Rainy Day Lovers (The Rocklyns Book 3) Page 8

  Yes, that was the reason they’d gathered today. To welcome her globetrotting brother that Tucker had just picked up from the airport. Kip still lived in California, but as a stuntman and body double for a couple leading Hollywood stars, he spent a lot of time on location. He was only here for a few days, and she hadn’t seen him in almost a year.

  So Rainy couldn’t hold back her squeal at the sight of him and went running to Kip to give her baby bro a big hug. He wrapped her in his arms, lifted her off the ground and swung her around.

  Okay, so baby bro was a lot bigger than her these days. But when he put her down she still ruffled his sandy brown hair, the thick bangs flopping in his handsome face as always. He fixed those piercing blue eyes on her with the same mischievous affection as the eight-year-old who used to give his vegetables to the dog when Rainy turned her back.

  She knew Roman was not used to having a big family around, so she let him sit back while everyone greeted Kip. When the rowdy noise settled, Rainy took her brother’s hand and walked over to Roman, who stood when he saw her approach.

  “This is my brother, Kip Rocklyn. Kip, this is my, um, boyfriend…Roman Burke.”

  As they shook hands, Rainy glanced at Roman to see his reaction to her calling him her boyfriend. He tossed a quick smile her way. Did that mean he agreed? Or was he laughing at her?

  Her answer came when he reached his arm around her waist and pulled her to his side as he talked to Kip.

  Her brother noticed and surprised her by leaning close and saying, “Anyone who doesn’t treat her right will have to answer to me.”

  Roman nodded and said, “Good to hear that, Kip, because I feel same way. Your sister is one of the best things that ever happened to me.”

  Tucker joined them, handing Kip a beer. “Can you believe he’s going to Bali? Geeze, I’m not sure I could even find it on a map.”

  “I’ve been there,” Roman said.

  “For your foundation work, right?” Rainy asked. And she couldn’t resist giving Tucker and Kip an enthusiastic rundown about the way Roman and his dad performed plastic surgeries around the world on people in need.

  While Kip took roman aside to pump him for info about day-to-day life in Bali, Tucker and Rainy headed for the pool.

  Rainy knew they would all be expected to have at least one dunk in the pool while here and that Roman might feel self-conscious about his scars. Funny she hadn’t noticed last year at the barbeque after Shannon’s wedding that Roman had worn a tight nylon surfing jacket with a collar that zipped closed and the slight scar lines that showed on the side of his neck. She’d been too focused on the muscular V of his sexy torso.

  Before they came today, she had convinced him her family wouldn’t care one way or the other about his scarred chest, and as she splashed around in the pool with Tucker, she hoped like hell that she was right. Luckily there weren’t enough potential recruits for water polo, but she knew Tucker would soon demand Kip and Roman join them.

  “Okay, you two,” Tucker called to them as Rainy predicted. “Enough chitchat. Get in here.”

  “I just got off a damn airplane,” Kip said. “My body’s still three hours behind.”

  “This will wake it up.”

  Rainy shook her head. “You sound just like your father. He always had us up and at ’em every morning no matter what. I had to find great hiding places so I could sneak off and read.”

  “You and Jeff, the eggheads,” Tucker said.

  “You making fun of my sister, Rocklyn?” Kip said, with an exaggerated tough-guy face.’

  “Yeah, I am, Rocklyn,” Tucker shot back. “What are you gonna do about it?”

  Of course that was the cue for Kip to rip off his shirt and shoes, dump his wallet and phone on the umbrella table, and take a running dive into the pool and right on top of Tucker. Those two had been roughhousing like that since they were little kids. It was no wonder her brother had become a stunt man. He’d always loved hurling his body in space and taking risks that used to make her furious with him. And Tucker was a fitness trainer who also owned NoFo Pedal and Paddle where he rented paddle boards, bicycles, and kayaks.

