Authors: Aurora Rose Lynn
Imminent Conquest (29 page)
Bryan knocked on the door. “I couldn't find him. Not even a trail."
"Oh my God,” Nicole whispered.
"He won't make it far. The cops will be here any minute."
Her eyebrows arched in question. “I had an alarm installed without Colin's knowledge."
"Did you suspect him?” she asked.
Michael nodded. “The last few months he's been acting strangely. But I didn't know he was in the restaurant, Nicole. I'm so sorry."
Tears spilled down her cheeks.
"There's two things I don't understand,” Bryan ventured. “Have you seen Cathy?"
Michael frowned. “Not for years. Why?"
"Cathy?” Nicole asked, bewildered. Was she a Carmichael too?
Bryan looked close to tears.
"Colin kidnapped her. I have to find her."
"Why would he want to do that?” Michael asked.
"I don't know. It's a long story about espionage, high level officials and hired killers."
Nicole sucked in a breath. “What do you mean?” Her heart drummed in her ears. Colin wasn't who he appeared to be outwardly. He was worse than the devil himself.
Bryan murmured something low, something about keeping secrets and not putting Catty's life in danger.
"Wait until the cops get here. Shouldn't be long now,” Michael insisted.
Bryan sank into a chair and lowered his head against his upturned palms. “I thought she would be here. What if she's dead?"
"We'll find her."
Nicole noted Michael's expression was as grim as it had been walking up the stairs. He shook his head slightly when she examined his face, seeking clarification. He had said one thing but meant another. Whoever this Cathy was, she wouldn't be found alive. The knowledge that Colin had killed again and ruined another life saddened her. The other man seemed to pull himself together. Colin had left nothing but human wreckage in his path, wherever he walked.
"Someone broke into my house the other night,” Bryan went on. “The only thing missing were boxes of photographs. I can't figure out why anyone would want those."
Michael shifted slightly. “It was me. I was searching for proof but I wanted to make it look like a burglary."
"Proof of what?"
"As a teenager, Colin loved taking photos, the kind that got him into trouble with Mother because he took very private pictures of the family and our friends. It was a blatant invasion of privacy but everyone thought he would grow out of it."
"What would a photo prove?” Nicole asked, holding on to Michael with all her waning strength. Her wound burned. She never wanted to lose him again.
"I'll get to that in a minute. I was hoping to find a photo that might prove we were at the lake the day Dad was murdered. The medical examiner said the death occurred within a one hour range of three-forty-two that afternoon. It sounds easy, but it's one of the more difficult things I've had to do."
"To prove your innocence,” Nicole whispered.
Michael inclined his head. “I had to find a photo which might show we were at the lake. I knew Colin had to have taken one. So it was a matter of finding it. But where to look?
"When Bryan came to work for me, I remembered his mother had a real knack for taking photos and I played a long shot bet. Colin stayed with her through my trial and subsequent sentencing. He might have hidden the photo I was looking for in her stack."
"Did you find it?” Nicole asked breathlessly.
"Yes. And a negative. Colin shot all his film with a camera that took photos with a date and time stamp. When we were at the lake, the photo was shot at four-fifteen, judging from the sun's angle. That meant I had an alibi at the time of the murder."
"Me,” Nicole whispered. Tears ran unheeded down her cheeks.
"Right. But that photograph would have proved conclusively that I didn't kill my dad."
"Why would Colin hide it?” Bryan asked, startling Nicole, who had forgotten he was there.
"Colin was going to blackmail me, I think. He was the type of man to do exactly that."
Bryan got to his feet. “Where are the cops? You'd think there would be one around during a crisis.” He looked like a coiled up spring. “Will you return the photos?"
"I already did."
Bryan mumbled. “I wouldn't normally say this but this one time you're forgiven for breaking into my house. Just don't do it again."
Michael laughed. For the first time since Nicole had met him in Eastwynd, his mood was lighter.
Bryan chuckled. “I'll wait for them outside while I think.” He left.
"Why would Colin want to blackmail his own brother?” Nicole asked, tilting her head to meet his shiny blue eyes.
"He wanted a sense of control because Dad so nearly wrote him out of his will. He wanted to hold the same threat above my head. If there was ever any dispute over the inheritance, he would shush me up with the photograph."
"Is he dead?"
"I don't know.” He lowered his head and kissed her. “Marry me? I'm not the most romantic guy in the world but I swear I'll do right by you. I'll love and cherish you every day for the rest of my life and beyond."
"Yes,” was all she could say as he ravished her lips.
"Do you think he'll ever find Cathy?” Nicole asked Michael as they seated themselves at the wedding reception. All their friends and most of Eastwynd had shown up for the wedding at his home by an azure blue lake. The sun shone on both the snow and the revellers. In the reception hall, a band played light rock and merrymakers laughed and talked animatedly.
They both glanced at Bryan who laughed out loud at something Libby had said. His eyes remained sad and slightly unfocused.
"I don't know. I suspect she may not be found at all. Colin had a way of hiding things and making them hard to find."
"Is he still alive, you think?"
"We'll find out come spring. He might be buried under the snow or a wild animal ate him."
Nicole grimaced.
"What do you think they're talking about?” Michael asked, directing his gaze at Libby and Bryan.
"Maybe about the pickup Libby was driving that night and how it crashed into a snow bank. Bryan's door opened and he fell out.” Nicole giggled. “It does sound funny. Especially when he tells that bit about Libby being a private dick."
"He fully intended to roll out of the truck to prevent Libby from getting hurt. Funny he got thrown out. Maybe something to do with irony."
"Is she still working on her correspondence course?"
"I'm pretty sure she is. She wants to get a licence so she can investigate stuff on her own."
"As if there isn't enough adventure already."
Michael grinned. “She claims once adventure is in your blood, it's there to stay and make a nuisance."
"What happened to Willy?"
"They're on the off part of their on-again, off-again affair."
"Do you think they'll ever get married?"
"Stranger things have happened."
The partygoers, led by Bryan, tinkled their forks against the long-stemmed, crystal champagne glasses.
"I think this is where we're supposed to stand up and kiss.” Nicole gazed into her husband's twinkling eyes.
"Like we haven't already the last twenty times,” he pretended to grumble.
She pulled him to his feet, drew him against her voluminous white wedding dress and planted a hearty kiss on his lips.
"Is that all I get?"
Nicole smiled. “You want more?"
He nodded. “Always."
"I wanted to tell you a little secret,” she said, near his ear.
He groaned. “I've had enough of those to last a lifetime."
"This is a good secret."
He pursed his lips. “I can't imagine a good one."
"I had a little trouble getting into my gown,” she hinted.
His eyes widened. “You're going to have a baby?"
"Not just any baby,” she said, patting her still flat stomach. “Our baby."
"This calls for more celebration,” he said, lifting her into his arms and stomping off.
"Hey!” Bryan called out. “Where are the bride and groom going?"
"We have some unfinished business to attend to,” Michael called out, kicking the door open, as the whole crowd groaned.
The last thing they heard was Libby calling out, “Theirs is a match made in bed, don't ya know?"
"Is that true?” Michael asked, settling Nicole in the limousine.
"She missed something important."
His eyebrows shot up.
"It's also a match made in heaven.
Aurora Rose Lynn, a bestselling erotica author, lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and conure. She enjoys writing romance with a sensual twist but first and foremost her stories must be about love. When she isn't writing romance, she writes young adult and fantasy stories under a pen name.
Email: [email protected]
Aurora loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website and author biography at www.total-e-bound.com
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