Bowie: The Sinner Saints #5

by Adrienne Bell

  “Who’s Rhys?” James asked.

  “Think of him as a human lie detector,” Sara said.

  “Wonderful,” James said. “I look forward to working with you.”

  He extended his hand to Charlie again. She took it, ready to shake, but this time he lifted her fingers up to his lips, brushing a light kiss on the outside of her knuckles. Charlie blushed straight down to the marrow of her bones.

  “Um, not a good idea,” Sara said in a little voice, wrapping her hand around James’ arm and forcibly tugging it away. “We should go. Now.”

  Sara turned James toward the door, but Bowie had moved and now blocked it. The frown that had been on his face a moment ago had morphed into a full-on scowl.

  “Excuse us,” James said.

  Bowie didn’t budge. His stare was fixed firmly on James.

  “Bowie,” Charlie said. “Come on. Please. Not now.”

  “I don’t care if Sara vouches for you,” he growled over her. “I don’t care if Rhys says you’re telling the truth. I don’t trust you.”

  “Noted.”

  “And if you ever touch her again,” Bowie said slowly, his voice filled with deadly promise, “I will rip your limbs off one by one.”

  Charlie’s mouth hung open. She couldn’t speak. Hell, she couldn’t even breathe. What the hell had brought this on?

  A second later she rushed over to the men’s side, just in time to catch the understanding smile that spread over James’ face.

  “Ah,” he said, stretching out the sound. “So, you’re…I see…”

  What? What did he see?

  “What is it about this place that all the extraordinary women are taken?” James asked. “I can see why you’re so protective. She’s magnificent. But I promise you, I have no intention of stealing her away.”

  Was he talking about her? Did he think she and Bowie were…

  Oh, God. The last thing she needed was another misunderstanding after last night’s disaster.

  “Oh, we’re not together,” Charlie rushed in to explain. “Bowie just always looks out for me. He’s a friend. A very good friend.”

  She wrapped her hands around Bowie’s arm and tried to physically pull him away from the door. Of course, it didn’t work. Every muscle in his body was flexed and tensed…and she wasn’t about to tell the room how the feel of his hard body gave her the warm sizzles all the way down to her toes.

  Another beat of tense silence filled the room before Bowie finally yielded to her touch and stepped aside.

  James inclined his head. “You sure about that, love?”

  Chapter Seven

  “It’s almost six.”

  Charlie started at Bowie’s voice. She blinked a couple of times before rubbing her tired eyes. Dear God. It was already six. That meant she’d been staring at her computer screen for hours now. Staring…and not getting anywhere.

  She’d practically run back to her desk the moment James had left her office. She’d sat her butt down, pulled her keyboard close, and got to work. And it hadn’t done a bit of good. She was still no closer to figuring out who this James guy really was.

  Charlie let out a long sigh as she finally opened her eyes. It looked like that was a question she wouldn’t be answering today. Which was a shame, because right now it was her only distraction from the actual troubles in her life.

  One of which was looming in her doorway.

  “Hey,” she said, leaning back in her chair to stretch out her cramped back. “I haven’t seen you in a while.”

  Not since James had guessed they were lovers. Bowie had disappeared pretty quick after that.

  “I’ve been lending Mason a hand with some logistics,” he said too quickly.

  “Of course,” Charlie muttered. While she didn’t doubt for a second that that’s where he’d been, she didn’t believe that Mason had actually needed his help. She didn’t blame him for finding busy work away from her. She probably wasn’t the only one who’d needed a distraction from the awkwardness.

  A beat of silence passed through the room. Bowie was the first to break it.

  “We should leave now if we want to make your brother’s dinner,” he said.

  She dismissed the idea with a wave of her hand. “Don’t worry about that. I know my mother made it sound like she’d be disappointed if we weren’t there, but, trust me, everyone else will be relieved.”

  “I wasn’t thinking about your mother,” he said. “I was concerned with Bishop.”

  Charlie’s brows pulled together. “Why would he care if we went to dinner?”

  “Maybe he wouldn’t.” Bowie stepped into her office. He moved far past his usual post and all the way over to the coat rack by her window. He grabbed her jacket and draped it over his arm. “But he’ll notice if we stay in this office all day and night.”

  He wouldn’t just notice. He’d know something was up.

  “You’re afraid he might figure out that we’re on to him if we don’t show up,” she said.

  He shrugged. “I don’t think it’s a risk we can take.”

  Charlie sighed as she stood up from her chair. As much as she hated to admit it, Bowie was right.

  “You know he might not even be at the dinner,” she said. “It was supposed to be family only.”

  “He’ll be there,” Bowie said.

  “How can you be sure?” she asked, sliding her jacket off his arm then slinging it over her shoulders.

  “Because I’d be there if I were him.”

  “Okay.” Charlie nodded but didn’t head for the door. She couldn’t. Not yet. Not while there was still a dark gray cloud hovering over them. “We cool?”

  His lips flattened into a hard, straight line. “Yeah.”

