“We’ll do anything for you.Surely you know that?”He was clearly irritated.
Did he realize what he was saying?But before she could say anything else, he continued.
“With everything that happened today, I didn’t get a chance to talk to you.Well,” he said, and now she could hear the smile, “I kissed you, but we never talked.”
She inhaled sharply.“David!”
“What?That’s what happened, isn’t it?That’s what always happens when I’m around you.I turn into a randy teenager!”He was clearly not very happy with the idea.
“Well, then don’t be around me,” she joked, hoping to lighten the conversation, because she was suddenly feeling so hot.
It was quiet for so long, she thought he’d hung up.
“David?”she asked into the silence, sitting upright in the bed.
“What I wanted to tell you was that I was able to track down when Jordan bought the house in Kleinmond.”
It took her a few second to realize he’d changed the topic completely.When his words finally penetrated finally penetrated her befuddled brain, she anxiously clutched the phone with both hands.
“Yes?”
“It was just after the trial.For six million South African rand.Exactly how he paid for it isn’t clear, but what I do know is that he didn’t take out a bond.”
“Six million!”She breathed, her brain working overtime.“Where did the money come from, do you know?”
“I’m not quite sure, but I’m working on it.I’ve also made inquiries about Hastings.There were rumors he might be eligible for early parole because of his health.And apparently, he’ll be out on bail soon.”
“After only two years?What about all the millions that were lost?”Dana asked.
“Well, it is, of course, still a question—what happened to the money.As I’ve said before, there is a story here, one I’m determined to uncover.”
His words sent a chill down her spine.She still had to tell him she’d also been to the Johnson house.“Please just promise me you’ll be careful.I don’t like the way these people operate.They seem to be a law unto themselves.”
“Worried about me?”David asked.
Now it was her turn to be quiet.What should she call this strange concern for David’s well-being?She couldn’t bear the thought that anything bad might happen to him, that he might get hurt.In fact, her stomach churned when the thought about it.
“Dana?”he asked.
She could ignore his question like he had ignored hers.But he’d come to her today when she’d needed him.So she’d try to be honest.
“Yeah, I worry about you.”
He inhaled sharply.“You know what you do to me when you say something like that?”He groaned.
Her eyes closed.The man’s voice alone turned her insides to mush.It was a very good thing he wasn’t next to her, or she would have jumped all over him.
“David…”
“Can I take you out tomorrow night?”he asked.
“As in a date?”
He laughed.“Yes, as in a date.”
She should say no.This had no future.There could be no happily ever after with him.What did a school teacher from Hermanus have in common with a hotel tycoon?The mere thought was ridiculous.He had his choice of beautiful women; he was merely toying with her.
“Just say yes.You don’t have to analyze everything to death, you know.”
