Lisa Jackson's the Abandoned Box Set (6 page)

Kent's fingers tightened around her. “What she means is that we're not completely certain on the date. We've still got to accommodate everyone in the family—”

“What I mean is that there isn't going to be a wedding!” Marnie declared firmly, plucking Kent's fingers off her and stepping away from him. “Kent and I aren't getting married, not in September. Not ever.”

“But—” Judith looked from one to the other.

Kent lifted his hands and shrugged, as if Marnie's announcement came as a complete surprise to him. He acted as if she were just some fickle female who couldn't decide what she wanted, for God's sake!

“You explain this!” Marnie commanded, her voice as cold as a winter day. Shaking with rage, she turned on the reporter. “I'd better not read about any wedding in your paper. Not one word!” Spine stiff, she marched straight through the banquet-room doors and to the elevator in the lobby.

Pounding on the button for the fourth floor, she bit her tongue so that the invectives forming in her throat would be kept inside. The elevator doors shut softly, cutting off the sounds of the party, and the car ascended. Furious, her insides shaking with anger, Marnie leaned her forehead against the cool glass. “Calm down,” she ordered to herself. “Don't let that bastard get to you!”

The elevator stopped and she stepped through the opening doors, storming into her father's suite. What was Kent trying to do? He'd been acting strangely all night! How had she ever been foolish enough to think she wanted to marry him?

She stalked into the smaller bedroom. Her suitcase, packed and waiting, was where she'd left it near the foot of the bed. Good. She peeled off her gown, threw her jewelry into a case and stuffed the velvet box back into her father's safe.

By the time Victor knocked softly on the door to her room, she had changed into faded jeans, a sweatshirt and a down-lined jacket. “Marnie? You in here?”

“For the moment.”

He opened the door and shook his head at the sight of her. “And where do you think you're going?”

She sent him a chilling glance. “I'm leaving. Remember?”

“Of course I remember,” he said, holding out his palms as if to forestall an argument, “but I thought you might change your mind and wait a bit. Kent just told me he had Adam Drake thrown out of the party while I was wrapped up with Senator Mann. God only knows what's going to be in the papers tomorrow! I need you to talk to the press—”

“I just did.” Marnie wasn't about to be sidetracked by her father's ploy. “
That
was a dirty trick, Dad,” she said, yanking her suitcase onto the bed and snapping it open to double-check the contents.

“What?”

Satisfied that she'd packed everything she needed, she clicked the case shut. “You told Kent to give the press a wedding date, didn't you?”

“Of course not—”

“He never would have done it without getting the okay from you,” she insisted. “He wouldn't do anything that
might threaten his precious career with Montgomery Inns.”

“I didn't—”

“Don't lie to me, Dad! It's belittling to both of us.”

Her father seemed about to protest, then let out a long, weary sigh. “Okay, I suggested that Kent—”

“Oh, Dad, how
could
you!”

“We needed a distraction. I saw Adam Drake and knew he was here to stir up trouble and then that reporter woman, Judith Marx…” He shuddered. “She can be a barracuda.”

“Then why didn't you confront Drake?” she asked, astounded.

Her father shook his head. “Only cause a worse scene. Anyway, I saw Drake and started to follow him into the banquet room when Senator Mann came up to me. Then the reporter started snooping around and I put two and two together. Instead of a big spread about opening this hotel, tomorrow's edition of the
Observer
would probably just bring up Adam Drake and all the problems we had getting this damned hotel built! Believe me, Marnie, we don't need any more bad press.”

“Great. So
I
became the distraction,” she whispered, exasperated beyond words.

“When Kent talked to me earlier I wasn't for it, but then I saw Drake and the reporter and I gave him the high-sign to go ahead and announce your wedding plans.”

“You're incredible,” she whispered in exasperation. “Absolutely incredible!” Hooking a thumb to her chest, she added, “We're talking about
my
life, Dad. Mine!”

