A Little Harmless Secret (2 page)

So Alicia had given into her daughter and they had been having a brilliant time. As the crowd had grown, she had stifled the need to run away. She did not want to raise a coward. Life was best experienced, or so her father had said—before her mother had been killed. So while she had to keep her safe from the likes of Stryker, Alicia did her best to make sure she experienced something else other than their home.

And today, it had almost been the death of them. It was odd that he had smiled at her the way he did. It wasn’t an evil smile of triumph. It had been relief, with a tad bit of that sexy smile she’d seen years ago.

She realized she was standing out on the street leaving both her and Bridget exposed.

“Why don’t we head home? We can have an early dinner and then make some popcorn and watch a movie. Your pick.”

Bridget smiled and clapped her hands together. “That sounds brilliant. I think we should watch Frozen.”

Of course she did. Bridget had been obsessed with the movie since it had come out. But, in this, Alicia couldn’t deny her daughter the simple joy of watching her favorite movie. Their jog through the crowded market forgotten, she grabbed Alicia’s hand and pulled her toward the parking lot where their car was.

All the while Alicia tried to pretend she hadn’t seen that man. It had only been a split second, but she knew it was him. There was that smile he’d given her that night, the one that had made her lose her mind and her morals. She would never forget those amazing blue eyes, not when she saw the same ones every day. She looked down at her daughter. Bridget was the one good thing to come from that terrible time in her life. And for that, she would never regret that night—but it didn’t mean she was stupid.

They might have to move again. She hated to do that to Bridget, but there might be no other way.

Their lives could very well depend on it.

CHAPTER TWO

The loud chatter of restaurant patrons filled the air around them while Dee stared at Devon as if he had lost his mind. She looked at Micah who shrugged, then she turned back to Devon.

“Are you crazy?”

Maybe he was, but he refused to admit it until he was sure.

“So, you spent one night with this woman…how many years ago?” she asked.

The tone of her voice told him everything he needed to know. She was positive he had lost his mind. With their family history, there was always a chance of mental illness, so he really didn’t blame her. But she really should know better. Most of their family members were slightly eccentric, and Devon himself had a reputation of being a bit of a recluse among people in his business. That meant a lot in the world of gaming because many of the top designers were reclusive.

“Well, how many years?” Dee asked again. He could tell from her tone she wouldn’t let it go.

“A little over four.”

She pursed her lips while she handed Alana a sippy cup. “Four years?”

“Yes.”

What was Ali doing in Seattle? She had let him assume she lived in the UK when he met her before, but maybe he doing here? And why had she looked so freaking scared when she realized who he was? The look on her face had been one of surprise. That he expected. What he didn’t expect was the way it had dissolved into terror. There was no way around it. The woman was frightened of him in a way that made her run away. What had happened to her since he’d last seen her?

“Devon!”

He shook his head and tried to focus on his sister and what she was asking.

“What?”

She rolled her eyes and tapped her fingers on the table. “I think we need you to take another IQ test. Your brain cells seem to be melting by the minute.”

He glanced at Micah, who had his head down in the menu, but Devon knew he was laughing. For a long moment, he looked out the window, studying the way the sun danced over the waves. The Ferris wheel continued to turn and people went about their own daily lives. It was as if something Earth shattering hadn’t happened.

“Devon!”

He turned and looked at his sister.

“What were you asking?” he asked.

“The woman.”

“Oh, yeah, Ali. Well, about four years. Actually, when is your anniversary again?”

Dee’s eyes narrowed, but Micah saved Devon by rattling off the date.

“So, yeah, right around then.”

Again, she pursed her lips. That was never a good thing. Dee had a devious mind.

“And you are sure you saw her in the market? Amongst all those people?”

He nodded. “Without a doubt.”

“A one night stand and you’re still obsessed with her?” Dee asked.

“Love, I would search every continent looking for you after our first time together,” Micah said, taking her hand and kissing her fingers.

“You’re so sweet,” she said smiling.

