Straight from the Heart Read online

  Blair’s eyes widened. “But the police never could identify him.”

  “Yeah. I was newly elected then, and I really wanted to find him. Skin from two different people was found under Bonnie’s fingernails. That really bothered me, but I never could link another boy to the murder. I always wondered why your father didn’t pursue it. It could’ve helped Easton.”

  “I’m not privy to my father’s cases, and I really don’t like to talk about Todd Easton.”

  “I’m sorry,” Evan said quickly. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  “It doesn’t,” she said, and they both knew she was lying. She drew a deep breath. “But I would like to prosecute this guy when they catch him.”

  Evan shook his head. “I don’t think so, Blair. You’re too closely involved.”

  “Maybe,” she admitted. “But I hope you put him away for a long time.”

  “I intend to.”

  “I’d better go,” Blair said, backing toward the door. “I’ve got a lot to do.”

  Evan stood. “Great job today.”

  “Thanks.”

  Blair closed the door, leaning against it as if she needed the support. Why did Evan have to mention the past? Why did he have to bring up Todd Easton? Ever since Raye’s outburst, she’d been trying to keep the memories at bay, but now they seemed to come rushing back.

  She was sixteen years old and looking forward to spring break. She was going to Cancún, Mexico, with her friend and her friend’s family. Her father had just finished a difficult case. A business acquaintance of his had a son who was accused of murdering and raping a fifteen-year-old girl, Bonnie Davis. It was a certainty that Sam Logan would get the boy off, but Todd Easton was found guilty. The Easton family was very upset, especially Todd. It had been a long, hard trial and her father, mother and Blake went on a cruise to get away from the reporters and the Eastons. They wanted her to go, too, but she’d already made other plans.

  Everyone had said that Sam Logan was losing his magic touch. It was one of the few cases she remembered her father ever losing; at sixteen, though, she didn’t really think about such things. She was just eager to leave on her trip. Her family had left that morning, and Blair was waiting for her ride. She’d heard a noise downstairs, grabbed her suitcase and hurried to the front door. As she reached the bottom step, she saw the housekeeper tied up. Before she could move, Todd appeared from a doorway holding a gun. His eyes had a glazed, wild look, and his face was red. He asked her where her father was. She told him he wasn’t home, that he’d gone on a cruise. Todd had laughed cruelly and said that was just as well, because he knew of a better way to get even with Sam Logan. He was leering at her and she knew what he had in mind. She dropped the suitcase and ran up the stairs—but he was faster. He caught her at the top, began to hit her with the butt of the gun… Over and over he drove the gun into her face, her stomach, her chest. Then he started to tear at her clothes. She didn’t have much strength left, but she started to fight. Her efforts stilled at the sound of sirens. Todd didn’t hear them. He was too engrossed in hurting her.

  The police burst into the house. They’d been on Todd’s trail since he’d broken out of prison. Although she was floating in and out of consciousness, she heard them yell at Todd to drop the gun. The next thing she heard was gunfire and Todd fell on top of her…dead.

  She woke up in a hospital. She had a concussion, a cracked skull, broken jaw, a fractured arm and several broken ribs. Her parents and Blake immediately flew home from their cruise. It was weeks before she was able to leave the hospital and by then she was scared of her own shadow, of everything around her. Her mother wanted her to see a psychiatrist, but she refused. She could handle it by herself, she’d insisted. But the trip back to health was long and arduous, and at times she didn’t want to go on. She forced herself to face life and not give up. She’d refused to let Todd Easton destroy her emotionally. And she made it. Yes, she’d made it. She had gotten her degree and was practicing law, putting criminals like Todd Easton away.

  She knew that sometimes she went overboard, like today with Lucas. Lucas had a way of getting to her with his handsome face and devil-may-care smile. He was a lot like her father, same charisma, same magnetism. Maybe that was why she resented him and his representation of criminals. But today…today she’d finally triumphed over Lucas. Yes! She’d beaten him and his fancy tricks in the courtroom. And that felt good—really good.

