Say You Need Me (4 page)

Since her early twenties, Serena had had two serious boyfriends, neither of whom had respected her desire to save herself for her husband. Now she was twenty-nine and she worried that she might never find a man who shared her values. People were so much looser these days, jumping into bed first and considering a relationship later. Serena didn’t want any part of that. She didn’t care so much if she was a virgin on her wedding night, but she at least wanted the man she shared the special act of lovemaking with to be the man she would marry.

Cecil had seemed to have all the qualities she wanted in a husband—compassion, devotion, understanding, and patience. After Serena had gotten to know him better—or so she’d thought—she’d had no reservations telling him about her family’s heirloom. Then she’d showed him the necklace one of the few times he’d been at her place. He was blown away by its beauty, the same way she was every time she looked at it.

Serena was happy to find a man who not only shared her passion but supported her dream. Cecil said he understood her desire to open an antique store and he’d encouraged her to do so. Coincidentally, Cecil worked as a real estate agent, and he’d assured her he could help her find the perfect storefront.

When Serena’s parents had died in a boating accident fourteen years before, there had been a bit of money from insurance, and over the years, that money had grown with wise investments. She’d used the bulk of her share as a
down payment on a property in Coconut Grove that would house her antique shop. But Cecil, the agent who’d brokered the deal, had betrayed her, proving that he wasn’t the man she’d thought him to be. She could only imagine what he’d done with the money she’d given him, because he sure hadn’t used it for the store. Hell, he’d probably had a few rounds of cocktails on some exotic beach, toasting her stupidity after he’d cashed her check.

Thinking about everything that had happened was giving Serena a headache, so she concentrated on the beautiful view as she drove. She knew the way to Miami Beach like the back of her hand, and was surprised to find that she was already along the causeway. In the distance, she saw massive cruise ships lining the port. It was a sight that always amazed her, because the ships were so tall they looked like apartment buildings.

But now the sight was bittersweet. She’d always wanted to go on a cruise, but hadn’t allowed herself that luxury. She’d been saving every penny to open her store.

Damn Cecil.

She couldn’t get him out her mind as she continued to drive. She’d been naïve, for sure, but did she deserve to lose something so precious to her? To her family? Hopefully the courts would throw the book at him and lock him up forever. If he’d scammed her, she imagined there had to be others.

Once over the causeway, Serena maneuvered through the Miami Beach streets until she was at the police station on Washington. She parked in a lot nearby, then hopped out of her car. She was so close to getting her necklace back, she could taste it, and she hurried out of the parking
lot, practically setting a new record in the hundred-meter dash as she sprinted toward the front of the station.

Inside the large entranceway, Serena halted, disappointed to see that there were a few people mingling in front of her, waiting to speak to the cop at the information counter. She paused a moment to catch her breath, then joined the line. Her nerves were raw from worrying so much, and even now, she prayed she wasn’t too late.

The few minutes that passed seemed like hours, but finally she was at the front of the line. A middle-aged, friendly looking cop sat behind the counter. “Good morning, sir,” she said, giving him a tight smile.

“Mornin’, ma’am. How can I help you today?”

Serena leaned forward to speak through the hole in the fiberglass partition. “Last night,” she began, “someone was arrested and brought here. I’m assuming he spent the night.”

“Depending on when he was arrested, he might have already been transferred to the Dade County detention center. Do you know what time he came in?”

Serena’s heart spasmed in her chest. God, Cecil had to be here. “He was brought in around midnight.”

“Then there’s a good chance he’s still here,” the cop said. “Last night was busy, and not everyone was processed.”

Serena’s shoulders drooped with relief. “Great.” She gave the cop a small smile. “Um, I’m wondering if there’s a chance I can speak with him.” She paused, wondering if she should add that she was his victim.

The cop gave her a stern look. “Are you family?”

“No.”

“His lawyer?”

“No.”

“I’m sorry, then. Prisoners aren’t allowed any visitors. This is just a holding cell until they’re taken to the detention center. Once there, he’ll be allowed visitors after seventy-two hours. But he’ll have to put you on his visitor’s list in order for you to see him.”

“Oh,” Serena replied, unable to hide her disappointment. As if there was any chance of that happening! What was she supposed to do now?

While she hesitated, the cop looked beyond her to the next person in line. He said, “Can I help you, sir?”

