by Mona Risk
“What?” Greg lurched out of his chair, panic wrinkling his face. “Alexa, my poor child.” He stepped forward and cupped her face between his hands. “Are you okay now?”
“I’m fine, Greg. Honestly, I am.”
“Sweetheart, why didn’t you call me?” He released her and pointed at Dante. “Did you know about it?”
Dante nodded. “We spent the day at Holy Cross Hospital.”
Visibly shaken, Greg rubbed his forehead. “Why didn’t anyone notify me? Alexa is my responsibility. Detective Ladd, you have to find the miserable SOB who tried to kill her and ransacked her condo.”
“If you are so concerned about Ms. Alexa’s safety, maybe you can help us, sir.” Ladd shot Greg a knowing glance.
“I’ll do anything to help you catch the man who harmed Alexa.” His vehement voice sounded sincere.
“Greg,” Dante halted him. “Did Steve Bairey borrow money from you?”
Greg turned his head toward him and held his gaze for a few seconds. “He asked me for a big sum. His company was in deep financial trouble. I refused. Even at the 10% interest rate he offered. Never trusted the guy. I know I would have lost my money. Why the question?”
“Because Tom Dallen admitted that he lent Bairey $200,000 at ten percent, a few months ago.”
Greg snorted. “Bad move, but then Dallen is not a businessman. Detective Ladd, I suggest you investigate Loans and More, Inc. while you’re at it?”
Dante stifled a chuckle at Greg’s arrogant tone, but the detective scowled and raised an eyebrow. “Thank you, Mr. Partson.”
Greg shrugged and left, as the officer followed him. “I’ll get a box to carry the broken pieces. Be back in a few minutes.”
“Ms. Alexa,” The detective said. “Is there anything else you can remember from the time you dated—” He stopped short and cleared his throat. “I mean from the time you went out with Steve Bairey. Anything that can help the investigation?”
Alexa frowned. “No, nothing.”
Why couldn’t Ladd lay off her? Dante decided to redirect the detective’s mind on the other condo owners. “Detective Ladd, as Alexa’s lawyer, I made a list of plausible suspects and their motivations.”
“Really, I’ll be curious to hear that.”
Dante extracted his iPhone and shuffled the screen with his thumb. “Everyone has skeletons in his closet. Here are my assumptions on Suspects’ motives. I’ll read it to you.
1-Greg Partson still cares about Alexa in an obsessive fatherly way. Maybe he couldn’t stand to see Steve harassing her.
2-Dianna Oliveira wants to marry Greg, but he’s spending too much money and time on his first wife and delaying their marriage because of Alexa. Steve has asked Dianna to help him convince Alexa to marry him or else he would tell Greg about some sordid details from her past.
3-Julia Bairey resents Steve who’s been cheating on her for ages. A bad divorce would leave her penniless because Steve poured all his money in his company and too many bad investments. With Steve dead, she’ll collect his life insurance.
4-Tom Dallen has lent big sums of money to Steve who had never returned any. Besides, he’s in love with Julia Bairey and wants to protect her from her unworthy husband.
5-Carter Morton is Steve’s partner. Maybe he and Steve had a fight about business. Maybe he’s had it with Steve’s procrastination to get the job done.”
His arms crossed, the detective snorted. “You forgot two people on your list. Dante Cantari: officially a respectable lawyer with a big firm. But with big skeletons in his closet. He comes from a long line of Mafia guys, and he cares about Ms. Alexa Partson. He has even asked Bairey to leave her in peace. And the prime suspect, up until yesterday. Ms. Alexa Partson. She shared a drink with the victim before he drowns but she can’t explain how one of the glasses contains traces of Valium, or why there was a ring hidden in her drawer. Now the list is complete.”
“Maybe you should search their apartments,” Dante suggested, not impressed by the detective’s acerbic tone.
“Mr. Cantari, thank you for the advice.” Ladd exhaled with exasperation. “Now you take care of Ms. Alexa, and let the police do its job.”