“Marnie, you have to understand—”

“Oh, I do, Dad,” she said, feeling sad as she realized that the company meant more to him than her happiness. “You can give Kent a message for me. Tell him that I'm taking the
Marnie Lee.
If he throws a fit, remind him that
half of it is mine. So I'm taking my half—too bad his half is attached.”

“Wait a minute—at least tell me where you're going.”

“I don't know,” she admitted.

“You don't know?” he repeated. “You can't just leave without a plan.”

“That's exactly what I'm going to do. The next few days I'm going to figure out just what I want to do with my life. Take some time to think about it, then, when I get back, I'll let you know. Goodbye, Dad.” More determined than ever, she headed out of the suite and down a short hall to a private elevator, which took her to the underground parking lot. From there it was only a few steps to the back of the building.

Outside, the wind ripped through the trees and the black water of the sound moved in restless waves. Marnie followed the path beneath the line of dancing Japanese lanterns.

Reaching the dock, she spotted the
Marnie Lee
and smiled faintly. Wouldn't Kent be tied in knots when he learned she'd taken the boat he'd come to think of as his? Kent had used the boat for the past six months. He'd be shocked to his toes when he found out she had taken command of the sleek vessel Victor had given them as an engagement present. Let him stew in his own juices—September wedding indeed!

Tossing her suitcase on board, she felt better than she had all night. She unleashed the moorings holding the
Marnie Lee
fast then climbed to the helm. The engine started on the first try, the dark waters of the sound churning white. Biting her lip, Marnie maneuvered the craft around the other vessels and toward the open waters of Puget Sound.

She decided to head to Orcas Island.

There was an old resort on the island, a resort her
father planned to refurbish, and the old hotel would be the perfect place to camp out the first night. From there she would decide what she was going to do with the rest of her life. She couldn't be Victor Montgomery's baby forever. Nor did she want to be Kent Simms's wife. That left Marnie Montgomery, a single woman who had dutifully done everything her father had requested, from college to her career at Montgomery Inns.

Marnie let out the throttle and the boat sped forward, the prow knifing through the choppy dark water, the wind tearing at her hair. She let out a whoop of pure joy!

For the first time in her twenty-four years, she felt completely free. She closed her eyes and felt the soft caress of the wind on her face.

The next few weeks were going to change the course of her life forever!

A
DAM TRIED TO MOVE
his cramped muscles. He'd been hiding in a storage closet in the hold for forty-five minutes, according to the luminous face of his watch, and for the last fifteen the boat had been moving, cutting through the water at a pretty good clip. The
Marnie Lee
pitched and rolled as they traveled, and Adam guessed that the storm was stronger than the weather service had predicted. The force of the gale didn't seem to deter Simms though; he never turned about.

Good. The farther they were from Port Stanton, the better. Adam couldn't wait to see the look on Simms's face when he appeared on deck.

Adam gave Kent another fifteen minutes, then eased himself from the tight quarters. He'd stashed an overnight bag in the galley because he'd learned over the past year to be prepared for anything. He didn't know how long he'd be stuck with Kent—he hadn't worked that out yet. A lot depended upon Simms's attitude and what kind of deal they could cut, because, Adam was sure that Kent Simms was up to his eyeballs in the embezzling mess. There was a chance that Simms hadn't been involved, but the probability was slim. From his overreaction at the sight of Adam, to his insistence that security be called, Simms looked guilty as hell. Yep, Simms was hiding something. Adam just had to find out what it was and how it was tied to the embezzling.

He glanced up the stairs, felt the lash of rain and wind
and decided to give Kent a couple more minutes while he changed. Tossing his bag into an empty cabin, he stripped out of his tux and slid into jeans, flannel shirt, sweater and high-tops. Finally he flung a black poncho over his head.

Using sea legs he'd acquired in the navy, he climbed up two flights to the bridge and twisted his lips into a grim smile at the thought of scaring the living hell out of Simms. If nothing else, Simms's reaction would be worth the rocky ride.

Flinging open the door of the bridge, he stopped stock-still. A blast of wind caught the door, ripping the door latch from his hands. Papers rustled and caught in the icy breeze. Marnie Montgomery, planted at the helm, nearly jumped out of her skin. With a scream that died in her throat, she whipped around and fumbled in the pocket of her jacket, presumably for a weapon. The helm spun crazily and the boat shuddered.

