Not This Time (12 page)

A
bell sounded.

At the desk in his Magnolia Branch hotel room, Joe leaned back from the laptop’s screen, checked his phone, then read the text message.
Call home
.

Omega One, a trusted source still active in Intel. Joe called in on a secure line. When someone answered, Joe said, “It’s me.” Ten seconds and the voice-print recognition system would flash in the operations center and his face and bio would be front and center on Omega One’s computer screen.

“You asked about Robert Tayton. There’s an interesting case we believe could be connected. Draft is waiting in your 6719 account.”

“On my way. Thanks.” They never e-mailed. Saving a draft didn’t create a transmission to intercept or track. Much safer.

“Good luck.”

“If you pick up anything, let me know.” Joe stared at the reflection in the television. “I need all the help I can get on this.”

“You’re in the loop.”

Exactly what he’d hoped to hear.

The line went dead and Joe opened the draft, scanned it, but nothing that could be related jumped out at him. Slowing down, he started working their list of encryption codes. Using the third one revealed an embedded message. “Oh, man. This is so not good.”

Processing, he stood, rubbed his jaw, the back of his neck. If this was the connection, then showing his face in Seagrove Village was a suicide mission. But how could he not go?
Beth. Mark, Lisa, and all the Crossroads people
. Joe had ties there now …

Showing his face.

Mark hadn’t yet unearthed this potential connection or he’d have told Joe. Still, his
get creative
instincts had been right on target.

Joe stretched to set down the phone and Beth called. “Woman, why are you still up?”

“Robert’s kidnappers never called and Sara had a second attack. Why are you still up?”

“Thinking about you, gorgeous. Is Sara going to be okay?”

“She’s critical. Harvey says I’d better prepare myself for the worst.”

“And you reacted to that … how?”

“Honestly? I’m a wreck, but I’m still going to Sara’s fund-raiser at the club.”

“Why?” He thought a second. Considering security there now, she was probably safer at the club than at Sara’s.

“I’m standing in for her.” Beth told him about the moms, about Darla’s Airport Road property. “This kind of event isn’t my thing on a good day, much less today.”

Should he warn her? No, that’d increase jeopardy. Alternative measures were necessary. “You’ll handle it.”

“I will, but it’d be easier if it weren’t with all Robert’s friends.”

Joe grunted. “They’ll be too busy trying to find out what you know that isn’t being reported in the press to give you much grief.”

“True.” She sighed. “Okay, you’ve worked your charm. I’m calm.”

“At least I’m good for something. You like my voice.”

“You’re good for lots of things and I love your voice. There’s a hint of an accent in it that soothes me.”

“You picked up on that?”

“Obviously, Joseph. I just said I did.”

“You did, but … it’s Cajun. I’ve worked hard to get rid of it. I had to—critical in my job. For some reason, around you it surfaces.”

“I think I like that. I take you to a different place.”

“You do, sha. But don’t try to sidetrack me. You said you loved my voice.”

“I did.”

“Women never use the love word about anything except shoes or dessert unless—you really do care about me.”

She covered a laugh with a cough. “I told you, I’m a caring person.”

Protecting her heart. She was amazing—beautiful, brilliant, kind, and good. And nurturing. So nurturing. The kind that was faked annoyed him. But Beth’s brand was genuine, potent and powerful, and it made her irresistible to him. Didn’t she know how special that made her? Apparently not, or she knew but didn’t trust it. “You’re a paradox.”

“Excuse me.”

“You’re open and caring but also guarded—at least, with me. Or is it with men? Did someone hurt you, Beth?”

“I don’t want to talk about this.”

“I’m sure you don’t. But when I didn’t want to talk, you insisted. I’m insisting.”

“Why does it matter?”

“It matters.”

“You’re forcing me to make a choice I don’t want to make, Joe.”

“What choice? It’s a simple question.”

“Do I live a life someone else defined for me, or do I define it?”

“Good question. How will you answer it?”

“Honestly.” She paused. “Does anyone reach adulthood without having her heart broken at least once?”

