“Cal? Are you still with me?” Robert’s impatient voice cut through the phone and into her wandering mind.
“Sorry, lost in my thoughts.” She blushed even though she was alone.
“Woman, I don’t even want to know what about,” Robert chuckled.
“Now that I know what’s going on, I can spin this story. You might want to do a phone interview or something later. I’ll let you know.”
“Thanks, Robert. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
As soon as they disconnected, Calista finished drying her hair, threw on a pair of jeans and T-shirt, and went in search of Dane. When she opened her bedroom door, he was reclined on the couch with his laptop open. His brows furrowed in concentration, but when he saw her he gave her a wide, sensuous smile, which brought an immediate softening to his hard features.
She was coming to learn that his smiles were rare, and she loved that she was the cause of so many of them. “Don’t you ever get tired?”
“Of you, never.” He snapped his computer shut and reached for her.
Chapter 15
William paced the floor of his hotel room and tried to control the rage boiling just under the surface. The rage was always there, but he’d always been able to control it. Until now.
Lately he’d been so close to falling apart, he kept making stupid mistakes. The news of Calista’s engagement had nearly knocked him off his feet the night before. Like a fool, he hadn’t controlled his always present urge to drink and woke up next to a girl he didn’t recognize. Even worse he couldn’t remember how he’d gotten there.
The thought of Calista with someone else sent him over the edge. There was only one way to get her out from under her constant protection. It would be difficult, but she was loyal to her friends. If she thought one of them was in danger, she wouldn’t stay away.
****
“You’re going to spoil me, Dane.” Cajun spices teased Calista’s nose and her stomach rumbled in response. She sat at the kitchen table and sipped a glass of red wine as Dane prepared dinner.
Dressed casually in jeans and a simple pull over cashmere sweater, he still had a commanding presence. It didn’t matter what he wore, he could intimidate anyone.
“Good, that’s the point. When all this is over I want you to think twice before you get rid of me.” He winked and flashed his disarming smile before returning to the mushrooms and onions sautéing in the frying pan.
A spark of some indefinable emotion flashed across his face. If she hadn’t been staring at him so intently, she might have missed it. His supposed offhand comment filled her with unease, so she refilled her glass and brought him another beer from the fridge. She leaned against the counter next to the stove so she could better gauge his expression.
“So, what news does Nikolai have for us?” At his raised eyebrow she smiled wryly and shrugged. “I heard you talking in hushed tones earlier, so either you were talking to him or you have a secret family I don’t know about.”
“I was going to wait until after dinner to tell you, mainly because I still haven’t decided how much you need to know.”
Calista instantly bristled at his choice of words. “Decided? I thought we’d moved to a new level of communication.”
His voice softened considerably, but did nothing to ease her annoyance. “Honey, I know that. I just want you protected.”
“Keeping me in the dark isn’t protecting me.”
He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Cut me some slack, I’m telling you now.”
She pulled away, unwilling to let him think he could appease her so easily. Her life was at risk, as were those close to her. This wasn’t a game. She wasn’t some stupid damsel in distress. In order to stay alive she needed all the pieces to the puzzle.
He turned back to the stove. “Did you know that Mike Valpas had a brother?”
Her brows furrowed. What did that have to do with anything? “Yes, we met once. I think his name is George or something. He’s close to my age and creepy. It’s been a long time, but I remember him because he wore all black, all the time. He even painted his fingernails black. Mike said it was just a Goth phase or something. Why?”
He glanced at her with raised eyebrows.
Shock and nausea rippled through her almost simultaneously. Bile rose in her throat, and it took some serious effort to keep her feet planted solidly on the ground. She clutched the counter for support. “He’s my stalker?”
Dane nodded. “It appears so. All the evidence says that your stalker and Mike’s brother is the same person.”
“When did you find all this out?”
“Yesterday, right before the party.”
Calista mock punched his shoulder and went back to sit at the table. If she didn’t sit, she might really punch him. “Why didn’t you tell me any of this?”
He sighed and started to move towards her, but stopped when she shot him a lethal look. “I wanted to, believe me, but I knew you had so much on your mind already, I thought I’d give you a break.”
