Amorous (The Lincoln Series Book 1) (22 page)

“I wish I could help you,” Jake said. “I truly do. But, I am afraid I don’t know her whereabouts at the moment. She’s never been very fond of me so I doubt she would ever come to me for help. Wouldn’t you agree, Janet?” He looked back at Warren. “If you find her, tell her I said hello.” He stepped back and disappeared into the crowd.

“He knows where she is and I’m going to beat it out of him.” Warren clenched his fists and looked at AJ.

“Warren, he’s not going to tell you anything. I agree he knows something but we’ll just have to figure this out without him.”

Warren took a deep breath and sat down. He covered his face in his hands and leaned his head back. He knew he had to keep a cool head but his desperation to find her was growing beyond his control. He needed to know Marie was okay, especially now that he suspected Jake was involved.

AJ sat back down and sighed. “We need to think about the least likely place she would have gone. From what you said about your last conversation with her, Warren, I assume she doesn’t want to be found right now.” AJ turned to Janet. “You probably know her better than we do, Jan. Where would she go that she thinks no one would look to find her?”

“I don’t know. I’ve been asking myself that all day. The only thing I do know for sure is she would never go to Jake for help. She would have to be beyond desperate to trust him.”

AJ raised his eyebrows and looked at Warren.

“Did she seem beyond desperate when she walked out of your office?”

“I’ll kill that bastard!”

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

Warren shot out of his chair and AJ grabbed his arm before he could move away from the table.

“Wait a minute, Warren. First of all we need to find Marie. You can kill him later.” He stood and pulled his jacket on. “Second, I am not letting you go alone.”

Warren pulled his keys from his pocket and looked at Janet. “Do you know where he lives? She isn’t with him so she’s got to be there.”

“I do. He’s been staying at his parent’s home since they went to Europe last summer. He moved out of his penthouse when he sold it last year and he’s been looking for a house for about the last three months.”

Janet reached for her phone when it started ringing. She looked at the caller ID and whispered, “Frank Winston?” She spoke to no one in particular. “What’s Jake’s father’s name? Is it Frank?”

She didn’t wait for an answer. “Becker Realty, this is Janet.”

‘Jan, you have to help me.’

“Marie, honey, where the hell are you? We’ve been worried sick. Are you okay?” Janet looked up when Warren reached across the table.

“Let me talk to her.” Warren’s heart was racing. “Where is she?”

Janet covered her phone with her hand and whispered, “The caller ID said Frank Winston. She’s at his parent’s mansion. Go!”

“Tell her to stay there, I’m on my way.” Warren swallowed hard and followed AJ through the crowd.

His heart raced with excitement and fear. He had to get there before she took off again. He had to hold her and kiss her. He had to tell her how much he loved her. But most of all, he had to find a way to stop her pain.

Jake turned when he heard a crowd of people cursing and saw AJ and Warren cut a path through the crowd toward the door. A moment later Janet followed them, talking on her cell phone.

“Damn it,” he whispered. “He showed her the landline. The old man never could mind his own business.”

He ignored the questions from his entourage and cut his own path through the crowd. He had to get home before they got to her. He wasn’t about to let her get away again.

Marie looked at the keypad on the phone and realized she didn’t know Warren’s number. He had added it to her contacts for her and she’d never had to dial it. She smiled. He had also downloaded a special ringtone for his number. His choice guaranteed she’d always answer because the song was so risqué she never dared to let it ring for more than a second.

She tried to remember Janet’s number and even AJ’s, but she didn’t have to dial theirs either. She never realized how dependant she was on her phone. She took a deep breath to try and calm herself but the more she tried to remember each number the more she panicked.

Marie felt tears of frustration fill her eyes and she sat down in the desk chair. With a heavy sigh she leaned back. The first tear rolled down her cheek and she could taste the saltiness when it reached the corner of her mouth. Jake had set the trap and she’d walked right into it. She closed her eyes and let the tears flow.

Jensen returned to the den. He entered quietly and saw Marie crying. The pain on her face tugged at his old heart. Jake had refused to let go of his foolish plan to make her his. Jensen knew Marie didn’t love Jake and he tried to stay out of it to let them work it out. He had hoped by refusing to let her hide from Jake during dinner that the matter would’ve been settled tonight. But the pain he saw in her face told him Jake hadn’t relented. He needed to put an end to this foolish game before it went too far.

Jensen had raised Jake from the time he was born and he’d tried to teach him right from wrong, but the absence of his parent’s love had consumed Jake from a very young age. Little else mattered to him than gaining his parent’s attention, including their anger. And keeping Jake out of trouble had become a fulltime job.

