Because there was Lily, beautiful in the blue church dress in which she"d been buried, golden curls ringing her head beneath her blue-ribboned Sunday hat.
He dropped to his knees and felt Lily rush into his arms. Felt her little hands on his face, her kiss on his cheek. A moment later she drew back, smiling, and said, "I love you, Daddy. Be happy." Imitating Zach"s words. Exactly the right words to say.
"I love you. Oh, Lily, I love you so much, so very, very much..."
He felt one more kiss; then he briefly saw her standing with Zachary Wainwright, who had a gentle hand on her shoulder. The sun was pouring down on them both, and they seemed to become one with it. And then they were gone.
Alexi reached for him, helping him to his feet. He was a little unsteady.
They didn"t speak.
They stayed on deck until the sun began to set.
Finally, arm in arm, they returned to Alexi"s cabin.
They both knew they"d been very lucky. Their pasts had been laid to rest. The future was theirs, and it would be filled with love and hope, no matter what it might bring.
Keep reading for an excerpt from FLAWLESS by Heather Graham.
"Dark, dangerous and deadly!
Graham has the uncanny ability to bring her books to life."
-RT Book Reviews
Looking for more great reads from New York Times bestselling author Heather Graham?
Don"t miss the first entry in a brand-new series packed with deadly intrigue, exhilarating romance and heart-pounding suspense:
Flawless Find out what happens when a criminal psychologist and FBI agent are thrown together by circ.u.mstance, drawn together by attraction and threatened by criminal intent...
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If you loved Haunted Destiny, don"t miss a single story in the spine-tingling Krewe of Hunters series, featuring the FBI"s elite team of paranormal investigators, the Krewe of Hunters: Phantom Evil Heart of Evil Sacred Evil The Evil Inside The Unseen The Unholy The Unspoken The Uninvited The Night is Watching The Night Is Alive The Night Is Forever The Cursed The Hexed The Betrayed The Silenced The Forgotten The Hidden And discover the electrifying Cafferty & Quinn series, where an antiques collector and a private investigator are drawn together in New Orleans as they investigate the city"s most unusual crimes: Let the Dead Sleep Waking the Dead The Dead Play On "Dark, dangerous and deadly! Graham has the uncanny ability to bring her books to life."
-RT Book Reviews on WAKING THE DEAD
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Flawless by Heather Graham
1.
"I"m okay. Really. But I have to tell you what I did. Well, he deserved it, of course," Julie Benton said over the phone.
"What did you do?" Kieran Finnegan asked. So far, she"d only been half listening; Julie"s tale of woe had been going on for quite a while now.
Kieran wiped the bar, one eye on her task, the other on the patrons in the pub.
Thankfully, at the moment she could easily work and listen, despite the fact that the object of Julie"s venom-her almost ex, Gary Benton-was one of the few other people at Finnegan"s on Broadway, the family downtown pub, one of the oldest in the city.
Julie giggled. "He deserved it," she repeated.
Kieran didn"t doubt that. She just wished she couldn"t see Gary as she was talking to Julie.
She never minded cleaning Finnegan"s since it was practically her family home. It was a beautiful old place with finely carved wood, a range of tables and booths, and this cla.s.sic bar with its array of beer taps and collection of Irish whiskeys. Photographs of the pub through the years hung behind the bar. Beyond was a comfortable dining room, equally rich in wood decor and handsome carving.
They weren"t particularly busy at this off-hour of the day, between lunch and happy hour.
Bobby O"Leary was at one end of the bar; although he was an alcoholic long in recovery, Finnegan"s was the center of his social life. He was still one of their favorite customers.
She"d given Bobby his standard soda with lime, and he was reading the Times.
Two groups of business executives on extended lunch hours remained. Three were at one table, and four-including Gary-were at another. Finnegan"s wasn"t even officially open. They closed between 3:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., according to the sign on the front door, but their clientele consisted mainly of friends and regulars who knew they could come in and receive service with a smile. Both tables had paid their bills and were lingering over coffee. Kieran had served them all their final refills-managing not to spill any scalding coffee on Gary-before she"d started cleaning.
And before Julie had called. She refrained from mentioning to Julie that Gary was at the pub; frankly, she was stunned he"d come in at all. He wasn"t wanted here. But he was with Jimmy McMa.n.u.s-a longtime customer and entrepreneur who"d made a fortune in everything from magic mops to designer dog food and Wall Street trading. Jimmy was a great guy with a headful of white hair and a quick smile, taut and fit despite his fondness for a good Irish stout. They were joined by two men who seemed to be friends of Jimmy"s. Kieran hadn"t allowed herself to run over, grab Gary by the lapels and throw him out on the street. But until the coffee refill, she hadn"t gone near the table. Mary Kathleen, a recent recruit from the old country and the love of Kieran"s brother Declan"s life, had been working the floor. She"d waited on the table, but she"d left at three. Which meant Kieran had no choice except to take over.
