Dominic watched her for several agonizing moments before nodding. A smile spread across his face. “That’s cool with me, too.”
Excitement popped like cork out of a champagne bottle, bubbling inside her and creating a happy, light-headed feeling as if she’d had a glass or two. She hadn’t been eager about starting a new relationship in a long while. She’d missed the feeling. The anticipation of learning even more about Dominic as they grew closer. The glimmer of wonder and hope that this relationship could end up being the relationship. The one where she finally felt comfortable, secure and on an even playing field.
“Since that’s settled,” she said with a grin, “how about we go find Zoe and finish up this job?”
Happiness reflected in Dominic’s eyes. “Lead the way.”
They left the hotel room and ventured downstairs. The lobby had been busy the night before, but it was nearly overflowing this following morning. Men and women wearing lanyards attached to name tags that bore the conference logo milled about along with the regular hotel guests.
“How are we going to single her out in this crowd?” Dominic asked as his gaze scanned the lobby.
“Easy,” Jeanette said. “She’s over there manning the registration desk.” She pointed to the registration table.
Dominic looked that way, and his brows rose before he glanced at her. “Did you know that’s where she would be?”
“I did.”
“Now we just have to wait for things to slow down so we can talk to her.”
Jeanette shook her head. “I think we should lay low until the end of the conference. Watch her for a few days. Get a feel of her schedule and then talk to her.”
Dominic frowned. “You’ve already checked her out. I’d rather find out up front what her plans are right now. Make sure she isn’t going to do anything once Byron announces his campaign.”
“I’m telling you she’s not going to do anything. I can read people and she’s not one for blackmail.”
“Not that I don’t trust your instincts, but when Byron Robidoux asks me what I think, I’d like to say something other than my girlfriend thinks she’s cool.”
Jeanette bit her lower lip and grinned. The flurry of people in the lobby had nothing on the flurry of hopeful emotions whisking through her midsection. Dominic continued to watch her with his brows drawn together. Had he even realized he’d used the big G-word?
“Girlfriend?” she asked.
He blinked a few times. Surprise, shock, embarrassment and finally unsureness all flew across his face. “What?”
Jeanette hooked her fingers into the pockets of her skirt and leaned back on her heels. “You said your girlfriend’s intuition.”
He tugged on the collar of his shirt. “I thought we agreed...”
She placed a hand on his arm and squeezed. “Calm down. We did agree. I just didn’t think that I’d be so happy to hear someone say I was his girlfriend. I think I’m going to really like dating you.”
Relief and happiness reflected in his dark eyes. “Good, because I know I’m going to really like dating you, too.”
* * *
DOMINIC CONVINCED JEANETTE to wait until the conference sessions started and for things to settle down to talk to Zoe.
The lobby wasn’t as full, and Zoe was alone at the registration desk when Dominic and Jeanette approached. Though he’d been reminded not so long ago that relying on the look of a person was a good way to be taken for a fool, he had to agree with Jeanette. Zoe didn’t give off the vibe of someone who was capable of blackmail.
And your ex didn’t seem the type to steal from you and sell client information to the media either.
The thought raised his guard. No matter how he felt about Jeanette or what his intuition said about Zoe, he couldn’t approach this situation with preconceived notions.
Zoe smiled at them as they approached the desk. She was stunning with smooth dark brown skin, bright eyes and full lips. So this was the woman Byron Robidoux still carried a torch for. He knew that because he’d heard it in Byron’s voice. The mixture of wistfulness and longing. Zoe was the one who’d gotten away. That was why he didn’t want to believe she would betray him. Why Dominic hoped he wouldn’t have to go back to Byron with bad news.
“Good morning. Do you need to sign in?” Zoe asked.
Dominic shook his head. “No, actually we’re here to talk to you. Do you have a few minutes?”
Zoe frowned and looked from him to Jeanette. “Is this about the conference?”
“It’s about something else,” Jeanette said.
Dominic met Zoe’s eyes. “Byron Robidoux.”
He watched her response. Her eyes widened. Surprise and confusion clouding her gaze. She brought a hand to her neck. “Byron? Is he okay?”
The concern in her voice surprised Dominic. He’d expected wariness or suspicion. Maybe even guilt if she’d already started talking to someone about her past with him.
“He’s okay,” Jeanette said. “But he did ask us to track you down for him.”
Her neat brows drew together. “Why? I left so that I wouldn’t be a problem for him anymore.”
Now, that was bit of unexpected news. Dominic held back his reply when someone from the conference walked up behind the registration desk.
Jeanette glanced at the other person then back at Zoe. “Is there somewhere we can talk?”
Zoe nodded. “Give me a few minutes to finish up and I’ll meet you in the restaurant. Will that work?”
“It will,” Jeanette answered.
Ten minutes later they were seated at a back corner table with coffee in front of them. Zoe sat on the edge of her seat. One hand clutched her coffee mug; the other was balled into a fist in her lap.
