by Jami Alden
Ethan sank down in a wingback chair next to the one Derek sat in. “Toni, Kara contacted her father saying she’s fine. As far as I’m concerned, the investigative part of my job is finished.” He turned to say something to Derek, his tone too low for her to overhear.
Just like that, he was blowing her off. Ignoring her as if what she said didn’t matter, as if what happened didn’t matter.
Derek looked up, locking eyes with Toni. Beneath the intense focus of his gaze, Toni caught a glimpse of something else. Her hand clenched convulsively at her side as she recognized what it was. Pity. Derek felt sorry for her. He knew she’d slept with Ethan and thought she was hung up on his brother, like the legions of women who had come before.
She bit her tongue, resisting the urge to set Derek straight. She might have given in to temptation, but she was too smart to fall for a guy like Ethan.
“Fine,” she said and turned to walk out of Jerry’s office. Heavy footsteps followed her down the hall.
“Toni, wait.”
“Ride’s waiting,” she said, as she rounded the corner and saw Manuela waiting with her keys and purse. “I need to get my stuff from your car.”
He followed her out and unlocked the car. “Toni—”
“Don’t worry Ethan, I get it,” she said as she removed her laptop case and her overnight bag from the trunk of his BMW. “Case closed, see you later. But I still think Jerry’s hiding something, and I’m going to find out what it is, whether you like it or not.”
His hand on her arm stopped her as she turned to walk away. Even that slight contact was enough to send blistering heat through her as she fought back memories of the previous night. He was so close, his woodsy, earthy scent teased her nostrils and she could see the pulse pounding under the skin of his throat. The same skin she’d tasted last night. He opened his mouth to speak.
“Ethan,” Derek called from inside the house, “Jerry wants to get started.
“I’ll call you,” Ethan said, not letting go of her arm.
Toni pulled away from his grip and made a scoffing sound in her throat. “Don’t bother.”
Toni seethed the entire ride home, where she picked up her car, and all the way to Marcy’s. She didn’t know what pissed her off the most. That Ethan accepted Kara’s text message as the end of the story, or that he dismissed her with a “don’t let the door hit you in the ass” after she’d been the one to discover Kara’s secret online life and track down Toby Frankel.
Or it could be because last night he’d given her several of the most intense orgasms of her entire life, and now he was treating her as if they’d gone out for pizza.
She pulled into the parking lot of Marcy’s townhouse complex, hoping Marcy had heard from Kara, too. If so, Toni would be willing to dismiss her suspicions as a result of being too close to Kara and letting memories of her past make her paranoid. In any case, she needed to talk to Marcy about keeping better tabs on her daughter.
So far, Marcy hadn’t returned any of Toni’s calls. Not entirely unexpected, since Marcy regularly liked to sleep in, depending on how hard she’d hit the chardonnay the night before. Toni banged on the door for five straight minutes until it finally opened to reveal Marcy’s thin face dominated by huge, bloodshot eyes.
“Did you find her? Is she ’kay?”
Toni stepped back and concealed a grimace. Marcy smelled like she’d been swimming in a wine barrel. “She texted Jerry this morning and said she was with a friend. She didn’t call you?”
Marcy shook her head and blinked hard, trying to clear away the cobwebs. “I didn’t hear the phone.” She turned and hurried up the stairs, her wraith-thin form listing to the right.
Marcy muddled around her living room until she found her phone. She scrolled through the caller ID, squinting and studying each number so closely Toni had to fight to keep from snatching the phone out of her hand. When Marcy shook her head, Toni took the phone from her and checked the call log herself, to be sure.
Toni pulled her own phone out, compulsively checking her messages, confirming that Kara hadn’t contacted her either. The niggling feeling that all was not yet right strengthened in force.
“No e-mails, nothing?” Toni asked, grasping at straws, and she knew it. Still, she had Marcy check her messages, just in case.
“I don’t understand,” Marcy said as she poured herself a cup of coffee. “Kara told Jerry she was fine. Why are you still so worried?”
