what?”
“OCD, mostly. She gets something in her head and it doesn’t go away.”
“Is she seeing a doctor or psychologist?”
“I have no idea.”
Kerri’s eyes widened. “How come?”
“We have nothing to do with each other. I’ve tried to talk to her, get her help, but she won’t have any part of me.”
He’d done more than try. He’d practically kidnapped her to get her into a place that was supposed to be cutting-edge, but Frankie wasn’t sick enough to be committed. She’d simply walked out. Sometimes he was convinced she didn’t want to change. That she was happy being on the fringe.
“I support her,” he added, knowing it was stupid—both the mention and the reality of it. She used most of her salary to fund that idiotic out-there ecology group she belonged to, and looked for ways to punish him.
“I’m sorry,” Kerri murmured.
“Don’t be.”
“I can’t help it. I’m very softhearted.”
“You’re wasting your energy on something that doesn’t matter.”
“We’re talking about your family.”
“Mine, not yours,” he reminded her.
“You’re a total cynic.”
“You’re a softhearted fool who assumes the world is a good place.”
She fluttered her eyelashes at him. “I’m also really, really cute.”
She was that, he admitted. More than cute. Sexy. There was something about the way she moved, the openness of her smile. He’d known a lot of beautiful women, but no one like her. Her combination of innocence and determination baffled him. How could she have blackmailed him into giving up fifteen million and yet still be so damn trusting?
Unexpected heat surged within him, making him want to pull her close and kiss her again. He’d liked kissing her before and wouldn’t turn down a repeat performance. There was only one thing standing in his way—he couldn’t know if she was responding because she enjoyed what he was doing or if it was because she owed him.
His ego said of course she liked kissing him, but his brain was less sure, which put him in a damned uncomfortable position.
He stood. “I need to get back to the city.”
“Okay. Want to take some leftovers? There are still a couple of pieces of chicken.”
“I have a full-time housekeeper who cooks for me.”
“Then never mind. We’ll keep them.”
She rose and followed him to the door. “Thanks for coming to check on me,” she said. “You made me feel better, which I didn’t think was possible.”
Unable to help himself, he touched her cheek. “Don’t worry. We’ll get Wallace back into his lab and digging for the answers. Trust me.”
“You just spent a lot of time telling me I was really dumb for trusting people.”
“I’m different.”
She smiled. “Why did I know you were going to say that?”
CHAPTER SEVEN
L INDA WAS GONE . Abram felt it as soon as he walked into the lab the next morning. There was something in the air, something dank and moldy, as if the roof had started to leak. Only there hadn’t been any rain and there was no reason to suspect the structure.
He found proof on his desk, in the form of a letter. The contents were painfully specific. He was not the man she’d thought he was. She had devoted her life to him, assuming he was dedicated and honorable. Instead, she’d discovered he was little more than a quitter who would rather let the world suffer than deal with the past and move on. She could accept the rest of his flaws, but leaving children to die when he could prevent their demise was unforgivable. She regretted every minute she’d spent with him.
The last statement was the worst. He could handle her accusations by telling himself she simply didn’t understand. But knowing she had regrets made the darkness inside him grow until he knew there would be no escape from the shadows.
Still holding the letter, he moved toward his computer and sat down without turning on the machine. He stared at nothing and remembered another time and another woman leaving
“OCD, mostly. She gets something in her head and it doesn’t go away.”
“Is she seeing a doctor or psychologist?”
“I have no idea.”
Kerri’s eyes widened. “How come?”
“We have nothing to do with each other. I’ve tried to talk to her, get her help, but she won’t have any part of me.”
He’d done more than try. He’d practically kidnapped her to get her into a place that was supposed to be cutting-edge, but Frankie wasn’t sick enough to be committed. She’d simply walked out. Sometimes he was convinced she didn’t want to change. That she was happy being on the fringe.
“I support her,” he added, knowing it was stupid—both the mention and the reality of it. She used most of her salary to fund that idiotic out-there ecology group she belonged to, and looked for ways to punish him.
“I’m sorry,” Kerri murmured.
“Don’t be.”
“I can’t help it. I’m very softhearted.”
“You’re wasting your energy on something that doesn’t matter.”
“We’re talking about your family.”
“Mine, not yours,” he reminded her.
“You’re a total cynic.”
“You’re a softhearted fool who assumes the world is a good place.”
She fluttered her eyelashes at him. “I’m also really, really cute.”
She was that, he admitted. More than cute. Sexy. There was something about the way she moved, the openness of her smile. He’d known a lot of beautiful women, but no one like her. Her combination of innocence and determination baffled him. How could she have blackmailed him into giving up fifteen million and yet still be so damn trusting?
Unexpected heat surged within him, making him want to pull her close and kiss her again. He’d liked kissing her before and wouldn’t turn down a repeat performance. There was only one thing standing in his way—he couldn’t know if she was responding because she enjoyed what he was doing or if it was because she owed him.
His ego said of course she liked kissing him, but his brain was less sure, which put him in a damned uncomfortable position.
He stood. “I need to get back to the city.”
“Okay. Want to take some leftovers? There are still a couple of pieces of chicken.”
“I have a full-time housekeeper who cooks for me.”
“Then never mind. We’ll keep them.”
She rose and followed him to the door. “Thanks for coming to check on me,” she said. “You made me feel better, which I didn’t think was possible.”
Unable to help himself, he touched her cheek. “Don’t worry. We’ll get Wallace back into his lab and digging for the answers. Trust me.”
“You just spent a lot of time telling me I was really dumb for trusting people.”
“I’m different.”
She smiled. “Why did I know you were going to say that?”
CHAPTER SEVEN
L INDA WAS GONE . Abram felt it as soon as he walked into the lab the next morning. There was something in the air, something dank and moldy, as if the roof had started to leak. Only there hadn’t been any rain and there was no reason to suspect the structure.
He found proof on his desk, in the form of a letter. The contents were painfully specific. He was not the man she’d thought he was. She had devoted her life to him, assuming he was dedicated and honorable. Instead, she’d discovered he was little more than a quitter who would rather let the world suffer than deal with the past and move on. She could accept the rest of his flaws, but leaving children to die when he could prevent their demise was unforgivable. She regretted every minute she’d spent with him.
The last statement was the worst. He could handle her accusations by telling himself she simply didn’t understand. But knowing she had regrets made the darkness inside him grow until he knew there would be no escape from the shadows.
Still holding the letter, he moved toward his computer and sat down without turning on the machine. He stared at nothing and remembered another time and another woman leaving
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