Say You Need Me (11 page)

Serena awoke suddenly, her eyes popping open.
She felt a moment of panic when she saw her strange surroundings, realizing she had no clue where she was.

And then she remembered. She was at Cecil’s house.

Well, one of his houses.

Serena stirred, turning onto her side. That’s when she noticed the down-filled comforter covering her body.

Wait a second,
she thought, bolting upright. She was on the sofa, that much she could tell. Narrowing her eyes, she glanced around—and realized she couldn’t see. A hand went to her face to confirm what she already knew. She wasn’t wearing her glasses.

Where were they? Squinting, she checked out the nearest object, the coffee table, but didn’t see any shape that resembled her glasses. She glanced in the other direction, to the side of the sofa where her head had been, and saw the shape of a lamp. The lamp had to be on some type of
table. Sliding her butt along the sofa, she reached for the base of the lamp. Her fingers closed around her glasses.

Serena put them on. All right, she was still in the living room, still on the sofa. Last she remembered, Darrell had left her here while he’d gone to search the house for the necklace.

But if she had a blanket covering her, then Darrell must have placed it on her because she’d drifted to sleep. How long had she been out?

And why was the house so quiet? The sun seemed brighter than when she’d arrived, almost as if it was morning.

Good Lord, it
was
morning. But how could that be? If it was morning, that meant she’d slept through the night. Had she been that tired that she’d completely zonked out for several hours?

And where was Darrell?

Serena yawned, then rose from the sofa. After giving her body a good stretch, she headed out of the living room.

Sunlight spilled into the hallway through open bedroom doors. Serena peeked her head into the first room, but didn’t see Darrell.

She continued down the hallway. “Darrell,” she called. “Darrell?”

A door several feet ahead of her opened, and Serena’s head whipped in that direction. Darrell stepped into the hallway. Clad only in shorts, sunlight bathed his body, emphasizing all his beautiful features. He looked, quite literally, like a god.

Strong muscles defined the entire length of his golden-brown arms. His abdomen was washboard flat, a marked contrast to his bulging pecs. His upper body was virtually
hairless, with just a sprinkling of dark hair around his belly-button. Serena’s gaze dropped lower, to his waist, then lower, to his legs. Her lips parted at the sight of his powerfully built thighs.

Oh yes, this man was a pure Adonis.

“I trust you slept well,” Darrell said.

His voice startled her out of her gawking. “Uh, yes.” Serena planted both hands on her hips. “At least I think so. What time is it?”

“A little after seven.”

“As in
A.M
.?”

“Yeah.”

“My God. I didn’t realize I was that tired.”

“A lot happened yesterday.”

“That it did,” Serena agreed. The accident, the kiss…

Darrell was suddenly walking toward her, and Serena’s heart went berserk. He stopped about a foot in front of her, and the smell of soap, probably Irish Spring, filled her nose. But there was something else, a distinct scent that was all male and totally enthralling. Try as she might, it was impossible to ignore his masculine appeal.

She suddenly wondered if she could be this close to him without salivating. Abruptly turning, Serena started back toward the living room. “I can’t believe I slept that long,” she commented as she walked. “Why didn’t you wake me?”

“You were tired. I let you sleep.”

In the living room, Serena went back to the sofa where she’d slept. She sat down. Knowing she must look awful, she ran a hand over her hair, smoothing it as best she could.

“Did you…” She halted when Darrell moved toward
her. Pushing aside the comforter, he joined her on the sofa. “Uh.” For a moment, she couldn’t remember what she was going to say, that’s how flustered she was with him so close to her. Why was he sitting next to her like this, anyway? As if they’d spent many a morning together?

Her brain started working again. “Did you find anything?” she asked.

“I searched this place top to bottom, and no, I didn’t find your necklace. I did, however, find something interesting.”

“What?” Serena brought a leg onto the sofa and angled her body to face his.

“Cecil has a computer in one of the rooms. In the printer tray, there was a printout from some online auction site, detailing the rules and regulations regarding selling items online.”

“Oh, my God. Do you think Cecil was going to sell the necklace online?”

“You say it’s an antique diamond necklace.”

