Drake Sisters 03 - Oceans of Fire

for our town. Please remember that when you start talking about him.” She ducked her head, concentrating on ringing up the next customer.

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    “What’s going to happen to him, Inez?” Gina asked.
    “I don’t know.” Inez’s voice was strangled. “I just don’t know.”
    Abigail pressed her hand over her heart. “She really cares about him, Sasha. My heart hurts for her. I think I’ll ask Libby to drop by and just ease her suffering a little.”
    Aleksandr leaned down to brush a kiss across her temple. “You hate to see anyone unhappy.”
    “That’s not necessarily true,“ she demurred. ”At least she’s running the customers through fast. That means we might be able to get out of here without questions.“
    He twirled her ponytail around his finger. “You know we have to be careful, Abbey. You don’t want to think about it, but that’s how people die when they have someone like Ignatev after them. We have to be aware every minute.”
    “I know.” She met his gaze. “No one has seen him and the police raided all the houses they rented. You know he had to have fled the area. It isn’t as if he wouldn’t stand out here.” She lowered her voice even more. “Small towns are very gossipy. We know each other’s business. Clyde Darden even keeps a pair of binoculars right next to his porch chair so he can watch all his neighbors. He claims he’s bird watching.”
    “I don’t want to know these things.”
    She rubbed her head against his arm. “You’re such a baby. You should have seen your face when Sylvia Fredrickson hugged you after you brought Mason back. All this time I thought you had a poker face.”
    Aleksandr caught her left hand to him and stroked her bare finger. “You are still not wearing my ring.”
    His eyes darkened into a midnight blue, the gathering of a large storm. Abigail felt her heart jump and the race of excitement that always came when he turned a little wild on her.
    His grip tightened on her hand as he brought her fingers to his mouth and bit gently. “I’m not happy about it. And don’t give me excuses. I can see it in your eyes. You were supposed to go home and put it straight on your finger.”
    She tilted her head. “Was I? I thought the man put it on the woman’s finger.”
    He frowned at her. “I put it on once. You took it off.”
    Inez raised her voice. “The two of you can quit skulking behind the bread rack and come out now. It’s safe for the moment.”
    Abigail would have charged to freedom, but Aleksandr held her back, leaned close, and whispered against her ear, “You may have gotten a reprieve, but it is a very short one.”
    She made a face at him and hurried over to Inez. “How are you?” Deliberately she touched the older woman’s hand. She wasn’t Libby with her miraculous healing skills, but she could at least ease Inez’s depression in a small way.

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    “Busy.” Inez attempted a small smile. “Scandals are always good for business.”
    “I’m sorry about Frank, Inez. I know you two were very good friends.”
    Inez lifted her chin. “We’re still very good friends. I’m going to help him all I can and if possible, keep his gallery open. Most of his business was legitimate. Unfortunately I think his love of art and his need to have it overcame his good sense. He needed to own the paintings, even if he never could share them.
    And to finance his need, he sold paintings to other collectors like himself.” She sighed. “I think it’s an addiction, much like gambling or drugs.” She met Abigail’s gaze for the first time. “He didn’t have anything at all to do with bringing that bomb into our country. He would never do something like that.”
    Aleksandr refrained from reminding Inez that Frank Warner was responsible for opening a smuggling route that enabled the terrorists to take advantage of the vulnerability. The woman obviously was very loyal to her friend and was tolerant of any of his mistakes. She was in distress and he didn’t want to add to it, but Frank Warner would certainly have been responsible had the bomb been exploded in a crowded area.
    “Has Aunt Carol been in to see you?” Abigail asked.
    “Yes, she was the one who told me about Frank being arrested. She didn’t want me to hear it on the news.” Inez swallowed hard and gave a small sniff she