"Now, sure, but widespread use of the Net is fairly recent."

"Who knows?" Sunny said. "Private detectives maybe. Or for all we know she may have dropped into Chili Witches now and then for a bowl of chili. n.o.body would have recognized her. I don't think Mom or Aunt Min knew her from a hole in the wall."

Ca.s.s put the letter away and leaned her head against the seat rest. "I wonder if her second husband knew what she'd done. She was a tortured soul for sure."

"Ca.s.s, have you ever considered becoming a defense attorney? You're beginning to sound like one. I don't care if she was a tortured soul. She should have thought of the consequences before she pulled the trigger. I'm irritated because somebody from APD didn't haul her in and sweat a confession out of her. Every rookie knows to look at the spouse first."

"Tell the truth, Sunny. Did you ever think his wife did it?"

She sighed. "No. I always a.s.sumed it was politically motivated somehow. There were some hot issues at the time, and from what I've read, our dad made some enemies in the opposite camp."

When they arrived at Chili Witches, they decided to go into the office and make copies of Iris's letter, and that Sunny should keep the original in a lockbox at her house. Knowing the media would probably get hold of the story and splash it all over everywhere, they decided to hold off on turning the information over to the police. Maybe Sam could give them some ideas about how best to handle it. After all, Ca.s.s reminded her sister, they were under no legal obligation to report what they knew.

"Want to come upstairs?" Ca.s.s asked.

"No. I need to get home. Ben and Jay are dropping over later, and we're going to play miniature golf. Want to go?"

Ca.s.s rolled her eyes. "Surely you jest. No, I'm going upstairs to clean my closet and get my mind off this latest disaster. Or wax my legs. Or watch a sappy movie and cry a little bit." And wish Griff was here. And wish Griff was here.

Sundays were very long when you didn't have someone to share them with.

HALFWAY THROUGH THE MOVIE, she ran out of tissues and had to resort to a roll of toilet paper tossed on the couch beside her. The movie, although it was a tearjerker, didn't account for all her weeping. Part of it was loneliness, part of it was sadness over the way her father had died. Part of it was general, wallowing misery over her current circ.u.mstances, a vague, amorphous blues. And part of it was probably feeling drained after the emotional day she'd had.

She turned off the television, hugged her knees to her chest and curled her bare toes over the edge of the couch cushion. Why couldn't life be simple?

Why didn't Griff call and lift her out of this mood?

Why was she waiting for him to call?

Picking up her cell, she punched in his number. It went directly to voice mail.

d.a.m.n. Where was he? Didn't he know she needed him? Tossing her phone aside, she rested her forehead on her knees and let the despair wash over her.

"Ca.s.s? All this will pa.s.s."

She glanced up to see her father sitting in a chair nearby. "Did you know that Iris shot you?"

"She was very hurt and angry. She felt embarra.s.sed and betrayed. You mustn't resent her. Resentment becomes a festering sore inside you and poisons your whole being. In the end, your negative emotions accomplish nothing and hurt only yourself. Forgiveness is very healing."

"Did you know she died?"

"I did. She's very lost right now, but she'll get better. It would help if you and Sunny would accept her gift. It's part of her atonement, and I want you to have what's your birthright. We must all love one another, Ca.s.s."

"I know, but sometimes it's very difficult. I feel as if my life is in chaos lately."

"I understand." His voice was gentle, soothing.

"I love Griff."

The Senator smiled. "That's good."

"But Mom and Aunt Min don't like him at all, and I don't think Sunny or the rest of the family are too fond of him, either."

"Give them time. Everything is going to be all right."

"I wish I could believe that. I have this awful feeling of impending doom I can't seem to shake."

The Senator only smiled and began to fade, leaving behind a whispered, "Trust..."

Chapter Twenty.

Tuesday night's business was brisk, and Ca.s.s was happy to see the last customer leave. The staff closed down Chili Witches, and as soon as the last employee was out the back door, Ca.s.s set the alarm and locked up. She wasn't looking forward to sleeping with her stuffed cat again, but hopefully Griff would be back tomorrow. Phone calls just weren't cutting it.

She started up the back stairs to her apartment, but saw a shadow at the top that didn't belong there. Her heart accelerated and her foot froze on the step. She didn't even have pepper spray. Beginning a slow retreat and keeping her eye on the shadow, she was preparing to scream b.l.o.o.d.y murder and run like h.e.l.l.

"Ca.s.s, it's me."

"Griff?"

"Yep."

"Griff!" She ran up the stairs and threw herself into his arms.

Their kiss nearly blistered her nail polish.

"Oh, babe." He held her face between his hands and kissed it all over. "I've missed you something crazy."

"When did you get back?"

"How long does it take to drive from the airport? Add five minutes to that."

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming home tonight?"

