by Lisa Harris
Her disappointment mounted. “Yes.”
Bluebell hissed at Camryn as she came off the last step. She gave the cat a wide berth, having learned after her first day not to try to make friends with the grumpy, entitled feline.
Holden was still frowning. In fact, his face right now could give Miss Bluebell a run for her money. Camryn hid a brief smirk as she thrust her arms into her jacket.
But then, once more, she acknowledged her disappointment. What had put the sour in his cream? Since they hadn’t seen each other for a week, she’d expected this reunion to be a joyful one.
He swept open the front door and held it for her.
“Bye,” Mrs. Hutchinson called. “I’ll have dinner waiting when you get home.”
“Thank you!” Despite her disappointment with Holden’s greeting, Camryn took the sidewalk with a light step. She was looking forward to her first day on the job, and she wasn’t even afraid to admit that it was mostly because she would get to spend the day with one handsome, currently grumpy boss.
He swept open the cruiser door but then touched her shoulder before she could get in. “Listen, Camryn. There’s something I need to clear up before we get started. We’re going to be working together and”—his finger swung back and forth between them—“we can’t… There can’t be anything between us in a situation like that. Are you following me?”
She felt her expression fade and folded her arms in a protective shield. “I see… I understand. It will be fine.”
His brow furrowed. “Yeah.”
She searched his face. He looked like he was in pain. “How is your head?”
He waved a hand. Looked away. “Fine. A lot better, actually.” His gaze flicked back to hers. “I thought you might come by the house to see me.”
She refused the little buds of hope that poked through the soil of her heart. “I wanted to give you the time to rest like the doctor said. I used the week to finalize moving out of my Everett apartment and into my room here.”
He made a noncommittal noise. He swept his hat to indicate she should get in. “Guess we should get going.”
Hurt by his continued rejection, she snipped, “Yes. I guess we should.” She turned to climb into the vehicle.
Behind her, he growled. “Hang it, Cam.” His fingers wrapped around her arm and he tugged her to him. He held her close with one hand at the small of her back, while his other arm crooked along the top of the door and curved around her head. “What am I going to do with you?”
She held her breath. Searched his face. Didn’t dare to hope.
His thumb swept over her hair. “You’re going to be in my office every day looking cute, beautiful, gorgeous—and every increment in between. And every time I pass by your desk, I’m going to think about kissing you. Like I’m doing right now.”
She felt her eyes grow wide. “I’m getting mixed signals here, Holden.”
He gave a short grunt. “Unfortunately, my signals aren’t mixed at all. They are all clearly shouting one thing.” His head dipped, and his lips hovered above hers just long enough to give her the chance to escape, before they settled against hers, soft, searching, supple.
With a moan Camryn melded into him, giving as good as she got. His hand at her back tugged her closer, and his other caressed the tumble of hair that was now cascading down her back.
A fleeting thought registered. She was going to have to redo her hair, but she didn’t care.
Her lips gave way pliantly to his. She fit perfectly against the strength of him. Her hands curled around his face.
After a moment, he stepped back, pressing the pad of his thumb over his lips. “Wow, woman.”
She stared at him, eyes wide, chest rising and falling on rapid breaths. “Wow yourself.” She reached to gather her hair. “So…” She winced. “Am I fired before my first day has even begun?”
He sighed and plopped his hands on his hips. His gaze swept her. “Do you think you could show up for work looking a little less appealing?”
Camryn smiled at him as she finished clipping up her hair. Then she stepped right to him and slipped her palms across his chest. She gave him a coy bat of her lashes. “Maybe you could loan me those old baggy sweats and that Seahawks jersey.”
He snorted. “Not on your life. The moment I saw you come down the stairs in those I knew I was a goner.”
She giggled. Felt her face heat. Standing on tiptoe, she pressed her lips to his, lingering over the task. After a long moment, she eased back. She glanced at him through her lashes. “So what would you like me to wear?”
His eyes twinkled, and humor softened his features. “Maybe you could come to work wearing one of those hazmat suits? You know the ones with the full head gear that make it look like you’re about to step down for a moon landing?”
She pursed her lips and frowned. “Hmmm… That might make typing and answering phones slightly difficult. What about one of those orange prison jumpsuits? Would that do?”
He laughed and pulled her to him. “Don’t you dare.”
Her brows shot up. “Oh! A dare!”
He swooped in for another lingering kiss.
With her arms looped behind his neck, she looked up at him. “So I’m not fired for fraternizing with my boss?”
He chuckled and bopped her on the nose. “Your boss says no. We can figure this out.”
She quirked him a look. “Is your pendulum done swinging now? Because I can’t go through this every day.”
He smiled. “Sorry to put you through the wringer. I’m decided now. We’ll make it work.”
“Well, all right, then. Let’s get to the office.”
“Yeah, we probably should do that.” He took her hand to help her into the cab of the cruiser.
