Deadly Ties Page 9

  He looped their arms. “Now, Annie, what kind of man leaves a woman stranded on the street? My wife would be appalled.” His smile didn’t touch his eyes. It chilled her.

  Danger, Annie. Danger!

  The alarm blaring in her mind set her to trembling. “No. Thank you, but no. I need the exerc—”

  His fist came up fast, and a hard blow struck her jaw.

  Pain exploded in her face. She staggered, dizzy. Fumbling, she reached for her cell phone, but before she could open her purse, he hit her again. And again.

  And again.

  Unable to lift her head or arm, she stared at the street, bits of dirt and concrete digging into her face. Cars zoomed by. She couldn’t see them for the cluster of trees blocking her view, but she heard them and silently begged one to glimpse her and stop. Just one of them. Just one!

  But none did.

  She begged and begged, then an excruciatingly hard blow slammed into her head.

  And she couldn’t beg anymore.

  Her heart stopped.

  Karl stooped low and checked her pulse. Gone. He hesitated, darted his gaze around to see if anyone had taken notice, but covered by the trees that prompted him to intercept her in this spot, the cars sped by and no pedestrians were in sight on the sidewalk or outside any of the nearby condos.

  Give her a chance.

  His instincts rebelled against it, but she so reminded him of Angel. All Angel had needed was a chance. She hadn’t gotten it. All Annie wanted was a chance to know her child. After begging for a chance for Angel, could he deny Annie one?

  Raven will kill you.

  Some things were worse than death.

  Help her and you’re crazy. Raven kills you, what about your own kids?

  Brent and Shelley had their grandmother. If he didn’t give Annie a chance, he’d never again think of Angel without seeing Annie’s face, without believing Angel was denied a chance because of him and the decisions he made. This decision. His hands shook. His whole body shook. I have to do it.

  He started CPR and pumped her chest. Sweat dripped from his brow onto Annie’s dress, splatted, and left a wet stain. “Come on, woman.”

  He kept pumping … pumping … and then he felt it. A beat.

  He waited a few seconds and then pressed his fingers to her throat. Weak and thready, but the thump against his fingertips was there.

  “Okay, Annie. You’ve got your chance.”

  Unfortunately he couldn’t say the same for her daughter.

  8

  T hree Gables never seemed more beautiful.

  Breathless, Lisa stood and just soaked it all in. Lanterns hung in the trees and on the landscaped islands, and the fat squatty bushes beneath them sparkled with tiny twinkling lights. A huge tent had been erected on the grounds behind the house.

  “Mark, look. Twinkling lights, bubbles in the fountain, and rose-petal trails all along the walkways. Isn’t it beautiful?” Lisa swallowed a lump in her throat. “Ben went to so much trouble.”

  “Actually, Nora and Kelly took care of most of it.”

  Kelly lived in one of the two cottages on the estate, so that didn’t surprise Lisa. Still … she turned to Mark, the skirt of her gown rustling. “I know Nora and Kelly didn’t do all of this. Some of the lanterns are hung fifteen feet high.”

  “The guys and I lent a hand, mostly following instructions.”

  Touched that he and his team would go to so much trouble for a woman they didn’t even know, Lisa glanced up at Mark. “Thank you. I don’t know.” She shook her head.

  “What?” Mark clasped her shoulders. “I know you like it, so what is it?”

  “I love it. I’m just overwhelmed, I guess.” She looked away. “I don’t say it often enough, Mark, but I am very grateful to have you in my life.”

  “I’m the lucky one.”

  Finally, he’s letting me know I’m important to him personally too. She’d feared the day would never come. “I was thinking. This is a special night for both of us.” Lisa had wanted to do something for a very long time, but it carried consequences. Ones she wasn’t sure she was willing to pay. Did she dare risk losing him?

  “What?”

  Too risky. You could lose what you have. “Never mind.”

  “I hate it when you do that,” he said without any heat in his voice. “Just say what you want to say.”

  “Okay, but I’d better not regret it.” Daring, she took a leap of faith. “Do you think two people can be friends for a long time and then realize what’s between them has become something more than friendship? Or maybe that it has the potential to become something more?”

