Slade's Secret Son (9 page)

By the time the tow truck driver had their car hooked up, the groom, his father and his groomsmen had stalked off to a room at the rear of the chapel, leaving Mrs. Varney glaring at their backs and the reverend looking like a man who wished he’d stayed in bed for the day.

Seeing Slade give her a wave to join him, she hurried out to the tow truck and climbed into the middle of the seat.

“Jake is going to give us a tow to his garage,” Slade said. “He’s right next door to the police station. We’ll have them bag the cut line and anything else that looks like it might be useful in our investigation. Then Jake will check the car thoroughly for any evidence of further tampering and install a new line while we wait in the police station.”

Lisa thanked the man.

“You’re lucky whoever cut your line wasn’t smart enough to only cut it a little so the fluid would drain slowly. If you’d gotten out on Old Ridge Road with no brakes, you could’ve gone over the cliff and into the ravine.”

A chill swept through Lisa and she turned to Slade. “You’ve got to let me handle this on my own.”

“No way,” he returned.

Jake nodded his agreement. “A man’s got to protect his woman.”

“Men,” Lisa muttered.

A couple of hours later they were on their way back to Seattle, the cut hose bagged in the back seat, to be turned over to Detective Overson.

“Definitely a wedding day I won’t soon forget,” Lisa said, using the side mirror to watch the traffic behind them.

“Any sign we’re being followed?” Slade asked.

“None.”

“I suppose whoever is after you could have followed us to the hotel the night I made the call to the chapel, but they couldn’t possibly have tapped into the line and the call wasn’t listed on the bill because I used my calling card. So how did they know where the ceremony was going to take place?”

Lisa recalled a recent movie she’d seen. “I know there’s supposed to be safeguards, but there could be a chance a really good hacker could have gotten into your calling card records.”

Slade frowned. “Maybe. Or, he could have found a way to get into my credit card account. I used it to pay the reverend. Like you said, those accounts are supposed to be protected, but we can’t overlook those possibilities, especially since they seem to be the only ones we can come up with.” He glanced toward her. “So are any of the people in those last two files hackers?”

“Not that I’m aware of.” Lisa groaned in frustration. “I purposely took cases that weren’t dangerous. I’ll admit serving papers on Tommy Cross was a little iffy, but it was out in broad daylight and I was just serving him with a subpoena.”

“Overson could be right about you not being the target of that first shot. That did take a marksman and if it is the same person, you’d think they’d continue to use a gun. Instead, they’ve tried a new method each time.”

Lisa picked up the Granger folder. “Time to give Beth Granger another call.”

Again she got no answer.

“Until we reach her, we’ll see what we can find out about Randolph Granger’s movements on our own,” Slade said.

Lisa frowned. “I’ve sort of lost track of the days. It’s Saturday, right?”

“Right.” Slade suddenly found himself recalling a long weekend they’d spent in Dallas when he’d lost track of the days. She’d had to remind him when the time came to go home. “I’d like to go back to the way things were,” he said bluntly.

Confusion showed on Lisa’s face. “The way things were?”

“With us,” he elaborated, realizing he’d lost her with his quick change in subject.

She frowned at him. “We’ve been through this. I want more than just lust in a relationship.”

“We had more than lust,” he argued. “We were friends as well as lovers. The only difference now is that we’re married.”

Lisa told herself that being married didn’t make his suggestion any more palatable. But deep inside was a weakness for him that was hard to fight. When he touched her, he made her feel alive in ways nothing else did. Just the thought of being with him caused her blood to race and her skin to flush. Even as she ordered herself to tell him no, she heard herself saying, “I’ll think about it.”

“I’d appreciate that.” Stopping at a light, Slade turned to face her. “We could make a good family…you, me and Andy. I may not be your idea of a great father, but I can promise you, I’ll do my best.”

Lisa recalled the tenderness she’d seen in his eyes when he was around Andy. “Wanting to be a good father is an important first step.”

A crooked, pleased smile tilted one corner of Slade’s mouth as he returned his attention to the road. She hadn’t refused his request, that meant there was a chance she would accept. And he wanted her to agree more than he’d wanted anything in a long time. This realization caused a wave of uneasiness. He didn’t like caring so much.
It’s my duty to provide a family environment for my son
, he told himself.

