Alana Candler, Marked for Murder (10 page)

He punched in Kent’s number again and listened to the voice telling him to leave a message. With a determined grunt, Chet laid his phone on the bedside table and searched for a pair of dark pants and a shirt. Tonight he was going stalking—he’d gather irrefutable proof before he revealed his suspicions to the department.

EIGHTEEN

ALANA HUNG UP THE PHONE
, took a deep breath, and glanced at the clock above the elevator doors. Five more minutes, and she would be done for the day. She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead, trying to ease the tension that had settled around her eyes.

What a day!

After the phone call she received from the employment agency, the day completely fell apart.

The pastries she was warming were as hard as bricks by the time she rescued them from the microwave, and the coffee was as weak and thin as dishwater. Not only had Mr. Holbrook reprimanded her severely for not having his coffee on his desk, but he also raked her over the coals for forgetting to ask Simmons and Ward to meet with him in his office.

The phone rang off the wall all day—one person after another asking to speak to “Mr. Holbrook, please.”

There was no paper for the computer printer anywhere in the desk or the large closet that contained supplies, and when she called the building secretary to inquire about the paper, he said it had not yet been delivered. After borrowing enough paper to get the letters typed, she’d missed her lunch in order to get them finished and ready for the mail before the mailman came to pick them up.

As the mailman stood waiting for the letters, she searched in vain for stamps. Finally, when he waited as long as he could and left, she found them in the envelope box in the bottom drawer.

Angry at no one in particular, she hurried down the elevators to the bottom floor— barely catching the mailman as he walked out the front door— only to return and find three people waiting in the office to see Mr. Holbrook. All three of the fretful visitors were angry about Mr. Holbrook’s instructions for not receiving visitors and furious that they weren’t informed of his decision prior to “coming all this way” to see him. They released on her the brunt of their anger.

As she sat back in her chair, she reminded herself of her strong resolve the day before to be thankful for all things. Looking back over the events of the day, she had to admit there was only one thing she felt like being thankful for this day: Jaydn Holbrook stepped out of his office at the precise moment she finally had a minute to catch her breath and take a one-minute break in the small kitchen. She was too embarrassed to eat one of the pastries in the refrigerator, even though she missed lunch, and her mouth was watering just thinking about the bountiful supply. She closed her eyes trying to ignore her rumbling stomach, when Mr. Holbrook walked into the room.

Obviously, he was surprised to see her
resting
, quietly drinking a glass of water instead of furiously working at her desk. He demanded, without using kind words, to be shown the letters she spent all morning typing. When she told him they were already stamped and mailed, the surprised look on his face was quickly replaced with satisfaction, and he nodded his approval.

Yes! That one positive, emotional response was something to be thankful for on this day.

She closed her eyes and tried not to think of the one thing she was looking forward to—a hot bath. Her arms ached from spending the whole day at the computer typing, and her head felt like it would burst open any second.

“Well, Miss Candler. If you think I’m going to pay you for a full day’s work when you’ve spent half of it sitting around taking naps, you’re mistaken.”

Alana jumped up in her seat and stared at him just as the phone rang.

Anger flashed in her eyes as she picked up the receiver.

“Mr. Jaydn Holbrook’s office. May I help you?” she said over-sweetly. She pasted a fake smile on her lips for Mr. Holbrook’s benefit.

“Alana? Is that you?”

“Brandy! What in the world are you doing calling me here?” Alana turned so her back was facing the irritated man standing in the doorway.

“Lisa gave me the phone number where I could reach you. What in the world are you doing working as a secretary? I thought you gave that up years ago.”

“It’s a long story, Brandy.” She glanced over her shoulder to see if the dark-haired man was still watching her. He was. “Uh, Brandy, did you need something?”

“Oh, yeah! I have some really bad news. I just went by your apartment to pack you a couple of outfits, and . . . well . . . the place has been totally trashed. Someone really made a mess of everything.”

“What?” whispered Alana.

“Books were all over the floor, and the cabinet drawers were dumped everywhere and smashed. Even your bedroom was trashed, at least what I could see from the living room; I didn’t stay to look around. It’s a mess, Alana. I’m sorry. I wasn’t sure what to do, but should I have called the police?”

“Miss Candler. Would you please make personal phone calls on your own time and not on mine?” an annoyed male voice broke into her conversation.

Alana could bear his insults no longer. The emotional strain of being drowned three days before combined with two nights worth of nightmares and the stressful day she just experienced made her reaction to his words stronger than she ever intended them to be.

She told Brandy through clenched teeth not to worry—that she’d call the police after she checked out the apartment herself. Then she hung up the phone and stepped angrily toward the arrogant man glaring at her with his arms folded across his chest.

“I’ll tell you what I’m going to do, Mr. Holbrook. I’m going to gather my personal belongings, and I’m going to walk out that door, and I sincerely hope I
never
have to meet such an arrogant, egotistical, overbearing slave driver like you
ever
again. You are the most obnoxious man I’ve ever had the misfortune to work with, and I don’t care if you
did
save my life, I hope I never have to set eyes on you again for the rest of my life!”

Tears filled her eyes long before she finished the last sentence, and when the final word was spoken, she lost the battle controlling her emotions. The strain of trying to repay his kindness in the midst of his demanding personality as well as the rotten day she experienced finally broke through her wall of defenses. Hiding her sobbing face with one hand, she began gathering her things with the other.

Jaydn stood gawking at her. She could sense his confusion by the uncertain way he stood beside her. She could almost see the wheels churning in his brain—trying to piece it all together. The drive home. The submerged car. The woman he’d pulled out of the lake. The same woman who looked like a complete fool blubbering in front of him.

