Covert Alliance (28 page)

Caring so much for Alan? Turns out it hadn’t been a good idea at all.

Alan. Had thinking of him conjured him up? He had just walked through the Haven’s front door, and seemed to be scanning the restaurant crowd—till his eyes lit on her. He smiled.

She couldn’t help it. She smiled back as her heart leaped at seeing him here. He’d come back!

“Hey, miss,” said one of the guys in a suit at her table. “Could you bring me some more coffee?”

“Of course,” she said, glad for the excuse to move away through the crowded tables—but not in Alan’s direction. Not yet, at least.

“I’ll get it,” Tobi told her, meeting up with her as she hurried to the area where the coffee service was. “I think you have something better to do.” The other server’s grin was knowing and suggestive. She didn’t know that formerly, Kelly’s supposed relationship with Alan had been an act...but then, it hadn’t been one entirely.

“Thanks.” Kelly handed Tobi the empty glass pot she’d been about to fill and hurried to where Alan still stood at the doorway. But she didn’t get too close to him there. She couldn’t have even if she’d wanted to, since Ella was with him now and they were conversing.

“Oh, thanks for joining us, Kelly,” Ella said. She turned back toward Alan. “We’re all aware now that’s not her real name, but she’s told us to keep using it since it’s how we all know her.”

“I get it,” he said. “So, Kelly, I’ve just been asking Ella for some of your time this afternoon. I still have a relationship with Blue Haven Security, and therefore city council, and they’re having a meeting this afternoon that they’ll want refreshments served at. I hope you don’t mind, but we want you to bring the food from the Haven.”

Kelly felt a bit confused about the situation, but she didn’t mind the request. Why had Alan come back? What did he have to do with BH Security now—and why was he still helping city council to get its refreshments?

She had an opportunity to ask him all that a short while later, after the Haven’s chefs had quickly put together some sandwiches and snacks. Now Kelly and Alan carried plastic bags full of them as they walked toward Government Plaza.

“So what’s really going on?” Kelly asked, keeping a short distance between them even though she’d wanted, from the moment she’d seen Alan, to throw herself into his arms and kiss him till he promised to stay around.

But that might wind up only hurting her if she tried it. She had no idea what was on his mind—or where he was living now.

“You’ll get a better idea of what’s up soon,” he said cryptically, and she realized that he hadn’t touched her, either, let alone kissed her.

They talked about Eli on their way. Her nephew now lived with her in her small apartment. Neither of them wanted to go back to his former home. That place was still owned by Stan anyway, and even if he was convicted of all the crimes he would be charged with, Kelly didn’t know what would become of his house.

Not that she wanted it. But if it could be sold and the money given to Eli, that seemed appropriate. Kelly had no hesitation about taking care of her nephew on her meager salary now. She could at least access her former bank account now that she could acknowledge, and prove, that she was Shereen. And she hoped to rent a larger apartment for them soon.

If she stayed in Blue Haven with Eli, she would try to get another teaching job, like the one she had had when she was Shereen. It would be more enjoyable to her than being a server, and it would pay better.

“So will you be staying here in Blue Haven with Eli?” Alan asked as they neared the plaza. It was as if he had heard her thoughts.

“I hope to. I want to start teaching again, as I used to do here, and he’s gone through too much to add moving to somewhere unknown to the list, if I can prevent it.”

“Will you be Shereen again?”

“Maybe,” she said. “That’s the name my teaching credentials are under. But my nickname can still be Kelly.”

They had reached the bottom of the wide stone stairway leading up to the tall marble building that was the plaza. Kelly couldn’t help smiling a little as she headed up the steps. She wouldn’t have to worry about seeing Stan there and whether he recognized her. Not now, and never again.

It was Thursday afternoon. People were coming and going at the plaza as usual, as if nothing were different now in the makeup of the city council. And maybe nothing was officially different yet. Stan’s being under arrest didn’t necessarily mean he’d been kicked off the council, although surely he would be eventually. At least if he was convicted, and everything Kelly had heard recently suggested there was no question then his removal would follow.

The officials now had their evidence.

Kelly was glad about that under the circumstances, but she would have given anything, done anything, to have Andi still alive.

Once they reached the top of the steps, Alan said, “Are you still doing okay with that load?” He nodded toward the bags she held in her hands.

“I sure am.” She smiled at him briefly, as if he were just a kind stranger asking about her well-being.

He hadn’t acted like he was anything else since his return to her life less than an hour ago.

But when they got into the elevator to the fourth floor, Alan moved in front of the door to block anyone else from entering. Kelly, standing at the side in front of the buttons, felt a shiver of anticipation ripple through her. As if by instinct, she put the bags she held down on the floor as the door closed.

Good thing she did, since Alan’s bags quickly joined them, and then she was suddenly in his arms, feeling his hard body against her, his mouth slamming down onto hers in an immediate, sensual kiss in which his lips and tongue suggested how much he had missed her.

As she had missed him.

It seemed as if they reached their floor immediately, since the door started opening again.

Kelly made herself pull away, but Alan held her there a moment longer.

