Secret Sisters Read online

  Titles by Jayne Ann Krentz

  SECRET SISTERS

  TRUST NO ONE

  RIVER ROAD

  DREAM EYES

  COPPER BEACH

  IN TOO DEEP

  FIRED UP

  RUNNING HOT

  SIZZLE AND BURN

  WHITE LIES

  ALL NIGHT LONG

  FALLING AWAKE

  TRUTH OR DARE

  LIGHT IN SHADOW

  SUMMER IN ECLIPSE BAY

  TOGETHER IN ECLIPSE BAY

  SMOKE IN MIRRORS

  LOST & FOUND

  DAWN IN ECLIPSE BAY

  SOFT FOCUS

  ECLIPSE BAY

  EYE OF THE BEHOLDER

  FLASH

  SHARP EDGES

  DEEP WATERS

  ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY

  TRUST ME

  GRAND PASSION

  HIDDEN TALENTS

  WILDEST HEARTS

  FAMILY MAN

  PERFECT PARTNERS

  SWEET FORTUNE

  SILVER LININGS

  THE GOLDEN CHANCE

  Titles by Jayne Ann Krentz writing as Amanda Quick

  GARDEN OF LIES

  OTHERWISE ENGAGED

  THE MYSTERY WOMAN

  CRYSTAL GARDENS

  QUICKSILVER

  BURNING LAMP

  THE PERFECT POISON

  THE THIRD CIRCLE

  THE RIVER KNOWS

  SECOND SIGHT

  LIE BY MOONLIGHT

  THE PAID COMPANION

  WAIT UNTIL MIDNIGHT

  LATE FOR THE WEDDING

  DON’T LOOK BACK

  SLIGHTLY SHADY

  WICKED WIDOW

  I THEE WED

  WITH THIS RING

  AFFAIR

  MISCHIEF

  MYSTIQUE

  MISTRESS

  DECEPTION

  DESIRE

  DANGEROUS

  RECKLESS

  RAVISHED

  RENDEZVOUS

  SCANDAL

  SURRENDER

  SEDUCTION

  Titles by Jayne Ann Krentz writing as Jayne Castle

  SIREN’S CALL

  THE HOT ZONE

  DECEPTION COVE

  THE LOST NIGHT

  CANYONS OF NIGHT

  MIDNIGHT CRYSTAL

  OBSIDIAN PREY

  DARK LIGHT

  SILVER MASTER

  GHOST HUNTER

  AFTER GLOW

  HARMONY

  AFTER DARK

  AMARYLLIS

  ZINNIA

  ORCHID

  The Guinevere Jones Titles

  DESPERATE AND DECEPTIVE

  The Guinevere Jones Collection, Volume 1

  THE DESPERATE GAME

  THE CHILLING DECEPTION

  SINISTER AND FATAL

  The Guinevere Jones Collection, Volume 2

  THE SINISTER TOUCH

  THE FATAL FORTUNE

  Specials

  THE SCARGILL COVE CASE FILES

  BRIDAL JITTERS

  (writing as Jayne Castle)

  Anthologies

  CHARMED

  (with Julie Beard, Lori Foster, and Eileen Wilks)

  Titles written by Jayne Ann Krentz and Jayne Castle

  NO GOING BACK

  An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014

  This book is an original publication of Penguin Random House LLC.

  Copyright © 2015 by Jayne Ann Krentz.

  Excerpt from ’Til Death Do Us Part by Amanda Quick copyright © 2015 by Jayne Ann Krentz.

  Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.

  BERKLEY® and the “B” design are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.

  For more information, visit penguin.com.

  eBook ISBN: 978-0-698-19366-6

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Krentz, Jayne Ann.

  Secret sisters / Jayne Ann Krentz. — First edition

  p. cm.

  ISBN 978-0-399-17448-3

  I. Title.

  PS3561.R44S43 2015

  813'.54—dc23

  2015016234

  FIRST EDITION: December 2015

  Cover photo © Mohamad Itani / Trevillion Images.

  Cover design by Rita Frangie.

  Title page: House © Ian Law / Shutterstock; Field © ileana_bt / Shutterstock.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Version_1

  This one is for my fabulous editor,

  Leslie Gelbman,

  who knows the secret.

