License to Love (48 page)

That’s why Alexander wasn’t worried that she’d leave. He
knew she finally saw that he was the one person who could find Jerry.

The question remained… why would he help her? Maybe he just
wanted to get his hands on Jerry. Maybe he was coming back with a few of
Keith’s other men. Then again, she knew he could handle her all on his own, and
an unwelcome sixth sense told her that he wanted them alone.

With effort, she pried herself up from the seat. She slid
the small bag with the CD under the mattress and pushed it back a ways, and
then went into the bathroom. She was so out of it that she stepped into the
shower before it warmed up all the way. The cold water sputtered down and woke
her up some, enough to take a long shower, change into the clean clothes, and
lay down on the bed. She smelled Alexander all around, maybe on her. She
couldn’t get away from the smell. Was it the smell of betrayal or help? Her
conscious nagged her. This was wrong, but in that I-don’t-care-it’s-wrong kind
of way.

Everything was mixed up. She might need Alexander’s help
but… she wanted
Nick
. In a painful way. She wanted his kisses and
caresses, his body against hers, him fulfilling the fantasies she had at the
cabin.  She wanted him to find her and tell her it’d all be okay and that he
knew where Jerry was.

Her eyes drifted shut. She was falling and spinning in a
wonderful way, sinking –

Fresh bread?

Her eyes jerked open as her mouth watered. Alexander sat
beside her, unwrapping a sandwich and looking her over like she’d been in a car
accident. He still looked like a 1950s gangster, but he didn’t seem dangerous
to her right now. 

He handed the sandwich to her once she got herself upright.
She bit into it and stopped, savoring the flavors mixing in her mouth and the
happy endorphins erupting all over her body.

She almost didn’t care how closely he watched her. Almost.
She grabbed the sandwich and retreated to the side table, turning away from
him. Fresh tomato, provolone cheese, lettuce, and roast beef!

It even had salt and pepper. It was like he knew how she
liked her sandwiches. That thought freaked her out for a second, but she
couldn’t believe he spied on her and knew her preferences like that. Right?

“Thanks,” she squeezed it out between bites.

“Nick really screwed this whole thing up,” Alexander
muttered, his features drawing into a tight and dark frown. “I’m glad you got
away from him... most girls fall for his money and looks. They don’t see how
he’s been given everything he has.”

So it was personal.

Cora didn’t let any expression surface on her face as she
listened to him, instead focusing on her food. She would guess that Alexander
didn’t have anything given to him. He hadn’t had girls falling over him. It
wasn’t that he was ugly at all, but his personality pushed people away.

She doubted that too many other people saw this side of him.

“So…why do you have a room? Don’t you live in Eugene?”

He didn’t answer right away and she had to look at him
before he proceeded. He was weighing his words, being careful. “Yes, I live in
Eugene but I didn’t want to risk Nick finding you again. Keith might have other
people watching for you too.”

“But,” she said, and then stopped, trying to backtrack and
figure it out. “You’re working for Keith. Why would it matter if he knew you
found me?”

He smiled again, this time a small smile. It might have
meant he felt sorry for her, for not understanding. “Cora, do you want Keith
knowing you’re here?”

No, she didn’t. Why did Alexander care? Was he actually on
her side, hiding her? She finished the last few bites; nibbling provided
something to do while turning this problem over.

When the sandwich was gone, he said, “There’s a new
toothbrush and a few other things in the bathroom when you need them.”

Cora nodded and pulled herself to her feet. The hot shower
and full stomach were working against her now, making her lethargic. She shut
the bathroom door and turned on the water, all while trying to decide what he
wanted from her. Instead of thinking, she ended up spacing out a little,
letting the water run and the toothbrush sit on her teeth, unmoving.

Alexander had a plan. Suddenly she knew it with certainty.
He’d help her find Jerry, and then she’d figure out a way to get herself and
her father away from him.

Several minutes later, she opened the door and lingered
there, choosing her words. “I want to thank - I mean, you don’t have to help
me, but thank you.”

