“He can be very stubborn. ” Devon’s hand hovered over the door handle.
For a moment , Jessica thought he might simply get out of the car rather than capitulate to the whims of a mere woman; instead , however, he hauled the harness across his broad chest, snapped the buckle, folded his arms and silently glared out the window. Exhaling slowly, Jessica backed out of the stall and followed the yellow arrows out of the tiered parking garage. She merged into the heavy airport traffic, inching along Century Boulevard toward the freeway on-ramp. At each red light, she angled a covert glance at her sullen passenger and felt a twinge of sympathy. He really did look exhausted Fatigue settled beneath his reddened eyes like bruises and the khaki fatigues he wore looked like they hadn’t seen a laundry tub in weeks. After days of trying to track Devon down, she’d finally found him in a hotel on the outskirts of an east European city that she couldn’t even pronounce. That had been yesterday morning and from his disheveled appearance, she surmised that he must have left for the airport within minutes of her phone call. The thought crossed her mind that she might have inadvertently misled him about the seriousness of his father’s condition. As she guided the Jag up the freeway on-ramp, she chanced a brief glance at him. “When we spoke yesterday , I hope you didn’t get the impression that Crandall was gravely ill” ‘ He idly watched the passing scenery. “No. ” “I mean, it wasn’t necessary for you to drop everything and rush to his side. ” Silence. “Of course, I’m glad that you’re here. I know Crandall will be pleased to see you” Devon continued to stare out the window without response Obviously communication was not the man’s strong suit. Jessica, however, was nothing if not persistent. After she’d merged onto the clogged freeway, she switched subjects and tried again. “I read the series of articles you wrote about peacekeeping troops selling donated relief supplies on the black market. Compelling stuff. I’m glad the Pulitzer committee agreed. ” Devon stirred restlessly, seeming uncomfortable with the subject of his success. “Your father was very proud of you, ” Jessica murmured , pressing the accelerator to keep pace with the increased speed of surrounding traffic. “
“Was he? “
“Of course. ” She didn’t add that he’d also been horrified by the risks his son had taken to infiltrate the murderous gang of international thugs. “Why do you sound surprised? “
“My father has never been particularly pleased by my chosen profession.
Jessica couldn’t dispute that. During the years she’d worked at Electro Sonics Crandall had frequently expressed disappointment about his son’s disinterest in the electronic manufacturing facility that had evolved into a multimillion dollar international conglomerate. In fact, Devon Monroe seemed a deliberate antithesis of his refined, highly educated father. The only similarity between the two men were striking good looks and an uncompromising drive for professional perfection that she feared would be the death of both. Whereas Crandall Monroe internalized his burning zeal to succeed, Devon sought physical danger, bolstering his intrepid reputation with perilous excursions into the world’s most treacherous territory. Jessica knew that Devon’s dangerous exploits upset Crandall and believed that constant worry about his son’s safety had contributed to the older man’s physical problems During that infamous last visit Devon had shrugged off comments about his father’s concern, causing Jessica to fume silently and label her boss’s nomadic son as a foolhardy , self-important jerk. Now she was beginning to wonder if the relationship between the Monroe men was more complex than she’d first “Look out!” Devon shouted. Jessica jerked the wheel, muttered under her breath and barely missed the steel stepladder that had bounced from the bed of a utility truck several car-lengths ahead. In the rear view mirror she saw a compact car squeal sideways and veer into the next lane, forcing a speeding pickup to brake sharply.
Devon snapped off his seat belt and twisted to look at the rear window.
“Pull over. “
“
“Pull over!” Behind them, tires continued to screech as she yanked the wheel and steered onto the narrow shoulder. Before the car had stopped moving, Devon leapt out and raced back down the freeway. Jessica spun in her seat and was horrified. Since the ladder blocked all of the right lane and part of the next, panicked drivers were swerving in every direction. Brakes squealed. Horns blared. And while speeding vehicles fishtailed across the freeway, Devon ran the line like a suicidal quarterback. Jessica stared out the rear window, frozen with fear when a vehicle struck the ladder then veered out of control onto the narrow shoulder-straight toward Devon. She whimpered once then held her breath, wondering how on earth she could ever explain to her boss that his only begotten son had been squashed into road kill.
Gears shrieked. Brakes locked. Smoke poured from the car’s rear tires.
