B. J. Daniels

by Secret Weapon Spouse

  Out in the hall, she took deep breaths of air and let her watering eyes clear. Then carefully she opened the door to Johnson’s room a crack and listened.

  Just as she’d suspected, he was on the phone.

  “The bastards tried to kill me again!” he said, his whisper shrill. “Do something.” He slammed down the phone.

  Samantha eased the door closed and walked down to the elevator. She was still a little wobbly on her feet, still shaken, her eyes still burning. Changing her mind, she headed for the outdoor terrace at the end of the hallway.

  It wasn’t until she’d dialed Rachel’s cell that she noticed she had a message from her. Rachel answered on the first ring as if she’d been expecting a call.

  “The body in the river? Was it Sonya?” Samantha asked quietly.

  “No.”

  Samantha leaned against the garden wall, relief and the aftereffects of her latest encounter with a killer, making her weak. She thought about the dead woman. Some other family and friends would be grieving tonight.

  “Are you all right?” Rachel asked. “You sound funny.”

  “I’m at the hospital. Someone just tried to kill Sonya’s chauffer. I didn’t get a good look at the man. All I know is that he was Hispanic, medium height and weight, no visible scars or tattoos. He was wearing a surgical mask, posing as a doctor. Johnson refused to let me call the police. He says it has to do with gambling debts.”

  “So he needed money,” Rachel said. “I’ll have the team see if he’s telling the truth. Are you sure you’re all right?”

  “A few new bruises, nothing serious.” Her shoulder ached. All she wanted to do was go home to her hot tub, pour herself some wine and soak. “He placed another call after I saved his life and he kicked me out of his room without even a thank-you.”

  Rachel let out a long breath. “We got the number Johnson called before. It’s a pay phone in Ladera. He has family ties there so it proves nothing. We’ll see where he called this time and keep an eye on him. I thought there was a guard down the hall in front of Caroline Graham’s door?”

  “He was reading and not paying any attention,” Samantha said. “No reason he would. The guy looked like a doctor in all that surgical garb and he didn’t try to go into Caroline’s room. Johnson’s running scared, but even so, he isn’t talking.”

  “And Caroline Graham?” Rachel asked.

  “Still unconscious. I’m going to go home now.”

  “Good idea. By the way, nice work.” Rachel hung up.

  Samantha stuffed her phone back in her purse and headed for the elevator, glad to see it was empty. She hit the lobby button, closed her eyes and leaned back against the cool surface of the wall.

  All she wanted was to be out of this hospital and in her car headed home. She really wished she’d brought the sports car now. She could make it home much faster.

  The elevator doors started to close.

  Her eyes flew open as she heard someone slam the elevator doors open again.

  Chapter Nine

  Alex was startled to see Samantha. Almost as startled as she was. He saw her hand go to her purse and for an instant he thought she was going for a gun.

  He half laughed at how crazy that thought was. A wedding planner with a gun?

  But was that any crazier than some of the more personal thoughts he’d been having about her?

  “Well, hello.” He couldn’t believe how happy he was to see her.

  She, however, didn’t look all that happy to see him. She looked…guilty of something. He’d already suspected that Samantha was hiding something from him. Now he was almost positive of it.

  He decided what he needed to do was keep an eye on her. He smiled at the thought. It really was no hardship. The woman was easy to look at. And she already intrigued him. And any excuse would do to get closer to her.

  “Were you visiting someone in the hospital?” he asked, watching color flood back into her face as he held the elevator door so it didn’t close. She released the death grip she had on her purse and straightened.

  He realized he’d caught her at a rare moment. Had this prim and proper woman actually been leaning against the back of the elevator resting and he’d startled her?

  He recalled the other time he’d startled her and wondered again what had happened to her that made her fearful. A man, he thought with some clarity. That might explain the way she dressed. This woman didn’t want to attract attention.

  Her hair swung back from her face and he saw the bruise and cut he’d seen earlier when he’d come by her office and talked her into going with him to his father’s. She’d said she banged into something being clumsy. Even at the time he couldn’t imagine her ever being clumsy.

  He suspected there was another story—one much more interesting that she wasn’t telling him. Nothing new there.

  “I was worried about your sister,” she said and stepped toward the door as if to escape. “I just came up to see how she was doing.”

  “Really?” His heart beat a little faster. “Then you know she’s conscious.” He could tell by her expression she hadn’t heard. Had he caught her in a lie? Possibly not her first. He suspected she’d been down the hall visiting the chauffeur again. More eavesdropping?

  “She was sleeping so I didn’t know she’d regained consciousness. That’s wonderful news.” He could hear Samantha’s obvious relief that Caroline was alive and getting better. While he didn’t understand this woman, something told him that whatever she might be up to, she was one of the good guys. At least he hoped to hell that was true because he felt something for her. Something he hadn’t felt in a long time for a woman.

  But then he had a track record for falling in love with the wrong woman. Usually one he couldn’t trust, he reminded himself.

  “Did you get to talk to Caroline?” she asked.

  “The doctor let me see her for a few moments. She’s pretty out of it still.”

  “So you didn’t ask about Preston.”