Lisa knew she’d be asking for trouble if she went along with Slade’s request. Not wanting to think about it, she turned her mind back to their case. Punching in the number for information, she asked for Granger’s number, then saying she wanted to be certain she had the right Randolph Granger, she asked for his address. “He should be home. He rarely went anywhere,” she said, giving Slade directions to get them to his new residence.

On the way to Granger’s place, Lisa again tried calling Beth. This time she got an answer.

“As much as I’d like to see Randolph behind bars, I doubt it’s him,” Beth said when Lisa finished explaining the reason for her call.

Lisa had never heard Beth sound so hostile. “Did something happen?”

“The creep. When we were married, he would never spend any money, never do anything. And he made me account for every cent I spent. As soon as the divorce went through, he became the world’s biggest swinger. Took a trip to Europe. Went on a cruise. My only consolation is that he also went skiing and broke both legs. He’s been in a hospital in Colorado in traction for the past four weeks.”

“Oh,” was all Lisa could think of to say.

“But don’t get me wrong. I’m glad I divorced him. I’ve started a business with my sister and we’re having a ball.”

“That brings us back to square one once again,” Lisa muttered unhappily as she pressed the end button.

“There’s one file left,” Slade reminded her.

“I can’t believe anyone would want to kill me over a dog. Besides, like I said, they ended up with mutual custody. The wife got the pooch during the week and the husband got him on weekends. He even called me to thank me for doing such a thorough job and putting his mind at ease.”

“Still, we might as well check him out.” Slade glanced into the back seat. “But first we’ll drop our evidence off at police headquarters.”

Detective Overson, who was at the station reviewing his testimony for Monday, wasn’t happy to learn of this latest attempt on Lisa’s life. But he also agreed that turning over the files she’d already checked in to wouldn’t do any good. And he agreed with her that the last file didn’t look promising. “If I were you, I’d sit down and think long and hard about any enemies I might have made over the years,” he suggested. “In the meantime, I’ll have our forensic department take a look at the brake line. With any luck, they might find a fingerprint.” Pointedly he added, “And when you have that list, you give it to me. If you won’t go into hiding, at least we can both be working toward finding your would-be killer.”

Thanking him for his help, Lisa and Slade left. Certain it was a waste of time, but not knowing what else to do, Lisa gave Slade directions to the apartment of Milton Blout.

No one answered the knock on the door.

“That place is vacant.”

Lisa turned to see a young woman with a bag of groceries in her arms coming down the hall. “Milton Blout doesn’t live here anymore?”

The woman shook her head. “He moved out a couple of months ago.”

“Do you know where he went?” Slade asked.

The woman was eyeing Slade’s badge and gun. “I find it hard to believe he could be in any trouble. He was such a mild-mannered man.”

Slade smiled. “He isn’t. We just need some information from him.”

Lisa saw the woman’s eyes sparkle. Slade could turn on the charm when he wanted to.

“He moved back home. He and his wife reconciled.”

Thanking the woman for her help, they headed back to the car. “If what the neighbor said is true, that kills any motive Milton or his wife might have,” Lisa stated.

“We should still talk to him.”

“But not at his house. If he and his wife have reconciled, I don’t want to show up on his doorstep and cause trouble. She might not like the idea that he had her investigated.” Back in the car, Lisa opened the Blout file, found his home phone number and punched it in. She was relieved when Milton answered.

“My wife and I are just on our way out,” he said when she asked if he could meet with her. “Come by tomorrow morning around ten for brunch.”

“Your wife knows about me?”

“Yes. I thought she’d asked for the divorce because she had a boyfriend,” Milton admitted.

Mentally, Lisa gave herself a point for being right.

“When you assured me that wasn’t the case,” he continued, “I decided I had a chance to win her back. I sent
her flowers and asked her out on a date. She admitted that the only reason she’d wanted a divorce was because she felt neglected and I told her I had thought she’d had a boyfriend. After we reconciled, I told her about hiring you. She was flattered.”

In the background, Lisa heard a woman asking who he was talking to. “Lisa Gray, the detective I hired when I thought you had a boyfriend.”

The woman laughed and said, “I’m dying to meet her.”

Milton returned his attention to Lisa. “You heard that. You have to come to brunch.”

