His Stolen Bride (Chicago Sons)

by Barbara Dunlop

  “Consider it accepted.”

  She watched him with obvious suspicion. “Tell Mac.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Yes.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I was illegally recorded, and I want the record set straight.”

  Jackson struggled not to laugh. “Sure.” He fished his phone out of his pocket, pressing the speed dial and putting it on hands-free. He dropped it on the seat between them.

  “What’s up?” came Mac’s answer over the small speaker.

  “Crista wants me to set the record straight.”

  “What record?” asked Mac.

  “She’s not going to sleep with me.”

  There was a silence. “Uh, okay.” Mac paused. When he spoke again, Jackson detected a trace of laughter. “Why not?”

  “Because I barely know him,” said Crista.

  “He’s a great guy,” said Mac. “And I hear he’s a good lover.”

  “From who?” asked Crista without missing a beat.

  Jackson caught her gaze and mouthed the word really?

  “Was it Melanie?” she asked, obviously thinking she’d turned the tables on him.

  “He told you about Melanie?”

  Jackson scooped up the phone and switched it to his ear. “That’s enough about me.”

  Mac chuckled.

  “Chicken,” said Crista.

  “We’re not taking her home,” Jackson said to Mac.

  “Her being me?” asked Crista.

  “Where to?” asked Mac.

  “The office, for a start.”

  “Your office?” asked Crista.

  “You want to look at the other thing?” asked Mac.

  “That’s right,” Jackson said to Mac. “My office,” he said to Crista.

  “I should go home,” she said. “This is over, and I’m tired of running. I’m pretty sure he got the message.”

  “He tried to physically restrain you.”

  “That was for her, right?” asked Mac.

  “So did you,” Crista pointed out.

  Jackson didn’t have an argument for that. He could also understand why Crista would think it was perfectly safe for her to go home. As far as she was concerned, she’d just broken up with a cheating fiancé. She didn’t know about the diamond mine, so she didn’t realize Gerhard and his family might have millions, possibly tens of millions of reasons to drag her back.

  “I’m driving,” he pointed out.

  The car was going wherever he steered it. She could like it or not.

  She crossed her arms and gave a huff. “If I’m going to your office, then Ellie’s coming, too.”

  It didn’t seem necessary, but he had no particular objection.

  “She’s my chaperone,” Crista continued. “I don’t want there to be gossip about you and me.”

  “You’re obsessing,” he said.

  “Tell them,” said Crista.

  “Crista wants Ellie to come with us.”

  Mac’s voice went muffled. “You want to stick with us?” He paused. “She’s in,” he said to Jackson. “I’ve got a couple stops to make. But we’ll meet you there.”

  It took thirty minutes to arrive at Rush Investigations. The offices were housed in a converted warehouse a few blocks off the river. It wasn’t the swankiest address, but the brick building was solid, and it gave them the space they needed to store vehicles and equipment.

  They drove into the fenced compound and then accessed the garage area with the automatic door opener, parking the SUV in one of a dozen marked spots along the back wall. There was a customer entrance on the main floor of the attached four-story office tower. It was nicely decorated with comfortable seating, coffee service and a receptionist. But Jackson rarely went through there.

  “Wow,” said Crista as she stepped out of the vehicle onto the concrete floor. She craned her neck to look up at the open twenty-foot ceiling, where steel beams crossed fluorescent lighting, and her voice echoed in the mostly empty space. “This is huge.”

  Work benches stretched along two of the walls, while the east end was given over to shelving and a small electronics shop. An orange corrugated-metal staircase led from the shelving area to the second floor of the office tower.

  “There are times we need the room,” he said. “But most of the vehicles are out right now. This way.” He gestured to the staircase.

  “Just how big is your company?” she asked as they walked.

  “It’s grown since I started it.”

  “Grown from what to what?”

  “To somewhere around three hundred people.”

  “There’s that much going on in Chicago that needs investigating?”

  He couldn’t help a grin. “They’re not all investigators. But, yes, there’s easily that much going on. We also have offices in Boston, New York and Philly.”

  She stopped walking and turned to look at him, eyes narrowing, her forehead furrowing. “I know I keep asking this, but what exactly are you doing?”

  “A lot of missing-persons cases,” he answered. “Security and protection. Infidelity’s always a big one. And then there’s the corporate—”

  “I mean with me. What are you doing with me?”

  He knew he had to tell her about the mine eventually. But he didn’t want her to bolt. He knew she’d be gone like a shot if she had any inkling her father was involved.

  “For the moment,” he said, meeting her eyes and telling the truth, “I’m trying to give you some time and distance to consider your options.”

  “I did. And I just took an option. I broke it off.”

  “You have other options. Life options. Like what you do next?”

  “Why do you care?”

  “Because I’ve spent most of the last three days with you.”

  She was clearly growing exasperated with his talking in circles. “Which leads me right back to why. Who sent you? Why did you even come looking for me in the first place?”

