Saints and Sinners (A Classic Romance) (20 page)

Was she dreaming, imagining the edge of caution in his tone? "Ever... get... away?" she repeated.

"Don't even try, ever. I can outrun you. I can outwait you. But a day will come when I won't wait anymore. When it does, don't try to deceive me because I'll wear you down until you drop. And that, Dee, is a vow you'd be wise to heed." The mattress shifted beneath her as he stood up. She reached for him and felt only emptiness. "Merry Christmas. And God bless you, my wife."

That word again.
Night,
he must have said
good night.
"Merry Christmas," she whispered against the pillow that should have been his chest. She heard what might have been the clicking of her doorlock or the cocking of a pistol. Was it Vince or Nick or a paid henchman?

And then she was in the realm of dreams and she was running, running down an empty street until she stumbled and fell. The sound of quick footsteps filled her ears while white mist swirled around her in the darkness.

On her hands and knees she turned in slow motion. A scream of terror lodged in her throat.

The mist parted and darkness became radiant light. Matthew loomed tall above her. He extended his hand, but hers were stuck in the ground and she couldn't grasp what she was desperate to take.

He spoke. "You're mine now. I'll take care of you. Don't ever run from me again. Run to—"

She heard the whirr of a bullet before it struck. Matthew looked at her so strangely, more shock than pain etched into his features. An angel was bleeding rivulets of red down his bare chest.

The hand he'd extended became a charred wing. Her own hands were suddenly free, and she reached up to grasp him, but he was gone.

She looked to heaven to plead, to curse and pray, and above her she saw him ascending, rising through the air.

He shook his head as he blew her a departing kiss. "Why didn't you take my hand? Why didn't you trust me? You were mine. Always mine. You should have run to me."

"Matthew," she screamed. "Don't leave me. Dear God, please don't leave—"

"Run to me, Dee.
Only... to... me."

Chapter 15

As Valentine's Day approached, Matt had more on his mind than which box of candy to select or flowers to send. Tapping a pen against the church ledger, he battled the same old frustration.

What was he doing wrong? Hadn't he established his place in Dee's life? Had he not repeatedly assured her by his actions and words that between them and God no problem was insurmountable?

The temptation to quiz Jason and Loren was great. Did they believe she was their mother, as he had? If so, he couldn't risk destroying their belief.

But no matter how just Dee's cause was, she was guilty of kidnapping. A severe criminal offense. His refusal to report it was a crime in itself.

Matthew rubbed his forehead and felt the creases that seemed grooved there. His monthly trip to the homeless shelter was coming up, and he didn't want to leave Dee alone. But this time he was going to make some careful inquiries through certain trustworthy connections.

His position at the shelter had grown considerably during his previous association with it. He'd belonged to a network of top-notch lawyers, judges, congressmen, even the governor. They'd consulted with him on the issue of the homeless, and he'd even counseled the governor on other problems. Even state officials had personal difficulties and needed the ear of someone they could trust to keep the matter confidential.

Yep, him and the governor were on a first-name basis. The governor was still in office, even if Matthew Peters, the tireless worker, had worn out.

But he couldn't call in favors without Dee's cooperation. His one mention of having friends in authority had met with an abrupt good-night.

Giving up on getting any work done, Matthew slammed the ledger shut. Just as he grabbed his coat, he heard a soft knock at the open door and turned to see Dee walk in.

"Got a minute, Reverend?" She wiped moist palms over her skirt, hoping he wouldn't detect her nervousness.

"For you? I've got all the time in the world." He tossed aside his coat and kicked the door shut. "It's not often I see you so early on a weekday. Is anything wrong?"

"No," she said quickly, hoping he wouldn't detect that it was a lie. "I was just missing you and decided I could use a kiss."

His familiar touch to her cheek somewhat calmed her fears.

"So you wanna neck, huh? Then welcome to my private chambers and let's get this counseling session under way."

They were kissing like mad when the door banged open. Dee didn't comprehend that they were no longer alone until she heard Sally Henderson gasp out, "My
God.
Oh... my... God!"

"You should have knocked, Sally." Matthew had pulled away from Dee and was now staring at Mrs. Henderson.

"I did knock,
Rev.
Peters. Apparently the two of you were too busy to notice." Her eyes narrowed to mean little slits. "I'll make sure that the church hears about this. For shame. You, a man of God, with this cheap woman."

"Shut your mouth. This woman is not cheap— she's going to be my wife. Take that to the rest of the church."

"Matthew, no! We can't get married. Please, Matthew, don't say anything that I can't honor."

"Well, well, Reverend, there seems to be a difference of opinion. You should have told
her,
not me, to keep the trap shut. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some important phone calls to make regarding a minister who's not fit to wear the robes the ex-church pianist has likely touched in the most unseemly places. May I suggest that you turn the lock before picking up where you left off when I interrupted?"

Absolute silence followed Sally's departure. Matt ground his teeth while Dee took in shallow breaths. She wanted to touch him, beg his understanding. She wanted to turn back the clock—

Matthew hit the wall with a fist. "You amaze me, Dee. Absolutely amaze me. For being so concerned about my reputation, you did a hell of a job to help ruin it. Why didn't you back me up when I needed you most?"

