Against the Odds (31 page)

Everyone but Edward Bagley. By now he was burning in hell.

Alex blew out a tired breath and rolled to his feet, took
Sabrina’s hand and brought her up with him. He thought of how she had disobeyed
him again by coming to the lake, and tried to summon a little anger.

“I thought I told you to stay at the office.”

She went up on her toes and pressed a gentle kiss on his mouth.
Yeah, he was mad, all right. Hell, he was damned glad she was there.

“I had to come,” she said. “I was afraid you might need me.
Please don’t be mad at Ben.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “Are you kidding? I can’t expect Ben to
control you when I can’t manage to do it myself.” And then he kissed her. If he
didn’t he thought he might die for real.

“I love you,” she said, pressing soft little butterfly kisses
at the corners of his mouth. “I love you so much.”

His throat tightened. He wanted to say those words back to her.
She meant so damned much to him. But the words seemed to stick in his throat.
The promise those words held was more than he could offer. The promise of a
loving husband, a home and family, the kind of future he couldn’t guarantee.

Instead he just held her and felt grateful that she was there.
Grateful that a woman as fine as Sabrina Eckhart could find it in her heart to
love him.

Thirty-Three

T
wo things happened that next week. At his
home in a suburb of Dallas, the police located Jason Bartholomew, Bagley’s half
brother. Bartholomew told them he knew he had a younger brother. The two of them
had met once about five years ago. Bagley was a teacher, single and
well-respected, but Bartholomew hadn’t felt any sort of connection, and since
then, there had been no communication.

Bartholomew had no idea Bagley was using the house he owned at
Lake Houston, a place he hadn’t visited in years. Once a month, a gardener
stopped by to take care of the yard, but aside from that the house had been
closed up. The police were satisfied the brother was telling the truth.

Jason Bartholomew hadn’t been out to the lake, but Edward
Bagley had. How the man had found out about the property was a mystery. But
clearly little Ginny wasn’t the first child he had taken there. The police found
the remains of two other young girls, neither of whom had yet been
identified.

Alex thought of the man who had destroyed the lives of so many
people. And how lucky it was that Ginny was home, untouched, the doctors said,
by Bagley and his evil.

The second thing that happened was that Henry Mullins awakened
from his coma.

Detective Colin Murphy, the officer in charge of Sabrina’s
case, had called on Alex’s cell phone. He’d been working out in his gym, then
gone upstairs to shower and put on fresh clothes.

“Henry Mullins is awake and singing like a bird,” Murphy had
said. “Now that he’s figured out his goose is cooked, he can’t talk fast
enough.” As Murphy filled in the details, including the fact neither of the
other cousins was involved, Alex felt a sweep of relief. It was over.

“Thanks for calling,” he said. “I’ll let Sabrina know.”

There’d be loose ends to tie up, statements to make, but
basically the case was closed. Robert Eckhart had been arrested in connection
with the attempts on Sabrina’s life. She was safe at last.

Feeling lighter than he had in days, Alex headed back
downstairs.

“Hey, baby, where are you? I’ve got great news!”

He found her seated behind the computer in his study, tapping
away on the keyboard, more research, he was sure, on the mining project she was
more than eager to begin.

“Sorry, I didn’t hear you calling.” She came up out of her
chair. “You’re smiling. What’s going on?”

Alex scooped her into his arms, swung her around. “It’s over,
love. Henry Mullins came out of his coma this morning. As soon as he realized
the game was up, he started talking. Cut a deal with the D.A.’s office. Henry
says he and your cousin Bob came up with the scheme to kill your uncle so that
Bob and his brother and sister could inherit the mine. Henry was in for a fat
cut of Bob’s portion of the deal. They planned to buy the other two out of their
shares, figured they’d sell cheap. Henry’s willing to testify against him.”

“I can’t believe it.”

“Believe it.”

“So George and Silla weren’t involved?”

“Not according to Henry.”

She sank back down in the chair. “Thank God for that.”

“The police found a laptop at Bob’s house. There were a dozen
different email exchanges between him and Henry. They also found a disposable
phone with Henry’s number on it. Good ol’ Bob seemed to forget it was called
disposable
because it was meant to be thrown
away.”

Sabrina came back up from her chair and he could almost see her
mind working.

