Betrayed by Trust (13 page)

I felt nothing.

“Sorry.” I let my hands drop into my lap and looked at Kalisa. “You know I’ve never been good at this. You’re the expert.”

“I already tried, but I can only find objects, not people. We thought that since you had that premonition, you might pick up on something.” Kalisa shrugged. “It was worth a shot.”

“Maybe the killer isn’t in Vancouver anymore,” Dan said.

“You could try with a larger map,” Kalisa said.

“Good idea,” Kincaid said.

“Do you feel up to it?” Dan asked.

I nodded. I was tired, but if there was any chance at all that I could find Foxworth’s killer, I wanted to try.

Kalisa put a map of North America in front of me. “I could try a spell to temporarily enhance your skill,” she said.

“What effect would that have on the baby?” Dan asked.

The witch shook her head. “I doubt it would have any lasting effect. But I don’t know for sure.”

“Better not risk it,” Kincaid said.

So I tried again, with only my own limited ability. The results this time were no better than before, and when I dropped my arms this time, my hands were shaking.

Dan and Kincaid moved to stand on either side of me. Dan put a hand on my shoulder and I leaned against his solid strength.

“If the assassin got on a plane, he could be almost anywhere by now,” Kincaid said.

“We could try with a larger map,” Kalisa suggested. “Then narrow it down.”

“I think that’s it for today,” Dan said firmly. “Marianne needs to rest now.”

I hated to give up, but Dan was right. I was wiped out.

Dan insisted I rest when we got home, and I didn’t argue. The summer sun was still well above the horizon, so I drew the bedroom curtains and lay down. I didn’t sleep, though. My mind kept whirling, remembering the danger and dread I’d sensed before Foxworth was killed. The feeling was similar to what I’d experienced in Pennsylvania, but less urgent. Was that lack of urgency because Foxworth’s death would have less direct impact on me, or because he was hundreds of miles away?

Disaster had been averted at Three Mile Island, but only just barely. Half the reactor core had been exposed, and radioactive gasses had been released into the air. How much, and how far the plume had spread was still under investigation. Dan’s family had gotten out of the area before the governor had called for pregnant women and young children to evacuate. They’d avoided the traffic jams of the mass exodus, and now I had the same reputation for good hunches among the family that Gran had.

The warning I’d felt for Foxworth might not have been as forceful as the earlier one had been, but why had I felt it at all? My intuitions were always personal. Why would a threat to Foxworth be a danger to me?

D
an clenched his jaw as he pushed the reel mower over the small plot of grass in the backyard, carefully overlapping each pass by habit. Marianne had been pale and shaky when he’d called a halt to her searching for Foxworth’s killer. If he hadn’t been there, she probably would have kept trying, and he didn’t have any confidence that Kalisa or Kincaid would have stopped her before she collapsed. Kincaid, in particular, only saw Marianne as an incubator. The bastard should be more careful of her, even if he only saw her as a tool for the Trust. Kalisa, at least, should have looked out for Marianne, but she’d been just as intent on the search as Kincaid. Which in Dan’s book, didn’t make her much of a friend.

Marianne stepped through the sliding door onto the patio just as he finished mowing. “No hotdogs?” she asked.

He grinned, liking that she remembered the family story. “You planning on sticking your fingers in the blades?”

She sat on the wicker loveseat. “Not today.”

Dan pushed the mower around the corner and into the garden shed. A minute later he sat next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. He wished she’d rested longer. Her body still felt tense, but her color was better and she wasn’t shaking anymore. “Feeling better?”

“Much.” She snuggled closer, despite him being sweaty from his chores. “I couldn’t sleep, though. I couldn’t stop think about everything.”

He nodded and squeezed her shoulder. “Me, either. Marianne, I want you to be careful. Don’t let Kincaid pressure you into doing more than you can. And tell me if you have more ‘feelings,’ or if you see anything unusual. If the Path can get to Foxworth, they can get to you, too.”

She pulled away and looked him in the eye. “Why would they bother? Foxworth was a high profile target. I was just a one night stand.”

He frowned, hating the way she demeaned the importance of what she was doing, even while he hoped she was right. “I don’t think Conrad saw you that way. Don’t forget, he asked you to go to Paris with him.”

“He asked
Mary Potter
to go to Paris, not Marianne Collier. Even if he did try to find me, he’d lose interest once he found out we’re married.”

“If
he
finds us, he’ll know something’s up because you married your ‘brother.’”

She chuckled. “True, but that’s not likely. It’s been five months. He’s moved on. He’s probably had half a dozen other women on his sheepskin rug by now. No one else at the Path has any reason to look for me until Conrad dies and the person everyone thinks is his firstborn doesn’t inherit Aldwyn. That won’t be for years, I hope. By then, no one will remember me from among Conrad’s many conquests.”