  “Somebody asked me a question about Vern. I got curious. And then, I guess, I just kept wading deeper and deeper.”

  “I’m not your concern.”

  He found himself moving closer, lowering his voice, increasing the intimacy of the conversation. “I spend quite a lot of time wading around in things that don’t concern me.”

  She shook her head at what she clearly thought was his foolishness. “You normally get paid to do that.”

  He gave a shrug. “There’s getting paid, and there’s getting paid.”

  “One more time, Jackson, I’m not going to sleep with you.” She couldn’t quite keep a poker face.

  He took one of her hands in his and stepped closer still. “You sure?”

  She didn’t answer.

  He brushed his lips gently against hers. “You sure?”

  “Not really. I’m not sure of anything anymore.”

  “You can be sure of this.”

  He kissed her.

  She instantly responded, and he wrapped her tight in his arms, slanting his lips and deepening the kiss.

  She molded against him, her softness perfect against the planes of his body. Desire rushed through him, and he gave it free rein.

  They’d stop in a moment. Of course they would stop. But for now nothing in the world mattered except the sweetness of Crista’s lips, the scent of her hair, and the feel of her hand in his.

  Something banged in the reaches of the warehouse.

  He silently cursed. Then he ended the kiss, drawing away and smoothing the pad of his thumb over her cheek.

  “We have got to get alone at some point,” he said.

  “I’m so confused.” Her green eyes were clouded and slightly unfocused.

  �
�I’m not.”

  “This isn’t simple.”

  He understood that it wasn’t simple for her. It was perfectly simple for him. He desired her, and she definitely seemed attracted to him. It was pretty straightforward and a very nice starting point.

  “We don’t have to figure it out right away,” he said.

  She gave her head a small shake. “I’m not about to start dating anyone.”

  He didn’t see why not, but he didn’t want to pressure her. “Okay.”

  “I’m going to work out my life.”

  “Where do you want to start?” He’d be happy to help.

  “Cristal Creations. I need to start with the company.”

  “How so?” He knew she had three locations around Chicago. From what he understood, they were doing well.

  “They’re my jewelry designs, and I manage the stores. But I don’t actually own them.”

  Jackson wasn’t happy to hear that. “Gerhard owns them,” he guessed.

  “It’s what made sense at the time. The family already owned the shopping malls where we opened.”

  “So he got his hooks into your business.” Jackson shook his head with disgust.

  “It was only fair,” said Crista. “He paid for it all. I wouldn’t even have a business without Vern. He backed my designs when no one else would. Did you see the episode of Investors Unlimited?”

  “Investors Unlimited?”

  “It’s a TV show. The kind where you pitch an idea and the rich people on the panel can offer to invest. I was on it a year ago.”

  “You pitched your jewelry designs to Vern?”

  “Not to Vern. He wasn’t on the show. Nobody there was interested. But after it aired, Vern watched it and contacted me.”

  “He made you an offer?”

  “That’s how we met.”

  The timing was right, and Jackson knew the information could be significant. The show might be a catalyst for the whole scam.

  His needed to find out who knew what about Crista and when.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Crista and Ellie were alone in a big, comfortable room that Jackson had called the lounge. On the fourth floor of the Rush Investigations building, it had banks of windows on two sides, soft chairs and sofa groupings scattered around, along with a kitchen area stocked with snacks and drinks. Easy-listening music filled the background from speakers recessed in the ceiling. It was night and day from the utilitarian warehouse area.

  After helping themselves to sodas, they’d settled into a quiet corner with a curved sofa and a low table. Crista had kicked off her sandals and raked her hair into a quick ponytail.

  It felt like a long time since she’d been home, and she was struggling for normalcy. Bouncing from place to place with a man she barely knew, desiring him, kissing him, all the while wishing she could tear off his clothes, was not a long-term plan. She needed to get herself organized. She needed to get her life in order and back on track.

  “I need to find a lawyer,” she said to Ellie, zeroing in on a logical first step.

  “At least you don’t have to divorce Vern.” Ellie fished a throw pillow from behind her back and tossed it to the end of the sofa, wriggling into the deep, soft cushions. “Is there something in your prenup about walking away? Wait, you didn’t marry him. The prenup won’t count.”

  “We didn’t have a prenup.”

  The statement obviously took Ellie by surprise. “Seriously?”

  Crista took a drink as she nodded. The cola cooled her throat, making her realize she was incredibly thirsty.

  “But he’s a superwealthy guy,” said Ellie.

  Crista was acutely aware of Vern’s wealth. “I thought it was a show of faith. I was really quite honored.”

  “That’s really quite weird.”

  “I know. Now, I have to wonder if he wanted to avoid the subject of infidelity.”

  “He knew your lawyer would advise a big settlement if he messed around on you. If he’d said no, you’d have been suspicious. But if he’d said yes, you’d have made a fortune.”

  “Assuming he ever got caught,” said Crista.

