She stood up, too. Dont accuse me of your dirty games
Campbell smiled. And what kind of dirty games do you play, Mrs. Smith? His sensual gaze swept her from head to toe.
What the hell did she look like naked?
A hot crimson flush stained her cheeks. With a startled gasp, she sank back down in her chair.
Buying time, he stalked around to his desk and sat down, too.
I think youre vile, she whispered.
Who, me? he murmured. Vile?
Tom told me to save these for later, she rasped. But Im too furious.
She plunged her hand into her shapeless beige purse again and shook out three lipsticks, the gold mirror, wadded bits of paper and a photograph, which she slapped onto his desk.
Youre not the only one with a camera! Thats your Mr. OConnor on the roof.
All Campbell saw were thighs to die for and masses of long golden hair.
Wow! he whispered, finally recognizing her. You look much better naked than I imaginedwell, half-naked.
Naked? When she saw the snapshot, her cheeks caught fire. Give me that!
Are you trying to distract me with sex, Mrs. Smith?
You low-down
Campbell laughed appreciatively. When she tried to snatch the picture back, he held it away from her.
The subjects in the photograph were a gorgeous blonde in a thong bikini and a blond little girl in a pink playsuit. The kid was about four. But the woman
Wow. Bombshell. Wet dream.
Incredible breasts bulged out of slippery red material, and yes, she most definitely had thighs to die for. Mother and child were patting turrets of a sand-castle. There was a big house on a tall cliff in the background. The woman was staring at the little girl with a look of utter adoration.
He looked up at Mrs. Smith and grinned like a cat that had just munched a turtledove and found the repast delicious.
Well, now I can guess what you look like naked.
I like you better blond.And the less you wear, the better you look!
With a wild guttural cry of sheer rage, she lunged for the picture.
Wrong picture, she said icily, when he released it.
Thrusting it back in her purse, she came up with two dog-eared photographs and slapped them onto his desk. There!
I like the shot of you in a bikini better.
Concentrate. See that hose? Mr. OConnor doesnt look sick to me. I have a video of him, too, and Im sending them to my insurance company. He deliberately created that mold to get an insurance settlement to pay for his remodeling. Youre not going to destroy my good name.
Campbell went cold. Somehow he forced a warm smile, his best lawyer smile. Pictures like this wont make any difference.
If they dont, its because the entire legal systemis bought off by corrupt, rich lawyers like you. Since Ive been in Texas
Since youve been in Texas? he repeated. He stood up, and she struggled for her next breath. Where were you before Texas? Why did you dye your hair?
She went absolutely still.
He stared at her hard and then let it drop. Youre taking this lawsuit way too personally, he murmured.
Oh, I am, am I? Well, for your information, being sued for more money than Ill ever make if I live to be a hundred feels personal! She walked back to her chair and sat back down and turned to Tom. Oh, whats the use of even trying to talk to someone as low as he is? I cant take any more of his questions or accusations. Not today.
Low How in the hell could her ridiculous insult hurt? Or was it that shed turned to Tom, when he wanted all of her attention?
Low.
IIve read things about you, Mr. Campbell, she whispered, rallying.
Such as, Mrs. Smith?
You stole money, ruined your best friends company, and your brokenhearted wife divorced you.
Ah, my wife Icy despair seeped through Campbell. He didnt give a damn about his wife. Still, he had to clench his hand into a fist to hold on to his control.
And I dont blame her one bit.
So, youve researched me
She got your mansion in River Oaks
As if that was what had made him bitter and filled him with hate.
He remembered the way Carol had curled against his body every night and felt sweet and soft and warm during those first months of marriage.
His black eyes narrowed. Hed believed her when shed told him she loved him. Hed adored her, worshiped her and believed in her. For the first time in his life, hed almost felthuman.
You had to leave Houston because youre so corrupt people there despise you. Your best friends wife killed herself because of
Campbells face turned to stone. His mouth tasted like ashes. Is that so? Do go on.
Youwhy, youre such a terrible father your son wont have anything to do with you.
His son. Every nerve in his body buzzed.
And youre such a good mother, he murmured so cuttingly she gulped in a breath.
