Although she hadn’t sorted out all the pieces in her mind, Randi was certain it was the same man who had orchestrated the hit on her two days ago as well as the man responsible for all the other vile incidents. She refused to return home to Virginia without bringing him to justice. Otherwise she would always be looking over her shoulder.
She was about to compliment Quasar on how good her breakfast was when she saw him tense. His eyes were glued to the television. It was a local news report about a man by the name of Doyle Patterson who had announced his candidacy for mayor of Beverly Hills.
The photo that flashed on the screen made it obvious the man was related to Quasar. He was an older version, possibly four or five years older. Quasar’s brother? The one he thought his father had always favored over him? Randi didn’t say anything as she listened to the report with the same rapt attention as Quasar.
“Doyle Patterson made the announcement last night at a lavish party in his home in Beverly Hills. Only selected members of the media were invited onto the Patterson Estate. One can only speculate that last night’s affair was the beginning of numerous fund-raisers.”
The picture of Doyle Patterson was replaced with one of Doyle Patterson with a beautiful, chic and elegantly dressed woman on one side of him and an older man on the other. Randi knew immediately that the older man was Quasar’s father. Although neither of his sons had taken his coloring, the facial features the three shared were uncanny.
She switched her gaze from the television to Quasar. He wasn’t so much as blinking an eye, and he’d balled his hands into fists.
“Quasar? Are you alright?” she asked him.
“I’m fine,” he said, not taking his gaze off the television to look at her.
She returned her attention back to the television as the reporter said, “Here you see a photo taken last night when the campaign was announced. Flanking Mr. Patterson are his father, Louis, and his wife, Lilly...”
Lilly? Randi swallowed. What were the odds of Doyle Patterson marrying a woman who had the same first name as the woman Quasar had planned to marry? The same woman who hadn’t waited for him? Shivers raced up Randi’s spine because she knew they weren’t different women but the same woman. Lilly had broken things off with Quasar to marry his brother.
Randi glanced at Quasar and knew his focus on the television screen had nothing to do with his father or brother but with the beautiful woman standing by his brother’s side. The woman Quasar had loved. The woman he probably still loved, and she had married his brother.
Randi recalled the night they’d parked on the Mulholland Drive Overlook, when he’d told her about his ex-girlfriend. At that moment she couldn’t help but remember the conversation...
“Is Lilly the one who wouldn’t wait for you while you were in jail?”
“You have a good memory, and yes, she’s the one. She promised to wait for me and broke her promise. I guess you can say she had a change of heart.”
“I’m sorry, Quasar. About what happened with you and Lilly.”
“No reason for you to be sorry. You didn’t know me or Lilly. It was her decision. She said she couldn’t wait any longer and wanted to marry someone else. I gave her my blessing.”
“Does Lilly still live in LA?”
“Yes, she still lives here.”
“Is she still married?”
“Yes, she’s still married.”
At the time, Randi had wondered how Quasar had known so much about Lilly. Now she knew. Lilly was married to his brother. No wonder he’d stayed away from his family so long.
“Well, we got the news about the gangs,” Quasar said, breaking into her thoughts and turning off the television. He looked at his watch. “I’m going upstairs to dress. If you want to meet back down here in around twenty minutes, then we—”
“Why?” she interrupted. It was obvious he was upset. Her heart was breaking at the thought that he might still love Lilly, but she’d known from the first time he’d brought up Lilly’s name that there was a possibility.
He looked at her, confused. “Why? Do I need to remind you that Riviera said you could talk to Overstreet at one o’clock today?”
She shook her head. “That’s not what I’m talking about. That’s not what I’m asking you.”
He looked even more confused. “Then what are you asking?”
“Why are you pretending you didn’t see your father and brother on television?”
A wave of uneasiness washed through her when he narrowed his eyes. “How did you know we’re related?”
Duh, that was obvious, and she wondered why he wasted his time asking. But since he had, she would respond. “Same last name and the three of you favor. You and your brother have your father’s features, although you have darker coloring.”
A fierce frown covered Quasar’s face, and there was a moment of tension-filled silence between them before he said in a dispassionate tone, “So I saw my father and Doyle. No big deal.”
“Wasn’t it? And is your brother’s wife, Lilly, the same Lilly who was once your girl? The one you wanted to marry?”
Randi knew he might tell her none of that was any of her business and she had no right to ask. But at the moment, she was given the right by every sore muscle she felt in her body, all those passion marks up and down her inner thighs and the taste of him on her tongue that no amount of brushing could eradicate. They had made love more times throughout the night than she could count. Had tried more positions than she’d thought possible and had even said a few dirty words she would need to seek salvation for the next time she attended church. So if he was about to start pining away over the love he’d lost, or more specifically, the love his brother might have deliberately taken from him, then she felt she had a right to know. Her heart needed to know.
He placed the remote on the nightstand and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Yes, she’s the same Lilly.”
