Night Tide (45 page)

could! easily! keep! her! paternity! a! secret! from! my! husband.! I!

thought!I!had,!until!today.!How!did!you!know?”!

!

I!shrugged.!“She!looks!more!like!her!father!than!she!does!

you.!She!kept!reminding!me!of!someone.!It!wasn’t!until!I!saw!a!

photo!of!her!as!a!young!woman!that!I!thought!I!knew!for!sure.!

She!looked!just!the!way!Charlie’s!sister!Sarah!looked!in!college.!

Being!half6sisters!explains!it.”!

!

She! lightly! rested! her! chin! on! her! thumb! and! a! curled!

forefinger.!“That’s!a!lot!of!conjecture.!You!seemed!quite!sure!of!

yourself.”!

!

“I!get!a!little!impulsive.!Bad!habit.”!

!

She!opened!her!mouth,!but!craned!her!head!at!the!sound!

of!the!door!opening.!The!butler!was!back.!

!

“Yes,!Stephen?”!

!

“Sorry!to!disturb!you,!ma’am,!but!Thomas!Colby!is!at!the!

gate!with!some!of!his!men.!He!says!that!Ms.!Radcliffe!sent!him.!

Apparently!she’s!concerned!for!your!safety.”!

!

“I’m!perfectly!fine,!as!you!can!see.!Please!tell!Mr.!Colby!that!

Keely’s! concerns! are! admirable,! but! we! don’t! need! his!

services.”!

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!

“Thank!you,!ma’am.”!

!

He! gave! a! short! nod! and! silently! backed! out,! closing! the!

door.!

!

“Colby!is!one!of!my!husband’s!security!chiefs,”!she!said.!

!

“That!would!be!my!cue!to!leave.”!

!

She! waved! a! thin,! well6manicured! hand.! “They’re!

supposed! to! do! as! I! say! when! they’re! on! personal! detail.! But!

they! could! barge! in! if! they! want! to.! They! have! security! codes!

and!keys!to!all!our!properties.”!

!

I!stood.!“Thank!you!for!your!honesty.”!

!

“Don’t! abuse! my! trust,! Mr.! Sanders.! I’m! sure! you! know!

what!will!happen!if!she’s!hurt.”!

!

“I’ll!do!my!best!to!see!that!Keely!comes!out!of!this!as!well!

as!she!can.!But!she!may!have!dug!herself!in!too!deep!already.”!

!

“I!understand.!You’d!better!go.”!

!

I!briefly!clasped!her!hand!between!mine,!and!hurried!for!

the!door.!In!the!hallway,!I!nearly!ran!into!Tucker.!!

!

“They’re!coming!for!you,”!he!said.!

!

“I!know.!Stephen!announced!them.!Your!mother!told!him!

to!send!them!away,!but!they’re!likely!to!be!persistent.!I’m!out!

of!here.”!

!

He!grasped!my!elbow.!“Hang!on.”!

!

Stepping! back,! he! let! his! eyes! climb! from! the! tips! of! my!

shoes!up!to!the!top!of!my!head.!

!

“Look,!I!think!I!better—”!!

!

The! low! chime! of! the! doorbell! reverberated! down! the!

hallway.!

!

“Yeah,! you! better,”! he! said.! He! spun! me! around,! pointing!

with! his! other! hand.! “Go! down! to! the! end.! Last! door! on! the!

right!is!the!kitchen.!Back!door!leads!toward!the!tennis!court.!I!

live!in!the!guesthouse!next!to!it.!Take!the!car!in!the!drive.!The!

black!one.”!

!

He!fished!in!his!pocket!and!held!out!a!set!of!keys.!!

!

“Why…?”!

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!

“I’ve! never! been! much! enamored! with! my! father’s! little!

Gestapo.!It!pisses!me!off!when!they!show!up!here.”!

!

“I!couldn’t—”!

!

He!pressed!the!keys!into!my!hand.!“Just!go.”!

!

“Thanks.”!I!swapped!my!keys!for!his!and!broke!into!a!run.!!

!

A! Hispanic! woman! in! an! apron! standing! at! a! kitchen!

counter!glanced!up,!startled,!as!I!flashed!by,!but!said!nothing.!I!

smiled!and!waved!to!reassure!her.!She!shook!her!head,!giving!

me! no! reassurance! whatsoever.! I! flew! out! the! back! door,!

squinting! in! the! blazing! sunlight! until! I! made! out! a! swatch! of!

green!and!brick!red!tennis!court!through!the!trees.!A!heavyset!

man!in!blazer,!slacks!and!tie!rounded!the!corner!of!the!garage!

off!to!my!left.!They’d!sent!someone!to!cover!the!rear.!
Fight*or*

flight?
!I!ignored!him!and!kept!going.!Maybe!he’d!go!away.!

!

“Hey!”!!

!

From! the! corner! of! my! eye! I! saw! him! change! direction.!

Flight.
!I!broke!into!a!trot.!

!

“Hey,!you!”!he!yelled!again.!!

!

I!stopped!and!turned.!“Who,!me?”!
Fight.
!