Clearly these two weren’t suspect, Lisa concluded. “I appreciate the invitation, but I have some other business I need to take care of tomorrow,” she said. Thanking him for the invitation and agreeing to get together with them sometime when she wasn’t so busy, she rang off.

“Another dead end,” she told Slade glumly.

“It’s time to call it a day, anyway,” he said, noting the tired lines beginning to form on her face. He frowned at the phone in her hand. “I’ve been thinking about your suggestion that your would-be killer is tracking us by tapping into our phone or credit card records. It’s a possibility we can’t ignore. Until we find out how he’s finding us, I’ll let the family know not to call us unless it’s an emergency. We’ll turn your phone off and keep mine on in case Detective Overson needs to contact us. Any calls we make, we’ll make from pay phones. As for money, we’ll use cash. And I’ll get it from bank machines that are on our way to someplace else.”

Lisa nodded her agreement.

A
while later, Lisa lay in bed listening to the shower running and wondering what would happen next. During dinner, Slade had said nothing more about consummating their marriage. In fact, they’d barely talked at all. She’d been too tired to even try to make small talk and Slade had always been the silent type.

On the way back to the car, he’d put an arm around her waist for support and apologized for not making certain she got more rest. There had been a tenderness in his attentiveness that had made her want to snuggle closer to him, but pride had kept her from doing that. Still, the imprint of his touch lingered on her skin.

If Slade turned out to be as good a father as his first encounter with Andy would suggest, she told herself, for her son’s sake, she should try to make this marriage work. Her inner voice mocked her.
Who are you kidding?
She was looking for an excuse to be with him again. And why shouldn’t she? He’d never lied to her or been unkind.
But he doesn’t love you and never will
.

Slade came out of the bathroom, a towel draped around his hips. Clearly he’d decided that there was no reason for any further modesty between them. On the other hand, he’d gotten a room with two double beds. Well, she certainly wasn’t going to make the first move. That had been her original mistake. Once she’d had a taste of him, she’d become an instant addict.

Slade, apparently, didn’t even debate with himself. He shed the towel, climbed into her bed and turned off the light.

Just the brief glimpse of him sparked a fire in Lisa. Still, she lay stiffly, determined to let him make the next move.

“I know you’re tired, but I’m willing to do all the work to get this marriage consummated,” Slade said huskily, turning toward her and caressing her cheek with his hand.

She’d always been amazed by how gentle he could be for a man with such a tough exterior. Lisa wanted to play hard to get, but she couldn’t muster any resistance. “I suppose if you’re willing to do all the work…” She left the sentence dangling.

Slade breathed an inner sigh of relief. He’d prepared himself to accept her refusal but it wouldn’t have been easy. The physical attraction he’d felt for her in the past had been incredibly strong and had not faded during the time they were apart. It seemed, in fact, to have grown more intense. Curtly, he reasoned that this was because he hadn’t been with any woman since her and his need was what had grown stronger. Moving closer, he sought her lips with his. She tasted even more delicious than he remembered.

Lisa made no struggle to hold her senses in check. She knew it would be futile.
Just think of this as a fantasy
that won’t last
, she ordered, releasing herself to the experience.

Slade ran his hand downward from her shoulder over the soft curves of her body to the hem of the short cotton nightgown she was wearing. Then, working his way upward beneath the fabric, he smiled to himself. She was wearing nothing more. As familiar as he was with her body, he still found it excitingly new to his touch…an adventure to be sought and savored.

Lisa wanted to purr as he worked her nightgown upward, his rough callused hands sending currents of electricity through her until her body tingled with pleasure. When he had worked the gown as high as he could while she lay on her back, he wrapped his arms around her and rolled onto his back, carrying her with him.

Lying on top of him, her body was aware of every inch of contact from the hard musculature of his chest and thighs to his ready maleness. Her breath locked in her lungs as desire caused every fiber of her being to vibrate with anticipation.

Slade’s mouth left hers long enough for him to slide the nightgown over her head and off completely. Her breasts, her stomach, her legs, her womanliness all pressed against him and he reveled in the soft, smooth texture of her skin. He wanted her now and he was not certain he could wait. Then she moved, lifting herself until she could accept him.

