Dangerous Love

by E. B. Walters

  Ken moved closer to her, crossed his arms, and widened his stance, his gaze narrowed. The intimidating gesture was sweet but unnecessary. Eddie was all bark and no bite.

  Faith took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “Okay, Eddie, but whatever I tell you stays between us. Nobody else in the family must know.”

  Eddie glowered.

  “I mean it, Eddie.”

  He nodded jerkily.

  “Okay. Someone has been stealing my designs and selling them to my competitor.”

  The slight pinching of Eddie’s lips showed he didn’t like what he was hearing. “How do you know?”

  “A client stopped by the store earlier this week and told me she’d seen the exact same gown I’m making for her already owned by someone else. The designs are similar down to little details like the placing of the sequins on the bodice and the cascading ruffles. I know my work, Eddie. They’re all unique and I’ve copies of sketches to prove this particular design is mine.”

  Eddie’s expression didn’t change, which made her wonder whether he believed her or not. “Go on.”

  “The designer of the other gown is Sean O’Neal.” The corner of Eddie’s mouth dipped downward in a smirk. Not sure what to make of it, Faith continued. “Five years ago, I caught him using my designs without my permission. He even used them to secure a contract. When I confronted him, he laughed it off, said since I worked for him, anything I created belonged to him. It didn’t matter that I sketched them in the evening at home and never brought them to the office. Because we were dating at the time, he had access to my house. I need to know if he stole my designs again, especially those I plan to show in New York.”

  Eddie shook his head. “The weasel. I knew there was a reason why I never liked him. What I don’t understand is why you didn’t come to me.”

  “You know why, Eddie.” He almost lost his job after he disobeyed his captain, joined forces with a civilian and went after a deranged kidnapper. It hadn’t mattered that the kidnapped woman had been their cousin or that the captain was his father. “With all the stuff you’ve been through at work, I couldn’t.”

  “That’s beside the point, Faith. You should have come to me or the captain when you found out about Sean five years ago. Our family needs to see him for the slime ball he is, especially after the crap he tells anyone willing to listen.”

  “I don’t care what he’s told our family. I don’t see the need to involve other people in my personal problems.”

  Eddie scrubbed his face. “Christ, Faith. We’re not other people. We’re family. We watch each other’s back. We don’t run to strangers when we need help.”

  The reprimand stung. She opened her mouth to defend herself and closed it without uttering a word. It wasn’t the first time she didn’t get in the last word with a member of her family.

  “You want to ease up on her a little, man,” Ken cut in. “She’s been through enough already.”

  Eddie turned to glare at Ken. For a brief moment, Faith wondered whether she’d have to step between them.

  “So what have you learned, Lambert?” Eddie said in a low and hard voice. “And whatever means you used to get it had better be legal.”

  Ken grinned. “Absolutely. We put a trace on O’Neal’s phone after we retrieved call history and text messages from his Smart Card, all within my perimeters as a licensed surveillance investigator.”

  “Depends on how you came by his phone.”

  Ken chuckled. “He dropped it during a scuffle and we were kind enough to return it to him.”

  Eddie’s eyes narrowed. “A scuffle? Bullshit. I’ve worked with you, Lambert. Some of the people you employ would make Oliver Twist look like a saint. If you swiped his phone, whatever you found will be inadmissible in court.”

  “Who said anything about court? Whether to prosecute the pin-head or not depends on Faith. Right now, all she wants to know is whether he stole her collection or not.”

  “I got that the first time she explained it. About his phone?”

  Ken looked at Faith, silently asking her permission. She sighed. “Tell him.”

  “Everything,” Eddie retorted. He was pacing and cursing Sean by the time Ken finished explaining about the designer’s surprise visit to Falasha.

  A knock at the door and Eddie’s partner poked his head into the room. He nodded at Faith then looked at Eddie. “The CSU is done out here. Did you get the security footage?”

  “Just a second. Can we have a copy?” Eddie asked Faith.