  He shook his head as he let the elevator doors go and stepped in. She’d already pushed the ground floor button. “No reason to hit her with any of that the moment she wakes up, right?”

  Samantha nodded and smiled. “I’m sure once she’s able she’ll clear this all up.”

  Right. “Any word on that other woman?” he asked.

  She shook her head.

  The elevator doors opened on the ground floor. He told himself that he couldn’t let her get away—maybe even more so because she looked as if that’s exactly what she wanted to do.

  “I still can’t believe it but the doctor says Caroline and the baby are going to be fine. Don’t you think this calls for a celebration?”

  Instantly, she started to decline.

  “Just one drink. Please. I can’t tell you how relieved I am, but then I suspect I don’t have to.”

  “No, you don’t.” He could see that she was weakening.

  “Just one drink to celebrate this good news.”

  “All right.” She seemed different. It took him a moment to put his finger on what it was. She was always in control. Except tonight. Tonight there was a vulnerability to her. He felt a pull toward her like the force of gravity. He wanted to take her in his arms and hold her, protect her, comfort her.

  “Still no word from Preston?” she asked giving him the impression she was just trying to make conversation since he would have told her if he’d heard anything.

  He shook his head. “I think Preston probably used Caroline to get to my father. I’m not sure how much money C.B. gave Preston but I have a bad feeling it was considerable.” He told her that his brother, Brian, had provided him with the addresses of Preston’s supposed businesses. They had proved worthless, just as Alex had suspected.

  Samantha Peters looked sick. “I can’t imagine what this will do to Caroline.”

  “I still think he’s behind what happened to her. So, one way or another, I’ll find him and get to the truth.”

  THAT WAS
WHAT SAMANTHA was afraid of—that Alex was the kind of man that settled for nothing less than the truth.

  It was one reason she felt so jumpy. That and almost being killed earlier upstairs in Craig Johnson’s room. That and the intimacy of being in this elevator alone with Alex. That and the fact that she was lying to this man. Not lying exactly, but definitely not being honest with him.

  And what made it all the worse was that he didn’t realize how dangerous the situation had become. She had to warn him, had to tell him everything she knew. It was the only reason she’d agreed to have a drink with him. At least that’s what she told herself. She would tell him everything. Well, enough that he would stop his investigation of Preston Wellington III or whoever the man was. She couldn’t live with herself if anything happened to Alex.

  As they stepped off on the ground floor, Alex reached over and touched her hand.

  She felt a jolt of warmth and did her best not to react.

  “I’ll get my truck. Wait here.” He didn’t give her a chance to argue. She watched him walk away, no wasted effort, his body lean and strong, the man himself self-confident. She felt a pull so strong that she couldn’t look away and chastised herself for wanting to watch Alex for those few moments longer before he disappeared into the darkness of the parking lot.

  He had struck a chord in her and she didn’t know what she was going to do about it. She’d tried fighting her feelings for all the good it had done. She felt excited and scared and had to remind herself that Alex Graham didn’t know who she was. And when he did—

  He drove up in his pickup and smiled at her as she stepped out into the humid night air. She could feel him watching her. Looking for something? Or just looking? She feared either way that ultimately he would be disappointed.

  FOR THE SECOND TIME, Alex sensed there was something she wanted to say but had stopped herself as she climbed into the truck.

  “Something on your mind?” he asked as he drove.

  She touched her upper lip with her tongue. “I need to tell you something.”

  “Okay,” he said slowly. “You’re going to kill me but first…I’m starved and I’m willing to bet you haven’t had a thing to eat all day. I know this place that serves the best marinara sauce you’ve ever tasted. It’s not far from here and we can have the celebratory drink.”

  “You’re always feeding me,” she said, sounding a little embarrassed.

  “I like to eat and I hate to eat alone.” He didn’t add that he liked to see her eat. Or that she looked better since he’d started feeding her. “Great, then,” he said and reached over to squeeze her hand as he drove toward the restaurant. He felt her start, tension jumping just under her skin.

  He picked up a small buzz of electricity himself when he touched her, but his was attraction. He feared that hers was something entirely different.

  VICTOR CONSTANTINE made the call the minute he saw them come out of the hospital. Alex Graham and the wedding planner, Samantha Peters, crossed to the parking lot and got into Graham’s pickup. He’d broken his number-one rule. He’d found out who he was following.

  “They just left the hospital.” Probably to visit Alex’s sister, Caroline Graham. He’d made a point of finding that out, too. Just as he had found out who the woman was with Alex Graham. Caroline Graham had regained consciousness. He wondered if his client knew that. Or cared.

  Victor couldn’t help but wonder what his client’s stake was in all this. It was a first time for him, wondering. Worth doing some investigating on his own. He was looking forward to breaking into Samantha Peters’s house once he got her address. Her, he was very curious about.

  It should have worried him more that he’d broken his own rules. But he told himself this was his last job. Why not indulge his curiosity?

  “Follow them. Maybe we’ll get lucky tonight and find out where the woman lives. That is, if you don’t lose her again.”

  Victor said nothing. There was nothing he could say. His client didn’t even know that he’d lost her not once but twice.

