The Reckoning (4 page)

Mike grunted before starting the SUV and pulling out of her drive.

“I really appreciate it, but you didn’t have to go to so much trouble.”

“No trouble.”

The rest of the drive to Claire’s was in uncomfortable silence; so much for starting the dinner on a good note. He wasn’t his usual annoying self. He didn’t pick on her; he didn’t even flash his award-winning smile. Something was up with Mike Bennett, and he wasn’t talking.

They pulled up to Claire’s new house, and he cut the engine. He didn’t make a move to exit the car, and neither did she. She had a mental battle brewing in her head. Should she ask or keep her mouth shut. Did she really want to open the can of worms that might follow? What if she asked what was wrong and he said another woman? Could she really stand to hear him talk about another woman when she knew that the chemistry between them was off the charts?
Elizabeth
let out a sigh and decided to bite the bullet.

“You want to talk about it?”
Elizabeth
asked.

Mike let his head drop and closed his eyes. “
Elizabeth
, are you close to your father?”

“Yes, if it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have even moved to Southall.”

Mike turned toward
Elizabeth
. “What do you mean? Did he pick the town for you or help move you here?”

Elizabeth
twisted her fingers together in her lap. “He got me out of a bad situation and helped me move forward. No one wanted to hire me when I finished med school, so he called in a favor. He’s always been there for me, my brothers and my sister. Our entire family is close. We always have been.”

Elizabeth
glanced over toward Mike; his crystal-blue eyes were clouded like a storm on a winter’s night. It seemed he had his own battle brewing, but doubted it was for the same reason as hers. “I thought I knew my dad, but now I’m not so sure.”

Elizabeth
closed her hand over his and gave a gentle squeeze. “Tell me what’s going on; let me help you.”

Mike drew his hand out of hers, and hesitantly cupped her cheek. His eyes searched hers as if looking for the answers to an unasked question. He leaned forward and pressed
a gentle kiss to her lips.
The kiss wasn’t heated like he’d given her the night Emma was in the hospital; this one was more gentle and caressing. Pulling away only moments later, he rested his forehead against hers. “Thanks, Doc, but I’m not sure you can.”

Elizabeth
pulled in a breath and tried to calm her erratic heartbeat. She’d been caught off guard by his gentleness. She was used to his hard domineering presence, not the man who looked like he needed someone. If he needed her, she’d be there, just like she’d been there for the rest of his family. “Try me; you’d be surprised at what I can accomplish. All you have to do is have a little faith.”

Mike leaned back and looked toward the house. “Can you keep a secret, Doc?”

Elizabeth
nodded.

“I have a sister.”

Elizabeth
smiled. “I know… I’ve met them.”

Mike shook his head, the frown from before had returned. “I mean I have a half-sister that I didn’t even know about until today.”

Elizabeth
’s lips slightly parted. Unsure of why that could be a possible problem, she replied, “That’s great news.”

His look of disbelief told her otherwise. And then it hit her; if he hadn’t known about a half-sister it meant his father hadn’t told him. She felt deflated for him. Her voice barely a whisper, she said, “I’m sorry. I get it now.”

She took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, looking to give him hope or understanding or whatever support he needed. “I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation why he didn’t tell you.”

A tap on Mike’s window pulled him from his thoughts of what possible explanation his father would have had for never telling him. He turned toward the window to find Abby and Emma standing at his door, both trying to give him their own version of a scowl. Mike had no idea what came over him. Sure he knew Elizabeth
was a friend of his
sisters, hell even the sexual chemistry between him and Elizabeth was off the charts and warranted further investigation. Why he told her his problems though, he didn’t have a clue.

Claire stood on her porch talking to a man in scrubs, similar to the ones he had seen
Elizabeth
wear before. The old man glanced toward the truck and grinned before walking to his little red sports car and driving away.

Elizabeth
turned in her seat, watching the car speed down Claire’s drive. “What in the world was he doing here?”

Mike shrugged. “I’m not even sure who the old guy was, but I’m sure Claire will know.” Mike pushed his door open.

“Are you going to make her sit out here all day?” Emma scolded.

Mike turned toward
Elizabeth
and rolled his eyes, bringing a renewed smile to the doctor’s lips.
Elizabeth
shook her head.

Elizabeth
pushed her door open, stepped out, and turned toward his sisters. “It’s nice to see you two again, even better that you aren’t in a hospital bed.”

The girls’ cheeks turned red, and they each took one of her arms and steered her into the house. “We’re glad you came.” Emma said. “We had a bet going, and it’s that much sweeter since the guys lost.” Abby added as they steered her toward the porch.

****

Elizabeth
chucked, but on the inside, she was still thinking about what Mike had said. She wondered what she’d be able to do to help in finding his long-lost sister. She wasn’t a detective, she didn’t have contacts, but the one thing she did have was her dad. She made a mental note to ask her dad when she spoke to him later. Not only was she going to ask him for help, but she needed to give him a report on the garage incident. She didn’t keep anything from her father, unlike her younger sister; definitely the more rebellious of her siblings.
Elizabeth
stopped on the porch in front of Claire and pointed down the drive. “What was Dr. Jennings doing here?”

Claire wrapped her hand around
Elizabeth
’s elbow and steered her into the house. “He was just checking to make sure I had everything I needed for the benefit. Wasn’t that nice of him?”

“How is he involved?”

“He’s been involved every year since I started throwing the benefit. We’ve always had a liaison from the hospital. He’s one of the nicer ones I’ve dealt with.”