“If the Golden Path isn’t a threat, why did you get that warning about Foxworth?” He was the architect of this plan. His death could change how the Trust followed through with it.

“I don’t know.” Marianne shivered despite the July heat, and pressed her face against Dan’s chest.

Dan pulled her close, wishing he hadn’t said anything. “Never mind, let’s not worry about that now.”

He stroked up and down her arm until she began to relax. He rested his other hand on the roundness of her belly. A new little life was growing in there. It didn’t matter to him that he hadn’t planted it; it was part of Marianne and he’d love it just the same. Dan pressed his cheek against her hair. He loved the way she smelled, and how she felt in his arms. His body stirred. Her growing pregnancy hadn’t made her any less attractive, and once she’d entered her second trimester her interest in making love had increased. Dan dropped a kiss on the top of her head, but stopped there. He wasn’t going to initiate anything. She’d been ready to drop only a couple of hours ago. Getting frisky wasn’t on the agenda tonight.

Marianne apparently had a different plan, however. She lifted his hand from her tummy and put it on her breast as she sought his lips. Her mouth tasted perfect, as always, and the world fell away. He nipped at her lips and teased her breast lightly. His dick started to ready itself despite his good intentions.

“Come inside,” she said.

“I’d love to.” He smirked, turning her invitation into a pun.

She rolled her eyes, but grinned as he helped her to her feet.

The bedroom was cool and dim, the sheets rumpled from her rest. Dan stepped over the pile of discarded clothes she’d left on the floor. They had different standards of tidiness. He was an “everything in its place” kind of guy, and she tossed things wherever, but he had enough sense to keep his mouth shut and not spoil the mood.

Marianne lit a vanilla candle on the dresser, then Dan turned her so she faced the full-length mirror. He wrapped his arms around her from behind. He loved watching her reflection as she leaned back against his shoulder and nuzzled his jaw. He quickly unbuttoned her blouse, exposing her bra and the tight skin of her belly. She was carrying the baby all in front, and since she was petite, she was already fairly round.

Dan slipped her top off her shoulders and undid her bra. It was a testament to how tired she’d been that she hadn’t taken it off before this. Freed of their confinement, her nipples stood up happily and he rubbed his palms over the tight points. She shivered and pressed into his hands. He loved the way her pregnancy had made her already lovely breasts more sensitive. He lifted her full breasts, enjoying the weight of them. “These things are heavy.”

She laughed. “Yeah, I know. I carry them around all day.”

Dan kissed the indentations her bra had left on her shoulders, then nibbled her earlobes. “Your sacrifice is much appreciated,” he murmured. His palms traveled down to caress her rounded tummy. Her skin was tight and warm, and he savored the sensation.

She turned in his arms to face him. “It’s no sacrifice. Not when you look at me like that.”

He smiled, thinking of creative ways to play. “I can’t imagine looking at you any other way.”

Her shoulders tightened, and then she said, “I read that some guys get grossed out by the birth. That they don’t want to go in where the baby came out.”

Where did that come from?
Dan made a dismissive noise. “Only stupid idiots. Don’t waste any brain sweat on that. That’s not going to happen with me.”

Her tension eased, and he wished he could deal with all of her problems so easily.

She wasn’t done. “Nancy in accounting told me her husband didn’t touch her from the time she started showing. Not sexually, anyway.”

Dan winced. That was more information than he needed or wanted about Nancy and her husband. “I always thought Tad was a moron. Now I know.” He bent to kiss her and put a stop to this uninspiring conversation.

As he stroked her back, shivers arced down her spine and she pressed into him. Her belly got there before the rest of her, but Dan bent over to nibble her ear. “Less talk, more action,” he murmured.

She squeezed his buns, then stepped back enough to grapple with his belt buckle. “I hear and obey.”

Dan snorted. “If only.”

She backhand him lightly on the stomach.

He grinned, but then an unpleasant thought surfaced and he bent to catch her eye. “You’re not giving Nancy details about
us
, are you?”

She shook her head. “I didn’t want to make her feel bad.”

Relief made him smile. “Good. That’s family stuff.” He bent more and kissed my tummy. “Isn’t it, squirt?”

“That’s what Jill said.”

Dan straightened, feeling a little queasy. “You talked about us to my sister?”

“She’s been pregnant. She knows things. And she is family.”

“But, about … us? Together?”

His wife tried to maintain an expression of wide-eyed innocence, but she’d never been very good at being a prankster. A second later, she giggled, and confessed. “No. No details. You won’t have to sit across the table at Thanksgiving and wonder if she’s imagining us doing it doggy style.”

