“Don’t go after him,” Caroline cried. “You don’t realize how dangerous this is. Someone has been trying to hurt Presley.”
Alex stopped at the door. “Caroline, someone tried to kill me and Samantha in Tennessee.”
Shock registered on her face. “It wasn’t Presley.”
He gave her a sympathetic look. “I’ll be back.” Then he pushed out of the door, trying to ignore her cries for him to stop.
When Presley left he had Brian’s PDA and it didn’t take much to figure out where he was headed. To the Graham building headquarters and Brian’s personal offices. No doubt Caroline had given him the codes to get in.
Both guards were at their posts again. Alex promised himself he would fire them both as soon as he returned.
Samantha was waiting for him downstairs. “He took a cab. I have the number.”
Alex swore, finding it hard to believe that his sister would be taken in by this man. “Obviously, he’s coerced Caroline into helping him rip off the family. Even love can be a form of coercion,” he added, looking at Samantha.
“I like to believe love doesn’t make you do things you don’t want to do,” Samantha said.
He met her gaze, the depth of his feelings for her convincing him that a person in love did a lot of things he wouldn’t have conceived of just days before. He knew firsthand since the last person he wanted to be in love with was an agent. Especially right now.
Samantha started to reach for her cell phone but he placed a hand on her arm to stop her.
“Let me handle this,” he said. “It’s my family. Can you give me this? I know you’re an agent. I’ve accepted that.” Her look said she didn’t believe it. He wasn’t sure he did, either. “I have to handle this in a way that Caroline will be hurt the least. Do you understand?”
“You know I do.”
“Then no agents. Just let me go alone.”
“I can’t do that, Alex. Maybe Presley’s only crime was falling in love with a rich woman. Maybe it’s swindling your family. But one of Weddings Your Way’s clients is still missing after her abduction in front of the shop. There still hasn’t been a ransom demand. For all I know Presley is somehow connected to all of it. And if that’s the case, I can’t leave the agency out of it.”
“But you can give me a little time,” Alex said, knowing that he was using her feelings for him. Wasn’t he just as bad as Presley? He saw the pain in her expression.
“I won’t make the call yet,” she said. “But don’t try to stop me from coming with you.”
“Would it do any good?”
She shook her head.
“That’s what I thought.”
“Let’s take my car,” Samantha said. “He doesn’t know it.” A set of car lights blinked in the lot.
The headlights Alex saw were connected to a sleek black sports car convertible, the top up. “That’s yours? You had someone deliver it?” He couldn’t help his surprise. But then how could he forget the body she’d been hiding under those baggy suits? Or the brain and determination of the woman she’d been hiding behind the role of wedding planner?
SAMANTHA TOSSED Alex the keys. He looked surprised, then grinned at her. All she could think about now was Presley. How could she have been so wrong about him? She hadn’t stopped believing in him—even when all the evidence was so weighted against him. Until tonight.
Caroline had taken her brother’s PDA. Unless Samantha missed her guess, it would contain passwords to Graham accounts. Presley could clean out whatever funds Brian managed for the family. Why else get Caroline to steal it for him?
“Ready?” Alex asked as he slid behind the wheel.
“You do know how to drive something other than a truck, don’t you?”
He cranked up the engine. As it roared to life, he shot her a look. “What the hell’s under that hood?”
She grinned back at him. “You’re about to find out.”
He hit the gas and they careened out of the parking lot. “I think in this we might be able to beat Presley to the Graham building.”
Samantha nodded, her thoughts on what she’d agreed to do. She should have called Rachel. She should have had the team meet them. She’d broken one of the cardinal rules of Weddings Your Way. It might cost her her job.
But as she looked over at Alex, she also knew that he needed to do this on his own. The team was standing by. All she had to do was call them and they would be there in minutes. She could give Alex a little time. And it wasn’t as if she was letting him go in alone.
“There is something you should know,” she said as Alex took a corner. “Brian’s in financial trouble. Possibly on the verge of losing everything your father entrusted to him.”
Alex didn’t ask how she knew this. He seemed to remember who she was, what she was. His face clouded. “You’re sure?”
She nodded. “So the only thing Presley can steal is the rest of Caroline’s trust fund.”
Alex seemed to concentrate on his driving without looking at her. “Do you have any idea what my father is going to do when he hears about this? How much did my father invest with Presley?”
“A lot, but,” she added quickly, “not enough to jeopardize the family fortune.”
“And Brian. He invested, too, right?”
“Apparently not. At least not on paper.”
Alex let out a low whistle. “What about Caroline and Presley?”
She hesitated. “They both sank most everything into this condominium project near the water.”
“Presley had some money?” Alex asked, sounding surprised.
“Some. Not as much as Caroline of course.”
“You think Brian invested with Presley under the table knowing how risky it was. Maybe made a deal to bring our father into it to sweeten the pot. That would be like Brian. So Brian lied to C.B. about how risky the venture was. He put his head on the chopping block and now Presley is about to chop it off.”
That did seem to be the case. Samantha watched Miami became a blur as Alex drove toward the Graham building. “But if Presley had it all working for him, why try to kill us?” she asked, thinking aloud.