  CONTENTS

  Titles by Jayne Ann Krentz

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

  CHAPTER FORTY

  CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

  CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

  CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

  CHAPTER FIFTY

  CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

  CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

  CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

  CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX

  CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
>
  CHAPTER SIXTY

  CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE

  CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO

  Special Excerpt from ’Til Death Do Us Part

  CHAPTER ONE

  Cooper Island, eighteen years earlier . . .

  He stood in the shadows of the kitchen and tried to decide which girl he wanted. An hour ago they had both fallen asleep in front of the television. Now they slept the way only the young could sleep—deeply, soundly.

  Both were the right age—twelve, maybe thirteen—right on the cusp of womanhood. That was the way he liked them. Pure. Innocent. Virginal. They were small-town girls who lacked urban street smarts—the kind of girls who usually could be terrified into keeping the secret. If you tell anyone, I will come back and kill your parents and then I will kill you.

  The cottage was some distance from the main hotel building where the wedding reception was taking place. The smaller girl’s grandmother owned the Aurora Point. Her friend’s mother worked there. Both adults were fully occupied with the crowd in the hotel tonight. There were no men in the picture—no fathers, no brothers; just the grandmother and the mother. No need to worry about them.

  He had watched the girls closely ever since he had checked into the hotel. They had helped with the preparations for the wedding reception, setting up folding chairs and placing the flower arrangements on the tables.

  Once the festivities had begun, the girls had taken off to entertain themselves. They had played Ping-Pong for some time and then disappeared into the cottage to watch television.

  The taller girl was the prettier of the two, but with her slim, long-legged body, she might be more of a problem to control simply because of her size and reach. If she struggled—and some did struggle in spite of his threats—she might knock over an object or make some noise that would attract attention. Still, there was a sweet, dreamy air about her that was very appealing. Earlier in the evening she had taken obvious delight in arranging the silly decorations and then she had fussed with the flowers on the buffet table. The adults had smiled and let her tweak things.

  The smaller girl wasn’t as pretty, but there was something intriguing about her attitude and self-confidence. She had been working behind the front desk when he had checked in. She had given him his key and instructions concerning his room with all the poise and assurance of an adult. She would grow up to become one of those bitchy women who were always giving orders, he thought. A real ball-buster. She needed to learn her place.

  Now, standing in the shadows, he decided that she would be easier to handle. He could crush her with one arm and squeeze the air out of her lungs so that she couldn’t scream. But she was also the one who might be the hardest to subdue with threats. He might have to kill her afterward to be sure she didn’t talk.

  In the end, fate made the decision for him. It was the smaller girl who awakened and padded, barefoot and yawning, into the kitchen to get a drink of water.

  She never knew he was there until he put a hand over her mouth and carried her outside into the night.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Sanctuary Creek, present day

  “You’re still grieving, Madeline.” Dr. William Fleming folded his hands on top of his desk. The professional concern in his eyes was infused with a gentle, more intimate vibe. “It’s been less than three months since you lost your grandmother. You were very close to her. She was your only surviving family member. Naturally you’ve been traumatized. It is very unwise to make serious, life-altering decisions when you are in a psychologically fragile state.”

  On the other side of the window the Arizona sunshine blazed in a cloudless spring sky. But inside William’s office the air-conditioning was cranked up very high. Madeline Chase was chilled to the bone. She decided that it probably wasn’t fair to blame the AC system. It was William who made her so aware of the intense cold. The all-too-familiar sensation of feeling trapped seethed deep inside. She needed to escape and soon.

  She crossed her legs and sat back in the padded leather chair. She had been raised in the executive suite of her grandmother’s small but very successful boutique hotel chain. She knew how to look like a woman in charge. And now that Edith Chase was gone, she was the woman in charge. She was the sole heir of her grandmother’s innkeeping business.

  “If you knew me as well as you think you do, you’d know that I’m well aware of what I’m doing,” she said. “My decision is final. We will not be seeing each other again.”

  He removed his stylish, titanium-framed glasses, set them on the desk, and exhaled deeply, making it clear with his body language that although he was very disappointed in her, he was willing to be patient and understanding.

  Her attention was briefly caught by his hands. They were among his best features, she reflected—one of the many assets that she had placed in the plus column of the spreadsheet she had prepared a month ago at the start of their relationship. William’s hands were smooth, well manicured, and, like the rest of him, not intimidatingly large or powerful. They often moved in graceful little arcs when he talked. They were the hands of a man who read books that came from the literary end of the bestseller lists; the hands of a man who enjoyed dining in trendy restaurants and touring museums that featured modern art. They were soft, nonthreatening hands.

