Holiday Illusion (16 page)

“You got it.”

Anna hung up and frowned. On second thought, she did know that name. Exports Incorporated. She'd seen it on the papers Godfrey had brought for his father to sign earlier.

She sucked in a breath. Did Lucas's father hate her that much? Was he that determined to run Lucas's life that he would get rid of the “unsuitable” woman he thought Lucas might marry by killing her off? At the risk of killing his son in the process? But that made no sense. Lucas's father hadn't even know she existed until she met him that day someone almost ran them off the road. She slapped a hand to her forehead. She'd wind up with a serious headache if she kept this up. One way or another she was going to find out what was going on. But she had to do it from somewhere other than Lucas's home. If something happened to him because of her, she'd never forgive herself.

 

Lucas flipped his cell phone shut. He'd checked in with Mark to see how Paulo was doing. The little guy was continuing to recover nicely. However, his buddy and roommate, Andy, wasn't doing so well and Paulo kept asking when Andy was going to get his new heart. Unfortunately, neither Lucas nor Mark had a good answer for him.

Now, he had nothing else to think about, to distract his mind from thoughts of Anna. Lucas slammed his fist against the steering wheel of his car. Sitting outside the popular little coffee shop, he pondered his heart. He was
not
going back to Brazil, at least not without Anna. He was going to find that stubborn woman and convince her to stop running. Or at least get her to change direction and run into his arms. A light tapping on his passenger-door window pulled him reluctantly from his planning.

Marybeth stood there, impatiently waiting for him to roll down his window. What did she want?

His finger snagged the window control and the glass slid smoothly down. Marybeth leaned in and gave him a sweet smile. He had to admit she was very beautiful. But her beauty didn't move him. Admiring her was like admiring a beautiful piece of artwork or a painting, one that showed promise but not much warmth or emotion. Still, he let her open the passenger door and slide into the seat beside him.

“Hello, Lucas. All alone this afternoon?”

“What do you want, Marybeth?” He didn't have the time or the inclination to deal with this woman. Not when he had Anna on his mind and in his heart.

His curt tone seemed to set her back a moment, and a flash of anger appeared in her sapphire eyes. But she recovered quickly and leaned closer. He pulled back and eyed her warily. Taking the hint, she put some space between them, looked down at her hands folded in her lap. “I miss Lance, Lucas.”

She may have put some physical space between them, but her words quickly had him feeling trapped…and a little sorry for her. “I know you do, Marybeth, but it's been three years. You've got to let him go.”

Sadness briefly flickered before she glanced away. “I've loved him since I was five and we had our pretend wedding down by the dock. I don't know how to let him go.”

He wanted to say,
Stop hanging around my family, move on and get a life.
Instead, he settled for some gentle honesty. “I can't replace him, you know. No matter what you and my father have schemed up. I don't love you.”

Vulnerability shone through and he realized Marybeth had a whole other side to her personality that she didn't let anyone else see. Quickly, she masked it and said coolly, “You haven't tried to love me, Lucas. In fact, every time I come around you, you act like I'm contagious.”

He owed her an apology as he certainly hadn't meant to make her feel like that. It's just his father and his manipulations made him so antsy. He blew out a sigh. “Marybeth, I'm sorry. I never meant…”

She cut him off. “You're in love with
her,
aren't you?”

Not bothering to deny it, he just looked at her. Her features hardened before him, changing her, making her look ugly, worn and old. She sneered, “Why would you love a little nobody, someone who comes from nothing and isn't worth the dust you shake from your shoes?” Lucas felt the anger snake through him, but he bit his tongue, reminding himself to tread carefully. She was hurting, had been hurting for a long time. But her next words left him speechless.

“She's a barren, homeless nobody who'll never give you the one thing I can. Your own biological children. That's right, Lucas, she can't have children. She had a hysterectomy four years ago when she was shot.”

S
he just couldn't put her finger on what she was missing, so she'd not think about it and maybe her subconscious would come up with an answer. “Could I get a set of keys from you before you go?” What the woman did all day long, Anna had yet to figure out, but right now that was the least of her concerns.

“Of course.”

Dahlia walked into the kitchen then came back and handed her the keys. “Just take the silver Jag. I'm going to go sit in the garden for a while.”

Anna thanked her and grabbed up her things to cart them to the garage. Dahlia wandered off to do whatever Dahlia did and Anna forced herself not to think about leaving.
God, I really don't want to leave, I want to marry Lucas and have his children and it hurts that I can't. Really, really hurts.

Shoving the aching emptiness aside, she opened the kitchen door to pass through the sunroom and on into the attached multicar garage. Setting her large suitcase on the floor, she decided to pull the car out first in order to avoid dinging any doors while she loaded up.

The sunroom door led to the garage. She knew this simply from the architectural structure, but had never been in this part of the house, had no reason to come out here.

Exports Incorporated. That name had been in big bold letters at the top of the first paper Thomas Bennett had signed. Chewing her lip, she decided to put her things in the car, then call Lucas and ask him about it. She hoped he would answer his phone when his caller ID flashed her number.

