Touched by Lightning [Dreams of You] (Romantic Suspense) Page 22

  Inside, a thousand memories assailed her. Though the house was past its days of elegance, Nikki saw it the way she remembered: the white tile sparkling, the glass buffet laden with crystal bowls of punch and platters of hors d’oeuvres. Through the formal living room she could see the lanai and pool, all lit up at night when Blossom threw a party. If it was daytime, children would be splashing in the pool, causing rippling reflections to dance throughout the house.

  “What’s happened to this place?” she said, her voice almost a whisper.

  The tile was dirty, the sheers over the windows laden with dust, and the pool was a wretched shade of green. The house had been filled with plants, but now there only dirt-filled pots with dried-up stalks. Adrian had said her brother looked empty and sad. The house looked that way, too. Maybe Devlin hadn’t won after all. The thought brought her little satisfaction. It seemed as though he’d murdered their mother for nothing.

  Jack had walked up behind her, and his arms threaded around her shoulders. “I’m sorry you have to see it this way.”

  She turned, moving out of his embrace, and faced him. “You and Devlin are business partners? Friends?”

  He shrugged, making it seem casual. “He needs someone to guide him. And he needs a friend.”

  “So you’re the one who agreed to bail him out for control of LandCorp?”

  He looked surprised, backing away from her an inch. “How’d you know about that?”

  “I have my sources. But I didn’t know it was you. Why? What’s in it for you?”

  Jack cocked his head, smiling. “Devlin is like a brother to me. Sure, he’s a nitwit sometimes, but I care about him. Think of me as a guardian angel, of sorts. He makes mistakes and I try to fix them. Usually he won’t let me fix them, but this time he’s too mired in financial mud to resist.”

  “So what does controlling interest in LandCorp mean to you?”

  “It means I have the power to make LandCorp a successful company.”

  She was trying to get a bead on Jack and Devlin’s relationship. “Don’t you have enough going on with all your other ventures? Saving LandCorp is a losing proposition, and Jack Barton doesn’t like to lose. Does he?”

  His eyebrow arched at that. “No, I don’t. Why all the questions?”

  She gave him an innocent smile. “Just catching up.” Then her expression became serious. “Do you believe Devlin planted that pipe bomb, the first one? It was his idea for me to ride with them to teach you a lesson.”

  “No, he wasn’t behind it. I think it was someone trying to get back at him backing out on a deal. If he was behind it, he’s smart enough to convince a jury, and me, that he’s innocent. You still think he did it.”

  “Yes.” She walked to the sliding glass door, looking out to the ocean that always comforted her. This time not even the waves glistening with sun could temper the pain searing through her heart. Yet her mind was numb, filtering through the pain, groping for reason.

  “Jack, I need to call Ulyssis. He won’t tell Adrian or anyone else.”

  He turned her to face him. “Darling, if you want to stay safe, stay alive, you must let everyone think you’re dead. Everyone.”

  “I have to tell Ulyssis. He’ll be devastated.”

  Jack nodded. “Okay, but why don’t you freshen up first?” He pinched her nose gently. “Then we’ll fix something to eat and figure out what we’re going to do with you.”

  He walked upstairs with her, past the room that used to be hers. It was empty. When she paused, he stopped.

  “He was so hurt that you testified against him, he got rid of everything. But your mother’s clothes are still here.”

  Jack pulled her along to her mother’s room. Nikki was shocked to find that the master bedroom looked exactly the same as she remembered it. It didn’t look like Devlin had moved in. Surely, he hadn’t taken the mourning son bit this far, this long.

  There were framed pictures on the wall of a young Nikki and Devlin. Her curls had been tediously corkscrewed by her mother for hours before that photograph had been taken, and back then Nikki tried to pretend that going through so much to look pretty was worth it.

  The picture of her parents sat on the dresser, smiling through a layer of dust, not a care in the world. Back then, that was truly the case. They had plenty of money, two lovely children, a gorgeous house on the ocean, everything they could want. Her father, Addington, had been handsome, warm and loving. He wasn’t as pretentious as Blossom; he was too busy working hard to make sure his family had everything they wanted. Much more than they wanted.