Dante squinted at the detective. “Sure.” Not that he planned to remain inactive when the killer who’d tried to drown Alexa was on the loose, and had ransacked her condo.
As soon as Ladd and the officer collected the broken pieces in a box and left, Alexa went to her room. Dante smiled when she returned wearing a pair of shorts, a t-shirt, and flip-flops. With her hair in a bouncing ponytail and face free of make-up, she looked like a high school student. “I’m going to clean this mess.” She fetched an electric broom and wiped the floor diligently.
“Do you mind if I call a security agency and install an alarm system on your doors and windows?”
“Go ahead, please. This week has been a nightmare. I don’t know how I’d have survived without you.”
He gathered her in his arms. “I’m glad I was here to help. Soon, I hope, things will go back to normal.” He pressed her hard against him. She seemed so vulnerable although she’d been holding her own during the funeral and when they discovered the break-in.
Sadness shadowed her eyes and a sigh escaped her lips. “Normal? Nothing has ever been normal in my life.”
“I promise things will improve. Please, trust me.” He sealed his promise with a deep kiss.
Chapter Twelve
Alexa threw another load of lingerie into the washing machine and finished tidying her bedroom and the guestroom while Dante paced the living room talking on the phone. A new calm replaced her previous dismay. In spite of tearing apart her apartment, the intruder hadn’t found the safe and her jewelry.
Two days ago, she’d escaped from a killer in the ocean, and today, she’d managed to protect her valuables from theft. Trust yourself, girl. You can survive on your own. But he might come back to hurt again or steal or... How long would she be able to deal with a determined enemy and cope with new blows?
If she kept pondering things and speculating, she’d soon have the mother of all headaches. Through the bay window of her bedroom, the view of the ocean tempted her, the water tranquil and greenish blue in the late afternoon. Yet a shiver crawled down her spine. It would be pure stupidity to swim on her own. Or even with Dante, if her attacker decided to show up with reinforcements or weapons. With a brusque movement, she lowered the shades to block the scenery that she’d loved since a young age. No place seemed safe any longer, not her home or the beach she loved.
To prevent a depressing mood from submerging her, she rummaged through the drawer of her night table, and reached for her small Bible. Thank God, the intruder hadn’t touched her most precious possession. From between the yellowed pages of her sacred relic, she extracted an old photo. With reverence, she touched the face of the beautiful young woman holding a little girl who looked so much like her. “I love you, Mom. Help me.” The young woman’s smile never failed to comfort her. Carefully, Alexa hid the only picture she had of her mother between the pages of her Holy Book.
A strong shower should adequately replace the missed swim. She strode to her bathroom, peeled off her clothes, and stepped under the warm water.
“Alexa.” The faint call, hardly audible, interrupted her as she shampooed her hair. “Alexa.” This time Dante’s voice covered the water rush.
“I’m in the shower,” she yelled, and then turned down the faucet.
“Oh sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
“I need to rinse my hair. I have soap in my eyes.” She blinked. Hardly making out Dante’s form just outside the glass door, she wiped her face with her fingers.
“I’ll help you.” He chuckled as he yanked off his clothes and stepped in.
“Oh.” Fascinated, she narrowed her eyes to swipe a blurred gaze over the naked expanse of his skin. What a magnificent body, broad shoulders, bronzed chest narrowing at the hips into white flat abs, and his erection hard and ready for
her. “I...you...”
“You look beautiful.” His husky voice echoed her thoughts. “Nothing like a good shower to refresh a body,” he added with a laugh. He turned up the faucet and drew her into his arms.
The shampoo trickled over her shoulders and his chest, enveloping them with the sweet scent of jasmine and lavender. He nuzzled her throat and inhaled. “Mmm, smells good.”
She linked her arms around his neck, enjoying the feel of his skin against hers. “Deliciously decadent.” She laughed and squinted. “But my eyes are still burning.”
He wiped her face with water and brushed her lips with the tip of his fingers. “Can you see now?”
“Yes.” She could see his beautiful features, his chiseled jaws, his sapphire eyes blazing with desire. Her breath caught when his hands cupped her face and his lips neared her mouth.