"I wanted to surprise you. Are you surprised? I finished up everything earlier today and took the first plane I could get out of New York." He kept kissing her face.

She began unb.u.t.toning his shirt and pulling it from his pants.

"Let's go inside," he said, his voice hoa.r.s.e.

Reluctantly, she stopped unb.u.t.toning and fished her key from her jeans. She unlocked the door in record time and pulled him inside after her, barely pausing to shut the door.

He kissed her again, almost devouring her like a starving man. She went back to work on the b.u.t.tons, equally as hungry for him.

He was shucking off her shirt when suddenly a blaring, raucous noise filled the room.

"Oh, my gosh! The alarm." Ca.s.s made a run for the control panel and turned it off just as her phone began to ring. As she grabbed the phone, someone started banging on the door and yelling her name.

"Sorry," she told the security company on the phone. "I forgot to turn off the alarm when I came in." She motioned for Griff to get the door as she gave the caller her code.

When Griff opened the door, Hank stood just outside, wearing nothing but shorts and pointing his service revolver.

"Don't shoot, Hank! Don't shoot," Ca.s.s shouted. "It's Griff and me. False alarm."

Hank lowered his gun. "d.a.m.n near gave me a heart attack. h.e.l.lo, Griff. Ca.s.s." He grinned.

Ca.s.s, whose tee was up around her neck, stepped behind Griff, whose shirt was unb.u.t.toned and half off. Thankfully, only a dim lamp illuminated her apartment.

Griff gave a curt nod, and, peeking around his shoulder, Ca.s.s said, "h.e.l.lo, Hank. Sorry to disturb you."

Still grinning, he said, "Aren't you going to invite me in for coffee?"

"You're not dressed," Griff mumbled.

Ca.s.s snorted and giggled, burying her face against Griff's back.

"Right," Hank said. His grin didn't falter. "Another time."

Griff closed the door in his face and turned back to Ca.s.s. "Now where were we?"

She stripped off her tee and threw her arms around his neck. "About here, I think."

His lips met hers, his tongue plunged into her mouth, and she went went wild in his arms.

"Oh, how I've ached for you," he whispered as he walked her backward to the couch.

"My bed is much more comfortable," she said, taking him by the hand and heading that way.

She nearly fell, hopping and pulling and trying to get her jeans off.

He steadied her, and they laughed.

"We have all night," Griff said. "No need to hurry."

"Maybe you don't need to, but I do. I'm dying here." Hopping again, she yanked off one shoe, then the other.

"We can't have that." He unhooked her bra, tossed it aside and toed off his own shoes. He bent and took a nipple into his mouth.

She moaned at the sensation. "Oh, Griff."

"Yes, love?"

"Do that again."

He went to the other breast, nipping and tasting as he hooked his thumbs in her panties and lowered them for her to step out of. His hands stroked up her legs, and one eased into the juncture.

She almost went through the ceiling with his intimate probing. "Don't!" she cried. "Stop." But he continued.

She went through the ceiling and shot to the stars as she throbbed around his fingers with spasm after spasm.

Gasping for breath, she laid her head against his shoulder. "I'm sorry. I told you to stop."

"I thought you said 'don't stop.' And anyhow, there's nothing to be sorry about, Ca.s.s. Not with me. Ever." He kissed her gently.

Her desire still wasn't sated. She longed for him as strongly as ever. Writhing and rubbing her b.r.e.a.s.t.s against his chest, she unhooked and unzipped his pants, feeling his hardness.

With swift motions, he stripped off his pants and backed her to the bed. They fell onto the mattress, and she clamped her legs around his waist.

"Oh, babe," he groaned. "You set me on fire."

He plunged deeply into her, and she cried out with pleasure. "I love you so much," she murmured into his ear.

Griff went even wilder. Like a force of nature, he plunged deeper, harder, and she clung to him as he took her to the top again. Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s swelled and her womb ached. She could feel him throb and begin to pump into her, and she came again. It was glorious. Beyond glorious. Beyond anything she'd ever felt. It went on and on and on.

"Holy guacamole," she gasped.

He was still a moment, then he began to laugh.

"Ooooh."

"Exactly."

SOMETIME IN THE MIDDLE of the night, Ca.s.s jerked upright in bed. "OhmyG.o.d!" of the night, Ca.s.s jerked upright in bed. "OhmyG.o.d!"

"'S matter, honey?" Griff mumbled.

"We didn't use any protection."

He rolled over. "Would it be so bad if you got pregnant?"

"You're asking someone who was ridiculed for being a b.a.s.t.a.r.d? Of course it would be bad. I wouldn't do that to a child."

"If we got married, it wouldn't be a problem."

"Married?" she squeaked. "Are you out of your ever lovin' mind? We just met. I don't know you well enough to even discuss marriage. We're only up to the L L word, and that seemed rushed. Forget the word, and that seemed rushed. Forget the M M word." word."