  “No, seriously.” Charlie lifted her hand to the center of his chest to keep him from walking away. She knew he didn’t want to talk about anything that had happened between them in the last twenty-four hours. God knew, she didn’t either, but it was getting harder and harder to ignore that something had changed. Something profound. And she was beginning to worry that once this was all over their friendship would never be the same.

  “Everything’s fine.” His voice was even, but his eyes were focused on a spot far in the distance over her shoulder.

  Charlie let out another sigh. This wasn’t getting any easier. Maybe, it would be better if she just confronted it head-on.

  “Listen,” she said. “I know that this whole thing is a pain in the ass. I know that you don’t trust this James guy, and that dealing with my family is no kind of fun. I know that you would rather spend your nights anywhere but with me.”

  His gaze reluctantly slid back to hers. “That’s not true.”

  “It’s fine,” she said, patting the spot in the center of his chest before pulling her hand away. “The point is you’re important to me, Bowie. I need you to know that I would never intentionally do anything to drive a wedge between us.”

  Like throw my arms around your neck and kiss you senseless when I’m tipsy. Or throw myself all over you so that a total stranger thinks we’re lovers. Or any other dozens of slip-ups my emotions have forced over the years.

  His brows pulled down hard over his nose as if he didn’t understand exactly what she was saying.

  “How important?” he asked.

  “Excuse me?”

  “You said I was important to you,” he said. “How important?”

  “Let me put it this way,” she said. “You’re one of the few people in the world that I trust…and not just with my life.”

  “What else do you trust me with?”

  “Well…” An embarrassed grin spread across her face. “Let’s just say that I’m not worried that you’re the only one in this office who knows how much eyeliner I used to wear in high school.”

  A brief smile flickered across his face. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

  “I know,” she said. “Now, you’re sure there’s no way we can get out of going to this dinner?”
<
br />   “None at all,” Bowie said with a shake of his head.

  “Then let’s get it over with.”

  She hooked her arm around his and let him lead her out of the office. Charlie was surprised when he didn’t take the elevator all the way down to the garage, but got out on the ground floor.

  “We’re not taking your car?”

  “I don’t like the idea of it being parked out on the street for so long with Bishop’s men around,” he said, pushing open the door and heading out onto the sidewalk.

  Charlie’s eyes widened. “You don’t think they’d plant a bomb in it, do you?”

  “More likely a tracking device,” he said, walking over to a cab parked at the corner. He held the door open for her.

  “Thanks,” she said and gave the driver the name of the restaurant.

  “You sure, lady?” the driver asked, looking at her and Bowie in his rearview mirror.

  “Yeah, I’m sure,” she said with a sigh.

  “All right then,” he said before pulling away from the curb.

  Charlie didn’t take any offense. She knew what the driver’s eye roll meant. The Barons had to be the stuffiest damn restaurant in the city, and neither she nor Bowie were dressed for it. Not even close.

  Hell, she probably looked like a train wreck in her wrinkled outfit from yesterday. At least Bowie had a fresh shirt and jeans on. She’d never laugh at him for keeping a spare set of clothes in his office again.

  The cabbie couldn’t have been too concerned that they wouldn’t pass muster at The Barons since he peeled away the moment they paid him. Charlie shrugged and headed toward the covered entrance. Bowie pulled open the heavy oak door.

  Charlie felt every head turn the moment she stepped inside…just like they always did. At least this time she had Bowie with her. That made her feel better.

  Better than she wanted to admit.

  This was her parents’ favorite restaurant. Her grandparents’ before them. But to say that she’d never fit in here was an understatement.

  She pasted on her best smile as she walked toward the podium. A new guy was stationed there. Someone Charlie had never seen before. His mouth pulled down into a harsh frown as she neared.

  “Excuse me, miss,” he started, his voice tight as though his cheeks were lined with lemon peels. “This is a private establishment.”

  “Oh, I’m aware,” she said, nodding. “We’re with the Keswick party.”

  The man arched a single brow. “Is that so?”

  “It is,” Bowie said behind her.

  The new guy paled a little as he craned his neck to look Bowie in the eye. For a brief second, Charlie actually felt a little sorry for him. He was just trying to do his job after all…whatever that was.

  Charlie spotted a familiar waiter and gave a wave. Her polite smile must have been slipping because the man rushed over to save her.

  “How wonderful to see you again, Miss Keswick,” he said, leading them past the podium. “Your family is waiting for you in one of the private dining rooms.”

  “I take it you’ve been here before,” Bowie said as they walked across the floor of the restaurant.

  “More than a couple of times,” she said. “See the bar over there? That’s where I learned to shake a killer martini when I was ten.”

  “They let you mix drinks when you were a kid?”

  “What else were they going to do with me?” Charlie shrugged. “Besides, Alex the bartender was the coolest guy in the place. He let me eat all the cherries I could stuff in my cheeks.”

  “That is cool,” Bowie said with a hint of laughter.

  A moment later, the waiter opened the door to the private dining room for them. Her mother looked up from the table instantly. Trevor too.

  Damn it. Bowie had been right again.

  And, of course, the only empty seats were directly across from his. Charlie cursed to herself as she realized she’d be stuck staring him in the eye all evening long. There was no way around it. She was just going to have to find a way to keep her nerves under control.

