Semiautomatic Marriage (25 page)

Was Arthur heading here when something made him get out of his car and then he was deliberately run over?

In Nick’s position as head of the shipping department, he could have diverted orders by covering up the name of a legitimate company and address
with a label that sent the shipment to
this
address. Adam parked a half block from the warehouse and approached the building from the side. As he reached a narrow parking area that led to the wharf and boat dock, Adam recognized the lone car parked there. It was Buddy’s.

Before he could give meaning to this discovery, he heard muffled noises. Above the sucking and lapping sound of water, he recognized Carolyn’s weak cry somewhere ahead on the shadowy wharf.

Adam hugged the side of the building as he ran forward and peered around the corner. He saw two shadowy figures come out the back door and he recognized them both.

C
AROLYN WHIMPERED
as Buddy roughly pushed her forward, holding one arm behind her back in a painful position. Dizzy from some pills Buddy had forced on her, and stiff from her cramped confinement in a small storage closet, she stumbled.

Buddy had taunted her that she’d be the first cargo loaded when the foreign ship pulled in. Her hopes had faded that somehow, some way, Adam would find her, and she thought she was hallucinating when she heard his voice.

“Let her go, Buddy,” Adam ordered as he stepped out into the dim light of a high arc light. “Now! Or I’ll shoot.”

Buddy swung around, clutching Carolyn in front of him like a shield. When he saw it was Adam, he grinned and taunted, “Go ahead. Save me the trouble of shipping her out.”

“You’re under arrest, Buddy. Now we’ll add kidnapping to your other crimes, like murder.”

“Oh, so you found poor old Nick,” Buddy said, almost as if he was pleased to take credit for the crime. “Sorry to disappoint you, but there has to be a loser in any game. In this one it’s you!”

“Behind you!” Carolyn croaked.

The waterfront thug Buddy had hired to be her jailor jumped Adam and knocked the gun from his hand. The revolver fell into the water.

Adam had spent hours training in martial arts and now put the training to good use. He landed a knockout blow to his attacker’s chin and instantly dropped the man to the splintered boards of the wharf.

As Buddy tried to reach for his gun, he lost his grip on Carolyn. Twisting free, she clawed at his face with her fingernails. Swearing, he tried to get free of her. As he knocked her away, Adam threw himself at Buddy with a fierce tackle that sent them both reeling backward.

Exchanging blows, they rolled, wrestled and moved closer and closer to the edge of the wharf. Suddenly, locked in a deadly grip, they disappeared over the side.

Carolyn screamed and searched the dark waters lapping the weathered piles. No sign of them. Terrified and sobbing, she struggled to her feet and stumbled up and down the wharf. She peered into the murky depths.

“Adam! Adam!”

No answer. Then a sudden movement a short dis
tance down the wharf brought a rush of adrenaline through her. Who had made it out of the water?

Her heart stopped. Her breath quickened. And then joyful air filled her lungs. The figure that had pulled himself up on the wharf was Adam.

She staggered toward him and when she reached him, fell into his wet arms as if she’d never let him go.

A hurried call on Adam’s cell phone brought the authorities to the wharf. After a thorough search, they located a dazed Buddy clinging to a weathered pile.

The deadly game was over.

Adam tightened the arm he had around her and said, “Let’s go home, my darling.”

Chapter Seventeen

After the police cars had left, Adam wanted to take Carolyn to the hospital to make sure she was all right, but she refused.

“Please, just take me home,” she pleaded in a tremulous voice.

They looked like fugitives from a war zone as they made their way to his car. Her steps were unsteady as she leaned against him for support, her hair a tangled mess, her face smudged and pallid. Water dripped from his clothes and his drenched hair.

They sat close together in the car seat, blessing the warmth of the car heater as Adam drove back to the mansion. He told Carolyn about Nick’s murder and his conviction that Arthur had somehow learned about the warehouse address and was checking it out when Buddy hit him with his car. Carolyn filled him in on the discovery she’d made about Buddy and the way he’d used his mother’s computer and password to enter and delete false orders.

Adam let out a slow whistle. “What a waste of a brilliant mind. If Buddy had put all that creativity into a legitimate endeavor, he could have made himself a lot more money in the long run.”

“And Susan and Nick might still be alive.”

“I’m sure that Susan’s affection for Buddy was the motivation for her willingness to do what he wanted. Then, when she got pregnant, she realized the truth and tried to burn the boxes that were slated for the black market.”

