Slade's Secret Son (7 page)

“Did you tell your father about the investigation?”

“Yes, but he wouldn’t try to murder you. He has no reason to want you dead.”

“You said his wife was the owner’s daughter. Once a secret is out, it’s out. Her finding out about you could cost him his job as well as any inheritance he expected to receive when she died.”

Isabelle scowled. “My father is a computer genius. His wife’s father was the founder of the company but my father owns nearly all of the patents that make the company profitable.”

“He would still be in danger of losing any inheritance he expected to get from his wife,” Lisa pointed out. “Money can be a very strong motive.”

Isabelle shook her head. “Not in this case. Soon after I left Seattle, my father discovered that his wife, her name’s Elaine, thought he’d been having an affair. A
friend
of hers had seen him with me and felt obliged to tell her. Apparently, she’d suffered in silence and it was harming her health. Anyway, she finally told him and he told her about my mother and himself. She said she was glad he wouldn’t be alone when she was gone, then she
insisted on meeting me and my mother. A couple of weeks ago, we flew to Seattle and met her and her family. They were all kind to us and accepted me graciously.” A plea spread over her features. “But they and my mother and I are private people. We were hoping to keep this all in the family, at least for a while. I know eventually other people will learn the truth, but we’d like some time to adjust before it becomes public knowledge.”

“I understand,” Lisa said. “We won’t divulge your secret.”

Relief spread over Isabelle’s face. “Thanks.” A cynical spark of amusement suddenly twinkled in her eyes. “I would like to be a fly on the wall when Henry’s grandmother finds out.”

Lisa nodded.

Slade tried to concentrate on the facts of the case as they drove back to the airport, but the vision of Lisa and Andy being loved and cared for by another man continued to haunt him. He told himself this was because he wanted to be Andy’s full-time father…not only did he care for the boy, but it was his duty and his obligation. And he knew he would take better care of both of his son and Lisa than anyone else ever would. Abruptly, he said, “I can provide you and Andy with financial security and I’ll take care of the both of you to the utmost of my ability. We can have as good a life as Mrs. Montgomery had with her husband.”

Lisa continued to stare out the front windshield at the road ahead. She couldn’t deny she was tempted. But… “I want more.” Her words seemed to echo in the car. They were followed by a deafening silence; neither said anything more until they reached the airport.

There they discovered they couldn’t get a flight out until the next day.

“I could use some lunch and then some rest,” Lisa said.

A while later they’d eaten and checked into a nearby motel. As soon as they’d entered the room, Lisa had crawled into bed and gone to sleep.

Now, Slade sat in a chair, the folder containing the names of the job applicants she’d researched open on the table in front of him. But his gaze was on her. Being with her made him feel good and that feeling caused a twist of guilt. The image of his late wife Claudette came vividly back. He pushed it out of his mind and forced himself to concentrate on the information in the folder.

By the time Lisa woke from her nap, Slade had managed to get locations on all of the candidates and their current job status. Two had been hired by the company she’d worked for. Five had found good positions elsewhere and the eighth had started his own business in New York.

Another possibility had occurred to Slade. He waited until she’d fully wakened and joined him at the table.

“Have you found anything that might lead us to the right suspect?” she asked.

“None of the men you researched for the job position is a likely candidate for revenge.”

“You’re sure?”

“You can never be
sure
when human nature is involved, but I’d say there’s very little probability.”

“So that leaves the two divorce cases.”

“There is one other avenue we haven’t explored.”

Lisa raised a questioning eyebrow.

“Old boyfriends. Did you break up with someone who didn’t want to call it quits?”

“No.”

Her tone let him know she considered this subject closed, but he found himself wanting to know if she had been involved with anyone since him. “How can you be so certain? I think it would be smart to check into this.”

Lisa wished she had a name to give him, but… “I’ve been too busy taking care of Andy and earning a living to become romantically involved with anyone.”