Hurriedly, Serena said, “Wait.”

The cop looked at her once again. “Yes?”

“Can you check? If he’s still here, I mean.”

“Ma’am, I already told you—”

“Please,” Serena said, interrupting the cop. Maybe if she told him what Cecil had done, he would understand her urgency in seeing him. “This man, I really need to see him.” She lowered her voice, then continued. “He stole a necklace from me worth a small fortune. I’m wondering, now that he’s arrested, am I guaranteed—”

“Do you know who brought him in?”

“The cop who arrested him, you mean? There were two—” Serena stopped short when she saw movement to her left on the far side of the foyer. Something made her turn. And then her heart slammed against her ribcage.

There was Cecil, walking toward the front door with a female police officer.

“Ma’am?” the cop behind the information desk prompted.

“Uh,” Serena replied, never taking her eyes from Cecil. “Never mind.”

Slowly, Serena started toward the cop and Cecil. Was he about to be taken to the detention center? If so, why wasn’t he wearing handcuffs? And why were he and the cop smiling?

Good grief, had he charmed this woman, too?

Serena picked up her pace. Her stomach did a nosedive when she saw Cecil shake the cop’s hand. She might know nothing about police procedures, but she certainly knew that cops didn’t tend to shake hands with felons.

No, something didn’t make sense. Worried, Serena hurried toward them. For the first time, she noticed that Cecil had a small suitcase with him—another bad sign.

Cecil and the cop separated as she closed in on them, and with a quick wave on both their parts, Cecil turned and headed to the exit while the cop retreated toward the back offices.

“Wait a second,” Serena cried, unable to keep her voice low. Her eyes darted between the cop and Cecil. “Why are you letting this man go?” Something was terribly, terribly wrong. “How can you let him walk out of here, after everything he’s done?”

A smug smile danced on Cecil’s lips as he looked at her and replied, “I tried to tell you yesterday that I’m
not
Cecil. You were too hard-headed to listen.”

Serena’s eyes flew to the cop. “W-what?” she sputtered. She could barely think straight, much less make sense of this situation. “I-I don’t believe this. You’ve fallen for his lies!” Facing Cecil, she gaped at him. “And what do you mean, hard-headed? I may have been a fool where you were concerned—”

“Ma’am.” The female officer held up a hand as she approached Serena. “If you’ll relax, I can explain everything.”

“There
is
no explanation. This man is an expert con artist. Obviously, he’s even good enough to fool you.”

The cop’s eyes said she was mildly offended, yet she went on, business as usual. “This man’s name is Darrell Montford. When our guys brought him in last night, they thought he was Cecil Montford.”

“Darrell Montford?” Serena continued to gape, unable to believe what she was hearing. “Okay,” she quickly said. “So he’s got an alias. Isn’t that consistent with most criminals?”

“His ID checks out.”

This was wrong, all wrong. Serena placed a hand on the cop’s arm, giving it an urgent squeeze. “Please listen to me. I don’t know what kind of game he’s playing, but this is the guy who scammed me.” She looked at him briefly, then back at the cop. “I’d know him anywhere.”

“I’m his brother,” Darrell interjected matter-of-factly. When Serena looked at him again, he added, “I believe you made some remark yesterday about an evil twin.”

Oh, no. This couldn’t be. Serena’s head started to spin. “You’re…are you saying…you’re his
twin?
”

“Yep.”

“I don’t believe this.”

“Ma’am, we ran his prints,” the officer explained. “He has none on file. A couple beat cops also went back to the restaurant and retrieved his wallet. His story checks out.”

“But…” Cecil’s twin? God, how could this be? This made no sense at all. “If he isn’t Cecil, then why didn’t you release him last night?”

“There were other charges, but in light of the case of mistaken identity, those have been dropped.”

“He was arrested for theft,” Serena protested.

“Not at the time,” the Cecil imposter countered. He met Serena’s eyes with a hard stare. “They wanted to
question
me about your accusation, but I was brought in for assaulting a police officer and public disturbance. All because you wouldn’t listen to reason.”

“Sorry again, Mr. Montford,” the cop said, giving him a contrite look.

“No problem. Have a good day.” He glared at Serena. “I plan to.”

Then he started off, and Serena could only stand and stare as Cecil’s supposed twin headed for the door, her mouth hanging open.

This was all so unreal, she didn’t know what to think. Cecil had never mentioned having a twin!