  Nikki swiped at the tear that dripped down her cheek. How had everything gotten so damn screwed up? Here she was, back in her own home, with a man she once thought she’d loved, wondering if the man she truly loved had tried to kill her. She was in a state of numbness, but the thought ravaged her heart again.

  Jack emerged from the closet with a pair of silk pants and a blouse to match. Nikki could remember seeing her mother in that outfit, though she’d probably only worn it once. It was burgundy, and Blossom despised dark colors.

  Nikki heard the shower start, then Jack steered her inside the master bath toward the marble tub filling with bubbles. She looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. A bubble bath? Now? Then she wondered if he was going to stay in the bathroom with her while she bathed. He lingered, staring at the bubbles as they rose higher.

  “Jack?”

  He started, then looked at her. “What?”

  “Are you going to watch me?”

  He smiled. “If you want me to.”

  “I’d rather you didn’t.”

  He placed his hands on her shoulders. “Why didn’t you ever let me make love to you, Nikki? I wanted to make you my wife, but you never let me please you in that most intimate way.”

  She moved away from his touch. “Because I was waiting for it to feel right.”

  “Why didn’t it feel right?”

  “I don’t know, Jack. I don’t know.”

  He seemed to contemplate her answer, watching her with those speculative blue eyes. She crossed her arms in front of her, signaling that she was not going to step into that tub until he left. After a moment, he turned away.

  “I’ll be waiting for you in the master suite.” He glanced around before snatching up an old magazine in a rack by the toilet. “Reading this. Take your time.”

  She watched him disappear down the hallway and heard him drop down on the bed. Her parents’ bed. It seemed strange that he had brought her here and was so protective of her. Why was he sticking so close? He could peer down the hallway and see her in the tub.

  The steam rising from the hot tub beckoned her, so she stripped out of her dirty clothes and sank into the bubbles. Even the hot water couldn’t ease the ache in her heart at the thought of Adrian betraying her. He had met with Jack and Devlin. Her eyes narrowed. What had they talked about? What had Adrian proposed? She wanted answers, and she would get them as soon as she was finished with her bath. The biggest question made her heart stop beating for a moment. If Adrian had done the unbelievable and offered to kill Nikki for money, why hadn’t Jack turned him over to the police? She shivered in the hot water, feeling colder than she ever had.

  Jack settled onto the bed, shifting on the hard mattress in an attempt to get comfortable. He heard Nikki’s splash as she got into the tub. Hopefully she would stay in there for a while and give him time to think. He couldn’t believe it—she was still alive. Alive. He had only gone to the hospital to try and get a scoop on what was going on with Adrian, maybe talk to him and see what he knew. Then he’d seen Nikki. He remembered the way she felt in his arms when he’d come up behind her. Glancing down at his groin, he muttered, “Is that worth six million dollars?” He could have both, at least for a time. Until Devlin returned.

  Jack didn’t trust keeping her at his apartment. The police could come looking, though he couldn’t imagine what for. With no motive or obvious opportunity, he had nothing to worry abo
ut. He still worried, though. Last time the whole operation had been screwed up. Marrying Nikki was out of the question this time. She was supposed to be dead, and she was worth more to him dead than alive. He wasn’t going to take the chance that she wouldn’t marry him. Besides, she was really in love with that Wilde guy.

  He grinned. Well, maybe not anymore. She’d looked pretty convinced when he’d showed her the newspaper. Everything was working wonderfully.

  He could see that she wasn’t going to let him talk her out of calling Ulyssis. She obviously trusted the man, enough to tell him where she was. Why didn’t she trust him two years ago? They were supposed to be in love. It bothered him more than it should. She didn’t seem to suspect that he had been behind the original bombing, so why had she turned to someone else? They could have had her money long ago.