Deep within, Slade experienced pleasure. He’d been her first and now he knew that he’d been the only man she’d been with. With the pleasure was something that felt like a twinge of possessiveness.
Dangerous reactions
, he warned himself. They were too much like the ones he’d had toward Claudette. Determinedly, he disregarded them. “So what about someone you didn’t date but who wanted to date you…someone who might not have taken rejection well?”

“I suppose I should be flattered that you think I could evoke such a strong reaction in a man.” Lisa stopped herself. She was letting her bitterness that he didn’t love her show. She schooled a nonchalance into her manner and even managed a shrug. “However, you’re barking up the wrong tree there.”

As Slade nodded his acceptance of her assessment, she rose from the table. Catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror, she cringed. Her nap had left her hair in wild disarray. Wanting something other than her companion to think about, she found her brush and began working to tame it.

Watching her, Slade noted that in spite of her recent bout with death, she stood tall and straight. She was a strong, independent woman. Claudette hadn’t been. Her
feelings had been easily bruised and physically he’d seen her as delicate, even fragile. Guilt washed over him. He’d let Claudette down. Not wanting to think about that, he rose. “How about dinner and a movie? We managed to get out of Seattle without a tail. And I haven’t seen anyone suspicious today. It should be safe.”

Anything was better than being sequestered in this room with him until morning, Lisa decided and agreed.

They asked at the desk about restaurants and chose a highly recommended Italian place.

Sitting there eating in a quiet, discrete corner, chosen because it had a view of the door and a wall at their backs, Lisa was reminded of their first meal together.

They’d been working on a case and had chosen an out-of-the-way table with a clear view of the door and the wall to their backs. They had been there waiting for the drug dealer Marcos Lane to arrive. Lisa had had a close friend die on the orders of Lane, who had been singled out as the key target of the drug task force operation. In spite of the rage she’d felt toward Lane and the single-mindedness of her desire to see him behind bars, she had found her attention wavering to her companion.

Then, too, she’d known about his devotion to his departed wife. It had been common gossip. He had dated, but only with the stipulation that the woman understood he would never become emotionally involved. Lisa found herself wondering if maybe he’d simply come up with the perfect line. A great many women would see him as a challenge…one they couldn’t resist. He was good-looking in a rugged sort of way, strongly built and had the most charming smile when he chose to use it.

However, she was not a game player when it came to men. Other women might see him as an irresistible challenge
but she’d prided herself on being smarter than that. She’d worked with him for a couple of weeks by then and knew how stubborn, demanding and authoritative he could be. He was, in her book, nothing but trouble.

Her mind snapped back to the present.
And he still is
, she added, forcing her attention back to the menu.

Slade, too, had been recalling the first time they’d eaten together. He’d known she didn’t like him. He’d gone out of his way to make her angry with him. He’d wanted her to resign from the task force. From the moment she’d walked through the door of the drug task force briefing room, she’d made him uneasy. Her air of confidence irritated him. Confident rookies had a way of getting themselves killed. He’d double checked her credentials. There had been nothing there he could use to have her removed. She’d been second in her class and an expert marksman.

But twice he’d had a nightmare about her getting shot and woken in a cold sweat. He’d never had nightmares about any of his men before. He’d told himself it was because she was a woman and his chauvinist side was showing.

Slade took a terse breath. He should have kept his distance. His instincts had warned him she could be dangerous. Then he thought of Andy and his heart swelled with pride. Whether she liked it or not, he would always look after his child and Lisa, and he would find a way to be a part of their lives…a significant, daily part of their lives.

“Have you decided on what you would like?” the waiter asked, breaking into his thoughts.

Slade jerked his mind back to the menu and ordered.

Much later that night Lisa lay in her bed staring at the ceiling of the darkened room. She didn’t want to, but she
couldn’t stop herself from remembering their first embrace. It had been a scene right out of the movies or one of those detective shows on television…the stereotypical embrace to keep from being noticed by the bad guys. But it had felt anything but stereotypical.