Her phone rang once more. Jennifer again.

She flipped it open. “What do you have?”

“The CEO of Exports Incorporated is listed as Godfrey Bennett. But get this. The name changed only two months ago. The same time Godfrey took over as CEO.”

“Godfrey! That doesn't make any sense. Why would he want to kill me?”

Three steps led down to where the cars were kept. The closest car was the silver Jaguar and it gleamed in the overhead light. The second space stood empty, probably where the Roadster shut down at night. The third space held the Mercedes.

A black Mercedes. “Hey Jennifer, I'll call you back later, okay?” She clicked the phone closed.

Suspicion darkening her thoughts, she scooted around the Jag and made her way over to the big black car. The front grille gleamed, not a scratch on it. Still, she walked around to the back. The license plate read DAHLIA1.

A glimmer of awareness tickled her mind.

It had been Lucas's car that had been tampered with.

Lucas's boat that had been targeted.

The bullet in the prayer garden had pinged the bench—next to Lucas.

And she knew.

Nobody was after her.

Somebody was after Lucas. But who was the guy in the hospital who'd warned her away? And why?

“Well, I guess I'm going to have to get rid of you the hard way.” Anna spun to face the man who'd uttered those mild-sounding, terror-inducing words. A single flick of his wrist had the door to the garage coming down. Anna dashed to make it under the door before it closed. “Stop now or I'll shoot.”

Small but deadly, the barrel of the pistol zeroed in on her like a homing device.

Backpedaling, fear causing her to tremble, to be clumsy, she whirled around and stumbled against the golf bag, knocking it over, sending the balls and clubs rolling from their holding place.

She ignored them, her only thought to get away from the gun. Get away, get away. Get to the help that glowed from the number pad near the door. If she could punch in the right code, she could have the police on the way. But first, she had to get to it and
he
was in the way. Could she draw him out, away from the door? She ducked back behind the Mercedes, hovering there, garage wall to her back. “Godfrey, what are you doing?”

Hating the wobble in her voice, she forced it aside.
You're an FBI agent, now's a good time to act like it.
Ignoring the memories of the feel of a bullet tearing into her abdomen, she sent up prayers for wisdom and a hedge of protection. Just as she was about to move, a voice from the door asked, “Godfrey, why do you have that gun?”

“Dahlia, go back inside. I'm thinking about selling it and checking to make sure I have all the parts,” he ordered, without taking his eyes from Anna, who was hidden from Dahlia's view. She shivered at his cold, exact words. Anna wanted to scream at the woman to call the cops, but the look on Godfrey's face told her if she said a word, he wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger—and kill both of them. Her fear tripled as Dahlia obeyed her husband and meekly slipped back inside, never knowing Anna's life hung in the balance.

“Ok, Godfrey, I guess it's just us.” Desperately, she tried to buy some time. Her location didn't offer Godfrey a very good shot, but if she moved, she'd be out in the open. She shifted and her foot kicked one of the golf clubs. Could she…

“Yes, I guess it is.”

“You were never after me, were you?”

He smirked. “No, you were just pretty much in the wrong places at the wrong times. Collateral damage and all that rot. I did try to warn you away, but apparently Silas isn't as scary as he used to be.”

“The man who tried to kill me in the hospital.”

“Hmm. Comes from a long line of killers, but you just wouldn't leave, were constantly with Lucas. I never could get him alone to get rid of him. And I certainly couldn't do anything here at the house that would throw suspicion back on me.” He looked around. “Unfortunately, you've left me with no choice.”

Anna sucked in a deep breath, desperate to buy some time. “What about Lucas?” she blurted. “Why not have Silas just kill him?”

A cold laugh escaped Godfrey. “Because Lucas was
mine.
”

“So you're responsible for all the other attacks.”

“Indeed. Now shut up and get in the car. I can't shoot you here.”

Her mind whirling, she moved her foot an inch to settle on the widest part of the club that was used to hit the ball. Somehow she had to figure out a way to use it as a weapon. Godfrey shifted away from the door trying to get a better bead on her. She moved in sync, snapping the golf club handle up into her hand.

A small measure of relief flowed through her. She wasn't completely helpless. Keep him talking. Keep him off guard. Buy time to think, plan, get away. “What did Lucas ever do to you?”

“He came back.”

Holding the club against her leg, to her side, she waited. Godfrey moved again to the left, so she moved to the left. “And that's a problem because…?”

“Because he'll reconcile with his father and I'll be written out of the will. What do you think the old man's appointment was about this morning? He was going to put Lucas back in his will. I don't understand how one man could be so hard to kill.” She could almost hear his teeth grinding, but the blank expression on his face never faltered.

“Why not just kill Thomas while you were in the will? Why go after Lucas?” Anna said. He shifted once more, Anna two-stepped with him, keeping the car in between them. He came closer, but at least he kept talking.

“I can't get rid of the old man yet. I still need his signatures on certain papers.”

“What for?”

“For the share of the business to be transferred into my name. Everything to be transferred into my name. My new business, Exports Incorporated. One that Lucas'll never be able to get his hands on. Everything is almost finished.”