“I want you to see how much I care about you, bellissima.”
“Yes,” she mumbled before he molded their lips and invaded her mouth, his tongue playing a happy game of passion with her senses. “Yes.” Lulled by the drizzle of the shower spray over her back, she closed her eyes.
Dante cradled her breasts and teased their tips until she moaned her delight. His sensual lips trailed a fiery path along her throat and suckled on the pink crests. “Enough, please,” she whispered.
“Sure.” His lips abandoned their prey and slithered all the way to her belly to tickle her navel.
Her knees buckled. Attentive to her every move, he lowered her with him to the tile floor of the shower cubicle. She found herself straddling him, his erection seeking entrance and gliding into her warmth. A fantasy frolicked through her mind—she and Dante cuddling and making love in a rainforest. His thrust took her to heaven and back, as she matched his tempo and collapsed, her head nestled against the crook of his neck.
“Rainforest,” she hummed incoherently with the tune of her favorite song.
“Is that your fantasy place?” With a tender smile he brushed her hair back.
She blushed and averted her eyes.
“We’ll go there someday.”
That day might never come. She was living a nightmare, and yet she’d never been as happy and relaxed as now. In Dante’s arms. When the case of Steve’s death was solved, would it be the end of her romp with Dante?
“How come you’ve never married?” She regretted the question as soon as she blurted the words.
“Why would I marry?” He snapped back, shock written all over his face.
“Forget the stupid question. You’re obviously not the marrying type.”
He stared at her for a moment.
She wriggled to get up, but he held her in place, and turned off the faucet. “Don’t move. I like you here.”
That’s all he liked. All he wanted. To make love to her now and then, until...
“I haven’t got married because I haven’t found the right woman yet.” She waved her hand and he chuckled. “Yes, it’s very clichéd, but it’s true. So far I’ve enjoyed my freedom and—”
“That I know.” She couldn’t help her crisp tone.
“But there’s always a time in a man’s life when he realizes he has to settle and start a family as my nonna often says. She wants to hold little Cantaris.” A nostalgic grin played on his lips.
“Of course. You’ll have to satisfy your grandmother and produce those Cantari babies.” She harrumphed and lowered her head to hide the scowl she couldn’t stifle.
He burst out laughing. “All in good time, my dear. First we deal with the Blue Waves’ problems.”
Her lips twitched. She didn’t give a shit if he offered his grandmother a dozen Cantari babies, legitimate or not. By then, she’d be far away, in New York, or even in Europe, maybe in France. To think of it, she’d love to go to Paris and join an interior design program at the Sorbonne. The idea soothed her.
“Time to get dressed.”
He helped her up, stepped out of the cubicle to reach for a bath towel from the electric towel rack. Wrapping her in the warm material, he kept her pressed against him and murmured, “Alexa, please, relax. We’re taking one day at a time. And I promise I will not let any harm come to you. You’re a very dear... friend. Can you trust me?”
She turned in his arms to face him. He had been at her side every hour, every minute, attentive to her needs. “Of course, I trust you, Dante.” She offered him a smile and her lips to seal their special friendship.
Yes, she could trust him, but could she trust herself not to fall head over heel in love with her handsome lawyer?
****
“Let’s go out for dinner at a fun restaurant on Las Olas.” Dante grappled with finding some distraction to offer Alexa. She was already an emotional wreck. A few more hours in her condo would drive her insane—and him too, trying to relax her.
“Sure, but...” Her spontaneous smile faded and her shoulders sagged. “As much as I want to escape from here, we can’t go out. What if my enemy comes back and finds what he’s after?”
“He may think about it. But he can’t do it. While you were in the shower, I talked to Officer Raines and hired a cop to guard your apartment.” Dante walked to the door and opened it. The policeman who sat on a folding chair in front of the elevator immediately stood.
“I’m Matt George.”
Dante made a mental note to thank Officer Raines. “Come inside.” The cop stepped into the hall and waited politely. “Alexa, meet Officer George. He will guard your door.”