  Rainy glanced at Roman and was happy to see him laughing. After the story he told her about how he rescued his father, she was certain he didn’t feel any need to prove his macho status to anyone. He’d faced the real deal. As had Grant, her cousin who’d served in the Mideast.

  He met her gaze and the heat that always surged between them was there in a second. Whether anyone noticed or not, she couldn’t tell and didn’t care.

  Tucker and Kip finished their tussle, laughing and breathing hard, and Tucker said, “Okay, Rainy, get that boyfriend of yours in here so we can have a game of volleyball.

  Rainy groaned, but Tucker was already setting up the net. She had mentioned the pool to Roman and suggested he wear the board shorts he had on. She saw him now put his wallet and phone and keys on the table, then pull off his tee.

  He strolled to the pool and dropped into the water. Rainy saw Tucker glance at the scars and then continue with his volleyball setup. Kip didn’t even seem to notice, and she doubted he would make much of it if he had, since injuries and accidents were not uncommon in the stuntman circles.

  Kendra handed her baby off to Aunt Sheila and she and Orlando joined the game. Before she knew it, they were all screaming and laughing and calling out insults and challenges as they leaped and swatted and dove around in the water. It wasn’t an easy win, but Rainy, Kip, and Roman beat Tucker, Orlando, and Kendra two times running.

  They were planning on a third game when in a moment of quiet Roman said, “That sounds like my phone.”

  He jumped out of the pool and hurried to the table. Roman had been worried about leaving his father for too long, but Rainy had wanted him to meet Kip, who was seldom on the East Coast. She climbed out of the pool after Roman, but before she reached him she saw his face go taut.

  “What is it?” Rainy asked.

  “I missed two calls from Emma and another from Dr. Weinstock. I’ve got to leave right now.”

  “I’m coming with you.”

  Rainy turned and called out a fast goodbye, then hurried off at Roman’s side. She had told her Aunt Sheila, her dad, and Kendra about Roman’s father’s illness, so she assumed they would explain her hasty departure to her brother and the rest.

  The vineyard was on the North Fork, so they had to either wait for the ferry across the bay or take the long way around. Rainy checked the ferry schedule on her phone and they were in luck and able to cross without too much delay.

  Roman drove like mad through the South Fork, and finally up the winding drive to his home in Southampton. He left the car at the front and raced into the house.

  As Roman took the stairs two at a time, Rainy paused a moment when she saw Judy, the home health aide. The woman’s face was grim. Rainy could tell she was trying to catch her eye and lifted her own eyebrows in question. Judy shook her head no, and Rainy’s heart sank.

  Roman was already in his father’s rooms as she hurried along the second-floor hallway. The cry she heard nearly broke her in two.

  “No! Nooo! I should have been here! I should have been with him.”

  Rainy stepped into the room and saw Sydney lying on his back, eyes closed, sheets up to his chest. Roman was on his knees at the bed.

  A gray-haired man who was obviously Dr. Weinstock stood back, clearly to give Roman his space, and Emma the nurse lurked in the corner of the room.

  Rainy felt the doctor’s eyes on her and knew she looked a fright, her bathing suit top soaking though her hastily donned tank, her hair wet and stringy.

  She met his gaze and lowered her voice. “We were swimming so he didn’t have his phone on him and there was a lot of noise, so he didn’t hear it in the distance.”

  The doctor just gave her a solemn nod.

  She turned back to Roman and tears filled her eyes. Not just for Sydney, who was at peace now, but for Roman, who was sobbing an
d berating himself.

  “I am a rotten son. I let him die alone.”

  “Emma and Dr. Weinstock were with him,” Rainy said.

  “They’re not his family! I am. He’s always been there for me, and where was I? Off playing in the pool with your family! I should have been here. I let him down.”

  “Roman, I’ve heard Sydney say over and over what a good son you are.”

  “So good that I wasn’t even here when he took his last breath.” His tone was bitter.

  “This could’ve happened while you were in surgery or seeing a patient.”

