He nodded. “I know. With moving and the new job…”
As part of the Alliance, they both adhered to guidelines, which included not discussing their disdain for The Order in public. But Cody hopefully understood that she referred to his absence at their monthly Alliance meetings, usually conducted via a secured video connection but sometimes in person. Their strained relationship had made the meetings uncomfortable. Then Cody had stopped attending in person, ignoring her objections that his presence didn’t bother her. But everything about Cody bothered her, from what happened in Hawaii during their college graduation trip to the effect he had on her now. She hated that he still got to her despite telling herself on several occasions she was over him. “Veridian seems to be a good company. Good luck.”
He glanced around. “Jury’s still out on whether I made a good move.”
“Veridian is a highly respected company, which is why my firm has us all here—to show we’re committed to the company. It’s all work for me.” Emotions surged as she straddled wanting to hit him and wanting him in her arms. Tossing out both options, she took a step back. “Umm, well, have a nice time. And, Cody, I didn’t mention it earlier but happy birthday.” Memories of celebrating their birthdays reminded her of happier times. In a lot of ways, those were the best times. She turned to leave, or more likely flee.
“Wait!”
She whipped around, part of her angry that he would ask anything of her. He’d broken her heart, and although she longed to make sense of her twisted life, she couldn’t do the noble thing and forgive. Not now. Even though, he had been integral in helping her escape the shooters earlier. Her mind whirled with confusion and indecision. She stared at him, her heart thumping so fast she hoped he couldn’t hear the effect he had on her.
Cody’s mouth dropped opened but no words tumbled out. He swallowed then said, “Thanks for remembering my birthday. Have a great evening.”
She nodded, then turned back toward the main party area, heading toward the HTP table. Although she tried to keep her mind occupied, she couldn’t keep Cody out of her thoughts. Her skin prickled as if sensing every fabric fiber of her dress. And had the music grown louder? She swiped a hand over her forehead, creating a temporary barrier to the blue and green lighting some event coordinator thought would create a warm atmosphere. Her senses were operating in overdrive.
Lila approached the table at the same time as Brandon. Seated at the round table were several attorneys from HTP, including Steve and Hilary.
Hilary was dressed in a black gown with a sparkling ruby necklace accenting her salt-and-pepper-colored hair. “Brandon Pfluger, Lila Caldwell, please meet Robert Gumfrey, CLO of Veridian.”
“I’m glad to meet you.” Brandon pumped the man’s hand.
“So nice to meet you in person, sir.” Lila shook his hand, too.
Robert smiled, deep lines forming at the corner of his eyes as the lights bounced off his white hair. “Putting a face to a voice on a conference line always makes for a better working relationship. And what a beautiful face it is, Miss Caldwell.”
With someone as important to her livelihood as Mr. Gumfrey, how the hell was she supposed to respond? Tamping down her desire to punch the grin off his wrinkled face, Lila took the open seat Brandon had pulled out for her in between him and Steve.
Hilary glared at Mr. Gumfrey. “Now, Robert. It’s comments like that which will call for my expert legal services. Ms. Caldwell is a very capable attorney, regardless of her outward appearance, beautiful or otherwise.”
Robert clamped his hand around a glass of bourbon and grinned. “Hilary, can’t a man show appreciation for beautiful women, such as yourself, without being hauled into a courtroom?”
Mr. Talcott shot a quick glare at Hilary, then softened as one of the Veridian VPs at the table struck up a conversation with him and Mrs. Talcott.
Before Hilary could respond, the band stopped playing and the lights dimmed. The crowd quieted as everyone took their seats. Veridian’s CEO, Don Ingalls, approached the podium and stepped into the spotlight. Lila, thankful for something else to focus on, turned her full attention to him.
In CEO-speak, Ingalls droned on about Veridian striving to always be a good corporate citizen. He explained how much Veridian did for the community, Texas, the country, and the world. Listening to him, one would have thought life would collapse without Veridian Technologies.
