Giovanni’s frown deepened as he thought about the last thing he could remember. Then the past few hours began to seep through his conscience, and he looked up to Sabrina.“Andre?” he said in a hushed voice. “Are you alright?” he asked, his tone weak and filled with concern.“I’m fine,” she told him with a shaky smile as tears rolled down her cheeks. “I’ve been so worried about you.”“I’m alright, darling,” he told her, trying to raise his hand toward her cheek but found the effort difficult, and laid it back down across his stomach.Sabrina lifted his hand to her lips, kissing it gently before placing her cheek in his palm. Giovanni brushed a tear away with his thumb and smiled when she turned her lips to kiss his hand.“I think it’s time to let the boy get some real sleep,” Creighton said with a deep sigh. “I’m going to check on Irena before I go back to the flat. Do you want a ride, sis?” Sabrina shook her head as she laid Giovanni’s hand back across his stomach before resuming her
“We’ve posted security at all the exits,” he told them in his rich native tongue. “My men are stationed at the lifts and the underground parking. If he shows his face, we’ll catch him.”“Thank you,” Creighton said as he ran his large hand through his longer than normal dark hair. “Has anyone checked the flat?”“The manager let us in a few minutes ago. I’ll have a couple of men escort you up and stand watch.”“I want that man found,” Creighton said as he stood up. “There’s a bounty placed on his head and I’m willing to match it. I think it would serve everyone well if your men found him before a less honest person does.”“Don’t worry, we’ll find him. He’s too visible and too well known not to be spotted. This evening’s paper had photos of him in it, and I have a team of officers on their way to Bordeaux to bring his mother in for questioning. Inspector Ashford has filed a petition to have Monsieur Marez’ death reopened. I’m sure it won’t be long now before we have all the details to pu
Sabrina gasped as she dropped her hand to the table. The thought that she could actually be pregnant was the last thing she could have imagined. Even when Giovanni told her, before going to Euro Disney, that he would not allow her to marry Andre if she was carrying his child, the idea of having a baby seemed so farfetched she didn’t give it much credit. But now…“There is a chance, isn’t there?” Creighton asked, sitting in the chair opposite her.“I didn’t think it was possible,” she said in a hushed tone as she mentally began calculating the weeks since her last cycle. “We’ve been together since June, since the night we took The Tornado out. How could I have been so naïve?”“You’ve had a lot going on the past couple of months,” he told her. “It’s not surprising that you didn’t stop to consider the possibility.”“What am I going to do? I can’t tell him. He’s too weak.”“There’s no point in sounding the alarm just yet. When we get to hospital, you can get your blood tested. Once you kn
Sabrina paced the small corridor outside the laboratory. The nurse told her it would only take a few minutes for the technician to run the blood test, but that was nearly half an hour ago. She looked down the hall as the door at the end opened and a uniformed officer stepped through. Silently, she rolled her eyes. The last thing she wanted was to have to make light conversation with a strange man who was ordered to watch her every move.She looked through the glass window and into the sterile lab beyond, sighing heavily at the three workers who seemed to ignore her. She knew there were other patients who needed results as well, but surely her test shouldn’t take this long. Then her nerves began to jump. What if something was wrong? What if she wasn’t pregnant? What else could it have been?“You’re looking very healthy for a dead woman, darling,” the man said as he stepped to her side.“Andre,” she gasped with a start, turning to look into his face shadowed by the Policeman’s cap. Wit
Creighton left his sister’s side once Peter arrived, allowing the two sweethearts the chance to speak with their parents uninterrupted. He knew they needed time to explain her pregnancy and discuss how they planned on proceeding from this point. He found the nurse Sabrina had spoken with when they arrived sitting behind a large counter in the middle of the hallway. The computer screen in front of her distracted her attention and she didn’t see Creighton step up to the counter. It was the audible gasp from the young nurse behind her that had her turning around to see the handsome man.“Excuse me,” he said in a flawless flow of French. “You were helping my sister a short time ago. She was getting some testing done.”“Oui,” the woman said, blushing softly. “I took her to the laboratory. Take the lift down two floors and it’s to the right.”“Merci,” he said with his typical heart-melting smile. He was far from a fool, and he knew how women responded to his looks. In a way, it was very f
Creighton felt the urge to hit something hard and firm as he cradled his sister in his strong embrace. Over the past twenty-four hours, he had nearly lost both his sisters, one of his future brothers-in-laws, and the head of his security team. All at the hands of the man who lay dead behind him. If he hadn’t been there to witness the events, he would have thought it was impossible. Yet here he was, watching as the moments rolled out in front of him like a movie on a screen. Two orderlies rushed down the hallway toward him, a nurse behind them and a gurney between them. He easily lifted Sabrina to the white sheet and stepped aside as she was whisked away, accompanied by Renard. Creighton slipped his hand into his pants pocket as the Policemen bent across Andre’s lifeless body. Silently, he began cursing to himself. He was getting damn tired of this shit. Every time he thought he had a handle on his life, something came along and tried to rip it apart. It was as if every crazy person
