Читать книгу Midnight Lover - Rosemary Laurey - Страница 9

“Sheesh, Toby, let you loose in your native land and mayhem happens.”

Call an old friend for advice and support and look what you get. “You’re a fine one to talk, Kit Marlowe. Who had half the colony in his sitting room last year for an ethics enquiry?”

“Wasn’t over me. That was Justin. Besides, it was a weak point of law anyway. Everyone knew Justin wasn’t culpable. Now this business of yours…”

“Yes?”

“You’re telling me it’s a bit complicated and involves mortals.”

Too damn many of them. “I’m trying to decide whom to handle first—this FBI lass in my household or the pair breathing down my neck—and what to do about Adela, not forgetting a burnt-out shell of a house and an exploded car.” He’d ignore the scars on his thigh and arms for now. Not that they didn’t worry him. The last time he’d scarred was after a beating when he was mortal and another man’s property. But at least these new ones were fading, if slowly.

“See to the girl. She’s right in your pocket, so to speak. If Adela’s pal is anywhere near as practical as she is, she has insurance. Once you get that sorted out, Adela can come and stay with Heather and leave you to hoodwink the FBI.” He paused while Toby hoped his phone wasn’t tapped. “Want me to come out there, old chap?”

It was a generous offer. “I’ll let you know if I need you. I won’t ask you to get a safe conduct from Vlad unless we have to. In fact, heck, if I do need backup, I’d better call on him first anyway.” No point in treading on toes if he didn’t have to. He was already here as a grace-and-favor visitor.

“Yeah! No point in ruffling our Romanian friend’s bat wings. Call me if you need me, alright, pal?”

Toby agreed he would and hung up. He did need to call Vlad, he supposed, though how to explain the chupacabra, he had no idea. First, he’d take Kit’s advice and see to the girl.

Laura Fox had a rotten night. Her patient slept like a baby while she fretted and paced. Talk about a fiasco! Well, most of it. Getting caught with her hands in her employer’s files was darn good reason for dismissal and if she wasn’t supremely lucky could get her blacklisted with all the local agencies. There was a lesson here about heeding her own conscience. Seeing Toby Wise in the altogether was the only bright spot in the fiasco, and she’d been too shocked and shaken to fully appreciate the opportunity. More fool her. Trouble was she’d genuinely liked the man. Okay—tell the truth—she had a bit of a crush on him. Attractive, a perfect gentleman through and through, and his smooth voice and lush Brit accent had curled her toes on more than one occasion. Not that now was the time to dwell on the decidedly erotic dreams he’d featured in.

She’d messed up. It was her own doing. She’d explain why she was searching through his private papers and leave and hope he let it go at that.

She was still trying to figure out why she felt this compulsion to tell him everything, when he opened the door.

“How’s Piet?”

“He had a good night.” She took a step toward Toby. “I need to talk to you.”

“Yes.” He nodded. “Let’s go in the kitchen. No point in waking Piet.” He held the door for her and she walked down the hall to the kitchen. “Have a seat.” He held a chair for her.

His courtesy made her action seem even sleazier than ever.

She sat, took a deep breath and looked straight into his dark eyes. “Mr. Wise…” How the heck was she to start?

He smiled. “You were going to explain what you were doing in my study.”

She did. Against all caution and her own sense of discretion, she told the lot. Everything. Her father’s depression after her mother died. How he let the paper go until it was on its last legs. The financial backing from a new partner. Her own personal dislike for said partner, and now, her father’s near-panicky insistence she take the job here and find “something” so he could write up an exposé of wrongdoings at Connor Inc.

It came out in a rush. Tired, she took another deep breath and listened to the clock on the wall tick away the minutes while she waited to be fired.

Toby Wise frowned. “Interesting. Would you like a cup of coffee, Laura?”

Was he kidding her? Was it a Brit custom to offer coffee before firing employees? “Coffee?”

“Why not? I want to talk to you, and I don’t doubt you could use the caffeine after a long night.”

She could use a stiff drink more, but she could hardly ask for gin when she was about to be unemployed, and she did have to drive home. “Er…thanks.”

“Milk, sugar?” he asked as he filled two mugs from the full carafe under the automatic coffeemaker.

