Vengeance (30 page)

Cerberus thundered down the spiral steps, nails clicking on the wooden risers.
Can you take me with you?

I hated to admit it, but I wanted his company. "I suppose. But you'll need to stay in the car. The meeting with Meyer won't take long, I hope."

No problem. I can use a nap
. He paced behind me to the door.
You'll bring her home, won't you? Bring her here?

I had already thought through the logistics of the day. "Yes. Then we'll go up north, to my cabin on the Canadian border."

He looked at me over one furry black shoulder.
Good plan. We can lose ourselves in the woods if we need to.

We left the house, emerging into a cold rain. True to the forecast, I saw white sleet pellets splattering the grass. "You'll like it at the cabin. It's my real home. I built in the 1840s and it hasn't changed much, except I added solar power to replace the wood-burning stove and provide me with hot water when I want it. I've stayed there even in January."

Hardy soul
. He shivered, his fur rippling on his massive shoulders.
Someone walked on my grave
, he murmured.

I glanced at him. "Mother used to use that expression."

He nodded.
I know
. When we reached the car he paused, his pale blue eyes bleak.
My future hinges on today too
.

I didn't know how to reassure him so I said the only thing I could think of. "We'll straighten it all out, one way or another."

He huffed out a laugh then jumped into the back seat of the SUV that the valet service had delivered to the house.
Good. I'm getting tired of being a dog
. He closed his eyes before I could reply and began to snore ostentatiously.

Traffic was light, probably because of the Easter holiday. The paucity of cars on the road made it easy to spot the navy blue sedan that followed me with tenacity that defied streetlights, freeway traffic and maneuvering on my part. I kept them in sight as I drove to Delacroix Labs, one part of my mind focusing on potential danger and the other on the future.

What future could there be? No matter what Cerberus said, Lucinda wasn't in love with me. She was adamant in her dismissal. A small little voice in my head reminded me that he probably knew her far better than I did, but I decided to follow my gut instinct this time. The last time I followed rational thought, I got in trouble with Cara.

No, there was no future with Lucinda, but I wouldn't desert her. I'd coerce her into going north with me until I was sure she was safe. By the time I turned into the parking lot at Delacroix Labs, I had come to terms with it.

I leaned over to look in back, at Cerberus. "Will you be okay out here?"

He yawned widely.
Sure. I'll guard. Give Lucinda my love
.

"I doubt I'll have the chance." I talked myself out of disappointment as I walked into the building. I had been living alone for two centuries. Why should I care now? What did it matter that I'd be alone?

I had my answer when I saw Lucinda, standing outside her office and talking to John Fairchild, small and businesslike in her navy blue ensemble. Why did I love her? From her curly black hair to her navy flats, I loved every inch of her. She was argumentative, opinionated and stubborn to the point of mulishness, but she was also sweet, generous and trusting. I couldn't imagine living without her. The thought of it made me ill. I forced a smile on my face and joined them, extending a hand to Fairchild.

"Reporting as requested," I said lightly.

Lucinda turned and for an instant, she beamed at me, a wide smile that took my breath away. I took a step closer, her nearness intoxicating. "Hello, boss." I wanted to touch her, to feel that amazing psychic sharing again.

"I wasn't sure if you'd come. Thank you." A cool mask smoothed her face, erasing the warm smile. "Did you get my message?"

For a minute, I thought she meant the unconscious message she was trying to convey. Then I realized she meant it literally. "What message?"

"I called your house, but you must have already left and I didn't have your mobile number with me. Cara cancelled our meeting."

"What? Why?"

"She said that Robert was called out of town unexpectedly. He couldn't be here."

"Bullshit." What was Meyer up to? Too much was at stake today. We were going to finish our business even if he wasn't going to finish Delacroix business.

Lucinda shrugged. "That's what she said. She came in, told me and went to her office. I have to admit, she didn't look good. I assumed she canceled because she was ill."

My attention sharpened. "In what way?"

"I don't know. Tired, upset." Lucinda's sidelong glance at Fairchild reflected her worry. In that instant I realized she was aware of her half-brother's problems. Pieces of my past seemed to intersect with the present. I remembered her brother, the one in 1790 who got into trouble. Lucinda helped him by betraying me. Was something similar in the works now? Would she save John Fairchild but sacrifice me in the process?

"Where's Kat? And Jeff?" Fairchild asked. "They should have been here by now."

"Perhaps Cara got in touch with them." Lucinda started to pick at a ragged cuticle on her thumb, mangling it even further.

I put my hand on her wrist. Emotion flowed to me through our tenuous connection. Confusion, sadness, regret and love all inundated me. She longed to kiss me, touch me. But something held her back, some uncertainty that drowned out all other emotion.

"Let's discuss this." I walked toward her office, not releasing my hold.

"The conference room is--"

"In private." I turned to Fairchild. "Lucinda and I need to talk then I'll chat with you about your problem."

"Problem?"

He didn't pull off 'innocent surprise' well. "I'll call my bank right now and cover your losses if you promise to get treatment for your gambling addiction."

The stunned look on his face and Lucinda's was priceless. I wondered if I could submit it for use on that credit card's commercials, then banished the thought when I tried to visualize it: "Rescuing a future brother-in-law from gangsters: four hundred thousand dollars. Finding your reincarnated lover and convincing her to love you... priceless."

No, it wouldn't play. "Let's go." I tugged on Lucinda's hand.

"But we--the meeting--John has--"

"John has debts I'll pay, but first I want to talk to you." I pulled her toward her office, pausing once to look back at Fairchild, who stared at me with astonished hope. "I'll transfer the money to your account. But I want your promise you'll get treatment."