But if the cops were releasing him…

Placing a finger against her lips, Serena shook her head and looked at the floor. Her brain was working overtime and she could hardly form a coherent thought. But seconds later, her mind made sense of the situation. Cecil truly had a twin. There was nothing she could do but accept the disappointing reality.

Exhaling a frustrated sigh, Serena looked up. Instantly, her stomach dropped. She’d been so absorbed in her thoughts, she’d let Cecil’s twin walk away.

Oh, God. She had to get to him. He was her next best chance of getting her family’s heirloom back!

Serena jolted into action, sprinting for the front
door. She threw it open and darted outside. A quick look around told her that Cecil’s twin was already at the sidewalk, several feet away.

“Wait!” she called, running down the concrete steps outside the police station.

The Cecil look-alike ignored her and hurried to the edge of the road. His suitcase in one hand, he flung out the other one to hail a cab. “Taxi!”

The cab passed by.

“Please,” Serena begged, hurrying toward him. “Wait.”

Cecil’s brother quickly headed south along the sidewalk, and Serena realized that he was planning to ignore her. Not that she could blame him, but he had to understand how she’d mistaken him for Cecil in the first place.

She charged toward the sidewalk and threw herself in his path. “Mr. Montford.”

He turned and began walking in the other direction.

“I-I’m not going to hit you,” she blurted, feeling stupid when the words left her mouth. And they didn’t influence him one way or another, because he didn’t stop. But Serena didn’t give up. She scurried in front of him once more.

She said, “I’m sorry.”

Giving an exasperated sigh, he stopped. “Lady, I do
not
have time for this.”

“I’m sorry,” Serena repeated emphatically, then looked at him long and hard. For the first time, she noticed things she should have picked up on last night. His eyes were brighter than Cecil’s. And the fact that he wore a T-shirt and jeans should have been an immediate tip-off, because all the times Serena had seen Cecil, he’d never worn anything less than a snazzy outfit, even when he’d come to the library.

Her gaze went lower, checking him out completely. This man’s nails weren’t manicured nicely the way Cecil’s always were. And his body was leaner, his stomach noticeably flatter, even in a T-shirt. Subtle differences, but differences nonetheless.

“All right,” he said, clearly irritated. “You’ve apologized. Is that it?”

Serena shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “Your name again is?”

Darrell gaped at her, but she didn’t even flinch. God, couldn’t this woman take a hint? Apparently not. She was either completely clueless or completely nuts, because she continued to look up at him from wide eyes, expecting an answer from him.

“Darrell,” he cautiously replied, hoping she’d soon be on her merry way. He glanced around for another cab. To
his chagrin, he didn’t see one. Damn. The last thing he wanted to do was stay here and chitchat with this crazy woman.

“My name is Serena.”

Man, she was crazier than he thought. “This may surprise you,” he began slowly, his tone sardonic, “but I really have no desire to get to know you.” He paused for effect, hoping his words would register. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have things to do.” He turned and started walking away.

A few seconds passed, and Darrell thought he was home free. Then he heard, “Darrell. Wait.”

The crazy woman’s voice held a note of desperation, and damn if Darrell didn’t immediately feel bad. He didn’t like being rude to anyone. In fact, working in the hospitality industry, he was used to smiling even when people were uncivil with him. And even though this woman didn’t deserve a moment of his time, with resignation, he stopped once again and faced her.

Her bottom lip quivered slightly as she looked at him. “Can you
please
just give me a minute to explain?”

Considering the fact she seemed determined to follow him until he listened to her, Darrell didn’t figure he had a choice. He may as well hear her out. “Serena, you said?”

“Yes.”

“All right, Serena.” A frown played on his lips. “You’ve got one minute.”

Serena blew out a frazzled breath before speaking. “I’m really not psychotic,” she said, offering him a weak smile. “It’s just that…you look exactly like your brother. Which makes sense, since you
are
his twin. But I didn’t know. How could I have known? So when I saw you last
night…” Her voice trailed off from her rambling. “I’m trying to say, to ask—can you forgive me for hitting you?”

“Hitting me?” Darrell asked, his tone incredulous as he remembered the embarrassing event. “That right hook could have leveled Mike Tyson.”

“I-I know,” Serena said remorsefully. “And I’m sorry.”

“You had me arrested.”