And a millisecond before impact, Devon vaulted to his left and clung to the ivy-covered embankment like a treed cat. The car swerved back into the lane and sped on as though such annoying interruptions were common during a normal L. A. commute. Devon hopped off the embankment. Jessica started to breathe, a condition that again momentarily ceased as the impetuous fool continued his death-defying quest by dodging the speeding traffic and finally dragging the bent ladder safely out of the lane. With a satisfied nod, he brushed his hands together and loped lazily back toward the parked Jaguar He slid into the front seat, eyes shining, cheeks flushed, exhilaration oozing from every pore in his reckless, irresponsible body. Jessica was livid. Not only had he just scared ten years off her life, the brash fool was grinning as if he’d just scored a touchdown in the Super Bowl. “That was without a doubt the stupidest, most moronic act of idiocy it has ever been my misfortune to witness. “
His grin widened. “Don’t hold back, Jessie, just tell me what you think.
“I think you’re a thrill-seeking cretin with a death wish, ” she snapped.
“And don’t call me Jessie. “
“You can call me Devie if you want. ” ’”
“I don’t want to call you Devie.
In fact, I’d be perfectly happy not to call you anything at all. ” Infuriated by his smug expression, she clutched the steering wheel to keep from grabbing his ears and shaking some sense into his thick skull. “Now that I’ve seen you in action, I can understand why your poor father is in the hospital.
Worrying about you would give anyone a heart attack. “
The maddening grin faded into his clenched jaw. Devon stared outside and spoke without looking at her. “Oddly enough, I don’t like seeing people maimed and killed, particularly if I can do something to stop it. ” ‘ Flexing her fingers around the steering wheel, Jessica tried to sound reasonable. “What you did back there reflected a wanton disregard for your own safety. Your life is just as valuable as anyone else’s. How do you think your father would have felt if anything had happened to you? ” A muscle twitched beneath his ear. He stared through the windshield, allowing the silence to drag on before he finally spoke. “Let’s go. ” Jessica sighed, increasingly aware that the pain in her side was now throbbing into her armpit. As adrenaline drained from her aching body, fear was replaced by sudden exhaustion. Her knees trembled. Her fingers shook.
Her neck was too tired to hold her head up.
Placing a wobbly hand on the gear shift, she angled a glance at her grim passenger. “Buckle up. ” ‘ Devon complied without comment. It was a small victory She wondered why it felt like a defeat.
“Is this his room? ” Devon asked.
“Yes. ” Jessica touched his elbow as he reached for the knob. “Your father is still a little pale and weak. Don’t let that frighten you. The doctors say that if he takes care of himself, he should make a complete recovery. ” Under ordinary circumstances, Devon might have covered his concern with a flip comment but her compassion was genuine and didn’t deserve to be mocked.
“Thanks for the warning. ” ‘ She rewarded him with a tiny smile. “
“After I give Crandall his messages, you two can have some private time together”
Devon frowned. “You bring his work to the hospital? “
“It’s either that or rip out the phone and tie him to the bed. ” Her green eyes sparkled. “Besides, he has to relax in order to get well and work is his only relaxation. If Crandall doesn’t have his thumb on the company’s pulse, his blood pressure soars and he starts making unpleasant suggestions about how the doctors should utilize their medical apparatus. ” Devon was not amused. He was all too familiar with his father’s obsession with work, a compulsive devotion that had destroyed his own childhood dream of having a normal family. But if Devon had been unhappy, Crandall had not. After all, he had what he wanted-money, power, freedom. Too bad having a son had never been part of his father’s wish list. As Devon followed Jessica into the sterile room, the reason for her warning was startlingly clear. The wan man was lying in a maze of dripping tubes and beeping monitors, his blanketed lap covered by a clutter of loose paper and bound reports.
“You’ve got company, ” Jessica said brightly.
Crandall opened his eyes, peered over his rimless reading glasses and looked straight at his son. The first words out of his mouth were, “So you’re not dead yet. “
Jessica covered her eyes and moaned.
Devon simply shrugged. “Not yet. ” The older man scrutinized him sharply. “At least your limbs seem to be intact. ” Extending his arms, Devon wiggled his fingers then alternately lifted each leg to assure his father that they worked. “Everything’s present and accounted for. “
“A temporary condition, I’m sure. “
Jessica looked shocked. Devon was merely amused. Over the years, Crandall Monroe had repeatedly attempted to recruit Devon into the family business-voluntarily or otherwise His father had tried everything from bribery to coercion to blatant manipulation. During Devon’s last trip home, Crandall had gone a step too far. After discovering his father’s devious scheme, Devon had cut his visit short and abruptly returned to the field.