“She’ll be happy to know she’s had such an influence on you,” he said with a wide smile, then left the room with Andrew and Derek, allowing the two lovers to be alone with Emma and the nurse.“Are you sure you’re alright?” her mother asked, gently brushing her cheek with her knuckles.“I’m sure. Why don’t you go see Irena? She probably needs you more than I do right now. I think I’m just going to take a nap. I’m exhausted.”“Good, you need some sleep. Both of you,” Emma said turning to look at Giovanni and smiling at the half grin she received. She could easily see why her daughter loved this boy so much. Not only was he handsome, he was kind and loving, and he made Sabrina happy. A mother couldn’t ask for better.“I’ll check back in on you before we go to the flat. If you need anything, you call us, understand?”“Yes, Mum,” she smiled and accepted the kiss her mother gave her, then watched as she kissed Giovanni on the cheek and left the room.With a heavy sigh, Sabrina laid her hea
Sandra lounged beneath the scented water, her hair piled on the top of her head, soft jazz music playing over the speaker of her old iPod and a glass of organic orange juice on the tub’s rim. They had arrived at the hotel shortly after eleven that morning, where Creighton left her to attend to some work at the office. She decided to enjoy the time alone and filled the bath with hot water then lavishly enjoyed a homemade facial. The past several weeks had brought one event after another and she found herself lost in the turmoil. It had only been three weeks since Andre Marez tried to kill Sabrina. The family had stepped in to help take care of Olivia, Giovanni’s young daughter, while her father recovered from a gunshot wound Sabrina’s ex-fiancé had given him, and Creighton kept his private plane on standby for Peter, who traveled between England and France. Irena was on the road to recovery but was still in the hospital, though her injuries were mending quite well. She was going throu
Sandra hung up the phone with a slam, then glanced to her grandparents who were sitting at the kitchen table. She was starting to get angry with all the rejections and dead-end avenues. She called Davies and told him she wanted him to get the plane ready to go to France, only to be told the police had restricted his flying. They were concerned that whomever it was that had killed her husband would try and sabotage the jet.She was getting frustrated and felt like she was being held back. If she didn’t know better, she would think she was being placed under lockdown. She could understand the police’s concern, but she had more men around her then they had at Fort Knox, and she would be willing to take all of them with her if she needed to.“I can’t leave the house, I can’t go to France, I can’t even gather eggs,” she grumbled as she joined the older couple. “What am I supposed to do? I can’t sit here and wait until doomsday to find out what happened to my husband.”“Honey, you’re going
The room was warm as the setting sun shone through the blinds. Two detectives sat on the sofa, watching as the man continued to pace the floor. Trying to keep him calm was growing increasingly harder with each hour.Creighton could only assume the horror his family was going through, not to mention Sandra. They had been having difficulties, but this made all of that seem trivial. He had to call her, he had to contact her somehow and let her know he was alive, but the police were refusing to allow him the chance. They had to keep him concealed for the time being, though it was steadily becoming impossible. The man was acting like a caged animal, anxiously trying to find a means of escape.“How much longer do we have to sit here?” he growled, looking to those gathered around.“We need you to remain patient for a little longer,” a bald-headed man told him. “Monsieur Ashford, we understand what you’re going through…”“Like hell you do,” Creighton snapped. “I have a pregnant wife at home w
“I know she’ll be happy when it’s over,” Emma said, returning to the room, her eyes red from the tears she’d been wiping away. “She can’t let Brandon go to school, and she has to keep the children inside instead of letting them go out to play.”“I’m sure they are going stir crazy,” Cathy said with a frown. “Especially Grace. That little girl is used to having the freedom of the farm to run and play.”“The only good thing is the weather,” William told them. “It’s been really wet, and she doesn’t like getting her dresses dirty.”“Sounds like her aunt,” Andrew said with a soft chuckle.“Maybe we should take this meeting over to my sister’s,” Cathy suggested with a sideways grin.“Let me call Derek and Kristin,” William said, standing and walking to the phone on the wall. “They wanted to know what you found out.”“Just have them meet us at Sandra’s,” Andrew told him. “We can discuss this all there.”“I thought Sabrina and Irena would be here,” Cathy said, looking at Emma who was wrapping
Parker and Harvey held off the reporters for as long as they could alone, then eventually had to call NHT’s security. Within a few short hours, there were enough burly looking men to scare off anyone trying to get near the house. Sandra kept her children inside, though it really wasn’t difficult. The rain had eased by supper, but just like the past several days, it picked up again this morning.Max growled as he laid of the entry. The noise of cameras clicking, and the soft hum of voices mingled among the breezes of the day. She had tried to watch television, but every station was reporting on the accident. Eventually, she had no choice but to surrender and put on Grace’s favorite princess movie. At least it kept them from listening to those who insisted that there was no hope in finding any answers this soon.Sandra drew a deep breath as she wiped the moisture from her forehead. She had decided to keep herself busy and baked two apple pies, along with nearly a hundred sugar cookies.
