Intimate Betrayal (12 page)

“That means I'm going to be traveling a lot. We're going to spend a lot of time away from each other. There will be aspects of my assignments that I'll never be able to discuss with you. We may even have to move around…”

She put her finger to his lips to still him. “Shh. I know, sweetheart. I know. And I can deal with it, so long as you can.”

“You're sure?”

She smiled, her heart ready to burst with joy. “Yes, James, I'm sure.”

He took her in his arms. “Then I guess I'd better have a talk with your parents. I'm scheduled to be shipped out to the Philippines within the next six months. You think you can pull a wedding together in that amount of time?” he grinned.

Claudia whooped with joy and wrapped her arms around his neck, planting countless kisses across his face. “I'll make you happy, James, I swear I will,” she cried, burying her face against his chest. “I'll make a home for us and our family no matter where we are. Just meet me halfway…”

“Come on sweetheart, let's go to bed. We'll talk in the
morning,” James said, pushing back the memories. He switched of the light and walked toward the door. “It's about time you understood everything. I owe you that much.” He put his arm around his wife and walked with her upstairs.

 

Claudia sat across from her husband at the breakfast table. For the past thirty-five years of their marriage, she'd believed that she knew her husband, even if she didn't always understand him. Looking at him now and trying to comprehend the enormity of what he'd revealed, she realized she didn't know this man at all or of what he was capable.

“How could you have lived with this for the past fifteen years, James?” she asked, bewilderment stretching across her smooth features. “What about Maxwell, now that he's…involved with this Reese Delaware? Where does that leave him—you?”

James placed his elbows on the table and braced his chin with his fists. “I don't know Claudia. I just know that I have to protect him. Frank Murphy will do whatever is necessary to ensure that what happened that day and all that went before it and since, is never discovered.”

Claudia jumped up from the table. “Then you have to go to your superiors, his superiors, and tell them.” Her heart raced with fear.

“Don't be naive, Claudia,” he spouted. “Who would believe me? I would disappear faster than I could get the words out. Do you honestly believe the United States government would readily admit to what they'd done for three decades to their own troops?” He hung his head and shook it in defeat. “Hamilton Delaware thought he could make a difference…” his voice drifted off.

Claudia wrapped her hands around her waist as a shiver ran up her spine. “In other words, we're at their mercy?”

“Pretty much.”

“What about Max?”

“I debated with myself all night about what to do. There's no way I can tell him anything. I've had Larry trailing him. He's been keeping me informed of everything that's been going on. But he needs to be warned about Victoria.”

“And what about that poor girl, Reese? What about her?”

C
armen had just sat down at her desk when Maxwell strode in.

“Good morning, Carmen,” he greeted a smile brightening his warm bronze features. “How are you today?”

Carmen raised an inquisitive brow. “Just fine and
you?
”

“Couldn't be better. Is Reese around yet?”

“No,” she said slowly. “She came in yesterday, but she didn't mention if or when she'd be here today.”

Maxwell frowned. “She was here yesterday?”

“Yes. For about two hours, late in the afternoon.”

“Hmm. I see. No. I don't see. What was she doing here? She told me… I mean, I thought she would have been at the hotel working on the article.”

“She said she needed some background information on you. We talked for a long time,” she added coyly.

He braced his palms against her desk and leaned forward. His dark eyes narrowed in suspicion. “What exactly did you tell her?”

Carmen avoided his steady stare. “I started off by telling her what a wonderful man you are,” she said, paving the way for the fallout.

He arched an eyebrow. “And?”

“And…well…she asked me some questions about…”

“About what?”

“About Victoria Davenport,” she blurted out. “And I told her what a witch that woman was and that she had nothing to worry about, you were through with her.” She folded her arms beneath her ample bosom in defiance.

Maxwell lowered his head and began to chuckle. He looked up at Carmen. “You're a real piece of work, Carmen. I have to give you that.” He moved away from her desk, stopped and turned back with a soft smile on his face. “Thanks. She needed to hear that from someone other than me.”

 

He hadn't been at his desk for more than five minutes, when the intercom buzzed.

“Yes, Carmen?”

“Max. Your father is on line one.”

“My father?”

“Yes.”

“T…thanks. I'll take it.” He couldn't remember the last time his father had called him at the office, and to track him to L.A. immediately had him worrying. Something had to be wrong. His father was never one for chitchat.

He pressed the steady red light. “Dad? How are you?”

“I'm fine, son.”

Claudia stood close, stroking his back, encouraging him to go on.

“I know this can't be a social call, so tell me what's wrong. Is it mom? Did something happen?”

