Drake Sisters 03 - Oceans of Fire

lead her out of the room. As he went through the door, he glanced back toward the fountain.

Chapter 14
    JOLEY and Hannah slipped out of their hiding places, both trying not to laugh. They hurried over to Abigail and dragged her out from behind the fountain.
    Joley popped another black olive into her mouth. “I thought we were going to be caught for sure. Or worse, that Sylvia was going to strip all the way down to her bare skin right in front of us.”
    Hannah rubbed her hand down Abigail’s arm in an effort to soothe her. “Aleksandr didn’t look very Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
    interested in her artwork. I’d say she’s definitely visited with Chad here in the back room.”
    Abigail looked around the room, anywhere to avoid looking at her sisters. She was furious. Furious .
    She wouldn’t have sent dust flying. Hannah had been kind. Her temper was roiling in her stomach and had she been able to grow claws, she might have considered raking Sylvia’s face. “Next time she lays a hand on him, she’s going to find herself in a pit somewhere very wretched.”
    Her sisters exchanged a small look of alarm.
    “She probably saw you with him the other night,” Joley said. “You know Sylvia, she’d take her revenge by seducing your man. Let’s just get out of here while we can.” She hurried through the doorway, stepping aside to allow Hannah and Abigail through.
    The crowd seemed to have swelled in numbers. It was a crush just fitting into the room. Abigail tried to draw air into her suddenly burning lungs. Sylvia might have tried to seduce Aleksandr, but he hadn’t been in the least interested. So why had he gone with her into the back room? He was using Sylvia just as certainly as Sylvia was using him. And what did that mean?
    She knew how far Aleksandr would go to solve a case he was working. Did it include seduction? The thought crept into her mind. Tightened like barbwire around her heart. Would he sleep with another woman he wasn’t the least interested in? He had allowed Abigail to be interrogated, incarcerated, and deported to keep his position as a detective. If Sylvia could get him information on Chad Kingman and the only way she would impart it was for him to cooperate sexually, would he?
    Abigail looked up and her gaze collided with a pair of dark, almost midnight blue eyes. Aleksandr and Sylvia were only a foot away. Close enough to reach out and touch. Abigail’s heart nearly stopped then began to pound. For a moment she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, even her vision blurred. She told herself he wouldn’t stoop to sleeping with another woman for information, but Sylvia’s hand was curled possessively around his arm. And what else would he do to solve his cases ?
    Hannah turned her head and looked at Abigail. The smile faded from Joley’s face. There was no way to stop the connection from leaping from one Drake sister to the next. The emotion was too strong and even across the room, Sarah and Kate went on the alert, turning to see what had caused the disturbance.
    Aleksandr’s gaze held Abbey’s, compelled her to keep her gaze locked with his, a captive, though she desperately needed to look away, to regain her composure. There was a strange roaring in her head.
    “Hello, Sylvia,” Joley said, “how are you?”
    Sylvia cleared her voice. “Hi, Joley, Hannah, Abigail.” Her voice went tight as she said Abigail’s name.
    Abbey flicked her a glance, was driven to look back at the familiar face. Familiar eyes. Her heart clenched hard. Her stomach contracted and she felt a punch, an actual physical punch to her stomach.
    Pain swept through her, shaking her, spilling out of her so that it swept through the room and filled every space. Laughter ceased as the intensity of her emotions hit the others in the room.
    “Abbey,” Joley whispered in warning, her fingers biting deep into Abigail’s waist.
    Sarah arrived, flanked by Kate. “How lovely to see you this evening, Sylvia,” Sarah said, appearing calm, but her expression, as she looked at Sylvia, was murderous.

    Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
    Aunt Carol took the camera out of Abigail’s limp hand.
    Abbey took a breath and tried to regain control of her emotions. Her pain was so strong, the memory of betrayal, fear, and bone-deep pain when she had realized Aleksandr had traded their love to save his job. She hadn’t wanted to