“And poor Nick.” Carolyn shook her head. “He was getting it from two directions.”

Adam nodded. “Nick needed money so badly for his gambling debts that he agreed to switch the shipping labels on the extra orders.”

“Only to get killed when Buddy didn’t need his help anymore. It all makes sense now, doesn’t it.” Carolyn sighed. “Why couldn’t we see it before?”

“That’s the way it is with a puzzle. Once you put in the last piece, you see the whole picture.”

Leaning her head back in the seat, she closed her eyes. “So it’s really over?”

He knew what she was asking.

Where do we go from here?

The way was clear now for her to accept the responsibilities her inheritance had thrust on her. She was free to take over the reins at Horizon and prove her capabilities. The unwanted changeling would emerge as a young woman who had it all—money, power and prestige.

“Yes, it’s really over,” he said with a catch in his throat.

They both fell silent.

E
VEN THOUGH THEY TRIED
to hold on to the passionate feelings that remained between them, the demands made on both of them began to intrude as the weeks passed. Adam was involved in tying all
the ends of his investigation together and working with the authorities to bring a satisfactory end to the case. He was in D.C. a lot of the time, and the relationship between him and Carolyn started to become a long-distance one.

Carolyn learned that Adam had taken his first and middle names, Adam Lawrence, for his undercover, but his real last name was Anderson.
Mrs. Adam Anderson.
The name held no familiarity and seemed to be a symbol of the growing distance between them.

Della and Jasper had been shaken by Buddy’s deception, and they made unexpected overtures to Carolyn at home and at work. Della was devastated by what her son had done and was willing to make up for his criminal activity in any way she could. As Della spent hours with her, instructing her in detailed workings of the company, Carolyn could see why her grandfather had placed such confidence in Della’s ability.

Jasper’s overtures to Carolyn invited a different relationship between them. It was as if he’d shed some of his deep resentments from the past and was ready to view what had happened in a different light. Even Lisa seemed willing to listen to Carolyn’s concerned warnings about her involvement with Cliff.

Even though Buddy’s treachery had left some good in its wake, Carolyn viewed her new future with a sense of deep loss.

A
DAM TRIED TO
compensate for the gulf developing between him and Carolyn by burying himself in the agency in Washington, D.C. They talked hours on the phone each week, but more and more the con
versation centered on activities that weren’t shared by the other. It was obvious to Adam that Carolyn was meeting new people, accepting new business challenges and getting oriented in an affluent social society. She hadn’t officially taken over the reins of Horizon yet, but he expected an announcement any day.

He was concerned about the personal issues between them that had to be resolved, such as a legal annulment of their not-so-pretend marriage. The sooner the better, he thought, and as he booked a flight to Seattle, mentally rehearsed how best to handle the emotional breakup.

Carolyn was waiting for him in their suite when he arrived, and he groaned when he saw her. She was wearing the red silk dress that teased him with every touch and kiss he’d placed on her luscious body. He’d never thought of her as a temptress, but as she slowly walked toward him, he knew he’d be lost if he gave in to the inviting smile on her lips.

“We need to talk,” he said quickly, keeping his arms at his side, instead of reaching for her as his heart commanded.

She nodded, still smiling. “Yes, I feel like a tight-rope walker about to fall without a safety net. I want to make sure you’re there to catch me.”

“You’re not going to fall, Carolyn,” he said firmly. Her words and smile only heightened the pain of ending their intimate relationship. “You’re going to be a wonderful success in the business world, and you know it. You have everything it takes to succeed at anything you put your mind to.”

She moved so close to him that the scent of her perfume teased his nostrils. “I’m glad to hear you
say that, because I’ve made a decision. I don’t want to be a success in the business world. I never did. I want to be a doctor. The best doctor in Washington, D.C.”

For a second his mind went blank. This conversation was not going at all the way he’d played it out in his mind. “What are you saying?”

She touched his cheek with her fingertips. “Simple, darling. I’m leaving Horizon in Della and Jasper’s hands, and I’m moving with my husband to D.C. I’m ready to be Mrs. Adam Lawrence Anderson, or whatever your name happens to be at the moment.”

His mouth eased into a smile as he took her in his arms, and the kiss he gave her verified his wholehearted acceptance and approval.

ISBN: 978-1-4592-4090-2

SEMIAUTOMATIC MARRIAGE

Copyright © 2003 by Leona Karr

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