"Because..." Because she loved him too much to compromise his safety, and this morning when she'd answered the phone, a man had said "Sorry, wrong number," then hung up, sending her borrowed security into a tailspin.

"Because, Matthew, being under fire from a hateful old biddy is no reason for us to get married. This time it's
my
standards I'm unwilling to compromise."

"We're meant to be married. We're
getting
married. And the reason you're trying to dodge it has nothing to do with the tripe you just gave me and everything to do with the lies you've fed me since the day we met."

"No," she whispered, edging to the door. Think, she ordered herself. She had to think of lies to cover her lies. And she had to get away before he wrung the truth from her. "We-we'll talk later," she stammered. "Not... not now."

"Later
is
now," he said softly as he walked toward her. When he reached her, she'd cracked open the door and he slammed his palm against it, closing it with a bang. She shrank back. "I warned you a day would come when my patience would snap. Do you hear the snap now? Out with it, Dee." And then he roared, "Out with it!"

"I won't talk to you like this," she said. The shaking in her voice matched the trembling of her body. "You're out of control, Matthew."

"Damn right I am. Game's up. Time's out. You're telling me who and what you're running from."

"I'm telling you to back off. I'm telling you that I'm deeply sorry for what happened and I won't come back to this church. Tell them I seduced you and you've repented. Maybe they'll give you another chance so you won't lose your second pastorship and make things worse with your father."

"My father is the least of my concerns at the moment. Another father, Vince, is uppermost in my mind. Who is he,
really?
What kind of man can keep you so scared?"

"His name is one you'll stay healthier by not knowing. I'm bad news, Reverend. If you're smart, you'll tell me we're through and—"

"And if you're trying to make me mad, lady, you're more than succeeding. I don't want a martyr. I want a wife and you're it. You've been it since we had carnal knowledge of each other. Remember that night? You lost your virginity."

She stared at him mutely and swayed with shock. Matt caught her by the arms.

"You knew. You
knew.
And said nothing."

"I said plenty, only you refused to listen. Think, Dee. How many times have I all but pleaded for you to let me help?"

She couldn't deny it. The signs of his knowledge had been there, but she'd kept silent anyway, rationalizing that as long as she did, the truth couldn't steal their happiness. Now the thief had come, and what they'd had was slipping away too fast.

"Then you realize that my life is a sham. A lie."

"It's no way to live, Dee." His grip loosened, and as he stroked her arms, she could feel him willing his strength to her. "Do you actually think I would violate your trust after I washed your blood from my hands, my coat?"

At that moment she damned the most cherished night of her existence. She damned the virtue she'd rejoiced in giving only to him. And she damned her own weakness that made her almost glad it had happened. Perhaps now she
could
share her burden with Matthew and bear it alone no more.

She took a steadying breath. "Your hands aren't the only ones that have had blood on them. Vince was my brother-in-law. When my sister, Alexis, wanted to divorce him and gain custody of the kids, he killed her. But I can't prove it."

"Murdered for wanting a divorce? That's crazy."

"Not as crazy as my going to the police with no evidence, only allegations against a prominent citizen whose casinos bring a lot of money into the state."

"There must be something or someone who could back you up."

"I didn't try to find out. You see, word about what I'd done got leaked to Vince right away, and he told me that I could make sure my parents stayed healthy by keeping quiet. He was very persuasive." She laughed, but the sound was brittle.

"How did Alexis die?" Matthew asked softly.

"They said she lost control of her car while she was driving and crashed. I didn't believe it then, and I still don't. Alexis was a very careful driver. Vince—or someone he'd paid—had to have tampered with the car. You see, the men in his family have an unnatural need to keep what they claim is theirs. I found that out for myself."

He shook his head. "How?"

"Nick is Vince's brother. We were engaged. He proposed when he was just out of law school, and I was home for the summer after my first year at Juiliard."

"Juiliard. Impressive. And as much as I hate to say it, so is a man willing to wait for a woman. You never slept with him."

"Nick had plenty of women, I found out later. He wanted a virgin on his wedding night, and he was delighted it was a requirement I could fulfill." She paused. "Nick was obsessed with me."

"Obsessed with you?" he repeated, his face filled with incredulity.

Dee nodded. "He has a sick need to own, to have control over what he thinks he loves. It was as if
my
body were his. As if I were a prize, an item in a store window he admired."

"That's twisted, Dee."

"Yes," she said distantly. "Anyway, a month before the wedding Alexis swore me to silence, then let me know that Vince and Nick were involved with some rough people. She did what she could to save me from getting trapped, as she was."

Dee shook her head at the biting memory. "I didn't want to believe it, Matt. But my trust was shaken and I wanted to call off the marriage. That's when I found out what kind of man Nick really was. He slapped me and said if I didn't go through with the wedding, he'd make me regret it."

Matt looked ready to do bodily harm to Nick. "And did he?"

"In spades. If he couldn't have me, no one would. He kept me under constant surveillance— even after I left for another state. I dated one man twice before he was mysteriously beaten up. When I realized there was no escaping him, I moved back to Vegas. That was three years ago. Alexis's marriage had gone from bad to horrible, and the kids spent a lot of time with me. I think Vince was indulging their need for a mother after she died. But since he'd found out that I had gone to the police, I knew he'd eventually get rid of me too."