  Pushing away from the wall, she headed for her office. She wasn’t going to think about the past, her father or anything that would ruin her mood. She wanted to enjoy this moment. She entered her office, kicked off her heels and slipped out of her navy-blue suit jacket. She undid the first three buttons on her white silk blouse. Next she took the pins out of her hair and shook it free to her shoulders.

  To alleviate the tension, she started to dance, something she loved to do—ever since she was a child and had taken ballet lessons. It always lifted her spirits. She whirled gracefully around the room singing, “I won. I won. Whoa-oh-oh. And it feels so-o-o-o good. So-o-o-o good. Oh, oh, oh, yeah.”

  LUCAS HURRIED out of the courthouse. He had just enough time to stop by his office before his date with Jennifer. He’d been dating her for a month and she wanted to make dinner for him tonight. That bespoke an intimacy he wasn’t ready for. He didn’t know if he ever would be. His brother, Jacob, had been after him to settle down. After all, he was now forty-two, but he just could never take that final step. When he got married, he wanted a strong, passionate marriage like his brother’s. But the odds of that happening were getting slimmer and slimmer. He was too much like his father, he’d concluded, and he knew the feelings he had about his father were the reason he was still single.

  His father had been a policeman who worked long hours—or so they’d believed until they discovered he’d been spending a lot of those hours with other women. The secret came to light when his mistress shot him with his own gun after he decided to end the affair. The news devastated his mother, and she died one week later from a massive heart attack. He’d been only fifteen years old, but he’d never forgotten the hurt, pain and disillusionment in his mother’s eyes. He was never going to hurt a woman like that—never. Until he found a woman he could stay faithful to, he planned to remain single.

  For some reason he thought of Blair Logan. She was different from the other women he’d met—mainly because she hated his guts. But she’d enjoyed beating him today. Blair would never let her emotions show, but it was no secret that she’d been gunning for him for a long time. He was sure this victory was a big deal for her. That should annoy the hell out of him, but it didn’t. In his younger days, he would have been angry at the loss. Younger days! Good Lord, now he was thinking in terms of younger days. What the hell was wrong with him?

  Lately he’d been feeling a restlessness, a dissatisfaction with everything in his life, and he found himself questioning everything he’d ever done. He was displeased with both his personal and his professional life. He’d worked for Harris and Harris for the past fifteen years and he’d never had any complaints until now. Clive and George Harris were brothers, and now their sons were also attorneys who’d joined the firm. Lucas knew that in the near future he’d probably be working for them and he didn’t like that. He was the reason quite a few clients chose Harris and Harris, and everyone knew it. Lucas’s salary was raised every year in appreciation, but now he wanted more. He wanted his name on the door. He wanted everything that came with his years of experience and he wasn’t willing to settle for less.

  Then again, he’d made enough money and invested it wisely. He could retire and move to Austin to be near Jacob and the family. Hell! He shook his head in frustration. He’d spent all his adult life practicing law and he had no intention of giving it up so easily. The restlessness was getting to him, that was all; so was losing this case. He should have never taken it in the first place. Clive and George had advised against it, but he couldn’t let Jim down. Jacob ha
d taught him always to stand by your friends and he had, and he refused to have regrets about that. He just wished he’d felt more confident of Hector’s innocence. That restlessness again. Good thing he’d scheduled a vacation. He needed one to make some decisions about his life.

  “Hey, Culver,” a voice called.

  Lucas turned and saw Roger Collins, an old friend of his brother’s, coming toward him. Roger was in his forties, a police detective who’d worked a lot of cases during his career—some Lucas had been involved with.

  They shook hands. “How you doing, Lucas?”

  “Fine.” Lucas smiled.

  “How’s Jacob?”

  “In love and happy.”

  “If anyone deserves happiness, it’s Jacob,” Roger said solemnly.

  “I’ll second that.”

  “How many kids does he have now?”

  “Five,” Lucas said. “They had another girl a few months back.”

  “That’s great…just great.”

  “Yeah.”

  Roger changed the subject. “Well, I heard Blair stuck it to you today.”

  “I wouldn’t call it that,” Lucas responded mildly.

  “You just hate to lose.”

