Say You Need Me (14 page)

Perplexed eyes met his.

“Tell me more,” he said.

Serena’s nose wrinkled as she gave him a tentative look. “You sure I’m not boring you?”

“I love to hear you talk about this. Your whole face lights up.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” Pause. “Is the ring antique?”

“This?” Serena extended her hand, offering the platinum ring for Darrell’s inspection.

“Uh huh.” Darrell took her hand in his and ran a thumb over the ring that graced her middle finger.

“Yes, this is from the Edwardian era.”

“Hmm.”

“What?” To her surprise, she sounded breathless.

“You have beautiful eyes, Serena.”

Suddenly self-conscious, Serena pulled her hand back and brought it to her face. “You think so?”

“Definitely.”

As her gaze held Darrell’s a moment longer, Serena’s lips curled in a slight smile. Then she turned back to the store. “Oh, Darrell. This place would be so perfect.” She placed both hands on the glass. “Even the floor—” Stopping short, Serena suddenly whimpered.

“What?” Darrell asked.

“Oh, darn. The store’s been leased.”

Disappointment tickled his stomach. “How do you know?”

“Right there.” A frown cast a shadow over Serena’s face as she glanced over her shoulder at Darrell. Taking a step backward, she pointed downward. “I can’t believe we didn’t see this.”

Darrell followed her gaze. A cardboard sign at the bottom of the glass door read:
BETTY’S BOOKS COMING SOON
.

“Damn,” he muttered. Again, he felt bad for her. And guilty for what Cecil had done.

Serena’s petite shoulders rose and fell. “This was such a great location,” she said wistfully. “The necklace, my fam
ily heirloom, I wasn’t planning to sell it. But because it’s worth so much, I was able to use it as collateral. That was Cecil’s idea, and it was a good one. That’s why I had it appraised…” Her voice trailed off. “Oh well. There’ll be another store.”

Darrell placed a hand on the back of her neck and gently squeezed it. “Yes, there will be.”

At his touch, Serena sagged against him, resting her back against his chest. Darrell trailed both hands down her arms.

“I’ll make this right for you, Serena.”

She didn’t say anything, merely turned her face into his chest and sighed.

Something tugged at Darrell’s heart. Had his brother heard her talk so passionately about her dream? And if so, how could he have taken it from her?

Well, there was one thing Darrell knew: he’d do whatever was necessary to get Serena’s necklace back, even if that meant traveling halfway across the world. Serena didn’t deserve what Cecil had done; he
would
make this situation right for her.

Serena pulled her head back and grinned at him. “Ready to eat?”

“If you are,” he said.

“I am.”

“Mmm.” Darrell’s eyes went heavenward as he took a bite of the huge, juicy burger.

“I swear, this place makes the
best
burgers,” Serena stated.

“I haven’t had a burger in ages. Probably because for a while, I was eating so many of them.”

“Why, no home cooked meals?”

“Who has time?” Darrell asked. “I spend so much time at work.”

Serena finished chewing her mouthful of food, washed it down with some soda, then said, “Speaking of home and work…did you leave someone behind in Orlando?”

Darrell swallowed. “You mean a wife?”

“Well, I’d be surprised if you were seriously involved with anyone,” Serena said, giving him a sheepish smile.

“No,” Darrell replied succinctly. “I’m not seeing anyone.”

“Oh,” Serena said, her tone cheerful. She couldn’t deny that she was happy to learn there was no one special in Darrell’s life.

Darrell suddenly reached for her face, and Serena’s heartbeat sped up. With the pad of his thumb, he wiped something from her chin.

“What?” Serena asked.

“A bit of mustard. That’s all.”

“Oh.” Serena dabbed at her mouth with her napkin.

Darrell stared at her a moment longer, enamored with her bashful look. This morning, she’d shown him a completely different side, one that was sexually confident, but here she was, actually blushing because he’d wiped a bit of mustard from her face.

It was that whole demure quality coupled with the wild side. And damn if it wasn’t a turn-on.

Darrell took another bite of his burger. Serena picked at her fries, surreptitiously watching him watch her. Just what game were they playing?

Her mind drifted to this morning, to how hot and bothered the two of them had gotten. How far would
things have gone if she hadn’t put a stop to it? For the first time in her life, she’d been tempted,
really
tempted, to throw caution to the wind and let her emotions control her. That was so completely out of character for her, and she couldn’t help thinking,
Why Darrell?

