Death by Obsession (20 page)

A look of hope flickered across her face quickly, but
then faded away. She thrust Mattheus’s arm away. “Why in hell should I believe
you? You wouldn’t even say you were my dad. You’ve got to be some kind of
creep.”

“I didn’t say I wasn’t your dad,” said Mattheus sadly.
“I said let’s explore our relationship.”

“You know, if I tell Cain that you’re on the scene
and want to take me away from him, it ain’t gonna be pretty,” she retorted.

Cindy was horrified. “Mattheus doesn’t want to take
you away from anyone,” she said.

“Oh yeah? Well, my mother thinks differently. My
mother thinks Mattheus is a major creep who’s out to destroy her life. He didn’t
care about her when he first met her, so why should he now?”

“Did you tell your mother you were coming here to
meet us?” asked Cindy.

“You better believe I did,” said Andrea. “My mom’s
got no one to look after her but me.

And now she has Cain, my new dad. But who knows how that
will go?”

“How many dads have you had?” asked Cindy.

“This is my third dad,” said Andrea. “The other two
were good in the beginning but ended up beating the hell out of my mom. I
helped her get away from them.  I’m hoping Cain is better.”

Suddenly, Cindy’s heart broke for Andrea. “I’m so
sorry,” Cindy breathed.

Andrea looked at Cindy out of the corner of her eye,
frightened.  “You’re sorry for who? For me? I’d say you’d be better off being
sorry for yourself. If you think this jerk Mattheus is any better than any of
the guys my mother had, you’re in for a big surprise.”

“You don’t know me, Andrea,” Mattheus said to her
slowly, in sudden pain.

“And who said I want to?” asked Andrea.

“No one,” Mattheus answered.

“And you don’t know me, either,” her voice got softer
then and shaky.

“No, I don’t,” said Mattheus.

“And do you want to?” she asked, haltingly.

Mattheus took a step closer to her, tentatively. “Yes,
I really do,” he said.

“Okay,” she said then, her eyebrows arching, “if you
want to get to know me, fine.” Then she turned and pointed at Cindy, “but first
you got to get rid of her!”

Cindy felt a huge weight bear down on her chest, as
Andrea directed the full force of her anger against her. “I may have room for
another dad,” she went on, “but not for another mom! That’s out of the
question. My mom is spectacular, she’s beautiful, wonderful. No way I’m replacing
her.”

“I don’t want to replace your mom,” Cindy pleaded.

“This isn’t about what you want,” Andrea answered,
spitefully. Then she turned back to Mattheus and smiled for the first time.

 Cindy couldn’t help notice how her face changed when
she smiled, took on a look similar to Mattheus, flashing with sudden charm.  It
cheered Mattheus greatly to see her smile, too. He flashed the same smile back
at her, then.

Andrea looked so happy then, as if she’d won round
one. “Get rid of Cindy and then call me,” she said, as she shook her red bracelets,
ran her hand through her hair, turned and pranced out of the lobby, fast.

When she’d gone Cindy and Mattheus stared at each
other.

“My God, my God,” said Mattheus, “she’s been raised
in a home with guys who’ve beat her mother. Her new stepfather’s been in
prison. This can’t be good.”

“No it can’t,” Cindy agreed.

“Thank God you forced me to find her,” said Mattheus.
“She desperately needs a good, strong father, a fine role model.”

“Everyone needs that, Mattheus,” said Cindy.

“But Andrea knows nothing about me, I abandoned her,”
Mattheus breathed, “she needs it especially.”

 “But she doesn’t want me around,” said Cindy.

Mattheus paused and looked at Cindy strangely, taking
it all in. “No, she doesn’t,” he echoed. “Not in the beginning, anyway.”

“So, where do we go from here?” asked Cindy, a long,
slow chill running through her body.

“Well, for starters, I go down to Anguilla, where she
lives with her mom” Mattheus replied promptly.

“You go alone? Without me?” asked Cindy.

“For a while,” said Mattheus. “I go alone to build a
relationship and get things straight and settled.  Then I’ll call for you later
on.”

“And where do I go?” asked Cindy amazed.

“Why not go home for a little while and visit your
sister?” said Mattheus. “She’ll be thrilled to see you. It’ll be a little
vacation.”

“Mattheus, we’re
on the verge of getting engaged,” Cindy was practically in tears.

“It was your idea for me to meet her,” Mattheus
countered, “and you were right. You said we couldn’t go on until the past was
cleared up. And I had no idea how important it was until I saw my daughter face
to face.”

“I never said you should choose her over me or that
we would separate,” Cindy replied.

