Slow Burn (A Madaris Family Novel) (23 page)

“With all due respect, sir, you might be who you claim, but
unless I hear from Ms. Barclay, I cannot grant you entrance to her home without her permission.”

His lips curling angrily, Wayne glared at the doorman. “In that case I’ll try reaching her again on her cell phone.”

“Thank you, sir, and if she is your fiancée as you claim, then I’m sure you understand that I take my job of keeping her, as well as everyone else in this building, safe very seriously.”

Wayne angrily walked away to sit on the sofa in the lobby while he tried to reach Skye again on her cell phone. He had left three messages since Sunday, and she had not called him back. When he saw her again he intended to make certain things absolutely clear with her. First, whether she wanted it or not, the wedding was back on, so she could bank on the Christmas wedding like he had announced to his family before leaving Maine for this god-awful place. The air here was humid. The weather unbearably hot. Renting a car at the airport and getting on that interstate had been almost suicidal. Why would someone want to live here? Skye would pay dearly for what she was putting him through. He’d had enough of her nonsense.

His insides quivered at the phone call he’d received Sunday morning. The caller was angry and had threatened to cut off his money supply if he didn’t get Skye back in line, and he had too many gambling debts not to follow orders. He needed money. Plenty of it. It would take Skye’s trust as well as his own, along with any extra income he could make on the side, to continue to live the lifestyle he was accustomed to. Yes, Skye had pissed him off and he was determined to let her know it.

He glanced up when two people walked into the building. He recognized Skye immediately and could only assume the lanky teenager walking by her side was the brother she had traveled to this horrific state to visit. Neither of them glanced his way as they headed toward the elevator.

He stood immediately. “Skye?”

She turned toward the sound of his voice and stared at him. Surprise was etched all over her face as he walked over to her. “Wayne? What are you doing in Houston?”

He pasted a smile on his face, although her question made him even more pissed. “You act like you’re not happy to see your fiancé, sweetheart.”

He noted the lifting of the boy’s brows. He turned to Skye and said, “I thought you weren’t getting married.”

She smiled up at Vincent and said, “I’m not.”

Wayne chuckled, leveling a cool stare. “Of course you are. We’re getting married on Christmas Day. How could you forget?”

She glared at him. “Easily. What are you doing here, Wayne?” she asked him again.

“We need to talk.” Then glancing at the kid, then back at her, Wayne said, “Privately.”

“We have nothing to say.”

“I think we do.”

“Ms. Barclay,” the security doorman said, coming to stand beside her and Vincent. “If this man is bothering you, I can escort him out of the building.”

Skye smiled up at the doorman. “That won’t be necessary, Ron. He’s leaving.”

She then turned her attention back to Wayne. “Good-bye, Wayne, and have a safe trip back to Maine.”

Skye touched Vincent’s arm, and the two of them then walked off toward the bank of elevators, leaving Wayne standing there, staring at them.

Wayne sat in an area of the parking lot waiting for Skye to return. He had watched her leave with her brother over an hour ago, and, thinking she was taking the kid home, decided to sit and wait for her to come back.

There was no way he could go back to Maine until she understood just where he stood and that there would be a Christmas wedding. He had made the necessary phone calls and warnings had been put in place. He was to use whatever means necessary to get Skye to cooperate…and he would.

He watched as her car pulled into the same parking space it had been in earlier. She got out and had begun walking toward the entrance to her condo when he got out of his car and called after her, “Skye?”

She stopped and turned around at the sound of his voice, saw him, and then turned back around and quickly began walking toward the entrance door.

Rage ripped through him and he called out to her and said, “If you care about your brother’s welfare, I suggest you don’t walk away from me, Skye.”

She stopped, turned around, and met him with anger flaring in her eyes. “What did you say?”

He slowly began walking toward her. “You heard what I said, and I meant every word. All I have to do is make a call and that brother of yours is history.”

Skye stared at him, not believing what she was hearing. She had determined a while ago that Wayne was ruthless, but she refused to believe he could be capable of doing bodily harm to anyone.

