"Are you serious?" Christina gaped at Rebekah. "How could your own sister do that to you?"

"I know." Rebekah sighed sadly as she watched Emily bend down with Jayla to watch a bug climb up a stem of grass. "I still can't quite believe she'd go that far, but I guess that's drugs for you. Our father was exactly the same. One taste and he was lost."

"I can lend you some money if you're short." Christina offered.

"No, I'll be fine. I got paid yesterday, but thanks anyway."

Christina gave her hand a squeeze. "You've never really given up hope on her, have you?"

"She's all I have apart from Emily."

"But stealing is a crime whether it's your family you've stolen from or not. What if she's taking other people's money to feed her habit?"

"She already has." Rebekah said her expression now grim. "But she couldn't have picked a worse person to steal from."

"What do you mean?"

She turned to look at her friend. "Jennie took a man's wallet the other night but it wasn't just any ordinary everyday sort of man."

Christina's eyes widened with intrigue. "Uh-oh, this is sounding scary. Who was it? Somebody famous?"

"Even worse."

"Who?"

Rebekah took an uneven breath and said. "It was Emily's father."

"Emily's father?" Christina almost fell off the park bench. "You mean he's here in New York? I thought you said he lived in London?"

"He does but he's here for a month. He's one of the major sponsors for the exhibition. I was going to tell you but didn't know how to broach the subject." She let out a despondent breath and continued. "Jennie gate-crashed my function the other night and of all people happened to choose Ted DiBiase's wallet to steal."

"Oh, no…" Christina gave her a concerned look. "Are you going to tell him about Emily?"

"If you had asked me that a couple of days ago I would have said a resounding no…but now I'm not so sure."

"Why?"

"I didn't think he deserved to know after the way he treated me back then. He refused to believe me when I told him I suspected I was pregnant. I called him several times when I found out. I knew for sure but he hung up on me every time. I tried writing to him but the letters came back unopened. I even emailed him but he must have deleted each one without reading it. But now I can't help feeling I should have tried harder…I gave up after a few weeks but maybe I should have kept in contact until I finally got through to him."

"Do you think he'll make trouble?"

"He's a billionaire, Christina. He would only have to lift his little finger to make trouble. He could have a top-notch legal team assembled before I could even say the word custody."

"Oh, God, this is terrible."

Rebekah's expression was wry. "Believe me, it gets worse."

"How can it get any worse?"

"He wants to see me."

"You mean like on a date or something?" Christina asked, then as realization dawned she added. "Oh my God! You went out with him the other night!"

"I had to, Christina" She said. "He practically blackmailed me into it. He knew it was my sister who took his wallet and threatened to press charges if I didn't agree to see him."

"You should have told me."

"I'm sorry…I wanted to but I was so upset I couldn't think straight. I thought it best to keep things as quiet as possible. I thought I could handle it better that way, but now…"

Rebekah checked on the girls before she turned to look back at her friend. "Ted wants us to spend some time together as friends."

"Yeah, well, didn't anyone ever tell you that you can't truly be friends with an ex?" Christina said. "There are always issues, the biggest one, of course, being sex."

"I know and I don't' believe him for a moment but I thought if I spent some time with him I might be able to somehow build up enough courage to tell him about Emily. I need to establish trust between us. He still thinks I'm guilty of theft and Jennie certainly hasn't helped my cause, but if I can show him I'm worthy of his trust he might not be so angry when he finds out he has a child."

"You're going to have to work damned hard to build enough of a bond between you now to deliver that sort of bombshell."

"I know…." Rebekah felt her stomach quake at the thought.

"But I guess if he fell in love with you, you might be in with a slim chance."

"I'm not sure what he feels but I do know he wants to resume our affair. He's been very up front about that."

"What about you? Do you still have feelings for him?"

