Intrigue Me (16 page)

The man she’d almost kneed was actually a kid. And his mother was yelling “thief” from the booth.

“I’m sorry,” she said, even though the boy didn’t seem to care. He just walked beside her warily until she pulled out her wallet. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “I didn’t realize.”

“You think you’re the first to try that?” Although Lisa was directly on the other side of the long table filled with breads, the woman yelled at her as if she’d been in Queens. “This is New York. I don’t give a damn what you did or did not realize. You stole my bread and almost got away with it.”

“I’ll pay for it now. Plus I’ll add a baguette.”

The woman, somewhere in her forties, huffed a laugh. “You’ll add another two loaves if you don’t want me making a fuss.”

Lisa didn’t argue. She paid the bill, held back the urge to apologize again and headed toward the only hotel in walking distance. Hopefully, this was just a nooner and they’d both come out the front doors in an hour. But with her luck lately, she’d probably watch all day for nothing.

“Great,” she whispered, not paying a bit of attention to the bustling crowd on the street. “Now I’m screwing up
this
job.” She tore off a big chunk of bread, took a bite and tried to find the best place to wait.

* * *

S
HE
SHOULDN
’
T
HAVE
COME
.

She’d spent most of yesterday scrambling to find another way to get the picture she’d missed. A tip from Kevin’s wife led her back to the hotel by the mostly empty farmers’ market where she caught them pre-kiss, mid-kiss and post-kiss. A whole day wasted because she hadn’t been paying attention, followed by another restless night. The few snatches of sleep she’d gotten had been plagued by nightmares, so she watched infomercials until it was time to shower.

Why the hell had she bothered coming all the way to the Bronx to do data entry? No, she hadn’t wanted to flake out on Valeria, but Lisa wasn’t exactly the cog that kept the wheel turning. At least she hadn’t let anyone see her yet. She was still a block away, but with her luck, someone would catch her.

Lisa pulled her phone from her purse, but she didn’t use it. She needed to think this through. She moved closer to the brick wall between shops.

She’d completed the paperwork on the divorce case this morning. She hadn’t mentioned her blunder. No need for Logan to be disappointed in her when she was doing such a great job of it herself. The rest of her reports were up to date, and she’d already started the preliminary searches to track down another deadbeat dad.

So, maybe she should go enter data. Daniel had been at the Center since the night he’d slept over and Valeria had told her that they weren’t expecting him today. Heather was still out of town. After several “Sorry, work” excuses, Lisa had told her they should meet to sign a new contract. In a text, of course. It had been radio silence ever since.

When she did return, Heather would probably want the new contract right away. Lisa had no grounds on which to say no to her, except that she’d been sleeping with the subject of her inquiry from the day after Heather had told her to switch her focus.

Of all of her mistakes, the only one that truly mattered was that she’d lied to Daniel, and now she’d been avoiding him. She’d barely slept the past two nights, and God, she needed to talk to Logan. He was the only one who knew everything that had happened to her, and without him, she’d have been lost.

She’d go by the office later, see if he’d returned yet.

Right, so go to the clinic? No? If by some fluke Daniel was there, she’d probably burst into tears and go hide in the bathroom until she could slink back to her apartment. Just like before. Just like after Tess.

Lisa shuddered as she remembered four long months of hopelessness. Of locking out the rest of the world. She’d worked, but only for Logan and only on cases where she didn’t have to interact with anyone. It had taken all her courage to feel comfortable in a crowd, to engage in conversations. To volunteer. Then Daniel had broken through every barrier and she couldn’t stand the thought of losing him.

So tense her jaw ached, she called the clinic. When Eve answered, Lisa nearly hung up and ran. Caller ID stopped her.

“Lisa. Hello.”

“You’re manning the reception desk?”

“Temporarily,” Eve said, her voice so friendly, it made Lisa feel horrible. “I’m only here on my lunch break juggling the schedules.”

Lisa winced. “About that... Would it screw up everything if I didn’t come in today? I’m in the middle of something I can’t get out of.”

“Don’t—”

“And also,” she said, cutting Eve off. “Sorry, just... I won’t be able to make it next week, either. At all.”

“I understand. Your paying job comes first. I’ll take care of it.”

“Thank you,” she said, relaxing. No reason to risk everything, just for filing.

“No problem,” Eve said. “We’ll see you when you’re not so busy.”