The fear had been real. Lane, a sociopath who killed at the drop of a hat, had surrounded himself with men who would do the same. When he’d left the restaurant, he’d chosen to walk. She and Slade were following at a discrete distance. The restaurant, a family owned and run place, was on the outskirts of Lubbock in the midst of a short block of stores in a blue collar residential area. Reaching a corner a couple blocks from the restaurant, they turned in the direction Lane had gone.

“He’s made us,” Slade murmured in her ear, the mike in his lapel picking up the warning, as well, and carrying it to their backup team.

Ahead of them, Lisa saw Lane leaning against the trunk of one of the trees lining the quiet road.

“Laugh like you’re enjoying my nuzzling your neck,” Slade ordered her, slowing their pace.

Lisa managed a giggle.

Slade pulled her into his arms, lifting her slightly so that he could shift their position to give her a view of the street behind them. “See anything?”

She’d known from the beginning that he considered her more of a liability than an asset. Because of that, she’d found it difficult to even be civil to him. But in spite of the tension between them, his nearness was causing her blood to rush and her legs to feel weak. Then she saw a sight that stiffened her with fear. “Two of his goons are coming up on us.”

“Pretend you’re upset by my advances. Push me away and stalk off across the street and head south. Take the first turn east.”

Pretending she was upset was easy. She was—she couldn’t believe how much she liked being in his arms. “Stop it!” she ordered. “I’m not that kind of girl.” Breaking free, she strode across the street. Behind her, she could hear Slade cursing about women who tease and don’t come through. Reaching the other side of the street, she glanced back to see him striding in the direction they’d come. Her breath locked in her lungs as he neared the goons.

Slowing her pace but forcing herself to keep moving in the direction he’d ordered, she reached into her purse to close her hand around the gun inside while watching Slade’s progress out of the corner of her eye. If it looked as if he was in trouble, she was ready to come to his aid. But to her relief, the goons allowed him to pass without incident. Finally taking a breath, she hurried to the corner and turned left. Immediately hiding herself behind a trunk of a tree, she watched until Slade reached the corner in safety, crossed the street and headed down the main drag away from the restaurant. Only then did she ease out of her hiding place and, breaking into a jog, round the block.

Seeing Slade coming toward her, the remembered warmth of his embrace came back so strongly she could almost feel his arms around her. She’d known he was strong, but she’d never dreamed he could feel so sturdy. The way her body was reacting stunned her. Heat surged through her, igniting a fire deep within.

“You should have been here by the time I crossed the street,” he snapped angrily. “When I tell you to take off, do it and don’t dawdle.”

His manner again reminded her that he considered her
more of a liability than an asset. The flames died a quick death. “I’m your partner. I wasn’t going to simply desert you.”

“I can take care of myself. What I don’t need is to be worrying about you.”

“You’re not invincible, Slade Logan,” she returned.

Catching her by the arm, he guided her toward the car. “You’re my responsibility and I’m not letting anything happen to you.”

Jerking free, she glared at him. “We’re each other’s responsibility. If I was a man, we wouldn’t be having this discussion.”

He frowned down at her. “You’re right. We wouldn’t.” He continued toward the car. “We’re calling it a night. I had Carl call in a second backup. He and Paul will be the primaries for the rest of the night.”

Startled by his admission that if she had been a man he would be treating her differently, she accompanied him in silence. Once inside the car, she said in a more level voice, “That’s a very chauvinistic attitude.”

“I was brought up to protect the members of the female sex. It’s ingrained in me. It’s the way I am.”

Lisa forced her mind back to the present, but the words
It’s the way I am
continued to echo in her head. She should have taken those words to heart, but she hadn’t. She’d thought she could change him.
Foolish, foolish girl
. Closing her eyes, she finally drifted into a restless sleep.

I
t was a little after noon when they arrived back in Seattle.

