The Stranger (26 page)

“Not for anything, Mr. Erickson, but I’m not looking to get along with you.”

“Please, honey, call me Alex.” His eyes perused my face. “Don’t be so fast to take sides. The differences between Seth and I aren’t personal. We have diverging business visions. You might be surprised to know that I think Seth did a good job with E&E, at least before he left for Afghanistan.”

“I’m shocked, really.”

“It’s a shame that he couldn’t do the same after he returned,” he said. “But war changes people. It changed Seth and now E&E is suffering for it.”

Seduction hadn’t worked, so he was on to persuasion. “Is that your full script?”

“And here I thought I had the makings of a storyteller.” His confident smirk irked me to no end. “Everybody can see it. You should see it too. The wounds. The burns. They’ve affected his capabilities to run the business.”

My fingers tightened around the railing. “How?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Alex said. “He’s lost his leadership abilities. He suffers from post-traumatic stress. He’s lost himself.”

“And how do you know all of that?”

“Gina?” He called to the red-haired stunner, who stood nearby talking to a neighboring group that looked decidedly like part of the dark-haired Erickson clan.

She trotted over like one of Astrid’s dogs. “Yes, Alex?”

“Tell Summer the things you learned when you were with Seth.”

Gina leaned over, as if confiding in me before she recited her lines in an annoying, shrill, nasally voice. “He has a bad temper and is as cranky as they come. He’s no fun anymore. He’s a hermit and he’s violent sometimes. It’s why I had to leave. Besides, he can’t do it anymore.”

“
It?
”

“You know what I mean.” Gina clutched her little silk purse and wiggled it flaccidly between her legs. “
It
doesn’t work anymore.”

For Pete’s freaking sake. I looked from Gina to Alex. Talk about an all-out defamation campaign. As if a person’s business abilities were somehow tied to his sexual prowess. It was an outdated, stupid, asinine slur that a, was a big huge lie—as I knew very well—and b, didn’t have any bearing on anything, but I bet it could do harm in certain circles.

“Why are you telling me this?” I asked.

It was Alex who answered. “Because you can help unmask Seth and de-mystify this legend he’s built around himself. You can let others know the truth about who he really is. And because there are plenty of rewards available to you if you do precisely as I ask.”

Crafty son of a bitch. He’d gone from seduction to persuasion to bribery in four minutes flat. He was a piece of work and as bold and arrogant as they came. The SOB wanted me to help Gina spread the dirt around and he was willing to pay a fee for the job. Fourteen courses revolted in my stomach. He must have thought that I was as pliable, or at least as buyable, as Gina was.

I tried to keep my cool, I really did try hard.

“What about you, Alex?” I said calmly. “Have you suddenly grown the management skills necessary to run E&E? The experience? What about the cojones? Or are you planning on operating on pure and naked ambition?”

“Don’t get your pretty little head all riled up,” Alex said. “You don’t need to pretend with me. I saw how Seth looked at you today. You’re in a great position to play the game. Why not try to make the most out of it?”

Easy
,
Silva.
No need to rip his eyes out
. “What do you mean?”

“The lines are drawn,” he said. “The board meeting is coming up. There will be winners and losers. You’re a latecomer to the show, but you could still stand to benefit, as long as you do your part and stick with the winners.”

Now I wanted specifics. “And how would I do that?”

“I’d love to be able to anticipate Seth’s approach to the board meeting,” Alex said. “You get me the information I need and I’ll take care of you. You’ll go back to Miami in a different income bracket, if you get my drift. You’re a smart girl. Surely you want to capitalize on your short time in Alaska?”

What a fucking lying, worthless piece of shit. He thought an awful lot of himself if he thought he could persuade me into doing something so nasty and low handed. And one other thing. He knew freaking squat about me if he thought I’d go for it.

“Think about it, Summer.” His hand slithered down my spine and flirted with my ass, right in front of his dimwitted girlfriend no less. “You could come out of this with an improved net worth.”

Don’t smack him.
Not yet
.

