by Ciana Stone
Mark was torn. As a man, he would gladly promise her anything. As an agent of the government, he could be committing career suicide if he did. In the end, the man won.
“Okay.”
“Thank you.” She gave his hand a squeeze then released it and gestured for him to sit.
Mark took a seat on the couch. Morgan started the video and sat down in the floor with her back to him. She sat as rigid as a metal rod. When it was finished, she got up, took it from the USB port and turned to face him.
“Well?”
Mark could see how hard it was for her, the embarrassment and humiliation of having someone else see her husband with another woman had to be terribly humiliating. That she was able to stand up to it this well was a credit to her strength.
“I don’t know. It looks real enough, but there’s no way to tell without having it checked out.”
“And the woman?”
“Definitely not anyone I’ve ever seen.”
“So, she doesn’t work for the government?”
“No. At least I don’t think so.”
“Can you find out?”
“Maybe. But I’ll need to take the drive.”
Morgan looked down at the drive in her hand. “How many more people will see it?”
“I have no idea.”
She clutched the drive against her abdomen. “How long will it take to find out if it’s real?”
“Not long.”
“How long is not long?”
“A couple of hours or a couple of days. I don’t really know.”
“And the woman?”
“I don’t know. All we have is a face to go on. And possibly some prints if they haven’t been erased by the case being handled so much.”
Morgan hadn’t stopped to consider that she was destroying the evidence she needed to discover the woman’s identity. Uncertain if she was making the right decision, she handed the drive to Mark.
“Will you let me know as soon as you find out anything?”
“I’ll come directly here, if that’s what you want.”
She nodded and folded her arms around her in a defensive stance. Mark slid the drive into the pocket of his jacket. “I’ll be back as quick as I can.”
Again, Morgan nodded. Mark raised his hand, intending on giving her arm a squeeze of support but the look on her face changed his mind. It was as if she had withdrawn into a shell.
“Okay, well−I better get going.”
He turned and headed for the door. Her voice stopped him as he was crossing the threshold.
“Agent Samuels?”
“Yes?” He paused and looked across the foyer to where she stood in the doorway of the den.
“Thank you.”
Seeing her standing there, so small and vulnerable, so hurt and alone, he wanted more than anything to rush across the room and take her in his arms. He wanted to promise her that everything would be okay, and that even if her husband was a world-class jerk, he would take care of her and make sure she never had to go through anything like this again.
But he couldn’t do that. All he could do was nod and leave, wishing that he was not falling for the wife of another man.
Morgan watched Mark leave then turned and looked around the room. She felt ill, like someone who was coming down with a case of the flu. Her stomach was in a knot and acid burned in her throat.
If Cord just wouldn’t have gone to Andrews County. As silly as it sounded, even to her, in her heart she felt that if he had stayed home, none of this would have happened. That woman wouldn’t have been in the woods, Ghost wouldn’t have been shot, and she would never have seen that video.
That video. It has to be a fake. It has to be. Morgan couldn’t believe that Cord would cheat on her. He wasn’t that kind of man. He was honest with her. Even if he had been with another woman, he would have told her. He would never have kept something like that hidden, to grow like a cancer between them. That’s not who he was. That’s not who they were.
Suddenly, she knew that all she had to do was talk to Cord. She’d tell him what happened, and he would make it all okay.
She called his cell phone but got no answer, so she called directory assistance and asked to be connected to the hotel where he always stayed. Within moments, her call was answered and being routed to Cord’s room.
After five rings, a woman's sleepy voice came on the line. "Hello?"
"I'm sorry.” Morgan said automatically. She’d obviously been connected with the wrong room. "I was trying to reach Cord Alexander's room."
"This is his room. But he's real busy and doesn't want to be bothered. So, why don't you leave your number with the front desk and he'll call you tomorrow."
Morgan severed the connection. Abruptly her legs caved in and she sat down hard on the floor. Her mind tried to wrap around the fact that the lie was true.
Cord was with another woman.
Odessa, Texas
When Cord returned to the hotel, he thought about checking in on Cassie. A quick glance at his wristwatch changed his mind. It was after four in the morning.
Guilt flooded through him. He shouldn’t even be thinking about Cassie. What was wrong with him? He justified the transgression with the idea that he was just tired and not thinking straight. In the midst of a jaw-cracking yawn, he unlocked his door and entered.
His first reaction upon entering the room was surprise. He hadn’t realized that he was so fixated on Cassie. Now he could even smell her perfume.
Get a grip. He chastised himself as he started through the dark towards the bed, dropping his briefcase and pulling off his shoes along the way. With one final mental note to call Morgan as soon as he woke, he fell across the bed.
The feel of a body beneath him elicited a yell. He bounded off the bed, fighting the confusion and shock. How had he gotten into the wrong room?
Sudden light from the lamp beside the bed blinded him. Cord threw up his hand instinctively to protect his eyes, blinking furiously at the spots that danced before him.