Without saying anything else he left the room. And she watched him go.
* * *
QUASAR WALKED INTO his bedroom and drew a deep cleansing breath. He could admit while watching the news report his attention had been focused on Lilly. The reason he’d watched her so closely was to assure himself that his feelings for her were as they should be. Over. He could honestly say that he no longer had any feelings whatsoever for the woman he’d once loved. None.
He’d always suspected that was the case; however, seeing her on that television screen had confirmed it, verified it beyond a shadow of doubt. He had watched her with Doyle and his father, smiling perfectly for the camera as she stood by her husband’s side. She was in her element as Doyle’s wife, and he was happy for her. From the looks of it, she loved Doyle...or she loved his money. As far as Quasar was concerned, she and Doyle deserved each other.
She’d known what a total ass Doyle could be, just like she’d known how Doyle and his father had willingly let Quasar go to prison and serve time for a crime Doyle committed. Yet she had married Doyle anyway. And yes, like she had moved on with her life, Quasar had moved on with his. Not returning home to LA had been the best decision he could have made.
Even now he could recall how naive he’d been years ago. Fresh out of college, he’d been given an important position within his father’s company. He’d actually assumed his relationship with his father and brother would improve. That he could prove his worth to them and to the company. He should have suspected something. And when his father walked into his office that day, told him what Doyle had done and said that to protect the family name and the integrity of the company, they needed him to confess to land fraud, he’d done so.
His thoughts shifted to Randi. He would talk to her on their drive into LA. The last thing he wanted was for her to think he still had feelings for Lilly. Especially after what the two of them had just shared. They’d made
love all through the night. Occasionally they would doze off, taking power naps, only to wake up and make love again. He’d gone through the six condoms he’d originally brought into the room and at some point rushed upstairs to grab more. He was more than glad that before leaving Charlottesville he’d purchased a twelve-pack box. He hadn’t been sure they would become intimate but had wanted to be prepared just in case.
Okay, he would admit he was a greedy ass. She’d even teasingly called him that at one point during the night. But typically, he’d never been so needy for sex that he wanted to make love nonstop. But he had been with Randi. And he’d wanted to learn everything there was about her body, which was why he had touched and licked her all over. Now he knew about that pretty seashell tattoo on her hip and the cute little mole on the underside of her upper arm. He knew her every erogenous zone, and once he had discovered where they were, he had made sure he exploited them to full advantage to give her pleasure.
It was hard to describe how he felt each and every time they made love. There was something about their bonding, their joining, their mating that still had him in total awe just thinking about it. He had never experienced anything like it before. He’d always thought of himself as a breast man. A nice pair of boobs could turn him on in a heartbeat, but when it came to Randi, he’d found he was an any-part-of-her-body guy. Every place on her body had set him on fire. Made him burn hotter. And each time she had an orgasm and shattered in his arms, he’d wanted to make love to her all over again. It was a wonder either of them had energy left to do anything today. But he knew she had a full agenda, which meant he needed to get dressed.
He had grabbed a shirt to tug over his head when his phone rang. He knew without checking caller ID that it was Louis calling him again. He’d noticed his father had called several times yesterday, but he hadn’t bothered to return any of those calls. He would answer this one.
“Yes?”
“Where the hell are you? You have a lot of damn nerve coming to LA and not bothering to see us.”
Quasar leaned back against the TV table. “Careful, Louis, or else I’ll begin to think you care.”
“Of course I care. You’re my son.”
Quasar rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”
“You should have been here for the campaign kickoff last night.”
“No, I shouldn’t have. I saw the three of you on television. You and Lilly did a great job giving Doyle your support. I didn’t need to be there.”
“Doyle will make a great mayor.”
Quasar rubbed his hand down his face, trying not to get frustrated. “And knowing you, you’ve already set your sights on the White House.” He checked his watch. “Look, Louis, I need to go.”
“Go where? Why did you come to LA if it wasn’t to spend time with your family?”
Spend time with his family? The same family who hadn’t visited or sent a card or letter during the three years he’d been locked up? “I’m in LA on business.”
“On business?”
“Yeah. But I will drop by before returning to Charlottesville.”
“What about the woman?”
Quasar raised a brow. “What woman?”
“The one staying at the beach house with you. One of Lucinda’s neighbors claims she saw the two of you walking on the beach yesterday morning.”
Did his father have the neighbors spying on him? “Why would anyone have reason to tell you that?”
“The neighbor didn’t tell me. She told Paul, and he mentioned it to me.”
“Still have your paid informers, I see.”
“Don’t be an ass, Quasar. Do you have a woman with you or not?”
Every nerve in Quasar’s body was primed with anger. “I do, not that it’s any of your business.”
“Everything about you is my business. Bring her when you come. Unless you don’t want her to meet Lilly.”
