He expelled air in an exasperated puff, then looked over at the buffet tables, frowned and muttered, I need some dessert, the way someone might say, I need a drink.
Have some of mine. Having obviously rattled him, she was enjoying herself again.
He aimed the frown at her, then at her plate. His eyebrows rose. Is that pudding?
Yeah, and youre welcome to it. She slid the plate toward him, then rested her chin in the palm of her hand and watched him pick up his spoon, scoop up a bite of the stuff, frown at it, then put it in his mouth. She felt an absurd and totally unfamiliar urge to giggle.
So Still frowning, he took another bite. Whos going to call-you or me?
You really arent much of a card player, are you? She was feeling amused, relaxed, confident, sure she had the upper hand again. If I call, youve got two choices-fold or show me your cards.
He stared at the spoon, his frown deepening. Yeah, but you have to pay for the privilege, as I recall. His eyes lifted and shot that keen blue gaze right into hers. As if he could see through her dark glasses. As if he could see into her soul.
Cold fingers took another walk across the back of her neck. A reminder that with this guy she couldnt afford to let her guard down, not even for a moment.
This isnt poker, she snapped, no longer amused, relaxed or confident. And lets quit the poker analogies, which I could think of a whole lot more of, but whats the point? Heres the deal-I dont give a damn who youre looking for or who youre working for, and if you dont want to tell me, thats okay with me. Now- she slid out of the booth and stood up -are we done here?
The person I work for, Holt said, pushing aside the dessert plate and reaching for his wallet, hired me to find his two younger brothers and twin sisters. So far, Ive found the brothers and one of the twins. He took out some bills and laid them on the table, then looked up at Billie. That twins name is Brooke Fallon. Her sisters name is Brenna. She ran away from home when she was fourteen. He tucked his wallet away again and waited.
The silence at the table was profound, but inside Billies head was the tumultuous crashing sound of her world falling apart.
So? she said, and could not feel her lips move. She was vaguely surprised to find she was sitting down again.
So, I thought you might be my clients missing baby sister, he said softly, as he slid out of the booth. And if you were, I thought you might be interested to know youve got a family thats looking for you.
She shook her headpursed her lips, stiff though they were. Sorry. Not me. Dont know her.
Hmm, Holt said, gazing down at her, if thats true, Ill be really disappointed. I guess Ill have to wait for the DNA to tell me whether I have to keep looking for Brenna Fallon, or whether Ive already found her.
Wait. A breath gusted from her lungs. She reached out and snagged his jacket sleeve as he turned away. What are you talking about? Im not giving you my DNA. Youre not a cop, you cant-
His smile was gentle. Oh, but youve already given me what I need. He reached inside his jacket and pulled out what appeared to be a folded paper napkin. Unfolded it and showed her what was inside.
Only years of practice at keeping her face and body under strictest control prevented her from blowing it completely. She stared at the thin wooden stick nestled in white paper in complete silence, and her mind was empty of thought. But somewhere in the primal recesses of her consciousness, a terrified child was screaming-Run.
Chapter 3
Still smiling, Holt tucked the folded napkin and its contents away in his inside jacket pocket. The smile was only for show. He didnt have any idea whether DNA could be recovered from the wooden skewer, and he didnt know whether Billie would see through his bluff. Or, as she would no doubt put it, call him on it.
Waiting at the cash register for the mother-daughter duo to process his credit card, with his peripheral vision he could see her still sitting just as hed left her, staring straight ahead, apparently at nothing. He wondered what in the hell she was going to do now. Was she really going to let him just walk away? He was her ride back to the garden shop, of course, but it wasnt that far if she decided shed rather walk.
What was going through her mind right now?
He wished now that hed taken a little more time to study her playing style before rushing off to Vegas to meet her. He had no clue how this womans mind worked.
He signed the receipt, tucked it and his credit card in his wallet and returned the wallet to his pocket, then turned to check once more on his erstwhile lunch companion. His heart did a skip and a stumble when he saw that the booth where shed been sitting was now empty.
Swearing, he slammed through the double doors and half ran to the parking lot. She wasnt there. Since there was no way she could have gone farther in the time available, he reversed course and got to the restaurants foyer just in time to meet her as she came out of the restroom, drying her hands on her jeans and looking completely unperturbed.