!

“Yeah,!you.”!He!stabbed!at!me!with!a!finger!as!he!came!up!

to!me.!“Who!are!you?”!

!

My! surprise! was! genuine.! They! hadn’t! been! given! a!

description.!
Shit!*Fight*or*flight?
!

!

I!put!a!look!of!annoyance!on!my!face.!“Friend!of!Tucker’s.!

Why?!Who!the!hell!are!
you
?”!

!

“Security,!sir.!We!were!told!there!could!be!an!intruder!on!

the!grounds.!If!you’ll!just!wait!here!a!moment,!I’ll!check.”!

!

He! pushed! aside! the! flap! of! the! blazer! and! reached! for! a!

walkie6talkie!on!his!belt.!!

!

Fight!
! I! whirled! and! landed! a! spin! kick! high! on! his!

shoulder,!just!missing!the!side!of!his!head!as!he!pulled!away,!

reacting! instinctively.! He! lost! his! balance! and! stumbled.! I!

swarmed!over!his!broad!back,!wrapped!a!forearm!around!his!

throat! and! grabbed! hold! of! my! wrist! with! the! other! hand,!

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cutting!off!his!windpipe.!He!went!down!hard,!and!I!almost!lost!

my!grip.!His!hands!clawed!at!my!arm!as!he!bucked!and!heaved,!

trying!to!throw!me!off.!I!pulled!back!harder.!He!flung!an!arm!

out!and!rolled!us!both!over!putting!me!beneath!him.!His!weight!

squeezed!the!air!out!of!my!lungs,!too.!

!

Fear! tightened! my! grip.! He! reached! back! and! dug! his!

fingers!into!my!face!trying!to!gouge!my!eyes.!I!buried!my!face!

in!his!neck,!the!smell!of!locker!room!and!musky!cologne!nearly!

overpowering.! He! got! hold! of! my! ear! and! started! to! pull.! I!

twisted!my!head!violently!to!prevent!him!from!getting!a!good!

grip,! and! yanked! my! forearm! back! against! his! throat.! Finally,!

his!fingers!let!go!and!he!went!slack.!!

!

I!rolled!his!bulk!off!me,!and!got!up!unsteadily.!The!scuffle!

hadn’t!attracted!attention,!but!I!knew!I!didn’t!have!much!time.!I!

left! him! where! he! lay! and! ran! toward! the! guesthouse! past! a!

fence! enclosing! one! end! of! the! tennis! court.! Two! cars! sat!

parked!in!the!drive,!one!black,!one!blue.!I!headed!for!the!black!

one,!a!BMW,!unlocking!it!with!a!button!on!the!key!fob.!Quickly,!

I! climbed! in,! started! it! and! backed! up.! A! ball! cap! lay! on! the!

passenger! seat.! I! grabbed! it! and! yanked! the! brim! down! low!

over!my!eyes,!scrunched!down!into!the!seat!and!pulled!out!of!

the! drive.! The! blue! car,! I! noted! with! a! degree! of! envy,! was! a!

Murcielago.!Tucker!must!have!made!expensive!wine.!

!

A!large!black!SUV!and!gray!sedan!boxed!in!the!rental!car!in!

front! of! the! house.! I! drove! around! the! opposite! side! of! the!

circle,!exerting!all!my!willpower!to!keep!from!tromping!on!the!

accelerator.! The! gate! opened! automatically,! but! I! still! had! to!

stop!and!wait!while!it!trundled!across!the!drive.!I!pounded!the!

top!of!the!steering!wheel!with!a!fist.!Nervously,!I!kept!one!eye!

on!the!rearview!mirror,!and!nosed!the!car!forward.!

!

Just! as! the! gate! cleared! the! road,! the! front! door! of! the!

house! behind! me! opened! and! two! men! stepped! out.! As! they!

came!down!the!walk!another!man!ran!around!the!far!corner!of!

the! house,! looked! at! the! BMW! and! gesticulated! wildly.! The!

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other!pair!ran!for!the!SUV.!I!gunned!the!BMW!down!the!drive!

and!hauled!the!wheel!to!the!left,!cornering!onto!the!road!with!a!

shriek!of!protest!from!the!tires.!The!car!leaped!ahead!when!I!

stepped! on! the! gas,! winding! down! the! hill! to! another!

intersection.!Ignoring!the!stop!sign,!I!took!another!left!and!shot!

down!the!road!like!a!rocket.!!

!

A!quarter!mile!down,!the!car!headed!into!a!small!curve!at!

seventy6five.!Lights!turning!onto!the!road!behind!me!flashed!in!

the!mirror!just!before!I!left!the!straightaway.!Pressing!my!foot!

down,!I!watched!the!speedometer!needle!crept!up!past!eighty,!

eighty6five,! ninety…! Trees! and! bushes! alongside! the! narrow!

road!closed!in!like!the!walls!of!a!tunnel,!rushing!by!in!a!blur!of!

green!and!brown.!

!

