Dangerous Relations (15 page)

"Oh-h-hh!" she cried when she peaked, a bliss that left her trembling and gasping for
breath.

Minutes later he lay by her side. "That was extraordinary."

"It's never been like that for me."

I love him.
The depth of her feelings set off sirens in her head and panic in her
belly. Love was dangerous. It was as wild and volatile as a forest fire, and thrust her in
harm's way. Love was not for the likes of her, with her history of trauma and bad
choices.

She gave a start when Brett tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "You seem so far
away. I hope you're not regretting what we've done."

She hardened her heart against the concern in his voice and forced a smile. "No, I was
thinking how it might upset Leonie if she were to wake up and find us together."

Brett nodded and sat up. The sudden separation made her feel lonely. "I'd better get
going."

For one frightened moment, she feared that he, too, had decided their making love
had been a mistake.
What a double standard you have
.
You're entitled to your regrets
and doubts, but Brett can't have them.

She slipped into her bathrobe. Brett reached across the bed and drew her to him. "Are you
sorry?"

Despite her best intentions to keep her distance, she wrapped her arms around him. "For
starters, I'm nervous."

He kissed the hollow of her throat. "Me, too. This is the last thing I expected to happen
tonight. From now on, we'll take things slowly."

Ardin giggled. "Slowly? That's like setting the security system after a break-in."

He stroked her cheek. "We seem to do lots of things ass backwards."

His use of "we" sent her heart soaring. She watched him dress. Then, arms entwined, they
went downstairs. In the front hall, he kissed her deeply.

"We'll talk tomorrow," he said. "Make plans for our Saturday night date."

"Fine."

"Be sure to arm the security system."

"Right. For a while, I'd forgotten what happened today."

Brett gripped her forearms. "Don't ever forget, Ardin. For Leonie's sake and your
own."

"Ouch!" She struggled to get free.

He released her immediately. "Sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

She rubbed her arms, hoping there wouldn't be black and blue marks in the morning.

He didn't mean to hurt me,
she told himself as the Jeep drove out of sight. She
suddenly remembered Rabe's story about Brett breaking a man's nose.

"He has a temper, all right." The words were strangely liberating. She might have powerful
feelings for Brett Waterstone, but there was no way on earth she'd consider a relationship with a
man with anger issues.

Relationship? Get real, girl!
Forget about any male-female relationship now and
forever.
Corey had done a thorough job of making sure she'd never trust a man
again.

A memory of their loving came to mind and she smiled.

She had no intention of depriving herself of the pleasure of their Saturday night date,
especially since it was bound to be their last time together.

"Cousin Ardin, I had a dream that there were men outside my door, and one of them was
Daddy."

Ardin stroked Leonie's cheek and opted for the truth. "That's because they were really
here. The police came to find out who hurt your mommy."

Leonie gave her a look of disbelief. "In the middle of the night?"

"The police work day and night. Now finish your cereal. The school bus will be here any
minute."

Leonie took a tablespoon of cereal and said, "But why was Daddy here?"

"To help."

Leonie frowned. "You should have woken me up so I could see him."

"Next time I will."

After she saw Leonie go off to school, for the first time in weeks she dressed in her lawyer
uniform--suit, silk blouse, panty hose and low-heeled pumps. She slipped Renata's letter and her
petition for Leonie's adoption into her attaché case and drove into town.

She turned on a soft rock station and sang along with an old love song. Despite the
light rain and gray skies, she was in a cheerful mood.
It's because I'm working as an attorney
once again
.

Liar!
It was the intimacy she and Brett had shared last night. She grinned,
remembering their joined bodies, his tenderness afterwards. Her smile faded with the
memory of his firm grip as he ordered her to be careful for Leonie's sake.

She'd recoiled, expecting a smack across the face. But of course it never came. She shook
her head sadly. Brett wouldn't hurt her, though she'd always react as though he would.

Of course this was all moot because Brett gave no sign that he was interested in a serious
relationship. He was still reeling from Suziette's murder. And caring was a far cry from loving.
Which again didn't matter because once Brett found out she intended to fight him for Leonie, they
would be adversaries.