“You Ericksons.” I sighed, gazing at the seagulls rioting over the ocean. “You think the whole world is after your money. And maybe that’s true, I don’t know. Your answer is a big fat no.” I grabbed his wandering hand and slapped it on the railing. “Now bug off and leave me alone.”

Alex’s jaw dropped. I don’t think anyone had ever spoken to him as I did. Gina didn’t know how to react, so she looked to Alex for direction. Muffled laughter drifted in from the audience next door. It was obvious that the Erickson cousins had been eavesdropping on our conversation. Now they pressed even closer. They fit squarely into Astrid’s spectator category and not in a good way.

I was furious, teetering at the edge of a major Silva rage. I caught a glimpse of Ally and Stuart coming down the steps. Ally looked absolutely gorgeous in the emerald green dress we’d bought together, but her mouth tightened in alarm when she saw me with Alex. Dragging Stuart along, she set a straight course toward us.

“Summer?” she said. “What are you doing? Why don’t you come have a drink with us?”

“You mean what am I doing with these two?” I said loudly enough for the spectators to hear. “I was actually about to conclude a fascinating conversation, comparing notes with poor Gina here, whose experiences with Seth were so different from mine.”

Ally frowned. “What on earth are you talking about?”

“Don’t pay any heed to Summer.” Alex put away his e-cig. “She’s upset. She misunderstood something Gina said.”

“I didn’t misunderstand a thing,” I said. “My ears work quite well, thank you very much. See, Ally, Alex is trying to convince me that Seth is not fit to lead and Gina here says that Seth was moody and violent with her.”

A deep flush crept over Ally’s face. “Really?”

Gina fidgeted with her purse. “I didn’t mean it like that...”

“She said that’s why she had to leave Seth for Alex.”

Ally crossed her arms. “Is that so?”

“Ally, Summer?” Stuart jumped in to defuse the tension. “How about some punch?”

“In a moment,” Ally said.

I flashed my most ferocious smile. “I was about to tell Gina that Seth has been nothing but sweet and wonderful to me. He’s the kindest, smartest, most gracious person I’ve ever met. I was about to confide to these folks, and to the rest of the family if it mattered to anyone, that Seth is an extraordinary lover. His stamina is exceptional. Sex with Seth? Extraordinary. I’m not big on counting, but last time?” I flashed seven fingers in the air. “In a row.”

Ally’s jaw dropped. Stuart had the decency to stare at his feet. Alex’s murderous glare beamed on me, and the little crowd next door stirred with murmurs.

“Really?” Gina’s eyes rounded to the size of saucers. “Seven times?”

Alex snapped. “Shut up.”

“I’m sorry to hear you were not so fortunate,” I said. “I hope you have better luck with Alex here. But honestly?” I ran my eyes up and down his body and scoffed. “I doubt he has what it takes. If you’ll excuse me.”

“Summer?” Ally trotted after me. “Please come with us.”

“I’m good,” I lied, widening my stride. “I feel like taking a walk.”

“You know, missy,” Alex said, loud enough for me to hear. “It never does anybody any good to slam the door shut.”

“You’re wrong,” I said over my shoulder, trudging on. “Consider this door slammed in your face. Oh, yeah, and by the way, Alex? Rot in hell.”

Chapter Twenty

It was a day of traps. The harder I fought to get to Summer, the harder other people fought to get to me. No sooner had the governor and I finished talking, than the CEOs of several of the oil companies corralled me in the garden. I dealt with them as quickly as I could, but Grandmother waited for me at the fountain, the only way out of the rose garden. I considered jumping the hedges, then decided against it. Running from natural predators only triggered the chase instinct.

“How did it go with the governor?” She took my arm and walked with me, silver hair shifting in the wind, steps strong, mind sharp as ever.

“The contract is ready to go.” I scoured the crowd for Summer. “We sign tomorrow.”

“Lovely work.” She waved a delicate hand to greet someone from afar. “I do like to see you in action. Are you ready for the board meeting?”