From behind them, they heard a chuckle. They both turned to find Mr. Snowden standing in a thick, ratty, blue-and-gray bathrobe that looked like it might have gotten caught in a lawn mower a time or two. It was probably two sizes too large for him. He grinned at them from his side of the box hedge. His dog Periwinkle stood on back legs with paws propped on the hedge next to his owner, also watching them.
Mr. Snowden swiped a hand of dismissal and grinned. “Don’t mind us. We’re just getting in our morning stretch.”
Holden lifted the man a wave.
A tapping sound drew their gazes to the house.
Mrs. Hutchinson waggled her fingers at them, eyebrows pumping.
Holden huffed out a chuckle.
Camryn grinned up at him as he finished helping her into the cab. “Maybe I could borrow Mr. Snowden’s robe to wear over your sweats and jersey. Would that work?”
He threw back his head on a laugh. And was still laughing by the time he got into the driver’s seat. He reached over and took her hand. “Let’s get to work.”
Sheer satisfaction filled Camryn’s heart. For the first time in a long time she felt like she had truly come home. “Yes. Let’s.”
A Note From Lynnette Bonner
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading Ice. This is book 2 in the San Juan Shadows series. If you’d like to read book one of the series (or check out my other books) you can find them on my website—www.lynnettebonner.com. I love to hear from readers, so feel free to drop me a line!
If you have a few minutes to leave a review for the Dangerous Deceptions boxed set on Amazon, we’d really appreciate it! Reviews tell Amazon’s mysterious algorithms that a file is of interest, and they then show the set to more readers. A review only has to be one or two lines.
But before you dash off to do that, let me tell you about the next book in this set, Never a Traitor by Jan Thompson. Do you like private investigator stories? Check. How about fake boyfriends? Check. Secrets? Subterfuge? Murder? Check, check, check. And let’s not forget the romance! Turn the page to learn more! You’re going to love it!
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Lynnette Bonner
Never a Traitor
Protector Sweethearts Book Seven
by Jan Thompson
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Never a Traitor (Protector Sweethearts Book 7)
Copyright © 2020 Jan Edttii Lim Thompson
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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
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This book is a work of fiction. All characters, persons, places, events, and things either are the product of the author’s active imagination or are used fictitiously.
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Wherever applicable, scripture quotations are from the public domain King James Version of the Holy Bible.
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Cover Design: Deranged Doctor Design
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First eBook Edition: October 2020
eBook ISBN: 978-1-944188-67-2
Chapter One
Sienna Halstead regretted letting Private Investigator Earl Young tag along with her to visit a former coworker. Earl’s presence caused Dana Nesbitt to be extra nervous, and now Sienna couldn’t get her to talk in detail about what she had overheard their CEO say, anything that could be useful to FBI investigations.
“I was only the accountant,” Dana said, in between deep puffs of smoke. “He didn’t have to fire me. I wouldn’t have talked.”
Sitting in a worn armchair across from the shabby couch, Sienna held her breath and prayed that her lungs would survive the conversation. Where was her mask when she needed it?
She could see the headlines now.
Administrative assistant died from smoke inhalation. Buried in an unmarked grave. Case unsolved.
Earl was fortunate, then. Sienna had sent him outside to wait in the great outdoors so that Dana could speak freely inside her own home.
Sienna felt bad that she had to lie to Dana about her relationship with Earl. No, he wasn’t really her boyfriend, but the ruse was necessary to prevent Dana or Sienna or anyone else getting killed. Technically, neither Sienna nor Earl had said they were an item. They simply let Dana put two and two together without correcting her.
Dissimulation was a form of lying, nonetheless.
Sienna closed her eyes. She wanted this entire project to be over as soon as possible so she could leave the company and disappear. She was no longer impressed by the size and scope of Gavard Owens Oppenheimer Properties or by the quiet and studious Finnegan Ford, the CEO and half brother of Zachary Gavard, the smooth-talking front man of GOOP.
Dana lit another cigarette and shrugged. “Why am I so worried? Everyone sleeps with him.”
Sienna prayed for the right words to say. Mom’s words came to mind.
When in doubt, speak the truth.
“I didn’t,” Sienna said.
“You’re different.” Dana laughed nervously. “You’re religious. Finnegan is scared of you.”
“He told you that?”
“I could tell. He would never touch you like he touched everyone else…” Dana started to cry. “I wish I never…”
“Oh, Dana.” Sienna sprung up from her armchair to get to Dana, and heard a rip. She looked down to find her linen pants torn on one side, part of the fabric stuck at the end of a giant spring that had somehow shot out of the threadbare armchair. “Whoa.”
She checked her thigh to see if there was a cut—and whether she needed a tetanus shot.
Thank God there was no cut.
She tugged her pants away from the spring, and hobbled around the chipped coffee table, her arms waving away the smoke until she found the petite and helpless Dana on the couch, weeping.
“Should I keep the baby?” Dana’s voice was tinged with regret and anger and probably a million other emotions.
Sienna wondered how a pastor’s kid such as Dana could turn out this way. Sienna prayed for the right words to say to her friend.
“Shhh.” That was all that came out of her mouth as she sat there, holding smoky Dana in her arms—
Wait a minute.