As Mr. Ingalls concluded his speech, he segued into the introduction of their top donor. “This man is a true philanthropist who uses his money to help fund several important charities, many of which benefit children. He is known not only for his business mind but also his generosity. On behalf of Veridian and all of its employees, please welcome tonight’s honored guest.” He paused as a video screen lowered behind him. “It’s my pleasure to present, Lance Sinclair.”
The crowd erupted in applause while Lila clamped shut her mouth. What the fuck? Her pulse raced as she gripped the edge of her chair. Lance? Did she really hear his name?
A video materialized in front of her and Lance appeared. She’d seen him with his fancy Hollywood wife and wondered how Delphine Renaud could hook up with someone like Lance. And she was pregnant with his child.
Her blood stilled as Lance flashed a bright smile. The close-up featured him sitting in a room with gold walls adorned with patterns of white puffy clouds. He wore his dark tresses slicked back. “Greetings! I’m coming to you from sunny Los Angeles. I wish I could be there with you tonight, but happy circumstances prevented me from traveling. I’m thrilled to announce, for the first time, my wife Delphine and I have welcomed a new addition to our family. Lance Sinclair, Junior, a beautiful, strong healthy son.” The camera angle widened to show Lance holding a baby swathed in a white blanket, tiny fingers were the only part of the infant visible. “Prevention of childhood hunger is a cause I’m extremely passionate about. I could spout off a million reasons for supporting this cause but, for me, this baby, my son, is my number one reason. He’s lucky and will never want for food. I want the same for every child in this world. I’ve made a personal donation in the amount of $500,000 to the Kids Soar Foundation. I hope I can count on you all to make that number swell.” He swept a loving glance over his son before returning his attention to the camera.
As the crowd erupted in applause, Lila caught Cody’s gaze from across the room. He shrugged, and she gave a slight shake of her head. She had no idea Lance was the featured benefactor tonight. During their last Alliance meeting, they’d discussed the potential connection between The Order and other large companies, including Veridian, but so far, they had no concrete proof. The theory had been that Lance would try to amass more wealth and power by gobbling up important companies. Although Lance’s appearance at the Veridian benefit was for charity this could be a clue that he had a deeper connection to Veridian. Turning back to the screen, she caught one last look at her cousin before his image faded.
The band resumed playing and Brandon stood. “May I have this dance?”
Lila groaned inside and hesitated. She didn’t want to dance with Brandon or anyone else. The affair had been sullied by Lance’s disingenuous plea for charity money. She wanted to flee this party and go home. Grabbing a drink from a passing waiter, she gulped half the glass. “Let’s dance.”
As Brandon wrapped his arms around her, Lila mentally implored the song to end. Moving to the beat, she glanced over Brandon’s shoulders spotting Cody taking the dance floor with a pretty woman with long braids. Her body stiffened as she watched Cody and the woman dance. Were they dating or perhaps more? She’d told the rest of the Alliance she didn’t want to know anything about Cody, and after years of attempting to soften her heart about him, their efforts had slowed. For all she knew, this woman could be his girlfriend, fiancée, or perhaps even his wife, although she knew Holly, Carson, or Marissa would have told her if Cody was that serious about someone. Lila pushed away memories of being in Cody’s arms and thoughts of how she’d feel to be
back there. He’d probably moved on, and she’d do well not to travel down that path.
“You look gorgeous tonight,” Brandon whispered in her ear.
His minty breath drew her back.
“Thank you. You look nice tonight, too.” Once again, her gaze drifted to Cody, but this time, he stared back at her. His brown eyes drew her in like a huge welcome sign to her past. After she’d walked away all those years ago, she hadn’t spoken to him. He’d left one voice mail message, and from that point on their interaction occurred with the occasional greeting at Alliance meetings. Then nothing when Cody stopped attending.
“Lila?”
She pulled her gaze from Cody. “Yes?”
“I’m sorry about Jack. I know you two were tight.”
“He was my mentor, so yeah.”
Brandon nodded. “I guess things finally caught up to him.”
He had her full attention now. “What does that mean?”
Brandon shrugged. “Jack worked hard. Probably made a lot of enemies.”
