Authors: Brenda Jackson

Ties That Bind (25 page)

BOOK: Ties That Bind

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Randolph slowly lifted his head and stared at Jenna. Her lips were moist and swollen from his kiss. He knew it was time to leave or else he would kiss her again. He was determined to take things slow. They needed to get to know each other again. They weren't the same two people no matter what feelings they may still have for each other.

He dropped his hand and took a step back. “Twelve years ago, Jenna, you thought you were doing the right thing by disappearing from my life. But even with the best of your intentions, you couldn't make me love Angela. Nor could you make me forget you.”

Without saying anything else he turned and walked out of the door.

Twenty-three

The end of 1980 was drawing near. Richard Pryor was recovering after getting badly burned trying to freebase cocaine, and on the eighth day of December, former Beatle John Lennon was murdered outside his apartment, leaving numerous Beatles fans to mourn his death.

Noah Wainwright sat behind his desk and frowned at the man sitting across from him. “I hear what you're saying, Jim, but I refuse to give up my search. I have to know something one way or the other.”

Jim Rogers sat back in his chair and gazed at Noah imploringly. “Look Noah, I understand your need to bring closure to the issue of whether or not Ross Fuller's daughter is still alive. However, if you're serious about becoming the next senator from Florida, you need to put more concentration into organizing a campaign.”

Noah was quiet for a moment. Slowly he stood and walked across the room to look out of the window. It had been thirteen years since Ross had died in Vietnam. It seemed that lately he'd thought of his best friend often. The years he and Ross had shared while in school at Howard had been the best, and he knew if their places had been traded and he'd been the one killed in 'Nam, Ross would fulfill any promise he'd made to him or die trying.

Noah turned around. “Go ahead and organize the campaign and I'll do whatever you need me to do. But I won't give up my search. A part of me believes that thirteen-year-old Adrianna Fuller is alive somewhere and one day she will be found.”

Later that evening after spending time helping Zachary with his homework and reading Noelle a story, Noah walked into his bedroom at the same time Leigh was coming out of the bathroom after taking a shower.

Closing the door behind him, he leaned against it and gazed at her. He loved her just as much now as he had when they'd been younger. Now he was thirty-seven and she was thirty-four and as far as he was concerned life had been good to them. They had been blessed with fourteen good years of marriage and two beautiful children.

After Vietnam, he had spent the rest of his military days in Texas. They had returned to Miami when Leigh had been pregnant with Noelle, and by his daughter's first birthday, he had gone into private practice. After practicing law for nearly seven years, he had gotten appointed to the office of city commissioner. Leigh worked as a guidance counselor in one of the Miami high schools and had been doing so for almost ten years. She loved her job as much as he loved his, but he had a burning desire to enter politics. And from recent polls, he had a very good chance of winning.

“The kids are in bed?”

Leigh's question recaptured his attention. “Yes, and I've closed up everything.”

“Good.”

He crossed the room to her and reached out to let his hand skim up her back. “You, okay? You seemed rather preoccupied at dinner. Is anything wrong?” he asked softly.

Closing her eyes, Leigh relaxed her body against his, reveling in his touch. His hand moving up and down her back was such a soothing motion. “I had Johnny on my mind. I hope Randolph is able to prove his innocence.”

“If anyone can it will be Randolph.”

“I hope so.”

Noah pulled her closer to him. “You're going to have to have faith. It's unfortunate that Johnny has been locked up all this time, but at least now there's a chance he'll be set free.”

Leigh nodded. “Thanks for being so supportive when you have a lot on your mind as well. I know that investigator's report wasn't the best news.

Noah sighed deeply. “No, it wasn't but I can't give up. You do understand, don't you? I know we could be doing other things with the money I'm paying out to that agency butâ”

Leigh quickly placed a finger to Noah's lip. “You don't have to explain, Noah. Both you and Randolph are paying out a lot of money but one day it will be worth it. One day we will have Ross's daughter here where she belongs.”

“You believe that, too, don't you?”

Leigh nodded. “Yes, I believe it because you believe it. And I know that Randolph believes it as well.”

Noah sat down with Leigh on the bed. “Speaking of Randolph, from my conversation with him a few days ago I understand he's seen Jenna again. It will serve Angela right if the two of them get back together.”

Leigh smiled. She and Ellie had taken bets already that they would. “Yes, it would, wouldn't it? I tried to warn you years ago that I thought Angela had the hots for Randolph but you didn't believe me.”

“Yeah, and I regret I didn't take you more seriously. Angela has done nothing but cause Randolph grief and will only continue to do so. She's not above doing anything, not even using their son, to keep her claws in Randolph. I don't put anything past her. Sometimes I actually believe she has a mental problem with this obsession of hers.”

Leigh thought that as well. She turned around to face Noah. “I don't want to talk about that woman any more.”

Noah chuckled, and the rich sound of his chuckle was like a soft stroke to Leigh's skin. He reached out and touched her cheek with his fingertip. “What do you want to talk about?”

“Nothing.”

“All right. There's something I'm interested in doing that doesn't require talking,” he said.

The sensuousness in his voice sent shivers of desire up Leigh's spine. She reached out and placed her arms around his neck, bringing her lips close to his. “Show me.”

Noah's lips closed over hers as he pulled her down onto the bed with him. They were through talking for the night.

January 1981

On January tenth, Randolph met with Johnny at the California State Penitentiary to discuss his case. What Randolph had told Jenna was true. For the first hour or so, Johnny's attitude had been guarded and filled with mistrust. However, with Jenna's presence, his attitude began thawing considerably, and he began giving Randolph a wealth of information to aid in his defense.