Opponents.

Enemies.

* * * *

Renata was sitting up in bed. "There you are!" she said when Ardin entered her room. "I
was about to phone to find out what happened to you."

Ardin had dealt with enough rich and powerful clients to remain undaunted by Renata's
commanding tone. "Hello, Renata. I see you're feeling better today."

She was rewarded with a wink of approval. "I certainly am. I intend to leave this place just
as soon as I sign the letter you've brought me."

Ardin opened her attaché case and handed it to her. "Does the hospital know of your
plans?"

"They will, once I inform them."

Renata laughed, and Ardin found herself laughing with her. She liked this spunky woman
who had no patience with fools and superfluous protocol.

Renata put on her reading glasses to scrutinize the letter. When she was finished, she
looked at Ardin. "Perfect! I suppose the two nurses on duty can act as my witnesses."

Ardin went to find the nurses. Ten minutes later she had the signed letter in her briefcase
and was ready to leave.

"Are you planning to stay here in Thornedale?" Renata said.

"I'm going back to Manhattan just as soon as I settle some personal business."

Renata gave her a piercing look. "Pity. I could use a good lawyer to handle my private
affairs. At any rate, please stop by to see me when you visit your mother. You'll be a welcome
sight."

"I certainly will." Ardin headed for the door. "I'll look in on Aunt Julia, and then deliver this
to your nephew as promised."

"Wait!"

Ardin halted in her tracks.

"Your fee, remember? Please hand me my purse. It's in the cabinet."

Feeling like an eight-year-old, Ardin did as she was told. Renata rummaged around in her
purse then pulled out several bills. "Here you are, dear. For services rendered."

Ardin counted the bills. One thousand dollars! "Please, Renata. This is much too
much."

She moved to return the money, but Renata held up her palms. "It's worth every cent to me,
so I don't want to hear another word."

They gazed at one another, and nodded as though sealing a pact.

"Okay, not another word," Ardin echoed, "except to say thank you. I'll see you soon."

"I look forward to your visit."

* * * *

Marshall Crewe's office was a block from the courthouse. His was the third of
four names on the door. Ardin entered the office and told the older of the two women in the
reception area that she had something for Mr. Crewe.

"Would you like to see him? He's in right now."

Ardin shook her head. "No, thanks. Please make sure he gets this. It's a very important
document."

The woman raised her eyebrows and gestured to the pile of folders beside her. "They're all
important documents."

Ardin flashed her savvy New York smile. "He'll want to see this one ASAP. It concerns him
personally."

Her next stop was the surrogate court, where she handed her petition to the clerk.

"There, it's done!" She ignored the twinge of apprehension ruffling her nerves as she strode
the few blocks to Bill's office.

"He just came in from court!" his cheerful, skinny-as-a-scarecrow secretary told Ardin.
"He's all yours for ten minutes."

"That's all the time I need." God, she missed the inane office chitchat, client conferences,
and court appearances. She could do nicely without office meetings and writing up writs and
decisions, but that was all part of the game.

"Sit down, sit down." Bill stretched out his long arms and clasped them behind his head.
Whatever case he'd been working, Ardin knew, had gone his way. "Back visiting your favorite
detective?"

"Actually, I've just delivered a letter that will knock the socks off a fellow attorney, and..."
She cleared her throat, "I've filed my petition to adopt Leonie."

"Oh, oh."

She glared at him. "You needn't be so supportive."

"Would you rather I remind you your petition's guaranteed to screw things up for
Brett?"

"There's nothing to screw up." Her face was burning.

Bill leered. "Not to mention screwing things up for yourself. That's Vivie's take on the
matter, and I trust my wife implicitly."

She cleared her throat. "Actually, I stopped by to find out when to drop off Leonie at your
house tomorrow, and what time you can pick up the cot."

Bill reached for his phone. "Hi, honey, Ardin's here to seduce me and wants to know when
to bring Leonie over tomorrow morning."

He listened a bit, chuckled.

