A Dangerous Widow (A Dangerous Series) (24 page)

Startled, I turned around and watched our
limousine lift high off the ground and somersault in a ball of fire before it
crashed down onto the pavement.
 
When it hit the ground, metal collapsed against metal, and most of the
cars parked alongside the street lit up in a chorus of lights and screaming
alarms as if we’d just entered Armageddon.

I felt Ben hug me close to him as a searing
jolt of hot air rushed over us, and then I looked around to make certain that
the four men who had been with us were still with us.
 
They were.

Thank God they were.

As I looked at each of them, I saw that
their faces were aglow with horror and the flickering orange light of fire as
the limousine roared, crackled, and burned.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

The next morning, after a night of dealing
with the police and telling them everything we knew, I woke on the same sofa
I’d fallen into when Ben took me home.
 

Sunlight was streaming through the windows
to my left, and when I glanced down at myself, I saw that I was still was
wearing my lavender evening gown.
 
I
felt discombobulated—completely out of it—and since Ben was nowhere
near me, fear laced through me.

I called out for him.

“I’m here,” I heard him say.
 

He’s in my office
, I thought with a sense of relief.
 
Probably at the
computer…

I brushed my hair out of my face as I heard
him hurry down the stairs that emptied into the kitchen and down the hallway
toward me.
 
He was wearing nothing
but his boxer shorts, and I remembered why—Catherine’s blood had been all
over his tux.
 

He sat next to me and took me into his
arms.
 
“I wanted to undress you last
night and tuck you into bed, but you said that you were too tired and that you
just wanted to sleep here.
 
Otherwise, I would have taken care of you.”

“You have been taking care of me,” I
said.
 
“From the start.
 
I don’t know how I could have gotten
through any of this without you.
 
I’m so grateful that you’re here.”

“Do you remember what I said to you last
night?”

“That you’re in love with me?”

“I meant all of it, Kate.
 
I am in love with you again.”

I looked up at him when he said that, saw the
trace of vulnerability in his eyes, and then told him what I hadn’t had time to
tell him the night before.

“What you need to know is that I’m also in
love with you.”

When I said that, I could sense his relief
and surprise.
 
“Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure.
 
Just because I fell in love with Michael
doesn’t mean that my love for you ever stopped.
 
You always will be my first love.
 
And right now, with you back in my life
and after everything we’ve gone through over these past few days, I’m hoping
that you’ll be my last love.
 
Now,
kiss me,” I said.
 
“Because after
last night, more than anything in the world, I just want to be loved and held
by you.”

When he kissed me, I closed my eyes and felt
his love for me plunge deep into my soul.
 

How has this happened?
I thought as I held him close to me.
 
How did we ever get
here again?

Fate
, I answered.
 
And thank God for it.

When our lips parted, he asked me if I’d
like coffee.

“Have you had any yet?”

“Two cups.”

“I’d love some.”

“How about if you shower and change, and I’ll
make a fresh pot?”

“I’d appreciate that.”

“Consider it done.”

“I suppose that, after what happened last
night, I’m all over the news…”

“You are.”

“What are they saying?”

“That you’re in danger.
 
Because of what happened last night,
many news outlets are now entertaining the idea that Michael’s death was not an
accident.”

“Because it wasn’t.”

“It wasn’t.”

“Who’s behind this, Ben?”

“We’ll find out, Kate.”

“Is Nick coming today?”

“He’s flying to Nebraska.”

“Nebraska?”

He hesitated before he said, “That’s where
Catherine’s family lives.”

“He’s a good man,” I said as tears stung my
eyes.
 
“I’m so sorry for what
happened to her.
 
It’s
devastating.
 
I know that I’m—”

“Stop,” he said.
 
“What happened to her is tragic and
incomprehensible, but you’re not responsible, Kate.
 
Catherine knew exactly what she was
getting into last night.
 
And while
all of us are mourning her loss, that doesn’t mean that any one of us is
pointing a finger at you for her death.
 
This morning, I spoke with Nick before he left.
 
He agrees.
 
We all went into last night with our
eyes wide open.
 
Does her death make
all of us want to tear our hearts out?
 
Of course it does.
 
But you
are not to blame.”

“I think that I’m always going to feel
responsible.”

“In time, I hope that you won’t.
 
‘W’ killed her.
 
And believe me when I say that we will
find and crush that bitch.
 
I can
promise you that.
 
We’ll make her
pay for what she’s done.”

“Remembering it all makes me sick.
 
First Catherine, then the car
chase.”
 
I looked at him.
 
“She wasn’t just toying with me when she
came after our car.
 
Last night, she
wanted me dead, Ben.”

“Before we discuss any of that, how about if
you take a long, hot shower?
 
Try to
relax and clear your mind.
 
I’ll
have coffee ready for you the moment you come back into the kitchen.
 
Would you like some breakfast?”

“Coffee will be enough.”

“Then shower,” he said.
 
“Stand beneath the hot water.
 
Take your time.
 
I’ll be here when you get out.
 
