Deadly Embrace Jackie Collins (the reader ebook .TXT) 📖

she commanded. And without looking back, she drove them home, where her housekeeper informed her that a Mr Sanchez had been asking for his son, and she’d directed him to the park.

‘Never do that again,’ Dani said. ‘Do not tell anyone where I am unless you know who they are.’

She instructed the boys to go upstairs, ran to the phone, and called Gemini and Morgan in Chicago. They were not in the hotel. Next she phoned Dean in Houston. He was there. She relayed the story.

‘Don’t panic,’ he said. ‘Drive the boys out to the ranch and warn your housekeeper not to tell anyone where you are. In the meantime, I’ll contact Morgan. He’ll know how to handle this.’

‘Thank you, Dean,’ she said gratefully.

‘The guy didn’t threaten you, did he?’

‘No, but there was definitely something weird about him.’

‘Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.’

That’s what she loved about Dean: he was always ready to take care of anything she asked, even though she was still reticent about getting married.

‘We’re engaged,’ she’d said to him the last time he’d asked. ‘Let’s enjoy that for a while.’

‘What kind of an engagement is it when you’re in Vegas and I’m in Houston?’ he’d said.

He was right, but she couldn’t bring herself to take the final step.

‘I’m not going to wait forever,’ he’d told her.

‘I know, Dean. I promise–soon.’

And that’s how they’d left it.

When Gemini returned from Chicago, she cautioned Dani not to tell Morgan anything that Moralis had said, other than his request to take Nando.

‘I thought you’d worked everything out with him,’ Dani said, over lunch at the ranch.

‘Not exactly,’ Gemini replied.

‘According to Moralis, you took off with Nando four years ago, and he’s been looking for you ever since.’

‘It’s a long story,’ Gemini said, and sipped some iced tea. ‘I left a trail that ended in Paris. I thought he’d search Europe for a couple of months, then forget about us.’

‘Apparently he hasn’t.’

‘Moralis is full of demons,’ Gemini said earnestly. ‘Look what you went through with Sam.’

‘That’s different,’ Dani said. ‘Sam isn’t Vincent’s real father. Plus Sam turned out to be a drunk–that’s hardly comparable to being filled with demons.’

‘I had to get away,’ Gemini explained, her face clouding over. ‘Nobody has any idea how violent Moralis can be. When he loses his temper, he doesn’t care what he does. You’re lucky he didn’t attack you.’

‘I have a feeling he was about to. Fortunately, I saw the police car and waved it down.’

‘Do you think Nando remembered him?’ Gemini asked.

‘He didn’t seem to.’

‘Thank God!’

‘Is he likely to come back?’

Gemini shook her head. ‘With the police involved, I’m sure he won’t dare.’

‘Do you honestly think one little incident with the police will make him go away?’

‘When he finds out he can’t treat me the way he used to, he’ll leave. I have Morgan to protect me now.’

It crossed Dani’s mind that maybe Gemini had married Morgan for exactly that reason. An older, powerful, rich man who could protect her. Close as she was to Gemini, there were obviously things she didn’t know.

‘If you ever want to talk about it, I’m here,’ she offered.

‘Thanks, Dani, you’re a good friend.’

‘I try to be.’

Several weeks passed and there were no more Moralis sightings.

Gemini was relieved. ‘Morgan says if he comes back again, he’ll have him arrested.’

‘Is that possible?’

‘Anything’s possible,’ Gemini replied, secure in her marriage to a powerful man.

Dani wasn’t sure that Moralis would give up so easily. She’d seen the look in his eyes: he was a determined man and an angry one.

Dean flew back into town and began pressuring her again. Since she’d slept with him once, he expected she would do it again. She demurred, coming up with many different excuses.

‘Dani,’ he said to her one day, ‘are we doing this, or not?’

‘Doing what, Dean?’ she asked, although she knew exactly what he meant.

‘Getting married,’ he said flatly. ‘Because if we’re not…’

‘Yes?’

‘If we’re not, I have to move on.’

Move on? What was he talking about? ‘Excuse me?’ she said.

‘I have needs, Dani, and you’re not meeting them.’

‘Are you asking me to give you back your ring?’

‘No.’

‘Then–what?’

‘Love me like I love you. Is that too much to ask?’

‘I…I’m not sure I can,’ she said hesitantly.

‘Why not?’ he demanded.

‘I need time.’

‘You’ve had time.’

She knew she had to make a decision. If she didn’t marry Dean soon, he would move on.

She consulted with Gemini, who told her that Morgan had mentioned Dean was seeing someone in Houston. The news came as a blow.

Dean was hers. Always there. Always faithful.

Or was he?

She waited until his next trip and, over a quiet dinner after her show, agreed that they should set a date. Then she stayed the night at his hotel, cementing the deal.

In the morning he was ecstatic. ‘You’ll never regret it,’ he said.

‘Let’s do it next week,’ she said, afraid that she might change her mind.

He was surprised. ‘Don’t you want to plan a big wedding with all the trimmings?’

‘No,’ she said. ‘If Morgan and Gemini agree, we’ll do it at the ranch.’

‘Whatever you say, my darling. I’m all yours.’

The day before the wedding, Dani moved out to the ranch with Vincent to spend the night. She couldn’t believe it had all happened so fast. One day she’d said yes, and now, six days later, it was the eve of her wedding. She’d purchased a dress, given in her notice at the Magiriano, sold her car, and leased her house to a nice young couple from New Orleans.

Soon she and Vincent would move to Houston to live in a house she hadn’t even seen. It was crazy. Or was it? Dean was kind and caring, he genuinely loved her and Vincent, and if all went well, they would be extremely happy.

Vincent was not happy about leaving Nando, the ranch, his school, and all his other friends to go live in Houston. Dani assured him they would visit often.

Morgan decided to spend the night in town with Dean. ‘I’ll leave you girls alone to plot and