“Your mother is fine. That's not the reason for the call…”

 

Maxwell sat at his desk, staring at the panorama outside his window. His gut instinct told him to stay clear of Victoria and, fool that he was, he let his emotions overrule his head once again. She came to see him for one reason and one reason alone, to find out what she could about Reese. But why? Why was Air Force intelligence interested in Reese Delaware, a woman with no past to speak of?

His father had cleverly avoided any mention of Reese, but it was clear to him, based on Victoria's questions, that it was her only reason for seeing him. There was nothing else they'd discussed that would be of interest to anyone.

His suspicions and his fears mounted. Reese was a target for something and he felt certain it had to do with the past she'd forgotten. But there was no way he could protect her if neither of them knew what was sealed behind the closed doors of her memory.

 

Reese barely slept the night before. Her dreams were plagued by the dark images and muted voices of her past. But now, for the first time, she could remember fragments of her dream.

She tried to concentrate on putting her thoughts down on paper, but she couldn't stay focused. Everything kept coming back to visions of her walking out of her house and seeing a figure near her family's car. She couldn't make out the face. But the frightening thing was that when she did try to force an image, the face was always Maxwell's.

“That's ridiculous,” she said aloud, getting up from the couch. “If what I'm seeing has any validity, Maxwell couldn't have been more than seventeen or eighteen at the time.”

Her head began to pound, and she knew by the symptoms that it was the onset of one of those mind-searing headaches. She went into the bathroom and took a pill.

“What could Max have to do with the deaths of my family? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. You're grasping at straws, and you're talking to yourself.”

The phone rang. She picked up the phone in the bedroom. “Hello?”

“Hey, girl, it's me Lynn. My interview with ‘Q' was slammin'! The man is gorgeous. You hear me—gorgeous!”

“Better than he looks on those videos?”

“Trust me, pictures and film do the man no justice whatsoever. I think I've died and gone to heaven.”

“That's all good, Lynn, but did you get a story, or just get your panties twisted in a knot?”

“I should be so lucky,” she said drolly. “Yeah, I got the interview. But I'm too pumped up to even think about writing. I thought I'd drop in and we could talk. I'm heading out tomorrow.”

“Sure, come on up. There are some things I need to run by you anyway.”

“Everything okay?”

“Not really, but we'll talk when you get here.”

“Sure. See you in a few.”

 

Victoria's nerves were strung to the breaking point. Her uncle was crystal clear about his instructions.
“If you value your job, you won't breathe a word of this meeting to Maxwell Knight. I expect to hear from you immediately if you hear from him and if he relays any information about Reese Delaware you are to contact me no matter what time of day or night.”

She rubbed her hands together as she carved a trail in the cream-colored carpet of her bedroom. Her slender body, sheathed in a bold red rayon suit, cut a brilliant figure against the cool tones of the opulent room. She should have been in her office more than an hour earlier. She was working on
refining the tracking systems in the fighter jet's computer systems. The deadline for completion was barreling down on her, but she had to make a call and her office was already tapped. She couldn't be sure about her apartment, but she wasn't taking any chances.

Snatching up her purse, she headed outside. The instant she stepped out of doors she felt as if she were under a microscope. She had no idea who was watching or from where. But she knew they were out there. Waiting.

Taking her usual route to work, she continued to take furtive glances in the rearview mirror. At the first gas station she pulled in and up to a vacant gas pump. Casually she looked around and seeing nothing untoward, she went straight for the pay phone.

Dialing Maxwell's office number she thought of all the reasons why she shouldn't. But the reason why she should overruled. If he would only listen to her, this might be her one way to make up for all the damage she'd done in the past.

The phone rang twice before it was picked up.

“M.K. Enterprises. Good morning.”

“Good morning. I'd like to speak with Mr. Knight please.”

The hairs on the back of Carmen's neck bristled at the sound of Victoria's voice.

“I'm sorry, Mr. Knight is busy. I'll have to take a message.”

“Please, Carmen. It's me, Victoria. I need to speak with Max. It's urgent.”

“I'm sorry, Ms. Davenport,” she replied curtly. “He's busy.”

“Would you at least try?”

Carmen sighed heavily into the phone. “Hold, please.” She buzzed Max and was immediately informed that she was not
to put any calls through from Victoria no matter what she said. “And don't bother to take any messages,” he added.

“I'm sorry, Ms. Davenport. Mr. Knight informed me not to put any of your calls through. Good day.” Carmen broke the connection, thoroughly pleased.

“But Carmen… You don't…” The dial tone hummed in her ear.

Dejected, Victoria hung up the phone, looked around, and got back into her car. She had to find a way to reach Max. She pulled out into the right lane of traffic and headed toward her office. But why should she? It was obvious that Max didn't want to have anything to do with her. She choked back a laugh. What would make her think that he'd forgive and forget that easily? She'd deluded herself into thinking that she'd made some headway with him. But he'd left her believing that they could start over as friends. He'd even kissed her goodbye at the airport.