Calista wasn’t about to back down. “A break? I should break your leg! I want answers and I deserve to be kept informed. What about pictures? Do you have a photograph of him?”
“A couple old ones. Nikolai had someone search Mike’s apartment. They found some old family photos. The guy we’re assuming is his brother isn’t more than sixteen or seventeen in any of them. There’s only a small resemblance to the police photo we have. That’s another reason I didn’t tell you. We have the photo, so if he was there we would have known.”
“What about a driver’s license or—”
“Don’t you think we’ve thought of that? There is nothing on this guy. About three years ago he fell completely off the radar. It’s like he disappeared and there’s no paper trail. No bank records, no bills we can trace, nothing.”
“How is that possible?”
Dane pulled down two plates from one of the cabinets and shrugged. “In a case like this it usually means either he has a lot of money or he knows someone who does. He probably changed his identity. New name, new address. Hell, maybe he has a new face too.”
“What about family? I know Mike had a mother he didn’t think much of.”
“Dead.”
“What about her husband?”
“There’s no record of any husband.” He glanced up as he dished stir fry onto two plates, his mouth turned down.
“No, I know she was married. Mike hated his step-father for reasons unknown to me. He was always ranting about him, so I know she was definitely married.”
Dane put the two plates in front of them and took a seat across from her. “It would help if we had a name.”
Calista picked up her fork and tapped it against her plate. “Alejandro something…It’s on the tip of my tongue.”
The answer hit her with Mack truck force and her heart nearly jumped out of her chest. “It’s Angel. The same last name as George. Maybe he only changed his first name. That’s got to narrow things down considerably. If you can find his step-father maybe…”
Dane nodded and stood up. “I’ll be right back.”
Less than ten minutes later, Dane returned looking more relaxed than he had since he’d been there, but Calista sensed there was something bothering him, something not related to her stalker.
She pushed her empty plate away and smiled. “Sorry I didn’t wait. My stomach wouldn’t let me.”
Though he didn’t respond, he chuckled and put his plate in the microwave.
“Well? Aren’t you going to tell me what Nikolai said? You look surprisingly happy.”
“Not happy, just relieved. It finally feels like we’re making headway. There’s nothing I hate more than fighting an invisible threat.”
“I’ve noticed you’re a bit of a control freak.”
“Possibly.”
“Can I ask you something?” She needed to get this off her chest.
“Sure.” He leaned against the counter, watching her with a guarded expression.
“I’m probably being paranoid. After all, you have been honest. Well, for the most part. Even if your honesty has been a little delayed, you’ve been straight with me about everything. It’s just that I can’t help but feel you’re holding something back. Something not even related to what’s going on?”
“Why would you say something like that?” he asked as he turned towards the dinging of the microwave.
At that moment she made the decision to trust him completely. “It’s just a feeling I’m getting. My emotions are all out of whack.”
Before he could respond, she was across the room. She slipped her arms around him and laid her head on his back. “I trust you, Dane. Hell, I trust you more than anyone in the world right now.”
****
Dane disentangled himself for a moment so he could turn and put his arms around her. When this was all over there was a good possibility Calista would hate him. There were things he should tell her now, because the thought of not being in her life forever left a jagged hole inside of him. She deserved to know the truth, but finding the actual words so far proved to be an impossible task.
He wanted to tell her, but with her already terrified about the maniac trying to kill her, how could he disrupt what little solace she’d found in him?
****
Lexi pulled her thick hair back into an elastic band and turned on the water to her tub. She tossed in some bath salts and smiled to herself the higher the water rose. A steaming bath was just the thing she needed at the moment. There was a kid down at the center she worked at, who she couldn’t get out of her mind. Barely sixteen, he had so much potential, but he’d fallen in with the wrong crowd. His mother didn’t know what to do and Lexi was at her wits end with his antics. His story was so typical but it still broke her heart. Father left when he was young and his mom was working her ass off at two jobs so he could attend the ‘right’ school. The only problem was that there are delinquents at any school, no matter how prestigious.