Randolph and Jenna spent all day with Johnny, then afterward they returned to the hotel where they were staying. They agreed to go out to dinner to discuss all the information that Johnny had given them.

“So do you think you have a solid case?” Jenna asked anxiously after they had placed the order for their meal.

“Yes, I believe I do, especially if everything Johnny said checks out. And if it does, we have to be prepared for the federal government's denial of the charges as well as their attempt to keep it under wraps. And more than anything, we can't make it appear that we are accusing the government of wrongdoings, but that our accusations are leveled against certain people within the government. My approach is to place enough doubt and suspicions in the jurors' minds, especially for what I'm pushing for.”

“A retrial?”

“Yes.”

That night after dinner they had gone back to their separate hotel rooms. Randolph had given her a chaste kiss on her lips before making sure she had entered her room. The next day they had met with Johnny again and it was obvious she was no longer needed since Johnny was beginning to warm up to Randolph. With the possibility of
freedom within his reach, Johnny again provided Randolph with additional information.

Jenna's heart was saddened. Johnny had stopped being the happy-go-lucky guy she'd known years ago and it was obvious that nearly fourteen years of confinement had broken his spirit, totally killed his faith in the judicial system and the people who ran it. But now, listening to Randolph defend the government, she realized that the judicial system itself wasn't bad but the people who had been put in place to run it. Often they made the wrong decisions and were corrupted by the power. Randolph was determined to prove that J. Edgar Hoover, who'd been head of the FBI during the time of the Oakland raid, had been that type of individual.

Jenna received a call from Randolph two weeks later. He informed her that his investigators had uncovered some interesting things based on the information Johnny had provided, and that in a week he would be meeting with Governor Jerry Brown behind closed doors. She. had not seen Randolph since that weekend she had joined him in California, but he contacted her at least once a week to provide an update on how things were going. During this particular phone call, he mentioned he would be in Atlanta on business and asked if he could look her up while in town.

Jenna had told him that he could.

Moving around the kitchen on Saturday morning, she had just finished placing Haywood's lunch on the table when the doorbell rang. Thinking it was probably Carol, a barefoot Jenna left the kitchen and crossed the carpeted floor to the door and opened it.

“Randolph!”

“Hi, Jenna.”

Jenna swallowed, trying not to become hypnotized by Randolph's deep-sounding voice or the dark eyes looking at her. With forced calmness she inhaled â¦ then exhaled before speaking. “I thought you weren't going to be in town until sometime next week.”

His dark eyes probed hers as he responded. “I hadn't visited Atlanta in a while and thought I'd come up for the weekend. I hope I'm not visiting too early or catching you at a bad time.”

“No, it's not too early nor is it a bad time. I'm just surprised to see you.” She stepped aside. “Come in. I was just giving Haywood lunch.”

Randolph came inside and glanced around. “This is a nice place.”

“Thanks. It's just the right size for me and Haywood.” No sooner had Jenna said the words then her daughter raced into the living room from the kitchen.

“Is Gramma here, Mommy?” When she saw it was a man who wasn't one of her uncles, Haywood stopped short. “Oh. Hello.”

Randolph smiled down at the little girl who was dressed in a Cookie Monster T-shirt and a pair of jeans. “Hello. You must be Haywood.”

The little girl smiled as she bobbed her head up and down. She seemed pleased that he knew her name. But then the expression on her face changed and got serious when it appeared she'd suddenly remembered something. “I'm not supposed to talk to strangers,” she said, taking a step back to stand beside her mother.

Jenna smiled. Evidently it hadn't hit Haywood that she had spoken to the stranger. “He's not a stranger, Haywood. His name is Mr. Fuller and he's a friend of mine from school.”

The little girl looked from her mother to Randolph then back at her mother again. “The first grade?” she asked in excitement.

Jenna chuckled. “No, not from first grade but from college.”

“Oh,” Haywood said, no longer impressed. “Would you like some of my lunch?”

Randolph smiled. “No, I had a big breakfast but thanks for asking.”

“You're welcome. Good-bye.” She raced back to the kitchen.

“She has a lot of energy,” Randolph said, watching the little girl disappear from the room just as fast as she had entered it.

“Trust me, I know all about Haywood's energy. You said you didn't want lunch but can I interest you in a cup of coffee?”

Another smile curved his lips. “You don't have to twist my arm on that one.”

“Good. You can join me in the kitchen or I can bring it out here to you, if you prefer.”

“I'll join you in the kitchen.”

Randolph kept up a steady conversation with Haywood as she ate lunch and Jenna prepared him a cup of coffee. The little girl never lacked for words. He chuckled, remembering that Trey had been the same way at her age.

“Do you have any little girls, Mr. Fuller?”

Haywood's question made him grin. “No, but I do have a son. His name is Trey and he's twelve.”

“Twelve? He goes to a big kids school?”

“Yes, I guess you can say that,” Randolph answered, laughing. He found Jenna's daughter very intelligent and a delight to talk to.

“It's nap time, Haywood,” Jenna said a short while later. “Tell Mr. Fuller good-bye.”

“Good-bye, Mr. Fuller. Will you be here when I wake up?”

Randolph looked at Jenna, saw how she was nervously gnawing at her bottom lip with her daughter's question and said, “I'd love to be here when you wake up but I wouldn't want to keep your mother from doing her work.”

“She's done her work already. She did it while I was watching my cartoons this morning. Didn't you, Mommy?”

A number of conflicting emotions raced through Jenna. “Yes, I've done most of my chores but a mother's work is never done. Now go and take a nap, Haywood.”

“Yes, ma'am.”

A few seconds later Jenna and Randolph found themselves alone. Jenna cleared her throat. “Are there any new developments with Johnny's case?”

BOOK: Ties That Bind

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