“Minx.” Dan gave her a token spank, then waggled his eyebrows. “That sounds like a good idea.”

She smiled back and unbuttoned her skirt. “Yes, it does.”

Several play-filled minutes later, they were both naked and she was on her knees on the bed, with Dan braced over her. Nothing else mattered when he covered her this way. She was the center of his life now, and he almost felt like he could keep her from all harm with his much larger body surrounding hers.

He kissed her shoulder, then slid home. A groan of delight escaped from his throat. This was where he belonged.

“I can’t tell you how good this feels,” she said.

The sensation of filling her, of her clasping him with her body, satisfied on a soul deep level, and his breath sped faster. “You don’t have to. I know.”

He stroked into her gently. She moaned and arched her back. Dan smiled to himself for sharpening her pleasure.

The baby kicked.

“Whoa!” Dan exclaimed.

“You felt that?” she asked breathily.

“Yeah.”
Maybe this is a bad idea.
He started to pull out.

She reached back to hold him in place. “Don’t stop.”

“Are you sure this isn’t hurting the baby?”

“I’m positive.”

He eased back in, and teased her nipple again.

She made a sound like a purr, and clenched around him The baby kicked again.

Dan drew in a sharp breath. “It’s an interesting sensation. Does it bother you?”

Marianne shook her head and pushed back, taking him deeper. “No. I’m fine. Keep going.”

“We’re giving this kid an education,” he muttered, but he didn’t stop. He kept his measured strokes shallow and even, being careful to not be too forceful.

“I need more.” Marianne dropped her head to the mattress and shifted her hips, changing the angle.

Happy to give her what she wanted, he reached around her hips to stroke between her legs. In seconds she was coming, shuddering and gasping beneath him, clenching around him. Her back arched, and her pleasure intensified his. Dan thrust faster, his insistent cock growing harder. She shuddered as her orgasm continued and her inner muscles rippled around him. A moment later he grasped her hips and pushed deep, as his own release claimed him with wave after wave of hot bliss.

N
ow is the very time we
must
act!” Kincaid’s impatient tone carried through his closed door. “Now, while they believe we are in disarray. The Path will be taken off guard.”

Kincaid had summoned me. I perched on one of the chairs in the small waiting area outside his office and tried to look as if I wasn’t listening. I couldn’t help meeting Betina’s eyes, though, and raising my eyebrows in question. She shrugged. She either didn’t know what action Kinkaid was talking about or wasn’t going to share. My money was on the latter.

“He’ll be with you in a minute. Would you like some coffee? Water?”

“No, thanks.” I was peeing often enough, these days.

It had been only a week since Mr. Foxworth had died, but there hadn’t been much time to mourn. Mr. Kincaid had initiated several new assignments, which had increased the workload of the research department. Dan had come home after ten every night, including the weekend. He wouldn’t say much about what he was doing, except that the Trust was keeping very close tabs on several major players in the Path. There was plenty of work for me as well, but Kincaid had insisted I continue going home at the usual time. My health and that of the baby was the Trust’s highest priority, he’d said. I didn’t argue. For once, we were in agreement. Dan insisted on driving me home, then going back to work after a quick dinner. The commute gave us a few minutes together each day, since I was usually asleep by the time he got home.

The only significant time Dan and I had spent together in the last week had been the afternoon of the San Diego memorial for Mr. Foxworth, and then we’d been in a crowd of dozens of the local movers and shakers who had come to pay their respects. The Trust’s public face was that of a philanthropic organization, and there were many who had benefitted from Mr. Foxworth’s charity. Aside from that, the only time we’d seen each other was in the mirror when we were brushing our teeth in the morning. I hoped this heavy workload Dan was carrying would ease up soon. I missed him.

“Yes,
now
!” Kincaid said sharply from the other side of the door, then he dropped his voice to a more normal tone that was unintelligible from where I sat waiting.

A minute later, Dan stepped onto the landing that doubled as Kincaid’s reception area.

“You, too, huh?” I observed. We both lifted a brow at Betina, who had issued the actual invitations.

She lifted her hands. “Don’t look at me.”

Her intercom beeped, and Mr. Kincaid’s tinny voice said, “Please send in Mr. and Mrs. Collier.”

Apparently he had no doubt that we had responded promptly to his summons.

Kincaid was leaning against the front of his desk in an unusually casual stance. He straightened and shook Dan’s hand, then gestured to the leather chairs. “Have a seat, both of you.” He perched again on the edge of his desk.

I sat, which left me looking up at our boss. I had a feeling he’d planned it that way. Dan remained standing beside me.

