Betrayal - Fern Michaels [113]
Debbie knew someone was after her. She didn’t know who it was or why they had chosen this time to screw with her, but she would find out. When she did, there would be hell to pay.
Meanwhile, she had an office to run. For a while, she hoped. Until this crazed stalker or whatever the hell she wanted to call the person was found out. Indeed, for all she knew, she could lose her office that very day. Simon had told her to go to the police. She’d been very adamant when she said no. They were the last people on earth she wanted poking into her business. She obviously could not explain why that was so when Simon had asked. She had simply said no and left it at that. He couldn’t bring them into this without her permission. Let him do the job himself. That’s what she paid him for.
Debbie thought about her life growing up. She’d had to work her ass off at the deli. When her mother hadn’t been drunk, she’d been on her ass like white on rice for something all the time. Had she taken care of next week’s order? Where were the menus for the next week? Why did she order that brand of cheese? Had she done her homework? It was constant. The only time she got any relief were the times her mother was passed out drunk. Which was often, but not often enough, as far as Debbie was concerned. She wanted a different life. She didn’t want to sell ham and cheese and smelly sauerkraut. She wanted luxuries. Nice homes and cars. Clothes that were the envy of all. But most of all, she wanted a man in her life to take care of her. When she met Don, she thought she’d found the perfect man. He was as ambitious as she was. He hadn’t had an easy life either.
Together they would change their lives. She’d had such good intentions. Then she met Alex Rocket. After meeting him, she decided she’d made the wrong choice. Alex had so much money, he didn’t know what to do with it. It was family money, but Alex was an only child. He’d get his hands on it eventually. He already had quite a stash if you saw the car he drove, the clothes he wore. Don told her Alex was down-to-earth. Money meant nothing to him. His parents bought the clothes and the cars. Alex was content to drive an old beat-up pickup that had belonged to his father when his father was a young man.
Debbie didn’t believe Don for a minute when he’d told her about Alex. She tried to make a play for him on more than one occasion, but nothing ever came of it. He would tease her, telling her he had a girl. Anna. She was so delicate and sickly the first time Debbie met her. Alex had married her. Hadn’t even invited her and Don to the wedding. Though, to be sure, he hadn’t been invited to theirs. Who would have wanted to attend anyway? She and Don had married in the courthouse one rainy afternoon. Still, she was shocked to learn Alex was married. All chances of snatching him, gone.
Then Anna got even sicker. She didn’t know how long they were married, but Alex was shocked when she died. Don and Debbie went to offer their condolences. They’d stayed for a few days. Then Don had to go back to work. They had just moved to Florida. Don was working his way up the ladder. Debbie insisted he go home without her, telling him she’d stay with Alex a few more days.
One thing led to another. During Alex’s mourning, she’d seduced him. Emily was the result.
A couple of months later, she’d gone to Alex telling him she was pregnant with his child. There were some doubts on his part at first. But then Emily was born. As she grew older, she became the exact image of Alex. They’d decided not to tell anyone what had happened between them. Debbie agreed, but inside she was seething. He could sleep with her, but he wouldn’t marry her. She told him she would divorce Don. Alex insisted he couldn’t hurt his best friend any more than he had already. He had promised to take care of Emily for the rest of her life.
And Debbie had promised herself she would get even with the son of bitch one day. And she had.
Chapter 30
Kate spent the rest of the afternoon working at the computer. She