The two men hadn’t spoken since.
Now, grumbling and looking somewhat embarrassed, Crandall feigned interest in riffling the papers in his lap. “What brings you back to L.A.?” Devon leaned casually against the wall. To Crandall, a sick man was a weak man and if there was anything in the world that Crandall Monroe despised it was weakness. So to spare his father the humiliation of acknowledging his illness , Devon skirted the subject entirely. “I had to take some time off-too much accrued vacation. ” It wasn’t exactly a lie, although from the corner of his eye he noticed Jessica’s jaw sag. He jammed his hands in his pockets and rocked back on the heels of his worn combat boots. “So, how’s it, “
Crandall took off his glasses. “Fine, thank you. “
“Good. ” Devon nodded and casually glanced around the homey room. ” That’s good. ” “You’re looking… well, ” Crandall said, although his cool gaze inspected Devon’s rumpled attire with obvious disapproval Jessica seemed bewildered by the strained interaction between father and son. “Devon has only just arrived. He came directly from the airport. ” ‘ Irritated that she felt a need to defend him, Devon quelled her with a look.
“Didn’t you say something about messages ?”
“Yes, of course. ” She reached into her smart suede shoulder bag and extracted a clipped stack of pink notes. ” “I’ve handled most of these already. Marketing overestimated sales of the interactive diodes this quarter so manufacturing is scrambling to correct production quotas. “
Crandall put on his glasses and flipped through the stack. “
“Have schedule revisions been completed? “
“Not yet. They should be finished by the end of the week. “
“See that they are. ” He dropped the message stack on the table beside his bed. “I’ll expect an explanation of how such incompetent projections can be avoided in the future. “
“Marketing is already working on it. “
“Good. ” Crandall sank tiredly back against the pillow ” y and gave her a weak smile. Thank you, Jessica. As usual, you’ve handled everything brilliantly. ” “I learned from the best. ” Returning his smile, she affectionately patted his waxy hand. “Now you and Devon have a nice visit while I go make a few calls. ” After informing Devon that she’d wait for him in the main lobby, Jessica left and a strained silence shrouded the room. Crandall plucked at the bedclothes. Devon shuffled uncomfortably, trying to think of some benign small talk that wouldn’t lead to the hostile confrontation that seemed to be inevitable whenever they were together.
Crandall cleared his throat. “How long is this vacation of yours? “
“Hmm? Oh. A few weeks, I guess. ” He didn’t mention that his abrupt departure had so angered his employer that the holiday might turn out to be permanent. Instead he added, “Until I get a new assignment. ” “You’ll be staying at the house, of course. ” Crandall’s tone broached no argument and none was offered. Despite misgivings about returning to his father’s sprawling estate, it was still the only home Devon had ever known. Except, of course, for his months at Blackthorn Hall. He supposed that shouldn’t count, but in many ways the sparse dormitory shared with his friends had been a refuge , a place where he’d felt needed and loved. “Gunda will be pleased to see you, ” Crandall said suddenly “I’ve missed her, ” Devon said, noting but not dwelling on the fact that his father had avoided expressing his own pleasure-or lack thereof-in seeing his son. Instead, Devon turned his thoughts to Gunda Meineke, the dear housekeeper who’d raised him with a mother’s love. Over the years, they’d always kept in touch. He had, in fact, received a letter from Gunda a few weeks ago but she hadn’t mentioned Crandall’s illness nor had she been the one to call and inform him of his father’s heart attack. Devon assumed that Crandall had forbidden her to do so. Of course, he’d also told Jessica not to call but apparently she’d been less intimidated by her employer’s bluster. Devon admired that. A stifled moan caught his attention as Crandall shifted restlessly in bed, thrusting the shaft of papers aside and wincing as he pushed himself into a more comfortable sitting position. Devon reached out to fluff his father’s pillows, only to have his hands slapped away. “I’m not a damned invalid, ” Crandall growled. Despite the indignant protest, the minute movement caused his breathing to accelerate and small beads of perspiration were dotting his furrowed brow. Straightening, Devon stepped back, conflicted by feelings he dare not express-worry, fear and secret affection for the man who had constantly rejected him. But now he saw fear in his father’s eyes and realized that this powerful, intimidating man was all too human. It was a stunning revelation When Crandall turned away, Devon quietly left the room. In the corridor, he sagged against the wall, shaken to the core by the reminder of his father’s mortality. He hadn’t felt this helpless since the day Tommy Murdock died.