The state even tried to disbar you because you are such a bad lawyer. Youyou solicited clients improperly after that awful two-plane collision in east Texas where those little children
You dont know a damn thing about me! he shouted, banging his fist on his desk. Im not on trial. Im deposing you.
Davis stared wide-eyed. It was Campbells turn to gulp in a savage breath. If it were the last thing he did, Campbell had to get control of this exchange and finish off her and her wimp of an attorney once and for all.
One corrupt judge tried to have me disbarred. And failed, Mrs. Smith. Just as you will fail, if you fight me with these ridiculous, rigged photographs. Getting up, he tore her pictures in two.
She stood up, too. She was tall, but he was taller. When she shuddered, he realized his massive size intimidated her. Good. Using his body as a weapon, he moved closer.
IIve got more, she whispered, backing away from him.
So do I, he thundered.
Andand they arent rigged. Im not like you. I wouldnt rig She tore his pictures into zillions of pieces and tossed them onto his rug. She was almost to the door. Goodbye, Mr. Campbell.
Im not finished with you yet. You think I dont know about you? Well, I do. Ive done my research, too!
She paled.
Everything about you is a damned lie, Mrs. Smith. He backed her against the door. Where the hell is Mr. Smith? Or is there a Mr. Smith? Whats your real name, honey?
PleaseIIm sorry.I shouldnt have saidany of those horrible personal things. II was upset.
Her apology seemed sincere. She was white and shaking, cowering from him, but he was too furious now to care.
Too bad you got personal. His mouth thinned. I intend to win this, Mrs. Smith. He had to win this. Africa, the ruthless son of a bitch had said so. Now Im more determined than ever to expose you.
He ripped her sunglasses off.
Her eyes were blue. Huge vivid irises were ringed with inky black lashes. She looked young and vulnerable and very scaredof him.
Who are you really? he rasped.
Youre the last man Id ever tell, she whispered.
Spunk. He liked her spunk. And those thighs she hadShed looked so loving in that picture.
Relationships. He was no damn good at relationships. And even if he was, they were off to a bad start.
With a shaking hand she grabbed her glasses and jammed them clumsily back onto her narrow, white face. PleaseJust let me go.
When he grabbed her hand, it was as cold as ice. With his huge body, he drew her toward him and blocked the door.
What are you so afraid ofbesides me? he whispered.
She gave a little cry and yanked herself loose.
He had the strangest compulsion to reach for her, but he knew that would only scare her more. With a curt nod, he stepped aside.
As if she considered him some sort of devil, she crossed herself and ran.
Campbell sank back into his chair exhausted. He loosened his collar and his bright yellow tie.
When Campbell heard Tom reassuring her outside in the hall, his mood blackened and he swiped his arm across his desk, knocking all the papers and files that dealt with the OConnor lawsuit onto the floor.
Maybe she was a liar, but the OConnors had lied to him, too. Clients had a bad habit of telling their lawyers only one side of a storytheir side.
He opened a lower desk drawer and took out the bottle of Glenlivet he kept hidden there. Hating himself, he took a quick pull. Then he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He kept seeing that picture of her. Shed been smiling at that kid so sweetly, and he couldnt forget her thighs.
Hed better forget them. His job was to search and destroyto expose Mrs. Smith; to do whatever he had to do to hurt her, to win for the OConnors.
The thought of hurting so much as a single dyed hair on her inky head caused a sick, queasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.
Who the hell was she?
Whoever she was, it was his job to find out and destroy her.
He rapped his fingers on his desk. With some difficulty, he squashed his guilt and dialed Chuck.
The detective picked up on the fourth ring and sounded grumpy and half stoned. Yeah
Hows it going? Campbell began, really cringing now at the thought of siccing his old pal, the Charger, on the frightened Mrs. Smith.
Chuck groaned or, rather, bellowed in the middle of a yawn and some other noisy, repulsive body function, What the hell time is it, anyway?
What the hells wrong with you? I know not to call you till noon
Ooh Chuck paused. Bad night. Another groan that pierced Campbells eardrum. Hangover. Vicious little hammers pounding in my brain. Not to mention
Whatd you do
Got into a littleeraltercation. The Charger let the statement hang.