As an adult, Jake wasn’t much better. He was still trying to gain love and acceptance, and at the very least, attention. Only now he didn’t care who it came from or what he had to do to get it, as long as he got it. Jensen knew his latest target was Miss Marie Adams.

Marie jumped when Jensen cleared his throat.

“Oh! I’m sorry. Do you need me to leave?” She stood from the chair and wiped the wetness from her cheeks.

“No, my dear, you may stay as long as you need. Despite your earlier claim I thought you might like some tea.” He set the tray down near the fireplace and began pouring a cup.

“Oh, uh, no thank you. I don’t really…like…tea.” Her voice died to a whisper when she realized she was getting a cup of tea whether she wanted one or not.

She walked to the chairs by the fireplace and sat down. He handed her a cup and saucer. Steam rose from the colored liquid and she reluctantly took the offered beverage.

“This will make you feel better. It has a touch of Chamomile to help soothe your senses.”

“Thank you.” She sipped the tea and tried not to taste the bitterness. She was surprised when the flavor was pleasant. “It tastes like fresh raspberries.”

“It is a recipe handed down from my grandmother. She was quite knowledgeable about berries and such. This one is my favorite.”

Marie took another sip and let the warm tea penetrate her insides. The aroma was mild and soothing and she could feel some of the tension melting away.

“Were you able to make your phone call, Miss Adams?” He straightened and stood to her side with his hands clasped behind his back.

“No. I couldn’t remember his number and without my phone I don’t have my address book.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, Miss Adams.”

“Mr., uh, Jensen…I’m sorry. Is Jensen your first name or your last name?”

“It is my sir name, Miss Adams.” He was still standing next to her, his expression was stoic.

“May I ask what your first name is?” She wanted to laugh in spite of herself when his only movement was to raise a single eyebrow in curiosity.

“My given name is Henry. If you wish, you may use either.” He bowed slightly in her direction.

“I’d prefer to call you Henry. It makes you sound like a friend and I could use one right now. Would you mind sitting with me for a while?”

A smile slowly appeared on his face. “I would be delighted to sit with you, Miss Adams.”

“And please call me Marie. Miss Adams makes me feel like an old lady.”

“As you wish, Marie.” He sat in the chair next to her.

The two sat in silence for long moments staring into the fire. When he spoke again his tone was softer, gentler.

“You seem so distressed, Marie. Is there something I can do for you?”

“Can you turn back time? I’ve made some bad choices lately.”

Henry placed his elbows on the arms of his chair and folded his hands together in his lap. “You seem a bit young to be wishing to go back in time. Some decisions we make in our lives are important enough to determine the course of our future, and I have found that even the worst situations can be turned to our advantage. Perhaps these choices you have made are not as bad as they seem.”

“I would give anything for that to be true, but either way I’ve traveled down a road I don’t want to be on anymore.”

She lifted her head and looked at his eyes. She saw years of wisdom in his gaze and hoped somehow he could help her see what she needed to do.

“Some of the roads we travel in life are difficult. The purpose we must fulfill isn’t always easy, but it
is
always necessary. I believe God gives each of us different challenges because we are meant to learn different lessons. What we do and how we handle those challenges is what our judgment is based on. We can’t escape our challenges.” He smiled. “That’s called cheating.”

“I don’t want to escape. I want a chance to handle things differently. I walked away from the man I love without telling him why, and now I think I’ve lost him. A part of me was hoping he would follow me but he didn’t.” She looked down at her hands. “When I left he wanted to come with me and I told him I wanted to be alone, that I needed time to think. And he just let me walk away.” She paused. “I guess I should be careful what I wish for.”

Henry reached across and squeezed her hand gently. “Being a member of the male persuasion myself I can tell you we don’t always think clearly in matters of the heart, and I doubt he would give up so easily. You are too lovely for any good man to let go. Maybe you should give him another chance.”

“I want to, but I don’t know how to reach him.” Marie could feel the tears threatening to fall again. “I can’t call him because his phone number is in my phone on speed dial and I never actually dialed it. I thought of calling Janet or Dr. Carrington but their numbers are in my phone too. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how else to get out of here. I mean—”

“First of all, I want you to take a deep breath and relax.” He patted her hand. “We’ll figure this out. Now this friend of yours, Janet was it? Would her number be in the phone book?”

“No. She doesn’t have a landline. She uses her cell phone for everything, including work.”

“Well, if she uses her phone for work, wouldn’t it be—?”

Marie snapped her head up to look at Henry. “Yes! Of course, why didn’t I think of that? She uses it for work. It will be listed. Do you have one? A phone book I mean.”

“Of course, my dear.”

She followed him to the desk where he reached into the top drawer and pulled out a Lincoln phone book.

“I think you might find Miss Becker in here.” He winked at her.