He evidently read her thoughts. “I wouldn’t chance it if I were you. I have too much to lose by not marrying you. I wouldn’t harm your brother personally, but I know of others who will upon my orders. They will fix it so he’ll never be heard of again, and you wouldn’t be able to prove a single thing. If you want to think I’m bluffing, then take a chance, go ahead and try me. It’s your brother’s life we’re talking about.”

Skye took a step back and stared at Wayne. She saw the cold look in his eyes, his entire stony face. “You’re crazy,” she said softly. “You’re really crazy.”

He shook his head and chuckled. The sound was just as cold as the look in his eyes. Both sent shivers down her spine. “Not crazy, Skye. Desperate. And just so we understand each other, someone is paying me a lot of money to keep you under control, and I intend to do it. I stand to lose too much if I don’t, so don’t think for one minute that I’m not telling you the truth. Unless you do what I say, then I can’t be held responsible for the kid’s untimely accident. And trust me, there will be an accident.”

He then crossed his arms over his chest. “And if that doesn’t get your attention, then that new so-called boyfriend of yours might be next.”

At the surprised look on her face he said, “Oh yeah, I know about him, too. Get rid of him, Skye. You have forty-eight hours to return to Maine and start planning our wedding or you’ll be sorry. And just so you’ll know I’m serious, maybe your friend will tell you about what almost happened to him tonight. Trust me, that was a warning. We’re going after the kid next and then your friend again.”

Again?
Skye shook her head as she continued to back up. “No, Wayne, I refuse to believe this. You might be capable of some things, but not that.”

“That just goes to show that you really don’t know me, doesn’t it? You will marry me and we will have a long and wonderful life together. Forty-eight hours, Skye. That’s all the time you have. Call me to let me know what plane you’re taking and I’ll pick you up from the airport.”

Skye then watched as he turned and walked back toward the car he had gotten out of.

“Ms. Barclay? Are you all right?”

She turned around and saw Ron. No, she wasn’t okay. “Do you know if Mr. Madaris has come home yet?” Slade had left the office early for a business meeting downtown.

The older man shook his head. “No, ma’am. He hasn’t arrived.”

“Thank you.”

She quickly headed inside and pulled her phone out of her purse as she headed for the elevator. She had turned it off earlier when she kept getting calls from Wayne, not knowing that he was here in Houston. She sucked in a deep breath when she saw she’d missed a call ten minutes ago from Slade. She quickly punched the button to redial the number.

“Hello?”

Remembering what Wayne had said, she quickly asked, “Slade, are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m okay, but my truck’s not. I’m having it towed.”

Panic thickened her throat and she had a hard time swallowing. “What happened?” she asked, stepping off the elevator.

“Someone ran me off the road. Probably some teenager out driving recklessly when he should be home doing homework. I hit the curb and blew a tire. Nothing major.”

She almost dropped the phone out of her hand as Wayne’s threats rang loud and clear in her ears: “
Trust me, that was a warning. We’re going after the kid next and then your friend again.
”

Her head started spinning. How did Wayne know about Slade? Was he having her watched? Then she suddenly recalled something he’d said: “
Someone is paying me a lot of money to keep you under control and I intend to do it.
”

Chills ran down her spine. Who was this someone he was talking about? Would her parents go that far to control her that they would harm Vincent or Slade? And if so, why?

“Skye, are you all right? I tried calling you because Vincent called me, upset, saying some man was at the condo claiming he was your fiancé. What’s going on, Skye?”

A lone tear fell from her eye as she opened the door to her condo. She knew what she had to do. She didn’t understand any of it, but she knew more than anything she could not and would not let anything happen to Vincent and Slade.

She inhaled deeply and tried to keep her voice from breaking up when she said, “I’m leaving Houston, Slade, and returning to Maine. I have to go start packing.”

“Why? Has something happened to your parents?”

“No.”

“Then why are you leaving?”

She closed her eyes and leaned back against the door. “I’ve decided to marry Wayne after all.” Then without giving Slade a chance to ask her anything, she clicked off the phone.

