A woman who was way too connected to a world he had no intention of ever revisiting.
“That was a long time ago,” she said, yet her eyes held a distant look, as if she was remembering.
Mark reached out and playfully tugged at a long blonde curl, wrapping it around his finger. Lindsey sucked in a breath, as if shocked. He suspected she wasn’t. They both felt this strange tension between them. It begged to be acted on.
He offered her a soft smile, trying to convince himself to leave her alone. “You are very hard-headed. Maybe you do resemble your father in some ways.”
Her eyes narrowed, and her response came quickly. “If that’s the case, then you resemble him as well.”
Mark couldn’t hold back his laughter. “You are more interesting than your father ever was.”
She took him off guard by offering a desperate plea. “Will you help me, Mark?”
He hesitated. For some crazy reason, he wanted to help her. He didn’t have the time nor did he have the inclination to be involved with Paxton, but to be involved with Lindsey had appeal. He shoved aside the irrational thought. “I have commitments.”
She reached out and touched his arm. He felt the desperation in her action. “Mark, I can’t take this case. I can’t. I know you don’t know me and have no obligation to help me, but I really, desperately need you.”
He couldn’t help it. He liked the way that sounded. How many men had she ever said she needed? He would bet none. It fired up the wholly male part of him, and made him want to rise to the challenge. He tried to keep the heat raging inside in check. But his finger moved lightly down her cheek, as if on its own accord. She shut her eyes, and he knew she absorbed his touch, rather than fought it.
He leaned forward, near her ear. “You need me, do you?” he teased.
Lindsey opened her eyes. They stared at each other for long, intense moments packed with a potent undertone. Moments that had nothing to do with business and everything to do with attraction. “Yes, I do,” she whispered. “I need you.”
A seductive half-smile filled his face. Her lashes fluttered to her cheeks as if she was trying to hide whatever she felt. “I must admit, you’re tempting me,” he murmured, and his words had nothing to do with Paxton. He wanted to kiss her so damn bad it was killing him. But he couldn’t, and he knew it. She was Edward’s daughter. And she wanted something from him he couldn’t give. With regret, he added, “But I can’t go back to the firm.”
Lindsey flushed red, taking a step backwards in a swift, jerky motion. “Damn it, my father is in a hospital bed. Do you not have a heart?” she demanded.
Well, hell, things sure went downhill fast. One minute he was near kissing her, the next he was being cursed. And try as he might, he couldn’t fight the irritation her words evoked. “According to my reputation, apparently not.”
Her cheeks flushed with anger. “You don’t feel any responsibly to the firm after so many years?” she demanded.
If only she would be reasonable. He felt the flare of impatience. “My responsibility ended when I left the firm.”
Her expression was murderous. “Damn you, Mark Reeves!”
“Yelling isn’t going to get you anywhere,” he told her, angry that she expected so much, and pissed that he was so damn attracted to her. He should have stopped this in the hallway. “Good thing you didn’t use this tactic in the courtroom.”
“I’m surprised you have won so many cases, Mark.” Her tongue was taking on the sharp quality he had heard so much about at Paxton. She hated to lose a battle. Or so he had heard. “Seems you quit when things get tough.”
Mark didn’t immediately respond. This was getting them nowhere fast. He saw no point in being dragged into the heat of the moment. Two people who loved to win engaging in hotheaded verbal sparring would only prove fruitless. No doubt, she would regret her explosion later. It was time to put an end to this.
“I don’t believe I am the one who quit.” Spoken in a low voice, his words held no anger, just truth. The impact was ten times more forceful.
Lindsey all but physically flinched at the remark. He watched the play of emotions on her face, and knew his comment had hit close to home. Her fists were balled so tightly in her hands that her nails were digging into her skin. “I never wanted to be an attorney in the first place. I only did it for my father.” She was being defensive.
He shook his head from side to side, rejecting her words. Denial was killing her. If ever a person needed to face their past, it was Lindsey. Why he wanted to make her see the light, he didn’t know. She wasn’t his responsibility. Hell, he’d only just met her.
“Wrong,” he said firmly. “You were too good to have only done it for your father.”
She closed her arms in front of her body, assuming a defensive stance to match her attitude. “You wouldn’t know. You weren’t even around then, and you don’t know me.”
He let out a loud sigh. “Wrong again. I’ve seen your case files. I do know how good you are. And, like it or not, I see the love for battle in your eyes. You like winning, and that’s what spooked you. You were afraid your desire to win killed that girl. You got scared, and you simply quit.” He wasn’t taunting her. He couldn’t, even if he wanted to. Somebody needed to make her see the light.
Emotions flashed across her face. As her expression mimicked her pain, he wished he could pull his words back. Anger flooded her features⎯another defense mechanism. She shot him a scowling look and exhaled as she clearly reached for control. “You’re an ass, Mark Reeves. Daddy was right.” Her words were soft; no longer was she yelling, but there was no mistaking the disdain etching her voice.
She turned on her heels, and stomped towards the door. Halfway there, she stopped. He lifted a brow, a silent question. “My briefcase.”
