by Mora Early
Josh’s voice sounded equally tense when he replied. “How could it not be her? I thought you agreed she was the most likely candidate.”
“That was before I had all the facts,” Ben replied. Emma’s blood turned to ice. Did he know? Was he about to tell Josh who she was? Her stomach did a lazy roll, the martini she’d drunk threatening to make a reappearance. Ben continued. “I tried to grab you before the announcement, but you had Emma and the Ranslers there. Anyway, Fiorentino, I think I figured out why she’s disappeared. Her records up in New York, I told you they were all missing or sealed. I couldn’t get to them. Well, I finally did.”
She heard the soft thump that might have been Josh punching Ben lightly on the shoulder. “And?” he growled. “I need to get back to Ransler. Who knows what ideas he might get in his head if I’m not around to curb them.”
“Ideas about Emma?”
Her skin prickled. She didn’t like Ben’s sly tone of voice at all. What kind of ideas might William Ransler have about her? Josh sighed. “Carla Fiorentino,” he insisted.
“Is her maiden name,” Ben shot back. “She married Frank Lazenby five years ago, when she was 18. He was 37. A year later she’s convicted of grand larceny. She apparently stole a $2500 diamond bracelet and pawned it.”
“She’s married?” Josh’s voice sounded strangled. Emma’s heart squeezed in her chest. A second later, though, he coughed and cleared his throat. “Whatever. A bracelet, a watch. That sounds like she’s our Butterfly to me.”
“I was on board with that too, until I finally got a look at the file. Well, part of it at least. The court transcripts, arrest report, everything, were sealed up tighter than Fort Knox. But I found one lone copy of the initial paperwork filed by the Greene County Police on the night the theft was first reported. The name of the complainant? Frank Lazenby.” Ben gave the name a weight of implication.
Emma could hear the frown in Josh’s voice. “I don’t understand.” Emma didn’t either. Not about Frank and Carla Lazenby, or Fiorentino or whoever she was. But she did know Ben was getting closer and closer to figuring out the truth. She needed to get Todd out of town, now.
“According to what Frank told the officer, his wife stole the bracelet, which was a family heirloom, from his safe. She was an unreasonable, possibly unstable young woman. That’s what Frank said. But this Frank guy. Josh, man, he’s bad news. People who go against him tend to have their lives ruined. Nothing I could trace directly back to Lazenby, but still. When you piece that together with Carla’s actions after she got out of prison... man, I’m telling you. Carla Fiorentino isn’t your Butterfly. She was trying to escape from her husband. I’d bet anything.”
“So maybe she needed the money from the watch to keep running.” But even Emma could hear the doubt creeping into Josh’s voice. “Or maybe Ness is helping her hide out in exchange for her services. Or... Crap, here comes Ransler. I need to deal with this. We’ll talk more later.”
“If Ness had someone helping him, it wasn’t Fiorentino. Maybe Magnus--”
“Later,” Josh snapped. His voice was closer now. In one second Josh would step around the stage and smack right into her. She had to think fast.
Emma skipped quickly around the shrub and grabbed Josh’s arm. “There you are. You’re neglecting the guests. Come on!”
She dragged him back into the crowd, her grin feeling much too wide, and steered him directly toward William Ransler. She had to keep Josh busy with the movie star so she could slip away and call Todd. She had to protect her baby brother.
Emma’s tone seemed slightly frantic and her grip on his arm was a bit tight, but Josh chalked it up to her nerves over the event. He thought it was going well. At least, so far. He just had to keep Ransler and Emma from speaking alone. He could worry about Ben and his theories about Carla Fiorentino – Lazenby, whatever – later. Right now, his top priority was Ransler.
“Well, Owens, I have to hand it to you, this was a pretty bold move.” Ransler stuck out his hand. Josh stared at it a moment and then pulled out of Emma’s grasp to shake it firmly.
“Thanks, but it wasn’t a move.”