“What are you saying, Brandon? Jack was a dirty lawyer?” Lila knitted her brows and stopped moving.
“I’m not saying anything other than in this business we have the potential for making enemies. It’s a risk we’re all taking. We’re representing one side and the other side may be passionate enough to kill.” Brandon cocked his head and stared down at her.
“We’re not criminal attorneys. Do you know something? Was there a threat against Jack?”
“I don’t know who killed Jack, but I urge you to watch your back. His clients are yours, too, and although we aren’t in the criminal defense area there’s still the potential for working with bad people. But you’re in good hands tonight.” He winked.
Lila balled one of her fists behind Brandon’s back then relaxed. Whaling on his ass in an evening gown didn’t make for a good look. Besides, he had a point. Jack’s enemies could now be hers.
The band’s lead singer began vacillating between singing and talking. “Beautiful people, let’s have some fun!” She swayed to the music.
Brandon had good moves and shuffled her around the floor. When she allowed herself not to think, she enjoyed the dance, an activity she hadn’t done in a long time.
At the halfway point of the song, the singer called for the everyone to change partners with the couple nearest them. Did the singer think they were in junior high? But the crowd whooped and laughed, playing along.
Lila groaned. Why couldn’t she just finish this dance with Brandon and get off the floor without all these antics? As Brandon let her go, she twirled around to face Cody. Her mouth watered at the sight of him. The facial stubble only made him sexier. “Oh, hi.” She hoped her thoughts didn’t show. Even though years had passed, she wasn’t ready to move past the hurt.
The woman Cody had been dancing with shuffled into Brandon’s arms, and they moved away.
Cody shrugged and opened his arms. “I guess we should cooperate.”
Lila’s heart raced as she moved closer and stepped into his embrace. When his arms encircled her waist, her breath caught. Years melted away and yet the old hurt lingered on the edge. As the soft jazzy music wafted, Lila let herself to float in Cody’s arms, moving to the beat. How long had it been since she’d been this close to him? As she glanced at him, she could have sworn he was even taller.
Cody leaned down and whispered. “Crazy to see Lance, even if he was only on a screen. Are you okay?”
“Yes, it was, but I’m fine.” She didn’t want to get into a deep conversation. Truth was the entire night had shaken her. Cody’s presence had exploded her nerves, and she’d had no idea Lance would be appearing at the event.
Cody’s expression hardened, and he voiced her exact thought. “I’m not buying Lance’s good guy routine. Even the birth of his son won’t change his ways. He’s no more worried about childhood hunger than a shark is about chowing down on a sea lion.”
“I don’t think that sentiment is shared by the masses.” She wanted to run. This evening was supposed to have been a simple task where she did her duty, donated a few bucks to a worthy cause, and then went home. Now, her plan had all gone to hell. Aware of her hand on Cody’s shoulder, she fought to control the chills running rampant up and down her body. A glass of wine, a long bath, and good book would be perfect now.
“You’re coming back to Jeb’s tonight, right?” Cody whispered into her ear.
“Yes, but only for tonight. I’m thankful he allowed me to borrow one of his cars, but I can’t keep putting him out.” She also couldn’t continue to live under the same roof as Cody.
“Good. Everyone will be here in the morning, so we can strategize.”
One long minute later, the music ended and she stepped away as if Cody were a live electrical wire. “I really do hope you have a good birthday.”
He flashed a sexy grin. “That’s bullshit, but okay.” Cody leaned down and brushed a feathery kiss on her cheek. “I’ll see you back at Jeb’s.” He pivoted and walked away.
She stood frozen before she forced herself to saunter away, instead of running like a crazy woman out of the room. Her faced flushed as heat from Cody’s lips seared her skin. Tiny droplets of perspiration dotted her neck.
Lila spotted Gia across the room and made a beeline to her friend.
Gia grinned. “Who was that hottie you were dancing with?”
Lila signaled to a passing waiter. She swiped a glass of white wine from the tray. After draining half the clear liquid, she met Gia’s shocked gaze. “Just someone I used to know.”