In the parking garage, Lisa fought to keep her mind focused on the people loading and unloading their cars. She’d dreamed about Slade during the night and was forced to admit that the physical attraction she’d felt for him in the past was as strong as ever. Reaching her mother’s car, he ordered her to squat down out of view while he opened the door. Reluctantly obeying, her gaze was caught by his boots then began traveling up the sturdy columns of his jeans-clad legs. Fires of passion flamed to life. Furious with herself, she jerked her gaze to the concrete floor of the parking lot.

Once seated inside the car, something nagged at her…something she’d noticed on the floor just under her door. As Slade slid into the driver’s seat, she suddenly realized what it was.

“Stop!” Lisa grabbed his wrist before he could put the key in the ignition. “I saw a thin piece of wire under
my door.” She paused then added, “It was the kind of wire used in the car bombing we were sure Lane had ordered.”

“If you’re right, there’s no telling what will trigger it. Just sit still and call the police,” Slade ordered.

Lisa hesitated. “If I’m wrong we’re going to look really stupid.”

“Better safe than sorry,” he returned.

Taking her cell phone out of her purse, she dialed 9-1-1.

The bomb squad responded immediately and it didn’t take them long to find the explosive. It was under the hood, wired to blow when the ignition was turned on.

“Amateurish but effective,” the captain of the bomb squad told them as his men removed it. “The kind of thing a person can find out how to construct on the Internet these days.”

Detective Overson arrived on the scene at that moment. “Looks like someone is after you,” he said as the bomb was put into a container and taken away.

“I’d say that’s pretty evident,” Lisa returned dryly.

Overson gave her an indulgent look. “I still think Tommy Cross was the intended victim when you were shot. Whoever fired at him was a pro. This bomb was amateurish and so was the hit-and-run. Whoever is after you is no pro. With any luck we’ll be able to track down the components of the bomb and get a description of the buyer.” His tone became authoritative. “I think it’s time you turned those files over to me.”

With her life on the line, Lisa decided she’d rather stay in charge. “Not yet.”

Overson scowled. “I don’t like this. That bomb was no joke.” He turned to Slade. “It could have taken out both of you.”

Slade’s gaze leveled on Lisa. Whomever this killer was, he was getting more and more dangerous. He wanted Lisa out of the line of fire. “He’s right. Do you want Andy to be minus two parents?”

Tears of frustration brimmed in her eyes. “I can’t go near my child until this lunatic is caught.” Her gaze turned to Detective Overson. “If I give you the files we have left, when will you get to them?”

“I have to be in court all day tomorrow and maybe early next week, but I’ll start looking into your case as soon as I’m finished testifying,” he promised.

“What about another detective looking into it sooner?” Slade asked.

“Everyone is doing double and triple duty. Take Miss Gray someplace safe. I promise you, I’ll devote my full time to her case as soon as I’m free.”

Lisa’s jaw hardened. “You give me a call when you have the time to start. If I haven’t found out who’s after me by then, I’ll consider handing over the files to you.”

“You do what you can with the bomb components,” Slade said. “I’ll watch over her.”

One of the bomb squad members approached them. “Your car’s safe to drive now,” he informed Slade, then walked away.

Overson’s gaze traveled over the two of them. “I don’t want to see anything happen to either of you. If you weren’t trained lawmen, I’d consider locking you up for your own good for withholding evidence. But that wouldn’t serve any purpose. Besides, a judge probably wouldn’t allow it.”

Driving away, Slade glared at the road ahead. “We’re going to follow one of Overson’s suggestions. I’m taking
you someplace safe and you’re going to stay there until I find out who’s after you.”

The thought that Slade could be killed because of her had shaken her to the core. “You’re going home and looking after our son. I’m going to finish this myself,” she returned curtly.

“You can’t really believe I would do that?”

“That’s the way I want it. Like you said, it wouldn’t be fair to Andy to lose both parents. If you stay with me, that could happen.”

“If I leave and you get yourself killed, I could never face him,” Slade countered. He gave her hand a squeeze. “We’ll find your would-be killer and end it.”