“Now will you tell me what’s going on with Byron? Why would he look for me? I did what I was supposed to do.” Worry and confusion were etched across her delicate features. She kept her voice calm and professional, but her shoulders and back were stiff and tense.
“What you were supposed to do?” Dominic asked.
“Before I tell you anything else, how about you tell me why you’re here and what you want?” Steel hardened her voice.
Dominic respected that. She was smart not to offer too much information before knowing what they wanted.
“Byron told me about his past with you,” Dominic explained. “That you were seeing a guy who didn’t know how to keep his hands to himself, how he’d agreed to say he was the child’s father and was willing to marry you.”
Zoe glanced nervously around the room. “Okay, that’s enough. I don’t need everyone to hear.”
“Is it a secret?” he asked.
Her tongue darted across her bottom lip. “It’s something I don’t like to bring up. What happened in the past needs to stay in the past. That’s best for everyone. When you start stirring things up, that’s when things go wrong.”
“That’s why we’re here,” Dominic said. “Byron is running for office. He needs to know if his name is on your daughter’s birth certificate. He also needs to know if you plan to make that fact known when the election starts.”
Zoe’s eyes widened. “No. I’m not going to bring that up.”
“Is his name on the birth certificate?” Jeanette asked quietly. They knew the answer already, but Dominic was glad she’d asked. Would Zoe lie or tell the truth?
Zoe took a sip of her coffee. She gave a quick stiff shake of her head. “I didn’t list anyone. Byron would have had to agree to the paternity. Byron saved my life by saying what he did. There’s no way I would repay him by using what he did for anything other than a way to keep my child’s father away from her.”
Dominic’s opinion of Zoe rose with her admission. Jeanette’s gut instinct had been right about her. “If you wanted to ensure your ex stayed away, why didn’t you marry him?” he asked.
“He was willing. He would have protected you.”
Her shoulders relaxed. A small, wistful smile lifted the corners of her mouth. “I know Byron would have. He’s great like that, but his mom was right. She told me that if we got married it would ruin both of our lives. That I would give up any chance I had to find love and Byron would, too, because of the obligation to protect us. She asked me to go away and cut all contact, so that’s what I did.” She leaned forward and met his eyes. “Please tell Byron that I only used his name when talking to Kendell, but no one knows the truth other than my daughter. I don’t talk about him or his family to anyone. I don’t want to draw any attention to us, and being in the middle of his campaign would draw too much attention. All that will do is bring Kendell back into the picture and he’ll cause more problems for Byron than I will. He gets out of jail in eighteen months.”
“How do you know that?” Jeanette asked.
“If someone threatened your life, wouldn’t you keep up with that person’s movements? I’ve got a good life with no connection to my past mistakes. I can never repay Byron for what he did to make this possible or for the life he offered me. If he’s worried about me saying or doing anything to mess up his chances, then tell him not to. I’ll do anything to repay Byron for what he did for me. Please tell him that. I owe Byron my life.”
CHAPTER NINE
JEANETTE MADE A quick run down the strip to pick up snacks for the road while Dominic answered calls and emails. They’d talked to Zoe more and Jeanette had just stopped herself from saying “I told you so” when he’d admitted she was right. He, too, believed Zoe wasn’t a threat to Byron Robidoux or his campaign. She’d just needed Byron’s name to keep her abusive ex-boyfriend away and it had worked. Her fear of her ex seeking her out after his release was real, and Jeanette hoped the decade that had passed was enough to keep her safe.
She entered the hotel and couldn’t ignore the pang of regret that they were leaving already. She was enjoying the time alone with Dominic. What would happen when they returned? Would they really be able to make things work out once they left the beach and lives went back to normal? She hoped with everything in her they could.
Her eyes scanned the lobby on her way to the elevator. She spotted a familiar face sitting in one of the lounge chairs, pretending to read a magazine, and froze. Unease swept through her midsection. What the hell was he doing there? Her gaze followed his line of sight right to the registration table where Zoe talked to a group and packed up information.
Jeanette’s spine stiffened with resolve as she altered her route from the elevator to the man. She stopped right in front of him and crossed her arms. “What are you doing here, Carlton?”
Carlton’s beady black eyes widened as he looked up at her. Surprise and frustration flickered across his face. His tongue darted out across his thin lips before he stood.
“Jeanette, I didn’t expect to see you here.” His tone implied he would rather have met the devil than her.
Good. Because if he was here to cause problems for Zoe, Jeanette might be sending him straight to hell.
“Likewise. Why don’t you tell me why you’re here?”
“I’m working a case.” He glanced over her shoulder. “I was asked to track someone down and I’ve done that.”
“If that someone is standing over by the registration table, then let me save you a lot of future trouble. Say you couldn’t find her and move on.”
Interest sparked in his shifty eyes. “Oh, really? Why would I do that?”
“Because you’re a spineless weasel who doesn’t like to get in the middle of a fight. I know you only care about money and not about doing what’s right.”
