One Secret Night (4 page)

“That’s fantastic, Savanna.” Finally, a man who could take care of himself and not rely on Ivy fame.

All the while, disappointment over what Lincoln had revealed about Russ gave way to nagging curiosity. Why had someone like Kai Whittaker been in contact with Russ about a known assassin? And why had Russ gone after the assassin if he didn’t in fact work for the FBI?

Chapter 3

T
wo weeks later, Autumn’s hand trembled as she held the pregnancy test she’d just taken. It was positive.

Positive?

Oh, God. It was
positive!

She panted for air and stood from the closed toilet seat, where she’d collapsed after seeing the plus sign. What was she going to do? She’d have the baby, of course, but what would she do about Russ? That wasn’t even his real name. She didn’t even know the name of her baby’s father!

She was one of
those
women.
Floozy.
Her sister was right!

“Oh, God.” She hyperventilated some more. She put the test on the counter then walked out of the bathroom and held on to the railing as she descended the stairs on wobbly legs.

“Oh, God, oh, God, oh, God...I’m not ready for a baby.” She was supposed to go to Germany on another translation contract next week. Single motherhood didn’t scare her, but having a baby did. She didn’t need a man to raise a child. It was the drastic change that bothered her. She’d be responsible for a life and her own would be over. Nothing would ever be the same. She’d have to give up her independence. No more flying to other countries on a whim. Not for a while, anyway.

In the kitchen, she leaned with her hands on the kitchen island, bending over, light-headed with a racing heart.

Maybe her mother could help her. Or Savanna. Or Lincoln.

No. None of them could help her. No one could. Moreover, she didn’t want anyone to help her. She didn’t want anyone to know she’d gotten pregnant from a one-night stand.

How could she have allowed this to happen? She’d stopped taking her birth control pills after Knox, having feebly vowed to stay away from men for a while. But it had only been a few days before her trip when she’d stopped. She’d thought she was safe.

Guess not.

Straightening, she stared out the window, unable to stop her thoughts from drifting to that night. To
him.
Unbelievable that they’d made a baby together. Of all the luck. And then...it was a miracle. What were the odds of this happening to anyone? To her?

She had to find out who he was.

Even if he chose to have nothing to do with her and the baby, he had the right to know about it and she had to know his real name.

Turning, she made her way through the living room and went down the hall to her home office. Sitting at the computer, she typed in Kai Whittaker’s name into a search engine. Moments later, she had the website to the defense contractor company, DT Corporation, and the main number. DT stood for Defense Technologies.

Without hesitation, she grabbed her phone and called the company.

“DT Corporation.”

“Yes...uh...would you please transfer me to Mr. Kai Whittaker?”

“One moment.”

The line switched to another woman. “Kai Whittaker’s office.”

Autumn repeated her request.

“Is he expecting your call?”

“No.” Standing, she began to pace the office. “He doesn’t know me, but it’s important.”

“May I have your name and number and what this is about?”

Yeah, right. “I need to speak with him now.” She turned and walked back across the office.

“I’m sorry, but—”

“Tell him it’s about Tabor Creighton. He’ll talk to me.”

“One moment.”

Autumn stopped walking. Several seconds later, she had Kai on the line. “Who is this?”

“Mr. Whittaker, my name is Autumn Ivy. I was in Iceland when Mr. Creighton was killed. I met the man who killed him.”

There was a long silence before Kai said, “We need to meet in person.”

“Why?”

“I don’t have to meet you, lady. We talk about this in person or we don’t talk at all.”

What was he afraid of? Being heard? She experienced a moment of hesitation and dismissed it. “I’m in Dallas, but I can fly to Houston. How about tomorrow afternoon?”

He told her a time and place.

* * *

Sitting outside at a chain coffee shop, Autumn checked her cell phone for the time. Kai was fifteen minutes late. Cars passed along the busy Houston, Texas, street. Across that, there was a shopping mall. She’d already stopped there on her way here and bought a new outfit, one she wouldn’t be able to wear pretty soon. Her mood sank lower as she noticed a billboard advertising her dad’s latest sci-fi film. She hoped Kai didn’t recognize her.

“Ms. Ivy?”

