Sins of the Father (25 page)

“
There has to
be some reason he’s targeting Alicia,” JJ said, feeling Kelvin’s
frustration.

“
I still
think it’s about Helen. Unfortunately, we haven’t turned anything
up.”

Susannah looked pained.
She hated to fail at anything. “I’ll keep looking. I was following
a theory involving Alicia and Jack’s biological father, but it
didn’t pan out.” She looked towards Brad. “She was into some pretty
heavy stuff way back when. But after the accident that led her to
your father, she’s been relatively clean.”

“
And when you
say clean, you’re allowing for the fact she’s a viper dressed up as
a gold digger,” Brad said dryly. “I think we’re right about Helen’s
involvement, however indirect. You’ll find it, Suez.” He turned
towards the door a moment before they heard the hesitant knock.
“Are we about done here, guys?” he asked as he rose to
answer.

“
Yeah, buzz
me if there’s anything else. Good work, guys.” Kelvin’s face
disappeared from the screen a moment later.

The rest turned to the
door and their unexpected visitor.

Alicia stood at the other
side, silhouetted by a security light. “I just wondered if you guys
are hungry. James is trying out a new menu and he’s made enough to
feed an army so...”

Brad looked across at the
eager expressions. “If you can spare a little time, James’ food is
legendary. You’d be missing a treat.”

Tommy stepped forward
with a woeful look. “I have to go. I don’t suppose he’d do a doggy
bag?”

She pretended to look
offended by the request and did a pretty good job of it until
Justin piped up. “Don’t let those acting talents fool you; she’s
sneaky, that one.”

“
Still
sulking, Justin?” Her face spread into a grin. “Come on, those who
have to head out get take away. The rest can join us in a chef’s
experiment.”

They practically beat
Brad back in their scramble to the door. He’d never seen this kind
of enthusiasm from them, certainly not when he offered a little
respite from their duties.

James was delighted to
have so many guinea pigs. As he whipped up more samples in the
kitchen, Betty fussed over them like a mother hen. She packed Ellen
and Tommy off with goodies to spare and settled the rest in a
corner of the huge dining hall.

“
If only
walls could talk. I’m willing to bet they’d have some excellent
stories about this room,” Elizabeth said, picturing the table in
all its finery.

“
The ballroom
would win hands down.” Stuart shook his head - there were too many
celebrations to count. “They were the best kind, our charity balls.
I’ve so many fond memories.”

“
You should
organise something again. I can’t remember the last time you
hosted.” Alicia had to tread carefully, and she was normally more
subtle. But she knew for a fact Stuart missed the parties too. She
turned to their guests with a gleam in her eye. “The first time
Gray brought me here I felt like a nun in a brothel.”

A spray of water shot
from JJ’s mouth, which would have been amusing if he hadn’t started
to choke. Susannah patted him on the back, her booming laugh
drowning out the sound of anything else.

“
Subtle, Al,
very subtle,” Stuart said dryly. “And don’t let her fool you. She
captivated her audience, just as she does today.”

She waved his comment
away. “I was stuck to Gray’s side like glue, and of course,
wherever he was his two amigos weren’t far behind.”

“
We did throw
some kick-ass parties.” He smiled in memory of it. “I usually stood
on the sidelines with Greg and watched as our dear friend worked
his magic.”

“
So he really
was as majestic as they say,” Elizabeth said, trying to see through
his eyes.

“
From what
Alicia’s already told me, he was the original trickster, with a
heart big enough to fill an entire city.”

She smiled over at Brad,
not surprised that he knew exactly the right thing to
say.

“
He taught
this generation everything they know, and Joshua Burton is shaping
into his finest student.” When Alicia cleared her throat, Stuart
only smiled. “Of course, he left his daughter a trick or two, and
together they drive us mad.”

“
Don’t
pretend you don’t enjoy it.”

“
I’ve picked
up some pretty cool tricks,” JJ said. “Our team has a pretty
healthy sense of humour, but there’s always room for
improvement.”

“
Bring it
on,” Justin challenged, stuffing his mouth with the
leftovers.

“
You can both
use some of that energy on the job. God knows you’ll have to work
off all that food,” Brad said, patting his own stomach to highlight
his point.

Justin beamed at him.
“Don’t worry, BM. I saved a little running room.”

“
And you can
certainly put it away, friend. If Betty could see you she’d be half
in love.” Stuart’s comment earned a bark of laughter from
Brad.

Justin merely looked
confused; he covered it with a shrug.

Alicia watched them,
enjoying the ease in which they opened their ranks to those they
admired. It was mutual. She had nothing but respect for Brad’s
team. He was a different entity entirely. It hurt to look at him
sometimes, because she couldn’t avoid thinking just how his hands
felt on her, or the things he could do with that sexy mouth. It was
hard to accept, the way he turned his emotions off with seemingly
little effort. But accept it she did; part of her respected him all
the more.

When he turned and his
eyes met hers, she felt a burst of longing so strong that the slow
burning anger burst to life. He frowned, confused by what he saw.
Susannah offered distraction when she let out a long, contented
sigh and sat back in her chair.

“
Do you guys
eat like this all the time?” she asked, wondering how she’d ever
get from the table to her car.

“
No, James is
trying out a few recipes because we’re entertaining tomorrow night.
We pretend it’s just a get together and not a celebration every
year around this time, don’t we, Alicia?”

She felt the colour rise
in her cheeks when she realised what he meant. It had completely
slipped her mind. “I can’t believe how sneaky you are, Mansfield. I
thought you were being considerate when you asked me to invite the
team. You just wanted back-up when you apply the
pressure.”

She could feel their eyes
on her and silently cursed Stuart for using them in their annual
battle.

“
Does that
ambiguous little exchange mean it’s your birthday tomorrow?”
Elizabeth asked, looking from one to the other.