  “But it didn’t. It happened when I was playing a stupid game instead of staying by his bedside.”

  He burst into sobs again and Raina put a comforting hand on his shoulder—but he shook it off.

  She told herself he didn’t mean it. For the first time in her life, she wasn’t sure how to help. Since she was eleven years old, she’d been figuring out what people needed and how to help them. As her mind raced for the right thing to say or do, Roman stunned her with his next words.

  “I can’t be with you, Rainy. I never should have gotten involved with you. Just go. Please leave.”

  His voice was laced with grief-stricken pain, but Rainy had no choice but to honor his request.

  She turned and walked out of the room, down the stairs, and out of the house.

  Wondering if it was for the last time.

  Chapter 10

  Rainy sent flowers and went to Sydney’s funeral, but she did not speak to Roman. She doubted he saw her there and she didn’t make herself known. There were literally hundreds of people there. Dr. Sydney Burke was internationally renowned and loved by so many. That made it easy for her to hide among the crowds.

  Roman looked like a ghost.

  Over the past month she’d tried to reach out to him. But after all her texts and phone calls and even messages left at his medical practice she’d received no response.

  The reality had final begun to set it. Was it over? Could Roman possibly mean it? Was their relationship a shipwreck that couldn’t be saved?

  Then she heard the news from her cousin Kendra. Next a headline from a well-known local New York gossip paper confirmed Kendra’s dismal report, spelling it out loud and clear.

  Jet Set Cosmetic Doc Swindled By Adopted Street Thug

  Poor Roman. She called her sister.

  “What is going on, Shannon? Do you have any inside news on this mess with Roman? He’s being dragged over the coals. You know darn well it’s not true what they’re saying.”

  “Of course I know it, but people love to see rich families taken down. Which is why the media feeds on it. And you can be sure Logan is making the rounds offering up as much dirt as they need to create this horrible soap opera.”

  “Why would he go this far?”

  “Because Sydney left absolutely everything to Roman and zero to Logan who thought he was in for a windfall and has probably spent a good bit of it already.”

  “I knew Roman couldn’t stand the guy, but you’d think Sydney would leave his nephew a little something just to shut him up.”

  “Except for the medical practice, he was going to leave Logan half, and half to Roman. But only five weeks before his death, Sydney changed his will, and that doesn’t look good for Roman who was his caretaker. The only other person who got anything is the attorney, who is also being called onto the carpet.”

  “Something must have happened to make Sydney all of a sudden cut Logan out of the picture.”

  “Duh,” Shannon said. “That’s exactly what they’re saying. That Roman coerced him when he was in was in a debilitated state and dying.”

  “Bullshit. Something went down and I’m going to find out what it was and see what I can do to help.”

  “Roman’s not here,” the man said. Rainy noticed he answered the door, not a housekeeper.

  “Well, my name is Rainy and I was wondering—”

  “You’re Rainy? Syd talked about you a lot. He liked that you and Roman were an item.”

  Rainy lifted one side of her mouth in a half-smile. “We were until he got so upset about being with me when Sydney passed instead of being at his father’s side. Now he doesn’t want to know me.”

  “He’s not thinking straight. And this lousy nephew who is dredging up Roman’s past, as if he conned Sydney into taking him in.” He snorted. “Roman was the brightest spot in Sydney’s life.” He held out his hand. “David Seizman. Sydney’s attorney and the other supposed bad guy.”

  “I came over wondering if I can help. I’m not an estate lawyer, but I am a family law attorney, so I know a bit about the rights of adopted children.”

  David opened the door and gestured for Rainy to come in. “I’ve got it under control and most of my staff are on it, but right now I’m looking for any relevant materials, documents, emails, financial transactions or communications involving Logan and decided not to use any of my people because I knew Sydney wouldn’t want strangers going through his things. But you were almost family. Or maybe you still will be.” He bobbed his eyebrows.

  “I’m not sure Roman would agree. Do you mind my asking where he is?”