“I wondered when you were going to get back.”
The words registered in Cord’s brain at approximately the same moment his eyes focused.
“Cassie?”
“The one and only.” She smiled and stretched seductively.
For the most part, Cord was a sharp-minded man, but at that moment he was completely baffled. He could not figure out how he had gotten into her room. His eyes darted around the room and fell on his suitcase on the table by the window. A portion of the confusion abated. At least he knew he was in his room. But that prompted another question.
“What are you doing here?” He found his voice.
“Waiting for you.” She tugged at the towel she wore.
It parted and fell away from her body. Cord couldn’t help but look. His eyes jerked from her body to her face. The open invitation in her eyes threatened to turn his knees to jelly and other parts of his anatomy to stone.
“Cassie, I−look it’s late and I’m really beat. I don’t think−”
Before he could finish the sentence, she was off the bed and standing before him, her hands reaching up to his face. Her breasts flattened out against his chest as she pressed against him and pulled his face to hers.
Her parted lips were a whisper away when he jerked his head back. He took her hands to pull them away from his face and stepped back from her.
Green eyes that held all too many tempting promises stared up at him. He took another step backwards, loosening his fingers from hers.
“No.”
The word, once spoken, restored his lost strength and clarity. Whatever part of his male ego had been in control thus far had been pushed into the background by the realization that he didn’t want to sleep with her. She was beautiful, sexy and would, no doubt give him a lot of sexual pleasure.
However, it would only be sex and there was no sex or no woman for that matter that was worth the price. What he’d done with her before was a guilt he’d have to s
omehow learn to live with, but he wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice.
Cassie suddenly realized he was serious. He was turning her down. Embarrassment seized her. Rejection was not a situation she had a lot of experience with.
Maybe he’s just playing hard to get to ease his conscience. The thought brought a flirtatious smile to her face.
Not only did he not return the smile, but his soft dark eyes seemed to turn hard and cold.
Without another word, she snatched up her towel and stomped from the room.
Cord locked the door behind her and blew out a long breath. For the first time since he had laid eyes on Cassie, he felt good about himself. He hadn’t fallen victim to temptation. He’d remained true to the woman he loved.
He stripped off his clothes and climbed into the bed. An untroubled mind and clear conscience was the best sleep aid in existence. Within moments, he was sound asleep.
Cassie was far from sleepy by the time she got back in her room. She’d forgotten to take her room keycard with her when she broke into Cord’s room, and she’d left her lockpick set in his room. That meant she had to go back to the front desk again for a new keycard, once again wearing a towel.
The moment she was back in her room, she poured a healthy shot of vodka into a glass and swallowed it in one gulp. Rage bubbled like acid in her stomach. The bubble turned into a boil by the second drink and before she finished her third drink, the rage boiled over.
Once more, she did her best to destroy the hotel room. When her rage was finally spent, she fell back on the bed, breathing hard. He had to want her. No one turned her down that way.
With some difficulty, she located the almost empty liquor bottle. She poured a splash into a plastic cup from the bathroom, returned to the bed and sipped the drink.
She’d really wanted to get Cord back into bed. It would've been so good. She imagined the things they could have done. She polished off her drink in one swift draft, tossed the cup aside and flopped over on her stomach with her head propped up on her hands.
Another face took shape in her mind. Victor. Erotic thoughts were replaced by fear. If he had any idea what she was doing, she would be next on his termination list. She’d have to be very careful. And she didn't have much time.
Amid thoughts of what failure to carry out Victor’s orders would mean, and thoughts of how to get Cord in her bed, an unexpected smile rose to her face. The night hadn’t been a total loss. Her smile widened to a grin as she thought of the phone call she had taken earlier in Cord's room.
Serves him right! It was almost a shame his life was going to quickly turn to shit and he’d probably never get a chance to explain to his wife why a woman had answered his phone in the middle of the night. That gave Cassie reason to gloat. However, part of her felt bad about what she was going to do.
It's his own damn fault. If Cord had given in to her perhaps she could’ve used her contacts and found a way for them to disappear and be together. They could’ve gone somewhere Victor couldn’t find them.
After all, he has plenty of money. And since Victor just wants to torment Cord, see him broken, imprisoned and then probably dead, he should be eager to escape. Particularly if he has someone like me with him.
As she fantasized about how it would have been if they had run away together, she poured herself another drink and let the scene play in her mind. Imagining herself as Cord's wife, she saw them laughing and cuddling, walking down the white sands of the Riviera, skiing down the slopes of the Alpine, or dressed up in diamonds and black lace, dancing cheek to cheek in Monte Carlo.
"Shit!" she said out loud. "Why does he have to be so stubborn?” They would’ve made a perfect couple. Unless she could think of some way to get to him and do it soon, she was going to have to turn his life into a living hell.
With her mind wrapped up in her fantasy, she began to plan an escape route. She felt sure that she’d be able to get through to Cord. Surely, he’d rather be with her than be turned into a fugitive and end up being killed or in prison. She’d somehow convince him that she was the woman he needed.