“Must have been a damn good dance to get you all riled up.” Gia nodded at Lila’s half-empty glass before smoothing her dress. “Did you know Lance Sinclair was the featured donor?”
“First, I am not riled up.” She crossed her arms then unfolded them again. “Secondly, hell no. I wouldn’t have come had I known about Lance,” she whispered.
Lila and Gia smiled at one of the Veridian VPs as she crossed in front of them.
When the woman passed, Gia elbowed Lila. “So, what’s up with you then? Brandon is really into you tonight.”
Lila huffed out a sigh. “I told you I’m not dating anyone from work.”
Gia turned up her lips. “I suppose I understand.”
Lila spent another hour of smiling and making the obligatory small talk with Veridian employees and other VIPs. Steve appeared to be in his element. He encouraged her to stick close, so he could introduce her to various important people. Everyone expressed sadness at Jack’s death, and in keeping with Talcott’s demand not to discuss the murder, both she and Steve accepted the condolences then moved off topic. In between her duties, she stole glances at Cody. He drifted around the room for a while, talking to various people before rooting himself at a back table with the dark-haired woman.
As people migrated in to see the results of the silent auction, Lila stepped outside. She couldn’t wait to get away, and after putting in a few hours, she could now escape the party. She pulled out her phone to call Jeb to pick her up when a woman suddenly shoved a microphone in her face.
“Ms. Caldwell, you are a witness in the murder of Jack Struthers. Can you identify his murderers?” The reporter hovered close as her cameraman angled for the best shot. Other reporters jumped out of their news vans and raced toward her.
“I’m not giving interviews, so please, step out of my way.” Claustrophobia blanketed her as reporters and cameras surrounded her.
Steve rushed up, taking her arm. “We have no comment.” He steered her back inside. “Get those reporters out of here!” he yelled at the guards.
Brandon, along with Gia and Jimmy raced to her side.
“We saw the press gathered outside. Are you okay?” Gia went to place her hand on Lila’s back but then retracted it.
Lila appreciated her friend’s restraint, recognizing she hated feeling pitied or made to feel victimized.
“The police were supposed to keep my name out of this. How did
they find out?” Her pulse raced. Mr. Talcott and Hilary had been adamant she refrain from making any public comments. She’d been more than willing to oblige. Even before Jack’s murder the thought of granting an interview about anything had her tongue in knots. She couldn’t afford to have her name out there. Granted, Lance could find her, probably without much trouble, but she didn’t want to make it easy. Lance had already made an appearance tonight, and although it was via a live video feed, she still felt exposed, as if he knew she sat watching him. Maybe he did know her every move.
Now that the press had her name as the previously unidentified witness to Jack’s murder, she couldn’t hide. Had she now been exposed to more danger?
“Reporters can be scum. How the hell did they even know where you were?” Steve blew out a loud sigh. “I suggest you report this to Walt and Hilary. They’ll want to hear from you. The attempt to interview you will probably make the evening news.” He grimaced. “Leave it to Jack to cause a mess.”
Lila gripped her clutch purse. “Jack was…” She stalled, unsure if Steve meant the barb as a joke.
“A decent man,” Steve finished her thought. “Just trying to lighten the mood. Of course, I’m just as upset about Jack’s death as everyone. He was a good attorney and a great guy. His death is a huge loss for this firm.” Steve pulled out a business card and scribbled something on the back. “Please text me when you’re home safely. I’d follow you home, but I’m having drinks with Robert and a few others in a bit. Hilary will also be meeting us.” He handed her the card. “Don’t worry. I go a long way back with some of these guys so it’s nothing you’re actually missing.”
“I’ll be glad to take her home,” Brandon said.
Lila shook her head. “That won’t be necessary, but thanks.” She didn’t want to deal with Brandon and his romantic notions. “A friend is picking me up.”
“Great.” Steve backed away, already heading back inside.
Brandon tightened his jaw. “I guess I’ll head back in, as well. I saw a law school buddy I want to catch up with before I leave. Take care, Lila.”
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