Sensual Confessions - Brenda Jackson [100]
“We became involved after she returned,” Blade said. “Just believe me when I say that I love Sam, she loves me, and when all this is over, I am marrying her.”
“And what about babies?” Kayla Di Meglio quickly asked. “You do want children one day, right?”
“Yes,” Blade said with a serious expression on his face. “We will have lots of children.” He thought about the text message he’d received from Slade that morning, saying their great-grandmother had dreamed about fish yet again. What was this for her, a bonus year? That made him wonder.
“And as far as where Sam is,” he continued, “she’s in a safe location for now, until we discover who sent that bomb yesterday. I hired a family friend, Alex Maxwell, to investigate and—”
“Alex Maxwell?” Sam’s father interrupted, glancing across the room at Alex, who was sitting alone in a corner, working on his laptop.
Alex glanced up. “Yes?”
“I’ve heard of you,” Sam’s father said. “Your name and reputation precede you—admirably, I might add.”
Alex nodded. “Thank you.” He then turned his attention to whatever was on his computer screen.
Antonio turned his attention back to Blade. “Do you have any idea who would want to hurt my daughter?”
“Yes. Our prime suspect right now is a man who works for you, and we believe his accomplice is someone who works here for this firm.”
Shock showed on Sam’s parents’ faces. “Who?”
“Frederick Rowe.”
“Frederick?” Sam’s father said in disbelief. “That’s absurd. My wife and I wouldn’t believe Frederick any more capable of hurting Sam than her own brother would.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Mr. Di Meglio,” a deep voice said from the doorway. “Especially since it seems I might be in need of an attorney, if I don’t decide to represent myself.”
Everyone turned toward the door, where a man Blade figured to be Frederick Rowe stood flanked by Detective Adams on one side and a police officer on the other.
Sam was sitting at a table drinking a cup of coffee and awaiting word from Blade. She hoped that he believed her when she said that there was no way that FDR was involved.
She nearly jumped when there was a knock at the door and wondered if it was the cleaning lady, come to straighten up the villa. As Sam walked to the door to look out the peephole, she tried to stop her heart from racing upon remembering that two of Jake’s men were stationed outside in the parking lot.
She was surprised to see the person standing on the other side. She took the chain off the door and opened it. “Frank? What are you doing here?”
The man who’d worked as a security guard at their law firm for the past year flashed a friendly smile. “Mr. Madaris asked me to come and get you. Something has come up and they need you at the office.”
Sam nodded. Evidently her parents were out of control and giving everybody grief. “Okay, let me grab my purse. I thought you were still out of town, skiing in Colorado,” she said, rushing over to the table to get her purse and slip into her shoes.
“I returned to town early and they called me to come in when Rita phoned in sick this morning.”
“Oh.”
Sam picked up her purse, turned around and smiled at him. “Okay, I’m ready to go.”
Antonio Di Meglio glanced over at Blade. “Why did you think Frederick had anything to do with this threat against Sam?”
“Motive.”
“And what motive is that?” Kayla Di Meglio asked, pushing her hair away from her face, a habit her daughter had evidently inherited.
“Revenge. Do you know who his father is?” Blade asked.
Antonio Di Meglio nodded. “Yes. A man I sent to prison when Frederick was no more than ten years old. My wife and I kept up with Frederick, who was sent to live with his grandmother when his father was put away. His mother was killed driving the getaway car. It was a bank robbery, planned by Alvin Quincy and his girlfriend, in which three innocent people were killed.”
Frederick continued the story. “The Di Meglios were there for me when I was growing up. Not that they had to be, but because they are