“This isn’t making me change my mind.” He rubbed his hands together. “My client wants her location real bad.”
Jeanette grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him to a corner of the lobby opposite Zoe. She wasn’t about to barter over this where they could be easily overheard. “Whatever you’re being paid to find her, I’ll double it if you say you didn’t. And you can give yourself a bonus if you lead the person who hired you in a different direction.”
The Robidoux family hadn’t agreed to any sum, but from what Dominic told her about the case she was sure Byron would be willing to pay whatever was required to keep Zoe off other people’s radars. Jeanette didn’t need to guess who was looking for her. Byron Robidoux would have only trusted Dominic to find her. Which meant someone else was looking for Zoe, and with less than two years before a release date, Jeanette would bet money Zoe’s ex-boyfriend was involved.
As expected, the interest in Carlton’s eyes was outshone by greed. “Double, huh? Who hired you?”
She shook her head. “Doesn’t matter. You know I’m a woman of my word. I can deliver.”
He scratched his thin, patchy beard and eyed her. “How do I know today isn’t the day you decided to go dishonest on me?”
With an eye roll, Jeanette dropped the bag of snacks she had in her hand. She reached into her back pocket and pulled out the wallet she’d shoved there. “Consider this a down payment.” She pulled eight hundred dollars out and shoved them into Carlton’s greedy hands.
Carlton shook his head and chuckled after counting the money. “Eight hundred automatically with no other strings attached. Okay, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt.” Carlton folded the bills and slid them into his pocket. “You’ve got one week to get the rest of the money to me. Otherwise, our deal is off.”
“Don’t worry. You’ll get it.” She hoped Dominic and Byron trusted her decision.
Carlton’s eyes narrowed. “I hear you’re in the market for a partner. Look me up when you finish this job.” He brought two fingers to his brow in a mock salute. “Nice doing business with you.”
His shoulder brushed hers as he walked around her. She scoffed her annoyance and picked up the bag. She’d rather give up her firm than partner with someone like Carlton. Carlton was a greedy little weasel, but when it came to money he was on the up-and-up. She turned around and her gaze collided with Dominic’s angry expression.
“Who the hell was that?” He pointed in the direction Carlton had gone.
The anger in his voice took her aback. “Nobody but—”
“That nobody is Carlton Powell. He’s the most dishonest private investigator out there,” Dominic broke in before she could finish her sentence. “He sells information to the media. Information he’s been asked to seek out for his clients.”
“How do you know that?” She knew Carlton was a jerk, but she’d never heard of him double-crossing his own clients.
“Because he’s the one my ex worked with to ruin my case. He mentioned a partnership. Are you working with him? Is that why you wanted to come down here? So you can get the scoop on the Robidoux family and call them out before they make their plans?”
Jeanette staggered back. If he would have slapped her, she would have been less surprised. His accusation swirled around her head, clouding her thoughts in a haze of disbelief and pain. He’d lost his mind. How could he accuse her of working with Carlton of all people? The truth she didn’t want to acknowledge hurt worse than the idea of a hit.
How could he believe she would go behind his back like that? The memory of the haunted look in his eyes as he talked about his ex-girlfriend entered her brain. The truth of things was as plain as the nose on her face.
He’ll never trust you. He’ll always compare you to her.
She pushed the heartache of that thought aside. She couldn’t focus on that right now. She focused on the anger. “How can you even think that about me?”
“Because you’re out here exchanging money with a snake,” he said through clenched teeth. The anger in his voice matched her own, but it was the suspicion in his eyes that tore her heart into pieces. He really thought she’d do that to him? All of her hopes and dreams about what they might have be
en vanished.
“Yeah, money to keep him from causing more problems for you and the Robidoux family. Someone hired him to find Zoe, as well.”
Dominic’s head jerked back. “What?”
“He won’t say who, but I’ve got a hunch it’s the angry ex-boyfriend. I know Carlton is a sketchy son of a bitch, so I told him my client would pay double for him to say he couldn’t find her and even more to lead them off the case. That was eight hundred of my own dollars I gave him to keep quiet and buy us time until he decides how much it’ll cost for him to remain quiet.”
Dominic’s eyes closed. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “You paid him your own money?”
His voice was calm. She couldn’t tell if he thought she was quick-thinking or stupid. Either way, it didn’t matter. His thoughts on her didn’t mean a thing if he could believe she’d do something like that to him. “Yeah, because I don’t want your case to get fucked up, and because I like Zoe. I’ve seen what an abusive relationship can do to a person, and I don’t want her to end up back in that spot. So you can take your distrustful nature and your accusations and shove them up your ass.”
His head jerked up. His eyes widened. His shoulders fell and he opened his mouth. She pushed past him and headed for the elevator. She didn’t need to hear whatever bullshit apology he tried to give her this late. The accusation never should have come in the first place. Her heart broke with the realization that no matter how much she wanted to love Dominic he would never be able to trust her.
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