A Kiss to Die for. Gail Barrett

all of a sudden, the need to comfort her stirred inside him, the desire to erase the tiny frown marring her brow and let her know that she wasn’t alone.

      “I don’t see my family, either,” he confessed, then blinked, stunned that he’d let that slip. He never talked about his family. He tried not to even think about them after the mess he’d made of his life.

      “Don’t they want to see you?”

      They wanted to see him, all right. But he couldn’t stand the shame. He’d failed them all too badly, destroying their confidence and respect.

      Not wanting to go down that disturbing track, he tugged on his collar again. “Something like that. It doesn’t matter now.”

      But Haley’s perceptive gaze lingered on his. And for one unguarded moment, he wanted to tell her the truth, to confess how horribly he’d screwed up. To reveal the guilt, the regret, the pain.

      No wonder the kids in her shelter liked her. There was something soothing about this woman, something solid and warm and kind. Her soft eyes promised compassion, absolution. As if she could make the world all right.

      But then her gaze shifted to someone behind him. Her spine stiffened, snapping his attention back to the ballroom and the danger shadowing their heels. His pulse accelerating, he wheeled around. “What is it?”

      “My parents.”

      The dense crowd parted, revealing a couple heading their way. Sully’s gaze zeroed in on her father, Oliver Burroughs. About six feet tall, the prominent Baltimore defense attorney had Haley’s dark hair and hazel eyes, but the similarities ended there. His stride was an arrogant swagger, his eyes sharp and impatient as they skimmed the crowd. An egotist, Sully decided. A man consumed with his own inflated sense of power.

      Sully’s gaze shifted to the woman beside him. Haley’s mother, Catherine, was tall, blonde and still strikingly beautiful, despite her advancing age. She had a slender build and a blade-thin nose in an impossibly flawless face. Like Haley, she wore her blond hair up, but not a strand was out of place. Diamonds glittered around her swanlike throat.

      He swung his gaze to Haley, marveling at the difference. Haley certainly couldn’t match her mother in looks. Her mother was more beautiful, at least in a superficial way. But Haley radiated an inner warmth he found far more appealing. She was softer, more authentic.

      More tense. She clutched his arm with a death grip despite the smile pasted on her face. And his admiration for her rose. No matter how much she dreaded this confrontation, she didn’t intend to let them know.

      “Hello, Mother.” Her voice was calm.

      “Haley.” The woman shifted her eyes to Sully. She sized him up and dismissed him in one cool glance. Not worth her time, he guessed.

      Her gaze skipped back to Haley. She didn’t bother to do the air-kiss thing. “How lovely to see you after all this time.”

      He’d never heard anything less sincere.

      “It’s been a while,” Haley agreed. “Since I was a teenager, I think.” She paused, but when her mother didn’t answer, she soldiered on. “Hi, Dad.”

      Oliver Burroughs spared a glance at his daughter, his eyes lacking any warmth. Sully could see this attorney ripping his opponents in court to shreds.

      “I was hoping to talk to you,” she added.

      “We don’t have anything to say.”

      Haley’s chin went up. Her smile didn’t slip, but her fingers dug into Sully’s arm so hard he expected bruises to form. “Please. It’s important. I need information. It has to do with the Ridgewood gang.”

      Her father’s eyes turned even colder. He glanced at Sully, then back to his daughter again. “You know I don’t discuss my clients.” He grabbed a drink from a passing waiter, then turned away.

      But Haley released Sully’s arm and blocked his path. “Please, Dad. I only need information. It won’t take long, but...my life could be at risk. Can’t we go somewhere to talk?”

      Her mother’s pinched nostrils flared. “Really, Haley. Your imagination always did get the best of you. And you heard his answer. Now please don’t act crass and create a scene. You’ve damaged the family enough.” She took her husband’s arm and pulled him away. A moment later she stopped to greet the senator. Her forced laughter floated back.

      Sully glanced down at Haley. She stood stock-still, her eyes stricken in her flushed face. His anger rose, his own face heating at the need to avenge the slight. What the hell was wrong with her parents? How could they ignore Haley’s plea for help? Their daughter’s life was at stake.

      He balled his hands and stepped forward, determined to make them talk.

      “Don’t.” She tugged his sleeve, the flayed look in her eyes twisting his heart. “It’s not worth it. I was wrong to come here. I thought... It doesn’t matter. Let’s...let’s just go.”

      “Good idea.” This was a waste of time. Finding the killer in this crowd was futile, like searching for a diamond in a gravel pit. It could be anyone—or no one. There wasn’t any way to tell. And people were already whispering, spreading word of Haley’s humiliation at her parents’ hands.

      Even more anxious to leave now, he placed his palm at the small of her back and steered her toward the door. But the crowd had tripled since they’d arrived, making it difficult to move.

      Behind them, the music stopped. “Ladies and gentlemen,” the emcee announced. “This is the moment you’ve been waiting for. We’ll now announce the three finalists in our auction. Please come up when I call your names.”

      Good. The distraction would draw the crowd’s attention to the stage, enabling them to sneak away without another scene.

      “Kenneth Jones, Camille Henson and Sullivan Turner,” the man boomed out. “Please come to the stage.”

      Haley stopped and turned back. “You have to go up there.”

      “I don’t care about the raffle. Let’s get out of here.”

      “Please.” Her eyes pleaded with his. “If we leave now, they’ll think they drove us out.”

      He knew she meant her parents. And he couldn’t blame her for wanting to preserve her pride. “It’s not just that. I can’t leave you alone in the crowd.”

      “I’ll go up with you.”

      “You’d be too exposed.” And even though he had his sidearm, he couldn’t risk opening fire in a crowd this size. The collateral damage would be too high.

      But she didn’t budge. “Nobody’s going to shoot us in the ballroom. And it will only take a minute. We’ll accept whatever the prize is and leave right after that.”

      He glanced around. People were pointing and looking his way. His heart sank. She was right. They’d look like cowards if they slipped out now.

      “Fine.” Not seeing an alternative, he trailed her to the small corner stage where two other people waited with the emcee. Taking his position beside Haley, Sully scowled at the audience, watching for signs of animosity.

      Haley leaned toward him. “Try to look happy. You’re about to win something.”

      “Right.” He bared his teeth.

      The emcee introduced Senator Riggs, who thanked an endless stream of sponsors for their help. He finally wound down, and the emcee took the microphone again. While a drum rolled, he reached into a clear, plastic ball and pulled out a ticket stub. “In third place, a two-week cruise to the Black Sea, Camille Henson.”

      Sully clapped. But he caught sight of Haley’s parents in the crowd and it was all he could do not to glare.

      The drum roll sounded again. “In second place, for ten thousand dollars, Kenneth Jones.