“How did Bob know about the molybdenum?”

“According to Henry, when Walter came to Houston last October
to see his son, he was so convinced there was silver on the property that Bob
followed him back to the mine.”

“That’s what Walter always believed. At least Bob was right
about the land being valuable.” Sabrina went into his arms and for a moment, he
just held her.

“It’s over, baby.” He kissed the top of her head, thought how
good she always made him feel.

Sabrina hugged him one last time, took a shaky breath and eased
away. When she looked up at him, there was something in her features. Despair,
resignation, whatever it was, it suddenly made him wary.

“So it’s finally happened,” she said. “It’s all finally over.
Bagley. The threats against my life. Even you and me.”

Unease slid through him. “What are you talking about?”

“I came to you for help. You did everything in your power to
protect me. You were wonderful, Alex. You risked your life for me. But I don’t
need your protection anymore. I need your love and that’s something you just
aren’t able to give me.”

He swallowed. His chest felt as if a band was tightening around
it. “I don’t see why we can’t go on the way we are now. We’re good together.
Surely you can see that.”

She reached up and cupped his cheek. “I wish I could do it. I
wish I could keep pretending it doesn’t matter. But it does. I’ll never be able
to repay you, Alex, for everything you’ve done. But it’s over and it’s time for
me to leave.”

“Just like that?”

“We both knew it wouldn’t last forever.”

The band was constricting, making it hard to breathe. “We can
still see each other, right? We can still be friends?”

A sad smile touched her lips. “I’m not like your other women,
Alex. I can’t be happy with a part-time lover.” She went up on her toes and
pressed a kiss on his lips. For an instant, he couldn’t speak.

“Please don’t call me,” she said. “Don’t stop by to see me.
Just let me go.”

Alex just stood there as she walked out of the study and down
the hall, heading upstairs to pack her things. He wanted to go after her, talk
to her, convince her to change her mind.

It wouldn’t be fair and he knew it. He couldn’t make promises
he wasn’t sure he could keep. He didn’t know himself well enough to know his own
feelings.

He was standing in the entry when she came back down the stairs
with her overnight bag. “I’ll ask Sage to come by and get the rest of my
things.” She set the holstered pistol Jake had loaned her on the entry table.
“Thank him for me.”

Alex shook his head. “You can’t just leave, not like this. You
don’t even have a car.”

She smiled sadly. “I called a taxi. It’ll be here any
minute.”

“That’s crazy. Last night you were sleeping in my bed and now
you’re just going to disappear?”

A horn honked outside the door.

“The cab’s here. I have to go.”

He felt on the edge of panic. He wanted to haul her back inside
and slam the door. He wanted to carry her upstairs and chain her to his bed.

“Goodbye, Alex. I’ll never forget you.”

He didn’t know what to say. Where was that smooth tongue he’d
used to charm women all over the world? Where were the glib words when he needed
them?

The door closed in his face and Alex just stood there. What in
the hell had just happened? All he knew was that he felt like he was drowning
and didn’t know how to swim.

With a long, shuddering breath, he headed for the bar. Alex
poured himself a scotch with a hand that wasn’t quite steady. He couldn’t
remember ever needing a drink so badly.

* * *

As though she were sleepwalking, Rina rolled her
carry-on into her apartment. The place smelled musty and damp, and as she rolled
the bag toward her bedroom, she noticed some of the plants were drooping, badly
in need of water. Obviously, Mrs. Renhurst hadn’t been in to check on them in a
while.

She left the bag in the hall, filled a pitcher with water and
began making the rounds, taking extra care with the philodendron and the ficus,
giving herself something to do, trying to keep her mind off Alex.

Dear God, she hadn’t expected it to come to an end so quickly.
She’d thought things would taper off, that she’d have time to adjust to being
without him.

But once she’d gotten started, said the words she couldn’t call
back, once she’d said that she was leaving, she had realized she was doing
exactly the right thing. Better to amputate, cut him cleanly out of her heart,
deal with the pain all at once, than to be with him and die inside by
inches.

She finished with the plants and rolled her suitcase into the
bedroom to unpack. She needed to keep busy. Work always helped her stay focused.
She’d call Arturo tomorrow, finally get that meeting set up in Presidio. Begin
to deal with the problems of developing the Sabrina Belle.