  “Maybe you should have married him without a prenup and then divorced him. You could have cleaned up.”

  “I’m not that devious.” Crista wouldn’t have even wanted that windfall.

  “It would have served him right.”

  “The thing I’m worried about is Cristal Creations.” Crista needed a lawyer to sort out the company. She wanted out from under Gerhard Incorporated as quickly as possible.

  “It’s yours,” said Ellie. “He can’t touch it since you never got married. But, hey, if he wants to split it, then he can split his business interests with you, too.”

  “The jewelry designs are all that I own,” said Crista. “The stores are his. Well, his family’s, anyway.”

  “The Gerhards own your stores?”

  “They own the shopping malls the stores are inside. I need to get my designs out of there. I’d rather start from scratch than have to work with his family.”

  “You should definitely call a lawyer.”

  Crista gave a mock toast of agreement with her soft drink bottle. “Now that it’s actually over, I realize how much of my life is wrapped up in Vern. How does that happen in only a year?”

  Before Ellie could respond, Crista’s mind galloped ahead. “I had six bridesmaids. Only one of them, you, was my friend. Five of them were from Vern’s family.”

  “He does have a very big family.”

  “And I don’t have any family at all. But five out of six? You’d think I’d have more friends.”

  “You do have more friends.”

  It was true. Crista did have other friends, some that she’d have loved to have as her bridesmaids. But Vern, and particularly his mother, Delores, had been insistent on including their family in the wedding party. Crista couldn’t help but wonder if she’d made a mistake by giving in so easily.

  “Good thing you had me,” said Ellie.

  “Good thing I still have you. All the people I socialize with now seem to be his friends, or his family—mostly his family.”

  Ellie frowned. “Count me out of that list.”

  “I know.”

  “I’m not his friend. I think he’s a jerk.”

  “I wish you’d said something sooner.”

  “No, you don’t.”

  Crista reconsidered her words. “You’re right. I don’t. I wouldn’t have believed you.”

  “And I wasn’t sure. I could have been wrong. He could have been a perfectly nice guy.”

  “Not so much.” Crista took another drink. She was hungry, too. When was the last time she’d eaten?

  She glanced at her watch.

  “It’s nearly three,” said Ellie.

  “I’m starving. Are you hungry?”

  Ellie’s glance went to the kitchen area. “We can probably grab a snack. This is quite the place.”

  “Isn’t it?” Crista took another look around. The room was fresh, clean, with sleek styling and designer touches.

  Ellie leaned closer and lowered her voice. “I get more and more curious about those two guys.”

  “Why are we whispering?”

  “I think this place is probably bugged.”

  “Your secret agent phone?” It suddenly occurred to Crista that they might still be broadcasting.

  “It’s turned off now, but this is all very cloak-and-dagger.”

  “Very,” Crista agreed, glancing around for surveillance cameras. “They seem frighteningly good at it.”

  “Do you think we can trust them?”

  “Part of me wants to say no, but they’ve done nothing but help me so far.”

 
“They came out of nowhere.”

  “True,” said Crista. “But whatever this is, Jackson isn’t in it for himself. He’s been a gentleman. He didn’t take advantage, even when I—” Crista stopped herself.

  Ellie sat up straight. “Even when you what?”

  Crista wasn’t sure why she was hesitating. She was an adult, and Vern was now completely out of the picture. “When I kissed him back.”

  Ellie’s brow rose. “Back? So he kissed you first?”

  “Yes.” It was silly not to have told Ellie. Keeping it a secret made it seem like more than it was. And it was nothing. “Yes, he did.”

  “When? Where? How?”

  “On the boat. And in the hotel. And, well, in the warehouse, too.” Crista didn’t think she needed to add that it was on the mouth.

  “It was mutual?” Ellie seemed rather energized by the news.

  “It was very mutual. He’s a really sexy guy.”

  “Good to hear,” Jackson drawled from the doorway.

  Ellie looked his way, her eyes crinkling with amusement. Crista felt her face heat.

  “Don’t let that go to your head,” she warned him.

  “I’ll try my best.” His footsteps sounded on the floor.

  She forcibly shook off her embarrassment and turned to face him. “You shouldn’t eavesdrop.”

  His mocha eyes glowed with amusement. “Occupational hazard.”

  “That’s no excuse.”

  “I wasn’t making an excuse.” He sauntered farther into the room, followed closely by Mac.

  She refused to stay embarrassed. If Jackson didn’t already know she was attracted to him, well, he hadn’t been paying attention. And he’d probably long since bragged to Mac about what had happened between them. Crista was going to hold her head high.

  “I’ve got to get home,” she said, coming to her feet. “Or to work. I should probably go into work and start figuring out the future.”

  “You’d planned to be away for three weeks on your honeymoon,” said Ellie, rising herself. “Surely you can take a few days off.”

  “You can’t go home,” said Jackson.

  “Come to my place,” said Ellie.

  “That’s the second place he’ll look,” said Mac.