Lisa wanted his fullness to fill her but forced herself to receive him with slow deliberateness. Feeling his heart pounding beneath the palm of her hand, she was glad she’d remembered how much he’d enjoyed savoring this moment of joining.

The velvet feel of her as she allowed him entry was so erotic Slade could barely breathe. His hands encased
her buttocks when he was finally fully within and for a long moment he simply held her there, pressed tightly to him, luxuriating in the feel of their union. Then knowing he could not control himself for long, he began to move, massaging them both in sensual rhythm.

“You feel too good. I can’t prolong this,” he apologized, increasing his pace, moving with the fervor of a man lost to physical desire.

Lisa made no response. Her vocal cords refused to work. Her whole body was centered on their rhythm. She was moving with him now, her heart pounding so loudly she could hear it. Her blood flowed like lava, then like the cap of a volcano bursting from the flow built up within, her body trembled violently and her womanliness pulsated as she climaxed.

Slade joined her at the apex, marveling at how attuned their bodies were to one another. Again he pressed her to him, continuing to hold them united even as they began their descent.

Lisa rested her head on his shoulder and let her senses be filled with the feel of her body lying on his. When he began to massage her again and then moved lower to her thighs, deep within, the fire they had just sated wanted to flame to life again.

“I have missed you,” he murmured in her ear, amazed by how much he wanted to take her again right then. He grinned with amusement at himself. It was ridiculous to think he could be ready so quickly. Then in the next instant, the grin vanished as he realized he was hardening.

Lisa felt him growing stronger and without hesitation accepted him. “Apparently, it has been too long for both of us,” she breathed in his ear as they began moving
once again in rhythm, each caressing the other, rekindling the embers that had not even had a chance to cool.

Lisa lay in bed the next morning staring up at the ceiling. She was barely aware of her mild soreness from their exertions of the night before. Her mind was still boggled by the intensity with which their bodies had craved each other. Unleashed, uninhibited, animal passion was the only way to describe it. But then, the physical side of their relationship had always been good.

“I didn’t wear you out too much, did I?”

She turned her head to see Slade, raised up on an elbow, regarding her with concern. “I’ll admit, I’m a little tired this morning.” She grinned. “But I’ll live.”

He smiled. “It’s good to have you back in my bed.”

She read the camaraderie on his face. He was willing to be her friend and her lover, but she also saw the shadow deep in his eyes that told her that the barrier between her and his heart remained intact. A sharp jab of disappointment pierced her.
So what did you expect?
she chided herself as she rose and headed to the bathroom for a shower.

Tears of frustration welled in Lisa’s eyes as she stood under the cascading water. She wanted to hold her son in her arms so badly they ached. Now they were back to square one. A sudden thought occurred to her. Brushing away the tears, she finished her shower quickly. Coming out of the bathroom, she said, “Maybe one of the people I put in jail in Texas hired someone to kill me or has a family member who wants me dead.”

Slade nodded. “I’ll have Boyd look into it, but two years is a long time to wait for revenge if you’re not planning to do it yourself.”

The tears again welled in her eyes. “I want to see my son.”

“Our son,” he reminded her. “And I want the three of us to be a family. After last night, you can’t deny that the physical attraction between us is as strong as ever. We can make this marriage work.”

She met his gaze levelly. “To be honest, I don’t feel married to you. I feel like what we have is a legal affair and a part of me wants to make it work while another part is telling me to run as fast and as far from you as possible.”

“I promise you, I’ll do what I can to make you happy,” Slade said gruffly.

Within the boundaries you’ve set
, Lisa added to herself. Out loud, she said, “What will make me happy right now is to find out who is after me and lock them away.”

“While Boyd is checking on any Texas connection, you and I are going to start with your first case and work through every one of them. You’ll be seeing Andy soon.”

The mention of her son’s name brought back the flood of tears and this time they spilled out. Lisa brushed angrily at the salty water streaming down her cheeks. “I can’t believe I’m crying. I’ve never been a whiner.”

Slade was surprised, too. He’d never seen her break down like this before. Pulling her into his arms, he said firmly, “We’re going to get to the bottom of this. I promise you that.”