  “You’re late,” her mother said. “And obviously not because you stopped for a change of clothes.”

  “Sorry about that. We were held up at work,” Charlie said. She was about to sit down, but hesitated when she realized that Bowie was pulling out her chair. Their gazes met. “Thank you.”

  “My pleasure,” he said. There was something about the way his voice lingered on those words. Charlie felt a rush of heat run through her.

  When she finally did sit down, she noticed that everyone was staring at her. Once again, her mother was the one to break the silence.

  “This morning you said you only had to go in for a few minutes.”

  “That’s what I was hoping,” Charlie said, picking up the menu on her plate. “But we got caught up in something.”

  “Anything interesting?” Trevor asked.

  She shook her head and reached out for the glass in front of her. She took a long drink, but the cold water didn’t do much to calm her down.

  “Not particularly,” she answered.

  Charlie’s hand trembled a little when Trevor’s eyes narrowed a touch. The ice clinked against the side of the crystal as she put the glass back down on the table.

  Smooth, Keswick, she thought to herself. If he didn’t think something was suspicious before, he certainly does now.

  “Charlie wasn’t the one working today,” Bowie said to the table in general. “I was. She was keeping me company.”

  “And what are you working on?” Trevor asked a little too casually.

  “Gentlemen, please,” her mother was quick to interrupt. “I think we all had enough of your work conversations last night. This evening is about Henry and Eloise. We owe it to them to keep the conversation light.”

  For once, Charlie couldn’t agree with her mother more. But even more importantly, Trevor was forced to nod as well.

  “Of course,” Trevor said, giving a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. His gaze stayed steady on her, and for a moment Charlie actually feared that those soulless eyes could see right through her.

  But that was ridiculous. There was no way he could know that she and Bowie knew the truth about poor Daniel Cooper and his wife. And as long as she kept her cool, he never would.

  Of course, that was easier said than done. She tried to reach for her water glass again but stopped halfway when her hand started to shake uncontrollably. She quickly thrust it back in her lap and wrapped her fingers around the edges of her napkin.

  “So,” Charlie said, turning her head suddenly toward her brother’s fiancée. “What have you and Henry been up to all day?”

  She breathed a sigh of relief as everyone’s attention turned to someone else.

  “Well, we met with the florist and the photographer this morning,” Eloise started.

  “It was a riveting three hours,” Henry said, his voice thick with sarcasm, but Charlie couldn’t help but smile. She knew her brother didn’t care about frilly details, but it was sweet to know he was enduring the torture for his bride.

  Charlie’s heart warmed even more the moment her future sister-in-law turned to Henry. The smile that broke out on her face was wide and true.

  “But the best part of the day was the little surprise Henry had planned for the afternoon,” she said.

  “What surprise?” Charlie asked.

  Eloise didn’t take her eyes off Henry. “He took me to the cafe where we first met for coffee two years ago.” Her cheeks were starting to light up. She was practically beaming. “He even remembered what I’d ordered.”

  Charlie’s smile widened. It was obvious Eloise and Henry were very much in love. She hadn’t realized before how much she wanted her brother to be happy. Really happy. The kind of happy that she wanted for herself…and was slowly beginning to believe that she was never going to get.

  “That’s so romantic,” she said.

  Eloise turned toward her. Her eyes flickered between
Charlie and Bowie.

  “And what about you two?” she asked.

  Charlie pulled herself back up, her spine straightening. “What about us?”

  “Where was your first date?” she asked.

  Oh, God.

  She quickly waved her hand, trying to dismiss the question. “We work together, so, you know, we went out a thousand times. We never had a real first date,” she said. “Things just kind of happened. Isn’t that right, Bowie?”

  Charlie shot a glance Bowie’s way but he wasn’t even looking at her. It seemed that he’d developed a sudden interest in a picture on the far wall.

  Eloise scooted closer to the table. It looked like no one was going to let her off easy.

  “Sure,” she said. “But there had to be a moment when you first realized that you were falling for each other.”

  “A first kiss, maybe?” her brother said, with his usual helpfulness.

  Charlie shot him a glare—the kind that only a kid sister can really perfect. “Yeah, but I don’t really want to talk about kissing in front of mom and dad.”

  “Oh, don’t pretend modesty on my account, darling,” her mother said. “After all, it’s just a kiss.”

  Yes. A kiss.

  A kiss that never happened.

  Sure. She could do this.

  Charlie searched through her memories, trying to remember the first time that she’d really begun to hope that there might be something more than just friendship between her and Bowie. After all, the best lies were built on a bed of truth, right?

  “All right,” she started. “But I have to warn you, it’s not as romantic as a latte and a croissant on a foggy morning.”

  ***

  “We were in an underground parking garage in Sacramento.”

  Bowie’s ears pricked up at Charlie’s words. He turned his head and found her looking up and to the left. She was remembering something…something real. He went stock still as he listened to her talk.

  “I had spent the whole day decoding files for the Fuller case. I’d finally cracked them, and I needed to get them to our boss who was staying at the hotel,” she said. “It was late and Bowie was the only one still working. He insisted on driving me.”