The Perfect Liar (22 page)

A light went on. She was in. Putting the transmission in Reverse, he wheeled around and headed home. But he'd barely reached Highway 12

when his phone rang. He thought maybe Ava was calling him with some 163

detail she'd forgotten to mention, but when he checked caller ID, he knew it wasn't her.

Ava rested her head against the inside of the door. Dinner was over; Luke was gone. Thank goodness. Now she could put him out of her mind and get on with her regular life, at least until Monday when she'd have to delve into his case again. Then he'd be front and center for a while. But she'd make quick work of it. Prove Kalyna's injuries were self-inflicted and use that to convince the prosecutor to drop the case. Easy. She'd be a hero. Luke would have his life back. And McCreedy would lose out on a lucrative fee. Then she wouldn't have to face any more of Luke's devastating smiles. And maybe after a few months she'd forget him altogether.

Suddenly she realized that in her haste to get out of the car, she'd walked away wearing his sweatshirt. He hadn't said anything, hadn't even tried to get it back, which was nice of him. But she didn't particularly want to think of him as "nice." Hard enough to battle "drop-dead gorgeous" and

"sexy as hell."

Turning toward the mirror in her entryway, she gazed at herself. AIR

FORCE was emblazoned across her chest in big block letters. She was infatuated with a rock-hard military guy. Who would've guessed?

She told herself to take off the sweatshirt and put it somewhere safe so she could return it to him. But as she pulled it off, she couldn't help pausing for a few seconds to breathe in the masculine scent that lingered.

At least now she knew she was normal. At least she hadn't grown old before her time as she'd feared. She had the same sexual appetites and desires as other women her age. It was worth meeting Luke just for that, wasn't it?

Or maybe not. Was it better not to crave--or to crave and not be satisfied?

"Luke?"

The sound of Kalyna's voice came through his Bluetooth and put Luke's teeth on edge. He'd never hated anyone in his life, but he was pretty sure he hated her.

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"What do you want?" Ignoring his sudden tension, he thought of the sack in his trunk. He'd purchased a recorder this morning, but it wouldn't do any good to stop and get it because the store he'd got it from had been out of AA batteries. He'd planned to pick some up from another store, but he'd taken Ava to dinner instead, and now he had Kalyna on the phone again and no way to prove that she'd called or what she said.

Except for the possibility of a witness. Swerving around, he headed back to Ava's. Maybe he could get there before she went to bed and before Kalyna hung up....

"I have something to tell you, something important," she said.

He went right through an intersection that had a stop sign. Thank God for the absence of other traffic. "You're dropping the case?"

"That depends on how you react."

Perhaps Luke should've felt hope, but he didn't. He could tell this wouldn't be good. Kalyna's voice was too smug, too excited. Dread sat in the pit of his stomach. "What is it?"

"I'm pregnant."

"No." Suddenly incapable of driving, he slammed on the brakes. "I don't believe it. You're lying."

"I'l send you proof if you want."

"Shit. Tell me it's not true. Tell me this is one of your vindictive games." No wonder she'd dared to call him back. She had an excuse, a very sympathetic excuse.

"Are you
that
unhappy?"

Now he knew she was insane. How could she even dream he might be anything other than completely distraught?

"Because...I'm thinking maybe we should make the most of it," she went on.

He sat in the middle of the road at a dead standstil . "Make the most of it?" He could barely get the words out. He knew that if he raised his voice, he'd be yelling his head off.

"Right. You know, for the sake of the baby."

He'd been so relieved to enlist Ava's help, so sure she'd be able to make a difference. But no one could save him from
this.
So what did he do now? His worst fears had been realized, what he'd been worried about ever 165

since he'd learned of the semen they'd found at the hospital. Until this moment, he'd thought there might be a chance the condom had simply failed. But he knew better. Kalyna had sabotaged it. She'd tried to talk him out of using it in the first place, and when that didn't work, she took other steps. She'd obviously hoped for this outcome all along. "You told me you were on the pil ."

