drawing himin. “Father said he checked the listings and a guard said you died.”
Anger gnawed at Mack. Landry had lied to both of them.
Which made him even more certain that he was aiding the mayor in his scheme.
“Why did you wait eight years to come to me?” she asked.
Mack’s defenses rose as she turned the tables on him. “I did look for you, for months,” he said, his heart in his throat.“I kept checking the lists, the police departments and hospitals, and I called your father, but he told me you didn’t make it.”
Lily gasped and sank onto the sofa. “What... No...” She knotted her hands in her lap. “Why would my father say that?”
“You tell me.” Mack gritted his teeth as he realized her father had gotten what he’d wanted—he’d torn them apart.
Denial flickered in hereyes. “It has to be a mistake. Maybe he checked and couldn’t find out anything about you so he made up that story.”
“He spoke to me, so he knew I was alive. And he told me that you were gone, and obviously he knew you weren’t,” Mack said.
Lily frowned. “You were watching me tonight?”
“I was watching your father and the mayor,” Mack said. “Then I saw you on the veranda and was shockedto discover you’d survived.”
Lily dropped her head into her hands.
His chest squeezed. For the life of him, he wanted to believe that she had no part in her father’s or Barrow’s illegal actions.
But dammit, she had believed the worst of him. That still hurt.
“Where have you been?” she asked in a pained whisper.
“Living in the bayou, helping other folks find missing lovedones. Trying to find evidence to clear my name from those bogus arrest charges.” He didn’t tell her that he suspected her father had set him up.
“The charges you believed, Lily.”
Lily began to pull the combs from her hair as if she needed to do something with her hands. The silky strands fell around her shoulders, and she finger combed them, making his hands ache to do the same.
“That was because Lee Barnaby showed me proof,” Lily said, her voice rising an octave. “He had documents, evidence that you were taking bribes and selling drugs.”
Memories bombarded him. That night he’d been waiting on her call, worried she might go into labor.
Instead Lee Barnaby had slapped handcuffs on him and ruined his life.
“I know what you saw, Lily, but Barnaby fabricatedall that evidence.” He pressed a hand to his chest. “You know what happened to my father, how I grew up. I would never take a bribe or sell drugs.”
Lily shot up from her seat. “What about that photo of you with your girlfriend, Mack? That looked pretty real to me.”
“My girlfriend? What the hell are you talking about?”
“Angelica, the woman with the sultry body and chocolate eyes,”Lily said. “I believe you call her Angel.”
Another shock wave rolled through Mack. “Good God, Lily, you can’t believe that I was cheating on you.”
Her beautiful pouty lips formed a frown. “He showed me pictures of you with her, Mack. The two of you cozy in a dark bar, in an alley, in a car.”
Mack hissed between his teeth. “Angelica was not my girlfriend. She was my C.I.”
Lilystared at him, the tension stretching between them, war raging in her eyes.
“I was working undercover with a federal agent named Ray Storm. He had evidence against Barnaby that would have put him away for corruption and drug trafficking. Two years before that, I arrested Angelica for dealing. She was an addict, but I persuaded her to slip me information.” He scraped a hand over his chin.“If we looked cozy, it was part of my undercover work, Lily. I swear it.”
Lily’s lower lip trembled. “You...really weren’t with her?”
“Never,” Mack said emphatically. “I loved you. And I did not accept any bribes.”
“Oh God, Mack,” Lily whispered. “I can’t believe my father lied to me and that Barnaby set you up.”
“His arrest should validate my story,”
Anger gnawed at Mack. Landry had lied to both of them.
Which made him even more certain that he was aiding the mayor in his scheme.
“Why did you wait eight years to come to me?” she asked.
Mack’s defenses rose as she turned the tables on him. “I did look for you, for months,” he said, his heart in his throat.“I kept checking the lists, the police departments and hospitals, and I called your father, but he told me you didn’t make it.”
Lily gasped and sank onto the sofa. “What... No...” She knotted her hands in her lap. “Why would my father say that?”
“You tell me.” Mack gritted his teeth as he realized her father had gotten what he’d wanted—he’d torn them apart.
Denial flickered in hereyes. “It has to be a mistake. Maybe he checked and couldn’t find out anything about you so he made up that story.”
“He spoke to me, so he knew I was alive. And he told me that you were gone, and obviously he knew you weren’t,” Mack said.
Lily frowned. “You were watching me tonight?”
“I was watching your father and the mayor,” Mack said. “Then I saw you on the veranda and was shockedto discover you’d survived.”
Lily dropped her head into her hands.
His chest squeezed. For the life of him, he wanted to believe that she had no part in her father’s or Barrow’s illegal actions.
But dammit, she had believed the worst of him. That still hurt.
“Where have you been?” she asked in a pained whisper.
“Living in the bayou, helping other folks find missing lovedones. Trying to find evidence to clear my name from those bogus arrest charges.” He didn’t tell her that he suspected her father had set him up.
“The charges you believed, Lily.”
Lily began to pull the combs from her hair as if she needed to do something with her hands. The silky strands fell around her shoulders, and she finger combed them, making his hands ache to do the same.
“That was because Lee Barnaby showed me proof,” Lily said, her voice rising an octave. “He had documents, evidence that you were taking bribes and selling drugs.”
Memories bombarded him. That night he’d been waiting on her call, worried she might go into labor.
Instead Lee Barnaby had slapped handcuffs on him and ruined his life.
“I know what you saw, Lily, but Barnaby fabricatedall that evidence.” He pressed a hand to his chest. “You know what happened to my father, how I grew up. I would never take a bribe or sell drugs.”
Lily shot up from her seat. “What about that photo of you with your girlfriend, Mack? That looked pretty real to me.”
“My girlfriend? What the hell are you talking about?”
“Angelica, the woman with the sultry body and chocolate eyes,”Lily said. “I believe you call her Angel.”
Another shock wave rolled through Mack. “Good God, Lily, you can’t believe that I was cheating on you.”
Her beautiful pouty lips formed a frown. “He showed me pictures of you with her, Mack. The two of you cozy in a dark bar, in an alley, in a car.”
Mack hissed between his teeth. “Angelica was not my girlfriend. She was my C.I.”
Lilystared at him, the tension stretching between them, war raging in her eyes.
“I was working undercover with a federal agent named Ray Storm. He had evidence against Barnaby that would have put him away for corruption and drug trafficking. Two years before that, I arrested Angelica for dealing. She was an addict, but I persuaded her to slip me information.” He scraped a hand over his chin.“If we looked cozy, it was part of my undercover work, Lily. I swear it.”
Lily’s lower lip trembled. “You...really weren’t with her?”
“Never,” Mack said emphatically. “I loved you. And I did not accept any bribes.”
“Oh God, Mack,” Lily whispered. “I can’t believe my father lied to me and that Barnaby set you up.”
“His arrest should validate my story,”
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