Toni motioned for Marcy to sit down at the kitchen table before taking the seat across from her. “In the past few days, I found out some stuff about Kara, things she’s involved in that none of us had any idea about.” She told Marcy about the partying, the photos, her involvement with Toby.
Marcy’s already pale skin leached to gray and she raised weary hands to her face. “I should have seen this. So much has happened. The divorce. And we put so much pressure on the kids.” Her voice trailed off as she stared off into the space past Toni’s shoulder. “I jus’ don’t know what to do anymore.” Her words were still a little soft around the edges. “But do you think she’s in trouble, still?”
Even if Kara was partying on the beach somewhere, she was still in trouble as far as Toni was concerned, but she knew what Marcy meant. “Do I think she’s in danger, right this second? I don’t know,” Toni said. “But I can’t shake the feeling that we’re missing something.” Toni got up and poured herself a cup of coffee, trying to figure out how to explain it to Marcy when she couldn’t get her own head wrapped around it. “Do you think it’s weird that she contacted Jerry and no one else? Not you, not any of her friends, not Manuela, when she usually checks in with her?”
Marcy took another long swallow and visibly tried to focus. “I don’t know. I guess. They’ve had their issues lately, but then, so have she and I,” she said with a watery laugh. “Why does it matter?”
Toni shrugged. She didn’t really have any idea either, other than the fact that she didn’t like the way Jerry didn’t meet her eyes the whole time she was at his house. Then again, she’d been the one to confirm his adultery and find that offshore bank account. Toni didn’t really blame him for not wanting to be best mates.
Still, it bugged her how this all conveniently wrapped itself up with a neat little bow, and Jerry the only one holding the proof.
But if Kara was still missing, why would Jerry try to cover it up, especially after hiring Ethan?
Maybe Ethan was right. Some things weren’t that complicated.
“I wouldn’t have any idea what’s going on with Jerry and Kara,” Marcy continued. “I barely had a clue what was going on when we were married.” She gave Toni a sheepish look. “I know what you’re thinking. But I didn’t drink this much before…” her voice trailed off. “But Jerry was always keeping secrets, even before the affair.”
The tiny hairs prickled on the back of Toni’s neck. “Secrets?”
“He was always having meetings, secret phone calls. At first I thought it was another woman, but that didn’t happen till later. And you know that account you found?”
Toni nodded.
Marcy leaned close and spoke in a whisper, even though there was no one around to overhear. “I have no idea where that money came from.”
Toni pulled her eyebrows into a frown. “I don’t follow.”
“I had an accountant go over everything. All of his paychecks, bonuses, stock options, you name it. That money didn’t come from GeneCor.”
“Then where do you think it came from?”
“Maybe he was moonlighting, maybe he was selling drugs.” Marcy barked out a laugh. “You helped me get my cut.” She raised an eyebrow and toasted Toni with her coffee mug. “That’s all I care about.”
“You really think Jerry was doing something illegal?” It was probably nothing. She was definitely being paranoid.
Marcy stiffened, instantly sobering. “You don’t think this has anything to do with Kara? She’s fine, right? She wrote and said she’s fine.”
>
Toni reached out a hesitant hand and laid it over Marcy’s. “You’re right. I’m sure she’s fine.”
She wasn’t sure about anything, except for the gut-deep feeling that Jerry was up to something.
Luckily, she had all the tools at her disposal to satisfy her curiosity about Jerry Kramer. Within a couple of hours, she knew every cell phone call he’d made and received in the past ninety days. Kara’s number was there in black and white, posting a message at seven-oh-three this morning.
And the money. In addition to the offshore account Toni had found when Marcy first hired her, Toni found a new account set up under BioEnterprises, LLC, based in Cyprus. The account had received several deposits in the last six months, totaling nearly five million dollars.
And there were pending transactions as well, from other brokerage and money market accounts. Big transactions, as though Jerry was transferring all of his assets into one single offshore account.
As though Jerry was getting ready to run.
After Toni left, Ethan and Derek finished modifying Jerry’s security system so each person now had a personal security code. As Ethan had explained to Jerry, he’d set it up so that whenever Kara or her brother, Kyle, entered or exited the house, Jerry would receive a message on his BlackBerry.