Kincaid shot him an irritated glance, then straightened. He was still much shorter than Dan, so he walked around his desk where his disadvantage in height was less apparent. “As you know, the Vancouver police believe Mr. Foxworth’s death was from natural causes. The Trust believes it was murder, but has had no success in finding the person responsible. The Chicago and Harrisburg offices have continued the examination of the events at
TMI
four months ago. They are more convinced than ever that what happened at Three Mile Island was influenced by the Golden Path.” He paused to let that sink in.

A chill rippled down my spine. The assassination of Foxworth was bad enough, but the idea that Altesse and the Path could engineer a nuclear accident on that scale was terrifying. Operator error was commonly believed to be the cause of the near meltdown at
TMI
. But if the Path had a hand in that, their reach had grown significantly.

“Did they infiltrate the staff, or did they use magic?” Dan asked.

“Chicago thinks it was magic, directed at one or more of the operators. They’re still investigating, however. There’s still a great deal they don’t know. That’s why I’ve called you here. I’m concerned for you, Marianne.” Kincaid assumed a gentle tone that sounded unnatural coming from him. “
TMI
was too close a call. I don’t believe it was a coincidence that it occurred when you were there, either. The child you carry is our best hope of disrupting the power of the Path. I want to move you into a secure facility for the remainder of your pregnancy.”

“No.” Dan’s response was swift and firm.

I shot him a surprised glance before returning my attention to our boss. Dan had expressed similar concerns himself. Had he changed his mind?

“The enmity between Altesse and Mr. Foxworth went beyond professional opposition. I never knew the whole story, but whatever was between them was personal, for both of them. Since the attempt on Altesse’s life, it won’t be enough for him to assassinate the Trust’s Chairman. Mr. Foxworth had no family to go after, so Altesse will want to destroy everything Foxworth tried to build, especially if it means protecting the Path’s power base at the same time.” Kincaid’s voice took on an avuncular tone. “You were Mr. Foxworth’s last project, Marianne. His legacy, if you will. We have to protect you, and the best way to do that is to hide you somewhere safe.”

“No.” Dan repeated. “That’s not what Foxworth planned. That’s not what we’re going to do.”

Kincaid’s lips tightened for an instant, betraying his irritation, before he resumed a more neutral expression. “Don’t you think that’s Marianne’s decision to make?”

If the Path could reach out to influence an operator at a nuclear power plant, they could easily do the same to a neighbor. How easy would it be for them to cause what appeared on the surface to be an accident?

Dan knelt beside me, and put his strong hands over mine, where I’d unconsciously spread my fingers over my belly. The warmth of his touch was reassuring, as was his steady gaze.

“I’ve been a soldier, and I know that sometimes battle plans need to be changed on the fly to suit changing circumstances. But I don’t think this is one of those times. I believe Foxworth’s original plan is still your best bet. Our marriage is your refuge, Marianne. The very ordinariness of our life, of living in a neighborhood, makes you unremarkable. You said it yourself, no one in the Path even knows they should be looking for you.”

“Can you be sure of that?” Kincaid asked. “Conrad showed an unusual interest in her afterward.”

“He’s shown no more interest since that one invitation, and he doesn’t know she’s pregnant. Even if he suspected that he’d fathered a child, he’d be looking for Mary Potter, not Marianne Benton, and definitely not Marianne Collier. Changing our living arrangements now would only draw attention to Marianne, not protect her.”

“No one will know where she is.”

A frisson of alarm skittered over my scalp. “What do you mean, no one will know where I am? My parents will worry. Mom expects to be at the birth. We can’t just disappear. People will ask questions.”

“You both don’t need to go into hiding. Yours will just be another hasty marriage that didn’t make it. Dan can explain to everyone here that you moved back to be near your parents. And you’ll stay in touch with your folks by phone. It’s only natural that you’d need time to yourself to get over your divorce. And your mother will understand why you don’t want her to attend the birth, since you’ve decided to give up the child for adoption.”

I stared, shocked speechless for a moment that Kincaid could even suggest such a thing. Then I shot to my feet as well as I could with my increased weight, and took a step forward. Dan stood behind me, his solid strength at my back. “Never! My mother would
not
understand, and she’d never forgive me. Nor will I ruin Dan’s reputation by painting him as a someone who’d abandon his pregnant wife. Dan and I are a family now.”

Kincaid looked nonplussed. “But the child will be well cared for. A ward of the Trust. He’ll want for nothing. You can both resume the lives you gave up for this mission.”

“We will never give up our child. Never.” I was so angry I was shaking.

“Collier, are you going to let her decide your life for you? It’s not even your child.”