An!in6dash!navigation!screen!glowed,!a!red!arrow!tracking!

along!a!line!on!a!shifting!map.!A!quick!glance!showed!a!freeway!

entrance!a!little!more!than!half!a!mile!south.!A!stop!sign!at!a!T6

junction! up! ahead! loomed! in! the! corner! of! the! windshield.! I!

took! my! foot! off! the! accelerator,! but! waited! to! apply! brakes!

until! the! last! minute.! There! was! nothing! in! the! mirror! but!

pavement.! Checking! for! cross6traffic,! I! swung! into! the!

intersection! without! stopping! and! powered! through! the!

corner.!If!I!hadn’t!been!so!nervous!I!would!have!shouted!with!

the! sheer! joy! of! what! a! hundred6thousand6dollar! car! will! do.!

Especially!compared!to!the!beater!I!still!drove.!

!

Three! minutes! later,! I! headed! north! through! the! valley,!

traffic! now! diminished! to! independent! contractors,! yard!

service!trucks!full!of!immigrants!and!tools!and!soccer!moms!on!

the!way!to!yoga!or!pilates!after!dropping!kids!at!school.!Rush!

hour! had! ended,! making! it! possible! to! hold! my! speed! to! five!

over! the! limit! with! some! creative! weaving! in! and! out! of! the!

gaps.!It!never!occurred!to!me!that!they’d!anticipate!where!I’d!

end!up!after!coming!down!from!the!foothills.!

!

The!sight!in!the!rearview!mirror!of!the!black!SUV!weaving!

in!and!out!of!traffic!behind!me!came!as!a!shock.!

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!

!

Chapter&45&

!

!

Traffic!bunched!as!it!slowed!for!a!traffic!light!ahead.!I!shot!

into! an! open! space! and! weaved! around! a! couple! more! cars,!

trying!to!put!as!many!as!possible!between!the!Beemer!and!the!

pursuing! SUV.! The! parade! of! red! brake! lights! came! to! a! stop.!

Stupidly,!I!followed!the!rules!and!waited!my!turn!in!line.!A!few!

car6lengths!behind!me!a!truck!blocked!my!view!and!any!sense!

of! how! far! back! the! SUV! was.! I! drummed! the! wheel! with! my!

fingers,! checked! the! mirror! again.! Finally! had! the! sense! to!

check! the! side! mirror,! too,! and! saw! the! black! SUV! maneuver!

into!the!bike!lane!along!the!shoulder.!I!felt!a!jolt!in!my!chest!as!

if!someone!had!pressed!a!jumper!cable!against!my!skin,!and!my!

hands!got!sweaty.!!

!

I! cranked! the! wheel! hard,! and! with! a! chirp! of! the! tires!

swung! into! the! bike! lane! and! accelerated.! The! SUV! did! the!

same!as!soon!as!the!driver!saw!me,!bearing!down!as!I!slowed!

at! the! light.! Barely! glancing! left! for! cross6traffic,! I! squealed!

around!the!corner,!hugging!the!curb.!A!car!swerved!around!me,!

horn! blaring! as! it! narrowly! missed.! I! merged! into! the! lane!

behind!it,!saw!the!SUV!turn!the!corner!in!the!side!mirror,!and!

quickly! edged! over! another! lane,! squeezing! into! traffic.!

Vehicles! headed! the! opposite! direction! were! clearing! the!

intersection! behind! me.! A! little! more! than! half! a! block! away,!

another! phalanx! of! cars! cruised! toward! us.! But! the! gap! was!

enough.!

!

I!swung!into!the!oncoming!lanes,!did!a!U6turn!across!four!

lanes,! and! ended! up! in! a! right6hand! turn! lane! that! would! put!

me! back! on! the! expressway.! I! glanced! across! the! street.! The!

SUV!pulled!into!the!lane!I’d!just!left,!forcing!a!car!to!slam!on!its!

brakes! to! avoid! a! collision.! With! horn! blasting,! it! pulled! into!

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oncoming!traffic.!I!turned!away,!too!busy!now!accelerating!into!

the! merge! lane! back! onto! the! expressway,! but! I! heard! no!

thumping! crunch! of! metal.! Gunning! the! engine,! I! leaped! out!

ahead! of! the! cars! at! the! intersection! just! as! they! got! a! green!

light.!!

!

The!next!signal!was!less!than!a!mile!away,!and!I!made!the!

best! use! of! the! distance! I! could.! The! BMW! hit! close! to! a!

hundred! when! the! sign! for! the! next! exit! appeared.! As! the! car!

drifted! right! onto! the! exit! lane,! I! saw! the! SUV! far! behind! me,!

coming!fast.!It!could!still!pick!me!up!unless!I!lost!it!for!good!on!

surface!streets.!I!skirted!around!a!huge!medical!center!and!cut!

across! acres! of! parking! lots,! passing! buildings! that! housed!

major!software!and!computer!hardware!companies!along!with!

a! defense! contractor! or! two.! After! weaving! through! a!

residential! neighborhood! with! no! sign! of! pursuit,! I! figured! I!

was!safe.!!

!

Breathe!
!

!

For!a!moment,!I!focused!on!
pranayama
,!slowing!my!heart!