“No, it’s about assuming you knew what I would want. You did this, claiming it was for us when it was for you. You can’t stand the idea that your little sister has something you never would. It was bad enough when I felt like I was competing with Creighton for your attention, but now I’m watching you compete with Sandra for the mother of the year award.”“Stop comparing me to Sandra!” Cathy screamed. “It’s not my fault she’s perfect. She’s always been everyone’s favorite. I can’t tell you how many boyfriends I’ve dumped after I found out they were using me to get close to her. I didn’t want Creighton, but after he chose her over me, it made me angry. I was competing with her again, and she was too stupid to realize it. He chose that simple, no makeup, no fuss girl over me. She shares his bed, when I’m a better lover then she would ever be. She has his money, his admiration, your parents’ admiration, even my grandparents enjoy spending time with her over me. She even has a perfect body
“Maybe Michelle heard from him,” the boy said hopefully.“I haven’t spoken with her, but I want to call in the morning. She may know something more than the police do.”The two were silent for a long time as they considered their own thoughts, until Sandra realized the tea was gone. She looked to Brandon who looked like he was finally able to fall asleep, then stood and took the cups to the sink.“Come on, son,” she told him, wrapping her arm around his shoulders. “Let’s see if we can get some sleep.”“Mum, can I come sleep with you?” Brandon asked once they reached the second floor of their house.Sandra smiled and hugged the boy, nodding as he looked up to her.“You can sleep on your daddy’s side,” she told him. “Just don’t tell him I let you in our bed. He may get jealous.”Brandon smiled as he walked with her into the bedroom. Sandra helped him between the covers and tucked him in, then left to check on Grace. The house was silent and soft snores of her little girl could be heard
Sandra paced her bedroom trying to stop her mind from racing through the events of the day. Derek had come home after his mother called him, insisting on picking up Brandon from school. Sabrina called to say the reporters were going crazy with the news of the Tornado’s fire and that she and Giovanni would be home as soon as they could get there.Irena spoke with her parents and insisted on calling in a prescription for Sandra’s nerves, though she refused to use it. She needed to stay alert and concentrate in order to determine what was going on. The last thing she needed was to surrender to the effects of a drug.After speaking with Andrew, William informed the rest of the family about Cathy’s surgery, though he wouldn’t go into detail. He assured them he would check into the reports from his end and stay abreast of the investigation. Once Cathy felt like traveling, they would drive out to Yorkshire to be with the family.Nana tried to get Sandra to let her stay overnight, but she was
Sandra opened her eyes and looked around. She was in her bedroom, yet she couldn’t remember laying down. The house was silent and the soft pattering of rain outside reminded her that the dog had made a muddy mess of the entry. Then she remembered her grandfather and William coming over, and slowly began to piece together the last thing she remembered.There had been an accident on the Tornado and three bodies were found. She knew in her heart it wasn’t Creighton. She couldn’t even begin to guess who would have been on their ship, or how it ended up at sea, but she knew her husband wasn’t the one killed. Now all she had to do, was convince the others into believing her.Sandra stepped down the stairs to hear Grace talking to her great-grandfather, the dog running from one room to another as he chased his rope and the smells of food drifting out of the kitchen. She stepped into the living room and saw Papa sitting beside Grace, one of her own books open in front of him as he listened to
Sandra stared at the two men for a long moment as their words began to sink in. When she spoke with her husband earlier that morning, he was still at the hotel. He didn’t mention having plans of returning to the yacht. Why would he go back there when he told her he was packing to come home?Then she thought about the bodies found. One was female. Who was it? Did Creighton lie to her about not being involved with Garcon’s assistant? Had he gone there to meet with her, perhaps a final rendezvous before coming home to his family?“Did you hear what we said?” Papa asked her.“It’s impossible,” she began, her anger taking over her words. Sandra looked down at Grace who was trying to wipe the muddy water from her little dress. She hadn’t understood what her grandparents were saying. All she cared about was her soiled outfit.“Sweetheart, go upstairs and find a clean dress,” Sandra told the little girl. “Put that one in the hamper and warsh your hands. We’ll make lunch when you’ve finished.