“Drake? What the hell are you doing here?” she cried, her face ashen, her hair blowing in the wind as she scrabbled to regain control of the spinning wheel. “You nearly gave me a heart attack!”

He was as stunned as she. Marnie? Here? At the wheel in the middle of a gale-force storm? The wind was fierce, the waters of the sound rolling and unpredictable.

“I asked you a question,” she said, her blue eyes dark as the angry ocean. “And close the door, for crying out loud!”

Damn his rotten luck! Adam caught hold of the latch and pulled the door shut behind him. The door slammed tight, shutting out the wind and rain.

Papers stopped blowing, and Marnie's blond hair fell back to her shoulders. “Well?”

His entire plan—spontaneous as it had been—depended upon getting Simms alone. Now he had to deal
with Simms's angry lover. Terrific! Just damned terrific. “I'm looking for Kent Simms.”

“Here?”
she said, laughing bitterly. The disgusted look she sent him accused him of being out of his mind. “You expected him on board?”

“Isn't he?”

“Not if he has a brain,” she muttered. Scowling, she added, “I think Kent's back at the hotel, living the good life, kissing up to my father.” She turned her concentration back to the sea.

So she was still furious. Good. Her anger might work to his advantage, Adam thought. Now that he was on this pitching boat in the middle of a storm, he had to improvise his hasty plan, and though he wasn't quite sure how, he knew instinctively that any rift between Simms and Victor Montgomery's daughter was a good sign.

“What do you want with him?” she asked, never taking her eyes off the boat's prow.

“We need to talk.”

“About what?” Her voice was casual, but he noticed a glint of suspicion in her gaze as she hazarded a quick glance in his direction. “No, don't tell me. Let me guess. This has something to do with the reason you crashed the party, doesn't it?”

When he didn't immediately respond, she plunged ahead. “And since I don't think you're interested in filling out a job application for Montgomery Inns, you must want to talk about the money that's missing from the Puget West project. Right?”

It galled him the way she talked about the embezzlement so flippantly. He'd gone through hell in the past twelve months, and she acted as though it didn't really matter, just a little inconvenience.

She wasn't finished. “If you want my advice—”

“I didn't come here for—”

“You should just get on with your life.”

“I'm not here for advice.”

“Then you shouldn't have stowed away on my boat.”

Her
boat? “The
Marnie Lee
belongs to Simms.”

She smiled at that, and her face softened a little. Even under the harsh lights of the bridge, with her hair still wet and her face without a trace of makeup, she was a beautiful woman. “
Half
of the
Marnie Lee
belongs to Kent. Unfortunately for him, his half is nailed to my half and I decided to leave the party early.”

“Why?”

She sent him another hard look, a line forming between her brows. “It was time,” she replied, without giving him a clue to her motives.

“Does it have anything to do with your fight with Simms?”

Marnie started to answer, then held her tongue.
She
should be the person asking questions, not the other way around! What the devil was Drake doing on her boat? She felt nervous and hot, though the bridge was barely 50˚ F. Adam had always put her on edge; his angled features, thick hair and intense eyes fairly screamed “sexy,” but she'd ignored his rakish good looks when she'd worked with him. She knew a lot of attractive men, but Adam was different. He was more than just simply handsome. There was a restlessness about him, an earthiness coupled with repressed anger that caused her to react to him on a primal level. Kent had called Adam primitive and for once he'd been right: there was a certain primal sexuality to the man.

So here he was, in the tiny bridge, a storm thundering outside, the boat lurching and tilting, and all she could think about was keeping distance between herself and him.

“You made a mistake,” she said flatly.

“Just one?” One side of his mouth lifted.

Marnie gripped the helm and felt her palms dampen with sweat. All she wanted was to escape her past and sort out her identity. But now she had to deal with Adam Drake. Even though he had come to her rescue at the party, she didn't want him fouling up her first real bid for freedom. “Look, you've got to get off the boat.”