  So, what was he going to do with her now? The answer was obvious. He was going to have to kill her. Damn, he hated messy one-on-one confrontations, but he didn’t want to do another pipe bombing. His luck was bound to run out with someone recognizing him buying the pipe, even if it was outside the city. He thought of walking into the bathroom and shoving her beneath the soapy water, picturing her arms and legs flailing until they stilled in death.

  That thought repulsed him. He didn’t want to see her die, or deal with a body. Maybe a fire. They might find remnants of a human body and figure out it was Nikki. No, she was already dead; best to keep her that way.

  Jack walked out of the bedroom and wandered into Devlin’s office. The knife that he used as a letter opener sat on the blotter. Jack picked it up, feeling the sharp tip. Filled with copper and coated with black zinc, the knife was strong enough to do some serious damage. The handle had a tiny ladder and a little man on top, matching some of the other art pieces in the office. Holding it against his leg in case Nikki had stepped out of the bathroom, he walked in and sat down on the bed again. Stabbing her held as much appeal as drowning her, but he had to have something in case she got out of hand.

  Jack flipped on the clock radio on the white oak headboard. He spotted a pack of cigarettes and an ashtray. He’d smoked on and off for years, and a cigarette had enormous appeal at the moment. Finding a lighter nearby, he settled back and lit up, waiting for the calming effect. Instead, he nearly choked on the stale cigarette. He ground it out and put the ashtray on the dresser, waving away the cloud of smoke that surrounded him. The pack had probably been there from when Blossom was alive, since nothing else in the room seemed to have been changed.

  His attention shifted to the radio as a newscast came on. The last two days he always listened to newscasts.

  “... escaped from his hospital room today, taking a nurse as hostage. Wilde later released the victim, unharmed. Police found her car at the Greyhound bus station and have verified that Wilde was on a bus heading to Panama City Beach. Although the police won’t release any information, we believe that the FBI are setting up an arrest at the next stop. We remind you that Wilde is armed and considered extremely dangerous. Anyone seeing him should notify the police immediately.”

  Jack sat up as though he’d been injected with air. Wilde was out, maybe headed for the panhandle. Maybe not. He searched the windows that looked out over the beach, almost expecting to see the man standing there. Jack shook his head and settled back on the pillows. If Wilde were smart, he’d be hightailing it far from here, and it wouldn’t be on a bus. The world thought Nikki was dead, and so would he. He’d have no reason to look for her.

  His thoughts returned to Nikki and what he had to do. If he could kill her and dispose of the body where no one would find it, then Adrian would be convicted for her murder, if they caught him, and that would be the end of it.

  “Jack, I have questions I want answers to.”

  He whirled around to find her standing there, wet hair dripping down the silk shirt. Turning down the radio, he tried to remain casual as he neared her.

  “Sure, darling. Come sit with me.”

  “I’d rather stand.” She lifted her head. “Have you been smoking?”

  “Had a hankering when I saw the cig in the ashtray. Sorry.” He patted the bed. “Come here.”

  “Jack, what kind of proposal did Adrian come to you and Devlin with?”

  He gave her a sympathetic look. “You’ve come to accept it.”

  “Just answer me.”

  “He told us that he knew Devlin would inherit a lot of money if you died, and he knew where you were. He said that if we cut him in on the project we were working on, he’d make sure you were never able to inherit that money.”

  She shivered, but her expression was steely. “What did you tell him?”

  Ah, so she had been doing some thinking of her own while in the bath. “What do you think? Not to touch a hair on your body.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Then why would he have blown me up? It did him no financial gain.”

  “The only thing I can think of is…” Ah, yes. Her previous suspicion. “I think I know what happened.” He injected a sinister tone in his voice, nodding his head sagely. “Devlin must have contacted him behind my back and took him up on his offer. They probably worked together to make sure Devlin had an alibi since he was the obvious suspect. The bastard.”

  “So why didn’t you go to the police when Adrian first contacted you?”

  Hmm. “To tell you the truth, I was afraid. He made some pretty hefty threats if we went to the cops. You see the power behind the threats now, don’t you? I figured if we didn’t take him up on his offer, he wouldn’t hurt you. After all, we’re the only ones your death is worth money to.”