Mark went to the couch and grabbed it, holding it up in the air, telling her she had to come get it. He couldn’t help teasing her. She had stormed off so indignantly and now she had to face him again. Shoulders back, head held high, she stomped back towards him, and reached for her bag. He moved it just out of her reach. She all but growled at him.
“You give up easily Lindsey. I’m disappointed.” He meant to challenge her with his words. He loved the fire in her eyes.
“I don’t give up easily,” she spat angrily. “I analyze and choose worthwhile battles. My analysis is that this is not one of them.”
Mark’s head fell back as his rumble turned into a roar of laughter. “That stung. Very good, Counselor.”
“Don’t call me that. Give me my bag,” she demanded.
He was laughing so hard she managed to take him off guard and snatch the bag from his grip. The minute she had it in her hand, she turned back towards the stairs. As she reached the door, he said, “Maybe you can stay longer next time.”
She didn’t turn and look at Mark. Instead she opened the door and exited, slamming it shut behind her with a loud bang. He loved her softness, her anger, her spunk, and, yes, her intelligence. The combination was alluring and way too appealing.
He regretted that he would probably never see her again. If things were different, he wouldn’t hesitate to explore what was between them.
But they weren’t. She was Edward’s daughter. Case closed. The problem was, he didn’t want it to be. He cursed under his breath, running his index finger across the stubble on his chin. Lindsey had been compelling in her pleas for help, too compelling. Mark remembered reading through the Hudson case when he first joined Paxton. Lindsey had done an exceptional job of handling the case, yet today he’d seen the pain the outcome had caused her.
She felt like she was a killer.
He had several consulting jobs he was committed to. But he wasn’t as busy as he had led Lindsey to believe. Consulting was a lot less demanding than hands-on case management. Unable to help himself⎯his curiosity was piqued⎯he started walking towards his office. He flipped on the light switch and made a beeline for the computer.
A little rese
arch on Hudson, and this new Williams case, couldn’t hurt.
Refreshing his memory, he skimmed through some materials about Hudson. He’d maintained his innocence over the years, never faltering in his insistence that he was framed. Even now, serving a life sentence⎯barely escaping the death penalty—he held true to his story.
Lindsey had defended him on four rape counts, all of which he was acquitted. The crimes had all fit a certain profile. Eerily, the woman had all looked like Lindsey: blond, petite, long hair. He couldn’t help but think that had to have rattled her a bit. A high profile criminal case was stressful. Add this little tidbit, and it got downright intense.
Reading his notes, he started remembering the details. A mere two weeks after Hudson was released, another woman fitting the same profile as the prior crimes was attacked. But this time she was killed.
Hudson was picked up for the crime and later convicted, but Lindsey had refused to defend him. Mark looked up from his computer screen, pressing his fingers against his strained eyes. He vaguely remembered Edward talking about the circumstances around Lindsey’s rapid departure from the legal profession. She had blamed herself. From what he could see of their strained relationship, he figured she blamed her father as well.
Mark flipped through the few articles he could find on Williams. He read a few minutes and then shoved his chair back from his desk, feeling a sickening dread. Something was very wrong. This case was almost identical to the Hudson case. Even the victims looked the same.
Like Lindsey.
Chapter Two
He’d hungered for her return for so long.
And now she was back. Just when he thought he might have to go after her, she had come to him.
His plan had worked. Recreating history had brought her home. A chance to undo her wronged past. A chance to catch him. Because he knew she really wanted him as he wanted her.
No one else had proven smart enough to see through his little game of hide and seek. Only Lindsey. She’d known Hudson was innocent, and she’d figure out the same about Williams.
At times, he was angry for the pain she had caused him. He tried not to think about it. The way she had left him alone had ripped through his very heart. But he’d vowed to push aside the fierceness of his devastation. Because now she was home with him where she belonged.
Oh, how he had missed her attention. Because Lindsey was his soul mate. The woman who knew how to find him, and make him whole.
For now it was enough to watch her, to see her in action. But soon they would be together.
And the darkness he felt would become light.
* * * * *
Lindsey stepped out of the cab onto the cement pavement of the cancer center’s parking lot. Seeing her father always made her tense. She had only seen him once since her return, making work-related excuses for her absence when she called him each evening. But after a morning of forced attention on case files, she’d seen a disturbing trend.
Her father had been taking on clients who couldn’t pay their bills. For a man who had always been motivated by money, it made no sense.
As she walked through the medical complex, Lindsey wondered if she should tell her father about her meeting with Mark, and decided against it. Bringing up a replacement for Mark seemed an even worse idea. But sometime soon it would have to be discussed. Lindsey found her father sitting in the courtyard, a large elm tree offering him shade.
When he spotted her, a tired smile turned up the corners of his mouth. “Hi, Lindsey. What a surprise. I’m so happy you came.”
Lindsey bent down and kissed his cheek. It baffled her, the way he pretended three years of silence between them had never occurred. She forced a half smile to her lips. This place reminded her of her mother’s car accident, and her death. Of the bedside prayers for her recovery.
“How do you feel, Daddy?”