Perhaps she was looking for a complex answer where a simple one made the most sense. Maybe the passion that had exploded between her and Darrell was the normal, biological result of a man and woman spending time alone together. Since she’d met him at the police station, they’d practically been joined at the hip. She’d never spent this much time alone with a man before, so she hadn’t known what to expect. But it was now crystal clear to her that the question shouldn’t have been
if
sparks would fly between her and Darrell, but
when
.

It was simply a matter of physics.

And knowing that was the first step in making sure she controlled her emotions, and not the other way around.

Deliberately making herself think of something else, Serena asked, “So, you like your job?”

“I’d better. I spend enough time there.”

“You said you’re a manager at a hotel?”

“Actually”—Darrell wiped a napkin across his mouth—“I also own it.” Having spent time with her, he now trusted Serena with the truth. She wasn’t a gold digger. “It’s a small hotel, a bed and breakfast, actually, and I oversee everything. It’s like a wife. Demanding and not always rewarding.”

“Ouch. Were you married?”

“No, but I’ve had friends who were. My parents were…until my mother got bored.”

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing.”

“Your parents divorced?”

“Don’t fifty percent of all couples? Hell, it’s more than that nowadays, isn’t it?”

“Not everyone gets divorced,” Serena pointed out.

Darrell reached for his soda. “All I know is that everyone I’ve ever known who’s gotten married has ended up miserable—whether or not they stayed together. So why bother?”

“That’s pretty narrow-minded.”

“It’s the truth.”

Serena frowned. “How can you say that when you haven’t even been married?”

“I almost did get married,” Darrell replied. “Thank God I saw the light.”

A painful knot formed in Serena’s stomach. Memories of how close she’d come to giving herself to Darrell now taunted her. God, what a mistake she would have made. Not only would she have let her emotions control her, she would have given herself to a man who didn’t even believe in marriage!

She continued, “So your relationship failed and now the institution of marriage is bad?”

“You’re a woman. You won’t understand.”

“Excuse me?”

Darrell shrugged. “Women always have this ideal about marriage, which in theory, is great. In reality, it’s a fairytale.”

Serena felt annoyance with each of Darrell’s answers. She didn’t know why they bothered her, but they did.

“Well, my parents happened to have had a wonderful marriage,” Serena replied, a tad defensively.

“Had,” Darrell responded. “That’s the key word.”

“They died.”

Darrell’s eyes first widened, then contrition passed over his face. “I’m sorry. God, I’m an idiot. I shouldn’t have—”

“They were always happy,” Serena continued. “Right till the end.” Remembering the loss of her parents always made her throat grow thick with emotion. “The only consolation is that they were together at the end. I think that’s how they would have wanted it.”

“I’m sorry.”

Serena crumpled her napkin into a tight ball. “So am I. But because of them, I know that true love exists. It’s not a fantasy. And I don’t want to settle for anything less.”

It was amazing to Darrell that Serena had ended up dating his brother, a man who balked at commitment with the best of the players. Maybe she’d been susceptible to believing she might have a future with him because she’d been blinded by her own ideal of the perfect relationship.

All Darrell knew was that for him, the reality of marriage wasn’t a pleasant one.

He’d been willing, once. In fact, he’d wanted to get married, settle down, and have a family. But thank God he’d come to his senses. When he’d learned that Jessica had been siphoning money from the bed and breakfast’s restaurant till shortly before their wedding, he’d learned that she was more interested in his wallet than in him. When Darrell had confronted her about the theft, having caught her on camera after he suspected something weird was going on, she’d had the nerve to call him cheap and had said that if he’d loved her, she never would have had to resort to stealing
their
money. He had no idea where
she got the idea that his money was hers, considering they weren’t married yet, but more than that, Darrell had been appalled with her gall. Hell, everything she’d asked for, he’d given her—within reason. Her major complaint had been that he’d gotten her a two-carat rock instead of the five-carat one she’d fancied.

In hindsight, he wondered if she had ever planned to marry him, or if her plan all along had been to steal from him, then leave him before he caught on. Being a sucker, he didn’t have her arrested. And when she refused to give the rock back that he’d bought for her, he hadn’t pressed the issue. He’d simply been happy to get her out of his life, realizing it was costing him less in the long run.

In a way, he could empathize with Serena falling for Cecil. Jessica had been outgoing, seemingly generous, and caring—while they’d gotten to know each other. She’d cared about everything he did, or so she’d said. After working long hours as a legal assistant, she found time to come to his workplace and put in hours there—all because she’d said she couldn’t get enough of him.