“Because he couldn’t let us return from Tennessee and tell Brian and C.B. who he really was before he finished whatever it is he’s doing tonight,” Alex said.
Maybe. Samantha was still having trouble believing it. “Why tonight? Why not a month ago?”
Alex cocked his head at her, his smile heart-stopping. “I’ll ask him when I see him.”
She leaned back in the seat unable not to think about Caroline and Presley. No more an unlikely match than she and Alex. C.B. would do everything possible to prevent Caroline from marrying Presley even if it turned out that his only crime was lying about his background—and possibly losing Graham money in one of his schemes.
She glanced over at Alex. He was already the black sheep of the family. Imagine how C.B. would react if he knew about her and Alex. If C.B. knew about her past. It wasn’t as if a person could keep something like that a secret. Hadn’t Caroline and Presley known that?
“You know my whole life history,” she said. “But I don’t know anything about you.”
“Your whole life history?” He chuckled as he was forced to stop for a light. “Not likely. You know as much about me as I do you.”
She shook her head. “I told you why there was no man in my life.”
The light changed. Alex seemed to concentrate harder on his driving. A muscle jumped in his jaw. “You and I have both been hiding. The last woman I trusted proved to want nothing more than my money. I guess I’ve always had a hard time believing a woman could love me for anything but my money.” He shot her a glance. “Once they hear the Graham name…”
Samantha smiled ruefully and nodded. “The exact opposite of Presley Wells.”
Alex’s lips turned up at little. “At least he knows Caroline loves him for who he is. Or did.”
Ahead, the Graham office building loomed up into the Miami sky.
“This car, it’s the part of you that I’m just getting to know, isn’t it?” Alex said, his face serious as he parked and shut off the engine.
“Yes.” She felt his gaze flick over her as they both exited the car and headed for the security entrance. The question was: was Alex Graham man enough to handle that woman? At least that was the question she imagined he was asking himself.
Samantha on the other hand had been convinced a long time ago that Alex Graham was plenty man enough for both of her lives.
In the end, he would have to make that decision. Whether or not he could live with her being an agent.
Or she would be faced with her own decision. Could she live without Alex Graham?
Samantha glanced back at the street and saw a tan sedan drive slowly by. They’d been followed from the hospital. She reached into her purse, her hand closing on her gun as Alex put in a call to his father.
“I need the code to get into the Graham building,” he said into his cell while Samantha watched the street. “There isn’t time to explain. For once, Dad, just don’t fight me. Give me the code now.”
Alex listened, then pressed the key pad. The door opened and he ran toward the stairs, Samantha right behind him. The door thunked shut as a set of headlights swung past, reflecting in the window in the door.
“Dad, I have to go. I don’t care if you call Brian. I figured you would the moment you hang up anyway,” Alex said into the phone. “But when you do, ask him where his PDA is.” He closed his phone and pressed his back against the wall of the stairwell next to her.
Samantha heard the outer door open and close. A moment later the elevator doors hummed open. She waited next to Alex until she heard them close and the elevator begin its ascent.
Pushing open the stairwell door, she looked up to see what floor Presley got off on. Fourth.
Behind her, she heard Alex already running up the stairs to the fourth floor.
Chapter Seventeen
Samantha caught up to him. Alex was trying to open one of the doors. “Here, let me,” she said, stepping past him and pulling out her kit.
“How could I forget you have a talent for breaking into places?” he said stepping aside.
Yes, she thought, meeting his gaze. How could he forget? She felt her heart ache. He couldn’t forget. Any more than he could forget what she did for a living and it wasn’t the wedding planning part that she feared he couldn’t live with.
“Shh,” Alex said. “He’s coming this way.”
She got the door open. “In here.” But when she turned, Alex was gone. Damn him. Where had he gone? She could hear footfalls. Presley was headed in her direction. Quickly, she ducked into the room and looked for a place to hide.
If she was right about why he’d had Caroline take Brian’s PDA, then Presley would head for the computer.
She ducked behind one of the large overstuffed leather chairs off to one side of the desk and waited.
The door creaked open. Footfalls headed for the desk. She heard the squeak of the office chair as someone sat down. Cautiously, she peeked out. From where she hid, she could see the backside of a man’s head but there was no mistaking who it was. Presley Wells aka Preston Wellington III.
Samantha wondered where Alex had gone. She just hoped he stayed put. She needed to get Presley with the evidence, otherwise all they had on him was trespassing. From what Clare had been able to find out, the money Presley had taken from C. B. Graham was for a legitimate investment.
She waited, her heart in her throat as she watched Presley search Brian’s PDA until he found what he was looking for, then turned to the computer to key in the passwords.
Somewhere in the building she heard a door slam. Presley heard it, too. He began to work faster and in a few moments she heard a pleased sound come from him, then pages began to come out of the laser printer.
Presley stood and went to the printer, his back to her. She drew the gun from her purse but didn’t rise. Not yet. Just a few more moments and he would have the evidence on him. The printer stopped. She saw him pick up the sheets of paper, fold them and start to put them in his breast pocket. Samantha made her move.