His touch didn’t warm her. It only served to increase the fear building within. “I don’t want Andy to be left an orphan. I never dreamed that first shot was for me.”

Slade heard the guilt in her voice. “I suppose if you had known, you’d have insisted on handling it on your own…just left a letter telling me about Andy in the event anything went wrong.” His voice took on a harsh edge. “That would have left a hell of a lot of loose ends for me to clean up.”

“That would have been better than this. I came to you because I was worried about Andy being parentless. Now I’ve put us both in harm’s way.”

“I’d have come up here and hunted your killer down on my own. At least this way we have each other to guard our respective backsides.”

Lisa had to admit he had a point, but she still didn’t like it. She also knew further arguing with him would be futile. She was equally convinced that if she turned this matter over to the police, they might never find the person. Or if they did, it could take months. With grim reluctance, she gave a shrug of concession.

“Our first stop is going to be the local FBI office,” Slade said. “I called a friend in the Bureau while the bomb squad was doing their job. The local branch is going to loan us a bug detector. Could be whoever is after you put monitoring devices on all the cars at your place. That would explain how they located this car. And if they did, they hid it well. I gave this car a once-over after the bomb was removed and couldn’t find anything.”

A short time later, they pulled into a midtown garage where they were met by Agent Stevens. A search of the car found no bug.

“Most likely, you did have a bug on you and the killer removed it when he planted the bomb,” Stevens said. “They’re expensive little gadgets. He wouldn’t have wanted to blow it up.” He nodded toward the device in Slade’s hand. “Check the car every time it’s been out of your sight.”

They thanked him and left.

Making certain they weren’t being followed, Slade found a motel on the outskirts of town. They got dinner from a fast food restaurant and took it to their room.

While they ate, Lisa glanced at the remaining two files, discarded one and picked up the other. “Randolph Granger must have found out I was the one who uncovered that hidden bank account and those property deeds. It cost him a quarter of a million more in the divorce settlement.”

Slade glanced through the other file. An expression of disbelief came over his face. “This Milton Blout hired you to find out if his wife was abusing their dog so he could win the custody battle for the animal?”

Lisa gave him a dry look. “Some people are as attached to their pets as others are to their children.” She
shrugged. “But I don’t know why I even pulled that file. Once I’d satisfied my client that his wife was a responsible person, he was happy. The truth is, I think he really wanted to find out if she had a boyfriend. She didn’t. It’s just that I thought I should pull everything I’d worked on for the past six months.”

Slade put the Blout file aside and placed a call to Boyd. Hanging up, he said, “Every felon you helped send to jail has been accounted for. None could have carried out the attacks on you.”

“The list of possible suspects is getting shorter by the minute,” Lisa muttered. Picking up the phone, she dialed Beth Granger’s number. There was no answer and she didn’t want to leave a message on the answering machine that might lead the killer to her. Hanging up, she yawned widely. “We’ll contact her tomorrow. I’m too tired to deal with anything more tonight.”

Finishing her meal, she stretched out on the bed. “You can take the first shower.”

As soon as the bathroom door was closed, she shoved the Granger file inside her suitcase, then waited until she heard the water running. Satisfied Slade was in the shower, she headed to the door. Her hand was on the knob when he stepped out of the bathroom, still dressed, and pressed a hand on the door to prevent her from opening it. “Figured you were getting ready to run,” he said with a disapproving scowl.

“I won’t make you a target. For Andy’s sake, you’ve got to let me see this through on my own,” she pleaded.

“For Andy’s sake I’m going to see we both make it through this.” He regarded her impatiently. “Besides, what good would running now do? I’ve got those files memorized. I’d be bird-dogging your tail by morning.”

“Bird-dogging is preferable to being a sitting duck at my side,” she returned.

“Like I said earlier, bird-dogging would mean I’d have to be keeping an eye on my backside as well as yours. Your would-be killer has to know I’ve been helping you. Together we can watch out for each other.” A determined expression came over his face. “Besides, have you forgotten that tomorrow is our wedding day?” Abruptly a grim expression spread over his face. “Or maybe that was why you were running?”

