Dark Bargains 3 Read online

  DARK BARGAINS

  PART THREE

  OLIVIA BLAKE

  Dark Bargains: Part Three

  Copyright © 2018 Olivia Blake

  All rights reserved. No part of this eBook may be reproduced in any form or by any means, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Names, characters, places, businesses, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

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  Summary

  It’s time for the secrets to come out

  The specter of Lucas’s dead wife now haunts them both. Was Diane’s vision real, or had she only dreamed it? Lucas intends to find out, but as with the other incidents of the past days it proves easier said than done. While he doesn’t want to believe that Diane has had any part in the incidents which have plagued him since his return from Macau, does he dare to trust her? He still doesn’t know what mysterious hold his brother Marcus has on her.

  What if Marcus had planted her with Lucas at the house to fuck with him, knowing he wouldn’t be able to refuse her?

  With Marcus gone back to Louisiana for a few days, Diane finally has a chance to recover some measure of her balance—and sanity. More than that, it allows her to spend time alone with Lucas. Her attraction to him is growing stronger every day, and she wants so badly to tell him the truth about her bargain with Marcus. But she has seen how his father treated Lucas’s sisters, and knows first hand how ruthless Marcus is. Does she dare trust him with the secrets that could undo her entire family?

  The only thing she knew for sure was that she wouldn’t trade these brief, precious hours she’d shared with Lucas for anything.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Dark Bargains 3

  Bonus Material

  The Winter Billionaires

  With One Word

  Lessons in Love

  About the Author

  Dark Bargains 3

  DIANE’S SCREAMS JERKED LUCAS OUT OF A VIVID NIGHTMARE where he was reliving the awful night in the arroyo with Sandy. He awakened thoroughly disoriented from the dream and it took a couple of seconds before he realized where he was. When his head cleared his eyes focused on Diane, who was huddled in a ball on the couch and shaking like a malaria patient. He sprang across to her and pulled her into his arms.

  “It’s all right,” he murmured. “I’ve got you.”

  She flung her arms around his neck and buried her face against him. “There’s someone in the house. A woman.”

  “What? Marcus’s woman?”

  “No! Someone else. In the atrium.”

  Lucas looked up and scanned the windows facing towards the pool. The lights were off and he saw no sign of anyone there.

  “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”

  He almost had to pry her fingers loose so that he could go investigate. Pale blue eyes with terror looked up at him. Whatever it was had scared her half to death. She had seen something—but what?

  Cautiously he opened the atrium door and stepped through. The great room was silent except for the low gurgling of the pool, but it was oddly cold and he shivered. Shadows danced on the wall, cast by the flickering lights beneath the water, while deeper patches of darkness obscured the alcoves and stairways. Lucas’s nerves jangled on edge as he walked around the end of the pool. With each step he imagined movement at the corners of his eyes, and he shook his head to clear it of the cloying fog of sleep.

  Nothing was there. Although he walked deliberately around the entire course of the pool, the atrium was completely empty. He checked the door that led out to the deck, but it was locked and the security system still armed. It was almost impossible that anyone could have gone out that way between the time Diane had screamed and he had opened the door. With a frown he glanced up at the walkways and balconies ringing the atrium. Maybe someone could have run upstairs or ducked into the other side of the house, but the only way to know for sure would be to go from room to room.

  The state Diane had been in when she fell asleep discouraged him from making a more thorough search. Wasn’t it much more likely that her outburst had been provoked by a nightmare made worse by far too much vodka?

  She was sitting huddled inside her afghan on the couch and started at the sound of the door when he returned. Eyes still round with fear stared at him from her pale face.

  “I don’t see anything,” he told her. “The door was locked and the alarm set. If anyone had gone in or out...”

  When he sat down beside her on the couch she swarmed on top of him and held him tightly, still shivering.

  “I saw her,” she insisted. “She was right there.”

  “Are you sure it wasn’t a dream?” he asked her gently. “You had a rough night.”

  Diane shook her head and pointed towards the window. “She was standing there looking inside, and she pointed at me.”

  “You’re sure it wasn’t that girl Marcus brought home?”

  The last blood drained from Diane’s face. “No. She looked...” She gulped and resumed in a hoarse whisper. “She looked like me.”

  Lucas’s blood turned to ice. “Like you?”

  “Yes, sort of. Her hair was like mine, and I think she had blue eyes.”

  “What else?” he demanded.

  “She was very pale, and wearing a white dress. I think it was white. It’s hard to be sure because of the lighting. But it was some kind of lace cocktail dress.”

  While she spoke, Lucas’s stomach threatened to tie itself into knots. Diane was settling down now, no longer shaking and her voice steadying, but Lucas’s own hands had begun to tremble.

  “You’re sure she looked like you?”

  “Not exactly like me—like looking into a mirror or anything. But close, yes. It wasn’t a dream, I swear.” Taking his hand, she looked into his face and for the first time realized how shaken he was. “Lucas, what is it?”