“But yours wasn’t just broken. It was shattered.”

“How do you know that?”

“In a thousand ways, sha. Who was the jerk, and why were you hung up on someone so shortsighted?”

“Shortsighted?”

“You’re a treasure. A man with sense would know it.”

“Thank you, Joe.”

“It wasn’t a compliment. Just stating the facts.”

“That’s even better. Let’s say he hid the truth about himself well. We dated six months. It was serious. Very serious—for me.”

“You loved him?”

“I did. I don’t anymore.”

“Fine line.”

“Yeah. Crossing it’s pretty easy when you’re with a guy at a New Year’s Ball, surrounded by all your family and friends, and a glamorous woman catches your guy’s eye and he dumps you on the spot.”

“He dumped you at the ball? In front of everyone?”

“Yes.”

“He humiliated you.” Fury seeped through Joe’s voice.

“It was quite the chatter—and a real shocker. Everyone thought he was so perfect. Handsome, charming—you know, like you—not that you’d humiliate a woman … You wouldn’t, would you, Joe?”

“I can’t believe you have to ask. I’m definitely insulted.”

“I didn’t think you would, but I didn’t think he would either. So naturally I have issues with my judgment.”

“Gorgeous, it’s his judgment that should be questioned. Not yours.”

“I’d agree, but until that happened, I thought he was a good man.”

“He was shortsighted and shallow—and he lacked compassion and respect.”

“Now you’re getting the hang of how I felt. But I’m over it now.”

“No, sha. Not yet. But you will be. All you need is a man who appreciates you for the treasure you are.” He grunted. “Was Nora there when this happened?”

“She was.”

“How’d she react?”

“Her face was the color of an apple.”

“She was embarrassed?”

“Nora? No way. She was outraged. Everyone was. I was embarrassed.”

She’d been devastated. “I’m sorry I brought it up. But it’s done, and you can bet he’s regretting it now.”

“Funny, it never occurred to me that he might regret it, though I’m sure he regretted letting everyone else see his true colors.”

Joe groaned. “You going to be finding out if he did?”

“I think not. One collision with that kind of humiliation was more than enough.”

“Glad to hear it.”

“Why?”

“Men like that seldom change, and if he hurt you again, I’d have to take exception.”

She laughed. “You gonna beat him up, Joe?”

“Might.” He sighed. “He sure is costing me a lot of extra work, trying to convince you I’m crazy about you.”

“Tiring of the effort already, eh?”

“Not by a long shot. I’m staying put, sha. I’ll grow on you eventually.” She probably feared exactly that. That she’d get used to him, and then he’d walk out on her. “Things will work out in time. For now, stay calm and get some rest.”

“I will.”

“If anything odd happens, let me know. See you soon.”

“Soon. Is that in days? weeks? months?” She sighed. “Never mind. If you knew, you would have told me. Call me later, if you can—if you want to, that is.”

He wanted to, and that she wanted him to conjured an errant smile. “Need glue, eh?”

“After a couple hours with Robert’s bunch? Probably a bucketful.”

“If Nora heard you say that, she’d blister your ears.”

“She would. She says strength is a choice. The less choice you have, the stronger you have to be.”

“Wise woman.” Joe took a swig of soda. Beth wasn’t herself. She was scared, weary to the bone, and worried sick about Sara. “Nora would say to rely on your faith to get through the hard stuff—and I’d agree with her on that too.”

“It’s keeping me upright. Still, a little human glue helps.”

If what Joe saw in that draft was related to Robert Tayton III, Beth was going to need a lot more than a bucketful of glue. “Who’s going with you?”

“Jeff Meyers, but he doesn’t know it yet.”

The pit of Joe’s stomach hollowed. He stared at the lamp burning on the desk.
Jealous
. That was crazy. He should be happy that a trained guy like Jeff would be there to watch over her—and Jeff would watch. Even if she thought they were just friends, the man was still a little in love with her. “You inviting him on a date?”