  Tonight he would be more careful. Tonight, he would be ready for her. But even as he thought it, he wasn’t sure that would help.

  THE ITALIAN CAFÉ was small and intimate and just perfect for a romantic evening—or a place to talk to Samantha Peters and find out what she was hiding.

  But at the same time, he knew that once she told him it was going to change things. He wasn’t sure he was ready for that.

  “Romano,” Alex said cheerfully as he greeted the owner.

  The large Italian clasped his hand warmly. “Alex, so nice to see you and who do you have here?” He released Alex’s hand to take both of Samantha’s in his. He said in Italian, “She looks like you’ve been starving her. But not to worry. I will fatten her up.”

  “Fattening up is the last thing I need,” Samantha answered in perfect Italian.

  Alex stared at her in surprise. Samantha Peters was just full of surprises, wasn’t she?

  Romano laughed heartily, warming to her even more. “I have just the thing for you. I’ll have my chef make it special.” He let go of her hands and touched his lips with his fingertips in a kiss.

  “You speak Italian,” Alex said.

  “As do you,” she said in Italian.

  He smiled over at her. “A nice quiet booth in the back?” he said to Romano, although never taking his eyes off Samantha. The woman never ceased to amaze him.

  The café owner led them back through the narrow room, past red-and-white-checked tablecloths, glowing candles and tall wooden booths draped with brightly colored curtains.

  Samantha slid into the booth and looked around, seeming uncomfortable, as if she felt out of place. As he sat down across from her, he wondered if she was sorry she’d revealed a little more of herself by acknowledging that she understood Italian.

  Candlelight flickered warmly over her face and with a stab of desire, he realized that she’d never looked more beautiful than she did tonight.

  She must have felt his eyes on her. She brushed a lock of brown hair from behind her ear and let it fall so it hid part of her face again.

  She picked up her menu. “All I really need is a salad….”

  Alex laughed. “Trust me you are not getting out of here that easy. Romano would not allow it.”

  “Really, Alex—”

  “What are you afraid of?” he asked, leaning across the table toward her.

  A wary look leaped to her eyes.

  “It’s only food,” he said smiling at her. “One of many fun indulgences I have a feeling you’ve been missing out on.” Her cheeks flamed. Was she actually blushing? “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

  He leaned back as a young Italian waiter put down a basket of warm, savory-smelling bread, a small bowl of whipped fresh creamery butter and a bottle of wine and two glasses. “Compliments of the house,” the waiter said with a bow.

  “I’m not even going to pretend I know anything about wine,” Alex said to Samantha and laughed, hoping to relieve some of her tension. She looked ready to spring out of her booth and run. “I can only assume it’s a very good year, given that Romano is obviously trying to impress you.”

  The waiter uncorked the wine—Alex waved away the offer to smell the cork—and poured them both a glass and left.

  Alex raised his glass in a toast and realized he didn’t want to talk about Caroline, her fiancé, anything that might spoil this moment. And just maybe there was an even better way to find out about this woman. “Tonight let’s just enjoy ourselves. I really want to forget about everything and just enjoy your fascinating company. Whatever it is you want to talk to me about, I’m sure it can wait. Indulge me this one night?”

  INDULGING ALEX GRAHAM? That’s the last thing she wanted to do, she thought as she reluctantly touched her wineglass to his. She’d seen his appetite for food. Was keenly aware of his appetite for life. As a fireman, she knew the man enjoyed taking chances, living on the edge—the exact opposite of
Samantha Peters.

  Being this near him she couldn’t just feel his enormous energy, it seemed to infuse her with the desire to not only indulge him, but herself.

  She took a sip of her wine, her hand shaking, and tried to concentrate on something else. The music. An Italian love song. Alex was looking at her with that intensity that warned her he saw beneath the surface. He saw what she had been so successful at keeping a secret for years.

  He got to his feet and reached for her hand. “Dance with me.”

  Before she could decline, he had drawn her up and into his arms, whirling her expertly onto the small dance floor she hadn’t noticed before. She saw Romano smiling at them from the shadows and suspected he’d intentionally played the song. He gave her a wink.

  She tried to relax. Being in Alex’s arms was heaven. And hell.

  “You dance very well,” he said, holding her close as they moved to the sensuous beat of the music.

  She was intensely aware of the places his body touched hers. The smell of his light aftershave and distinct male scent filled her senses, making her dizzy in a way the wine never would have.

  She felt both relief and disappointment when the song ended and he led her back to the table, releasing her hand as he slid into the booth across from her.

  The food arrived in a flurry of dishes and aromas. Alex was like a kid in a candy store and she felt herself being swept up by his enthusiasm.

  He began to explain each of Romano’s specialties as he spooned them onto her plate. She listened, enjoying the sound of his voice as much as the smell of the food.

  He waited for her to taste each one.

  She indulged him—and herself. Obediently, she tried a bite of each one, giving the appropriate responses all of which met with a smile from Alex. “This is wonderful,” she said with a wave of her hand.

  He laughed as he refilled her wineglass.

  They ate and drank, laughing and joking. The meal, the music, the warmth of the café and each other totally relaxed her.