Lisa put the phone in her purse, ran a hand through her hair and took in the deepest breath she could. She’d go back to her place, check again to make sure—

She turned and her heart stopped.

Daniel was right there. Standing perfectly still, watching. Listening? He looked surprised and concerned. What had he heard? Another lie?

No, it wasn’t technically a lie. She
was
in the middle of something. For all he knew, she could have been on a case. Logan could have called her back to Manhattan. She could leave right this second. Tell Daniel she had to go. He’d believe her.

She should. She really should. She couldn’t.

The bridge to Daniel wasn’t burned, not yet. Not completely. But one more manipulation might strike the final match.

“Do you have time for a cup of coffee?” he asked.

She swallowed, knowing that if she stayed, she might ruin everything anyway. But she couldn’t say no. Not again. She met his gaze with a smile. “Sure. Coffee sounds good.”

17

A
T
THE
SMALL
diner two short blocks from the clinic, Daniel gladly waited in line for their coffees while Lisa saved a table in the back. It gave him some time to think. He hadn’t expected to see her from his taxi, and he definitely hadn’t expected her stunned and frightened expression when she caught sight of him. Obviously, something was wrong. She seemed tense. Even jumped when he’d touched her arm. He might have let it go, assumed it was her job running her ragged, but she kept avoiding his eyes, and that was personal.

Even the smile she gave him as he sat across from her seemed forced.

She looked at her coffee, then at the blue walls. There weren’t many other people in the seats, as most folks took their coffee to go. He hoped their relative isolation made her feel more at ease. Their last texts had been upbeat. But every time he’d tried to see her she’d had an excuse. Work. Perfectly understandable. Until now.

“You must’ve been on your way to the clinic,” he said.

“No.” She cleared her throat. “Actually, I just begged off today. Something’s come up.”

“Yeah, seems you’ve been busy,” he said casually.

“Yep. You know, work. Hey, you were going to tell me about how it went with Warren.”

He’d assumed she felt comfortable enough to say anything to him. That she clearly didn’t twisted up his gut. “It went better than expected.” He’d wanted to discuss his surprise at Warren’s attitude and his ever-more-present need to make critical decisions about his life. But now? “It’s weird that Warren’s selling the place. He wants to give me half the proceeds, but I don’t know. I’m still mulling that over. Dad left it to him.”

“You never said much about the house. Is that where you grew up?”

“Yeah. It’s on the Upper East Side. Park view. My father would have nothing less. I mean, Warren thinks it’ll go for at least 122 million. It’s a ridiculous price, but it was on the cover of
Architectural Digest
.”

Her blue eyes widened. “122 million? Dollars? It must be a palace.”

“Almost. Certainly a shrine to my father’s brilliance.” His residual bitterness had lessened ever since the cemetery. “I can’t blame him for it. He earned every penny he made by saving a lot of lives.”

“No, I suppose not.”

Daniel’s cell phone buzzed. Eve’s ring. He let it go to voice mail, but left the phone on the table. “Warren didn’t bring up the Center once. I was surprised. We weren’t ever close growing up, but for a while there in the house it felt like we were brothers. He not only put aside my old violin, I think he had it cleaned.”

“That was nice of him.” She glanced at him, then back to her utterly fascinating cup of coffee. “You play the violin?”

“Did play. Haven’t since I went to Boston.”

“You planning on taking it up again?”

He shrugged, very aware that she was keeping the spotlight on him. God, he wished she would just tell him what was on her mind. It was like talking to a stranger instead of his Lisa. She’d never been open about her personal life, but this was altogether different.

“That’s great,” she said, before he had a chance to turn the topic. “And Javier’s surgery?”

The tightness in his chest cranked up a notch. “It went beautifully. We should be getting the results of the biopsy soon. In the meantime, his symptoms are gone. No more headaches, no more balance issues. He’ll be able to go home tomorrow.”

“So soon? That’s amazing.”

He leaned across the table and put his hand on hers. “Lisa? I... Something’s wrong. I’m worried and I’d like to help if I can.”

She looked away, but she didn’t pull her hand back. She was struggling, though. The way she worried her bottom lip, the flush on her cheeks. Jesus, she wasn’t going to break up with him. That would...that would hurt a lot more than he wanted to think about.

She looked up again and straightened her back in the chair. “The first day at the clinic, I was only there because I was working on a case. I never imagined myself volunteering, but I liked it. I liked the people, and to be honest, I liked you. The fact that I kept volunteering was a really big deal to me. I hadn’t done anything like that since I quit being a cop.”