“Have I ever not been prepared for a meeting before?”

“No, but there’s a lot going on,” she said in her best didactic tone. “This meeting is very important. I don’t want you to succumb to distractions.”

“Distractions?” I realized what she meant. “You’re talking about Summer, aren’t you?”

“You tell me,” she said. “Aren’t you looking for her as we speak?”

I took the fifth on that one. I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Summer since I’d met her. The attraction intensified with each hour that passed. The last few days had been particularly difficult. When she was far, I felt deprived, as if the air lacked enough oxygen to power my lungs. Talking to her on the phone or seeing her on a screen wasn’t nearly as satisfying as touching her or breathing in her scent.

Christ, I was screwed. I got hard just thinking about her. I wanted to be in bed with her right now, kissing her mouth, drinking her pleasure, plugged into her body, charging my need with hers. My craving for her was distracting, overriding, overpowering. For the past few days, I’d been miserable knowing that she was in my home and I wasn’t. And now, it drove me insane that she and I were in the same location and yet we weren’t together right this minute.

“Is this Summer person something we need to worry about?” Grandma asked.

“She’s not something,” I said. “She’s someone. She’s also my business, not yours.”

“Interesting.” Grandma smiled at a group of guests as we passed. “Summer said something similar to me. She’s not one to mince words. She’s her own breed, very odd, outspoken. I find her...vexing.”

“Vexing?” I stifled a laugh. “Yes, I suppose you’d find someone like Summer vexing, but I need you to be nice to Summer.”

The look she gave me could’ve iced my bone marrow. “The most important board meeting of your life is coming up. You don’t ask me to support your initiatives, pledge you my votes, or help you put to rest the assorted variety of rumors going around. Instead, you ask me to be nice to this Summer person who popped out of nowhere.”

“You won’t support anyone’s initiatives unless you believe in them,” I said. “You vote strictly on financial performance and you know the rumors aren’t true. Why bother? I’m asking you to do something for me, personally, something you could do, if you wanted to. I’d like to have a fair shot at Summer. I can’t do that if you scare the hell out of her.”

“Oh, please.” Grandma rolled her eyes. “Anyone wanting to join our family needs to have a backbone.”

“Join our family?” Shit. “Tell me you didn’t say those words to Summer.”

“Why are you so upset?”

“Because anyone wanting to join our family would need to be certifiably insane.” I glared. “Which is why I would really appreciate it if you didn’t bring up the subject with my girlfriend. She barely knows me.”

“And she isn’t particularly interested in marriage, I know.”

Why the statement stung like a lick of fire was beyond me. “She told you that?”

“Indeed,” Grandma said. “She seemed quite spooked by the idea of it. If her attitude is any indication, we won’t be seeing any green-eyed Erickson babies out of her belly anytime soon.”

“Grandma!” I wanted to strangle her. “Please tell me you didn’t mention marriage or babies to Summer!”

“I did nothing wrong,” Grandma said. “I’d like to see you settled with a proper wife and a brood of children before I die. As to the rest, I do approve.”

I more or less snarled. “You approve of what?”

“Of a girl that covets you and not your money,” Grandma said. “Of a woman who doesn’t want you for your name, but loves you.”

The air rushed out of my lungs. Had I been flying, I might have crash-landed on the spot. I was stunned. Had my grandmother just said what I thought I heard?

“You think she loves me?”

Grandma’s bright blue eyes sparkled with mischief. “Seth, dear, she’s crazy about you. I’m certain of it. Your grandfather didn’t marry me for my good looks only. She loves you. Why else would she defend you like a lioness protecting her cub? She flew all the way out to the Golov’s to get a jar of pickled fish.”

She had done that.

“A feisty soul like her, making a supreme effort to hold her tongue while facing a bitch like me, for as long as she did?” Grandma let out a throaty laugh. “It’s a feat of love, I tell you, whether she knows it or not.”

It was the best news I’d had all day and, coming from a reliable source, it was news I could trust.