Her smooth peaches-and-cream face contorted into a mask of anger. She flipped her strawberry blond hair over her shoulder with a toss of her head. Her dazzling green eyes narrowed in fury. The old bitter jealousy stirred within her.
Reese.
Who else could have convinced him to stay away from her? She could almost laugh to think that Reese might feel threatened by her reappearance in Max's life. If she helped Max, she might inadvertently help Reese. And there was no earthly reason why she should do that. Reese had never been more than a constant thorn in her side since the day her aunt Celeste informed her of her half sister's existence.

Victoria was about ten years old on the spring afternoon that her aunt Celeste had come to her home in Norfolk to visit. Celeste came every month to visit her niece and Victoria always looked forward to spending time with her exquisite aunt who always brought her a toy, a game, or a beautiful outfit from D.C. She always told her wonderful stories about
the capital city and the famous political faces that she saw on the street.

“Why can't I come and visit you sometime, auntie?” Victoria asked as they strolled along the tree-lined streets toward the park. She looked up at her aunt's face which vaguely resembled her own.

“I told you, sweetheart, auntie travels a great deal for the government. I very rarely stay in one place very long. That's why I always come to see you.”

Victoria looked down at her polished patent leather shoes. “But why doesn't my daddy come and see me? Mommy won't tell me. Will you tell me?” The only constant male figure she had in her life was her uncle Frank, her mother Faith's older brother. But his visits, too, were rare. His pressure-filled life in the Air Force kept him away. She longed to have a father like her friends in school boasted about.

Celeste bent down and pulled Victoria into the comfort of her arms. “Oh, sweetheart, your daddy would come more often if he could. But he's so busy. That doesn't mean he doesn't love you, Vicky. He does.”

“Why can't I go and see him sometime? I'm not too busy.” Water brimmed in her green eyes.

Celeste took a deep breath. “Come over here, sweetheart. Let's sit down. There are some things…that I need to explain to you.”

Victoria took a seat on the park bench and looked expectantly up into her aunt's eyes.

“You're getting to be a big girl now and you're a smart girl.” Celeste brushed the strands of reddish blond hair away from her face. “Now I just want you to listen. Your daddy has another family who he lives with.” She took a breath. “And you have a half sister. Her name is Reese. And she's twelve years old.”

Victoria's eyes lit up with delight. “Really?” she squealed. “Can I go and see her?”

Celeste took Victoria's hands in hers. “No, darling, I'm afraid not. They don't know anything about you and they must never know. Vicky, your daddy is married to Reese's mother. Her name is Sharlene. She's my sister. And even though he loves your mommy very much he can't be married to both of them. Your daddy loved your mommy so much that they made you. You are very special, Victoria. You are a gift to your mommy and daddy.” She searched for words. “So special that they want to just keep you to themselves. They don't want to share you with anyone else.”

“I'm special?”

“Yes, darling, very special.”

“I can't tell anyone?”

“No. Never. You are the special secret in your mommy and daddy's life.”

The “special secret,” Victoria thought, the rage brewing in her, singeing the corners of her control. She turned into the parking lot and pulled into her reserved space, her breathing expelled in rapid, panting breaths. For several moments, she gripped the steering wheel with such force that her palms began to sting. She shut her eyes and swallowed down the bitter pill of her pain.

 

Reese and Lynnette sat curled up on Reese's couch sipping glasses of iced tea.

“So how are the headaches and the nightmares?” Lynnette asked.

Reese shrugged. “They come and go. Unfortunately, a lot more frequently than I'd like.” She stared, momentarily, down into her glass. “Lynn,” she began slowly, “when I woke up this morning, I…I think I remembered something.” She
looked across at her friend with uncertainty swimming in her eyes.

Lynnette sat up straighter in her seat. “What—what was it? Did you see anything?”

Reese swallowed and closed her eyes, bringing the images to mind. “All I remember is that I see this young girl, which I get a sense is me. But it's dark and I'm walking down some sort of path with a bag in my hand. When I look ahead, I see a shadow, or a figure, kneeling by a car. I think it's a man. I feel as though he turns and looks at me, but I can't quite make out his face. I see myself opening my mouth, but no words are coming out. The figure, or shadow, turns away and then I can't see anything.”

Reese expelled a long, shaky breath. “That's what I remember.” She opened her eyes to look at Lynnette.

Lynnette frowned. “I don't know what to make of it, Reese. Did you call your doctor?”

Reese shook her head. “I haven't been in touch with any of ‘those' doctors in a while. They'd probably just prescribe something and send me on my way,” she said, sarcasm dripping in her voice.

Reese uncurled her legs and put her feet on the floor. “The one thing that sort of scared me was that every time I tried to focus in on the face, I kept getting a picture of Max.”