  The rest of William went well with his hands. He was on the short side for a man. When she was wearing high heels, as was the case today, they were the same height. She also liked the fact that while he was certainly physically fit, he was slightly built, not heavy or thickened up with muscle.

  She had begun to conclude that they might be compatible in bed, at least for a short time. Her relationships never lasted long once things moved into the bedroom. William had certainly been pushing for full sexual intimacy. But she never allowed herself to rush into that aspect of a relationship because sex was always the beginning of the end for her. The only part she ever truly enjoyed was the getting-to-know-you stage. That was the stage when she could still dream, still imagine that she had found the right man, the one with whom she could have a family of her own.

  “You don’t want to end our relationship, Madeline.” William assumed his lecturing tone, the one he employed in the classroom. He was a part-time instructor at a local college. “As I’ve explained, we are ideally suited to each other.”

  She laughed. She couldn’t help herself. It was either laugh or pick up the nearest heavy object and hurl it in the general direction of William’s head. She was an executive who knew it never paid to lose her cool, so she went with the laugh. But there was no real humor in it. The sheer irony of his words was breathtaking. William was, after all, a therapist who specialized in couples counseling.

  “That’s certainly what you’ve been telling me for the past month,” she said. “But you’re wrong. In fact, I would go so far as to say you’ve been lying to me.”

  “That’s ridiculous. Not to mention offensive.”

  “I suppose it was all about getting funding for your couples therapy research, wasn’t it? I realize it’s a tough world out there for those who need grant money. But did you actually think you could seduce me into paying for your study? Really?”

  “Madeline, it’s obvious that something has upset you. Why don’t you calm down and tell me what’s going on here? Between the two of us we can sort things out.”

  Too late for that, she thought. She was filled with the same unshakable determination that she felt when she concluded that an employee’s skill set was no longer a good fit with the business culture of Sanctuary Creek Inns. Firing members of the well-trained staff was, thankfully, a rare event at Sanctuary. Nevertheless, there were occasions when it had to be done. Her goal at termination interviews was to counsel out the employee and suggest that he or she resign to pursue other career opportunities. The cardinal rule for conducting a termination interview was to never explain. Once you started listing reasons for terminating
someone’s employment, you opened the door to arguments and counterarguments. Things got messy fast. That was only one of the many lessons she had learned from her grandmother.

  The difference between getting rid of an ineffective employee and dumping Dr. William Fleming was that, in the case of the employee, she would have sent the person away with a handsome severance package and the conviction that leaving Sanctuary was his own brainstorm.

  She had no intention of offering William a damn thing.

  “I’m afraid there is nothing to sort out,” she said. She uncrossed her legs and got to her feet. “I appreciate your concern for my psychologically fragile state, but my decision is final. We will not be seeing each other again. Do not attempt to contact me in any way.”

  She started across the room, heading for the door. She had stayed too long, she reflected. She was on the verge of losing her temper.

  William shot to his feet behind his desk.

  “This is nonsense,” he snapped. “Sit down and tell me what is wrong. You owe me that much. I know you have some serious intimacy issues, but we’ve made excellent progress in that area.”

  A tide of soul-searing anger swept through her without warning. Her palms tingled with an icy-hot sensation. It was similar to the unpleasant adrenaline rush that accompanied a missed step on a flight of stairs. The realization that a bad fall had barely been averted was always a shock to the system.

  She wasn’t furious with William—okay, she was definitely pissed at him. She had a right to be pissed, she thought. But she knew her rage was mostly directed at herself. She shuddered to think that she had been considering an affair with the little creep.

  She stopped at the door and turned around to face him. Probably a mistake, she thought. The smart thing to do was to leave immediately and close the door on the near disaster that she had just avoided.

  And maybe she could have kept going if he hadn’t made the crack about her intimacy issues. A woman could only take so much.

  “Let me clear up an apparent misunderstanding, William,” she said. “I wasn’t seeing you as a client. As far as I was concerned, our relationship was personal.”

  “Of course it was.”

  He’d switched his tone of voice with the agility of a trained actor. He sounded soothing and reassuring now. He came out from behind his desk and moved toward her. Instinctively she tightened her grip on the doorknob.