“Both, please.” He took his black and had to have a throat of steel. She watched his Adam’s apple bounce as he swallowed coffee too hot for her to even sip. He set his mug down on the table with a soft thud.

“Laura, don’t look so worried. I’m not going to eat you—or sack you, come to that. But I do insist you answer a few questions.”

“Okay.” Or so she hoped. At least she still had a job. Incredible, really. “What do you want to know?” Whatever it was she would answer truthfully. She couldn’t lie to him.

Where to start? He couldn’t hold her under mind sway forever but he had to know who was investigating him and why. “Do you work for the FBI, Laura?”

Her green eyes widened. “No!”

That was clear enough and he detected no sign of prevarication in her mind. “Who really sent you to pry, then?”

“Dad.” Bore out what she’d said earlier. “He wants a big scoop for his paper.”

“What paper is that?”

“The Dark Falls Weekly News.”

Interesting coincidence. A small, local weekly, no doubt. “Why pick me?”

The skin between her eyebrows creased and she shook her head. “I don’t really know. I think it was the new owner leaning on him. He’s an odd man.” And the mention of him caused her to tense her shoulders. Interesting.

“What’s his name?”

“Axel Radcliffe.”

By Abel and all his creation! It couldn’t be! Too much of a coincidence! But she wasn’t lying. He was certain of that and…He was losing his hold on her mind. Concentrate. Focus. Get the facts. “When did he buy the paper?”

“About six months back. He offered to buy a half share. If he hadn’t, I think it would have folded. Seemed a godsend at the time but now I wonder.”

So did he, but on slightly different points. “Where does this Radcliffe chap live?” Investigation was in order.

She scowled. No other word for it. She frowned and bit her lip. “With Dad!” The fact obviously distressed her. “He was staying in a bed-and-breakfast at first, then moved in. It’s a big house and I don’t live there anymore, but they are never apart. It’s creepy. Dad’s almost scared to cross him.”

It was more than creepy. He had to investigate this and keep Laura as far away as possible. “Were you planning on seeing your father today?”

“No, I was going to call him if I found anything.”

Fair enough. “Tell him it wasn’t possible. Piet had a restless night and there was a visitor in the house, and I came in late.” All true.

“I will.” Her eyes were clear and honest. No wonder she’d done such a lousy job of spying. Devious just wasn’t in her. “But Dad…?”

“That’s okay. I want you to help me find out why this Axel Radcliffe wants to learn about Connor Inc. and me. Tomorrow I’ll find something for you to take to keep them satisfied a little while. Won’t be much but should keep them off your back for a few days.”

Sheer relief shone across her face. “You really mean it?”

“Most certainly, I do. I want to know why he finds us so fascinating.” Not that he couldn’t make an educated guess. If the annihilated and unlamented Laran Radcliffe had kin hereabouts, they had trouble.

As if he didn’t have enough on his plate already.

“Oh! Thank you!” Laura reached over and grasped his hands. Hers were warm and living and he fought the urge to mesh fingers. Too bad he’d taken her blood; now it sang to him. Talk about sweet temptation.

He let go of his hold on her mind. “Don’t worry, Laura. You see to Piet, I’ll find something you can take to your father tomorrow.” Even if he had to make it up.

Toby had to smile overhearing Laura assure the day nurse that Piet had a “quiet” night. Piet had to be the only member of the household who hadn’t gone through menace, shock, fright or unarmed combat in the past twelve hours.

Toby took his phone out onto the terrace and sat gazing at the ocean for several minutes before punching a number into his speed dial. He had no idea what Vlad would do or might expect him to do, but having another Radcliffe in the vicinity was a coincidence that could not be ignored.

“So…” Vlad said after Toby finished. He’d left out most of the events of the evening, focusing on what Vlad needed to know. “You’re convinced I’ve another rogue vampire squatting in my territory?”

Having Laran, and now Axel, undetected no doubt stuck in the Lord of Wallachia’s craw. “It’s a rather incredible coincidence, don’t you think? Seems like a similar setup, getting the confidence and gratitude of a mortal and then using him. I plan on going over there and seeing what I can find out.”