  “I think I know what you saw.”

  Gently he set her back onto the couch and got his phone from the table by the other couch. He pulled up the photos and skimmed through them until he found one in particular and showed it to Diane.

  “Was that her?”

  She peered at it closely. “I think so.”

  With sickness roiling in his stomach he closed the photos and dropped back onto the couch next to her. His heart struggled to beat as he fought against the implications of her acknowledgment.

  “Who is she? What is she doing in the house?” When he didn’t answer, her hand went to her mouth. “Sandra?” she whispered. “Lucas, no! It can’t be.”

  She was right about that. It couldn’t be. But he had never told Diane what Sandra looked like, and he had certainly never mentioned the dress she’d been wearing at the party the night that she had died.

  What in the hell was going on? He couldn’t suppress the sharp pang of suspicion which stabbed at his heart. She might have learned any of those things from Marcus. There was certainly no lack of pictures of Sandra. As for the dress, while he hadn’t been there that night, it wouldn’t have been difficult for Marcus to find out from someone who had been and then pass the details on to Diane. Wasn’t that far more likely than what she was telling him?

  After all, what did he really know about her, except that she had left her whole life behind her to run off with Marcus? She refused to tell him why, and he had only her word for the abuses suffered at his brother’s hands. What if it was all a lie? What if Marcus had planted her with Lucas at the house to fuck with him, knowing he would
n’t be able to refuse her?

  But when he looked deep into those wide, blue eyes there was no hint of guile, only of fear. He had seen the background checks Shoji had run on her. Could a woman like that be such an incredible actress? He couldn’t make himself believe it. He considered telling her everything that had been going on, but he couldn’t shake all of his reservations. Just because he wanted to believe her didn’t mean that he should.

  “I don’t know what you saw. I believe you saw something, though, okay?”

  Dawn was still an hour away when he stood up and held out his hand. He smiled at her questioning look.

  “Come on.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “My room. It has a door that locks.”

  She didn’t argue, merely followed him meekly upstairs.

  “We’re safe here,” he said as he locked the door behind them. Both of us.

  He’d deliberately left his phone downstairs to avoid any of the calls purporting to be from his wife, and hoped that they’d spend what little was left of the night undisturbed. Lucas helped Diane into his bed then turned off the light and crawled in beside her. As he lay staring into the darkness he could feel that she was still trembling. He fought it for a whole two minutes before he turned and wrapped one arm around her. With a little sigh she snuggled into his embrace and gradually relaxed until her breathing slowed and deepened in sleep. She felt so small and fragile against him, but fit perfectly as though made for him. Lucas wanted to keep her there forever, but it would not last beyond the morning. All he could do was enjoy her presence while he could.

  Golden sunlight peeking through the windows awakened him from a dreamless slumber later that morning. Beside him Diane still slept, peaceful, the anguish and fear of the night before banished by her soft little snores. The urge to protect her was overpowering, and he intended to keep her looking this way forever, safe from Marcus and anything else that might ever threaten her.

  His lips tightened into a grimace of hatred as he remembered the shattered state she’d been in when he’d found her the night before. He was ready to fucking kill Marcus for doing that to her. His brother had gone too far this time, and Lucas intended to find out what he was doing and put a stop to it.

  The first thing to do was make sure that Diane was safe. If she had to endure another night like the last he was afraid she would break. She was strong, but there was only so much that anyone could take, and she was near her limit. He slid out of bed, careful not to awaken her. After all that vodka she needed to sleep as long as she could. And what he needed to do was pay a visit to his father.

  Lucas made coffee then took a shower, which helped to wake him up and clear his head. When he was thinking rationally he cursed himself for a fool. He couldn’t go off and leave Diane alone in the house with Marcus and his slut, who might well decide to force her into another round of their foul sport. Lucas had already decided that his psychotic brother was never going to lay another finger on her, no matter what it took.

  But when he checked the garage, Marcus’s Mercedes was missing. They had left sometime during the night, probably after he and Diane had fallen asleep in the den, so there was no reason to wake her. She could sleep in his room, which had a door that would lock, and be safe enough until he returned.

  He crept back into his room to get his clothes, where he found his lovely guest still snoring lightly and sprawled onto his side of the bed. He couldn’t help smiling down at her. She was the most adorable little bed hog he’d ever spent the night with. Quickly he scrawled out a note telling her where he was going and that he should be back before Marcus, and then left it on the nightstand for her. He’d just have to hope that he could fulfill that promise.

  Lucas took the Ferrari to Vegas, leaving Diane the Mercedes in case she needed to escape, and went straight to his father’s office. Roland regarded him with surprise as Lucas closed the door behind him.

  “I didn’t expect to see you again so soon.”

  “Dad,” he began, then jammed his hands in his pockets in discomfort.

  “What’s wrong, son?”

  “I have to do something I never do. I don’t want to, but I don’t have much choice.”

  “Spit it out.”

  “I need a favor.”