William Ransler chuckled. “You mean to tell me you didn’t put this whole thing together since the last time we talked just to prove to me I was wrong about you?”
He’d known the man was likely to figure that out, but he could hardly blame him. Donating to charity, no matter the reason, had to count in his plus column. “Not entirely. I won’t deny that’s part of the reason. But that was just the impetus. It’s a genuine gesture.”
Ransler’s dark brow rose. “Maybe.”
Josh had to bite back a sigh. “Does it change your feelings about joining the project at all?” If Ransler wanted straightforward, he could give him straightforward.
The older man dropped his hand. “It’s a nice gesture, sure. But it’s the everyday behavior that matters most, Owens.”
Emma sidled sideways. “If you two will excuse me for just a moment.” Josh felt panic well up in his throat. She couldn’t leave now. He needed her to talk to William some more. ‘Everyday behavior,’ the man said.
Josh knew what that meant. The only thing that was going to prove to him that Josh wasn’t a womanizer was a happy fiancé. Josh needed Emma to be that woman right now, desperately. He reached out quickly and twined his fingers through hers. She froze. Josh released her reluctantly.
“Emma, will you please tell William what a delight I am to be around on a daily basis?” He kept his tone light, playful, but his eyes were pleading. He saw her shoulders fall the tiniest bit. She lifted her chin and turned a small, charming smile on Ransler. She clasped his hand between her small ones.
“Mr. Ransler, William, whatever concerns you have about Josh, let them go. Having worked with him, I can assure you that he’s dedicated and professional. He’s passionate about his projects and listens to those around him. There’s no reason for you not to join this production.”
Ransler stared down at her, the corners of his mouth tugging downward. “And his behavior with women? His behavior with you? What about that?”
Josh’s stomach felt like ice. He’d tried to kiss her and she’d stopped him. She’d been shocked. If she told Ransler that, Josh was done. All of his worst assumptions about Josh would be proved true. He didn’t think Emma would, not really. But letting someone else have that much power over his life was a new and uncomfortable sensation.
Emma actually laughed. “Is that what’s bothering you? All those tabloid stories and gossip rags?”
Ransler’s frown was full blown now. “No. I have it firsthand that Owens is overbearing and demeaning, that he belittles his female staff, and that he chases anything in a skirt. Now, I’m sorry to be saying all of this to you, but it must be said. I respect women, all women, too much to work with someone who treats them badly.”
Josh’s fingers curled into fists. ‘Firsthand’ meant Lolly Tate. Would Emma believe Ransler’s ‘proof’ and decide to come clean about the kiss? Her lips were pursed in that disapproving librarian’s moue that he usually adored, but right now he didn’t know if it was aimed at him or Ransler.
“I’m sorry to have to say this to you, William, but Lolly Tate is not a reliable source. She sold every one of those negative stories to the rags for piles of cash, and Josh never said one word against her. And trust me, he could have. As for his treatment of female employees, having been one of them, I think I can speak definitively and say I never felt demeaned or belittled. Quite the opposite, in fact. He’s the best client I ever had.” Two bright spots of color burned high in her cheeks.
Josh blinked at her, astonished at both the vehemence in her tone and the fact that she knew about Lolly selling out to the papers. Awe tingled through him at her impassioned defense. She’d called him the best client she’d ever had, even despite his ham-handed and inappropriate come-on.
William Ransler rubbed a hand against his jaw. “Well, I admit that’s some information I didn’t
have about Lolly. But you can’t deny he chases anything with a skirt. I’ve seen him at a thousand different functions with a different girl on his arm each time, begging your pardon.”
This could get sticky. If Emma responded, she might inadvertently reveal they weren’t a couple. Just one wrong word would blow this whole deal. “William, I thought I explained--”
“Your wife told me how you met,” Emma interrupted suddenly. Both he and William blinked in surprise.
“She did?”