As the bantering went on, Ardin felt a pang of envy.
You have your career,
she
reminded herself,
and soon you'll have Leonie to share your life in the Big Apple.

Bill hung up. "Vivie sends her love and says any time after ten is fine. I can swing by for the
cot around eleven, after my tennis game."

"I'll drop her off around ten, and head straight for my mother's apartment. I want to clear
everything out by noon."

"Great. Catch you tomorrow." Bill had leaned over his desk to kiss Ardin good-bye when
the phone rang. "Yes, Doris, okay." His expression halted her where she stood. "Yes, Detective Rabe.
That's true, Mr. Costas was my client."

Was!
Ardin froze.

"I see," Bill said, his voice tight. "When did this happen?"

She squeezed her hands together until the knuckles turned white, but it didn't stop the
quaking.

"I'll be right over." Bill hung up the phone.

He got to his feet and exhaled heavily. "Dimitri's dead. Strangled."

"Like Suziette," she breathed.

"Not exactly. He was garroted with a piece of rope. They found him behind a dilapidated
building not far from Brett's new strip mall."

"Oh my God! The windfall! Dimitri tried to cash in on what Suziette was after! The
murderer killed him too."

"Stop it!" Bill drew her into a fierce hug. "Ardin, promise me you'll leave this to the police.
Don't get involved."

Terrified, she shook her head. "But I
am
involved. Don't you see? First the
warning, then the break-in yesterday."

Bill drew back. "What break-in?"

Omitting all mention of Brett, Ardin told him about her discovery and Rabe's visit last
night. Bill listened, his mouth set in a grim line.

"All the more reason to keep out of this. I have to see Rabe, make arrangements to ship
Dimitri's body back to Greece." He planted a hasty kiss on her cheek. "See you tomorrow."

She nodded dumbly, unable to move.

"You'll see, it will all work out," he called over his shoulder, leaving her in the middle of his
empty office.

Ardin shuddered. How could it all work out when two people were dead?

* * * *

Shorthanded with one man out sick and another injured, Brett was too busy dealing with a
crop of last minute problems to call Ardin. Not that she ever left his thoughts. He felt the memory of
her lips on his as he aligned signs, recalled her silken skin as he decided how best to patch the
gaping hole in the Hotcha Boutique. Her presence snaked around his mind, making him tingle and
flush in turns.

Nice, very nice, but dumb. He liked Ardin. He cared about her. But last night's dive into
delirium had been one whopping mistake. Sure, he'd enjoyed it. He knew she had, too. But it upset
the apple cart. They were connected through Suziette and Leonie. They were friends. Granted,
friends with a sizzling magnetism. But they'd both been burned and were far too leery to be up for a
relationship.

He was going through each of the stores, checking for necessary touch ups when his cell
phone rang. "Brett Waterstone."

"Brett, it's Ardin. Dimitri's dead. Murdered."

"Murdered? By the same person who killed Suziette?"

She sighed deeply. "That's what I think."

"It's the only thing that makes sense. How did he die?"

"Bill said he was strangled."

"There you go. But finding proof and fingering the guy is a whole other ball game."

"When I met Dimitri yesterday, he told me he and Suziette were alike."

Brett switched the phone to his other ear. "You mean they both screwed around."

"Made the most of opportunities, was what he said."

"Translated, he wasn't above a spot of blackmail, either."

"Exactly!" She sounded excited. "He mentioned a windfall--"

"What is it, Ardin?"

She gave a nervous laugh. "Do you think someone could be listening in on our
conversation?"

Brett looked around. His men were well out of earshot, but he knew what she meant. "It's
possible, but the odds are pretty slim the murderer's listening in."

"I hope so." After a pause she went on. "I think Suziette confided in Dimitri about whatever
it was that got her killed. Then I think he tried to scam this person and the same thing happened to
him."

Two greedy losers.
"It makes sense," he said.

"What was he looking for at your house and Aunt Julia's?"

"That's easy. Proof of whatever illegal activities Suziette was blackmailing him for. I'm
surprised he hasn't broken into Bill Presley's office."