  Mark tensed and studied her. “I guess it depends on the people, but why not? I suppose they can.”

  A little flutter leapt inside her. “Do you think if they tried to see if there could be something more between them and discovered that there couldn’t, they could still be friends?”

  His brows knitted, and the smile faded from his eyes. “That would definitely depend on the people.”

  “Oh.” At a loss, she wasn’t sure what to say. Friends were too rare to risk squandering even one. Now he appeared suspicious. Had she said too much to go back?

  “I know you’re a puzzle queen and mental pretzels are fun for you, but I’m lousy with them. Show a little mercy and just tell me what’s on your mind.” Mark lifted a hand from her shoulder to her chin, raising it to see her eyes. “You can trust me, Lisa. No matter what you say, it’ll be okay.”

  She waited for a couple to greet and then walk past them. When they were near the tent and out of earshot, she steeled herself and dared to say what she really wanted to say. “You’ve been such a friend to me and my mother. I wouldn’t want anything to jeopardize that.”

  “Is something jeopardizing that?”

  “I don’t know. That’s what I’m trying to figure out.” Unable to hold his gaze, she dipped her chin, focused on his chest. “It’s just that lately things have slowed down. I’ve had time to think, and I’ve been noticing things and thinking a lot.”

  “Such as?”

  She made herself meet his eyes. “You’ve become really important to me, Mark.”

  His expression gave nothing away. “Don’t confuse gratitude with something else. I haven’t done any more or less for you than anyone else.”

  Apparently he didn’t feel the same way, and she’d made him uncomfortable. But something was there. Something that urged her not to give up, to push a bit harder. “I know the difference between gratitude and … what I’m feeling. I’ve depended on others since I was sixteen. Without Susan, who knows where I’d be? Without Ben’s generosity, I wouldn’t be a doctor. I would have been homeless or worse, stuck living with my mother and Dutch. I am grateful, but I’m not confusing what I’m feeling for you with gratitude.”

  “I’m glad your life is getting calmer.” Hunger flashed through his eyes, and the gleam in them went serious. “But I don’t know if—”

  But. Not good. Disappointment bit her hard. No, not tonight. Not during her party. “You know, I was wrong to bring this up.” She shrugged. “Let’s just forget it.”

  Forget it? Not a chance. Mark had waited nearly three years for this moment, for her life to get in enough order so she had time to notice more than work and study. He wasn’t yet convinced she had her feelings straight about him, but he wanted to be. He wasn’t forgetting anything.

  “Look, Lisa, you’ve always been able to talk to me. We’ve shared everything with each other since day one.” He’d even talked to her about Jane, something he’d never spoken of to anyone other than the team. “Don’t clam up now.”

  The wind stirred, rustling through the leaves, setting the lanterns to swaying and casting streams of light across the walkways and lawn. “This is hard.”

  “Why?”

  She took Mark’s hands in hers. “Because I don’t want to lose you. Ever. I don’t want to mess up what we have for what we may or may not get.”

 
Behind her, on the other side of the lawn island, the guys huddled near a bench. Lisa had no idea they were there. But from their expressions, they were hearing every word of the most intimate conversation Lisa and he had ever had, and Mark didn’t like it, but he didn’t want to say anything. She could back away and clam up for another three years. Mark turned and signaled with his hand for them to depart the fix.

  Not one of them budged.

  He lifted her hand, studied her nails.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Checking out your Passionate Pink.” He grinned. “You mentioned it. It stuck with me.” Boy, had it. He’d imagined her long, slender fingers, colored a thousand shades.

  “What do you think?”

  “It’s rich. Deep.” Mark swallowed hard, met her eyes. “Promises the kind of passion that lasts.” Did she realize he was no longer talking about her nails?

  She wrinkled her nose. “So, do you like it?”

  “Oh yeah.”

  The hint of a smile curved her lips, also tinted passionate pink. Her mouth took his breath away and didn’t give it back.

  She tilted her head, little wisps of loose hair soft on her face. “May I kiss you?”