As she waited for his answer, she examined him more closely. The cancer treatments were taking a toll. His hair was sparse, and he was too thin. The remaining hair that had seemed only peppered with gray on her last visit now seemed to be a cap of silver. She didn’t want to think about him dying. She swallowed hard against the pain and fear. They might not have a good relationship, but facing his death wouldn’t be easy. In fact, their strained relationship might make it harder.
She needed to make peace with him. And she would. Soon.
He reached for her hand. “I’m better now that you are here.” Not a man who showed affection, his action took her off-guard. Her chest tightened with emotion. What was with the sudden change of temperament? God, was he going to die soon and he just wasn’t telling her? Trying to act calm and controlled, she forced light conversation, afraid to hear an answer to the question buzzing through her head. “Aren’t you hot out here? Do you want me to roll your chair inside?”
He patted her hand. “No, I asked the nurse to bring me out for some sun.” He pointed at a woman who stood several feet away, and a scowl filled his face. “She watches me like I’m a child or something.”
Lindsey almost laughed. Here was the Edward Paxton she knew. His bad temperament made her tension ease a bit. “She is just doing her job, Daddy.”
He flicked a sneer at the woman and then lifted his gaze to Lindsey. “I know honey. I just wish she wasn’t so damn irritating as she did it.” He paused a minute. “Anyway, it’s so good to have you back home again.”
Lindsey opened her mouth to speak and then clamped it shut again. This wasn’t the time to tell him this wasn’t her home anymore. “How are the treatments going?”
His response was cranky. “My stomach feels like I swallowed rocks, my head is almost bald, and I am stuck in this damn place. How do you think they are going?” Then he started coughing to the point that he hunched over and seemed to gag.
Lindsey looked towards the nurse in nervous desperation. She hurried towards them. Her father got a glimpse of her movement and pointed at her. “No, I am fine.” He coughed again, and scowled at her. The nurse looked at him with a keen eye, and then stepped back to her original spot. Lindsey suspected she had backed off only because his coughing had subsided.
He settled back in his chair. “How are things at the firm, Lindsey?”
“Oh fine, I guess,” she said, not up to the conflict of saying otherwise. Not after his little attack. “Ms. Moore hasn’t changed a bit. I love her as much as ever.”
He smiled softly at the mention of his long-term assistant, surprising Lindsey once again with the play of emotions in his usually cold eyes. “Yes, she loves you too. She’s always asking about you. How’s everyone else at the office?”
Lindsey leaned her bottom against the tree trunk. “Fine,” she said with a shrug. “As far as I can tell. You know I really haven’t had time to figure out much of anything.”
He nodded and coughed again. “Yes, I suppose that’s true.”
She cleared her throat. “Daddy, I do have a few questions.”
His eyes narrowed. “Ask away.” His tone was cautious, contradicting the lightness of his words.
“Tell me why you think Williams is innocent.”
He seemed to relax, his shoulders dropping a bit as if he had been holding himself stiff, waiting on her first question. “For one thing, the evidence is circumstantial. In my opinion, our wonderful police force had a lot of public pressure and needed someone to call guilty. He is as much a victim as the murdered girls.” He looked at Lindsey’s darkened expression and added, “Well, not as much of a victim, of course, considering he’s alive and they aren’t.”
Lindsey nodded and pushed away from the tree, dropping to the grass Indian style, glad she had on slacks. Her expression was thoughtful as she pushed her fingers into the grass beneath her. “But there hasn’t been another victim since he was arrested, correct?”
He grimaced. “Oh, come now, Lindsey, surely you don’t think that means anything? Any smart person would take the arrest as a sure-fire way to get the heat off. I suspect the real killer
moved along to another state or is simply sitting back laughing.”
“He? Are you sure it’s a he?”
“The police profile says yes.” Ticking off items with his fingers, he went on, “White male, mid-twenties, likely to have a middle class background, white collar. Autopsy reports support the profile.”
Lindsey took in the information, feeling an odd familiarity to the Hudson case. She sucked in a deep breath and then exhaled before continuing. If her father noticed, he didn’t show it. “That said, have you gotten any certain evidence of his innocence?”
“Very little so far, I’m sorry to say. I fell ill just after taking the case.” He started to cough again.
Lindsey hated the gruff-sounding cough. Leaning forward on her knees, she patted his back. “Daddy, are you okay?”
“Yes, yes fine. Stop acting like a worrywart. Now, back to Williams. I wouldn’t have taken it if I didn’t feel he was innocent. Have you reviewed the file?”
Lindsey moved to a squat position, feeling a nervous need to reposition herself, and then leaned back on the heels of her feet. “Not in detail,” she said, and quickly thought up an excuse so he wouldn’t guess she had been avoiding the case. “I haven’t had time. Just wondered what your thoughts were, is all.”
He frowned and succinctly reprimanded her. “Don’t you think you need to get the man’s defense going?”
Lindsey clamped her jaws together. He had a lot of nerve acting as if she was slouching on a job she didn’t even want. Irritated, she blurted out her next question. Speaking without thought wasn’t her style. But then she wasn’t quite herself, and she knew it. “Why did you part ways with Mark Reeves?”
His eyes darkened. “I don’t want to talk about that man. Not now. Not ever.”