“You are both disgusting,” Devon said. “I had an emergency and had to leave.”

Micah was studying him and he nodded. “You left her when you went to kidnap Dee.”

Devon sighed. “I didn’t kidnap my sister.”

“Yeah, you kind of did,” Dee said with a laugh. “But are you sure it was her?”

He shifted in the booth as the waitress brought them their drinks. Once she left, Dee pressed on with her interrogation.

“What makes you think it was her?”

“I know it was her.”

“Why are you so positive?”

He didn’t want to answer, but from the determined look on his sister’s face, he wouldn’t be able to avoid the questions. He looked at Micah, who now had taken an interest in the conversation. Dammit. Now he felt like a fool, but Dee would never let it go.

“I heard her laugh.”

Dee said nothing. Micah nodded as if he understood.

“And you say this was definitely her. Why are you so obsessed with her?” Dee asked.

He shrugged. “I have no idea. I just am.”

Micah took pity on him. “Leave him be, Dee. If he says he saw her and if he is obsessed with her, well, let’s not talk about it any longer. The less we know, the less we can help the prosecution when the time comes.”

Dee wasn’t happy about it, but she listened to her husband and they ordered their food.

* * * *

Long after Bridget and Alicia had finished the popcorn and Elsa had sung her last note, Alicia sat in bed with her daughter sleeping beside her as she searched for information on Devon.

She had kept an eye on him over the years. The fact that he was probably the one sent to distract her while her father was attacked had made it a priority. Sure she had gone to look for him. With his name popping up in her father’s notes, he had been her only lead. When everything had fallen apart, what she was supposed to think.

After a property search in his name, she found nothing. He still lived in Las Vegas, but he apparently split time between there and Honolulu. There was a credit card trail that had him in both places.

And now he was in Seattle. Bloody hell.

Staring at the screen, she continued to wrap her hair around her finger. This was not a good development. Something was tickling the back of her throat. Panic. It was bloody panic. She did not panic. She was a Hughes.

Buck up, Ali girl.

“Easy for you to say, old man,” she murmured, a small smile curving her lips. She could almost hear her father chuckle at the familiar banter.

Her smile faded. Alicia had grown fond of Seattle. Her house in the woods had become a sanctuary. Safety. Even her cousin Millicent had no idea where she lived, and she was the one person Alicia trusted. It was better for both their sakes that Alicia kept her in the dark.

With a sigh, she closed her laptop. There was only so much she could find out in any one sitting. If she lingered in her search, it would raise red flags. A man like Devon Stryker would have some kind of security to cover his name.

After brushing her teeth, she slipped back into bed with Bridget. Her daughter rolled over and snuggled against Alicia. All those years ago when she had found out about her pregnancy, she had been shattered. Her father had just died and Alicia had barely escaped an attempt on her life. Then, realizing she was three months late and pregnant had almost broken her.

She brushed a strand of Bridget’s golden hair away from her face. She would do anything to keep her daughter safe…
anything
.

Alicia just hoped she could keep her safe from the man who helped create her.

* * * *

Devon shoved his hand through his hair and blinked trying to focus on the screen. He stretched up and little sharp pricks of pain filtered out from his spine. When he moved his head from side to side, his neck cracked. Damn, he was getting old.

“You’re not still up, are you?” Dee said.

He scowled but didn’t look away from his laptop. “I’m sitting here, aren’t I?”

She looked at the clock, then at Devon. “Have you even been to bed yet?”

“No,” he said, as he continued to go through the security footage from Pike Place. It had taken a few hacks and a call to an old friend to get it, but he had the footage now and he wasn’t giving up. He knew he would find Ali.

“Devon.”

He didn’t look away from the screen. He knew if he did, there was a chance he would miss her. After spending all night looking for her in the footage, Devon refused to give up now.

“Devon.” This time she yelled it.

He tore his attention away from the screen to frown at her. She was still wearing her pajamas and her long hair was all messed up—like she’d just got out of bed.

“What?” he asked, equally as loud.