Skye had hoped to be packed and gone before Slade got home, but she had no such luck. She knew it was him by the insistent knocking at the door. He had called twice, but she hadn’t answered the phone.

“Open up, Skye. I know you’re in there, so let me in and tell me what the hell is going on.”

Inhaling deeply, she moved toward the door. She took another deep breath before opening it. Then there he stood, his features a mixture of irritation and anger. “What do you mean you’re marrying that guy after all?”

Skye swallowed. “I have to marry him, Slade.”

He stepped around her and came into the condo. “Why do you
have
to marry him? You told me that you and that guy were history. You also told me just yesterday that you were in love with me. What the hell is going on here, Skye?”

She tried to hold herself together when she said, “I was wrong about us. My place is back in Augusta.”

“As that bastard’s wife? The same man you told me treated you like crap? So what were you doing here with me, Skye? Using me to make him jealous? And what about Vincent? You’re just going to up and leave tonight without telling him anything, after dropping into his life the way you did? Just what kind of sick game are you playing?”

Skye knew if she had to endure Slade’s anger a minute longer she would fall apart and she couldn’t do that. Under no circumstances could she let him know about Wayne’s threats. That way he and Vincent would be safe. “Please leave, Slade. I’ll be out of here as soon as I finish packing. I’m spending the night at a hotel and will be flying out in the morning. I’m sorry if I caused you and Vincent pain. I’m truly sorry.”

Slade stood there and stared at her for a long moment. He then turned and walked out the door, slamming it shut behind him. It was then that Skye dropped down on the sofa and gave way to the tears she’d been holding back.

Slade went across the hall to his own condo and slammed the door shut. Full of an anger so intense, he knew he’d never felt it before, he went into his bedroom and pulled off his jacket and slung it across the bed. The same bed he and Skye had shared Saturday night and practically all day Sunday. The same bed where he’d told her he loved her and she had told him that she loved him as well.

Lies. She had told him nothing but lies. How could he have been taken in by her? How could he let her convince him she was something that she wasn’t? How could he—

Something snapped inside of him. No! He refused to believe she had told him lies. He refused to believe she wasn’t what she’d claimed to be all along. All he had to do was close his eyes to relive the memories of all the times they shared together, everything they did and the conversations they had. Skye was not a phony person. She was a very caring one. There was a reason she was going back to Maine to marry that bastard, and Slade refused to believe it was because it was something she wanted to do. What was she afraid of? Why couldn’t she confide in him and tell him what the hell was going on? Why was she letting the bastard call the shots and meekly following orders? Why?

There was only one way to find out.

Slade turned, retraced his steps, and walked out of the condo. Crossing the hall, he lifted his hand to knock when he picked up the sound of her crying beyond the door. His heart clenched as he silently turned the knob and went in without knocking. She was there, lying across the sofa, weeping like a newborn baby.

He quickly crossed the room to her. “Skye, please tell me what’s going on.”

She jumped up at the sound of his voice and quickly began wiping her eyes. “Why did you come back, Slade? And nothing is going on. I merely changed my mind about things and have decided to return to Maine to marry Wayne.”

“Are your parents forcing you to do this? Are they threatening you in any way?”

She turned away from him, refusing to look at him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Please leave, Slade. We don’t have anything else to say to each other. I’m sorry, but I want you to leave.”

Her words hurt, but he refused to walk away. “Turn around and look into my face and tell me that you don’t love me, Skye. Tell me your words of love to me were nothing but lies. Do it and then I’ll leave.”

She turned to him, lifted her chin, and met his gaze. “I don’t love…” She couldn’t get that last word out of her mouth. Tears came into her eyes. “Please, Slade. Don’t do this. You have to let me go to keep you and Vincent safe. I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to you.”

He stared at her. “What are you talking about?”

She shook her head. “You have to leave.”

He reached out and pulled her to him. She resisted at first, but when he tugged her into his arms and held her there for a moment, she then clung to him and began sobbing into his shirt. “You have to let me go. You have to.”