“Of course not. He doubts me, Joe. Thinks I’m mixed up with Robert’s kidnapping—at the moment, I’m not even sure Jeff’s a friend.”

Much better. Much, much better. “I’m glad it’s not a date.”

“Would it bother you if it were?”

He dragged his teeth over his lower lip. The answer didn’t require a second’s thought. Disclosing it did. “Yeah, it would bother me.”

“Keep up the straight talk and you’ll make me believe, Joe.”

That guy clearly had burned her badly. “I’m counting on it.” He rubbed at the knot of muscles in his neck. “ ’Night, gorgeous.”

“ ’Night.”

He hung up, grabbed a bottle of water from the minibar, and absorbed the new information into the old. First, he’d better call Jeff Meyers and give him a heads-up and maybe put him on friendly notice, in a good guy-to-good guy way that he was interested in Beth. Just notice, not a warning. Yet. Then he’d call Mark and get the lowdown on Beth’s shortsighted heartbreaker.

Dawn and noon came and went, and the afternoon dragged into evening with no further news on Sara or Robert and no word from the kidnapper.

The only things that had kept Beth sane were Joe’s calls, a visit by Peggy and Nora midafternoon, and one from Lisa and Kelly just before dusk. Lisa had talked to the doctors at Sacred Heart and Sara was still critical, but all the signs were good for her stabilizing. They were cautiously optimistic.

Good signs and cautious optimism gave Beth hope.

At eight o’clock Jeff returned to Sara’s. Freshly showered and shaved, he looked more rested. “You hanging in there okay?”

Very protective, and seemingly less suspicious. Wondering why, Beth nodded. “I have to go to the club in forty-five minutes for a fund-raiser. It’ll take a couple hours.”

Jeff’s jaw dropped and he lifted an opposing hand. “What if the kidnapper calls?”

“He didn’t call last night—if it’s a he—and who knows when or if he will?” She’d thought about this and had a solution. “We can forward Sara’s calls to my mobile.” With all the visitors and activity, Beth hadn’t made it home for clothes to wear to the gala. She’d have to wear something of Sara’s.

“It’s a bad idea, Beth. The club’s a crime scene.”

“The FBI released it.” He’d slept or he would know that—not that he appeared any less worried on hearing it. “Sara asked me to fill in for her tonight, and I’m not going to tell her she isn’t getting the two million she needs for abused moms and kids because the phone
might
ring. It’s a simple matter to forward the calls.”

“I see your point, but anything out of the ordinary could have unintended consequences.”

“Well.” Beth paused, then looked up at him. “If I don’t go, you’ll have two million intended consequences to explain to Sara.”

“She’ll have a fit.”

“Oh, yeah. A bad one.”

His face flushed. “Okay, you’ll go, but I’m going with you.”

“Fine.” That had been easier than expected. “I’ll be ready in a few minutes.”

Joe never would have caved so easily—not that it was fair to compare the
men. But maybe it wasn’t about her. Jeff had looked really grim about having to tell Sara …

Odd, but then again, why wouldn’t he want to avoid that? She was clinging to life by a thread.

Beth went upstairs into a guest room closet where Sara kept her formals, grabbed a black dress that was vintage conservative Sara, and put it on. It didn’t look half bad, though with its high neck and empire waist it wasn’t a style Beth would have bought. Would Joe have liked it?

What’s the difference? He’s charming. Crazy about you at the moment, but he’s probably crazy about puppies too. It doesn’t really mean anything
. She met her eyes in the mirror.
Get it through your head. No matter what he says, it wouldn’t work. He’s for someone special, not for an average woman like you
.

Her head had the message. It was her heart that was deaf. Deflated, she twisted her hair up and loosely pinned it into place, slid into a strappy pair of heels, smeared on some lip gloss, and then headed for the door.

Jeff stood waiting near the front entryway. “You look pretty.”

“Thanks.” She wrinkled her nose. “You too.”

“Ready?”

No. Absolutely not
. If she never set foot in the club again it’d be too soon for her. “Yes, I’m ready.” Beth took in a steadying breath and walked out.