Ethan hadn’t bothered to tell Jerry that they’d also rigged the system to alert Ethan whenever Jerry came and went, or that Derek had hidden a GPS tracking device in the glove compartment of Jerry’s car.
Jerry was definitely hiding something. Even without Toni’s planting the seed of suspicion, Ethan had picked up on Jerry’s skittish vibe, the way his gaze kept slipping when they asked when Kara was coming back. And when Jerry had protested the new key codes, asking why they were necessary, as far as Ethan was concerned that was the nail in the evidence coffin.
“Your daughter took off without telling you. Don’t you want me to try to help you prevent it from happening again?” Ethan had asked, deliberately not looking at Jerry when he answered.
Lots of people could keep a poker face, but few could keep a poker voice. Ethan knew what to listen for, the tones, the inflections, the careful way a person spoke when he was hiding something. Jerry displayed them all.
Ethan didn’t know if it had anything to do with Kara’s disappearance, but his gut was telling him he’d better find out. He was equally sure Toni was busy sniffing Jerry out, but she hadn’t returned any of the calls or texts he’d sent her since she’d left Jerry’s pissed as hell and convinced Ethan was blowing her off.
Frustrated that she couldn’t get past her personal bullshit to give him a call back, Ethan enlisted Derek to help him work out some of his frustration.
Two hours later, they were still at it, sweating through their T-shirts and gym shorts as they squared off on the mats. All three brothers had trained extensively in hand-to-hand combat and sparred regularly to keep their skills sharp.
“If Danny finds out we’re spying on a client, he’s going to be pissed,” Derek said. The muscles of his torso flexed as he balanced on the balls of his feet, ready to fend off Ethan’s charge.
Not to mention they could lose their license if Jerry found out and lodged a complaint. But that wasn’t enough to stop Ethan from following his gut, and his gut agreed with Toni. Not that Jerry’s behavior had given any weight to his hunch. Twenty minutes after Ethan and Derek had left, they had tracked Jerry to his office building. He hadn’t left since.
Ethan feinted right and swung his fist at Derek’s midsection. Derek blocked the blow and kneed Ethan in the right thigh. “I have valid concerns about our client’s security,” Ethan said, ducking to avoid Derek’s punch. “In order to assure his safety, I have to know his whereabouts at all times.”
“Yeah, but usually our clients know what the hell we’re up to.”
“Minor detail. Besides, Toni’s right. He’s up to something.”
Derek gave a brief nod and nailed Ethan with a jab to his chest that stole his breath, then sidestepped to the right to avoid Ethan’s answering blow. “Speaking of Toni. She’s pretty hot, but not your usual type.” He grinned and dodged as Ethan’s closed fist whizzed past his head. “Hey, we said no faces!”
Ethan flexed his fist and blew a drop of sweat off the tip of his nose.
“I guess this means I owe Danny fifty bucks,” Derek continued when Ethan didn’t respond.
Ethan pressed his lips into a tight line and brought his hands up. He didn’t want to discuss Toni with anyone, including his twin. And they shared everything. Not just the usual sexual-conquest stories that Ethan embellished to try to get a rise out of his straightlaced brother, who, as far as Ethan knew, hadn’t seen any action since his last serious relationship had ended a couple of years ago. Unlike Ethan, Derek didn’t view sex as a recreational sport. He didn’t have sex with a woman until he did a full-blown analysis of the pros and cons of getting involved with the female in question.
Complete with spreadsheets.
Still, Derek and Danny got a vicarious thrill from listening to Ethan recount his exploits, and usually Ethan was happy to oblige them. But not this time. Not this woman.
Derek wouldn’t let it go. He knew he had hit a raw nerve and he couldn’t resist applying pressure. “Was she like Danny thought? All eager to please in that pent-up, frustrated-librarian kind of way?”