  She walked behind her desk and retrieved a memory stick from a drawer. The detective disappeared as soon he got what he came for. When Eddie went back to grilling Ken, Faith left the room and dared to venture back into the front room for a second look now that the Crime Scene Unit was done.

  The shock hadn’t worn off yet. Helplessness washed over her and a hollow feeling settled in her stomach at the smashed display shelves, the accessories on the floor, and the few clothes dangling on hangers. She swallowed her anger, stooped down to pick up an intricate earring. The second one was missing. Deidre’s signature jewelry had colorful stones set on sterling silver, and was reasonably priced. Still, she worked so hard on them and would be devastated at the loss.

  Mindful of the shards of glass, Faith gingerly pinched the edge of several soiled scarves and shook them before placing them on a rack. At the other end of the store, yellow tape criss-crossed her windows announcing to all and sundry that her precious store was a crime scene. Tomorrow would be a nightmare filled with people gawking and asking questions she couldn’t answer.

  Faith moved closer to the gaping hole on her window. All the cop cars were gone except for Eddie’s police-issued unmarked car. The glowing end of a cigarette inside the cab indicated that his partner was waiting. Hopefully, Eddie and Ken had finished talking and not advanced to the next stage of knocking heads. Both men were investigators and ought to get along instead of their endless show of testosterone. The hostility didn’t make sense, especially when they’d worked together before. Whatever their issues, they’d have to settle them on their own. She needed to think up a way to patch the hole in her front window. The remaining merchandize didn’t need to be exposed to the elements or, God-forbid, more thugs.

  Maybe she should cancel her trip to New York and the show. There was so much to do. Tomorrow, she’d need to talk to her landlord…call her insurance company…tell her people not to come to work…

  Faith stopped and frowned. Something had been bothering her since she heard about the break in and now it returned with a vengeance. She hurried back to Ken and Eddie, and caught the end of their conversation as she entered the office.

  “The bastard stole her designs all right,” Ken said, confirming what she’d already suspected. “We got the proof yesterday when he showed Faith’s designs to colleagues of mine posing as clients. We also planted bugs while we were there, completely above aboard. I wouldn’t be surprised if O’Neal was behind jacking the store tonight.”

  “Maybe he knows what you’re up to and was trying to divert your attention,” Eddie suggested.

  “I doubt it. My people are good.”

  Eddie pursed his lips in thought. “We’ll see. How many of your employees have access to your security code, Faith?”

  “That’s what I came back in here to talk to you about. Other than me, only one other person knows the code. Molly. She and I have been together since I opened for business. She also has spare keys to the store and I often leave her in charge when I’m out of town. But I find it hard to believe she’d betray me. Why would she give them the code and not the keys? It doesn’t make sense. There must be some other explanation.”

  “Greed is always a good one,” Eddie said. “Do you have her address? I plan to pick her up for questioning first thing in the morning.”

  “Can I talk to her first?” Faith asked.

  Eddie shook his head. “Not a good idea. Everything must be done by the book for the charges to stick, which means n
o civilians involved. In fact, I plan to visit all of your employees while the stolen merchandise is still hot.” He gently squeezed Faith’s arm reassuringly. “I’ll call you as soon as I know something.”

  Faith looked at her watch. It was almost midnight. This was going to be a very long night. “I won’t be able to sleep a wink until I know Molly is not involved.”

  “I can pay her a visit tonight,” Ken offered.

  Eddie cut him a hard look. “Stay out of this, Lambert. In fact, you and I need to talk.”

  Faith sighed at Eddie’s tone. When was he going to realize that talking to Ken like he was his superior was counterproductive? She started her computer and the printer, her head cocked to catch the conversation between the two men.

  “Some time tomorrow,” Eddie added.

  “No can do, detective. I’m flying to San Diego for a family thing in the morning and I won’t be back until Sunday evening. My flight back arrives at seven-fifteen, if you still want to meet.”