Ah, there you are, Holt said, hoping she wouldnt pick up on the fact that his heart was pounding and he was breathing like a marathon runner. I was about to go off without you.
Yeah, right, she said as she walked past him and pushed through the double doors. She was smiling that damn little half-smile of hers, the one that made her seem ancient and all-knowing.
About halfway to the car she threw him a sideways glance and said in an amused tone, Do you really think you can get DNA from a wooden stick?
I dont know, Holt replied. I guess Im about to find out.
She laughed. It was a low, husky sound, but like a shrilling alarm clock, it awoke the sensual awareness of her that had been dozing just below the levels of his consciousness. His skin shivered with it, a pleasurable sensation he tried without success to deny.
Determined to ignore it, he unlocked her side of the car and went around to do the same to his, since his restored 1965 Mustang didnt come equipped with power door-locks. He slid into his seat as she did hers, and from the corner of his eye he saw her run her hands appreciatively over the black leather upholstery. He was suddenly acutely aware of the warmth of the leather seat on his backside. Although it was comfortably cool outside, the air in the car seemed too thick to breathe.
He got the engine turned on and the air-conditioning going full blast, and as he was waiting for it to take effect, she said in that same throaty voice, I really do like your car, by the way.
Thanks. Good God, what now? Was she actually flirting with him?
Did you restore it yourself?
No. I got it from a grateful client. He backed out of the parking place, then abruptly shifted gears and pulled back into it. Tell me something, he said as he slapped the gearshift into Neutral. Why should you be afraid of the DNA result anyway?
Who says Im afraid?
Its not like youre wanted by the police, he went on, or a suspect in a crime. All this is, is a family thats trying to find their missing sister.
Sister. Sistersistersister Thank God he couldnt see inside her mind, see that word pulsing there like the gaudiest neon on the Vegas Strip. Thank God for the years of training that would keep him from knowing the pain she felt with every starburst.
Yeah, well, she said, hating the gravel in her voice, see, thats the thing. Im nobodys sister. Okay? Dont deserve to be. Dont you understand? I lost that right a long time ago.
Pity, Holt said softly, putting the Mustang once more into reverse. These are some nice people. You couldnt ask for a better family to be a part of.
Yeah, right, Billie thought, and it was all she could do to keep from erupting in derisive laughter. Nice didnt come anywhere close to describing the brother she remembered.
Thensomething hed said. Something that had been blasted out of her head at the time by the sound of that name: Brooke Fallon. Butshe remembered now. Hed said brothers. Plural. But how could that be? She only had one brother.
So, tell me about em, she said, concentrating everything she had on keeping her tone light, making her interest seem only casual. Inside her head was a cacophony of thoughts, a jabbering madhouse of incomprehension and confusion, a babel of questions she couldnt ask without giving herself away.
Why should you want to know? He tossed her a look as he headed out of the parking lot. If youre not, as you say, the person Im looking for, its got nothing to do with you.
Panic seized her. It was only a few short blocks to the garden center; hed be dropping her off in a minute or two. But she had to know. She had to know.
She could feel herself beginning to tremble inside. How much longer could she keep him from noticing?
She shrugged with elaborate unconcern. Hey, it sounds like an interesting story, okay? Paused at a traffic light, he looked over at her again, smiling sardonically. She gave him back her most winning smile. Id really like to hear it.
Holt felt a quickening, a swift surge of exultation. Hed never been fishing in his life, but he imagined this must be what a fisherman experienced when he felt that unmistakable tugging on his line. Its kind of a long story, he said with doubt in his voice. Dont you have to get back to work?
There was a moment of absolute silence, yet he could hear her sigh of frustration like a faint breath, hear the crackle of tension in her muscles and joints like the rustling of fabric on skin. He wondered if it was because he couldnt read her the usual way, with his eyes, that he seemed to be developing the ability to pick up on her with his other senses.
The garden center loomed ahead. Holt slowed, turned into the parking lot. He pulled into the first empty space he came to and stopped, leaving the motor running, then looked over at Billie. She was sitting motionless, facing forward, and from her profile he could see behind her glasses, for once. Her eyes were closed. For some reason that jolted him, and he saw her in a way he hadnt been able to up till now.