  “Yes, it’s one of those annoying flaws of mine.”

  “I also heard Raye wasn’t pleased with the verdict.” Roger looked at him carefully.

  “No, he wasn’t. He caused an ugly scene.”

  “Is Blair okay?”

  Lucas’s eyes narrowed. “Why wouldn’t she be?”

  “Evidently you haven’t heard what happened to her some years back.”

  “I don’t guess I have.”

  “It was sixteen years ago, so you were probably away at law school.” Roger went on to tell him about Blair and the attack by Todd Easton.

  “You know, I vaguely remember reading something about that incident—mainly because it was Sam Logan’s daughter. Hell, I knew she was Sam’s daughter, but I never connected it to the attack.”

  “She’s had a rough time. I hope this hasn’t upset her.”

  Lucas grinned. “Sounds like you’re pretty fond of Blair.”

  Roger grinned back. “You could say that, but Blair doesn’t let anyone get too close to her. I keep trying, though. Think I’ll check on her.” He glanced at his watch. “Damn, I have to be in court in five minutes. I’ll catch her later. I’ve got to run. Tell Jacob I said hi.” With that, he dashed into the courthouse.

  Lucas stared after him with a puzzled expression. He now understood Blair Logan a little better. No wonder she was so cold and detached. He’d never dreamed she’d had this kind of trauma in her past and was a little surprised he hadn’t heard anything about it before. He hoped Raye hadn’t caused her any more stress. Still, it was none of his business, he told himself, walking resolutely toward his vehicle.

  He threw his briefcase into his Ford Expedition and got into the driver’s seat. But he didn’t start the engine. He kept thinking about Blair. Maybe he should reassure her that Hector was just talk and she had nothing to worry about. No, he told himself again. She wouldn’t thank him for his concern.

  Concern? Was he concerned for Blair? Yes, he was, he had to admit. He’d always thought Blair was strong enough to handle anything. Could he be wrong? Could her strength only be a facade to hide her fear and pain?

  Without a second thought, he climbed out of the car and headed to the district attorney’s office. He had to tell her that Hector wasn’t a threat to her.

  And Blair Logan was going to eat him alive.

  IT DIDN’T TAKE Lucas long to find Blair’s office. The door was open a crack. He pushed it a fraction to see if she was inside. He stared in disbelief. Blair, a Blair he’d never seen before, was dancing around the room singing under her breath. Her dark hair was loose around her shoulders, her eyes sparkled and her face was enraptured. God, she was beautiful. So feminine, so enticing…

  She held her arms out and her hips swayed gracefully. She’d had ballet lessons, he decided. It showed in every seductive line of her body.

  “It feels so-o-o-o good. Oh, oh, oh, yeah,” she sang. She whirled around and came to a complete stop when she saw Lucas.

  “OhmyGod,” she murmured. She quickly gathered her hair and twisted it into a knot. She reached for a large clasp that lay on her desk and fastened it to her hair, but several strands lingered around her face.

  She inhaled deeply and demanded, “What are you doing here?”

  She’d immediately collected her wits, her cool businesswoman demeanor back in place, but Lucas didn’t seem to notice. His eyes were on the opening of her blouse. Several buttons had come undone and her lacy bra was showing. Blair wore lacy things. He’d never have figured that.

  “Your blouse is open,” he told her, and her cheeks turned a delicate pink.

  She nervously buttoned her blouse to the top.

  She was mortified that he’d seen her doing a victory dance, and she was desperately striving for some measure of respectability. But she feared she’d lost every ounce of that. Oh God, how had she let this happen? And of all men…Lucas Culver.

  “If you’re through leering,” she said coolly. “You can tell me why you’re here.”

  Lucas realized he had a silly grin on his face, but for the life of him he couldn’t stop smiling. “You know,” he replied, “it went right out of my head.”

  “Then you can leave.”

  His grin broadened. “You really enjoyed beating me today, didn’t you?”

  He had guessed why she was making a fool of herself. Of course he would! How did she get out of this?

  “A victory is always a…pleasure,” she answered, and the words sounded phony even to her own ears.

