Twice the Temptation

Chantal took a step forward. “If you’re thinking of calling for help, I’ll kill anyone who comes near us. And if you don’t do as I say I have no qualms about ending everything right here. Move or die. It’s your choice.”

Reese made it, turning and leading the way into the trees. She couldn’t feel her knees, but her legs were working. All she had to do was to clear the fog out of her mind and focus, just the way she did when she created a recipe. Step one was to press the speed dial on her cell.

Moving very carefully, she slipped her hand into her pocket and pressed the button, praying that it was the right one. Then she counted to twenty, hoping that was time enough for Nate to open the connection.

Finally, she said, “I’m on my way to meet Charlie right now. But this isn’t the way. If we keep going in this direction, we’ll be on the part of the cliff path that isn’t safe. Let me take you to Charlie. Then we can straighten all of this out.”

“We’re not going to meet up with my brother. All he’ll ever know is that you slipped and fell off the cliff on your way to meet him. He’ll feel bad for a while, just as he did in Paris. But then he’ll move on to achieve his destiny and become one of the greatest chefs this country has ever known.”

The hint of strident fanaticism in the woman’s tone had a chill slithering up Reese’s spine. The cliff path was only ten yards in front of her. She had to keep Chantal talking. “I don’t understand. Why do you think I still pose a threat to Charlie?”

“Because he’s fallen in love with you again.”

WITH HIS BACK FLAT AGAINST a tall hedge, Mac risked a quick look at the path that ran along the cliff face. For the last five minutes, Charles Dutoit had divided his time between pacing and glancing at his watch. So he, too, was aware that Reese was late.

Too late. Those were the words that kept hammering at the edge of his mind. She should have been here by now. She knew the gardens better than anyone.Nate was behind another hedge about fifty yards away. There was no way to signal him without tipping Dutoit off.

And the clock was ticking. What if Dutoit had set the meeting up to lure them away from Reese so that someone else could get to her?

Pushing the fear away, Mac stepped out from behind the hedge and strode toward Charles Dutoit. The moment he reached him, he grabbed fistfuls of the man’s shirt and gave him a shake. “Where is Reese Brightman?”

“I have no idea. Take your hands off of me or I’ll have you arrested.”

Nate stepped out from behind a hedge, badge in hand. “I’m your man if it comes to that. Sheriff Nate Kirby. But I want to know where Ms. Brightman is, also. She was supposed to meet you here about five minutes ago.”

“I don’t know where she is,” Charles said.

Mac dropped his hands, but he didn’t step away. He was pretty sure that Dutoit was telling the truth. That had the knot in his stomach tightening. “You were going to tell her something about the black roses. What?”

Charles took a step back. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You’re lying.” Mac took a step forward, Charles another step back.

“Are you the one who sent her the black roses back in L.A.?”

“No.” Charles took another step back.

Nate put a hand on Charles’s arm. “Don’t get too close to the drop off.”

Mac dug into his shirt pocket and drew out the two photos. “She’s in danger from whoever sent those black roses. Who is the woman in these photos? Is she the one who sent them?”

Charles stared down at the photos, but he said nothing.

“Who is she, Dutoit?” Nate asked. “If anything happens to Ms. Brightman, you’ll be just as responsible as the woman in those pictures.”

“She’s my sister. She wouldn’t do anything to hurt anyone. She’s just upset because I’m in love with Reese. She’s very protective of me. And she explained the black roses. She just wanted to scare Reese out of L.A. She would never hurt her.”

“Does she know you’re meeting with Reese this morning?” Mac asked.

“Yes. She apologized about interfering. She encouraged me to meet with her.”

Mac looked at Nate. “She’s intercepted Reese. It had to be somewhere along the path after she left Avery at the gazebo.”

Nate’s cell phone rang. The next thing they heard was Reese’s voice.

“I’m on my way to meet Charlie right now. But this isn’t the way. If we keep going in this direction, we’ll be on the part of the cliff path that isn’t safe. Let me take you to Charlie…”

“I know where she is,” Mac said as he started along the cliff path at a run. Behind him, he heard Nate tell Dutoit. “You’re coming along. Perhaps you can talk some sense into your sister.”