  That snagged the one thread of his attention she hadn’t already captured. Had he heard her right? “Excuse me?”

  “I was hoping not to have to ask twice. It’s taken me a long time to work up the guts to do it once. But I can’t stuff the proverbial genie back in the bottle now.” She paused, then set her chin. “This is a big night for me and it’s your birthday and I’ve wanted to do this for a long time, so if you wouldn’t mind … may I kiss you?” She lifted a hand and stroked his jaw. “Not a peck like at the center, though those were nice too, but a real kiss.”

  “Why?” Mark inwardly groaned. Everything in him shouted yes, but he had to know what it would mean.

  Don’t make more of it than it is. You’re not lovable. You’re needed. That works for you. Don’t you dare forget this is Lisa. Lisa. She can break your heart. She can make you believe in fairy tales and pipe dreams.

  He stiffened. He wanted her in his life, couldn’t imagine life without her. But he was way ahead of her on this relationship between them, and if he scared her off … Well, a broken heart he did not need. Not when in his whole life his heart had never been whole. When he’d made peace with constantly being blamed for his mother’s death, Jane had been killed. That was his fault. He didn’t dare to dream, especially not about Lisa. He’d fall so hard he’d never recover.

  “Why?” She frowned. “Well, why not?” Lisa let out an exaggerated sigh, clasped her arms around his neck, and tugged him down to her. She brushed her lips against his, testing him. Slowly pulling back, she looked into his eyes, and then kissed him again. Harder. Deeper. Longer.

  And shaken to the core by this unexpected but welcome turn of events, Mark kissed her back.

  The guys waited until Lisa’s and his lips parted, then started whistling and laughing, teasing. They startled Lisa. “Knock it off, guys.”

  “So sorry. It does appear we’re interrupting, gentlemen.” Tim cleared a choked chuckle from his throat. “Apologies, Lisa.”

  She feigned a frown. “Uh-huh. I can see your regret all over your faces.”

  “Couldn’t resist, dear heart.” Tim urged Sam to pass him on the walkway leading to the tent. “Carry on. We’ll see you two inside.” He motioned the guys toward the tent.

  Mark watched them go, and Sam’s voice floated back to him on the gentle night breeze. “She’s definitely got the look.”

  “She’s does, bro.” Joe patted Sam’s shoulder and leaned in to stage whisper, “But so does he.”

  Mark wanted to crawl into a hole.

  Lisa laughed. “Look at me, Mark.”

  He couldn’t make himself do it.

  “Please.”

  Forcing himself, he turned his gaze.

  She studied him critically. “You do have the look.”

  “What do you know about the look?”

  “I know you’ve got it.” She beamed. “You like me.”

  He loved her. “You’re usually a very likable person—except for maybe right now.” Nudging him, making him dare to hope when he knew that was foolish, maybe even an insane thing to do.

  “No.” She let her hand float down his sleeve. “You seriously like me.”

  This was no nudge; it was a full-force push. Decision time. Dare to tell the truth and risk being a brokenhearted fool who would never recover, or stay silent and safe? He’d been safe. Safe was … well … safe, not content. Just once, he’d like to feel content.

  Leap, Mark. Go on and leap. I won’t fail you.

  God or wishful thinking? With his emotions in riot mode, it was hard to tell.

  “Maybe a little.” Man, he hoped he didn’t regret this.

  Lisa stepped into his arms. “I maybe like you a little too.”

  A shield inside him crumbled like a pile of rocks. It was done, out in the open. He wanted to rebuild the shield, to believe the voice inside telling him to have faith was just wishful thinking, but he couldn’t. The rubble remained. He did believe. He did hope.

  Weak. Stupid. You’re setting yourself up for a big, big fall.

  I’ll carry you, son. Trust Me.

  The battle within raged.

  I know your fears. I love you, and I’m here.

  Love. It was God. No one else had ever said love to Mark Taylor. Calm settled in. “I’m glad to hear that, Lisa.”

  “Good.” She licked her lips, seeming nervous. “I can’t believe I missed this bond between us, but maybe I didn’t. That first night on the beach. That was special.”