“Let me know what you discover. If he is a vampire, I’ll send an emissary to him for tribute. Might use that French revenant, Larouselière. He helped over the other Radcliffe, I believe.”

He’d shared information. Hadn’t exactly rolled up his sleeves or dirtied his hands. “I’ll call as soon as I find anything more.”

“I’ll await your phone call, Wise. Good day.”

Adela paled ashen, as only a mortal could, when Toby recounted the unpleasant events of the night. She did manage a rather choked laugh over the chupacabra in the deputy’s cruiser. “He must have had a hissy fit when he found it.”

“I sincerely hope so. Unfortunately, I didn’t stay around to watch. I’d rather like to see the cop car in daylight. I bet it’s rather nasty. And I am looking forward to meeting the deputy again.”

“You’re going back?”

“We’re going back, just as soon as you have breakfast. As the good friend I am, I’ll drive you back home this morning. We’ll both express astonishment and horror at finding your house and car destroyed, and who better to explain what happened than the local arm of the law.” Sarcastic, but who cared? He smiled. “I will certainly encourage him to make a thorough investigation. A report will be needed for the insurance, of course, and”—he paused and chuckled—“if it does come to an enquiry, the traces of petrol, the tire marks in the road and over the grass, to say nothing of all the footprints, might really catch an arson investigator’s eye.”

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” Her tone implied a definite disapproval.

“What I’m enjoying is the prospect of making a venal deputy squirm like a worm on a hook. Instead of protecting you, he threatened you, then oversaw the destruction of your home.”

“Gertrude’s home, actually, and her car.” Adela let out a slow sigh and shook her head. “How am I going to tell her?”

“Why don’t we discover what there is to tell first.” There was the outside chance a freak thunderstorm had extinguished the blaze. Unlikely but…

“Let’s set off now; forget breakfast.”

No, she needed food. She was mortal, after all. “We can leave now if you wish, but we’ll stop at one of those fast-food places and get you sustenance. Never actually had occasion to enter one myself, but I assume you know how they function.”

Most days Laura found the drive home, down the coast toward Florence, a nice, relaxing transition. Today it seemed each bend and twist mirrored her confusion. Her mind raced over the events of the night and the early morning, and what she did, or did not, feel toward Toby Wise.

Okay. He was handsome, charming and bedworthy in the extreme. He was genuinely concerned with Mr. Connor and considerate of the staff. But darn it, he was her employer and she’d resolutely shoved her attraction to the far recesses of her mind. She was not about to fall for an employer. That way lay misery, a broken heart and ultimately the need for a new job.

Trouble was, no matter how firm her resolve not to dwell on Toby’s all too apparent merits, her subconscious wasn’t getting the message. There had been the three dreams (she wasn’t likely to ever forget a single one). On three occasions when she’d dozed off during the still of the night, Toby starred in the colorful images of her REM sleep. She’d had a few fantasies in her time, but nothing as vivid as these. She’d felt his hands on her shoulders, his lips on her neck, the cool brush of his skin on hers and the blinding ecstasy of his kiss.

Yes, well. Dreams were dreams. All very nice and all that, but they were not the forefront of her worries right now. The events of last night and this morning were going to take all day to sort out.

When she reached Florence, instead of going straight home, she drove down to the river and parked overlooking the harbor. Morning sun glittering on the water should have calmed and relaxed her. It barely registered.

Why in Hades had she caved in to her father’s ridiculous suggestion? Because he was scared for his job and she loved him. Simple, stupid and inescapable. The paper had been her father’s and her grandfather’s passion; too bad Dad’s enthusiasm for journalism wasn’t matched with business sense. This new partner had bought into the paper for a fair price and kept Dad on as editor, but at what cost?

Her peace of mind, for a start.

And talking of peace of mind, would she ever know any again as long as the image of her employer standing square on the Oriental carpet, stark naked, was seared into her memory?

It was enough to give her brain fever. Heck, her heart rate soared when she was foolish enough to indulge in a glimpse of memory.

Tall, broad-shouldered and narrow-hipped, skin like dark satin, but instead of his usual calm smile, a look of utter outrage on his face.

It was like a twisted dream, but it had happened. She had no business being in Toby’s study, and he had every right to wander about his own rooms, naked, in the middle of the night, if he so chose. She’d been the one way out of line.