Mac prayed that they would get there in time.

REESE WHIRLED AND STARED at Chantal. “You’re wrong. Charlie isn’t in love with me. I’ve been in L.A. for six months now and he hasn’t even phoned me.”

“Only because I was able to keep him focused on his work. He didn’t even know you were in town at first. He was filming the pilot for a TV show. But when the rejections started coming in, he was devastated. Vulnerable. Then he saw your name in the trade papers and caught a clip of you on the evening news, and it started up all over again. He said that he’d never stopped loving you and that he wanted to get you back. We argued, just as we had in Paris. But you’re not going to take him from me again.”Chantal gestured with the gun. “Move on.”

Reese led the way out of the trees and started up the steep incline. There had to be something she could do. Running was out. The path was slippery and she had no doubt the woman behind her would put a bullet through her without hesitation.

And there was no way she was going to let that happen. Chantal Dutoit was going to meet her Waterloo.

Somehow.

She turned back to face Chantal. “Look, you can have Charlie. I don’t want him because I already have a lover.” Something stirred inside of her when she said the word. Lover had a more permanent sound to it than boy toy. “Let me explain the situation to Charlie and he’ll have to accept it.”

Chantal snorted. “If Charles won’t listen to me, why would he listen to you? Keep going. Just a bit farther. I think it would be best if you fell right about here.”

Turning, Reese saw that she was closer to the top of the incline than she’d thought. Close enough to see Mac come into view around a curve. Nate and Charlie were right behind him.

Fear streaked through her. Chantal couldn’t see them yet, but when she did…Charlie’s sister was unbalanced enough to shoot all of them.

And that was not going to happen. Suddenly, she knew what she had to do. Ducking low, she scrambled over the top of the incline, then stumbled down the other side.

“No!” Chantal screamed. “Stop!”

With rocks shifting and sliding beneath her feet, Reese raced forward. Just another few feet. When she spotted the ledge below her, there was no time to stop, no time to climb down. No time to think. She simply leapt over the side of the cliff.

MAC’S HEART SIMPLY STOPPED when the shot rang out and Reese disappeared. One second she was there on the cliff path, and the next she was gone.

When the woman with the gun appeared at the top of the incline, he had forty feet to go. She was much closer to the spot where Reese had jumped.There was another shot, and rocks splintered just ahead of him on the path. He jumped over them.

“Stop!” she screamed. “Don’t come any closer! I have to finish this!”

“Chantal!” Charles’s voice held panic.

“Drop the gun,” Nate shouted.

Twenty feet to go.

Two shots rang out in quick succession. Mac felt the heat of a bullet whip past him.

“You’ve shot her! You’ve shot my sister!” Charles shouted at Nate, who was standing there alert, gun raised.

In his peripheral vision, Mac saw the woman on the incline crumple to the ground just as he skidded to a stop on the path where he’d last seen Reese.

But it wasn’t Reese he saw on the ledge of rock below him. It was two almost transparent figures standing there as if guarding the small cave. He could have sworn they smiled up at him before they faded into the sunlight.

“Reese?”

He saw her hand appear. Just her hand. Suddenly, his heart started to beat again. “Stay where you are.”

He shifted his gaze to the cliff path and saw Nate and Charles kneeling over the body of the woman. Then he climbed down to the ledge and dragged Reese close. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. Did you see them? Hattie and Samuel?” she asked as she wrapped her arms around him.

“I saw them.”

“They were waiting for me when I jumped. I might not have made it without them.”

He gathered her into his arms and just held on for a very long time.

MAC COULDN’T FIND REESE anywhere. It was his second trip to the lobby, and he once more scanned the crowd that was still in line to register. Avery stood behind the counter smiling and inviting each guest to attend the Singles Mixer in the bar that night.

Haworth House seemed to have bounced back to normal. He hadn’t. Mac ran a hand through his hair. He wasn’t sure he wanted normal anymore. He wanted Reese.The last time he’d seen her was less than an hour ago when they’d stood at the hotel’s entrance and watched Charles Dutoit climb into the ambulance that would transport his sister to the clinic in town. Chantal was going to be all right.