cafeteria for breakfast. Since only a small group of AAG members lived at the house full-time, the meals were set up buffet style. After grabbing a couple of spoonfuls of scrambled eggs, she took two slices of bacon and a muffin, filled her cup with coffee, and took a seat.
Jake appeared just as she took her first sip. He looked happy, she thought, watching as he went through the line and got his own breakfast. He made his way directly to her table.
“Mind if I join you?”
Her heart leaped at the sight of him, but she managed to keep her expression cool. “Have a seat.”
Jake mustn’t have been a morning person, either. She got it—most days she preferred not to have to speak to anyone until she’d downed a least one cup of coffee. They ate together in companionable silence, and it wasn’t until they both finished their meal, when he offered to get her a refill, that she felt cheerful enough to initiate friendly conversation. “That’d be great, thanks.”
“Cream and sugar?”
“No.” She made a mock face. “Just black.”
“Good choice.”
When he returned a moment later, he placed both their coffees down on the table. “Do you want to hear what Micheline had to say last night?”
Immediately, she glanced around them, giving her head a tiny shake. “Not here,” she mouthed.
“My bad,” he mouthed back. “I forgot.”
Curiosity won out. She pushed to her feet, taking another sip of her hot coffee. “Do you want to go for a walk? This is the best time of the day for that, as far as I’m concerned.”
Taking the hint, he got up, too. “Sure.”
Side by side, they took a leisurely stroll through the mostly empty lobby. Fiona made a show of gazing adoringly up at him.
Outside, he grinned. “You can stop with the adoring looks now.”
“Who says I want to?” she quipped.
This made him laugh.
They continued on down the long, winding driveway. A small gravel path led to several of the maintenance sheds. Impulsively, Fiona took it.
“Where are we going?” Jake asked. “Are those storage buildings?”
“Yes, but we’re not going that far.” She looked around, taking care to make it casual. “I have no idea where they might have cameras hidden. I just want to make sure we don’t have eyes on us.”
“Paranoid much?” Jake teased. “Surely, Micheline doesn’t have the entire grounds wired.”
She shrugged. “Probably not. And I have to be paranoid. I can’t take a chance on blowing my cover.”
As they neared the largest maintenance shed, she spied a security camera mounted just under the roof. “Come here,” she murmured, keeping her back to it. “Don’t look, but I’ve spotted a camera. Give me a kiss so we can make it seem like we snuck off somewhere private to make out.”
Again, that flash of a sexy grin. “Gladly.”
He pulled her in close. The moment his mouth covered hers, the lighthearted mood vanished. Passion, white-hot and fierce, flared instantly. For a moment, just that second in time, she allowed herself to give in to it, to him.
“Keep that up and we’ll be doing a lot more than making out,” he warned, the rasp in his voice matching the heat in his eyes.
“You’re right.” She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. “I don’t know why, but with you, I always get carried away.”
Shaking his head, he yanked her close and kissed her again.
When he finally moved back, they were both shaking.
“Okay,” she said, taking his hand and leading him back toward the driveway. “Tell me what Micheline had to say after I left your room last night.”
Just like that, his smile vanished. Fiona actually felt awful for being the one to make it go away.
“Basically, she told me the truth. She switched me with another infant in the hospital. She even went so far as to tell me why.”
Something in his voice... “Do I want to know?” she asked.
“Why not?” His mouth twisted. “She took me because one baby was sickly and the other wasn’t and she wanted her child to be raised a Colton heir.”
“Ouch.” Wincing, she squeezed his hand. “She’s a horrible person, but we already knew that. Still, that must have been hard to hear.”
“It was. No matter that I know she’s not related to me in any way by blood, despite being well aware of how awful and soulless she is, that still hurt. Made me wonder if all during my childhood, she might have been plotting to kill me and make it look like an accident.”
Though she wouldn’t have put it past Micheline, she kept that thought to herself. “Well, at least one good thing has come of this,” she said instead. “You’ve got an entirely new family to get to know.”
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“True.” He eyed her, his expression clearing. “Speaking of them, Ace invited me to dinner tonight. He said it would be okay to bring a plus-one. Would you like to go?”
“Me?” Her initial reaction was to refuse. First off, all they knew about her was that she was a member of AAG. Secondly, this was Jake’s time, and why would the Colton family want an outsider to bear witness to what would surely be an emotional and touching reunion?
But then she realized maybe Jake might need her support.
And that trumped anything the Colton family might want.
“Yes, you.” Leaning in close, Jake brushed a kiss on her cheek. “Up to you, no pressure. But I wouldn’t mind having someone in my corner while I’m there. It’s going to be awkward, no matter how you put it.”
Just as she’d thought. He needed her. “I’d love to go,” she responded. “It’ll be fun.”
He laughed again. “I wouldn’t go that far. But it will be interesting, that’s for sure. Meet me in the lobby around six thirty?”
“Perfect.” Her phone chimed. She checked it and groaned. “That’s Leigh. I’m being summoned. I’m guessing she’ll want to go over my progress in convincing you to stay. I wish I knew why that’s so important to Micheline. What part does she have planned for you to play?”
“I don’t know,” he replied. “If I can, I’ll try to find out. In the meantime, I’m going into town to do some exploring. I’m guessing you won’t be able to break free to go with me.”
She tapped her phone. “It doesn’t look like it. Enjoy your day and I’ll see you tonight.”
They walked back toward the house together, but instead of going inside, Jake veered off toward the parking lot and his truck. She stood in the drive and watched him go, waving once when he turned around to look back at her.
Inside the house, Fiona headed immediately toward Leigh’s suite. To her surprise, no one answered when she knocked on the door. She tried the knob. It was locked. Now what?
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