But his reaction mystified her.

Instead of firing her, Toby listened sympathetically (though how and why she’d spilled her guts quite so completely, she’d never know) and offered to help! How exactly he planned on producing some sort of mythical figures or papers to satisfy Dad beat her, but some deep instinct told her Toby Wise would not let her down.

Damn, the man was bedworthy, honorable, helpful and her boss. What an unsettling combination!

And even more unsettling: Her father’s car was parked in her driveway and he was waiting on the small rectangle of concrete that served as her front porch.

As she pulled off the road, he leapt off the porch and grabbed the door handle the minute she stopped. Before she turned the engine off, he had the door open. “You have what I need, Laura? Where is it?” His shaking hand grabbed her arm. “I must have it. Give it to me!”

“Dad! For heaven’s sake, let me get out of the car.”

He moved just enough for her to get her feet on the ground and stand but kept his hold. “What do you have, Laura?” He peered past her into the car. “Where is it?”

“I don’t have anything yet, Dad. I’ll try again tomorrow….”

“What do you mean?” His voice rose to a shriek. “You promised! I have to have it!” His lips trembled like a scared child’s and his eyes were wet with tears.

On top of last night, this was about all she could take. She shoved the door closed with her hip as he let out the first sob. “Get inside,” she insisted, more or less yanking him along.

As he collapsed, sobbing, onto the sofa, she sat beside him, awash with guilt at her irritation. Whatever was going on had him in knots. Sheesh! He hadn’t cried like this when Mom died. What possessed him? She kept her arm round his shoulders, handed him a handful of tissues and waited it out. She’d known he was under pressure, but to crack like this…

He didn’t cry long. He wiped his face and eyes and glared at her. “I counted on you, Laura, and you’ve let me down. Does my future mean nothing to you?”

“Dad, please listen. I agreed to see what I could find and have not gone back on that. Last night it wasn’t possible. It was a disturbed night.” For her, if not for her patient. “An unexpected guest arrived in the middle of the night and Mr. Wise asked me to check everything was ready for her. He came in later and between one thing and another it wasn’t possible.”

“You mean you didn’t bother!”

“Did you want me to get caught with my hands in the filing cabinet?”

He paled, shock making his swollen red eyes even larger. “Dear God, no! Don’t be utterly stupid, Laura! This has to be secret, you know that. No one must know what you are doing.”

But Toby did and…She’d get a headache if she tried to work that one out. Between her father going irrational and her ill-used employer being understanding it seemed no one was acting the way she expected.

“Then, Dad, please let me choose the right time for this.”

“Axel is not going to be happy.”

“Then maybe Axel Radcliffe should do his own dirty work!”

That earned her another glare and he grabbed her wrist. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. I couldn’t manage without Axel. Don’t you realize he saved the paper? I need him, Laura, and you’re going to help me.” Her hand was going numb, and she was majorly irked.

“Right now, Dad”—she stood, pulling her wrist back—“I’m having a cup of coffee, then going down to the Laundromat. I have errands to run, and I plan on sleeping some before going to work tonight.”

“You always were selfish! Think of yourself first, don’t you?”

Deep breath needed here. “Dad, to find something to keep you and your precious Mr. Radcliffe happy, I need to stay employed. So, take your pick. Do I go into work tonight or not?”

“Now you’re being silly. Of course you’ll go to work.” He stood, still shaking.

“Want a drink, Dad? I’ve got Coke and can fix tea or coffee.”

He shook his head. “No, Laura. I won’t stay.” He squared his shoulders. “I need to return to the office and let Axel know you failed us.”

When did he get so darn expert at making her feel guilty? “Come back in the morning, Dad. I’ll have something.”

“You promise?”

“I do.” Toby had, and she trusted him.

Maybe right now he was concocting some spurious document for her. She couldn’t quite figure out why he was helping, but she’d caught his interest in Axel Radcliffe. That was a bit odd too. Perhaps this was a personal vendetta. After all, she wouldn’t be working there if Dad and Axel hadn’t pushed her to apply for the job. Perhaps she should ask a few questions and do a bit of investigating on her own.