  Lucas stepped closer, although the desk was between them. “If I’d known it would make you so effervescent, I’d have let you beat me a long time ago.”

  “You didn’t let me anything,” she flared. “I beat you fair and square.”

  Lucas held up his hands. “Okay, I concede.”

  They stared at each other and Blair felt his dark eyes touching her in a way she usually hated when other men did it. But Lucas was making her feel warm and bubbly…and angry.

  “What do you want, Lucas?” she asked abruptly. “And stop staring at me like that. I don’t like it.”

  “It’s hard not to,” he said wickedly. “Especially after seeing…so much.”

  “Get out of my office,” she said, her confidence beginning to shred.

  Her words had no effect on him. “Don’t be so rigid, Blair. I’m only teasing you.”

  She decided to take another approach. “I’m not used to being teased, so can we just forget about this?”

  He lifted an eyebrow. “I don’t think so.”

  “Okay,” she snapped. “Have your fun, but you’d better enjoy it because you’ll never, ever get another glimpse—”

  “Of you being human,” he finished for her.

  She bit her lip, not knowing what else to say, wishing he’d do the decent thing and leave.

  He saw her nervousness and relented. “Okay, Blair, I’ll forget about it.”

  “Fine,” she said ungraciously.

  “I only came by to reassure you that you had nothing to worry about from Raye. He just has a big mouth.”

  She glanced apprehensively at him. Surely he didn’t know. It had happened so long ago and ever since, her family and friends had been very protective of her feelings. The attack wasn’t a topic for idle conversation. She didn’t want anyone’s pity. “Why do you think I’d be worried?”

  He watched her for a moment and he could see she didn’t want him to know about the past. So he gave in to her wishes. “He was my client and I feel responsible for his behavior.”

  She breathed a sigh of relief. This she could handle. “You don’t have to be. I can take care of myself.”

  “I’m sure you can, but I had to make the effort.”

  “Well, you wasted your time.” That came o
ut wrong, but she couldn’t take it back.

  His eyes gleamed. “Believe me, I didn’t waste my time.”

  “You said you were going to forget it,” she reminded him.

  “Forget was the wrong word,” he said with a devilish grin.

  “You’re very good with words. So don’t tell me that.”

  “I promise no one will hear about your secret passion from me, but I can’t wipe it from my memory. I have a feeling I’ll remember it late at night when—”

  She cut him off. “Goodbye, Lucas, and next time you plan on coming into my office, would you please have the decency to knock?”

  She had to get rid of him. The tension was so thick she had trouble breathing. It was sexual tension and Lucas was very good at creating it. She hated his easy flirting, which created a fear deep inside her. Over the years she had forced herself to date, to come to grips with her terror, but it hadn’t worked. Men in any kind of sexual context—the very thought of sex—stirred a revulsion in her that she couldn’t control. She was beginning to wonder if she ever would.

  With his hand on the doorknob, he said, “You have a thing about intimacy, don’t you, Blair? I was only going to say late at night when I feel…” He stopped, then added, “Hell, you were right. I did have something risqué in mind.”

  Lucas grinned all the way down the hall. Roger was the wrong man for Blair. She needed someone to unlock all those emotions she had hidden away. Someone with passion and ardor. He suddenly stopped walking. He was thinking about himself. No, he was already involved with Jennifer. He didn’t need…but he enjoyed sparring with Blair—maybe too much, maybe not enough. She made his blood rush, kept him on his toes. “No,” he muttered aloud. “No way.” It wouldn’t be the first time he’d fooled himself about a woman.

  AS THE DOOR CLOSED on Lucas, Blair picked up a paperweight and threw it. It bounced off the wall and landed on the carpet with a thud. Arrogant bastard, she thought, and immediately checked the door to made sure it was locked. She leaned against it and sank to the floor, drawing her knees up to her chin. How was she going to live this down? Lucas had seen her in a state she’d never allowed any man to see. And the way he’d gazed at her—as though she was an attractive woman he liked looking at. She could still feel those dark eyes heating her skin, her blood. Oh, no. Don’t even think it.