I saw no duplicity in his eager nod, only relief. This was a man who'd been searching for a solution and one had just been handed to him. "I'll do it. You have my word."

"I believe you." I pulled Lucinda into her office and closed the door behind us. "Wait a minute." I pulled out my phone and called my private banker in Switzerland. We had a brief conversation in German then I faced her. "John owes money to some very nasty people. I'll rescue him this time, but he has to get treatment for his addiction. Agreed?"

"Why?" Lucinda faced me, her quivering chin in the air. Her eyes were also suspiciously damp-looking. Damn, she was going to cry.

"Because I love you and I'll do anything to make you happy."

Her reaction was not what I expected. "You can't love me." She sounded angry even as she wiped a tear that was trickling down her cheek.

"Who said I can't?" I took a seat in a visitor chair and gestured to the desk in front of me. "Sit down and let's talk this out."

She started to go to her office chair, but I shook my head. "Here." I pointed again to the desk. "I don't want to shout at you."

I thought she'd ignore me, but she leaned against the desk, much as Cara had just a day earlier. "You can't love me, Nico. It's nice of you to say so, but I know you don't."

"Nice has nothing to do with it. I'm stating the truth. I feel as though I've known you all my life." I hoped she would hear the truth--at least, the truth that I could tell. "Once I realized how special you were, I couldn't walk away from you."

"I'm not totally stupid. I told you John did a background check, but I did one too. His was superficial--financial records and things like that. I dug a bit deeper."

I sat back in my chair. "And what did you find?" I was confident she knew nothing about my convoluted past. I hid it too well.

"You work for the government. As soon as I knew that, I knew why you were paying attention to me."

The overly casual way she said it told me how the supposition hurt. "I just explained why I was paying attention to you. I love you."

"You wanted to get close to Robert. And by getting close to me, you could get close to him."

I leaned forward, putting my hand over her thin wrist, poking out of her navy jacket. "Yes, that's true. That first day I met you in the coffee shop, all I could think about was getting close to Masterson. But that motivation vanished in a few hours, once I got to know you."

Hope and disbelief warred in her. I saw it in her eyes and felt it in the psychic connection we shared.

"But you're..." Lucinda shook her head, her curls bobbing. "You're so rich and sophisticated. You wear nice clothes, you drive nice cars and spend money." Her voice reflected exasperated despair, as though she was arguing with a recalcitrant child who just didn't understand the Rules of Life.

"None of that matters." I tugged on her arms and she sank onto my lap.

"You sort your silverware." Her voice choked as her arms went around my neck. "I saw you in my kitchen. You sorted my dishes." She sounded amused and confused. "You're so damn tidy, Nico. It would never work."

"An unfortunate habit I'll break," I murmured in her ear. "I'll wear old clothes and let my cookware get dinged. I'll give away my Armani jackets. But I draw the line at the cars. I won't give up my cars."

She shivered in my arms. "But you're so handsome. You need someone like Cara who knows about styles and fashion."

I knew this was the heart of the matter. "I need you," I said with all the force I could convey. "I love you." I put a finger under her chin and raised her face to mine. "You're all the beauty a man would need in this world." I lowered my face to hers. "Love me, Lucinda."

Our lips touched. Two-fold passion--hers and mine--began moving in a slow tide through our bodies. Memories of last night's lovemaking heightened the sensation as I relived, through her, how it felt to orgasm in my arms, how it felt to taste me and touch me.

She pulled back to look at me in wonder. "You really do love me. I thought it was because of Robert. "

I kissed her. "It's because of you, love. Only because of you." I slipped my hand under her blouse and slid it along her warm, silky back. "Do you think anyone would notice if we locked the door and disappeared for a few hours?"

Before she could answer, her door was flung open. Cara Delacroix stood on the threshold, her arms akimbo at her waist. Two bright spots of color stood out sharply on her cheeks. Except for that, she was deathly pale, her face drawn. This was the first time I'd seen her without impeccable makeup. I realized Lucinda was right. Cara wasn't well.

"Look familiar?" I drawled.

Cara strode into the office and raised one arm. I didn't mind if she hit me, but I was damned if she'd strike Lucinda. I surged to my feet and set Lucinda down in one motion, then grabbed Cara's hand on the down stroke.

"Now, now. There's nothing to be jealous about. You and I were just ships passing, or rather, missing, in the night."

"Jealous?" She spat the word at me. "Don't flatter yourself."

"Then why the theatrics?" I let her arm drop, but made sure Lucinda was safely behind me. I didn't trust the bloodthirsty look in Cara's eyes.

"What did you do to make Robert leave town?" She shifted her glare from me to her sister. "I know you did something."

"Leave town?" Lucinda poked her head around my arm. "Where did he go?"

"He left me a voicemail saying he had to leave town and he'd return when there was a less hostile reaction to his plan." Her gaze shifted to me. "What did you say to him?"

I put an arm around Lucinda's shoulders and drew her forward, still keeping the bulk of my body between her and her witch of a sister. "Dr. Masterson and I haven't talked recently." My bruised side twitched as if in rebuke at the lie. "Perhaps I'm not the hostile element he's talking about. Perhaps he has enemies you know nothing about."

Jeff Delacroix looked around the edge of the open door. "Is the meeting cancelled?" I saw John Fairchild behind him, peering over his nephew's shoulder into Lucinda's office.

"Yes," Cara snapped. "Thanks to your aunt, we've lost the chance of a lifetime to move this company into a position of prominence in medical research."

Lucinda laughed out loud. "Quit reciting Robert's PR bullshit. He wanted this company for his own purposes. I just wish I knew what those were." She looked past Jeff. "Where's Kat?"