Something cold tightened his chest. “I didn’t know that. But I’m very glad you kept coming back.” He paused, needing to tread lightly. “I’d gotten the impression that you hadn’t left your job of your own free will.”

Lisa didn’t answer. Only stared into his eyes long enough that he worried she might bolt. Some kids were being obnoxious at the front of the diner. He wished they’d shut the hell up.

“I had my identity stolen,” she said, the words coming hard and slow. “I was wiped out. All my money was gone. My savings. My credit was ruined. So much debt for purchases I never made.”

“Oh—”

His phone rang again. He ignored it. Yes, he was late, but this was too important. “Christ. I’m so sorry.”

Her pained smile told him his pity didn’t come close to helping. “It was a big deal that I’d become a detective. I’d spent my entire career working harder than you can imagine to prove I hadn’t gotten there on my looks. And I was good, too. Graduated with honors. First from the academy in academics and I kicked everyone’s ass in tactical.”

She shook her head but she still met his gaze. “God, I was so smug. I aced the detective exam. Worked like a demon to not just keep up but to be the best. Be the first out of my class to make detective. As you can imagine, I didn’t have many friends.”

He nodded, unwilling to interrupt. A few days ago she’d listened to him unburden himself. He suspected that was all she wanted from him now.

“It was all gone. In one day. My life. Gone. I didn’t have a job. I couldn’t pay the rent. The only reason I have anything now is because of my brother.”

They both took a breath. He squeezed her hand, and she took a sip of her coffee. “I can’t imagine,” he said. “But you mentioned you quit. You weren’t fired. So why aren’t you still—? If it was something political, Warren knows the chief of police, and—”

“Daniel,” she said. “I appreciate it. I do. But I really did resign. Nothing political, nothing... I was a detective in the Grand Larceny Unit, specializing in identity theft. I was supposed to be the best. And I let it happen to
me
. There’s no coming back from that.”

He inhaled as the ramifications of what she’d said finally hit him. “How long has it been? Because you seem pretty well-adjusted, considering...” He thought about that shoe box of an apartment. “You know you can always stay with me. No strings—”

His phone rang for a third time. Okay. He’d call Eve soon.

“Do you need to get that?”

“No.”

“Okay.” She slowly nodded. “Look, again, thanks for the offer. It’s so kind. But here’s the thing. When my life was ripped away, I knew I could never trust anyone or anything again. When I say my identity was taken, I mean that in every sense of the word. Before I met you, I hadn’t been on a date in well over a year. I hadn’t even put myself in a situation where I could get close enough to a guy.

“I never expected you. That we had sex at the clinic... Oh, my God, I can hardly believe that. But it’s even more difficult to fathom you. Us. I wasn’t prepared. And I got scared.”

The band in his chest barely let him catch his breath. She was leaving him. Right now, in a coffee shop.

“I’d been mourning the loss of, well...me,” she said, her words carefully convincing him he was right. “I still am. I like you so much and I don’t want to leave, but—”

“No. I understand. I truly do. More than most. I’ll back off. I will. I won’t press at all. However long it takes. I’ll wait until you’re ready.”

Lisa had rarely seemed vulnerable to him, but she did now. And then his damn phone rang again. It was Eve, only this time it was a text. All it said was
911
.

“Shit. There’s an emergency at the clinic. I have to go.” He stood up, and so did Lisa. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. He held her closer when she kissed him back. Maybe all wasn’t lost. Even though it had felt like it a second ago.

She was the first to pull away. “You should go.”

“Will I see you later?” he asked.

She winced. “I really do have to work. I’m not sure.”

He hated leaving her like that. He ran the two blocks, wondering if he was making a huge mistake.

* * *

L
OGAN
WAS
LATE
. He’d texted he’d be in the office around 5:00 and she’d been in the hallway, pacing, since 4:30. The only break was when Daniel had texted that he’d be home between 7:30 and 8:00. Which meant he’d like her to come over. She missed the way those texts had lifted her spirits and made her tingle with anticipation. This mess had to be over soon or she’d go nuts. At least they were still texting like a couple of schoolkids. Regrettably, this response would be very much like the last.
Not sure yet.
When the elevator dinged at 5:13 p.m., the tension that had given her a headache and an upset stomach eased a little.

“How long are you going to be here?” she asked.