Darrell had been flattered. And gullible.

Of course, he’d no doubt easily fallen for Jessica because she was beautiful, but it was that very beauty that had given her the false impression that he should have worshipped the ground she walked on.

After ending their engagement, Darrell had sworn off love and marriage. Jessica had turned out to be just like his mother—out simply for what a man could give her financially. Those were the kind of women he’d met over the years, probably because he mostly met women at work, and his position at the bed-and-breakfast wasn’t se
cret. Once women found out what he did, they wanted to get into his wallet.

So much for love.

Maybe for some, it existed, but he hadn’t found it. And he certainly wasn’t about to hold his breath.

“That’s strange,” Darrell said, frowning when he slipped the key into the lock at Cecil’s house. “I locked the door, didn’t I?”

Instantly alarmed, Serena’s eyes flew to his. “Of course you locked the door.”

Darrell extended a hand in front of Serena, guiding her behind him. “Stay back.”

“Darrell—”

“Stay back.”

Darrell opened the door slowly, then peered inside. A quick glance at Serena, and he stepped into the house.

She held her breath as she watched him disappear. She didn’t like this, not one bit. If someone was inside the house…

God help them, who could it be? Cecil, perhaps? Or had someone broken in? And if someone
had
broken in…

Though seconds ticked by, it seemed like hours had passed without a peep from Darrell. God, was he okay? Serena could no longer stand the waiting. Silently praying that Darrell was all right, she hurried into the house.

“Oh, my God!” Serena exclaimed. She froze when
she saw that the house they’d left intact over an hour ago was now in complete disarray.

Darrell whipped around when he heard her. “I told you to stay back!”

Serena flinched at Darrell’s angry outburst, and she felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. “You didn’t come out…I-I was worried.”

“Do you realize the kind of danger you could have put yourself in if the intruder had still been in here? Damn it, Serena, I came in here to make sure this place was safe.”

“I…” She promptly shut her mouth.

“Serena, I’m sorry,” Darrell said, his tone softer. He started toward her from where he stood in the middle of the living room. “I didn’t mean to yell. It’s just that I’m so frustrated. I have no clue what’s going on.” He stopped a cou
ple feet in front of her. “Damn, if someone had still been in here, and you’d been hurt…I’d never forgive myself.”

“I chose to walk through that door. If anything happened to me, it would be my fault.”

“You’re with me, Serena. It’s my job to keep you safe.”

Serena was bewildered by the conviction she saw on Darrell’s face. My God, he truly
did
feel responsible for her. Was it merely a sense of obligation, or was there something more to his concern?

The very thought that he might care about her well-being for a deeper reason made her stomach quiver.

But perhaps she was reading more into his motives. He’d traveled from Orlando to Miami on what was turning out to be a wild goose chase to find his brother, and from everything he’d said, Serena got the impression that he felt responsible for everything Cecil did wrong.

Why? She couldn’t help wondering if that sense of responsibility had been drummed into him from the time he was a child.

And Serena’s heart suddenly ached for him. Darrell needn’t carry such a burden.

Darrell glanced around the immediate area. “Well, I don’t think whoever broke in is still here.”

“We should call the police,” Serena said.

“I want to check the place out first.”

Serena wondered what that would possibly tell him other than the obvious. Someone had clearly come in here and gone berserk. The place was an absolute mess, with the sofas ripped, coffee tables upturned, and paintings pulled off the walls. Serena hadn’t seen damage this bad since Hurricane Andrew had hit South Florida.

“Stay with me,” Darrell said. “I don’t want you alone for a second.”

Darrell’s words once again made Serena’s stomach quiver. There was something about his tone and his expression that made her feel he would do anything to protect her.

Slowly Serena moved to Darrell’s side. She took hold of his upper arm and instantly felt safer. His arm was strong, beautifully sculpted, and as he cautiously headed down the hallway, Serena remembered exactly how thrilling it had felt to have those arms wrapped around her, a thought that was totally inappropriate under the circumstances.

It was hard to believe that just hours earlier, Serena had been so ensnared in a web of desire that she might not have been able to stop Darrell if he’d wanted to take her on the living room floor. Now, that living room floor was in complete disarray.

The memory of her lust was disrupted by a moment of panic. What if the intruder had entered the house while she and Darrell had been in each other’s arms? What if he’d had a weapon?

Serena tightened her fingers around Darrell’s brawny arm. Sensing her fear, he paused, then placed his hand over hers. He gave her a reassuring look, and Serena said, “I’m okay.”