“We’re not separating,” said Mattheus, “we’re just
taking a little time apart. And it’s not a matter of choosing one over the
other. She’s my flesh and blood, I could see it the minute she smiled. I can’t
leave her in a situation like the one she’s in. I’m stepping in and making it
right.”

Cindy stared at Mattheus as though he were a stranger.
“What about our work? What about cases?” Cindy was stupefied.

“This is the case I’m on right now,” Mattheus
replied. “An innocent young woman living with a mother who’s been beaten by
guys in the past and who now has an ex con for a new husband.”

“You’re on this case? And what about me?” Cindy was
appalled.

“I told you, take a little vacation. There’ll be
plenty of other cases after this is finished. We’ll tackle them together like
we always did.”

“You’re dreaming, Mattheus,” Cindy replied. “The
shock of meeting your daughter has caused you to unravel.”

“Just the opposite,” said Mattheus. “I’m going back
and making things right with her and nothing is changing my mind.”

“Fine, go do what you have to,” Cindy said. “And, we’ll
see where I go next. That’s a decision I’ll make on my own, as well.”

“I get it,” said Mattheus. “I get it.”

“What do you get? You don’t get anything,” said
Cindy.

“Sure I do,” said Mattheus. “I’m going to be the
father I was meant to be and nothing’s gonna stop me now.”

NOW AVAILABLE!

DEATH
BY DEVOTION
Book #9 in the Caribbean Murder Series

Tap
here to download DEATH BY DEVOTION now!

In DEATH BY DEVOTION, b
efore
they get engaged, Cindy urges Mattheus to meet his long-lost Caribbean
daughter, whom he has never met.  Sixteen years ago, after a one night stand,
the woman became pregnant, and Mattheus quickly left. Mattheus’ beautiful,
volatile, fifteen year old daughter, Andrea, badly needs him, and she wants him
to come to Anguilla, where she lives, so they can get to know each other. One
caveat, though: he has to come without Cindy. Andrea has a mother, and one
mother is enough. Mattheus feels his daughter is in trouble, feels compelled to
go, and abruptly leaves Cindy behind.
Convinced that her relationship with Mattheus is over, Cindy returns to the
States, ready to start her life again. A few days after she gets back, amidst
the excitement and a wonderful job offer, she receives a startling call from
Mattheus down in Anguilla: Andrea’s stepfather has been killed and Andrea was
found beside him, covered in his blood. Mattheus, desperate, begs Cindy to come
down and help. Not only has his daughter been taken into custody—but now he is
a suspect as well.
Unable to say no, Cindy returns to the Caribbean to help find the true killer
and to attempt to free both Mattheus and his daughter—but she soon finds that
she’s up against an underground web of danger on the island, and it may be too
late to save all of them—including herself.
DEATH BY DEVOTION is both a stand-alone novel, and is also Book #9 in the
Caribbean Murder series.

Tap
here to download DEATH BY DEVOTION now!

Books
by Jaden Skye

THE CARIBBEAN MURDER SERIES
DEATH BY HONEYMOON (Book #1)
DEATH BY DIVORCE (Book #2)
DEATH BY MARRIAGE (Book #3)
DEATH BY DESIRE (Book #4)
DEATH BY DECEIT (Book #5)
DEATH BY JEALOUSY (Book #6)

DEATH BY PROPOSAL (Book #7)
DEATH BY OBSESSION (Book #8)
DEATH BY DEVOTION (Book #9)
DEATH BY BETRAYAL (Book #10)
THE TOM’S RIVER SAGA
A PERFECT STRANGER (Book #1)

Tap
here to download Jaden Skye books on Amazon now!

About Jaden Skye

Jaden
Skye is author of the #1 Bestselling CARIBBEAN MURDER series, which includes 10
books (and counting). The first book in the series, DEATH BY HONEYMOON, a #1
Bestseller, is now available as a
FREE
download on Amazon
!

Also
in the series are DEATH BY DIVORCE (#2), DEATH BY MARRIAGE (#3), DEATH BY
DESIRE (#4), DEATH BY DECEIT (#5), DEATH BY JEALOUSY (#6), DEATH BY PROPOSAL
(#7), DEATH BY OBSESSION (#8), DEATH BY DEVOTION (#9) and DEATH BY BETRAYAL (#10).
She is also author of the romance A PERFECT STRANGER.

Jaden
has always been fascinated with mystery, wrongful death, lies, deception and
the power of the truth to prevail. Her romantic suspense/mystery novels feature
strong female protagonists who must overcome insurmountable obstacles, and
through them, she seeks to get to the very heart of the nature of justice and
love.

Please
visit
www.jadenskye.com
to find links to
stay in touch with Jaden via Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, her blog, and a
whole bunch of other places. Jaden loves to hear from you, so don't be shy and
check back often!