  “When we had coffee at Ruby’s too.”

  She nodded. “How long did we sit there and talk? Three hours?”

  “Nearly five.” He clasped their pinkies. “I enjoyed every minute of it.”

  “Me too—and all the times we met there afterward, just talking about our days. Everything and nothing. That meant the world to me.”

  “Really?”

  “Surely you knew.”

  “I’m glad to know it now.” Maybe her feelings for him were further along than he thought. Talking, she had let him look into her heart, and he had validated her dreams. She’d done the same for him too. Why hadn’t Joe mentioned that part? Charm her sincerely.

  “Good. It’s settled then.”

  He’d leapt too far and missed a step. “What’s settled?”

  She wrinkled her nose and smiled up at him. “We’re officially more than friends.”

  They always had been. He fought it, still wasn’t confident in how to earn even a little bit of her love, but a part of him had been waiting and hoping she’d catch up. “Officially, yes.” He clasped her arm. “Now let’s get to your party before it’s over.”

  They walked to the edge of the canopied tent, then stepped inside. Tables stood draped in white linen, and at the far end of the tent on the stage, the band began playing a new song. Music filled the air, and couples danced and sang along, having a great time.

  Lisa scanned the crowd. Something dark flashed in her eyes.

  “What’s wrong?” Mark asked.

  “My mom called and said she’d be here, but I don’t see her. Something must have happened.”

  She wanted Annie with her tonight to celebrate. Getting her license was a huge moment, and she’d been denied too many huge moments with her mom.

  “I’m sure she’ll be here soon, unless Dutch somehow found out.”

  “He’s in Georgia, checking on his stores.” She dropped her voice. “I’ll be so glad when she’s out of that house.”

  “You’re worried.”

  Lisa clutched at her stomach. “So much I can barely breathe.”

  Mark wished he could reassure her, but he couldn’t. He pulled out his cell and checked for messages. “She hasn’t called.”

  Lisa checked hers as well. “Me either. Something’s wrong, Mark. I feel it.”r />
  She could be overreacting. With Dutch on the attack, that would be justified, but it wouldn’t really be typical. Lisa took things in stride, even very bad things. Her training and life experience demanded it. Otherwise, she’d always be rattled.

  “Detective Meyers is keeping an eye out. Let’s dance one dance, and if she isn’t here by then, I’ll go check on her myself.”

  “Can you check on her without getting caught?”

  “I do it every night.”

  Lisa stopped on a dime. “Since when?”

  “Since I started working for Ben.”

  “I didn’t know that.”

  “Annie and I have a system. She puts a candle in the window. It’s not lit. That’d be too obvious. Just on the windowsill. If the candle is there, she’s okay. If not, then she needs help.”

  Tears brimmed in Lisa’s eyes. “So Ben did this too? Taking care of me, med school, and my mom?”

  “Um, actually, Ben doesn’t know about the checkups on your mom.” Mark’s ears burned.

  “I don’t understand. Who pays you to do that?”

  “No one.” He looked away. Penance for Jane, for Lisa because she couldn’t do it. “I like her.”

  Tears trickled down Lisa’s face. “I think I might like you more than a little bit, Mark Taylor.”

  He thumbed the tears off her cheeks. “Glad to hear it, Dr. Harper, but if that’s the reason, it’s definitely gratitude and it isn’t necessary.”

  “Not because I owe it you. Because you’re the kind of man who thinks to do something like that.”

  “Oh.”

  “You’re … special.”

  A lump settled in his throat and wouldn’t go down. Special. He was special.

  Beside him, Joe approached Beth Dawson. At her back, he bent over her shoulder and spoke softly, but his voice carried. “Tell me some man didn’t put that snarl on your face.”

  Beth whirled around, her green dress clinging to her waist and falling free at the hem. “Actually, one did.”

  “Point him out. I’ll make him regret it.”

  Beth smiled. “I appreciate it, but I can’t. The jerk happens to be married to my best friend and business partner. I’d love to see him flattened, but it wouldn’t go down well with her.”