She wouldn’t think about Alex. She would stay so busy that in
time she would forget him. She said it over and over again, repeated it like a
mantra.
You’ll forget him. It’s just a matter of
time.

Then she looked around her empty apartment, the place she had
decorated herself, been so proud of and had always loved. It seemed desolate
now, a place to hang her clothes, nothing more.

Rina sank down on the edge of the bed, her mind going back to
Alex for the hundredth time. Emotion clogged her chest. She felt as if her heart
were crumbling inside her. Rina buried her face in the pillow and started to
weep.

Thirty-Four

H
eat waves rolled up off the pavement. July
in Houston felt like a tropical jungle, the thick wet air making it difficult to
breathe.
Damned summer weather,
Alex thought, his
mood grim as it had been all week. Made him wonder why he didn’t live in
Connecticut.

He scoffed. Could be the months of ice and snow, the frozen
roads and bad memories. His childhood was a part of his life he’d been glad to
escape. And Houston wasn’t so bad. He loved the sunshine, the ocean being not
too far away. And the people here were great.

Didn’t make his mood any better.

He shoved through the office door, ringing the bell. He hadn’t
been there in days, not since Sabrina had made her sudden exit from his life.
This morning he’d gotten a business call at home. John Mitchum, a friend who
owned a research laboratory in the Medical District, was having security
problems. John needed to know who was leaking information to his competitors.
Desperate to get out of the house and keep himself busy, Alex had taken the
job.

Anything to keep from thinking of Sabrina and the hole she had
left in his heart.

He sat down at his desk and turned on the computer, began to
search through his email. Maybe she had sent him a message. Maybe she had
changed her mind and wanted to see him.

But there was no message there. Then again, he knew her well
enough to know once she had made that kind of decision there was no way she
would change her mind.

Disappointment slid through him, making him feel raw inside.
Forcing his mind back to business, he started searching for information on
Mitchum Laboratories. He’d get more specific intel from John at their meeting
tomorrow morning. As the laboratory website popped up, Alex caught movement in
the corner of his eye and recognized Jake’s tall, powerful frame striding toward
him.

Alex leaned back in his chair, dreading the conversation he’d
been avoiding for days.

“Mind if I sit a minute?”

“Help yourself.”

Jake sat down, so big the chair creaked beneath his weight.
“Sage says it’s over between you and Rina.”

A weight seemed to settle on his chest. “It was her idea to end
it. I liked things the way they were.”

“Her emotions got involved. That happens. How are you feeling?
You okay with it?”

Alex looked at his friend. “If you want the truth, I miss her
like hell. She was the best thing that’s ever happened to me, but it just
wouldn’t work.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m not ready for the kind of life she wants.”

“What kind is that?”

“Marriage. Kids. Settling down.”

“She say that’s what she wants?”

“That’s what all women want.”

“Not Sage. At least not right away. Neither of us is ready for
that. We want those things eventually. When both of us are ready.”

If it were only that easy.
It
wasn’t. No matter what Jake said. “You know the way I am. The way I always have
been.”

“You mean the women? I’ve been there. People change. You aren’t
the same man you were and neither am I. I think deep down you know that.”

“Look, I know you’re trying to help, but this is personal,
okay?”

“So you aren’t in love with her?”

His stomach knotted. He hadn’t expected his friend to come
right out and ask. To make him admit to something that didn’t have a damned
thing to do with anything.

“That’s a yes or no question,” Jake pressed when he didn’t
answer. “Either you are or you aren’t in love with Sabrina.”

“And it’s your business because?”

“Because I’m your friend.”

Alex came up out of his chair. “All right. Fuck it. I’m in love
with her, okay? Probably been in love with her since she called me an arrogant
jet jockey and went on to tell me all the reasons she wasn’t interested in a guy
like me. Satisfied?”

Jake just shook his head. “I don’t get it. If you love her, why
don’t you just go get her?”

“Because for me it doesn’t work that way. I need to know where
I’m going. I need to have my future worked out. Until that happens, I can’t ask
a woman to marry me, and especially not Sabrina. I care about her too much.”
Translation—
I love her too much.