Derek’s comment summoned up a flood of images and remembered sensations from the night before. Toni, her pale, smooth skin damp with sweat. The scent of aroused woman flooding his senses. The pebbly hardness of her nipples against his tongue. The salty-sweet taste of her pussy on his lips. The hot, slick grip of her clenching around his cock as she came for the second time, fingers digging into the muscles of his ass as she tried to pull him even deeper.
Despite her tough, take-no-prisoners attitude, she’d been completely vulnerable in bed. Uncertain, even a little awkward. But it hadn’t done anything to diminish his pleasure. If anything, it had enhanced it. Instead of a series of practiced moves, sex with Toni was raw, uninhibited, calling up a gut-deep, primitive response that had tested the limits of his control.
Ethan forced the searing images from his mind and slowly circled his brother, trying to get an angle on an attack. Derek threw a right hook and kept himself just out of reach, taunting Ethan with a shit-eating grin.
“It must not have been that good,” Derek said. “Toni didn’t look too happy with you this morning,” he said. “Did you not perform up to your usual standards?”
“Let it go,” Ethan said, striking out with a left hook. Derek turned so that he took the blow to the shoulder instead of the head. He didn’t want to share any of it with Derek. He didn’t know why he couldn’t just forget about it and move on, the way he always did. For him, sex was a pleasant way to spend a few hours, but when it came time to get back to business, he’d never been distracted by a woman. He didn’t want to think how close he’d come to completely losing control.
“Either that or she’s completely hung up on you, like they always are. Which is too bad,” Derek continued, “because unlike your usual hookups, Toni actually seems interesting. All that fierce determination. Not to mention those legs. Since you’ve obviously cut her loose, maybe I’ll ask her out.”
“Shut the fuck up.” Ethan found his opening and drove through. His hands came down over his brother’s arms, and his leg drove into Derek’s hip as Ethan took him down with a combination of anger and brute force. Ethan sat on Derek’s chest with one hand on his throat, the other raised to strike. “Don’t even think about asking Toni out. If I so much as catch you looking at her, I will pound your fucking face into the ground.” He was shocked at the violence of his response. He was not a jealous person, especially not when it came to women. But the idea of Derek pursuing Toni, of Derek so much as thinking of Toni in a sexual way, conjured up possessive impulses he didn’t even know he had.
Derek looked up at him with a satisfied smirk. “So it’s like that, huh?”
Ethan’s chest heaved with his exertion. He had no fucking clue what it was like, he only knew Toni got under his skin Why didn’t she fucking return his calls?
“It’s not like anything, so drop it.”
Derek shifted under him, a vein popping out on his forehead as he tried to break Ethan’s position. “Then why do you check your phone every ten minutes to see if she called you back?”
His attention wandered to his phone for a nanosecond, all the opening Derek required. His twin heaved up under him and executed a perfect shrimp-escape scissor-sweep combo, drove his knee up into Ethan’s leg, and flipped him over onto his back. Now Derek’s hand was at Ethan’s throat, his elbow cocked back. “Don’t lose your focus.”
Good advice, and not just for fighting.
Derek rocked back on his heels and stood, offering his hand to pull Ethan up.
“One more round,” Ethan said, bringing his hands up to the ready.
Derek put down the empty bottle he’d just chugged dry and raised his hands, reluctance evident in every line of his body. They started to circle again when the electronic trill of a cell phone echoed off the high ceilings of the gym.
Ethan hurried to his phone and frowned when he realized it was Derek’s phone ringing and not Toni calling him back. He looked up, saw his brother staring at him with a raised eyebrow, and knew Derek could read his disappointment and the reason for it. His face got hot. What was the fucking world coming to when Ethan Taggart was reduced to waiting by the phone like some teenage girl by a computer nerd who happened to have the best tits he’d ever had the pleasure to suck?
Ethan forced his mind from Toni’s rack to his brother’s side of the conversation. “Really? When? You’re certain? That shouldn’t be possible. Someone good. No, I’ll handle it. Thanks for calling.”
Derek flipped his phone closed. “That was Alex calling from the office. I think I know why your girlfriend hasn’t called you back.”
Ethan didn’t bother protesting Derek’s word choice. He shot him a hard look and nodded for him to continue.