LITMIR.BIZ

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smile like that, too.

      “This way, Mr. Foster.”

      Startled, Laura turned toward the unfamiliar male voice. The order came from a man in a black suit. A member of her brother’s security staff, Laura realized upon closer inspection. She noted the wire that extended from his starched white collar to the small earpiece he wore. The lack of inflection in his tone as well as his deadpan gaze confirmed Laura’s assumption.

      Nick took Laura by the arm and ushered her forward as he followed the security guy. No one spoke as they moved across the verandah and toward the French doors at the back of the house. Laura instinctively absorbed every detail of the house’s exterior. Her brother had spared no expense on exterior lighting. Of course that could be a hindrance if she somehow managed to escape. The darkness proved an ally at times. Not that her chance of escaping was likely. Laura eyed the man in black’s tall frame with diminishing hope. Still, she needed to pay attention to the details. As long as she was still breathing, there was hope. Focus, Laura, she commanded her foggy brain.

      A wide balcony spanned the rear of the house, supported by massive, ornate white columns. Three sets of French doors lined the first as well as the second floor. At least there were several avenues of escape, Laura noted, allowing that small measure of hope to seed inside her hollow heart. Maybe, just maybe, she would live long enough to at least attempt a getaway.

      They crossed a very deserted, very elegant dining room and entered an enormous kitchen. Gleaming cabinetry and stainless steel monopolized the decorating scheme. The delicious scents of exquisite entrées and baked goods hung in the warm, moist air. Laura remembered then that she hadn’t eaten today, but her stomach felt queasy rather than empty. Besides, she had no desire to share her last meal with her brother, or to eat it in his house. She would starve first.

      Several pots with lids steamed on the stovetop. Security had apparently temporarily vacated the staff upon hearing of her arrival. As soon as the all clear signal was given the kitchen would quickly refill with the staff required to pull off this late night gala.

      James Ed always rode the side of caution. And he never passed up an occasion to celebrate, to show off his many assets.

      Laura’s stomach knotted with the knowledge that her own brother hated her this much—or maybe it had nothing to do with her. Maybe it was simply the money.

      Maybe…

      Maybe Robby was here. A new kind of expectation shot through Laura. James Ed could have brought Robby here to use him as leverage to get what he wanted.

      Nick firmed his grip on her right arm as if somehow sensing that her emotions had shifted. She had to get away from him. He read her entirely too well. Escape scenarios flashed through her mind as they mounted the service stairs. Laura’s heart pounded harder with each step she took. She felt hot and cold at the same time. She rubbed the clammy palm of her free hand against her hip, then squeezed her eyes shut for just a second against the dizziness that threatened. She could do this. Laura would do whatever it took to find her son and escape. James Ed would not win.

      “Governor Proctor asked that you wait in here.”

      Nick thanked the man, then led Laura into what appeared to be James Ed’s private study. Flames crackled in the fire-place, the warmth suffusing with the rich, dark paneling of the room. A wide mahogany desk with accompanying leather-tufted chair occupied one side of the room. Behind the desk, shelves filled with law books lined the wall from floor to ceiling. Leather wing chairs were stationed strategically before the massive desk. An ornate sideboard displayed fine crystal and exquisite decanters of expensive liquors. No one could accuse James Ed of lacking good taste, it was loyalty that escaped him.

      Anxiety tightened Laura’s chest, making it difficult to breathe. She had to concentrate. If she somehow freed herself from Nick’s grasp and found Robby, could she make it off the grounds without being caught? Nick narrowed his gaze at her as if he had again read her thoughts. The man was entirely too perceptive.

      “Take it easy, Laura, your brother will take good care of you,” he said almost gently.

      Laura shook her head, a pitiful outward display of her inner turmoil. “You just don’t get it.” She moistened her painfully dry lips and manufactured Nick a weak smile, hoping her words would penetrate that thick skull of his. “It would have been simpler if you’d just killed me yourself.”

      Laura knew she would not soon forget the expression that stole across Nick’s features at that moment. The combination of emotions that danced across his face were as clear as writing on the wall. He cared for her, but he was confused. He trusted James Ed, just like everyone else, and he didn’t quite trust Laura. Because she had hurt him badly. Left him to die—he thought. But she hadn’t. And now he would never know what really happened, and, what was worse, he would never know his son.

      “Laura, I’m sure—”

      “Laura?”

      A bone-deep chill settled over Laura at the sound of James Ed’s distinctive voice. Nick turned immediately to greet the Governor. James Ed, tall, still thin and handsome, hadn’t changed much, except for the sprinkling of gray at his sandy temples, and that was likely store-bought to give him a more distinguished appearance. Laura couldn’t read the strange mixture of emotions on his face as he approached her. Fear sent her stumbling back several steps when he came too close, but his huge desk halted her.

      “Laura, sweet Jesus, I didn’t think I would ever see you again. I thought…I thought—dear God, you really are alive.”

      Feeling as trapped as a deer in the headlights of oncoming traffic, Laura froze when her brother threw his arms around her and hugged her tight. He murmured over and over how glad he was to see her. Resisting the urge to retch, Laura closed her eyes and prayed for a miracle. At this point, deep in her heart, she knew it would take nothing short of a miracle to escape and find her child.

      James Ed’s uncharacteristic actions dumbfounded Laura, adding confusion to the anxiety already tearing at her heart. He had never been the touchy-feely type. Then realization hit her. It was a show for Nick’s benefit. James Ed wanted Nick to believe that he truly was thankful to have his baby sister home. When her brother drew back, tears clung to his salon-tanned face, further evidence of his feigned sincerity. The man was a master at misrepresentation and deceit. A true politician, heart and soul.

      Laura slumped against the desk when he finally released her. She felt boneless with an exhaustion that went too deep. Nick had no way of knowing that he had just delivered her like the sacrificial lamb for slaughter. It was his job, she reminded herself. Nick worked for James Ed. She had known he would do this if he ever found her, just as she had known he would take her son away if he discovered his existence. And suddenly Laura understood what she had wanted to deny all day. It was over, and she had lost.

      Robby was lost.

      Laura’s eyes closed against the pain that accompanied that thought, and the memory of her baby’s smile haunted her soul.

      “Nick, thank you so much for bringing her back to us. I don’t know how to repay you.”

      Nick accepted the hand James Ed offered. “I was only doing what I was assigned to do two years ago.” Nick wondered why it suddenly felt all wrong.

      “You’re a man of your word.” James Ed gave Nick’s hand another hearty shake. “I like that. If there’s ever anything I can do for you, don’t hesitate to ask.”

      Nick studied the Governor’s sincere expression. He considered himself a good judge of character, and Laura’s fears just didn’t ring true when Nick looked her brother square in the eye. He read no deceit or hatred in the man’s gaze. But his gut reaction told him that Laura truly believed in the threat.

      “There is one thing,” Nick began, hesitant to offend the man, but certain he couldn’t leave without clearing the air.

      “Laura!” Sandra, James Ed’s wife, flew across the room and pulled Laura into her arms. “Honey, I am so glad to have you back home. You don’t know how your brother

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