Elizabeth
doubted it was coincidence. The doctor had known where she was going. She had told him when he’d asked her to dinner. What had he been doing, checking to see if she’d told him the truth?

All thoughts of the doctor vanished when she walked into the mansion and felt her mouth fall open. Like most of the people in town, she’d always wondered what the inside of the place looked like. Marble floors and cherry wood covered the entire place.

“It’s more beautiful than I imagined.”
Elizabeth
turned around looking up at the high vaulted ceilings in awe.

“I couldn’t believe it either.” Claire said guiding her toward the stairs. “I couldn’t believe it when Butch bought it for us. Did you know he proposed to me here?”

Butch cleared his throat from the entrance to what she expected was the kitchen. “That’s not true, angel. I proposed at Emma’s café.”

Claire’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink. “That proposal was just for show. You did the real one here.”

When
Elizabeth
had taken the tour, she realized a person could get lost in the house. It was beautiful, and the kicker was that, no matter how happy Claire was with her new house, her eyes lit up even more when she looked at Butch. It gave hope to women everywhere that one day they could have that type of happiness too. It was evident that Butch loved Claire just as much. His eyes were the windows to his sole.  

Mike splayed his palm on
Elizabeth
’s back; she unconsciously leaned into his touch before she caught herself and straightened again. She hadn’t been expecting him to be so physical with her; he never had before and tonight for some reason
it
was twice as much. Mike seemed to do it more and more when Thompson was around. She’d been the recipient of Thompson’s charms at previous fundraisers. The more she thought about it, it had always been when Mike was around. She silently wondered if Thompson was doing it for Mike’s benefit or for her own.
Elizabeth
would have chuckled and kidded Mike about his moves if she wasn’t enjoying every caress. She’d let the charade play itself out.

Dinner was served, and
Elizabeth
narrowed her eyes at Claire when she sat her between Mike and Thompson.

Claire regarded her with an innocent smile. Available, muscular men that any woman would have been proud to flirt with and call their own now surrounded
Elizabeth
. Any woman that is but
Elizabeth
would have gushed at the extra attention. Both men towered over her, crowding her. For as spacious as the table setting was, she felt claustrophobic with all of the male testosterone surrounding her. Thompson brushed her hand when he’d reached for the salt.
Elizabeth
brushed off the innocent gesture, acting as if it didn’t mean a thing. Mike reached around like a teenager and put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer into his side. The move hadn’t been lost on her and neither had Thompson’s wink afterward.

The only thing that kept her comfortable during dinner was watching the siblings squabble with each other. Their dinner decorum around the table was similar to the way she’d grown up.

“How are the wedding plans coming along?” Elizabeth asked, hoping for a neutral
topic
.

Claire’s smile grew bigger. “It’s all set. It’s just a waiting game now.”

Mike cleared his throat and wiped his mouth with his napkin. “Squirt, did you find out anything about the blue powder?” 

The humor around the table instantly died and the mood changed to one of sober reality. Abby’s brows drew together as she sat her fork down. “Nope, even
I
haven’t figured it out yet.”

“Any word from headquarters? Anyone there have a clue?” Mike turned toward Thompson and raised his brow in question.

Thompson took a sip of his wine and shook his head. “In all of the years I’ve been with the bureau, I can honestly say I’ve never seen anything like it and neither has anyone I’ve spoken with.”

Mike turned to Butch and Jake and asked the same question, with the same response. With all of the years and expertise at the table, he’d been sure someone would have at least an idea of the drug that Abby’s team had found; if only from the tale tell sign of the blue color.

Abby took a sip of her coffee and set it down. She propped her elbows on the table. “I talked to the captain about it before I left. He mentioned calling in a chemist to break it down. If it’s a drug on the streets, we need to know what we’re up against.”

“Who’d they call?” Jake asked. “Maybe we know him.”

“Some old professor… What was his name?” Abby tapped her chin, and then a huge smile spread over her lips. “I think it was Isaac Thomas Oliver.” Abby giggled. “Yeah that was it. Three first names. I kept wanting to call him Professor Ito. Can’t you just picture him? Some old potbellied scientist in a lab coat with a salt and pepper beard squirreled away in his lab with nothing but a microscope and a pad of paper?”

Elizabeth
stiffened beneath Mike’s palm. She reached for her water and sipped, swallowing around the lump in her throat. The need to flee overwhelmed her. The news only confirmed her suspicion that the bastard was here.
This can’t be happening…not now…not here
.

Mike rubbed her arm and leaned over, whispering in her ear, “You all right, Doc?”

Elizabeth
attempted to put a smile on her face, but she was sure it didn’t reach her eyes. “Not really, I’m not feeling very well.”
Elizabeth
pushed from her chair. “I’m sorry, Claire. Thank you for a wonderful dinner.”
Elizabeth
pointed toward the front door. “I need to go home and lie down.”

Mike stood and took her hand. “Let me grab my keys, and I’ll drive you.”

Elizabeth
gently pulled her hand from his and wrapped it around her midsection. “That’s not necessary. I’ll just call a cab. I don’t want to ruin your sister’s party.”

Claire pushed from her chair and rounded the table, taking
Elizabeth
’s arm in hers. “Don’t be ridiculous. Mike brought you here. The least he can do is take you home.”

Elizabeth
just wanted to be alone. Her mind screamed that she needed to get as far away from the professor as possible. The fact that the professor was most likely the one in the garage; confirmed he had found her even before Abby’s department had called him in to help with the investigation. She wasn’t safe, and the incident in the parking garage just confirmed it.