She took the book from him and flipped through the pages with trembling hands. When she found Janet’s number she picked up the phone and dialed. She listened to the ringing and swallowed past a lump in her throat.

“Becker Realty, this is Janet.”

“Jan, you have to help me.” She blew out a heavy sigh and tried to calm her nerves.

“Marie, honey, where the hell are you? We’ve been worried sick. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I’m at Jake’s castle, or his parent’s castle, or whatever it is.”

“Are you insane? Why didn’t you call me? You know you can’t trust Jake.”

“I know. I just…I need a ride, Jan. Can you come get me? Please. I have to find Warren. I really screwed up.”

“He’s on his way to you so stay put because if you’re not there when he gets there I’ll kill you myself. He’s been a mess since you left.”
She paused.
“Marie, why didn’t you tell him about the baby?”

Marie’s vision blurred. She looked up at Henry when he patted her hand.

“I will give you some privacy and wait for him to arrive.” He smiled at her and turned to walk out the door.

When the door clicked shut behind him she exhaled the breath she’d been holding.

“He doesn’t want the baby. I heard him say it. He said a baby would screw up his life. I don’t want to lose him Janet but I won’t give up my child. It might be all I’ll ever have of him.”

“Stop being such a drama queen. You’re letting your hormones run amok. If he didn’t love you he wouldn’t have spent the past twenty-four hours combing the city looking for you. He’s on his way to you right now, Marie, because he loves you. And thank God AJ’s with him because he’ll kill anyone who gets in his way at this point. By the way, is Jake there with you?”

“No. The only one here is Henry.”

“Who the hell is Henry? You better tell him to hide before Warren gets there or he might end up dead.”

“Now who’s being dramatic? Henry is Jake’s butler and a very nice old man.”

“You mean Jensen?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, good. Now all I have to worry about is whether or not Warren strangles you when he gets there. What the hell were you thinking going to Jake for help?”

Marie sighed. “I wasn’t. I panicked. What am I going to tell Warren, Jan? He doesn’t want a child right now.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that. He knows, Marie, and he’s been desperate to find you.”

“Great. He probably does want to strangle me for letting this happen. I told you not to tell him.”

“I didn’t tell him. I just helped him figure it out. He’s not exactly a blockhead you know. He would have figured it out on his own eventually.”

“Was he angry? What did he say?”

“No. He’s not angry about the baby, Marie. He’s hurt. You ran out of his life and he had no idea why.”

“I was scared. I didn’t think about what I was doing. I didn’t mean to hurt him.”

“He loves you, Marie. You do know that, don’t you? Talk to him. You two will get through this together. And for God’s sake tell him you love him. I think he needs to hear you say it.”

“I will.”

Guilt consumed her when Janet’s words sank in. She had wanted to strike out at Warren and hurt him as much as his words had hurt her. But she never realized how much pain she would feel to know he was suffering, and to know she had caused it.

Emotion closed her throat and speech was impossible. She ended the call in silence and prayed to God he could forgive her.

****

Warren could see the Winston Mansion as they came to the end of the trees lining the driveway. He hadn’t been in the house since he was a kid. It certainly hadn’t changed on the outside. It still looked like a castle from the middle ages. Sir Winston and his wife were from rural England and it had been quite obvious from their taste in home style.

AJ put the car in park, but before he could cut the engine Warren opened his door and headed up the steps.

“Warren, wait!”

AJ stepped between him and the front door.

“Take a deep breath. You need to calm down.  She is obviously here for a reason, namely to hide from you. If you go in there guns blazing she’ll run.”

Warren clenched his hands into fists and growled in frustration. He looked at AJ and said, “So, what am I supposed to do? Just let her walk away because she thinks I don’t love her?”

“Of course not. But keep your focus on her and how scared she is right now. If Jake is in there let me handle him, you worry about Marie.”

“Fine. Just keep him the hell out of my way.” Warren took a couple deep breaths then rang the doorbell.

The door opened and he recognized Jensen immediately. Despite all the years since they had seen the man he hadn’t changed much.

“How good to see you, gentlemen. Please come in. I believe you are expected.”

They stepped across the threshold and a car screeched to a halt next to AJ’s.

“Get the fuck out of my home!” Jake ran toward them and took the steps two at a time.

Jensen turned to Warren and AJ. “Please step into the study. I will be with you momentarily.”

Warren stood just inside the door of the study and watched the exchange.

“Get them the hell out of here! They aren’t welcome in my home!” Jake charged for the study.

Jensen caught his arm and stopped him in his tracks. “Jacob, listen to me.”

Jake tried to pull his arm free and couldn’t.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing? Let go of me, old man.”

“They are here at the request of your houseguest. I have no right to deny them entry. You must let them visit unless you plan to evict Miss Adams as well.”