The other two at Jimmy"s table were men Kieran had seen in the pub before but didn"t really know. One was dark and one was pale. They were friendly, polite and dressed in handsome business suits, like many of the pub"s clientele, who walked down from the Wall Street banks and firms where they worked.
They all looked richer than Gary Benton, that was for sure. Maybe he was trying to learn how to join their ranks.
Making a point of not looking toward the table, Kieran finished the last of her cleaning and the setup for happy hour while listening to Julie. Now that part wasn"t easy, and not only because Julie and Gary were in the middle of the sad dissolution of their marriage.
Gary had wanted the divorce. Kieran knew things sometimes just fell apart. It was always difficult and distressing, but in this case, Gary"s treatment of Julie had seemed deliberately cruel.
Julie needed her friends, and Kieran felt she had to be there for her.
Don"t look over at Gary. Just listen to Julie, she told herself. Yes, listen to Julie and be a good friend.
And clean up the pub without pouring something over Gary"s head. She might not care if Gary ever came back, but she didn"t want to drive Jimmy and the others away. Finnegan"s wasn"t her full-time job, but it was her family"s business and important to them all, herself and her three brothers.
Finnegan"s was a true Irish-American pub. Her grandfather had bought it from a cousin when he"d come to the United States after the Second World War. It had actually been owned and operated by a Finnegan since shortly after the Civil War. Not only did they have a wonderful bar selection, with excellent beers on tap and high-end call brands, they also offered good pub-style food. People came to eat and drink, but they also came to socialize, to meet up with friends. Sometimes, during off-hours like this, that meant waiting around until the current Finnegan in charge of the place-her oldest brother, Declan, these days-or another family member or server came by.
Although it wasn"t her real job anymore, she was always happy to help out at the pub. She had a career as a criminal psychologist now. But she hadn"t been working with Doctors Fuller and Miro long enough to conduct an extended phone therapy session with Julie, even if she considered this crisis in her friend"s life as something that could lead to a serious mental health issue. Luckily, she had the day off-Dr. Miro was at a conference, and Dr. Fuller had taken a vacation day and ordered the staff-Kieran and the handsome young receptionist and a.s.sistant, Jake Johnston-to do the same thing.
"I was calm, Kieran, I swear," Julie said. "You need to understand that. Calm-and clever."
That was good, Kieran thought. Calm. Since Gary had first started his h.e.l.l-bent attempt to ruin their marriage, Julie had veered from wild rages to copious tears. Kieran couldn"t blame her. Gary had gone out of his way to be hurtful. He"d brought his new girlfriend to their home, made love with her in his and Julie"s bed, and somehow the girlfriend had "accidentally" left her panties there. He"d emptied their joint bank accounts and, possibly cruelest of all, told Julie she no longer attracted him s.e.xually. More-he claimed he found her repulsive.
"What did you do?" Kieran pressed warily.
"Well-" Julie giggled again "-you"ll be glad to hear I didn"t somehow get hold of a gun and shoot him."
"I am glad to hear that. So what did you do?"
"What he did was worse. I went to stay with my parents and left the house to him," Julie continued. "He says he can"t stand living with me, but apparently I"m not supposed to leave, either. He called to tell me I"d better get back to feed my d.a.m.ned dogs. He kept them in their crates, hadn"t let them out at all! They were starving, Kieran, and covered in their own waste."
Kieran glanced over at the table where Gary was seated. He"d risen with the others now; they were on their way out, which was a relief. She wouldn"t feel tempted to inflict bodily harm.
She watched him leave. He was a good-looking man, but Kieran had never been particularly fond of him. There was something...slimy about him, in her opinion. His quick, oh-so-charming smile usually meant he was planning something devious. He sold precious stones and jewelry at a high-end store in the Diamond District, and he"d often told Julie he had to take some woman out for dinner or drinks because a big sale was in the offing.
Slime.
She and her brothers had tolerated him for one reason and one reason only. Because they loved Julie, their friend since childhood.
But he"d left the dogs locked in their crates?
"That"s horrible. You should call the police on him. Either that or move out. I"ve told you to come and stay with-"
"The dogs and I won"t fit in your apartment," Julie said.