Jake stood up, too. “I guess we all approach life differently.
The thing is, even when we think we’ve got everything figured out, it doesn’t
happen that way. Life is a series of choices. You never get to figure them all
out ahead of time.”

Alex said nothing.

“You need anything, you just let me know.”

Alex nodded. “Thanks.” He had good friends, people who cared
about him. He wished things were different. Wished he were different.

As Jake walked away, he sat back down at his desk.

But when he looked into the computer screen, all he saw was
Sabrina’s pretty face smiling up at him, telling him how much she loved him.

* * *

At Sage’s familiar knock, Rina opened the door to invite
her inside. The curtains were still drawn, though it was after ten in the
morning. She’d been up for a couple of hours, but she hadn’t pulled them open
yet. The plants were beginning to droop again.

“So...how’s it going?” Sage asked, her gaze going around the
dimly lit apartment.

“All right, I guess. I’d hoped I’d be feeling better by
now.”

Sage walked over and opened the curtains. The bright light
coming so unexpectedly hurt Rina’s eyes.

Sage walked back to where she stood still dressed in the old
cotton robe she’d put on that morning. “If you don’t mind my saying, kiddo, you
look like hell.” Sage reached up and lifted a lock of limp, faded red hair, let
it fall back into place. She picked up one of Rina’s hands and studied the
nails, saw that the polish was worn off and she had bitten a couple of them down
to the quick.

“That’s it—we’re getting out of here. I’m taking you to the spa
and don’t even think about arguing.” It was Saturday and Sage wasn’t working.
Usually she spent the day with Jake.

“I—I can’t go right now. I’m expecting a call from Arturo.
We’re setting up that meeting in Presidio.”

“Too bad. Arturo will have to wait. Now go put on a pair of
jeans and a T-shirt and let’s go.”

She wanted to refuse. She needed to get the mining operation
going. She needed to accomplish
something
instead of
sitting around her apartment pining for Alex. She’d told herself that in time
she’d get over him. So far that hadn’t even begun to happen. She thought of him
every hour, every minute. She hadn’t even had the energy to wash her hair or
polish her nails.

Or go to the bank and apply for the loan Arturo had assured her
she’d be able to get against the property, a piece of land valued in the
millions of dollars.

Sage tugged on her hand. “Come on, Rina. You need this and you
know it.”

She needed a complete makeover for sure—one that included
getting Alex out of her head. “You’re right, Obi-Wan. I’ll follow wherever you
lead. Let me put on some clothes.”

They left the Buick she had rented in the parking lot and
climbed into Sage’s silver Mercedes. She felt better the moment she closed the
door. There was something about riding in a sexy automobile that lifted a girl’s
spirits.

They headed for the Trellis, the luxury spa at the Houstonian
Hotel just off the 610 Freeway, and immersed themselves in a day of pleasure.
God, it felt good to be thinking of something besides her broken heart.

She was still riding high at the end of the day when Sage
brought her home after a facial and massage, her hair freshly colored a lush
shade of auburn, her nails and toes polished a saucy red—just to boost her
spirits.

They’d had a late lunch at the spa restaurant and enjoyed a
glass of Pouilly-Fuissé, Rina’s favorite French wine.

“You gonna be okay?” Sage asked when the afternoon came to a
close and she pulled the Mercedes into the parking lot in front of Rina’s
apartment.

“Today was great.” Rina smiled. “You were right, I really
needed a day away from it all. I’ll be fine now.”

Sage leaned over and hugged her. “Call me if you need me,
okay?”

“I will.” She flourished a last wide smile, slipped out of the
car and went into her apartment. In the gilded mirror in the entry, she looked
like her old self again, maybe even better. It wasn’t until she walked into the
empty bedroom and glanced at the bed that her throat closed up and tears hit her
again.

Dammit, she wasn’t going to cry. If Alex didn’t want her, that
was his loss. She wasn’t going to mourn for him any longer. First thing Monday
morning, she was going to call Arturo and set up that meeting. If he still
showed an interest in her as a woman, she was going to go out with him.

Her lips trembled. And she wasn’t going to think of Alex
Justice ever again.

* * *

Monday morning, Alex walked into the office. Over the
weekend, he had tried to convince himself to call one of his lady friends—any
one of the forgettable women he had dated over the years. One of them was bound
to be up for a good time in bed. The notion made his stomach burn.