Rebekah looked back at her little daughter and sighed. "I think I hated him for several months after I left London, especially when he stubbornly refused to acknowledge my attempts to contact him. But as soon as Emily was born I've thought about him every day since I look into her eyes and I see him. And now that I've met him again it's made me realize I've been in denial about my feelings all this time. I don't' think I've ever stopped loving him, not for a moment."

"Then you'd better get him to fall in love with you again and fast. Otherwise you stand to lose not just your heart but your daughter as well."

"Can't I come wif you, mommy?" Emily asked as Rebekah prepared to leave Christina's house on Monday evening to meet Ted. "Please? I'll be berry good."

"No, not this time, darling." She bent down to her daughter's level and kissed the tip of her nose. "You and Jayla need an early night."

"But I'm not tired." Emily pouted at her.

Rebekah brushed a fingertip underneath her little daughter's blue eyes. "You've got shadows bigger than saucers under here."

"But I miss you."

Rebekah felt her heart contract. "I know, baby but I have to see a special person tonight."

"Who?" Emily's thumb crept up to her mouth. "Auntie Jennie."

"No...Someone I knew a long time ago."

"Is it my daddy?"

Rebekah stared at her daughter speechlessly. How on earth had she guessed?

"I want to see him too." Emily said. "Jayla sees her daddy lots and lots and he gives her presents and everyfing."

"I know but Jayla's daddy lives with her. Your daddy lives in another country."

"Why doesn't he send me a present?"

"Your mommy is going to be late." Christina came to her rescues as she wandered past with an armful of folded towels. "How about you and Jayla have a nice warm bath with lots of bubbles?"

Emily's face brightened as she followed Christina down the hall. "How many bubbles?"

"Oh gosh trillions and trillions."

Rebekah gave her friend a grateful smile. "I'll pick up the girls tomorrow from day care."

"Have a good time and don't forget to wear something outrageously sexy." Christina said with a little wink as she shouldered open the bathroom door.

As soon as Rebekah opened the door of her apartment she knew her sister was inside. "Ok." She said, shutting the door with a snap. "Come and face the music. You've really done it this time. I swear to God, Jennie, I could throttle you."

Jennie slunk out from the bathroom, her hallow face and darkly shadowed eyes spending a shockwave of concern through Rebekah in spite of her bristling anger.

"I'm in trouble…"

"Damn right you are." Rebekah said, pushing her concern aside. "How could you do that to me? Stealing from your own sister, for God's sake! How can you do this after what dad put us all through? Mom gave up all hope because of what he did and now you're doing the very same thing!"

"There are people after me."

"I assume you mean the police?"

"No…" Jennie folded her stick-thin arms across her sunken chest. "I owe money to some people...a lot of money. I paid back what I could—that's why I transferred the funds from your account into mine. I'm sorry but I had no choice. I'm frightened, Becky. If I don't pay it all back they're going to come after me."

Rebekah swallowed against her rising fear to stiffen her resolve. "I can't give you any more money. I want to help you but I don't trust you. For all I know, this could be another ploy of yours to get your hands on more drugs."

"I don't want any more money from you. I just need to lie low for a few days, can I stay here? Please?"

Rebekah blew out a sigh. She knew she was going to regret it but what other choice was there? "All right but you know the rules. No shooting up, no men and no smoking inside. Got that?"

"I'm sorry, Becky…about the clinic…I really wanted to go, but the dealer was making threats."

"I'm not even going to waste my time pleading with you to go. I haven't got the money now, in any case."

"I'll go back on a methadone program. I promise."

"I wish I could believe you, I really do, but I haven't got time to even listen to your empty promises. I'm meant to be meeting a friend at seven and here it is a quarter to and I'm not even dressed."

"Sorry…." Jennie slumped to the sofa and stared down at her hands.

Rebekah could feel her anger melting. "Try and get some rest and we'll talk in the morning. Emily's staying at Rebekah's. I might be late, so don't wait up."

"Is this the same guy as the other night?"

"Yes…but we're just friends."

Jennie gave a cynical little grunt. "That's what they all say."

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