Twilight at Blueberry Barrens (Sunset Cove #3)(67)

He peeked in on the girls, who still slept curled together on the big king bed. The bedside clock read 7:00 a.m. His stomach rumbled, and he started for the phone to call down for room service when the door opened and Kate stepped inside. Jackson immediately went to her.

Her gaze met his and she sent a tentative smile his way. “Good morning. Did you find my note? I met Claire for breakfast.”

“Just read it. I thought you were avoiding me.”

She looked beautiful in the slim-fitting jeans and pink top he’d bought last night in one of the hotel shops. Her hair was piled on top of her head in a loose coil that he longed to rake free from its pins.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “I was just about to call down for breakfast. You need more coffee or anything?”

“I’m stuffed. I need to tell you something though.” She held up a finger, then stepped to the other bedroom door and peeked inside. “Good, they’re sleeping.”

He had a sinking feeling she was going to quit and refuse to see him. It was his own fault for rushing things last night. He’d spit out what he was feeling without thinking it through. “Okay.”

She laced her fingers together in front of her. “Claire told me I had no right to make decisions for you, and she’s right. So let’s start over and take it one day at a time, okay?”

All she’d said was a jumble in his head right now. “Okay.” What exactly did she mean? That they’d explore the possibility of his moving here? There were a million reasons that wouldn’t work. His business needed him, and even now, he was itching to be back at the drawing table hunched over a design for a new drone. Working energized him. And a huge amount of work needed to be done to clear the rest of Heath’s estate as well.

He freed one of her hands from its death grip on the other. “I meant what I said, Kate. Having kids of our own doesn’t matter. I was just rattling off some crazy dreams that I realized aren’t that important. Don’t shut me out. We can work through anything if we’re talking.”

She stood on tiptoe and brushed her lips across his. “That sounds perfect.”

Her breath mingled with his, and he caught her around the waist and pulled her closer for a real kiss, but she twisted out of his grasp. “I hear the girls.” She headed for the bedroom.

He grinned and reached for the phone. As his hand touched the receiver, it rang. Who would be calling up to the room at this early hour? “Drake Newham.”

“Mr. Newham, you have a visitor here in the lobby. He said to tell you his name is Mr. Wang.”

Wang? “Are you sure that’s his name?”

“Yes, sir. He asked me to tell you to meet him in the restaurant.”

That was Wang all right. Imperious and dictatorial. “I’ll be right down.” He hung up and went to find Kate. She was getting the girls dressed. “I’m going to run down to meet someone in the restaurant. Order room service for the girls, and I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

She must have picked up on his tone because alarm flashed over her face. “Who are you meeting?”

He glanced at the girls and shook his head. “I’ll tell you about it later.” Before she could object, he quickly retraced his steps and headed for the door. Wang wouldn’t try anything in a public place, but why had he come this far when he could have called? The crime lord had the resources to track down Drake’s cell number.

He punched the button for the elevator and rode it down to the lobby. When he stepped out of the gleaming brass doors onto the pink marble floor, he looked in both directions in case Wang was lying in wait, but he saw no one but two older women leaving the other elevator. Hurrying to the Bistro, he spotted Wang at a corner table. The man’s black hair reminded Drake of a seal’s fur, all sleek and groomed. He wore a gray Armani suit and a silk tie in an understated green.

He rose when Drake reached the table and extended his hand. “Mr. Newham, thank you for meeting with me.” His cultured voice held only a hint of his Chinese ancestry. “I’m sure it was a shock to hear I was down here.”

Drake didn’t want to shake his hand, but he forced himself to reach out and briefly touch palms. The man’s dark good looks exuded power and sleek danger too—a powerful attraction to many women. “Shock is an understatement. I’m not sure we should be meeting, Mr. Wang.”

Wang settled back onto his chair. “It’s about Melissa.”

Drake clenched his jaw and sat down. How dare the man even utter Melissa’s name. It took all his strength not to leap across the table and grab him by the throat. “I see.”

The man fixed calm, dark eyes on Drake. “I don’t think you do. I want to help you find the killer. I don’t believe Heath killed her, then took his own life. In fact, I’m sure of it.”

Drake stared at the man who held his gaze with a resolute expression. “Everyone else believes it.”

“I know. That’s why I’m here. I have had my men investigating for weeks. Have you seen the autopsy reports?”

“I just saw them last night.”

“She was strangled first by someone who was left-handed. The bruises clearly show it. And there was a large lump on Heath’s forehead. It could have happened in the fall from the rocks, but I don’t think so.”

Drake should have looked at Heath’s autopsy more carefully, but it had been too painful. He’d find the courage to do it today though. He nodded. “I thought you hired them killed because Heath found out about your affair.”