Every room in the house looked the same way the living room did. Beds were overturned, drawers were pulled out and their contents dumped.

“How could this have happened since we left here?” Serena asked. “I mean, was it a coincidence that someone came here and trashed the place today? Or does this mean someone is watching us?”

Darrell moved down the hallway to another room. “You didn’t notice anyone following us?”

“After that SUV, no.”

Another bedroom door squeaked in protest as Darrell slowly opened it. “This room’s been trashed, too.”

Serena peered around Darrell’s body into the room. She shook her head at the site of the once nicely kept room in a state of utter chaos. “You don’t think it was…that psycho neighbor your brother was involved with?”

Darrell didn’t know what to think. “I can’t see someone as small as her tearing apart a place like this.”

“She was pretty angry. You never know.”

When they moved to the next room, Darrell uttered, “Aw, shit.”

Serena’s heart dropped to her stomach. “What?”

“The computer,” Darrell said, his eyes scanning the overturned desk. “It’s gone.”

“Gone?”

Darrell stepped away from Serena and into the room. Heading toward the desk, he carefully made his way over the strewn items that littered the floor. In the middle of the room, he dropped onto his haunches and began sifting through the loose papers.

Serena sank to the floor beside him. “What are you looking for?”

“That paper. The one that had the auction information. It was the only real lead we had to finding your necklace.”

Moaning softly, Serena lifted a sheet of paper, then tossed it aside. Then another, and another. Darrell did the same.

“It’s not here,” Serena said, anxiety lacing her voice. “It’s not here.”

Frustrated, she attempted to throw the piece of paper she held, and when it merely fluttered, she batted it to the ground.

“Serena—”

She fell from her knees to her butt, covering her face with both hands.

Darrell took her in his arms and pulled her body to his.

But she shrugged him off, moving out of his embrace. She crawled a foot away, then sat and wrapped her arms around her knees, pulling her knees to her chest. A knot formed in Darrell’s stomach as he watched her. God, he felt helpless. He didn’t like her pushing him away, but he understood her frustration. What good were condolences and empty promises? He could tell her he empathized with her, he could apologize until he turned green, but there was only one thing Darrell could do for Serena that would make this situation better: find his brother. And soon.

Serena took off her glasses and rubbed the heels of her hands over both eyes, then put the glasses back on. “You don’t remember the name of the auction company?”

“I only saw the word ‘auction.’ Serena, I’m probably the only person alive who’s pretty much clueless when it comes to computers.” He paused. “I’d figured we’d take a look at it when we came back, maybe even see if we could access Cecil’s e-mail account for new messages.”

“And now the computer’s gone.”

Slowly, Darrell stood. Placing his hands on his hips, he did a full turn around the room. “This is bad. Damn it, Cecil. What have you gotten yourself into this time?”

Serena stared at Darrell, but he looked past her to the room’s window. Until now, she hadn’t truly considered the big picture. Yes, she’d realized that there was some
kind of danger, and that she and Darrell had gotten caught up in it. But until this moment, her eyes had always been on the prize—retrieving her family heirloom.

She hadn’t considered the very real threat to Cecil, perhaps his life. Did someone actually want to
kill
him?

She’d been somewhat selfish, she suddenly realized, wanting to help Darrell find his brother only so that she could get her necklace back. She hadn’t shown any sensitivity to Darrell’s plight over his brother’s well-being.

She’d wanted to dismiss the SUV that had run them off the road as an irate driver, because it had been easier to deny that there was a real threat to her and Darrell’s safety. But now, given the condition of the house, she couldn’t help wondering how serious this situation might be.

“You think someone wants to…
really
hurt Cecil?”

“Hell, yes,” Darrell replied, spinning around to face her. “You think someone came in here and slashed and trashed everything, then took the computer, just because they were irritated with him? Sure, they were looking for something, but the way they went at this place—there’s no doubt they also wanted to leave Cecil a message.”

Serena lifted the phone’s receiver. “There’s no dial tone. I forgot—his line was disconnected. We’ll have to use the car phone to call the police.”

Darrell righted the desk chair, then slowly lowered himself onto it. “I need to think.”

Serena didn’t question him. After a moment, she said, “Give me a second.”

Darrell looked at her with alarm. “Where are you going?”

“The bathroom.”

Serena headed out of the bedroom and down the hall
way. Inside the bathroom, her eyes immediately went to the mirror.

“Darrell.” Her mouth formed his name as she scanned the mirror, but no sound came out. Then, flinging open the door, she fled from the bathroom. “Darrell!”