“It
is
my child, in every way that’s important,” Dan said in a voice like granite.

Dan’s words filled my heart with an unexpected joy and I blinked back tears. Neither man noticed, because their eyes were locked in a duel for dominance.

“Very well.” Kincaid frowned, clearly not pleased. “This offer will remain open to you, however, if you decide circumstances warrant. I only want to keep you and the child safe.”

I couldn’t fault him for that, even if his approach was heartless. “Thank you. I appreciate that, but I won’t ever accept.”

“We’ll be taking the rest of the day off,” Dan said rather curtly, guiding me to the door with a hand on my back. I could feel the tension radiating off him, so I didn’t argue. I couldn’t imagine going back to logging invoices after fielding an offer like that.

Neither one of us spoke as we left the building. I could feel Dan almost glowing with anger, but his actions were careful and controlled as he handed me into the car and began the drive home.

My mind kept revolving around Kincaid’s suggestion that I could be in danger. I didn’t want to put my baby at risk. Was I being selfish? But I couldn’t believe that. No one would fight harder than I would to keep our baby safe, except maybe for Dan. I had no doubt whatsoever that even though this child wasn’t his flesh and blood, he’d do anything and everything to protect the two of us as long as we were in his care.

Was that why he was angry? Because I’d made a decision that affected his future without consulting him? He’d volunteered for this massive, life-changing duty. He’d been quick to say no to Kincaid’s plan. He’d even said he thought of the baby as his, but maybe he was having second thoughts. Now that he’d had time to change his mind, maybe Kincaid’s offer to return to his old life appealed to him. I hadn’t given him a chance to choose for himself what he wanted.

We were almost halfway home when Dan finally broke his silence. “Do you want to stop at Benny’s?”

It was a little early for dinner, but I wouldn’t mind getting a strawberry shake. “Sure.”

Dan changed course, and a few minutes later we were sliding into a red vinyl upholstered booth. Black and white tiles covered the floor, and ridged aluminum edged the Formica tables and counters in the Fifties style diner. Dan took out a quarter and dropped it into the table’s miniature jukebox, then selected a couple of oldies. A waitress in an old-fashioned uniform took our order and left us staring at each other.

“I’m sorry—” I started.

At the same time Dan said, “It meant a lot—”

We both stopped, then said, “Go ahead,” at the same time.

“Ladies first,” Dan said, gesturing for me to speak.

I didn’t know exactly what to say. Dan had told me that he was in for the duration. He was even a little testy about it, so I’d avoided any mention that the beginning of our relationship had been unconventional, to say the least. And there’d been no reason to bring it up. He’d been so loving that I hadn’t thought about it for months. It seemed impossible now that I’d considered marrying Barry instead. But it was possible Kincaid’s offer had caused Dan to reconsider his options. “I didn’t give you much of a chance to say anything back there.”

“You said everything that needed saying.”

“Are you sure? This affects you, too.”

His jaw muscles jumped. “Don’t. Don’t start doubting me again.”

“I don’t! I just—”

“You made me really happy back there, when you called us a family, when you called it
our
baby. You kept me from grabbing Kincaid and punching him in the nose. Don’t spoil it.”

I bit my lips, but I couldn’t keep from grinning. “Really? You wanted to punch him?”

His fingers flexed. “Oh, yeah.”

“’Cause I wanted to punch him, too.” My mother would be horrified, but it was true.

He grinned back. “I would have paid to see that.”

“Punching your boss is generally not a good idea.”

“What’s he going to do? Fire you from being pregnant?”

Good point.
I shrugged. “Damn. Another missed opportunity.”

The waitress brought our order. I hadn’t been hungry earlier, but now I stole one of Dan’s onion rings. He shoved them to the center of the table with a frown on his face.

“I only want a taste,” I said.

Dan’s brows drew down. “What?”

I gestured with the remains of my theft. “You look rather fierce.” Then I ate the evidence.

“I’m a little worried by Kincaid’s ‘offer.’ We had a plan. But now that Mr. Foxworth is gone, there’s a lot of new activity. I think there’s a power struggle going on in the upper levels of the Trust, and I suspect Kincaid is trying to consolidate his position.”

“You think he wants to use me as a bargaining chip?”

He nodded. “Or the baby.”

I plucked the cherry from the top of my shake and popped it into my mouth. Sweetness burst on my tongue but I didn’t enjoy it. “What can he do? It doesn’t matter how I met Conrad, this baby is mine. Ours. Kincaid has no claim on him.”

“No. He doesn’t.” Dan shoved an onion ring into his mouth and chewed savagely. “The problem is, Kincaid thinks he does.”