The bell rang as he pushed through the office door. Seated
behind the reception desk, Annie’s head came up.

“Well now, aren’t we just the lucky ones?” she said. “Glad you
found time to make it into work.”

“Leave me alone, Annie. I’m not in the mood for your crap
today.” He’d been dreading the moment he’d have to face Annie Mayberry. He’d
dodged her half a dozen times, but it looked like the moment had finally
arrived.

She was frowning, he noticed, as she rose from behind her desk
and walked toward him, followed him back to his desk.

“You don’t look so good. I figured a guy who just skated the
marriage trap would be grinning ear to ear.”

“I told you to leave me alone.”

She reached out and caught his chin, turned his face one way
and then another. “You’ve lost weight and your tan is fading.”

He had to look away.

“Lord help me, Jesus! So that’s the way it is. You’re in love
with her. But hey! The big, bad ladies’ man, Alex Justice, is afraid to tell a
sweet little thing like Rina he loves her.”

“I’m not afraid. It just wouldn’t work.”

“Why not? Can’t give up all those women you got chasing after
you?”

He shook his head, released a slow breath. “I don’t even
remember their names.”

“What then?”

He didn’t know why he was telling her this. But then she was
Annie and it just seemed okay. “I don’t know what I want to do with my life,
Annie. I’m not even sure I want to stay in Houston. How can I expect a woman to
settle for a life that’s still so uncertain?”

Annie’s gruff voice softened. “Rina isn’t just any woman, Alex.
If she married you, she wouldn’t expect you to stop living your life. She’d want
you to be happy. If that meant moving somewhere else, I think she’d be just fine
with it. She’s always had an adventurous nature.”

He swallowed past the tightness in his throat. “What about
kids, Annie? What about settling down? I’m still finding my way.”

“Kids can wait. They got a way of comin’ when the time is
right. In the meantime, there’s no reason the two of you can’t explore your
options. You got plenty of money. It’s not like you couldn’t take care of
her.”

“I don’t even know what I want out of life.”

Annie eyed him with speculation. “Looking at you now, I got a
feeling there’s one thing you know you want.”

He stared into those canny old eyes and his heart began to thud
in a soft, painful rhythm. He thought of Sabrina and how much he loved her,
thought of how dreary his life had been since the day she’d walked away.
Suddenly everything seemed to fall into place.

“I want her,” he said. “I want Sabrina.”

Annie grinned. “Now you’re getting it. Loving the right person
makes your life easier, honey, not harder. Sharing those tough decisions,
finding answers. You ask her. You tell her those things that worry you and see
what she says. I think she’ll go along with whatever you want. I think that
woman would follow you to the ends of the earth.”

The weight on his chest seemed to lift away. “I’m in love with
her. I need her. I want her with me. God, I’ve been an idiot, haven’t I?”

Annie shrugged. “You’re a man. Sometimes, that’s just the way
men are.”

Alex laughed for the first time in days. Cupping Annie’s
wrinkled face between his hands, he gave her a smacking kiss on the lips.
“You’re the best, sweetheart.”

And then he was heading for the door. It all seemed so simple
now. So clear. Sabrina was part of what he’d been searching for. The love she
offered was the very thing that had eluded him.

Now all he had to do was convince Sabrina to marry him. His
steps slowed as he reached his BMW. There was a time that would have been
easy.

Alex was pretty sure it wasn’t going to be easy this time.

* * *

Dressed in a yellow business suit and a pair of high
heels, Rina headed for the door. She was meeting Arturo Hernandez for lunch at a
small café near the Galleria. He had flown into town to finalize plans for her
meeting with the company bigwigs in Presidio.

She was still a little early, fidgeting and checking her
makeup, watching the hands on the clock crawl past. When the doorbell chimed,
she wondered who it could be, walked over and looked through the peephole.

Alex.
Her chin went up. She had
told him not to come. When she opened the door and saw him on the threshold it
was all she could do not to slam the door in his face.

“I asked you to leave me alone.”

Instead, he walked in without permission and closed the door
behind him. “I need to talk to you.”

God, he looked so good. A little thinner, maybe, not quite as
perfect as he usually did. Still. “I don’t want to talk, and besides I don’t
have time. I have a meeting I have to go to.”