VICTOR CONSTANTINE loved the element of surprise. But wasn’t wild about being surprised.
Unfortunately, upon his return from Tennessee, he’d gone straight from the airport to the hospital only to find Alex Graham’s pickup parked in the lot. How was that possible? He’d been so certain Alex Graham was dead.
He quickly realized that he’d failed in Tennessee. There was some irony to the fact, given that his client had failed to put the payment in his account. It almost balanced things out. Almost.
Victor wished he could call the client and give him the news. Except the client had gotten rid of the cell phone thinking that would be the end of it.
Victor had little to go on. Just the sound of the man’s voice—and now Alex Graham and Samantha Peters. Victor had planned on using the woman Alex Graham and Samantha Peters had visited at the hospital—Caroline Graham. But now that wouldn’t be necessary. He waited in the darkness outside the hospital. Something told him that the pair would lead him to his client. Or the client would find them. Either way worked.
It didn’t take that long before Alex Graham and Samantha Peters emerged, jumped into her little black number and sped off with Alex driving. Victor was right behind.
Then he’d had a stroke of good luck. As he’d watched the two enter the high-rise office building, he’d decided to wait. Within two minutes a taxi arrived and dropped off a dark-haired young man.
Victor had his window down and was parked where he could hear the man talking to the taxi driver. Wrong voice. Not his client.
Victor started to get out of his car and follow the man but another car had pulled up, the driver watching the exchange between the taxi driver and the man with almost as much interest as Victor.
As the dark-haired man disappeared into the building, the other man followed, giving an order to his driver to wait. Victor would have known that voice anywhere. But it was the way the man ordered the driver to wait that cinched it.
Victor quickly got out of his car and hurried after his client, catching up to him just as he opened the office building door. The surprise on the man’s face was priceless as Victor locked an arm around the man’s throat and forced him inside the building. Victor wanted to hurt him right then and there, but he was nothing if not pragmatic.
“You owe me money,” he whispered into the man’s ear. “Quite a lot of money.”
Recognition shone in the man’s terrified eyes, then angry arrogance. “You bungled the job. You didn’t kill them. I owe you nothing.”
Victor tightened his hold on the man’s throat. “The money or I will kill you here.”
An unintelligible sound came out of his client. Victor, who had made few mistakes in his life, loosened his hold. Pop. Pop. Instantly he recognized the sound of bullets passing through a small caliber gun’s silencer. It took a little longer to feel the pain.
Victor staggered as his client broke away turning to fire once more before disappearing into the elevator. Clutching his side, Victor slumped to the floor. He could only watch as the elevator doors closed. His pained gaze went to the numbers lighting up above the closed elevator doors.
It wasn’t until the light stopped at 4 that Victor forced himself to his feet.
ALEX COULD SEE Presley in Brian’s office but he couldn’t be sure where Samantha had gone. He stayed back in the shadows watching Presley at the computer, then at the printer. Where the hell was Samantha?
He heard the elevator doors open down the hall. Someone else in the building? His father? Or Brian? Or both? Alex knew he had to make a move as he saw that Presley had heard the elevator doors and knew someone was coming, as well.
Crouching down, Alex readied himself for when Presley came out the office door. He’d jump him and pray the man didn’t have a gun.
But after a moment, Alex realized his
mistake. He peeked through the office window. No Presley. And yet he hadn’t come out this door.
While Alex had forgotten about it, Presley obviously had known about the secret panel that opened between Brian’s office and the one next door. Where the hell was he now?
No Samantha, either.
Nor, he realized, did he hear anyone down the hall. And yet someone had gotten off the elevator.
With a curse, he realized that they had all gone through the back way into Brian’s private inner office.
Alex reached for the doorknob. It refused to turn. He was locked out. But what scared him most was that Samantha was locked inside. Somewhere. Agent or not, she was in danger. Maybe more danger than she knew because she still wanted to believe in Presley Wells’s innocence.
SAMANTHA HAD BEEN ready to take Presley Wells down. Like Alex, she had expected him to head for the main office door which would have given her time to come out from behind the chair, aim the weapon and take him by surprise.
Instead, he had touched a panel on the wall next to the printer and then melted into the opening that suddenly appeared, leaving her two steps behind.
Just seconds before that, she’d heard the elevator doors down the hall, heard footfalls. More than one set.
She hurried over to the panel that had closed behind Presley and felt on the wall where she’d seen him do the same. The panel slid open soundlessly and she stepped into the cool darkness, her gun raised.
She heard voices somewhere in front of her. Then a pop followed by a crash. Her heart in her throat, she hurried forward, leading with her weapon.
The first thing she saw was the body on the floor. “Presley?” As she stepped forward she saw that the man wore a pair of dark chinos and a polo shirt. Presley had been dressed in a work shirt, jeans and denim jacket.
As she moved to see the face of the man on the floor, she heard a sound behind her. Just as she recognized Brian Graham sprawled facedown, she was jumped from behind. A strong hand wrestled the gun from her fingers and shoved her. She stumbled and almost fell over Brian on the floor.
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