She gave him a sidelong glance. When the blood drained from his face, she knew he’d figured it out. His fists clenched and unclenched in uncertainty. She hoped he was cringing at the commands he’d barked at her all day. He deserved to be brought down a notch.

He took a step closer.

“Please, Miss Candler . . . I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. Please . . .”

Alana sniffed at the pleading sound of the apology and fought to control a new onset of tears, but the gentle touch of his hand on her arm only increased her discomfort, and her eyes welled up again.

Jaydn reached one arm around her shaking shoulders and pulled her toward him in an awkward squeeze.

“I’m sorry, Miss Candler. I know I can be a bear sometimes. Especially when I’m swamped with work and can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. My secretary called in sick with the flu three days ago, and it’s been a nightmare around here ever since.”

He leaned his head forward so she could see his half-smile. “I guess you’re
not
from the temporary employment agency, are you?”

Alana took a deep, controlled breath and shook her head. “They c-called this m-morning and said they had no one to s-send you,” she stuttered without looking at him.

For a second, Jaydn turned his head to stare through his office door. He took a deep breath and turned to her—a renewed sense of humility filling his eyes.

“Look, why don’t we start all over? Let’s pretend this day hasn’t happened, why don’t we?”

Alana nodded and tried to make her swollen lips sound normal as she wiped her eyes with a tissue from the desk.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Holbrook. I didn’t mean to fall apart. I really just came here this morning to say thank you for saving my life.”

She looked deep into his eyes for the first time and lost her breath at the rich blue color shining on the surface. His gaze reached out to her and probed deep into her soul.

Uncontrollably, her gaze strayed to his lips—lips that touched hers at the lake while he breathed life-saving air into her lungs. The lump in her throat blocked the air and made her breathing raspy. She remembered nothing of the CPR he had performed on her, but the unexpected thought of his full lips touching hers made her blink in surprise.

Jaydn seemed stunned as well. The depth in his eyes seemed to swallow her whole, and she cleared her throat nervously. The sound brought his attention to his arm still around her shoulders, and he dropped his hand as if the touch burned his skin. He took a step back.

His eyes strayed to her lips, and she wondered if he too remembered their contact at the lake. He licked his lips and hurried to comment on her last statement.

“Uh . . . it was my pleasure, Miss Candler.”

He must have realized how ridiculous that sounded because he quickly changed the wording. “I mean, it wasn’t my pleasure that you needed rescuing of course, but . . . well . . . I’m glad I happened to be there.”

Too moved to speak, she just nodded.

“Please, let me buy you supper,” he said. “I need to make a trip to Ross tonight, but I have to get a bite to eat before leaving. I’d feel better about today if you’d let me repay your kindness with a meal.”

Alana finally found her voice. “No . . . no, thank you. I have to get home. I just found out my apartment in Ross was robbed. I need to get back and see what’s missing.”

Jaydn’s face turned one shade lighter.

“You’ve had a rough couple of days, haven’t you? First you end up in the lake, and now this.”

“Yeah. Not to mention working for you today.” Alana’s voice was quiet but held a touch of humor.

Jaydn winced and looked at the floor. “I’m sorry about today, Miss Candler.” A sheepish grin played at his lips.

She smiled shyly and ducked her head, a bright spot highlighting her cheeks. “At least I don’t have to come back tomorrow.” Her attempt at humor made him laugh. Tears still lingered on her cheek, and he lifted his hand as if to wipe them away, but Alana quickly brushed them away herself.

Jaydn dropped his hand. “I really am sorry. Do you think . . .”

Once again, Alana found herself mesmerized by the blueness of his eyes, and that feeling smothered out the sound of his words. She could see through his emotions into his very soul, and what she saw made her pulse quicken. Somewhere buried deep beneath that tough exterior beat the heart of a responsive, loving man. A man who could capture any woman’s heart. A man who would make a woman do anything for his attention.

She
would do anything for his attention.

Stop!
She jerked her thoughts into an upright position and tried to focus on what he was saying.

“. . .so, let’s forget today, okay? At least let me take you home. You don’t have a car yet, do you?”

She shook her head. “No, I had a taxi bring me this morning. I was going to catch the bus to the police station after . . . after I thanked you for saving me.”

“The police station?”

“My brother Brad is the police chief.”

“Brad Candler’s your brother? You’re kidding! We went to high school together. At least, we were in several classes together. I’m a year or two older than him, but we were still thrown together quite a bit. I didn’t make the connection when I heard your last name. So, you’re Brad’s little sister.” Jaydn scrutinized her face with a smile playing around his lips. “You’re not the skinny kid in pig-tails and braces that used to hang around on the chain link fence taunting us while we practiced football, are you?”

Alana had the grace to look embarrassed. “I’m afraid so.”

“I guess it
is
a small world.” Jaydn seemed to have a brainstorm. “Hey! Let me take you by the station or at least by Brad’s house. Maybe I’ll get a chance to say hello. I’d love to see him after all these years.”

He stepped into his office and came out with his briefcase, then ushered her toward the elevator.

He relayed some of the trouble he and Brad got into during high school, and Alana laughed with him as they stepped into the elevator. Even though the evening air was dark and still damp from recent showers, Alana felt somehow as if her world was suddenly much brighter.

NINETEEN

BRAD WATCHED MARTIN STRANDS PLAYING
pool through the window of a corner room in the pool hall—the afternoon sun cast eerie shadows across the pool table as Martin leaned over and made his shot. Suspicion about Martin’s being involved with Alana’s kidnapping was still rambling around in his head—despite the two friends who gave him partial alibis.