She bit down on her bottom lip. “Yeah. I’m sorry for that, too. Believe me. I’m not usually so…bent out of shape.”

Darrell lowered his suitcase and folded his arms over his brawny chest. “Have you ever spent a night in jail, lady?” When she shook her head, he said, “Well, it’s not pleasant. They strip-searched me, made me sleep on a concrete bed that God only knows how many lowlifes have slept on. The guy in the cell next to me smelled so bad, he obviously hadn’t bathed in months. I slept with my hands over my face the whole night, but even now, the sick scent is burned into my nostrils. Hell, I didn’t even sleep. I just lay there, waiting for the night to end.” He paused. “I couldn’t even use the toilet without someone watching. Do you know how humiliating that is?”

“God, if I had known…”

“I seem to remember trying to get a word in last night, to tell you I wasn’t who you thought I was, but you were hell-bent on doing all the talking.”

“I thought you were Cecil.” Serena’s shoulders drooped as she pouted. “Cecil never mentioned he had a brother, much less a twin. How was I to know?” Confused eyes studied his face, as if even now, she couldn’t be sure he was telling the truth.

After a moment, she said, “Now that I look at you,
though, I can see some differences.” She reached out to stroke his face, and he instantly threw his head back to avoid her touch.

Regret passed over Serena’s face at Darrell’s reaction, and something about it made him feel guilty. Hell, why should he feel guilty, considering the night he’d had on account of her?

“I know, I deserve that.” Her tone was rueful. She stared him squarely in the eye, and he stared back, neither saying anything for several moments. “Gosh, I don’t even know why I reached for you. It’s just that…I’m hoping that mark on your face isn’t because of me—”

“You mean the imprint of your hand?” Darrell couldn’t hide his sarcasm.

Unease flashed in her eyes. Then, swallowing, she cautiously extended her hand again. This time, Darrell let her touch him. Her touch was surprisingly soft as it caressed the side of his face that she’d slapped.

“God, I never would have hit you…I never hit
anybody
. That was so out of character. But seeing you there, smugly sitting at the bar.
Flirting
with me. I feel so stupid.”

“Yeah, so do I.” Of all the women he could have picked to flirt with, it had to be one who’d had the misfortune of being involved with his brother. No wonder she’d slapped him upside the head.

The hell of it was, she wasn’t his normal type. Her square-shaped glasses made her look a little dowdy, though behind them he could see she had beautiful brown eyes. She had a gorgeous smile; he’d seen it before she’d even noticed him. She wasn’t stunning, but she was definitely attractive in a low-key sort of way. Perhaps
that’s exactly what he’d been drawn to, her silent beauty. He’d dealt with too many conceited women who flaunted their beauty in hopes of getting his attention.

Then ultimately getting into his wallet.

Not that he was loaded, but when most women learned that he ran a successful bed and breakfast, out came the hard-hats with glowing lights as they dug for gold…

“I really am sorry.”

Her soft words brought his attention back to her eyes. She seemed genuinely contrite, and while he wished he could hate her for humiliating him last night, then getting him arrested, he knew that her actions had been directed toward his brother—a man who no doubt deserved her wrath. Cecil had left many pissed off women all across the continental United States.

Part of him didn’t want to know, but the part that was used to bailing Cecil out of trouble did. “What did my brother do?”

Serena wrung her fingers as she spoke. “I thought he was nice. He was always polite when he came to the library. That’s where I work. I’m a librarian. Anyway, one day we started talking—and soon after, casually dating. He was supposed to help me find a property for an antiques store. I know it seems stupid now, but I gave him a check for ten grand as a down payment. He said he was a real estate agent and even showed me his business cards.”

“Yeah, my brother has his real estate license.”

“I thought he was as interested in antiques as I was. He saw my earrings and asked me about them.” Automatically, Serena’s hand went to an ear, gently touching one of the dangling Victorian earrings.

“Those are antique?” Darrell asked.

“Yes. From the Victorian era. Garnets and diamonds set in silver.”

Darrell shrugged. He couldn’t tell costume jewelry from the real stuff, much less antiques from something made last year. But the earrings were definitely beautiful. “My brother always did have an eye for expensive things.”

