Don't Say A Word (21 page)
Authors: Barbara Freethy
Michael loved blackjack. In fact, he'd been the one to take her on her first casino trip to Lake Tahoe after her twenty-first birthday. Julia had stayed on the beach while Michael had shown Liz how to play craps, blackjack, and poker. She'd been hooked ever since. "I have cards in my purse," she said.
"You carry cards with you?"
"I have to admit I was hoping to talk you into a game. On your break, of course. I know you're obsessed with this house."
"I am obsessed with it," he admitted. "It's the first place that's mine. I've been living with my family my whole life. I've never had a place of my own. This is what I've always wanted."
"It's a great house."
"Julia will like it, don't you think?"
For the first time she heard some doubt in his voice. "Sure, she'll love it."
"You're just saying that, aren't you?"
"I don't think it's the house you have to worry about," she told him.
He frowned. "I know, but the house is the only thing I can control at the moment. Julia is the wild card."
Chapter 10
"Enough," Alex said, breaking off the kiss. He jumped off the bed, running a hand through his wavy brown hair.
Julia blinked, dazed by the last few minutes of passion and desire. "What?"
"This is…" He waved his hand in the air as if he couldn't come up with the word. "A mistake," he said finally. "I don't poach on another man's turf. What the hell am I doing? And what the hell were you doing-kissing me like that? How can you say you're going to marry a man, then kiss someone else like your heart is up for grabs-or at least your body."
She bristled at his accusatory tone. "You're the one who pushed me into a kiss. This wasn't my idea. You started it."
"You weren't fighting it. You were kissing me back."
"You took me by surprise."
"Yeah, well, the surprise ended more than a few minutes ago."
She stared at him, then sighed. "You're right. I kissed you back. I couldn't stop myself. I'm a terrible person."
"Why don't you break up with this guy, Julia?"
"Because it's complicated. Michael stood by me through the worst months of my life. He held my hand while I watched my mother die. He comforted me. He did whatever I asked. He was a rock."
"So you say, 'Thank you.' You don't say, 'I do.'' "My mother loved him. She was so happy the day we got engaged. She told me Michael was everything she'd always wanted for me. It was the first time she seemed proud of me. She didn't encourage my love of music. In fact, she discouraged it. She thought the radio station job was silly. She wanted me to get married, have kids, build a family of my own."
"So you said yes because of your mother?" he asked in amazement. "I still haven't heard a good reason. Do you love the guy at all?"
"Of course I love him. I just said that, didn't I?"
"Actually, you didn't. You said you owed him and it made your mother happy."
"I do love him. Michael is wonderful. He's probably too good for me."
He stared at her for a long minute. "So what's this about? You have a fling with the bad guy, then you marry the good guy, and everything works out great for you? What happens when you get tired of the good guy-are you going to have an affair?"
"I would never do that," she said, jumping to her feet in anger. "What kind of woman do you think I am?"
"I don't know. More importantly, I don't think you know. You are probably the most confused person I have ever met."
"You're the one who confused me because you took my damn picture twenty-five years ago." It felt good to yell at him, to let off some steam.
"And I am sorrier than I can ever say."
She sighed as he began to pace around the room. "What are we doing, Alex? We're both exhausted. We're not thinking rationally. We should call it a night and get some sleep."
"I'm not going to sleep. I'm too wired, even more now than I was before," he said. "You have a way of doing that to me, Julia."
She knew the feeling. She felt edgy and her stomach was churning. "Let's turn on the radio."
"Why?"
"Because there's probably some good music on. It always helps me relax." She knew she was probably about to make another mistake, but it seemed to be a night for mistakes. "I don't really want to be alone. Would you stay? Just hang out with me, no touching, no kissing."
His hesitation was obvious.
"It's a big bed." She sat down on one side of the bed and placed two pillows in the middle, building a little barrier. "I'll stay on my side. You stay on yours."
"You trust me to do that?"
She didn't even hesitate. "Yes."
He debated for another second. "Fine. I'll stay."
"Good." She turned on the radio, running through the stations until she heard a violin and viola playing Mozart's Duo in B-flat Major. "Isn't this beautiful?" she asked, leaning back against the bed. Already she was feeling better.
Alex stretched out on his side, resting his head on his elbow. He listened for a moment, then said, "It's nice."
"Nice? That's a lukewarm word. There's a perfect harmony between the two instruments, a pure, splendid tone. It's so powerful I can feel the music within me."
"It's nice," he said again with a small smile. "I prefer a saxophone or a trumpet, something announcing its entrance into the piece."
"I could find something else."
"No, this is fine. You like it. That's good enough for me."
She stared up at the ceiling, letting the music take the tension out of her shoulders, her neck, her entire body. She tried not to think about everything that had happened that day. There was too much to absorb, too many revelations to analyze.
"Julia?"
She turned her head to look at Alex. "Yes?"
"Beautiful."
"That's a better adjective for the music than nice."
"I wasn't talking about the music," he said, with a dangerous look in his eyes. "I was talking about you."?