  His father’s eyebrows rose in astonishment. “I can’t remember the last time you asked for anything. What is it?”

  “I need you to get rid of Marcus.”

  “Sounds a bit extreme, but I suppose I could find someone to do it for the right price.”

  Lucas barked a mirthless laugh. “Don’t think I haven’t considered it. I need him out of Vegas for a week, or better yet two. And I need him busy while he’s away.”

  “Can I ask why?”

  With a deep sigh Lucas sat down in the empty chair in front of Roland’s desk. “If I’m asking, you deserve an explanation.”

  He gave his father an edited version of the events of the night before, leaving out the more graphic details and making no mention of Diane’s vision of the mysterious woman. As he spoke, his father’s face darkened with anger.

  “I don’t blame you for wanting to kill him,” the older man growled.

  “I need him away from Diane so she can recover. And I’m going to find out what the fuck he has on her and stop it. Sorry about the language.”

  Roland waved that aside. “If I was in your shoes I think I’d be even more emphatic. Let me see...” He considered the matter for a few seconds. “I’ll send him to Shreveport. Bill had asked me not to, but under the circumstances I think it will serve best. And I’ll make sure Marcus knows that I expect him to be working and not screwing around while he’s there, or it’s his ass.”

  “Anything you can do, I appreciate it.”

  “You know I’m happy to help, but...” His voice trailed off into an awkward pause. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing with this girl?”

  “No. I’m not sure of anything. But I can’t just let this go on.”

  “I suppose not, but you be careful. Marcus is a snake—venomous and vicious. Whatever hold he has on her, if you break it he’s going to come after you. Hard. And he doesn’t have any of your scruples.”

  “I know. I’m going to take precautions. Oh, I also told him about you transferring the deed to the lake house to me and Sandra as a wedding present. Sorry.”

  “Well, it was going to come out eventually. I’m surprised you were able to keep a lid on it for as long as you did. I’ll make it clear that he’s not welcome to stay there anymore, and he needs to make other arrangements when he gets back.”

  “Thanks, Dad.”

  “I should have done it before, but I didn’t want to make things worse with him.” Roland sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “That boy is my greatest failure. I shouldn’t have had anymore children after your mother died.”

  “Anyone can make a mistake, and this one certainly wasn’t all on you.”

  “Things would have been so different if your mother had lived.”

  “I know.”

  “Let me make the calls to get the ball rolling. I’ll have him on his way this afternoon.”

  “Thanks, Dad.”

  “You just get that girl away from him,” Roland said, and then his voice softened with a little smile. “And good luck. I hope she’s everything you want her to be.”

  “Me, too.”

  Lucas was anxious to get back to the house, but he needed to see Shoji. He weighed leaving Diane alone a bit longer against his need to find out whether he was crazy, and decided it was best to get this done before Marcus left.

  The security chief was absorbed in a spreadsheet when Lucas came in and barely noticed him.

  “What’s that?” Lucas asked.

  “Hacking attempts. Some of these guys are getting persistent. I don’t know why they bother, since nothing important is connected to the internet.”

  “I guess they don’t know that.”

  “What can I do
for you, Lucas?”

  “You’ve got access to all the security systems at the lake house, right?”

  “Yeah. The automation system reports everything back to a server here.”

  “Were there any alarms last night?”

  “Hang on.” Shoji’s fingers danced over his keyboard. “No.”

  “Was there any access after midnight?”

  “The front door was accessed at 11:27 PM, and the garage door at 2:39 AM. After that there was nothing until 9:24 this morning. Why?”

  “I think someone was in the house.”

  Shoji’s expression turned pained. “Lucas...”

  “I’m serious. It freaked Diane—Marcus’s fiancée—completely out.”

  “Marcus has a fiancée? Who the hell would marry Marcus?”

  “It’s a long story. What about the cameras?”

  “Cameras?”

  “The whole place is wired with cameras and motion detectors for the security system.”

  “Oh.” Shoji consulted the diagram on his screen. “We shut them off. Sandra complained about them, remember? She kept forgetting to put in the codes and got tired of the alarms going off. And she was paranoid about people watching her.”

  “That’s right. But it would have been nice if they’d been on last night. Can you turn them back on?”

  “All the equipment is powered down. I’ll have to turn it back on and test the hardware.”

  “Do it. Someone is screwing with me, damn it. I want to know who it is.”

  Shoji turned back to him with a stubborn frown. “Lucas, are you sure you’re not overreacting? You just got back from a long, stressful trip. As soon as you got home Roland hit you with a big shock. Yes, I know about the cancer. Roland wanted me in the loop just in case.”

  “This isn’t my imagination, and I’m not overreacting.”

  “Listen to yourself,” Shoji pleaded. “You’re talking about phone calls that never happened. If they had, they’d have shown up in the records I pulled. You’ve got investigators trailing two of the most boring women in Louisiana. And now someone got into the lake house without leaving any trail in the security system?”