“I’m so pleased to meet you, Officer. Please, make yourself comfortable.” Alexa’s smile illuminated the room. Relieved that he’d managed to reassure her, Dante exhaled. With a guard outside her door, she might be able to sleep without nightmares tonight. Although, Dante was determined to keep her in his arms anyway.
“Thank you, Ma’am. My orders are to stay in front of the elevator.”
“Can I get you something to drink or eat?”
“I have all I need here. Bottles of water and cookies.” He pointed to a little cooler next to the folding chair. “You can leave your apartment without worrying. I’ll be here.”
“To be honest, Dante,” she said after the young man resumed his post outside her condo. “I don’t feel like going out. We had a hectic day. I’d rather stay home.”
“Why don’t we go to my apartment for a change of scenery? I can offer you wine and cheese. Nothing else.” Dante rubbed his chin, embarrassed about his lack of supplies. “I haven’t had the time to shop for groceries recently.” Not that he was ever very domesticated.
“I have steaks. We can grill them.” She opened the freezer and grabbed a packet of meat. “I also have vegetable and mushrooms.” Pulling out the various items, she shoved them into a plastic bag Dante held. “And here are peaches and grapes for dessert.” As she bent over the fridge to choose some fruits, the blasted short skirt hiked up her thighs.
“Perfect.” Dante admired her perfect backside and resisted the urge to reach and caress. “Bring what you need to spend the night at my place.”
She shot him a questioning look. “Why? You think something will happen here.”
“Not with the cop at your door. And tomorrow morning the security company I called will install an alarm system on your condo. I hope all of these measures will reassure you.”
“Oh God, when will all this end?” she mumbled in a weak voice as she disappeared into her bedroom to comply.
Dante locked her apartment and kept the key to be able to take a tour later tonight. “Officer, we’ll be next door, in my apartment. If you need anything, feel free to knock.”
****
Alexa stirred and opened her eyes, and met Dante’s gaze. His head propped against his open palm, he was staring at her.
“Good morning. You slept well?”
“Very well. Thank you for the massage, for—”
“I’m the one who should thank you for a wondrous night.”
Blushing to the roots of her hair, she inhaled and clo
sed her eyes. His male scent and the rumpled sheets stirred vivid images of their night together. “I can’t believe I did...” Her voice trailed.
“You were magnificent, my beautiful Alexa. Don’t regret a minute of our lovemaking.”
“Oh I don’t.” That was what worried her. A thousand heady feelings rushed through her. How would she survive without Dante’s lovemaking when she left? He’d been such a tender lover.
His lips settled on hers for a deep insistent kiss, making her head spin.
The ring of a phone rattled the silence. Dante grabbed his cell from the nightstand. “Cantari speaking.”
“They’ll be here at eight to install the alarm,” he explained after he shut his phone. “Time to get up.”
“Why don’t you shower and get ready? I’ll wait here and then we’ll go to my apartment.”
Wearing long pants and a button-down shirt, Dante joined her fifteen minutes later.
“You look as if you’re going to work.”
“Actually, we’re going to my office as soon as the alarm is installed.”
Dread pooled in her stomach. “Anything new?”
“Jay asked me to stop by. He spoke to Tom Dallen, and Juan searched Dianna’s background. They probably have questions as to what to investigate next.”
He sent her a glance full of compassion, but she cringed. Since the day Steve had drowned, every day had brought her more stress, new misery, and added fear of the future. Without the happy interludes in Dante’s arms, her life would have been unbearable.
They crossed the landing from Dante’s door to her condo. The guard greeted them with a sleepy voice. “The Chief said I could leave when you are back in Ms. Alexa’s place.”
“Go ahead. Thank you, Officer.”
“I’ll make coffee,” Dante said after they entered her apartment.
“Thank God, the place looks fine. I’m getting dressed.”
She hit the shower, dried her hair, and slipped on a pair of white pants and a black blouse. Out of habit she reached to push the coat hiding the cache push-button, but pulled back her hand. Afraid of doing anything that might reveal the position of her safe, she strode out of the closet and put on the pearl set she’d left on her dresser the night before.