“If it was just the ten grand, I could walk away and not worry about it. Not to say that I’m rich…what I’m trying to say is that Cecil also stole my family’s heirloom. I’d showed it to him once, then put it back in my apartment safe. I always keep it in the safe, because it’s too valuable to leave lying around. Anyway, I didn’t notice until a few days after he disappeared that the necklace was missing.” Serena paused, then said, “Cecil was the only one who could have taken it. Other than my sister, he’s the only one who’s been in my apartment. I didn’t give him the combination to the safe, but your brother’s obviously a very talented man when it comes to stealing. Bottom line, the necklace is worth a small fortune and has great sentimental value and…and I need it back. So, can you please tell me where to find Cecil?”

His brother had stolen cash and a necklace from her. Good God almighty. Cecil was becoming a better criminal every day.

“My brother stole from you.”

“Yes.”

Darrell shook his head in disappointment. “I wish I could tell you where to find Cecil, but I can’t. I have no idea where he is.”

At Darrell’s words, Serena’s mouth quivered, and she
sank her teeth into her bottom lip. A simple action, something people did all the time, but Darrell suddenly noticed how full and sweet her mouth was.

“Surely you must be in contact with him. You’re his twin.”

Uncomfortable with how he’d just looked at this woman who was no doubt crazy—even if she did have her reasons—Darrell glanced away. “Being twins is about the only thing Cecil and I have in common. The closest we’ve been was when we shared space in our mother’s belly.” He met her eyes again. “I hate to tell you this, but my brother and I live two different lives, and we aren’t always in touch. All I know is that he’s gone AWOL. Which means you can kiss your property and your cash good-bye.”

Serena whimpered, then her face crumbled. Turning away from him, she hugged her torso.

Watching her in pain, Darrell instantly regretted his words. Not because he didn’t believe them to be true, but because he couldn’t stand to see the woman suffer. Yes, she’d slapped him, publicly humiliated him, and because of her, his back ached from sleeping on that pitiful excuse for a bed in the cell. But she’d done so because Cecil had scammed her.

Darrell should have long ago washed his hands of his brother, but he’d been picking up the pieces of his brother’s messes for years and didn’t seem to know how to get out of the habit.

Like this time. Instead of staying in Orlando and dealing with his own business, he’d come to Miami as soon as possible to find his brother and take care of whatever was going on. He was particularly worried about Cecil. Not
that Cecil hadn’t been in his share of snafus over the years and gotten out of them one way or another, but the cryptic phone call from him still played in Darrell’s mind. Whatever mess Cecil had gotten himself into now was major. Darrell felt that as surely as he felt the hot Miami sun shining on his face.

Slowly, Serena turned back to Darrell. “Well.” She sniffled. “I guess there’s nothing I can do to get my property back. This was my last hope, but now it’s gone. I have only myself to blame for being so stupid…” Her voice trailed off. “I’m sorry about yesterday, and I’m sorry to have bothered you now.”

Her eyes held sadness, even as she walked past him with her head high. Darrell listened to her footfalls on the concrete as she got farther and farther away. It was what he wanted, to be rid of her so that he could start the search for his brother. Yet the farther she walked away, the worse he felt.

Finally, he spun around. “Serena.”

She stopped immediately and whirled around to face him. Her brown eyes were wide with anticipation. “Yes?”

He’d been planning to tell her that he would contact her if and when he found his brother and her property. But man, if that vulnerable look wasn’t his undoing. He found himself wanting to wrap her in his arms and tell her he’d pay her back himself, if that’s what it would take to erase her pain.

He made his way toward her, and she toward him. “I…I may be able to help you get your stuff back.” God, what was he doing? He had no clue what was going to happen if and when he found Cecil. He had no right to give Serena false hope.

Yet the way her eyes lit up with optimism, he knew he’d give her the same line again.

“You can?”

“I got a call from my brother a few days ago. He’s in some kind of trouble, but I don’t know what. That’s why I came to Miami. To find him. And when I find him, I may be able to get your property back.”

“Oh, Darrell.”

He held up a hand to quell her excitement. “Wait. I want to be clear on this—I’m not promising anything. From the bit I heard from my brother, I assume he’s on the run and doesn’t want to be found. So, this may not be easy. But I’ll do what I can to help you.” He paused. “I mean that.”

“That’s all I can ask.”

Silence fell between them, heavy and awkward. Then Darrell said, “All right. Give me a number where I can reach you.”

“Maybe I can help you find him,” Serena blurted.