Darrell charged out of the bedroom at full speed and nearly collided with Serena as she ran to the door. He halted to avoid slamming into her, but immediately reached for her, gripping her by the shoulders. “What?”

“The bathroom,” she managed between deep breaths. “There’s a message for Cecil.”

Darrell hesitated for only a second before bolting to the bathroom. Serena was fast on his heels. As soon as he crossed the threshold to the lavish lavatory, he saw what Serena was talking about. On the large mirror, in bright red lipstick were the words:

Darrell took a step toward the mirror. “Gee, the person forgot to sign this note,” he said sardonically. Then he turned to Serena. “Yeah, this is bad.”

“Darrell, we have to call the police.” When Darrell didn’t respond, Serena continued, “You said yourself, this is worse than we expected.”

“I’m not sure that’s going to help.”

“Why not?”

“Well, for one, we have no clue who’s doing this. Two, the
police will probably be more interested in taking Cecil’s butt to jail than in investigating who might have broken in here.” Darrell balled a fist against his forehead. “And now I’m wondering if Cecil is still in Miami. I thought for sure he was, but if he’s in serious trouble, he may have left the country.”

“Left the country?” Serena repeated. “Where would he go?”

“He’s got a villa in Montego Bay.”

“
Montego Bay?
As in Jamaica?”

“Yes.”

“Good grief,” Serena muttered, leaning her back against one of the bathroom walls. “A condo on South Beach. A house in Coconut Grove. A villa in Montego Bay. Does it ever end?”

“Those are the three homes he has, as far as I know. The villa isn’t that big, at least the way he describes it, but hell…”

Serena dropped her head and closed her eyes, tuning Darrell out. She didn’t want to hear another word about Cecil’s third property. All she wanted to do right now was hide from the world. How had she ever thought Cecil was a nice guy?

Perhaps Darrell was right; she shouldn’t blame herself. Con artists were good at what they did or they’d never succeed at scamming anyone. Serena had never met anyone like him before and hadn’t been prepared for that level of deception.

Still, knowing that she couldn’t logically blame herself didn’t make her feel better. God, she’d give anything to turn back the clock and erase the day she’d ever met Cecil.

Yet if she’d never met Cecil, she would never have met Darrell.

That thought troubled her, and she stole a glimpse at Darrell. Her heart fluttered. No, she didn’t regret meeting him in the least.

Even if he was a constant reminder that she’d been a very big fool where Cecil Montford was concerned.

It seemed that every step of the way on her search for Cecil, she was bound to uncover something that would further humiliate her and throw her total bad judgment in her face. And if Darrell was right, if someone was threatening Cecil’s life, what was the likelihood that they’d ever find him—at least, before he wanted to be found? And by then, she highly doubted he’d still have the necklace.

Once again, she wondered if this search for Cecil was worth her pride.

“What are you thinking?” Darrell asked.

“Just wondering if someone is following us. First that car running us off the road, now this house is trashed. I doubt it’s a coincidence.”

“That’s exactly why I’m more convinced than ever that you shouldn’t be a part of this search. I don’t want you hurt.”

“And what about you?” Serena challenged.

“Cecil’s my brother.”

“Your
twin
. How smart is it for you to be playing detective when you look exactly like him? If anyone’s asking to get hurt, it’s you. At least no one knows who I am.
I’m
the one who should play detective, not you.”

“Out of the question.”

“Why not?” Serena challenged. “I’m the better person to ask around about your brother.”

“Absolutely not.”

“It makes sense.”

“No.”

Serena and Darrell stared each other down in a silent challenge, neither wanting to back down from his position.

After a moment, Darrell headed out of the bathroom, as if the conversation was over.

Serena followed him, saying, “I’m not the one they’re looking for.”

Darrell stopped. “But you’ve been seen with me, right? So yeah, if what’s happened isn’t a coincidence, they know what you look like.”

“I’m still the best bet—”

“You heard what I said.” Darrell started down the hallway again.

Serena threw her hands in the air as she followed him. “What, you make a decision that affects both of us and that’s just it?” She waited for Darrell to respond, but he ignored her, walking to the living room. “Great, now you won’t talk to me?”

Darrell turned suddenly. “I am not going to let you put yourself at risk.”

Serena’s heart was zapped with a bolt of electricity as she looked at the firm set of Darrell’s jaw. She almost wanted to ask
Why
, just to see if he’d tell her he didn’t want her at risk because he cared.