  “Make it Monday. I’ll need a copy of your investigation notes and phone call logs of all Faith’s employees’ cell phones and O’Neal’s, pictures and surveillance footages you’ve accumulated. I’m taking over this case from here on.”

  Ken snickered. “Like hell you are.”

  “Why not? You have evidence that O’Neal stole her designs. That’s probable cause to get a search warrant for his offices, get the incriminating designs and haul his ass to jail.”

  “Don’t be in a rush to lock him up,” Ken warned. “Copyright laws are murky when it comes to the fashion industry.”

  Eddie snickered. “The law is the law, Lambert. You break it, you go to jail. End of story. We’ll get a confession out of him. If that fails, we’ll see if he has a habit of passing off other designers’ works as his and line up witnesses against him. Whatever the case, we’re running him out of town.”

  “If you can find anyone willing to go against him,” Ken countered. “The man dresses celebrities and his designs are in every high-end store. According to online bloggers, the public can’t get enough of anything tagged ‘DHS.’”

  “Sounds like you admire the man,” Eddie retorted.

  “I despise him.”

  Eddie smirked. “Or maybe you’re scared of going after him.”

  “Like hell I am. I want to nail the bastard as badly as you do. The difference is I don’t have bureaucratic shackles holding me back, which means in this race, I’d be first at the finishing line. But I have to go with what Faith wants. Have you even asked her?”

  Faith shrugged when Eddie looked over at where she was busy printing out names and addresses of her employees. She’d decided to let the two men duke it out. For some reason, they were determined to outdo and out-insult each other. She couldn’t tell whether the problem stemmed from personal or professional differences. Or maybe this was how they worked, challenging each other at every turn.

  “Ken has a point about the copyright thing,” she explained. “Congress and the courts have been reluctant to grant full legal protection to designers for fear that rigid laws would lead to lengthy court cases and cripple the business. According to them, whatever high prices we demand for our designs only last a season, so suing another designer for making a gown similar to yours is never done. Sean will get a slap on the wrist, pay a fine, and go home.”

  “But people can still boycott his work once they know he’s a thief, right?” Eddie pushed. “With your testimony, we can expose him. But if he’s behind tonight’s break-in, he’ll do jail time.”

  “Don’t push her,” Ken warned.

  “It’s okay.” Faith sighed and rubbed her temple, a useless attempt to ease the pain pounding inside her skull. All she’d ever wanted was to design clothes and share her passion with the world. Exposing Sean was not part of that plan. If something went wrong and the charges against Sean didn’t stick, she’d look like a sour ex-lover trying to ruin a good man. The whole thing could blow up in her face and destroy everything she’d worked for. On the other hand, he’d already stolen her designs and was probably behind the destruction of her store. If she didn’t stop him now, he could very well destroy her career and continue to take advantage of other naïve designers like he did her. “Can I think about this?”

  “Of course,” Eddie said, but he didn’t look too happy.

  Guilt ate at her. “I need to know that my collection is safe, that he hasn’t duplicated them because I still plan to have a show next year.”

  Both men nodded.

  A thud followed by male voices came from the front of the store. Faith’s heart dropped, her gaze darting to the door. “Did you hear that?”

  “Yep. That’s the backup team.” Eddie left the room.

  “Who’s he talking about?” Faith asked Ken as they followed Eddie.

  “I have no idea.”

  The sight that greeted them caused Faith’s feet to falter. Baron and Chase, two of her cousins, entered the store hauling plywood, tool belts slinging low on their jean-clad hips. From their casual attires, Eddie had probably hauled both men out of their beds. They propped the planks against the counter and walked over to Faith. Her throat closed as Baron enveloped her in a bear hug. She caught a whiff of his fiancée’s signature perfume, making her feel terrible. He’d left her arms to come to her aid.

  “How are you holding up?” he asked.

  The tightness around her throat squeezed. She could only nod.