“Oh, the sound of sibling love in the morning,” Micah said, as he came into the kitchen with Alana in his arms. Micah looked at his daughter. “Promise you’ll be nicer to your brother or sister when he or she finally arrives.”

“It’s not my fault. Devon’s staring at the screen stalking a woman he says he met four years ago.” She slapped him on the back of the head.

“Dammit, Dee.”

“Dammit,” his niece repeated with a huge toothy grin.

“Oh, nice going, Uncle Dev,” Dee said, settling her hands on her hips.

“Sorry,” he mumbled as he turned his attention back to the screen. He had no sleep and his temper was always dangerous when he was tired. “Don’t hit me again.”

“You need help. You’re starting to act like Crazy Uncle Shane Noah. Pretty soon, you’ll be wandering around the town in your bathrobe.”

Devon scowled at his sister, then grabbed his coffee cup. He brought it to his lips before he realized it was empty.

“I don’t need help. I don’t even own a bathrobe.”

She walked over to stand beside him and looked at the screen. “So, it’s normal to illegally hack into the security cameras at Pike Place?”

“You said I need help. I don’t. Both of us left
normal
a long time ago.”

When she didn’t say anything, he turned around to apologize, but she was staring at his laptop screen. Her eyes were wide and her face pale.

“How do you get that to go back?”

“Go back?” he asked.

She fluttered her hand at the screen. “Rewind, whatever?”

“Why?” he asked, stepping up beside her.

“I think I saw her. There!” She pointed at the screen. “You were following her, and then she ran. There she is.”

He looked toward the screen, but then Dee shook her head. “Oh, wait. She has a kid. That’s not her.”

Devon couldn’t pull his attention away from Alicia or the little girl she had beside her. They had run through the crowd, the little girl’s braids flying behind her. Alicia had leaned up against a building to catch her breath. The video was fuzzy, but he knew that was her. She talked to the little girl, as if trying to catch her breath, then they walked, hand in hand, down the street and turned into a parking garage. It was the same one Devon had parked in for the day.

Damn.

“How old would you say that little girl was?” he asked, as he rewound the footage and watched again. He zoomed in, but the picture was fuzzy.

Dee shrugged. “I don’t know. Probably about four.”

He looked at Dee and her face went blank. “No. You can’t know that.

He used the control to rewind the footage again and paused it. “I’m not saying she’s mine, she could be someone else’s kid. But…it’s odd.”

“Now you have to find her,” Dee said. “You need to at least know whether or not that little girl is yours. If she is, you’ll need to get a lawyer involved, and I can watch the house.”

“Hey, you two, don’t go making any crazy plans together,” Micah warned as he poured some cereal in a bowl for Alana.

“What do you mean by that?” Dee asked, her hands on her hips. “We don’t make crazy plans.”

“Yeah?” Micah asked.

“Yeah,” Devon said. “We never really do anything
that
crazy.”

“Let’s remember the last time I had to call Carino to help you out of a bind,” Micah said.

“That wasn’t our fault. Devon didn’t know that woman was a fan of his games.” She looked at him. “You need to keep your face off of stuff. You’re too pretty.”

Micah muttered under his breath as he filled a sippy cup. Dee rolled her eyes and faced Devon.

“So, how do we find out where she lives?” she asked.

He played it again and zeroed in on the parking garage. “We just need to find her car. Then we’ll know where she lives. We know where she parked, so we can probably find out where she lives.”

Maybe he would be able to find out just why the hell she ran away from him. He played the footage back, pausing at the moment she noticed him.

Even in the blurry image, Devon could see the terror that crept over her features. He swallowed as his stomach roiled. There was something really, really wrong. Finding her was the most important thing now. The woman he had spent the night with didn’t look like she would back down from anything. But today she had.

Was the girl the reason? Did she have some connection to him, or was it just a weird coincidence? He needed to discover all those secrets.

And, he might just find out why she looked as if she was scared to death of him.

* * * *

The mobile rang, bringing the former agent out of a deep sleep.