Alexander was perched on the bed like a bird about to take
flight. Why was he sitting there, watching her like that? She stood there, in
his clothes, not sure of what they’d do now and feeling that spaced out feeling
again. Maybe it wasn’t good for her health to swim for several hours in a cold,
snow fed river. Or maybe he’d slipped something into her food?

“You really are tired.” She heard him say as her hand
searched for the doorframe. Cora thought she heard him walk closer and realized
she was about to fall over.

He lifted her up in his arms. It shocked her awake, but she
didn’t fight him.

“I’ll let you stay here and get some sleep tomorrow while I
check on Jerry.” He laid her down on the bed. She was already asleep.

Where had she gone?
Was she alright? Nick left the
police station in the early morning, his nerves still vibrating with the same
overwhelming fear that had hit him the second he woke up alone the day before.
She was gone, just gone. He jumped in his car and ripped out of the parking lot
too fast.

He had promised Jerry, and then Cora, that he’d keep her
safe. How did he let this happen?

Nick wasn’t sure which prospect frightened him more: that
Alexander had found them and stole her away, or that she took off on her own,
into the wilderness with no way to defend herself and no map. He’d searched,
yelled, searched, and yelled some more, even though Alexander might have heard.

Alexander didn’t show up. That most likely meant he hadn’t
heard.

At least the police would be looking for her. That might
make her mad, and probably made him a suspect, but he was not risking her
safety.

His feelings for her seemed to grow with each breath he
took. He gripped the steering wheel in anger. He had to stay focused if he was
going to find her again.

He headed to Keith’s house, dreading it yet knowing it was
his best lead. Thinking back, he wondered what he could have done differently,
but the other options just wouldn’t have worked out. He had kept Cora safe, at
least until she disappeared.
Nice.
Now she was might be going rogue and
planning to save her father from Keith…but what if…what if Jerry had embezzled
that money? He could be as crooked as Keith.

Nick had originally planned to get Cora away from his
family, hide her away, and then call the police to investigate and sort out who
did what. It would have worked if Alexander hadn’t followed them that first
night. That would have kept both Cora and her father safe, but it hadn’t worked
out that way. Now he needed to right the situation. Even if Cora never spoke to
him again, he would get her out of this alive.

He pulled up to the gate and waited for it to open.

“Show time,” Nick muttered, pulling together his courtroom
persona: cool confidence, but not to an offending degree. He worked his shoulders,
relaxing them, and then let the tension out of the rest of his body. He refused
to let any nervousness show through.

He parked outside the garage and went inside to Keith’s
office. He knocked and opened the door, almost in one motion, so he’d catch
Keith off guard. As expected, Keith’s brothers were present, sitting two chairs
pulled back toward opposite walls. Keith stood, leaning back against his desk.

“I don’t think Alexander’s following your plan.” Nick caught
Keith’s attention.

“And you are?” Keith pulled in a drag from his cigarette and
watched Nick while squinting in the smoke. He knew Nick had bashed Alexander’s
head in, and he might know Nick reported Cora missing. “We have Jerry here, and
I’m sure Alexander has Cora under control.” Keith snuffed out his smoke and lit
another before sitting down.

Nick knew it, too. “Alexander set Jerry up just to get his
hands on Cora.”

Michael and John exchanged skeptical looks. They seemed to
be enjoying the show. Nick feared he wouldn’t be able to convince his father,
or his uncles. The three brothers looked related by their similar features, but
their ever-thirsty greed truly held them together. The Holloways had secrets
like every family, but their secrets got people hurt. Killed.

He tried anyway. “You’re all aware of how close Alexander
kept to Jerry.”

“Well, of course,” Keith said, “Alexander recommended I hire
Jerry, said he’d follow orders and keep quiet.”

This new information stopped Nick in his tracks. He was
amazed that they had the incriminating proof right in front of them, yet they
disregarded it. Counting the facts on his fingers, Nick rattled off, “Alexander
brought Jerry in. Alexander accused Jerry. Alexander supplied the plan to take
Cora as incentive. He wanted to take her out in the mountains.”

“So what?” Keith broke in, “What does that mean to us?”