“You shouldn’t smoke if you’re carrying a baby.” Okay, wrong words. She should be more diplomatic.
“Don’t tell me what to do!” Dana pulled away from Sienna’s arms.
Sienna blinked in the smoke, her eyes stinging. She was still partly holding her breath, and now she felt dizzy.
I have to get out of here.
However, she could not ask Dana to take a walk with her. It was too dangerous for Dana to be outdoors. In fact, she had to leave town and go somewhere safe.
“Can you get out of town for a few days until we figure out what’s going on?” Sienna coughed. She had read somewhere that secondary smoke was really bad.
“Where do I go?”
“Somewhere nobody would find you.” Sienna lifted the collar of her blouse over her nose.
Dana’s eyebrows shot up. “You mean like Alaska or Hawaii? Or maybe the Amalfi Coast?”
“I was thinking someplace more affordable.”
“Like where?”
“I don’t know, but you can’t stay here.”
“Here is all I can afford.” Dana jammed the rest of her cigarette in the tray, bending it out of shape. “He won’t give me any more money.”
“You asked him?” As in blackmail?
Dana barely nodded.
“Did you tell him about the child?” Sienna asked.
“Before I left the company.”
“What did he say?”
“That’s a perk for employees only.” Dana made a face. “He was trying to rub it in. Told me in no uncertain terms that I shouldn’t have quit.”
It had been sudden. Even Sienna didn’t know about it until the next day when she went to work and saw Dana’s desk cleaned out. It took Sienna a week to find Dana hiding away in this rat hole.
She had to give Earl credit for tracking down Dana.
“I can’t believe he moved on to Genevieve.” Dana reached for her cigarettes.
Sienna pushed the lighter away. “Genevieve in the mailroom?”
“Is there another woman with repeated wardrobe malfunctions in front of every senior staffer?”
“Well…” Sienna prayed for mercy. She had made up her mind that as soon as this final project was over, she would leave the company. It was a cesspool of sin, as Uncle Tabbebo had called GOOP. He wanted her to leave the company and put her college degree to better use.
However, the FBI Special Agent had told her that if she did this one thing for them, it would shut down GOOP forever. And they would put her in the Federal Witness Security Program, in which she would never have to worry about looking over her shoulder for the rest of her life.
Unfortunately, it also meant she would not see Mom and Uncle Tabbebo again. They would be devastated.
Unless she could take down GOOP anonymously.
Which was where Dana came in.
Sienna’s only hope shook her head. “I should’ve known. Why didn’t you tell me he was no good?”
“I did. Countless times.”
“I guess I wasn’t listening.”
“No.” Sienna wanted to ask Dana how Mr. Ford had seduced her, but this wasn’t the right time.
Well, she didn’t have to ask.
“I loved his offers. Nights in five-star hotels. Private jets. Weekends on his yacht. Dining with his friends. I loved it all.”
“What friends did he have dinner with?” Sienna asked.
“High rollers, investors, and in one case, even his brother showed up.”
“You mean Mr. Gavard?” Bingo.
“I know, right? His brother never showed up at any of Finnegan’s events. But that one time two months ago…” Dana straightened up. “He was staring at me the whole time. You know how we hate each other?”
“Yeah, even though you’re his accountant too.”
“Well, I don’t do more than I have t
o.” Dana sighed.
“You were saying that Mr. Gavard showed up on the yacht. Did he get into an argument with his brother?”
“It wasn’t like that. Although it was strange that he disappeared with Finnegan into our stateroom for what seemed like hours.”
“Stateroom?” Sienna asked. “So this was on his superyacht?”
“Actually, let me correct myself. They were in our suite. Finnegan had to remind me a lot that staterooms are smaller. Our suite took up the entire upper floor of the yacht.”
“Wow.”
“I know, right? I mean what do you expect? The yacht is worth a hundred million dollars.”
“No way.” Sienna couldn’t imagine. “Must be souped up.”
Dana nodded. “It even has a helipad. That’s how Zachary flew in on a chopper. Can you believe it? Landed right on top of the yacht. That was how he left too. Didn’t stay for dinner.”
“What did they talk about?” Sienna asked.
Dana gave her a look. “I really like his wife.”
“His wife?”
Why had Dana brought up Gavard’s wife at all? Celestia Gavard had nothing to do with the day-to-day operations at her husband’s company, as far as Sienna knew. She was a silent partner—she poured her inheritance money into it—but that was all.
Dana pursed her lips.
“So you do know more about what’s happening than you’re letting on,” Sienna said.
“Probably why I got fired.” Dana sniffled.
“You said the brothers talked privately.” Sienna wondered if she should record this conversation, but this was Dana, her friend, who had gone through so much in the last two months that she deserved some privacy.
Perhaps Sienna could gain Dana’s trust and then have her repeat whatever it was she was about to say.
Instead, Dana reached below her collar and pulled out her necklace. At the end of the necklace was a pendant that looked like a silver whistle. She took the necklace off and handed it to Sienna.