Logan looked worn-out and dusty in his khaki pants and tan shirt, his equipment heavy on his shoulder and in his hand. As he got closer she could see he had shadows under his eyes.

“Not long. What’s going on?”

She had no business holding him up. “Nothing. It’ll wait until—”

He turned from the door, key in hand, to look at her. Lisa tried to appear as if her world wasn’t crumbling around her, but she must have failed, because he opened the door and said, “Come on in.”

“Seriously, I can—”

“Come in. Sit down. And tell me what’s going on. You look like hell.”

“Yeah.”

He got a couple of sodas from the fridge, gave her one and then sat behind his desk. She took her regular seat and began the speech she’d been practicing since she’d left the coffee shop this afternoon. “We had this...unusual client. The one who had me look up—”

“Trading Cards, right?”

“Yes,” she said. “This client, Heather—”

“The cheapskate?”

“Are you going to keep interrupting?” she asked, even though his butting in made her feel oddly better.

“Am I right?”

“Yes.” She fake coughed “Egotistical smart-ass,” but didn’t execute it very well, her cough stopping halfway into the first word. But she knew it didn’t matter. He was her big brother, and he’d help her.

“I might interrupt again. But go on. I’ll try to hold back.”

She leaned forward. “This is important to me, so yeah. I’d like you to really listen.”

Logan nodded slowly. “You know I have your back, right?”

“Yes. You’re the one person I can truly count on. So it’s hard for me to tell you the whole story here.”

“Just go for it. I won’t love you any less.”

If only she could hear that same thing from Daniel. “Okay, Heather, who paid for the basics, is back again after we closed out her account. She’d gotten exactly what she paid for the first go-round, on both men, and she went for the second one.”

“But...?”

“But now she wants to pay for the complete package on the first doctor. Public records, background checks, everything. And I’d have to disclose that I knew about this doctor’s relationship with a medical center.”

“Oh, for God’s sake, Lisa, you’re not being cross-examined. I assume this is the doctor you like. What was his name...Daniel? And she didn’t even know you’d gone to the free clinic, let alone... What’s the medical center?”

If she had trouble telling Logan, how was she going to tell Daniel? Maybe she should just move to another state and start over again. “His father started the Madison Avenue Neurological Center. But he died three months ago, and now it belongs to Daniel and his brother, Warren. When Heather hired me, I knew that his father and brother had owned it. But Daniel wasn’t working there, so I didn’t tell her.”

“You weren’t required to.”

“But he’s brilliant and has all the credentials. Of course he was going to end up at the Center.”

“Of course? No. You’re speculating. Daniel might have had a falling-out with the brother. He could have changed his mind about his future. Anything that wasn’t the fact that he worked at a free clinic wasn’t your concern. In fact, you don’t even have to work with her ever again.”

“She’ll probably just hire someone else.”

“Who would tell her the facts about his employment at the time he or she investigated.”

Lisa sighed. “I know you’re right. But I can’t be certain the real reason I didn’t tell her wasn’t because I was speculating.”

“I know, kiddo. You really like this guy.”

She nodded and wasn’t sure why she felt embarrassed. Probably because what she felt was so much more than just liking him. “I don’t want you to get sued or anything. So what do I tell her?”

“She can’t sue. What you tell her is up to you. But if you decide you really like and trust this guy, then—”

“I know. I have to tell him the whole thing right away.” She felt sick at the thought. But having not told him yet was her biggest worry. Forget about Heather. That Daniel had taken her to his father’s grave, had trusted her to hear the thing he was most afraid of... Would he even want a friend who couldn’t tell him the truth, let alone a lover?

“Thanks, Logan,” she said, standing, taking her first drink of the soda she’d been holding.

“Sure there’s nothing else you want to tell me?”

“I’ll tell you how it ends—how’s that?”

“Remember. You’re the brave one. Always have been.”

She’d saved him from drowning at Brighton Beach when they were kids. He’d never let her forget it. “Not always.”

He stood up, too. “Tonight seems like a perfect night for courage.”

* * *

F
OR
HIS
FIRST
trip back to the clinic in several days, he hadn’t been too slammed with patients, but his notes seemed to be taking forever. It still bothered him that he’d had to cut short the talk with Lisa, but it was a good thing he’d arrived when he had. A woman in the waiting room had slurred speech, a terrible headache and nausea. Although it presented as an ischemic stroke, a few tests revealed she was suffering from a very severe migraine.