Lisa had always tried to hide her weaker side from him, but her control was gone. Burying her face in his shoulder, she cried. The solid, secure feel of him soothed her. And, in spite of the fact that he was determined to keep a barrier between his heart and hers, she found his
presence comforting and reassuring. Her crying lessened until there were only intermittent sobs.

Slade dropped a light kiss on the top of her head. “I think we need to go get something to eat, then we’ll head back to your office.”

Her emotional outburst over, Lisa flushed with embarrassment. Crying in front of him had been one thing she’d promised herself she would never do. Straightening away from him, she said stiffly, “I’m sorry. I don’t know what got into me.”

“It’s all right,” Slade assured her. “We all have our weak moments.”

That brought a disbelieving look to her face. “I find it very hard to believe you have weak moments.”

His mouth quirked into a crooked grin. “I’m just better at controlling them.”

“You are the master when it comes to holding your emotions in check,” she conceded.

Several hours later Lisa sat staring at the stack of files in front of her. So far they hadn’t discovered any really promising suspects. Her vision blurred and in her mind’s eye she saw her son rushing into her arms. “I need to talk to Andy,” she said abruptly.

Slade nodded. “We’ll get out of here and find a phone.”

They drove around for a while until they were satisfied they weren’t being followed, then Slade pulled into the parking lot of a plush hotel and they went inside.

Lisa found a phone in a secluded corner.

“I want to speak to him, too,” Slade said as she dialed the ranch.

Lisa had known he would. He never passed up a chance to speak to his son and for Andy’s sake she was
glad. Satisfied that all the members of her family were comfortable and still feeling welcome at the ranch, she spoke to Andy for several minutes, then turned the phone over to Slade and watched his features soften with pleasure. That he had so quickly bonded with their son caused an uneasy twinge and she was forced to face an uncomfortable truth…it was very possible that even if he had no shield around his heart, all he would ever feel for her was friendship. Maybe that was why he’d been comfortable having a relationship with her in the first place. He liked her but knew he would never be in danger of falling in love with her.

Catching an unusual edge in Slade’s voice, she concentrated on his end of the conversation. He’d finished talking to Andy and was talking to his mother. She couldn’t figure out what was going on because his end of the conversation was mostly single words, but she could tell that whatever he was being told was of real interest to him.

“Our son and my great-grandmother, Morning Hawk, appear to have bonded strongly,” Slade said with a bemused expression as he hung up.

“My mother mentioned that the two of them seem to enjoy each other’s company.” From somewhere deep in her memory, she recalled Slade saying that his great-grandmother could be difficult and unpredictable. “Could that be a problem?”

Slade grinned. “No. It’s good. Morning Hawk was giving in to age, talking about meeting the Great Spirit and being reunited with her ancestors. Now she has a new interest that has restored her zest for life.”

Lisa read the relief on his face and realized, that in spite of how difficult his great-grandmother could be,
he’d been very worried about her. “Then I’m glad she and Andy have become fast friends.”

Slade nodded and cupped her face in his hands. “I’m getting cross-eyed from reading files. How about if we forget about killers for the rest of the day? I can think of a much better way to spend our time.”

Her body flamed to life beneath his touch. “My mind is a blur. I could use a few hours of relaxation.”

Slade heard the heat in her voice and it pleased him that her need for him was as great as his need for her.

For a brief moment the knowledge that he didn’t love her caused Lisa to again wish she could play a little harder to get, then she silently laughed at herself. It was too late for that.

After checking in at the front desk, Slade slipped an arm around her waist as they rode up in the elevator. Just his touch was enough to drive her to distraction. By the time they stepped into their room, she wanted to rip his clothes off. But a loud growl from her stomach reminded her that they hadn’t had any lunch.

Hearing her stomach made Slade realize how hungry he was. The problem was that he was as hungry for her as he was for food. One step at a time, he told himself, and picked up the room service menu from the desk and handed it to her. “So what would you like?”

You
was the answer that popped into her head, but she managed to swallow it back and forced her eyes to focus on the selections. She chose the salmon and handed the menu back to him.

Hanging up the phone after placing their order, Slade said, “They said it would take about forty-five minutes.”

He was looking at her with that “wanting you” look in his eyes and her body blazed. “I suppose we’ll have
to find some way to kill the time. Do you have any ideas?”

“Just one,” he returned huskily, reaching her in a long stride.