“
Yes, but
it’s no big deal. I don’t like to celebrate, so we do this little
show every year. It’s usually a private gig so I’m sorry you got
dragged into it.”

Elizabeth shrugged. “No
big deal. If I were you I’d go with the duck or...whatever that
was.” She pointed to the remnants of a dish in front of her. “It
went down a treat.”

The giggle escaped
because she wasn’t prepared for it, and as Alicia clutched her
sides, letting it all out, they fell with her.

Brad was watching her
face so he caught the discomfort, and felt an accompanying punch to
his heart. However skilled she was at hiding it, he hadn’t missed
the pain. He wanted to ask her why the very thought of celebrating
her birth hurt so much, but it wasn’t the time or the
place.

“
I think
we’ll skip to the end,” Stuart said when he had his breath back.
“I’ll finish off by saying that I’m grateful for you any day of the
year.”

Alicia stood so she could
put her arms around him. “As I’m grateful for you,” she said,
planting a kiss on top of his head.

Justin rose, smiling at
Alicia with more than a little mischief. “Well, on that
uncomfortable note, I’ll hit the road. Please give my compliments
to the chef.”

“
You bet. See
you around, Justin.”

The others weren’t far
behind. Susannah was the last to leave, floating out on a laugh at
one of Stuart’s stories.

Brad went to catch up
with the in-house team, leaving Alicia alone for a few minutes. It
felt good to relax and gather her thoughts, but it didn’t
last.

Sarah glided in with a
bag and a smile. “I hear I’ve missed the evening’s entertainment.
You still owe me a manicure.”

Alicia moved forward to
link their arms. “You’re late. But that’s okay. The longer I stay
awake, the later I sleep tomorrow.”

“
I’m going to
save my response to that until I’ve had a glass of wine or two.”
She held up the bag with a quick grin. “Let’s get this show on the
road.”

***

Alicia’s face was a
picture of concentration as she applied a second coat to Sarah’s
toenails. She looked up briefly, trying not to snigger at Sarah’s
dark green mud mask; her friend looked more like a soldier in full
camouflage than a woman used to frequenting a luxury
spa.

“
You can wipe
that smirk off your face. I’m not the only one with this gunk
covering my pores, and at least I don’t resemble a human panda.”
They had purposely steered clear of Alicia’s head wound, though it
was healing well.

Alicia pulled a face,
chuckling as she felt the mask begin to crack around her mouth.
“This is fun. It’s a shame we don’t make time to do it more
often.”

Sarah’s eyebrows shot up,
deepening the growing number of lines in her own face. “Sorry, but
this is a one-time only kind of deal.”

Alicia snorted. “Don’t be
such a snob. We don’t have this much fun at the spa.”

“
Are you
kidding me?”

She ignored her to sit
back and admire her handiwork. “I’m sure you wouldn’t get sherbet
orange at the Ocean Retreat. The colour looks good on
you.”

“
Honey, you
could get whatever the hell colour you liked. But, you’re right”
She wiggled her eyebrows. “It does look good on me.”

They switched places so
Sarah could return the favour. It stopped the conversation for all
of two minutes whilst she concentrated on not getting the
cherry-red polish all over Alicia’s skin.

“
There is one
thing I wouldn’t be able to do anywhere but here and that’s grill
you about a certain tall, dark and handsome marine.” She paused to
remove the excess polish from her brush. “I’ve seen the way you
look at him.”

“
I have no
idea what you’re talking about.”

“
Of course
you do, and it’s only fair I point out…they already made that
movie.”

Alicia choked on a sound
that could have been a laugh if her face had cooperated.

“
Hey, stop
moving your foot,” Sarah complained.

“
I made a
pass at him.” She squealed when Sarah’s hand slipped and the red
polish coated her toes.

“
And?” Sarah
skilfully mopped it up without breaking a sweat.

“
And he saw
the movie too. He’s a stickler for the rules.”

The shock on her face was
genuine and easy to read, despite the mud. “He blew you off because
of a rule. I thought he was smarter than that.”

“
He’s afraid
the distraction will prevent him from doing his job.” Alicia’s
smile was purely feminine. “But he did kiss me back, and let me
tell you, that man has some mouth.”

“
Sexy mouth
or not, he’s still an idiot.”

Alicia smiled,
appreciating her friend’s unfailing support. “I really love you,
you know that.”

“
That’s just
because I agree with you on most things.” She gave her a wry look
as she screwed the top back on the polish. “I know it and I return
it two-fold.”

Alicia swung her legs
over the bed as she checked her watch. “It’s about
time.”

Sarah nodded, moving her
face into a gruesome smile. “You know what the problem is? He has
too many morals. You’ll have to work on him.”

They both laughed at the
absurdity of her comment, and dashed into the en-suite to wash the
gunk from their face. They were still giggling like schoolgirls at
their first sleep-over when they came back out.

They settled back on the
bed, fresh-faced and relaxed, drinking the wine Josh had provided
for the occasion. “Thanks for not pointing out the reasons I
shouldn’t have acted on my attraction to him.”

“
You don’t
need me to do that, Al. If I thought it would affect his ability to
protect you, even for a second, I’d be the first to side with
him.”

“
I
know.”

“
Good.” She
shifted her body so she could look her in the eye. “Now that I’m in
your good books, I need to talk to you about something
else.”

Alicia took a deep
breath; she’d avoided this for over an hour. “Does this have
anything to do with the fact that it’s my birthday in...?” She
glanced at the clock. “Oh, it already is my birthday.”

“
Jacky is so
excited, Al. You can’t take that away from him. It’s time you moved
past this shame you carry around because, whether she wanted you or
not, there are so many people who couldn’t imagine life without
you.”