She turned to look behind her and saw a man approach. Another hung back as he reached the table. He took the seat beside her.

“Thank you for meeting me.” She looked at the man again. “Who is that?”

“Security.” The waitress was walking over to them. “Would you like anything?”

She shook her head. It was water and decaffeinated drinks for her now.

Kai ordered coffee and waited for the waitress to leave. “Now. Why did you call me and what is it you want?”

“I need to contact the man who killed Tabor Creighton,” she said.

“Why do you need to contact him?” he asked as though it was an absurd question.

“It’s a...a personal matter.”

“Personal.” Kai leaned back, looking directly at her. “You obviously don’t know how dangerous it was for you to call me, much less meet me.”

“But you said—”

“What did you expect me to do, have this conversation over the phone?” he snapped. “You bring up names like Tabor Creighton, and I don’t have much of a choice.”

Autumn had to find a way to convince him to talk to her. “Look, Mr. Whittaker, I didn’t ask to be held with a knife to my throat, and I certainly didn’t ask to cross paths with the man who saved me.”

With cold, calculating eyes, he studied her. “Who have you told about this?”

He didn’t bat an eye over her mention of the knife to her throat. He must know that she’d been there when Russ killed Creighton. She began to feel uneasy. How did he know? When had he spoken with Russ, and why would Russ talk about her?

“No one,” she lied. She’d told Lincoln and Savanna. “Please, Mr. Whittaker, I need to contact the man who killed Tabor Creighton. He said his name was Russ, but I know that isn’t his real name.”

“I can’t tell you anything about him. I only met you here today so that I could warn you to stay away. Don’t contact me again, and don’t try to contact this man you’re so curious about. And above all, tell no one what you saw in Iceland. You have no idea the danger you’ve put yourself in by coming here.”

“Why? The assassin is dead. You yourself said the problem was solved in your text.” And that raised other questions she had. “Why was the assassin a problem for you? Was he going to kill you?”

His coffee arrived and he didn’t answer her.

When the waitress left, she asked, “Was Russ helping you? Is he still?” If Creighton was going to kill him, someone had hired him to do so.

He looked at her for a long moment. “No one else can.” Sipping his coffee, he put the cup down.

What did he mean no one else could? “Who is he?”

She received another long look.

“Why was an assassin going to kill you?” she asked.

Still, he only looked at her.

“That’s why you hired Russ, isn’t it? What does he do? Why go to him and not the police?”

Abruptly, he leaned toward her. “Listen to me carefully. He may have saved you, but I didn’t go to him because he had a conscience. My advice to you is to forget whatever private matter you have to discuss with him.”

Oh, dear. Had she gotten herself knocked up by a ruthless killer? But he’d been the one to kill an assassin. Was he also an assassin?

“How do you know him?” she asked.

Taking another sip of his coffee, he reached for his wallet inside his jacket. “This meeting is over.” He dropped a ten-dollar bill on the table. “Go home. Forget you came here. And don’t ever come back or contact me again.”

“Wait.” She put her hand on his arm before he could stand. “I just need to talk to him. A phone number is all I need.” She met his unsympathetic gaze. “Please.”

“Something personal, hmm? Dying is personal. Is whatever you need to talk to him about worth that?”

She was beginning to wonder. Kai wasn’t going to tell her anything, anyway. She’d have this baby and never know who its father was. Averting her head, she stared at the mall across the street, more upset than she’d been in years. The sting of tears astonished her.

She pushed back her chair. “Thank you for meeting me. I won’t contact you again.” She stood.

Kai put his hand on her arm. “I’ll tell him you’re trying to reach him. That’s the best I can do.”

Maybe that would be enough. With a single nod, she left, not believing she’d ever hear from Russ, or whatever his name was.

* * *

Autumn was still fighting tears when she reached her rental car. Throwing her purse onto the passenger seat, she started the engine and sat there for a while. Well, there was nothing she could do if Kai decided not to talk to Russ, or if Russ decided not to contact her. She’d tried. That’s all that mattered. Now she’d have to face single motherhood.

Motherhood...