“I just had it appraised. It’s worth…” Serena hesitated, remembering that it had been her big mouth that had gotten her into this situation in the first place.

“I assume it’s worth a small fortune.”

“Two hundred and sixty-five thousand dollars.”

“
What did you say?
”

Serena repeated the figure.

“And you told Cecil this?”

“Yeah. We talked a lot about antiques—”

“My God, Serena. You can’t dangle a gold carrot in front of someone and expect him not to take it.”

Serena jumped to her feet. “I know. I was stupid. Don’t
you think I realize that? I trusted your brother. He approached me, told me how much he loved antiques. I didn’t tell him about the necklace right away, not until I’d gotten to know him. It was nice…nice to find someone else passionate about antiques the way I was. So I told him about the piece, but I didn’t show it to him until after he began helping me look for a store. How was I to know he was a fraud?”

Darrell stood. “A quarter of a million?”

Serena nodded, a glum expression on her face.

“Well, now I understand why you’re so hell-bent on getting it back.”

“It’s not the dollar figure. That necklace has been in my family for generations.”

Placing his hands on his hips, Darrell paced the hardwood floor. “God, until now, I’d figured that if we didn’t find my brother, I would cut you a check. But I can’t afford that kind of money.”

Serena frowned at Darrell. “I don’t expect you to cut me a check.”

“My brother stole from you, Serena.”

“Yes, your brother. Not
you.
Darrell, you’re not responsible for Cecil’s crimes.”

In his heart, he knew that, yet what Serena had just told him made Darrell feel a ton of guilt. Where had he gone wrong when trying to show his brother the right path? Why hadn’t he been able to stop Cecil from choosing a criminal lifestyle?

He contemplated the situation a moment longer. “There’s no way I can afford anywhere near that kind of cash.”

“Did you hear what I said?” Serena was now standing in front of him. “The only person who owes me anything is Cecil, not you.”

Darrell didn’t think when he reached for her face, didn’t think when he stroked his fingers across her skin. “God, I’m sorry.”

Serena covered his hand with hers. “Darrell, it’s not your fault.”

“Maybe it is.”

“No, it isn’t.”

His heart filling with pain, he looked down at her. She met his eyes with an intense, sincere gaze. She meant her words. She didn’t hold him responsible for what Cecil had done.

And while that realization gave him a measure of joy, it also gave him a measure of pain. Because he knew without a doubt that he wanted to make things right for Serena where his brother was concerned, but if his brother had already hawked her necklace, he had no clue how he’d do that.

It was a heavy burden to bear, and Darrell stepped away from her. He faced the floor-to-ceiling windows bordering the impressive backyard. His brother had all this, yet he’d stolen from Serena. Where had Darrell gone wrong?

“You don’t understand,” Darrell said softly. “No one understands.”

“I think I do.”

Darrell turned and stared at her, but didn’t say anything.

“I’ve never met anyone like you,” she told him. “Except perhaps my father. You have a deep-rooted sense of right
and wrong, of good and bad. Anyone who spends any time with you has to see that.”

“Then where did I go wrong?”

“You can’t be held accountable for what Cecil does, Darrell.”

“I was all he had. I tried to show him the right way.”

“Because he didn’t follow it doesn’t mean it’s your fault.”

“I feel like it is. He depended on me.”

“It’s not, Darrell.”

Darrell sighed. “My brain says you’re right, but I can’t undo years of feeling like that overnight.”

“You sound like his father, not his brother.”

“Like I said, you don’t understand. I pretty much
was
Cecil’s father. He didn’t have anyone else, certainly not our dad.”

“What about your mother?”

Darrell huffed. What mother? She’d left them when he and Cecil were only seven. To this day, Darrell figured that was the root of Cecil’s problems. Their mother had wanted the finer things in life, all the things money could buy, the things her husband—who’d earned a modest living as a garbage collector—couldn’t provide her. Perhaps because she was beautiful, she’d thought she deserved more out of life. Ultimately, she’d found a man who couldn’t resist her charms, the CEO of a bank in New York. After working for him for a few short months, she’d left her husband and her children and had never looked back.

Was it a coincidence that Cecil scammed rich, beautiful women? Darrell doubted it.