Finding the bomb had put everything but worrying about his safety out of her mind. “I had forgotten,” she said stiffly.

It irked him that she found their nuptials so minor.

Seeing the flash of anger on his face, she gave him a dry look. “Well, it’s not as if you really want to marry
me
.”

“I will not allow my son to grow up with the label of bastard.”

Lisa realized she’d been hoping that he’d say he wasn’t marrying her just for their son’s sake.
Foolish, stupid girl
.

“Am I going to have to handcuff you to something in this room or are you going to behave?” he asked threateningly.

Grudgingly admitting to herself that she couldn’t change the course of her investigation, she issued a disgruntled sigh and strode back to her bed. While Slade returned to the bathroom, this time to really shower, Lisa lay glaring at the ceiling, silently cursing his thickheadedness. But in the midst of her anger, the sound of the running water brought back old memories…memories of a time when she would have climbed in with him. Sucking in a shaky breath, her mind wandered again to their first kiss. A bittersweet smile curled the corners of her
mouth. That had been a shock to both of them. After the short embrace they’d shared while tailing Lane, Slade had been even cooler toward her. She’d been certain he didn’t like her. And she’d told herself she was glad. The last thing she had wanted was to get involved with a man who was totally devoted to his dead wife.

She then remembered the night they went to arrest Lane, who preferred death to prison. There had been a shootout and he’d gotten away. Lisa had been in the middle of the firefight. Afterward, Slade had gotten her alone and read her the riot act for placing herself in the line of fire.

She’d been furious with him and pointed out that she’d only been doing her job and that it was his chauvinistic side overreacting because she was a woman.

“So maybe I am too much of a chauvinist,” he’d conceded.

She’d been stunned by his admission. But even more shocked by the gruff emotion in his voice.

Then he’d added, “But I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

She’d been meeting his gaze with defiant pride. Suddenly the defiance was gone and her knees were weakening. The hard hickory-brown of his eyes had softened and she was being drawn into warm dark depths she’d never believed existed within him. The heat had intensified until she could barely breathe. He’d taken a step toward her, then she was in his arms and their lips had met.

Even now, years later, passion still flared to life at the memory.

The bittersweet smile on her face became more pronounced. They’d both been stunned. For a long moment they’d just stood looking at each other, then Slade had
walked off without a word.
Too bad I didn’t leave it at that
, she mused. In the next instant she thought of Andy. He was worth the price she’d paid.

When Slade came back into the room, she went in to take her shower. Standing there with the water cascading over her, she recalled their second kiss. She’d instigated it.

Because Lane was still on the loose, they had been forced to continue working together. But Slade had been keeping his distance as much as possible and had become even more frosty toward her.

For a week she’d battled in her mind. She’d never had that intense a reaction to a kiss. And then there was the heat she’d seen in his eyes. It had been so intense, just thinking about it had taken her breath away.

A part of her had argued that his coldness was because he truly regretted his momentary lapse and felt nothing for her, while another part argued that she’d cracked the barrier he kept around his heart and he was afraid any further contact with her might destroy it. In the end, the hope that it was the latter prevailed.

She’d started flirting with him, very subtly, but flirting nonetheless. He’d ignored it. She’d tried convincing herself that he really didn’t care and it would be best for her to forget him. But just seeing him had caused her juices to flow. Finally it had been anger toward herself that had made her insist on the kiss. She’d tried reasoning with herself, pointing out that he’d obviously had no feelings for her and it was foolish of her to be nursing this infatuation. But reason had refused to prevail. It had gotten to the point that when he’d walk into a room, fire would spread through her. When their bodies brushed, currents of heated electricity flowed from the contact.

Unable to stand it any longer, she’d decided to end the
irrational behavior once and for all. She’d been certain that a second kiss was the solution. The first had been unexpected. That had made it exciting…an adventure. The second would be planned…mundane…and it would end the silly infatuation.