  “Eddie will get the bastard,” Chase added, elbowing his twin out of the way and holding her a little longer. He patted her back and mumbled more words she missed because she was busy fighting tears and staring at the third man.

  Lex entered, dwarfing the room by his sheer presence. Even in an emergency, not a single hair was out of place, his shirt neatly tucked in tailored pants, the tool belt out of place around his waist.

  “We’ll board up the place real nice tonight,” Lex said, walking to her side. He pressed a kiss on her temple. “Jordan will be here tomorrow to take inventory for what needs to be fixed. He’s making this a priority. He expects a call from you tomorrow.” Lex squeezed her shoulder then went to join Baron who held a plank over the gaping window. Chase wielded the broom like a pro, sweeping the debris into a pile.

  “I’ll start gathering a few things from the other room,” Faith said to no one in particular and fled to her office. She closed the door and leaned against it, tears slipping down her face.

  She wiped her cheeks, annoyed with herself for breaking down. How often had her cousins rallied around a family member who needed help? Too many times to count. So why was she amazed they turned out to help her? Like Eddie said, they were family. For years, she’d doubted she was even a Fitzgerald after overhearing a conversation between Aunt Viv and some of her other aunts. She still didn’t have the guts to confront them or ask her father for the truth. Worse, Aunt Viv’s constant criticism only reinforced her sense of alienation. Whether Fitzgerald blood flowed in her veins or not, she worked as hard as her cousins.

  A knock made her jump and she swiped at her tears. “I’ll be out in a second.”

  Ken stepped inside the room despite her words. “You okay?”

  “Yeah.” Not wanting him to see she’d been crying, she avoided his gaze, hurried to her desk and started unplugging her electronics. “I don’t want to leave anything valuable in here tonight. I probably should get my car and see how much I can take home tonight.”

  “Why not use my car? It is roomier. We can collect your car afterwards.”

  He was so wonderful. Worry was etched on his face as he studied her. “Are you sure? I know you have a flight to catch in the morning and there’s no telling how long we’ll be here.”

  “I don’t mind. Just point me in the direction of what you want to take tonight.” He moved closer, brushed his thumbs across her cheek, removing the wetness she hadn’t known was still there. “We’ll get the bastards who did this.”

  Faith nodded. “I know. Thanks f
or the offer to use your car.”

  “No problem.” He kissed her and for a brief moment, she allowed herself the luxury of getting lost in his arms. But reality couldn’t be ignored forever.

  Eddie and his partner were gone when they left the room. While her cousins stayed busy taking care of her store, she and Ken hauled out sewing machines, computers, yards of fabric, dress forms, and her entire collection. Lex, Baron, and Chase had finished with the window and even separated the jewelry and clothes that were on the floor from the shards of glass. Faith hugged them again, then stood outside her store and watched them hop into their cars and drive away.

  “Don’t forget to call Jordan,” Lex reminded her before he pulled away.

  Despite her store looking like a gaping wound with band aids slapped on it, she smiled. There were perks to having a large, loving family.

  ***

  Ken had a feeling Faith didn’t want to talk, so the drive to his place was done in silence. Once they picked up her car, he followed her to her home. She had a spare room where she kept her sewing things. By the time they finished unloading his car, there was hardly any room left to move about. They ended up putting the headless wooden bodies in her living room.

  When Faith stayed by the entrance and stared forlornly into space, he rested his hands on her shoulders. “Is there something strong around here to drink?”

  “The bottom cabinet on the right side of the fridge,” she said.

  When he came back with shots of cognac, she was still standing exactly where he’d left her. He pressed a glass in her hand. She took a sip and shuddered, then turned to face him, her expression grim.

  “Thanks for being here, Ken.”

  “Don’t mention it.” He took a sip of his drink then asked, “I can spend the night if you don’t want to be alone.”

  Faith looked at her watch and shook her head. “It’s nearly three in the morning. Don’t you have a flight to catch in a few hours?”

  “My flight doesn’t leave until nine.”