“That’s a good sign,” he finally said against her mouth, and then he stepped back as if nothing had happened and lifted his bags again.

What was he up to?

He waited until she had also picked up her bags and exited the elevator first. Then he followed her.

“The usual meeting room?” Kelly asked, turning to look at him. Goodness, he was handsome. And his kisses...

She had to somehow keep him in her life. But how?

“Yes,” he said, then led the way to the door across the hall.

* * *

Maybe this was a bad idea, Alan thought as he opened the door and stepped back for Kelly to enter first. But he wanted to wrap things up for Kelly as best as he could, let her know not only his thoughts, but how other people fit into the plans he had been working on. And fortunately, those he had asked had been amenable to helping him by being here and talking to Kelly, even though he hadn’t told them his reasons for asking.

That kiss had made him hopeful that his ideas would be acceptable to Kelly. Or better than acceptable. But he couldn’t be sure, and simply spouting them off hadn’t seemed the best way to let her know his hopes for the future.

He followed her in. The crowd he had invited stood around near the large center table drinking coffee.

“Hey, Kelly. Glad to see you.” Councilwoman Susan Arviss was the first to approach them, her hand out to relieve Kelly of one of her bags. “I’ve seen Eli, and he seems so much more relaxed these days. I assume it’s okay with you that we’re continuing the intern program here, right?”

Good. She was tacitly acknowledging that Kelly was now Eli’s guardian, whether it was official yet or not. And now Kelly could discuss her nephew openly with the woman who had somewhat taken him under her wing and helped him out.

“It’s great with me, Susan,” Kelly said. She looked around toward the other people in the room, and then glanced back toward Alan as if puzzled.

Not surprising. They weren’t all council members, although there were a few business types who had been previously entertained here now and then.

He grinned at her, then said, “Let’s spread the food out on the buffet table and grab our snacks.”

It was time for the fun to begin.

* * *

Less than an hour after they’d arrived, Kelly stood near the conference room door saying her farewells to those who had come and talked and asked her opinion on a lot of things.

First to leave was Dora Shallner. The part-owner and manager of the Blue View restaurant had come to express her regrets at having dated the horrible Stan Grodon—not that she had become serious about him. But she did offer Kelly the job she had interviewed for as a server at the restaurant.

Kelly had appreciated it and hadn’t outright declined, although she’d said she would keep her job at the Haven for now. Fortunately, she had already discussed staying on with Ella, who was all for it.

Kelly hadn’t told Ella her hopes for resuming her teaching career, nor did she mention it to Dora now, but since it was still fall and barely into this school year, she figured she would have plenty of time to work that out for next year.

“Thanks again, Dora,” she told the other woman. “I’ll be in touch.” It would probably be to gracefully decline the offer, but Kelly was so bemused right now that she didn’t want to say anything.

Police Chief Arturo Sangler left next. He thanked Kelly for her help in gathering the murder evidence and expressed how glad he was that she hadn’t been hurt. He had previously informed the group that an investigation was under way regarding Jerome Baranka and his company, and whether he had been bribing Stan Grodon to reap financial benefits from others, including the federal government. Paul Tirths also remained in custody, with charges pending against him for, at a minimum, aiding and abetting Stan. And an internal police department investigation was being conducted to make sure that the initial search into Andi’s disappearance had been handled appropriately.

Council President Regina Joralli and Councilwoman Susan Arviss left together. They didn’t have far to go. Regina had described in their brief meeting what would be done to kick Stan off the council and replace him. And Susan had expressed how glad she was that Eli would now have a better life, and how she hoped she and Cal would be able to get together often with Kelly and Eli.

Then there was that guy Dodd, who worked with Alan on the private security force. At Alan’s request, Dodd had told the group that the head of Blue Haven Security, Nevil Hancock, had recently quit, and Alan had just been offered the job. Kelly had immediately turned toward Alan, who sat beside her. He was smiling, but there was also a question in it. Was she the reason he hadn’t responded yet?

Did that mean he would actually stay here and be with her if she stuck around?

Kelly had already called Judge Treena back to discuss her hopes of staying here in Blue Haven and not returning to the life the ID Division had set up for her. Fortunately, Her Honor had figured that and said her guys were already fixing the situation. “You deserve to return to the part of your old life that works for you,” the judge had concluded.

That was it. The room was empty now, except for Alan, who still stood beside Kelly.

She closed the door behind Dodd as he left, then turned to Alan.

He was immediately close at her side.

“That was a lot of information,” Kelly said. “I gather you knew it all already.”

He nodded. “But I thought it more appropriate for you to hear it from others before you hear what I have to say now.”

The caring, questioning look in his eyes told her a lot. So did the feel of him taking her into his arms.

“We haven’t known each other long, Kelly. Or Shereen. I know that. It’s too early for us to promise each other forever. But what I want to hear from you is your thoughts on me accepting the job as head of BH Security and staying here and seeing how things work between us. And—”

She didn’t let him finish. As she pulled his head down toward hers so she could kiss him again in response, she said, “Absolutely yes.”

* * * * *

Keep reading for an excerpt from
THE PREGNANT COLTON BRIDE
by Marie Ferrarella

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