She gripped the steering wheel tighter as she drove into the street. Few things intimidated or frightened her, but the thought of raising a living being all by herself came pretty close. It wasn’t that she doubted her capability. It was the living being part. Taking on the giant responsibility. Would she be good at it or would she yearn for her old life back? Maybe it was the lack of choice that daunted her. Like being Jackson Ivy’s daughter.

Her flight wasn’t scheduled to leave until morning. She’d have the whole night to think about all of this. What torture.

A car appeared beside her on the four-lane road. She slowed down, not liking it when other drivers went the same speed as her and blocked all the traffic behind them. When the other car slowed with her, she sped up. The other car did, too.

Annoyed, she looked over and saw a man pointing a gun at her. He had a mustache and wore a baseball hat and bulky jacket. At first, she was startled, but then, galvanized into action, she slammed on the brakes just as a bullet shattered the driver’s window. The other car slowed with her and the car behind rear-ended him. Autumn wasted no time. She floored it and raced past the accident.

Glancing at the side mirror, she saw the gunman coming after her, and the car that had rear-ended him starting to chase.

The gunman changed lanes and raced up behind her.

She fought her fear and concentrated on driving. Veering around a car, she changed lanes to get around another.

The other two cars followed. What was the third car doing? Why was the driver following? Was he trying to help? The third car rear-ended the gunman’s again, this time harder. It was deliberate. Had the driver seen the shooting?

The gunman nearly lost control, swerving onto the shoulder and then correcting. Autumn pulled to the side of the road, ducking as the other car passed, expecting bullets. But none came. The shooter had decided to flee. As the third car raced past her, she recognized Russ in the driver’s seat.

How had he known she was here?

She wasn’t going to wait around for him to come back and tell her. He was the reason that man had shot at her. She should have never come here, never gone to see Kai Whittaker. Doing so had drawn her back into whatever trouble Russ had stirred up by killing that shooter in Reykjavik. She’d put her life and the life of her unborn baby in danger by coming here. The sooner she got away, the better.

For a second she considered calling the police to report what had just happened, and then quickly decided against that idea. Kai had warned her of the risk in meeting with him and now someone had just shot at her. She needed no further convincing. The faster she got out of this situation the better, and hopefully no one would try to find her. Hopefully the driver who’d shot at her would forget about her, and hopefully she never saw Russ again.

She’d be safe at her parents’ California mansion. Safe from Russ and all of this trouble.

Sick to her stomach, Autumn put the gear into Drive and took the nearest exit off the highway. This baby was a secret now. At least from the father.

* * *

Raith swore all the way to Autumn’s hotel. Once he was inside, he kept swearing in his head. Damn her. Why did she have to come here? He’d flown to Dallas after Mayo had come to see him, and after a week assuring himself that she wouldn’t try to contact Kai, he’d returned home. But watching her had cost him. He’d daydreamed about going to her door and taking her to the nearest bed. Even after he’d left, she’d haunted him.

Now he was in Houston, on his way to really see her again. Sexual tension and frustration over the fact that he felt that way had him more than a little uptight. She’d gone to see Kai. That was the only reason he was here. Not to have sex. Make love. It would be making love now. It had been making love after the first time. The first time qualified as sex. Anything after that had felt like more.

At her room door, he knocked. Hard.

She didn’t answer, but he heard her television.

He pounded on the door. “I know you’re in there. Let me in.”

Still nothing.

“It’s Raith.” Catching himself, he corrected, “I mean, Russ. You know me as Russ.” He looked up and down the hall. Empty. “My real name is Raith De Matteis.”

He waited.

At last she opened the door, the security latch stopping it at two inches.

Wide, dark green eyes stared at him, long, fine red hair falling all over her shoulders. Wearing an off-white knit tunic with knee-high lace-up boots, her C-cup breasts pushed out and her waist dipped in. Around five-six, slender and dressed in another one of her feminine outfits that was very different than the jeans he’d seen her in, she was so beautiful it staggered him.

“Let me in before someone sees me,” he said.

“I don’t care if anyone sees you.”

He believed her, and she charmed him for it. “Let me in. You’re the one who came here looking for me.”

A long pause stretched between the other side of the door and the sliver of sexy woman he could see through the opening. “How do you know that?”

“Kai called me right after you left the coffee shop.”