Emma nodded, fiddling with her cell phone. “Yeah. But first, she asked me how Josh and I met. Which...” She trailed off, shaking her head as if she’d lost the thread of her thought. “Whatever, not the point. The point is, I said Josh hired Picture Perfect and I was assigned to his team. Totally true. I knew who he was before that, of course, everyone does. But the first time we actually spoke was the day he came to Picture Perfect to hire us for the ball. I’m telling you this because it’s apropos.”
William nodded, his brow creased. “Okay.”
“Everyone was waiting for The Joshua Owens to arrive. There’s a woman at work, knockout gorgeous, everywhere she goes men fawn over her. She made it pretty clear she planned on hanging out near reception to get a good look. She practically threw herself at him. And when I found them, Josh was politely extricating himself from the situation. That’s not exactly the behavior of skirt chaser, Mr. Ransler, don’t you agree?” Emma cocked a brow. “In fact, I’ve spent the better part of the last several months in his company almost daily and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him chase any skirt.”
Josh remembered the girl she was talking about, vaguely. Or rather, he remembered a mass of impossibly red hair and a long nails clamping tightly around his arm. The first time he’d seen Emma she’d stepped out of one of the rooms just as the redhead was purposing a tour of her own personal facilities and he’d thought Emma was his savior.
“Are you worried he will?” William Ransler asked, before Josh could think of a good excuse to ferret Emma away and stop this conversation from getting any more out of hand. Josh froze. That was a loaded question, yet he saw no way to change the subject now. Emma’s impassioned defense of him had thrown him off-balance. He’d never expected such intensity from her.
Josh watched with icy trepidation, dreading the words that were coming and yet powerless to stop them, as Emma’s thin, dark brows crawled up her forehead. “Why would I be?”
This was it. Impending disaster. Ransler would say ‘because you’re marrying him’ and Emma would say ‘excuse me, no I’m not’ and it would all be over. They’d both turn to look at him and he’d have nothing to say. Why had he ever thought he could pull this off?
As if Josh didn’t have enough to worry about, with two years worth of work collapsing before his very eyes, Ben appeared at his elbow. “Man, I need to talk to you right now.”
“This is not a good time, Ben.” His voice came out so calm he amazed even himself. But if he left Emma and Ransler alone the situation would only get worse.
And then, blessing of blessings, Emma saved him once again. “No, Josh, it’s alright. Go. I have to go deal with a... thing, anyway. Dag needs me.” She nodded at William Ransler and hurried away, her fingers tapping quickly across her phone’s touch screen.
“Excuse me, William. We’ll have to continue this in a minute, if that’s alright?” Josh still wasn’t ready to relax, but the pensive look on Ransler’s face gave him a small bit of hope. The things Emma had said seemed to be getting through to him.
The movie star nodded. “Go on. I need to find my wife.” As Josh turned away to follow Ben, Ransler grabbed his shoulder. “You’re lucky to have her.”
“I know.”
Ransler let him go with a brief pat. Josh caught up to Ben where he weaved through the crowd. “This better be life or death. Things are on the verge of imploding. I’m barely holding it together.”
“Magnus just texted me,” Ben replied. “He’s here, and he thinks he’s found Madame Butterfly.”
Shock ran through Josh’s body like he’d grabbed hold of a live wire. “Fiorentino? Or Lazenby, or whatever her name is?” His mouth was dry.
“No. I had him going back over Ness’s file to see if I missed something. Based on his text, I’m guessing he found something I missed.” Ben flashed him an apologetic look. Josh brushed it off with a shrug.
“No worries, man. We’ve got the information now, that’s the important part.”
Magnus Gunn’s hulking form looked ridiculously out of place in the Hilton’s elegant banquet room. He stood near the rear service door, shoulders hunched, clutching a folder in one beefy hand.
“Magnus,” Josh greeted him, clapping the giant on one shoulder. “Ben says you’ve got something for me.”