"I must've forgotten to take it that day."

"One day probably wouldn't matter."

"It could. That means this is God's wil . Every baby's a miracle, Luke.

Every single one. Even a rape baby."

"I didn't rape you!" And this baby was no miracle. This was worse than any nightmare he could imagine. He'd rather be caught behind enemy lines, alone and unarmed with his plane in ashes, than facing a lifetime of dealing with Kalyna as his child's mother. "You did this to me on purpose!"

"That's not true."

"Yes, it is. You targeted me."

"How can you blame
me
for this?" she said. "You're the one who forced me, Luke."

"Quit saying that! It's a lie."

"I'm just trying to accept it. In my mind, a baby changes everything. A baby means we should set our conflicts aside and try to get along."

He wasn't sure it would do him any good to reach Ava. Kalyna wasn't telling the truth. What she was saying was crazier than hell. But he continued driving to the houseboat because he had no better plan. "That's impossible."

"No, it's not. You could love me if you'd give me a chance."

"Why me?" he asked. "There are other guys out there. You can't want to be with me that badly. You know me in a professional sense, but not personally. Not really."

"I know how you touch a woman when you want to bring her pleasure," she said, talking in a seductive whisper. "I know the expression that comes over your face when--"

Eager to stop her before she could conjure up any more bad memories, he broke in. "Because we slept together once. That's it. That's
not
knowing me!" He pushed the accelerator to the floor. It wasn't safe to 166

go so fast on these dark narrow roads. He wasn't familiar with them and didn't want to hit a possum or a deer. But making sure Ava heard Kalyna suddenly became all-important. She had to understand how grasping and desperate the woman was.

Kalyna's voice grew more strident, almost challenging. "I know lots more than that. I know you always buy your gas at the Chevron station near the base. I know you buy a pack of sunflower seeds and an energy drink before you go to the park to play ball on Monday nights. I know you're a great catcher because I've watched you behind the plate."

Shocked by the details she'd been able to provide, he racked his brain, trying to remember when he might have mentioned the Chevrom station or sunflower seeds or baseball. "When? It's not as if I've ever invited you to the park, or even told you I was playing."

She didn't answer. She was stil rattling off various facts about him. "I know you love egg burritos from Del Taco, that you carry sports equipment in the trunk of your car and that the girl in your wallet is your little sister. I know your parents live in San Diego and would be thril ed to hear they're going to be grandparents--"

"Stop it!" He couldn't listen anymore. He was about to be sick.

"I have your watch," she whispered. "It's in my panties."

He grimaced. "That doesn't excite me. Just...throw it away."

"You're not making this any easier."

Come on, come on.
He had to get to Ava's. Gravel flew as he skidded around a turn and almost landed in a canal. "I'm trying to be clear about this. I'm not interested, Kalyna."

"You won't even give me a chance!"

She couldn't really expect him to--not after everything she'd done.

She had to be after something else. "I'l pay you," he said.

This seemed to bring her up short. "For what?"

He could see the light of Ava's houseboat. He was almost there. "To get an abortion." He knew his parents would die at the thought. He wasn't sure how he felt about it himself, but he was desperate. He couldn't bring a child into the world under these circumstances, with this woman.

"An abortion?" she echoed. "You want me to get an abortion?" She broke into tears. "How can you ask me to
kil
our child on top of everything 167

else you've done to me?"

It didn't even feel like a child, didn't feel real. "Okay." He was stil reeling as he skidded to a stop at the end of Ava's pier. But now that they were talking about the baby, he didn't want to get out of the car. Ava couldn't solve this; this was something he'd have to solve himself. "You're right, I don't want that. I don't think I could live with that, but...I'l take the baby. I-I'l raise it myself." Yes, that was the only option that would work.

"Just--just name your price. If I've got the money or I can borrow it, it's yours. Al you have to do is admit I didn't rape you and hand the baby over to me once it's born."

She sniffed. "Wil I be able to see you through the pregnancy?"