You can count on me.”

“I know that I can,” I said as I stood and
wrapped my arms around him.
 
“And I
thank God for that.”

 
*
 
*
 
*

After I was showered and dressed in a pair
of shorts and a white T-shirt, I went into the kitchen and found Ben waiting
for me.

“Have you been here the entire time?” I
asked.

“Let’s just say that I might have waited for
you to turn off the shower before I started the coffee.
 
Because who wants stale coffee?”
 
He turned to his side, reached for a
white mug, and handed it to me.
 
It
was full.
 
He must have poured it
when he heard me coming down the stairs.
 
“Black—just as you like it.”

“Thank you,” I said.

“We need to check your phone, because it’s
been going off all morning.
 
I want
to make sure that you haven’t received any more texts.”

“About that text—how did she know my
number, Ben?”

“That’s simple enough—whoever she’s
working for knows it.”

“So, a friend of mine is behind this?”

“There are other ways to find your personal
number, but yes, that could be the case.
 
Does Bill or Maxine Witherhouse have your number?”

“They do.”

He reached for my clutch on the kitchen
island, removed my phone from it, and handed it to me.
 
After I unlocked it with my thumbprint,
I gave it to him.

“You look.
 
I don’t want to.”

But there were no other texts from her, just
several voice messages from Laura, one from Jennifer, and many more from
members of my team at the Red Cross, who clearly were concerned about me.

“I should call Laura,” I said.
 
“She’ll be out of her mind with worry at
this point.”

“I agree.
 
Call her, but then I want access to your
phone.
 
I want to see who is in your
contacts list, and if any names pop out at me.
 
Are you OK with that?”

“Of course I am.”

“Then talk with your friend.
 
I know you two are close.
 
Right now, you need everyone’s support.”

“What are your plans for today?”

“I can either stay with you if you need me
here, or I can go back to your office and continue to assess our options about
how we go forward.”

“Assess our options,” I said.
 
“Read the news.
 
Think about how we go forward.
 
I’ll talk with Laura, and when I’m
finished, I’ll bring you my phone.”

“I love you, Kate.”

“I love you, too.”

He came over and kissed me on the lips.
 
And then he really went there.
 
“Michael might have been the love of
your life, but what you need to know is that you’ve always been the love of
mine.”

 
*
 
*
 
*

After I finished my first cup of coffee, I
called Laura.

“It’s me,” I said when she answered her
cell.

When she spoke, her voice sounded
troubled.
 
“I haven’t been able to
get you out of my head since last night,” she said.
 
“Thank God you called me back—I’ve
been worried sick about you.
 
How
are you doing?”

“I think I’m still in shock.
 
But I’m grateful to have friends like
you who care about me.
 
That means
everything, Laura.”

“You have many friends who are worried about
you, Kate.
 
Look, I’m in my car now
and on my way to pick up Jennifer—we were going to have lunch and talk
about what happened last night.
 
We
were going to try to come up with some ways in which we could help you.
 
But instead of lunch, how about if
Jennifer and I just come over and give you the support you need?
 
We won’t be long.
 
I know that you and Ben have a lot on
your plates right now.
 
But a hug from
each of us sure as hell can’t hurt.”

“I’d love to see you both.”

“Then consider it done.
 
Let me pick up Jennifer, and we’ll see
you in twenty minutes.”

“Thank you, love.”

“See you in twenty, doll.”

 
*
 
*
 
*

After finishing my second cup of coffee, I
went upstairs to give Ben my phone.
 
“Laura is picking up Jennifer,” I told him.
 
“They’re on their way over.”

“Good,” he said.
 
“You need them now—especially
Laura.
 
Spend some time with
them—but not too long.
 
We
need to consider next steps.”

“Laura already knows that.
 
She told me that they wouldn’t be long.”

“Call me if you need me.”

I wrapped my arms around his bare chest.
 
“I will.
 
But don’t come downstairs looking like
that.
 
Because if you do, the girls
might need a drink.”

“Very funny,” he said.
 
“Listen, when the intercom goes off, I
want to make sure that it’s just Laura and Jennifer, OK?”

“I understand.”

“Call me when they arrive.”

 
*
 
*
 
*

When the intercom rang, I felt a
thrill.
 
After last night, I needed
a moment with my girlfriends—especially with Laura and Jennifer.
 
Before I answered it, I called out to
Ben, who hurried down the stairs and joined me in the foyer.

 
“Answer
it,” he said.

I pressed the button.
 
“Yes?” I said.

“A Laura Sanders and a Jennifer Wenn to see
you, Mrs. Stone.”

“We’re here!” I heard Laura say, which was
enough to make me smile.

“We are!” Jennifer said in the distance.

“Is anyone else with them, Christian?” I
asked.

“No, Mrs. Stone.”

“Then please send them up.”

Satisfied, Ben gave me a quick kiss on the
cheek.
 
“Enjoy them,” he said.
 
“And talk with them.
 
I know that you need them right
now.
 
I’ll be in your office.
 
Call me if you need me.”