Everything about him was Louis’s business? Quasar wondered what kind of game his father was playing. “Why would I have a problem with her meeting Lilly? Lilly and I broke up years ago.”
“No, Lilly dumped you for Doyle. That’s a big difference. And they are happy.”
“Goodbye, Louis.”
“So when will I see you?”
“Not sure it’ll be soon, but you will.” Because you and I definitely need to talk. “Goodbye.”
He clicked off the phone, shaking his head. His old man was a piece of work. Thank God for men like Sheppard Granger who’d been there and was still there for him as a role model for what a real father stood for and represented. He knew Sheppard would never intentionally play one of his sons against the other.
Pushing the thought of his father, Doyle and Lilly from his mind, he was about to slip out of his jeans to put on a pair of khakis when he was interrupted again by his phone. This time it was Stonewall.
“What’s up, Stonewall?”
“Why don’t you answer your damn phone? You okay?”
Quasar couldn’t help but smile. “I’m fine, and please stop screaming in my ear.”
“Oh. Sorry.”
“The reason I missed those calls yesterday was that I had my phone turned off. A lot has been happening.”
“So I heard. There haven’t been any more attempts on Dr. Fuller’s life, have there?”
“No, but the person who organized those hits is still out there. I plan to continue to protect her until he’s caught.”
“I don’t blame you.”
Wanting to change the subject, Quasar asked, “So, Stonewall, how was your date with the detective? The one you got all dolled up for?”
“It didn’t happen.”
Quasar heard the deep disappointment in Stonewall’s voice. “Why?”
“She got called away on a homicide at the last minute. And now, unfortunately, I’m leaving today for New York to handle security detail for that Dakota Navarro again. I’ll be gone for a couple of weeks.”
He knew Navarro to be a wealthy businessman Stonewall had been protecting off and on for the past few months. “What is this now? The fourth canceled date for you and Detective Ingram?”
“Something like that. We both have crazy schedules. I’ve been out of town on assignment most of the time, and according to Joy, the city’s budget took a hit with all the expenses for extra cops and such during the Erickson case. To compensate, they are making the detectives take on double the homicide cases they usually have.”
“From the sounds of it, you and your detective might never move beyond meeting for coffee and donuts in the mornings.”
“When I get back, I’m going to make it my business that we go out...even if I have to kidnap her.”
“And you’ll be going to jail by yourself. Striker and I won’t be there to protect your ass.”
He heard Stonewall laugh. “I recall things differently. I was the one who protected you two.”
“Whatever.”
“Stay safe.”
“You, too.”
After Quasar ended the call, he rushed to finish dressing.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
“YOU DID AN amazing job with Overstreet, Randi.”
Randi glanced over at Quasar. “Thanks. My degree as a behavioral analyst came in handy when he simply refused to believe in psychic powers.”
They had left FBI headquarters and were now headed to the crime scene where those two gang members had been brutally murdered. FBI agents were in the vehicles in front of them and behind them.
Due to lack of sleep the night before, she had caught a few winks during the car ride from Malibu into downtown LA. No matter how short, she’d needed the nap to deal with Jason Overstreet. Like Emiliano, he had priors a mile long, but unlike Emiliano he hadn’t easily accepted that she had a message from his mother. He
had initially accused her of being a phony. It had taken a while, but when she began sharing things with him that only his mother could possibly know, he had settled down and began listening.
When she told him the FBI had conclusive evidence that someone was deliberately manipulating both gangs to start a war, he’d admitted he had reached that conclusion himself and that several of his gang members had begun their own investigation. The only thing he’d discovered was that the deaths had been set up by some person who’d called himself Mr. Big. It was rumored the man was into all sorts of criminal activities and wanted the gangs’ territory for himself.
“I just hope I can pick up on something when we get to this crime scene,” Randi told Quasar. “The last thing we need is for the gangs to take things into their own hands and render their own brand of justice.” The view of LA through the car’s open window on this beautiful day, with sunny skies and a light breeze, felt at odds with the harsh reality of violence and death she was facing. Still, the flowering plants and trees lining the roadways and perfuming the air calmed her.
“I hope the Feds can get something on this Mr. Big,” Quasar said. “They are treating him as a person of interest.”
Randi felt there was no need to mention to Quasar that the minute Overstreet had said the name Mr. Big, a cold chill had come over her. Why that had happened she wasn’t quite sure. She had racked her brain to recall if it could possibly be a name she’d heard before.
“Randi?”
She looked over at Quasar. “Yes?”
“About last night...”
She swallowed, hoping he wasn’t about to tell her that he regretted anything they’d done. Quite honestly, she didn’t know how to proceed with him. She’d witnessed his reaction upon seeing his old girlfriend. His brother’s wife. Did he plan to get her back? No, she refused to believe that. Quasar was not the home wrecker type. “What about last night?”
Seized by Seduction--A Compelling Tale of Romance, Love and Intrigue Page 23