  David shrugged. “I’m not sure. He hasn’t exactly been answering my calls either. I’ve been trying to give him more time to grieve, but things are getting touchy here.”

  “Since you wrote the changed will, did Sydney give you any idea why he did that?”

  “Roman never told you?” David said.

  “He knew?”

  “Yes. Sydney awoke from a doze one day and saw Logan emptying several of his morphine caps into the iced tea Roman always made for his dad and left on his bedside table.”

  Rainy’s jaw dropped. “That’s murder.”

  “Only if you can prove it. And that’s our problem now. Right now, we need to prove that Roman and I didn’t take advantage of Sydney.”

  “So Roman did make the will with you?”

  “No. Sydney had me come over after this incident and he and I made the changes. I called Roman in to sign as a witness—and I see now that was a mistake—but he never read it.”

  “What about Les, the guy who did the security system for the house?”

  “Sydney only had the doors and windows covered as far as I know, but you could call him if you want. Wouldn’t hurt to pick his brain. He’s in a retirement village in Florida, so I doubt he got wind of this.”

  They divided up the rooms and Rainy went to work searching for anything to use against Logan’s character or to show he was the one who tried to coerce Sydney. As she was looking in one of Sydney’s studies she saw a pile of photographs, portraits of case studies, sad children and teens born with disfigured faces or people damaged in fires and other devastating events.

  She saw one that struck right through to her heart.

  Was it the same guy? Could it be?

  Rainy paused and thought back to that night in what seemed another lifetime. And her memory of a homeless guy about her age that she’d helped escape a carload of punks out to put a beating on him. For some strange reason she had felt an immediate connection to him. He’d had a scarred and badly marred face and the shape and color of his disfigurement was exactly like the guy in this photo.

  But what were the chances?

  After all, she was working among images and records inside the office of a doctor who’d treated thousands of people around the world. And this was only a few hours of contact fifteen years ago.

  But as she looked again she felt certain it was the same guy. “Robbie Makalo. Yes, that was his name.”

  Then she saw it. Rainy saw the amethyst pendant around his neck. The one she’d given to him with the letter “R” in the center. Her breath caught. “Oh my God. It is him.”

  “Excuse me, David,” she said, when she found him rifling through some drawers in a file cabinet. “There’s a photo here of a guy I met almost twenty years ago. I can’t believe it. Could it be the doctor did some work on
him?”

  David was only half listening. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”

  “I said there’s a photo of somebody I knew years ago. He got burned in a fire.”

  “Oh, right. Sydney treated lots of people who were burn victims. God knows how many.”

  “But not with this necklace. Or his face,” she murmured to herself.

  Rainy turned away. Now was not the time to bother David about this. But she made a copy of the photo and slid it into her purse before continuing her search.

  Chapter 11

  This was one time Rainy wasn’t too happy it was raining. As she drove through the streets of Manhattan, the heavy downpour made the visibility horrific and the tempers of other drivers short. She’d been honked at and cursed at and called an idiot, but she didn’t care. She had to go slow enough to try and see the side streets. Finally she just gave up and found a parking space, which was a miracle in itself. But in the Lower East Side it was a little more doable than in other neighborhoods.

  When Thurman had called her this morning saying that no one had heard from Roman in three days, she had a gut feeling he would have come here.

  She grabbed her flashlight from the glove compartment—it was getting toward dusk—then scanned the backseat of her Mazda for the umbrella she was certain she had stored there only a few weeks ago. But it wasn’t there. She got out and checked the trunk. Not there either.

  So she would get wet. Big deal. Maybe her weird belief that rain was a good omen for her would hold doubly true when she was soaked through.

  Rainy walked to the corner of Essex and East Houston. It was just a guess, but since Roman said this was where he’d rescued Sydney, where he met the future father he loved and started on a whole new path, maybe this would be where he’d go.

  She went into the small park. No basketball going on in this weather. She checked around and under everything. The benches, the bushes, the dumpsters.