Oh, God. She had a feeling those pillows between them weren't going to be enough to keep them apart. She drew in a deep breath, then closed her eyes, conflicted over whether she wanted Alex to make a move or not. She heard him shift on the bed. Her body tensed, and then she realized he'd turned away from her. Was he angry? Should she say something?
"Relax, Julia," he said a moment later. "We don't have to figure out everything tonight. There's always tomorrow."
After an almost six-hour flight, they landed in San Francisco just after eleven o'clock Tuesday morning. Alex was used to traveling and sleeping very little, but he had to admit he was tired. They'd only had a few hours of sleep the night before. And that sleep had been more than a little restless. Lying next to Julia with just a few pillows between them had been quite a test of his self-control. It wasn't the right time-for either of them. He should never have kissed her, never given in to that impulse. But the more he got to know her, the more he liked her, and the more he found her irresistible.
At least their trip had been a success. Julia had found her grandmother. They'd learned quite a bit about Sarah's past. Now they had to concentrate on unraveling the rest of the secrets.
His cell phone rang as they were walking out to the parking lot, and he didn't recognize the number. "Hello?" he asked warily, not sure whom to expect.
"Alex Manning?" a man asked.
"Yes."
"This is Daniel Brady, Alex. I saw the photo in the newspaper, and I spoke to Stan Harding. I think we need to talk."
"We certainly do."
"Can you meet me at the Cliff House in a half hour? I'll buy you a drink."
"All right. I'll be bringing Julia with me."
"I wouldn't have it any other way. See you then."
"Who was that?" Julia asked as he ended the call.
"Daniel Brady. He wants to meet us in thirty minutes."
Her eyes lit up. "That's great news. Finally, everything is clicking into place."
"Let's hope so."
A layer of fog hung over
Sutro
Baths, an extravagant public bathhouse built in the 1800s that was later turned into a seaside amusement park. The baths and the amusement park were long gone, but the restaurant remained.
As soon as they got out of the car, an older man stepped from a charcoal gray sedan parked across from them. Dressed in casual tan slacks and a long164 sleeve brown shirt, he appeared to be in his sixties. His light brown hair was thin on the top and cut short. His stomach had a bit of a paunch to it. He had a cigarette in his mouth, which he quickly stubbed out as he approached them.
"Alex, you look well."
He didn't know why he was surprised or unsettled by the fact that the other man had recognized him. "Daniel Brady?" he asked.
"That's me." Brady offered Alex a smile and removed the dark glasses that covered his brown eyes. "And you must be Julia. I saw your picture in the paper. It didn't do you justice." He paused. "I know I offered to buy you a drink, but something has come up, and I won't be able to stay. Why don't we take a walk and talk for a few minutes?"
Alex fell into step alongside Brady, with Julia following a step behind. "Why have I never heard of you?" he asked. "Stan said you were a good friend of my father's, but I don't recall your name ever being mentioned. And I know we've never met before."
"Your father and I saw each other when we were both on assignment, usually in another country."
"So you do work for the government?" Alex asked. "Do you happen to have any identification?"
Brady chuckled at that question. "I've got a driver's license. Will that do?" He paused and pulled his wallet out of his back pocket. "You're not as trusting as your father."
"Since he's dead now, I'll take that as a compliment," Alex said sharply. There was something about Brady-maybe his smug smile, or his knowing manner, that irritated him. He took the license from Brady's hand and gave it a quick glance. The face was the same. The address was in Maryland. "You're a long way from home."
"I always am."
"What about a government ID?"
"What I do doesn't require ID. I've been on the job for thirty-seven years now. I can get you a character reference if you feel you need one."
"What exactly do you do for the government?" Julia asked.
Alex watched Daniel closely, wondering how he'd react to such a pointed question.
Daniel simply smiled and said, "That's classified, I'm afraid." He slipped his license back into his wallet, then into his pocket.
"If you can't answer that question, maybe you can answer this one," Julia continued. "Am I that girl in the photograph?"
"I can see why you might think so," Daniel replied. "But even if you believe you're that girl, you must say you're not. You must call the newspaper and tell them they're mistaken. Any other reporters you speak to must get the same comment."
"Why?" Alex asked sharply. "Why should she lie?"
"For her own safety." Daniel's expression turned somber. "The photograph revealed something that was supposed to be hidden, but your father didn't know that. He made a mistake. He paid for it."
Alex felt his heart stop. Stan had implied that his father's accident had been a result of the photograph, but he wanted to hear Daniel Brady say it. "Are you telling me my father was killed because of that picture?"
Daniel hesitated for a long moment, then said, "His accident was highly suspicious. The only reason I'm telling you that is because Charles was my friend, and you're his son, and he wouldn't want the same thing to happen to you."
"That's not good enough. Who killed my father? Who ran him off the road? Tell me,
dammit
." Alex took a step closer to Daniel. He wanted to grab Brady 166 Barbara Free thy by the collar and shake him until the truth came out. "I'm tired of vague innuendos. I want the facts. And I want them now."
"I've told you all I can tell you, Alex, without putting you in danger."
"To hell with that. I can take care of myself."
"And Miss DeMarco? Do you want to risk her life as well as your own?"
"I can take care of myself, too," Julia replied. She shot Alex a look that told him to keep going and not back down. He intended to do just that.