“Sorry if I seemed cranky earlier,” I mumbled.

“What I do for you,” she said, “what I do for all of you is for your benefit only.”

“I know.”

She cupped my cheek in her porcelain-white hand. “But do you really know?”

My lips twitched. “I wouldn’t put up with the bullshit if I didn’t think it so.”

“Seth!” Ally called out, scampering to meet up with us. “Where have you been? You’re not answering your cell. I’ve been looking for you everywhere!”

“You found me.” I reached out to steady her as she teetered on her heels. “Why are you in such a tipsy?”

“It’s Summer,” she said, holding her side and bending over her knees to catch her breath.

My mind went instantly on high alert. “What about Summer? Is she all right? Didn’t I tell you to look after her?”

“It’s not easy to keep track of Summer.” Ally wheezed. “She doesn’t follow instructions. If you look away for one sec, she’s gone and in some sort of trouble.”

“Oh, dear,” Grandma said. “She does breed trouble, that one.”

“Besides,” Ally said, still gasping for air. “After dinner, I thought she was with you.”

“She’s not with me.” I looked around us. “Where the hell is she?”

“She was down by the north overlook a few minutes ago,” Ally said. “You’re not going to believe what she did. Alex cornered her—”

“Alex?” My blood pressure shot up.

“He was looking for trouble,” Ally said. “Gina was there too, saying all kinds of rude and inappropriate things. Alex was being a jackass.”

Son of a bitch.

“But Summer, she told him—no—she told
everybody
that...” She looked at Grandma, hesitated then clammed up.

“What?” I said.

“Come on,” Grandma said. “What did she tell Alex and the others?”

“You may not want to hear this,” Ally cautioned.

“Don’t be silly,” Grandma said.

“What did Summer say?” I demanded.

Ally took a deep breath. “She told everyone you were sweet, wonderful, and smart.”

“She did?” A stupid grin tickled the corners of my lips.

“That’s not all,” Ally said. “She also told everyone that you were an extraordinary lover. She told Alex you made her come seven times in a row.”

Well, funny shit. Summer Silva had my back. The grin overtook my face and there was nothing I could do about it.

Grandma tsked. “Whatever happened to privacy, good manners, and polite conversation?”

Ally started to speak. “But Grandma...”

“Quiet!” Grandma snapped. “I didn’t ask for your opinion. Seth, that Summer child is insolent, sassy, and...gutsy.” She squared her shoulders. “That impertinent girlfriend of yours just scored a PR coup that money can’t buy. Don’t let it go to waste.”

Hell, yeah. I agreed. From now on, there would be no more time wasted.

* * *

I thought of myself as a simple guy. I was on or off, good or bad, smart or dumb. But as I made my way through the crowds in an effort to find Summer, my emotions broiled and my mood swung between joy, awe, and fear. Fear because in confronting Alex, Summer had risked his anger. Christ help me, she might never learn to assess danger’s intangibles. Awe because her reactions to challenges never ceased to amaze me. Joy because she was on my side. It wasn’t my imagination. Grandma had said so. A guy as lucky as I was, even one with thickened scars, singed lungs and numbed skin, ought to be able to do something with all of that.

I pulled out my cell and called Summer. No answer. Was she mad at me for abandoning her to her means? Hell, if she was, I couldn’t blame her. At least I had some options. The big house was one of the safest places in Alaska, but just in case, I’d assigned a few security agents to watch over Summer at the party.

Status?
I texted.

The reply came back in seconds.
Lighthouse.

What the hell was Summer doing at the lighthouse? Was it even safe out there?

I shook hands and greeted guests as I made my way through the gardens, but I disentangled myself from any potential conversations before they began. I needed to find Summer.

I stomped down the old path and through the woods. I hadn’t been at the lighthouse in years. I remembered going there when I was younger to visit with Uncle Ben. After the lighthouse had been decommissioned, he’d used it as his private retreat.