Anna moved again. He was getting too close.

The gun raised, pointed in her direction. She ducked and blurted, “Why not just forge his signature?”

“No, I need his authentic one. An expert could tell the difference and then everything would be lost.”

“But why would he sign papers without reading them?”

“Because he can't read well anymore. Not since the stroke. His pride suffered a severe blow, but he needed help to hide this shortcoming from his board and others.” A smug chuckle escaped the man. “And dear old Godfrey was here to pick up the pieces. Fortunately, he trusts me. I just tell him what's in there and he signs them.”

Feeling sad for the man who'd been betrayed and taken advantage of by his own flesh and blood, Anna concentrated on the gun. “And you think Lucas would interfere in the business if he decided to stay? To move home permanently?”

“Of course. It would be only a matter of time before he figured everything out and felt obligated to do whatever he could to help the father he wants to reconcile with.”

“He's a doctor. He has no interest in the family business.”

Godfrey guffawed. “If he moved home, Uncle Thomas would give Lucas no choice in the matter. No, it's best if he just ceases to exist. If he'd stayed in Brazil, none of this would be an issue. All my life, I watched Lance and Lucas live like kings. Now it's my turn. I'm almost there. Officially, I am now the owner of just about everything. A few more signatures and I will be the one sitting pretty. There's no way I'm going to let you and Lucas ruin what I've planned for over three years.”

“Three years? But Thomas only had the stroke a year…” Horrified, she realized what he'd said without saying it. She whispered, “You blew up the boathouse, didn't you?”

Shock zipped through his eyes for a brief moment, shock that she'd figured it out. Then he shrugged. “Lucas was supposed to die in that, too, but he left before the timer ran out.”

 

Lucas stepped into the foyer and shut the door behind him, bent on finding Anna and talking some sense into her. Was she even still here? Had Ted taken her to wherever she'd planned to go? Was he too late? And what was Godfrey's car doing in the driveway?

“Father? Maddy? Godfrey?” Silence.

He stepped into the kitchen and stopped short. His father stood beside the intercom. At least he thought it was his father. The pale, suddenly fragile looking man who was sweating profusely looked old. Nothing like his father.

“Father?”

The man started, looked up at Lucas with a terrible hurt in his now rheumy eyes. Lucas noticed the details of his father's breathing, short gasps as if he wasn't getting enough air, the blue tinge to his lips, right hand rubbing his left arm.

He was having a heart attack. Lucas immediately went into doctor mode, his mind racing with what he needed to do to keep his father alive.

Crossing the room, he touched his father's shoulder. “Come on, Dad, I need you to lie down, right here for a minute. Just to catch your breath. You'll feel better in a minute if you rest.”

“Anna…”

“Shh. Don't say anything. I'm going to call for some help.”

“Called cops.” More wheezing gasps.

Just as Lucas grabbed his father under his arms, the man's legs gave out. Gently lowering him to the floor, he reached behind him to grasp a chair and pull it over. Picking his father's legs up, he placed them on the chair to keep the blood and oxygen flowing to the major organs. Getting up, he rummaged through the medicine cabinet until he found some aspirin. Placing one of the dissolvable tablets under his father's tongue, he asked, “Why did you call the cops? You need the paramedics.”

“Anna…in danger…garage.”

Lucas stilled. “Anna's in danger?”

“Intercom.”

He glanced up at the device on the wall. Someone had left it on. Most likely his father when he'd called for Ted to take him to his appointment this morning. He reached up to shut it off and froze when he heard Godfrey's voice. “Lucas was supposed to die in that, too, but he left before the timer ran out.”

“Why don't you put the gun down? You won't get away with this.” Anna.

“Oh how cliché. Of course I'll get away with it. Who's going to stop me?”

Torn between staying with his father and rushing to Anna's aid, he hesitated, praying for the paramedics and the cops to get here. Anna was holding her own with Godfrey in the garage, but he wasn't sure how much longer she had before Godfrey got tired of talking and started shooting. Godfrey! What was going on?

Keeping an ear peeled for the police, he loosened his father's collar, got a cool cloth and placed it on his forehead. Taking his father's wrist, he felt for the pulse. It was weak, thready and he was running out of time. He had to get to Anna, but he couldn't let his father die.

 

Anna crouched, golf club gripped tight. Godfrey was insane. Certifiable. He honestly believed he was going to be able to shoot her and get away with it. Sweat beaded her forehead and her breaths came in shallow pants.

“Come on, Anna, just make this easy and it'll all be over fast. I won't make you suffer, I promise. But I can't let you go. You'd just warn Lucas.”

Exactly why she had to stay alive. To warn Lucas. Silent, she moved again, her ears straining to hear his every move, trying to anticipate which way he'd go. She was almost all the way around the Mercedes, her back to the electric garage door, the door to the sunroom and kitchen were to her left. Godfrey should be in front of the silver Jag according to the sounds of his shuffling. Did she dare dart out to try and get to the opposite side of the Jag? No, that would be suicide, leaving her exposed long enough for him to plant a bullet in her.