Love Inspired Suspense June 2015 #1 (15 page)

“One of his favorite charities, supporting our returning veterans and their families. Eagleton Foundation gives a lot to the charity. It's a good cause.”

“So you want him to have it only days after being released from the hospital?”

Nicholas held up both of his hands. “I didn't say that. But if he does have the party, he doesn't have to be there the whole time. I know the guy that heads Wounded Heroes. He can manage without your uncle there.”

“What about the security at the party?”

“If he doesn't postpone it, I'll work with your uncle and Carly on that. You aren't to worry about it.”

Selena started to pick up her laptop.

Nicholas stopped her and drew her toward him. “No more work today. You hardly got any sleep the past couple of days.”

“That couch in my uncle's hospital room wasn't comfortable. But it was better than the chair you were sleeping in.”

“Sleeping? That's a stretch for what I was doing. More like resting my eyes. Too much noise for me to sleep. You know, hospitals aren't that quiet in the middle of the night.”

“That's why my uncle insisted on coming home right away. He said he'd get more rest here than at the hospital.”

Nicholas wrapped his arms around her and tugged her against his chest. “How about you? You need to take care of yourself.”

She tilted her head back and looked at him. “I have you to do that. Isn't that part of being my protector?”

The teasing note in her voice captivated him. He loved seeing this fun side of her. He leaned her back against the arm of the couch, his mouth hovering above hers. Caressing her hair, he couldn't resist anymore the strong urge to kiss her. His lips touched hers. All his feelings toward her swelled to the surface.

He pulled back a few inches, their breaths mingling. “When this is over, we need to talk.”

Her dreamy expression slowly faded. “When what is over?”

“Me having to protect you. The last thing I should do is kiss you.” His words sobered him, and he straightened.

She sighed. “You're right. I'm never going to get my work caught up with you hanging around.”

She infused humor into her voice, but deep in her eyes, he glimpsed concern. Selena wasn't used to depending on anyone else. From what she'd said about her past, it had become a necessity to do everything herself in order to accomplish all she had. He understood that. In many ways, he'd raised himself as Selena had done, just under vastly different circumstances.

He noticed her looking at her laptop sitting on the coffee table. “Is that your way of telling me to get lost?”

“Not too far. You are my protector, at least in General Meyer's and the president's eyes.”

“How about yours?”

“I'm not sure. You confuse me.”

He'd expected her to say yes or no. “How?”

“We're different in so many ways but the same, too. We should have nothing in common, but I'm discovering we do have a lot. We're both workaholics and enjoy our jobs. We grew up alone although there were many people around us. We both love Max.” A smile brightened her eyes. “What's not to love about Max?”

“You're straightforward and so am I. And you like coffee the way I do—black and strong. And I believe we've shared things with each other we don't usually tell others.”

“Your faith is strong. I saw that when we went to my church. When I thought I might have lost Erin, I began to question God. I'd wanted a relationship with my family, and Erin and I were becoming close like sisters. Then she vanished. I fought so hard my whole life and that hit me hard. Now I see I need to give it to the Lord. The only thing I can control are my actions and attitude. I can't control what's happening with Erin. It's ultimately in His hands. I need to trust Him.”

Nicholas cupped his hand over hers. “Trust is hard to give to another, even the Lord, especially for people like us. But you're right. Ever since I left home, I've been running from my past. I turned my back on my family and although my parents are dead, I have neglected what they left behind. I haven't been home since I left years ago. I have caretakers watching over the estate, but it could be in ruins and I wouldn't know.”

“You said once you grew up in Maryland. Is it near my uncle's place?”

“About thirty minutes away.”

“Then I hope you'll take me to it one day. I want to see where you grew up.”

“Only if you will show me where you lived.” He didn't know if he'd want anyone to go with him and he was pretty sure Selena wouldn't want him going with her.

She opened her mouth but closed it and averted her gaze for a long moment. Then she turned and said, “A deal.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I think where we grew up will always be part of us. Like you, I haven't gone back to the neighborhood since I left. Of course, I'm sure the landlord didn't take care of where I lived like the caretaker did with your estate.” One corner of her mouth tilted.

Suddenly their conversation took on a lighter tone, and he was thankful for that. Selena had a way of getting him to say and do things he usually held back. “Did you talk to your uncle about getting an article of clothing from Erin's house?”

“Yes, and in fact, he gave me the key. I forgot about it when I started working.” Selena dug into her jeans pocket and pulled it out. “When are we going? I'm anxious to know if it was Erin at the hospital. Uncle Preston is, too.”

“We're not going. I'm sending Brooke tomorrow morning. We'll know something shortly after that. She'll bring the wig, which the forensics lab ran their tests on today. They found hair, the color we were told Erin had dyed hers, but DNA couldn't be pulled from the strands. So no confirmation that way.”

“I know in my heart it was her. I can't answer for the other sightings. Erin would be drawn to the hospital to see about her dad.”

“Maybe the senator was the target, after all. What if someone was trying to lure Erin out of hiding?”

“The real person who killed Michael and wounded the congressman? Hmm. That makes sense. So does that mean you don't have to follow me around?”

He chuckled. “Nope. We don't know for sure who the shooter was targeting, but we do know you were assaulted in the underground garage. You're stuck with me.”

“I guess it could be worse,” she said with a laugh. “Now go so I can work another hour or so until dinner.” She shooed him away.

“I guess that's my cue to walk Max around the yard. He needs to go outside.”

At the entrance into the room, he sent her a woebegone look that only made her laugh more.

* * *

The next morning, in the glassed-in back porch, Selena stood at the floor-to-ceiling window and stared out at the gorgeous day. This was as far as she would go to enjoy it. Since the glass was bulletproof and several guards patrolled the grounds, Nicholas had agreed she could work here and enjoy the blooming flowers from a distance. She wanted her life back, but that wasn't going to happen until Nicholas discovered who had come after her.