The tower rose from the rocky inlet at the end of the causeway. As I approached, one of my agents stepped out from the trees, smartly dressed and indistinguishable from the rest of the guests.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Erickson.”

“Good afternoon,” I said. “Everything in order?”

“The area is clear and the perimeter secured.”

“Keep it that way.” I marched across the causeway, where the surf rustled against the rocks and a heap of fat seals basked like bloated sausages under the sun.

I strode onto the ground floor. It was like stepping back in time. Uncle Ben’s furnishings filled the place, mid-century refined, dust-free, polished, and lovingly maintained. Robert’s doing, I was sure, with Grandma’s blessing. The comfy couch, the antique daybed, and the shelves full of mystery books were exactly as I remembered.

A door creaked upstairs.

“Summer?” I called out.

No answer.

I tackled the steep spiraling steps, all two hundred of them. The clang of my feet pounding on metal echoed in the hollowed heights. The fast climb made me suck in for air a little. The stairs ended at the top floor. I took in the circular room, where the glass windows showcased the spectacular three-hundred-and-sixty-degree views.

In his time, Uncle Ben had affixed a wood tabletop to the concrete stump where the light had once been mounted, converting it into a game table. I ran my fingers over the table, where an elaborate map of Alaska was finely etched in the wood.

One moment, my hand trailed the etching on the table. The next moment, it was Mom’s long and delicate hand tracing the map as she, Dad, and Uncle Ben sat around the table, laughing over a game of cards.

The flashback took me by surprise. I remembered that day. I’d been around twelve. We were watching the whales bubble-net feeding in the sound. I’d been on lookout duty, working the binoculars, trying to identify my favorite whale by the markings on her fluke, a female born to the sound matriarch in the same year I was born.

“You’ll find her,” my mother said. “Have no doubt about it.”

A second image from my past took shape, also reflected on the glass windows. I walked into the ready room in Afghanistan, where my crew was engaged in a fierce game of cards. Shawn, my copilot, and Jonesy, my flight engineer, were locked in a poker duel.

“Gents,” I said. “I hate to interrupt, but special ops needs a chariot and we’re it.”

“Drop-off or pickup?” Shawn asked.

“Pickup,” I said. “Hot zone, narrow canyon, going in dark.”

“Sounds like a hell of a lot of fun,” Jonesy said. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Gear up,” I said. “Let’s go get our boys.”

“I’ve got an awesome hand here.” Shawn threw a couple of chips on the table. “I’m not folding.”

“I’m not folding either.” Jonesy upped his bet and set his cards facedown on the table. “I’ll see you when we get back.”

An explosion jarred my mind. My heart raced. My forehead broke out into a sweat. Simultaneously, a plane crashed into the North Tower and an RPG slammed into my Pave Hawk. When I next knew it, my heart lodged in my throat and my friends and families lay in a smoldering heap of ashes and smoke.

The images were so vivid they felt real. My lungs were on fire. I clung to the edge of the table and dug my nails into the wood, fighting to stay on my feet. The world as I knew it ended in a double whammy.

“Seth?” Summer’s voice called out of the darkness. “Seth! Are you all right?”

I forced myself to inhale and focus. Summer stood by the glass door leading out to the metal platform, with her face flushed by the cold and a cream shawl wrapped around her shoulders. Her dress gathered the light streaming through the windows, showed off her slender figure and showcased her legs’ elegant mileage. But it was her stare that shocked me. Her eyes reflected the grief in my soul. She couldn’t see the images etched in my mind, but she could sense the sorrow in my heart.

She was on me in three steps. Her arms Velcroed around me. Her embrace felt like a bulletproof vest. The sight of her dispelled the smoke darkening my mind. Her scent, vanilla beans and coconut milk, challenged the stink of ashes and burning flesh.

“We can’t do anything about the past,” she whispered, her breath warm against my neck. “But maybe we can do something about the present.”

I looked down at her. “Something like what?”

“Maybe we can make new memories,” she said, “good memories, to replace the bad ones that show up in your eyes sometimes.”

I liked the sound of that.