Now all I have to do is figure out how to get away without Victor finding out. She began going over in her mind all of the other contacts she could call on. The thought of double–crossing Victor and him finding out was a chilling one.
God only knows what he would do to me. She felt an icy shiver of dread as she thought back to what he had done to poor Nick and Carlo. That almost changed her mind. Then she remembered how he had treated her after the incident in Washington. She’d offered herself to him, and he’d humiliated her, forcing her to satisfy him with her mouth, then leaving her like a dog on the floor.
"That bastard!” She got up to have yet another drink. "It'll serve him right! Just who the hell does he think he is anyway? I guess I just have to show him that he can't fuck with me."
She was beginning to really like the idea of crossing Victor. It would be perfect. She could have Cord and be safe from Victor all at the same time. A satisfied smile crept across her face. Turning off the light, she lay down and closed her eyes. As ideas of how she would get to Cord ran through her mind, she drifted to sleep.
Chapter Six
Cotton Creek, Texas
Mark Samuels pulled his car to the gate, reached out to press the speaker button then stopped. What he was about to do could get him into a lot of trouble if anyone at the bureau found out. Not to mention what the news would do to Morgan
Maybe it would be better for everyone if he just turned around and left. He could ask for reassignment and he would, in all likelihood, never see her again. He wouldn’t risk his job and wouldn’t be the one to break the bad news to her.
Mark leaned his head back against the seat and blew out his breath. He’d always thought of himself as a sensible, strong, and reasonable man but Morgan Alexander turned him into an irrational puddle of simmering hormones and emotions; inspiring feelings he had no idea how to deal with.
If he could have stilled that voice in his head that whispered, “but if her husband is gone, you might have a chance,” perhaps he would’ve turned around and left. But the voice persisted like a siren’s call and before he knew it, he was pressing the speaker button.
“Yes?” Her voice came through the speaker after a couple of seconds.
“It’s Mark Samuels.”
“Come on up.”
The gate swung open. Samuels drove to the house and parked his car. Morgan was waiting on the porch. He tried to keep his expression neutral. There had to be a way to break the news to her gently.
Morgan took one look at Mark and knew the news was bad. As he mounted the steps, she turned and went inside. Mark followed her to the den, where she turned to face him.
“Well?”
He looked at her then away and cleared his throat. “The lab went over the video. It’s−as far as we can tell, it’s real.”
Morgan expected as much, after the call she had made to Cord’s hotel room. Yet she still felt a stab of pain at the words. Part of her had clung to the hope that it was all some huge mistake or set–up; that the call had been transferred to the wrong room and that Cord was as true and honest with her as she had believed.
The truth hurt more than she could imagine, but she didn’t want Mark Samuels to know. Drawing herself up, she met his eyes directly. “And the woman?”
“Well… “The woman’s identity was something Mark was nervous about revealing. It had caused quite a stir when the bureau found out who she was. Even now, there was a major uproar going on regarding her.
“Well what?”
Mark shook his head and sat down on the couch. Morgan took a seat beside him. “You know who she is, don’t you?”
He was silent for a long time, and then looked at her. “Yes.”
“So, tell me.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“Sure, it is. Just say her name.”
“Morgan−Mrs. Alexander, I−look, there are just some thin
gs I can’t tell you.”
“Why not?”
He thought before speaking. “Because it could cost me my job.”
Morgan opened her mouth to argue, and then decided against it. “I understand.”
“No, I don’t think you do, and I wish I could make you, but I can’t. I’ve told you all I can without putting my job on the line and you in a very precarious position. I’m sorry.”
For a few seconds there was silence. Morgan wondered what was so special about the woman that Mark couldn’t reveal her identity. She also had to consider her own curiosity. Did it really matter who the woman was? What really mattered was that she knew the truth. Cord was in love with someone else and had lied to her about it.
“It’s okay, Mark.” She put her hand on his arm. “I appreciate all you’ve done.”
Mark covered her hand with his. “I wish I could make this easier for you.”
“So, do I. But this is something I have to face.”
“But not alone.”
Her eyes widened. “Mark, I−”
“No, listen, you don’t have to say anything. I just want you to know that−well; I just want you to know that you don’t have to go through all this alone. Your husband is one stupid man as far as I’m concerned and to be honest, I don’t think he deserves you.”
Morgan shook her head. “No, Cord isn’t stupid. Not at all. If anyone is guilty of being stupid, it’s me.”
“How can you say that?”
She gave his hand a squeeze then withdrew hers. “Easy. Just ask yourself. If you’d lived with and loved someone for over twenty years, shouldn’t you be able to recognize it if that person had stopped loving you?”
“But you can’t accept responsibility for what he did. It wasn’t your fault.”
“Wasn’t it?” She stood and moved away from the couch. “I wonder.”
“Mrs. Alexander−Morgan, listen…” Mark stood and reached for her