“Isn’t it clear to you that Alexander planned to frame Jerry
to get his hands on Cora?”

“That’s Cora’s problem. She wouldn’t be in this mess if her
father were honest.”

Like Keith could recognize honest. Nick clenched his fist to
control his temper. “Do you care that Alexander stole your million dollars?”

A chilling look washed over Keith’s face.
A murderous
look.

Nick kept going. “You have an innocent man held hostage
downstairs.”

Keith coolly stared at his son while John and Michael
stiffened in their leather chairs.

“We’re going to find Alexander, one way or another, and hear
what he has to say,” John said. “Maybe you should get back with the program and
help us.”

Nick remained quiet, but Keith said, “We don’t need to go
looking for him. Either Cora will show up here again, looking for Jerry, or
Alexander will hand deliver her.”

Keith’s words ran up Nick’s spin like a cold knife blade.
Knowing that he needed to bluff, he waited a long minute and said, “So we wait
for them to show up here. Then what?”

Keith stood up from leaning on the desk. “You’ve been
disrespecting us for some time, but I still gave you one job to do. Look how
that turned out.” He walked past Nick to the door and opened it. “We’ll let you
know when there’s something you can do.”

Nick left the room and Keith shut the door behind him. He
could try to eavesdrop, but that wouldn’t help him find Cora.

Was it possible that he misread the look in her eyes? Could
a woman kiss like that and not mean it? Was she afraid of him, along with his family?

He drove away, wondering where to look. Her apartment was
empty still. Cora was too smart to endanger anyone else, so that didn’t leave
many choices.

His cell rang. He wouldn’t have answered calls from very
many people just then. However, it was Adam.

“Hey bro,” Adam greeted. “Where are you? I’ve been trying to
reach you.”

“I’m driving... I’m surprised I haven’t spotted someone
following me yet.” Nick glanced in his mirrors and let out a heavy sigh. “I
didn’t take my phone in when I talked to King Kong and his thugs.”

King Kong had been their nickname for Keith when they were
kids.

“You were there?”

“Just now. Why?”

“I went there last night, looking for you, and Alexander
stopped by.”

Damn it! They had lied to his face. Of course Alexander beat
him there. “Cora?”

Nick yanked the steering wheel and drove the car over to the
curb, realizing he wasn’t watching the road at all.

“Alexander sounded sure that Cora’s going to show up there
Friday morning.”

 “How could he know what Cora’s planning to do.... unless
she’s with him. Great, just great.” Nick punched the steering wheel. “So,
Alexander is bringing Cora to Keith. Why is he waiting? Did he try to make a
deal with Keith?”

“That’s where I’m confused. Listen, man, I couldn’t get the
whole picture, but what I understood was bad. I heard Alexander tell Keith
‘make sure she sees it. I’ll get her out of there and get you the key.’ I’m not
sure what
it
is.” 

“Can’t be good. I’m going in tomorrow morning. You with me?”

***

Cora dreamed of Nick, striding to her and kissing her,
throwing her into the cold stream, flashing her that charming smile. Her mind
was saturated with thoughts of his smile, his strong hands, his scent, and his
smooth voice talking in almost musical tones. Images and feelings mixed. Nick
was looking into her eyes, making her feel like the universe revolved around
her. Then he was holding her, cradling her against him while he nuzzled her
neck and whispered in her ear. In all her dreaming, she forgot Nick wasn’t
there.

She woke up looking for him, expecting to find his scent and
launch into a new argument. Instead it was dark. And she was alone.

Oh. Alexander had found her.

Nick. Where was he right now? It must have hurt him when he
realized she was gone, but she had to leave. Her dad needed her.

Where was Alexander? She had to concentrate to remember the
details of the night before. He had said something about where he would be, but
she couldn’t remember. She barely remembered going to bed.

A hot-cold chill simmered through her as she remembered
Nick’s warnings. Cora jerked upright in the bed and wrapped her arms around
herself. She was still dressed and didn’t feel
wrong
. Still, she felt
reckless and foolish for trusting Alexander and staying there. Anything could
have happened. He could have tried… something. Everything seemed okay.