He couldn't stand the thought of her in his life. But if she'd admit he didn't rape her, it'd be worth it. Wouldn't it?

"Maybe."

"And after the baby comes?"

Again, he wanted to say no. But would that be fair to his child? To her? Did he have to worry about what would be fair to a person like that?

God, this was so far from anything he'd ever dreamed he'd have to face. "Er...maybe. Probably. I guess," he said, and stared out at Ava's houseboat as he awaited her response. This was a good offer. There wasn't any more he could do. She had to accept it, didn't she?

"So we could make something positive out of all this negativity?

There'd be a chance for you and me?"

They were back to
this?
"Come off it, Kalyna. There is no you and me. There never has been."

Her tears grew into full-fledged sobs. "You're going to prison if it's the last thing I do!" she screamed, and the line went dead.

Luke was shaking when he turned off his phone. He'd never felt such rage, especially against a woman. How did she know so much about him?
I
know you love egg burritos from Del Taco. I know you always buy gas at
the Chevron station near the base. I know you're a great catcher because
I've watched you behind the plate.

She'd been following him. That pretty much constituted the definition of stalking, didn't it? How was that for a switch? A female stalker. He'd never thought it could happen, never once glanced over his shoulder. He'd 168

"bumped" into Kalyna often enough that he should've wondered, he supposed, but he hadn't thought twice about it. And here he'd been feeling guilty for having sex with her, had even been tempted to believe his father was right about
all
women taking sex more seriously than men, which meant he sort of deserved what he was getting for crossing that line. But she wasn't some tragic figure he'd mistakenly hurt. She was crazy.

And now she was even more determined to destroy him.

Pushing his door open, he got out. He wasn't sure what Ava could do about what'd just happened, but he wanted to tell her about it while it was fresh in his mind.

A moment later, he was glad he'd acted on that impulse because Kalyna called back.

169

A
va was at her computer in the dining room, checking e-mail, when Luke appeared out of nowhere. She'd heard a soft knock above the music she had playing, but it was almost midnight, so she thought she must've imagined it. Then the door swung open before she could get out of her seat.

"What's going--" she started, but he pressed a finger to his lips, indicating silence, and beckoned her toward the phone he had pressed to his ear.

"Kalyna?" she mouthed.

He nodded.

She could understand why he'd come back, but that didn't make her any more comfortable about the fact that she wasn't wearing any clothes except his sweatshirt and a pair of thong panties she'd bought because they made her feel sexy. She almost didn't get up, but the intensity on Luke's face overruled more practical considerations, and she decided it didn't matter. The sweatshirt covered her to midthigh. And even if it hadn't, he'd probably seen a lot of women in their underwear.

When she met him in the middle of the room, he didn't seem to notice her state of undress. He was too engrossed in his conversation. Turning the phone slightly, he leaned close so she could hear.

"I'm just saying that's a big part of your case, and now it's gone. You caused your own injuries," he said.

Obviously, they were engaged in a heated argument.

"Who told you that?" came the response. The voice sounded a bit tinny and edged with panic, but it was Kalyna, all right.

"Someone I know spoke to your mother."

"Ava Bixby? You think I'm not aware of that?"

Luke pulled Ava onto the couch with him; sitting made it easier to share the phone. "Your own mother won't support you in this, Kalyna.

That's the point I'm trying to make."

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"My mother won't support me in anything. She never has. And I don't care. What I want to find out is how you know Ava."

"She called me."

"Have you met? Have you been together?

"What difference does that make?"

"It explains a lot. You've been seeing her, haven't you! That's why she dumped me."

Uneasy with that accusation, Ava bit her lip.

"She dumped you because she knows you're lying," he said. "She's working for me now."

"What?"
Kalyna cried. "You're not a victim!"

"I'm more of a victim than you are."

"That's bullshit! She just wants to jump your bones, like every other woman you meet."

Ava wished she could deny it, if only to herself, but she felt a little conspicuous having donned Luke's sweatshirt--and nothing else.

"Go to Ogitani and tell her to drop the charges," he said.