You got drunk again and picked a fight
No, man, this bastard insulted my bike. I took serious issue. Nobody says shit like that about the Chargers bike. The ape was wearing steel-toed boots, and he had more friends than I did. They had chains. Every muscle in my body feels like he kicked it. Ive gotta black eye thats as purple as a plum and a tooth thats hanging by a pink thread.
Your big mouth is going to be the end of you yet. Campbell talked tough, but he felt affection. Got something I want you to check out. A lady. He told him everything he knew about Hannah Smith. He finished by saying hed have Muriel fax key information from her file.
Whats she done?
Just find out who she really isASAP. And no rough stuff.
Chuck was six feet four inches, three hundred pounds of flab and muscle. Just a glance at the Charger, and the average Joe Blow thoughtthug, if not worse things. He had massive arms, shoulder-length red hair, a gold loop in his right ear and a beer belly with a death head tattooed on it. He rode a Harley, which was as immaculate as he was unkempt. Not that he was as tough as he looked.
The Charger had strong convictions, which got stronger when he was drunk and forgot he was a coward. Hed been on the wrong side of trouble a time or two. Campbell had bailed him out more times than he could count. Nevertheless, after years of brawling, the Charger had found a niche of sorts. He was a top-notch detective and a whiz on the computer, not that he let on to any of his biker buddies.
Hannah Smith, huh. Mystery lady? No rough stuff? You got the hots for this mama or something?
Campbell suppressed a vision of her in the bikini. Just find out who she is. And dont let her see you. Shes scared of her own shadow. One whiff of youand shed run like a rabbit.
You do have the hots. The Charger laughed.
Scare the hell out of her if you want to, for all I care! Campbell slammed the phone down and ordered pizza. He did not give a damn about Mrs. Smith. He didnt.
Speaking of the hots, Muriel came in and told him Mrs. Crocker had called four more times.
Call her back. Tell her Im gone for the day.
Shuffling through the stacked files on his desk, he saw the name Guy James on one of the labels and remembered he was supposed to make a decision as to whether or not to hire the kid as a law clerk. The kid was taking a year off from law school because his little brother was sick and getting sicker. Guy was raw and young and smart. Hed needed a job so badly hed really pressed Campbell.
Impressed as Campbell was by the kid, he was in no mood to call him. Later.
Shoving Jamess file aside, he eyed the rest of the stacked files and wondered how much he could get done if he worked until midnight. No reason to go home; there was nobody there. He was opening the top folder on his stack when Bob Africa buzzed him.
I want to know how the deposition went. My office. Ten minutes? Okay?
Not okay. Campbell hated stacks and wanted to get to work.
Sure. Campbells low voice was mild, but he spoke through his teeth and slammed the folder shut.
Hell.
Two
When the big metal door clanged shut behind her, Hannah stood in the dark beneath the burned-out light in the shadowy parking garage. For once she didnt really register she was alone in the kind of place she was terrified of.
No, she was still shaking all over from the intensity of Joe Campbells attack, still too upset by the dark fury scrawled on his handsome, piratical face when hed ripped off her glasses and stared at her with those black, deadly eyes that had stripped her to the bone while he threatened to expose her.
His wife had divorced him. Lucky woman.
Clasping her throat, where a large hand had once pulled red satin ribbons too tight, Hannah shivered, feeling sick to her stomach. Are you somebody elses woman? Admit it. Youd better admit it because Ive been watching you. Then the ribbons had squeezed off her breath.
Behind closed doors Mr. Campbell was probably a dangerous, violent and pathetically sick man.
Shed dreamed about this deposition, dreamed about him, had nightmares about him. But he had been worse than her nightmares. Every slick question, every pretty-boy white smile, every sympathetic stare when shed tried to tell him what had really happened had been meant to trick or entrap her. And the way hed kept looking at her, and looking through her, had thrown her totally off balance.
Naive fool that she still was, shed wanted to be honest, but with a predator of his ruthless reputation, shed known the foolhardiness of that tactic. Soknowing what kind of man he was, suspecting he was even worse in private, shed deliberately baited him and made him so mad that he really was out to get her now. Why had she done that?