Brenda Joyce - [Francesca Cahill 04] by Deadly Desire Page B

sheer panic.
    “What is it?”
    “What if she moves in with him?”
    “Well, that seems doubtful, if they have been separated for four years.”
    Francesca was relieved. Of course Leigh Anne would stay at the Waldorf!
    Connie pulled up the chair from her secretaire and sat down there. “Francesca, I shall be blunt. Frankly, it is time for you to give up on Bragg and move on, romantically speaking.” Her tone was firm.
    Francesca stared. “Could you stop loving Neil?”
    Connie stood. “This conversation is about you, Fran, not me and Neil. I am glad now that Mama is encouraging a match with Calder. You must forget about Bragg. In fact, if you really love him, you will end your friendship with him.”
    “That is why I cannot end our friendship!” Francesca cried.
    “You are usually so clever,” Connie said with a shake of her head. “She is his wife, he is police commissioner—and headed for the United States Senate—and you are the other woman. You can hurt him terribly, Fran, if you continue this … liaison.”
    The truth was stunning. Francesca stared in shock. “But she is his Achilles’ heel,” she finally whispered. “If the public ever found out about his separation—”
    “No,” Connie said. She leaped to her feet and grabbed Francesca by the shoulders. “If the public learns they are separated, the answer is easy—a reconciliation. All will be forgiven. You are his Achilles’ heel, Francesca. He will never be forgiven for another woman. You are the one who can destroy him. If you love him, you must let him go!”
     
    Francesca hesitated. Bragg’s office door was open, and he was inside with the new chief of police, Brendan Farr. Bragg was listening intently while Farr, a tall, gray-haired man, seemed to be presenting a point. He spoke quickly and urgently,
every now and then punctuating a word with a gesture of his hand.
    Bragg looked past Farr and his gaze locked with Francesca’s. He smiled.
    Farr stopped in midsentence, turning and clearly annoyed at the interruption.
    Bragg said, “I don’t think it’s a good idea, at the moment.”
    Farr whirled back to Bragg. In spite of the flash of annoyance and maybe anger that Francesca had just seen, he spoke with deference. “Very well.” He nodded at Bragg and then crossed the room.
    Francesca had not moved from where she stood on the threshold of the office. She was surprised to find herself instinctively tensing as he approached.
    He nodded politely. “Good day, Miss Cahill. I hope it is not police business which brings you here.” But he smiled, in spite of his inference that she should not be involved in police affairs.
    She smiled brightly. “Absolutely not.” Of course, they both knew that there was no other valid reason for her to call on Bragg.
    His iron-gray eyes held hers, and when he smiled, it did not reach his eyes. And then he was gone. For one moment, Francesca stared after him. She hadn’t liked him when they had first met a few days ago, and now she realized that she did not trust him, but then, neither did Bragg.
    Farr had been a typically corrupt inspector before Bragg had taken control of the department. Now Bragg felt he would toe the straight and narrow line of virtue in order to please. Choosing which man to promote to the oh-so-importan position of chief of police had been a very difficult decision.
    “What brings you here?”
    Francesca started and met Bragg’s smile. Her heart seemed to accelerate its beat. Now she had his wife’s terrible note on her mind.
    Of course she had to tell him about it.
    She was afraid to even guess what his reaction would be.
It had been so much easier to simply forget its very existence.
    “I had hoped to speak with you yesterday,” Francesca began. “But you were so busy with your family that it was simply impossible.”
    His gaze was warm and searching. No other man ever looked at her quite the same way. It was as if he wished to know exactly what she was thinking and it