  “What were you doing at the hospital?”

  “That was a coincidence. I was visiting a friend. Appendicitis.”

  She stood there, absorbing every lie he’d told her. Did she believe him? She wrapped her arms around herself, a gesture he remembered her doing before when she was upset. Self-protective. When he thought she was going to sit down, she walked over to the phone and started dialing.

  “Who ya’ calling there, darling?” He was up in an instant, standing by her side.

  “Ulyss—”

  He pressed the button on the faux marble phone. Taking him by surprise, she threw the handset at his head and ran. He didn’t let the stars in his vision keep him from stopping her. He made a grab for those long, wet tresses and yanked her back against his chest. Before she could raise her foot to kick him, he slid the knife in front of her face. Her green eyes widened in terror as she recognized the curved camel blade Devlin used to open his letters with, more of a piece of art than a letter opener or weapon. Still, it served Jack’s purpose as Nikki’s struggling ceased.

  “I’m sorry, sweetheart, but you’re going to have to die. Really die this time.”

  CHAPTER 18

  “Are you going to f-freeze me to death?”

  Nikki shivered as she stared at Jack. While she was strapped into a chair with rope, he looked so casual leaning against the doorway to the wine cellar. Her father had been so proud of the thing, set at the perfect temperature to keep his precious bottles just right. It had been engineered and insulated to keep the cool air in, since they couldn’t actually dig it into the ground. For Nikki, it had always been a dreary, scary place. Especially when Devlin had locked her in it a few times for laughs.

  This wasn’t for laughs. Jack rested the tip of her brother’s knife against his cheek, looking thoughtful. Where was Devlin? She knew he had to be part of this. Unless he really was up north.

  “It’s not how you die so much as how I get rid of your body. You see, you’re already dead to the world, so your body can’t pop up somewhere, now can it? It would have been so much more convenient if you’d died in the van like you were supposed to.”

  Anger boiled inside her. “Gee, sorry to screw your plans up by not dying for you. Both times.”

  He smiled, but there was nothing humorous about it. “You did screw my plans up, but the first time, you weren’t supposed to die.
Everyone else was.”

  A chill ran down to the tips of her fingers. “What are you talking about?”

  “Blossom and Devlin were supposed to die in that first explosion. You, my dear, were supposed to be so grief-stricken that you’d marry me so I could take care of you. With all that money you were due to inherit, that would be very easy. Only you didn’t wait for me, and Devlin forgot his stupid sunglasses.”

  She felt another chill, helped more by the refrigeration. “Devlin wasn’t in on it? Just you?”

  “Yeah, only me. So, you see, you had no reason to hide from him. Then he told you he wanted to straighten things out between the two of you, and you took it as a threat and disappeared. At first I thought you had figured out I was behind it, so I found you and tried to kill you. You just don’t die, do you? Then you really disappeared. If only you’d trusted me.”

  “Then what? I’d be dead, too.”

  “No, I wasn’t planning to kill you after we married. Unless you didn’t give me control of your money. But there was no you, so Devlin had to do. I’ve got him wrapped around my finger. If only he weren’t so stupid, he’d still have some of that money the lawyers didn’t eat up. Then he went and bought this defective building. But I’m optimistic. I saw an opportunity to make better. I made a deal with Devlin to give me control of LandCorp if I fished him out of the toilet. When he agreed, I knew that to do that, all we needed was you. Dead, of course. Then Devlin would inherit your share of the inheritance, and I would be in control of it. With that money, we could turn this building fiasco into a winner, and from there we’d become rich.

  “You see, Nikki, I was never rich. No mansion, no servants, nothing. An apartment in West Palm Beach and a 1987 Toyota Corolla. That’s all I have, besides my style and a keen desire to get my hands on some money so that I could make myself the rich bastard I pretended to be. All those deals I told you and Devlin about were real; they were just engineered by someone else who had the money to accomplish them. All of my successes were on a small, much less impressive scale. I wanted the opportunity to make those big deals myself, and I needed you to do that. That’s where Adrian came in.