“What’d you find, Gunn?” Ben cracked the knuckles of his right hand over and over. It was a nervous gesture, Josh knew. Ben must really feel bad about missing whatever it was.
Gunn held up the folder and waved it back and forth. “Well, Ben was right about Ness not having any girlfriends that would pull this kind of job for him.”
Cold sweat trickled down Josh’s ribs. He was torn between needing this information and needing to get back to Ransler and Emma. “Short version, big guy. I’m in the middle of a delicate deal just now.”
“Yeah, yeah, geez. Here. Look at this.” He flipped open the folder and shoved a piece of paper under Josh’s nose. It looked like a list of campers for a camp called Stratford-Upon-Avon at Encanto.
Josh shoved the list away from his face. Ben snatched it and studied it, brows beetling. Josh sighed. “So Ness went to summer camp. What’s your point?”
“Not him. The sister went to summer camp. Just the once. They’re not good about being separated, the Ness kids. But it was a drama camp.” Gunn raised almost invisible eyebrows. Josh scanned the room. Where were Emma and Ransler? He saw the movie star at the bar, deep in an intense conversation with his wife. Emma he glimpsed near the stage, pacing, her cell phone pressed to her ear.
“Yeah, so? Ben said the sister’s never had a rap sheet. She’s the crossword puzzle and cup of tea type, right? One summer at drama camp is hardly going to make her go in for larceny.”
“You read these school reports from when they were kids. They were loners, always looking out for each other. I’m telling you. You want your girl? It’s the sister.” Gunn shrugged, as if the answer was obvious and Josh was stupid if he didn’t see it.
Josh frowned. “You’re that sure? Just based on the fact that they were lonely kids and she spent one summer at drama camp? Seems weak to me.”
“There’s one more thing. Ben told you she lived in the area here, right? Ness is staying with her.” Gunn inclined his head.
“Still not enough to convince me the convicted felon isn’t our best bet.” Josh’s toe tapped impatiently on the floor.
“Oh.” Ben’s voice was low. He’d taken the file from Magnus and was flipping through it. “Oh. Shit. Man, I missed it, Josh. I... I’m sorry.” Ben’s face took on an odd cheesy color. Josh’s heart did a painful flip at seeing his friend’s expression.
“Missed what, damn it?”
Gunn clapped Ben’s shoulder in sympathy, but he addressed Josh. “Ness’s sister works for you. She’s had access to your house, your schedule, blueprints. Everything. She’s been under your nose the whole time.”
Josh couldn’t even begin to process the whirl of emotion Magnus’s words caused. Anger, admiration, astonishment, just to name a few. “How... how is that possible?”
“Emma,” Ben croaked. He extended another sheet of paper toward Josh. Josh didn’t even bother looking at it. “Emma is Ness’s sister.”
The words didn’t even make sense. Emma wasn’t a gambler’s sister. Emma was Emma. “No.” The denial was immediate. There was no way she was his Madame Butterfly. The two women were completely different!
Butterfly was taller than Emma for one thing, by at least two inches. Exc
ept, that mocking voice in his head reminded him, he’d only ever seen Emma in low, sensible heels. Never the towering spikes his mystery woman had worn. They were both slender and fine-boned with pointed chins and full lips.
Emma’s hair was lighter and her eyes were green, not brown. Yet both those things could be easily disguised. Josh’s eyes flew to the stage, seeking her out again. He wasn’t sure if he was hoping for something to prove him wrong or right. Did he want Emma and Butterfly to be the same woman? That would mean she’d stolen from him. It would mean she’d been lying to him. It would mean she’d kissed him with a fire that had scorched him to the bone.
So many things began to fall into place. She’d never offered her last name. She’d wanted to know all about Ben after he’d told her his friend gathered information for him. And in his car, she’d been afraid he’d realize who she was if they kissed. Josh was sure of it. Which one was the real Emma, he wondered? The reserved yet efficient party planner, or the vivacious seductress? Could she possibly have fooled him so completely?