“I see you've found my secret retreat. This is one of my favorite places at my town house, even in the winter.”

Selena rotated toward her uncle standing in the doorway, his arm in a sling. Some color had returned to his face since the shooting. “How are you doing today? You slept in.”

“Better. By the time of the party this weekend, I'll be back to my old self.” He glanced down at his bandaged arm. “Except for this. My doctor wants me to use the sling for the rest of the week, but I'm ditching it for the party.”

“Are you sure?”

“I don't want people to see me as a victim.”

She knew that feeling. She hadn't, either. That was why she'd worked her way through college. “I know you don't have to run for the Senate anytime soon, but your sling could give you the sympathy vote.”

He frowned. “No, the only way I want people's votes is the straightforward way, that my stand and platform are similar to what they want. In my youth, I made some bad decisions because of how something would appear to my constituents. Image was important. When Erin was splashed all over the news, I didn't care about what the voters thought. All I wanted was my daughter back safe, but we still don't know if she is alive. That is my reality check.” Her uncle slowly moved toward her. “I think we need to talk.”

“Yes.” She waited until he took a seat on a white wicker love seat with green cushions, then she sat in the nearby matching chair. She resisted the urge to place her hand over her heart as if that would stop it from beating rapidly. “What do you want to talk about? The Littleton case?”

“No, but I want you to know that I had Carly check into my staff members to see if someone in the office hired that private investigator, Mr. Goodwin, to track the comings and goings of anyone who visited Littleton in prison. So far, she can't find anything. No money was used from my funds.”

“It could be someone not in your office. The private investigator never met the person.”

“That's what I think, but that's not what I want to talk about. The case is in good hands with Nicholas and you. I owe you an explanation of why I disowned your mother.”

She didn't know if she wanted it now. They had taken steps to build a relationship. She didn't want anything to destroy that. “You don't—”

“Yes, I do,” he interrupted, his mouth twisting into a hard line. “I don't know what your mother told you, but I didn't totally kick her out. She left with part of her inheritance from our parents that wasn't tied up.”

“She did?” All she could remember her mother talking about was how she'd left with only the clothes on her back.

“Yes, and she blew through the sizable amount in three years. That's when I denied her access to the rest because I was the executor of my parents' will. There were stipulations she had to meet before she would get any more of it. One was she would stop drinking and would go into rehab. On the surface she pretended she was trying, but within a week had left. She finally refused and started openly taking drugs with the alcohol.”

For a second, Selena closed her eyes, hating to see the pain in his expression mixed with disgust. She'd fought that for years—feeling sorry for her mother, then so upset she couldn't stand to be around her.

“The last straw was when she made a spectacle of herself at a huge game-changing fund-raiser for my first campaign for a congressional seat. I lost a lot of my funding and support. The following month I lost the race by a narrow margin.” He locked gazes with her. “I reacted with anger and told her I never wanted to see her again. That was the last time I did. I was—still am—stubborn.”

“What did she do?” She remembered how many times her mother had embarrassed her and she'd been so mad that she finally ran away at seventeen. Although she had seen her mom some in the years afterward, she had never forgiven her for her actions.

“She got drunk at a function with investors and started a brawl that escalated and the police were called. The photo of her handcuffed, looking drunk, was all over the news for several days. Then she turned right around and shoplifted, again for attention because she had the money to pay for the clothes she took. She was sick, but I didn't know what to do for her anymore. She refused any help from me and wouldn't see a therapist.”

Selena dropped her gaze to a spot on the floor between them. “She didn't want to stop. I think all she lived for was her next drink or fix. I couldn't watch her destroy herself, so I can understand how you felt.”

“I knew we couldn't have any kind of relationship until I told my side of what happened. When I saw you, I saw her and I couldn't get past that, even though Erin kept telling me you weren't your mother.” He cocked one side of his mouth. “Did I tell you I'm a stubborn man?”

She laughed. “Yes, but I figured that out on my own.”

“I'm also blunt. Where do you and I stand?”

“You're my uncle and Erin's father. And to be blunt myself, it's easier to forgive you than my mother.”

“I know. She had such potential, but she became friends with the wrong people who used her until she had nothing left. In the past years, I had been keeping tabs on you when Erin told me about meeting you at your mother's funeral. It didn't take me long to realize you aren't like my sister. You may look like her, but that's where the similarities stop.”

She dipped her head. “Thank you. I worked hard not to be. If I learned anything from my mother, it was what I wouldn't do.”

The chimes of the doorbell rang.

Her uncle looked toward the doorway. “I hope that isn't more people wanting to see how I'm doing.”

“You mean, you don't love the attention?”

“Not one bit. I need the rest instead.”

Selena spied Nicholas in the entrance with Brooke beside him. She smiled at Brooke. “It's nice to see you again.”

“Hey, how about me?” Laughter danced in Nicholas's eyes.

“I already saw you earlier. Brooke, this is my uncle.” She swung her attention to him. “She helped Nicholas protect me after the break-in. Mercy is her K-9.”

Brooke crossed to Selena's uncle and shook his hand. “I brought the wig and a piece of clothing from Erin's house.”

Her uncle's expression perked up. “To see if it was her the other night?”

Nicholas took the paper sack and removed two pieces of clothing—a blouse and a jacket. “Did Erin wear these much?”

“I know the jacket was her favorite. I don't know about the blouse,” her uncle said.

“I got both of these from her hamper, so she had worn them before she went missing.”

Selena stood and looked behind Nicholas. “Where's Max?”

“In the kitchen until I've hidden the wig, then I'll bring him in here to find it.”