“Darrell?” Serena prompted.

“My mother died ten years ago.”

The confused look on her face said he hadn’t answered her question, but this was a subject Darrell wasn’t in the mood to chat about. So he returned the discussion to the issue at hand. “I didn’t think of online venues before, but considering the value of that necklace, it’s obviously something Cecil couldn’t just bring to a pawn shop. He must have sold it over the internet.”

One minute, Darrell had been discussing his guilt over his brother’s lifestyle, but the moment she’d mentioned his mother, he’d shut down. Serena didn’t have to ask to know that there was pain associated with the subject of his mother. But was the pain regarding her death and the fact that he missed her, or something else altogether?

“Yeah, that’s a very real possibility.”

Serena’s mind finally registered what Darrell had just said. “Wait a minute. You think he
sold
it?”

“Or tried to sell it.”

“Over the internet?” She couldn’t prevent the note of hysteria from entering her voice.

Darrell held both palms up in a frustrated gesture. “I don’t know. I checked his saved e-mails but didn’t find anything that would give me answers one way or another.”

Serena’s breath snagged in her chest. Were she and Darrell on a wild-goose chase? Was her family heirloom already gone forever?

God, no.

Her eyes flew to Darrell’s. In a voice barely above a whisper, she said, “I have to get it back.”

“I know.” Darrell dragged a hand over his face. “I know.” He blew out a harried breath. “All right. Let me think. When Cecil called me, he was still in Miami—at
least, based on the area code. I tried calling the number back, but it was a payphone. I don’t know why, but my gut says that if he was still in Miami a few days ago, he’s probably still in Miami now.”

“Why?”

“Let’s assume someone was after him a few weeks ago when he left you that note at the library. He disconnected his numbers, obviously because he didn’t want to be reached. But why not head out of town? If he’s still around—which he was when he called me—then there must be a reason for that. Something’s keeping him here, but he’s laying low. The question is why, and where.” Darrell paused. “Do you have
any
idea where he might be?”

“I have no clue.” Frustrated, Serena threw her hands in the air, then dropped them against her thighs. “Obviously, I didn’t really know Cecil at all.”

“Nowhere the two of you used to hang out? No one he mentioned in particular?”

“Again, this might sound weird, but we didn’t discuss Cecil’s friends. I never met them. We went for lots of dinners, chatted about antiques. And he met my sister. But I have no clue who his friends are. I didn’t even know he had a twin.”

“Somebody’s gotta know something.” Darrell walked to the backyard window and peered outside. After a moment, he turned to Serena. “We should head out and meet the neighbors this morning. See if any of them know Cecil, and know where he might be.”

“All right.”

“You want to shower or something? Cecil’s got a ton of T-shirts and shorts around if you want to change into something fresh.”

“I’d rather start going door-to-door.”

“It’s too early for that.”

“Oh,” Serena said, remembering the time. “Well, I guess I do need to freshen up. Where’s the bathroom?”

“End of the hall on the right.”

Serena started off.

“Uh,” Darrell said, and she halted. “You should probably pick out some clothes to wear before you head in the bathroom.”

“Of course. Which bedroom?”

Darrell walked toward her, then led her to one of the bedrooms. The closet was full of silk shirts and dress pants, but the drawers had T-shirts and sweats. Serena wouldn’t have known that Cecil owned anything so casual if she hadn’t seen this with her very eyes.

She decided on a black T-shirt and black sweat shorts. She drew the line at choosing any of Cecil’s bikini briefs.

“I saw some toothbrushes in the top left drawer in the bathroom,” Darrell pointed out. “In brand new packages.”

“Great,” Serena said. She wondered how many women Cecil had entertained here that he’d have a supply of toothbrushes.

It doesn’t matter,
she told herself. And it didn’t.

The bathroom was something out of a fairytale. Cream-colored marble floors and walls, huge jacuzzi tub, separate shower stall, his and hers sinks with gold-colored faucets. It was the kind of bathroom where one went to relax and stay awhile.

How nice it would be to lie back in the oversized tub and do just that, but there would be no joy in it for Serena. All she felt was bitterness.