by Carmen Green
Meeting Chris Foster again was harder than she thought it would be. He looked nothing like Marc, for which she was grateful. She didn’t know if she could go through with her plan if he’d remotely resembled his brother.
She could do this, she thought. She would do this. She lifted her head and met his steady gaze. His eyes were the color of pale amber framed by long, black lashes. They reminded her of a panther she’d seen on a television documentary. The panther looked like a lazy cat but later proved that looks could be deceiving. The cat had been a dangerous and deadly predator. She hoped Chris Foster wasn’t.
“I will agree to the terms of your latest offer. If…” She paused and swallowed. Her mouth felt dry and she wished she’d accepted the secretary’s earlier offer to get her something to drink. “If,” she continued, “you will find something Marc took from my family.” Please, God, she prayed. Please let him accept this offer.
“What did Marc take?”
Renee opened the black portfolio in front of her and slid the photograph across the table. She watched as he picked up the picture and studied it. She was surprised by his lack of reaction to the photo. The picture was flawless like the diamonds in the necklace were—flawless and breathtaking.
“Real diamonds?” he asked, then put the picture on the table.
“Of course,” she said. “I had the necklace appraised again for my great-aunt last year. Here are copies of two appraisals,” she said and gave him a folder.
He took the folder and flipped through the pages. His brows drew together in a frown. “Are you sure Marc took it?”
“I’m positive. My great-aunt asked Marc to take it to the jeweler to have it cleaned. I usually do that for her, but this time she asked Marc to do it. The necklace was in a safe-deposit box and Marc’s initials were on the release form. I’ve contacted all the jewelry stores in Birmingham and none of them had the necklace. I’ve looked through all of Marc’s papers and couldn’t find anything about the necklace.”
“If I decide to look for the necklace, what guarantee do I have that you will keep your word?”
“I will have Terrell draft a contract. You haven’t known me for long and you have no reason to trust me. I understand that. But I have no reason to trust you, either. I think a contract clearly stating the terms would be best.” He seemed like a nice enough guy. He’d tried to create order at Marc’s funeral when the three wives learned of each other’s existence. When she saw him again on the Marc III, the yacht Marc purchased with money he’d stolen from Alex, Chris appeared to honestly want to do what was fair for all of them. Still, she had a hard time trusting him, Marc’s brother, without an iron-clad contract. Marc had shown her that it was best not to trust a Foster man.
“What makes you think I can find this necklace and how long has it been missing?”
“The necklace has been gone for about a month. Why do I think you can find the necklace?” She raised her hand, lifted her index finger. “One. From what I’ve heard, you are good at your job. Two. You work for the FBI and you have access to more resources than a private investigator. Three. I think you want to see the last of me and my lawyer. Because if that necklace isn’t returned to my aunt Gert before she finds out it’s missing, I can guarantee you that I will make this process as slow and painful as possible.”
“Are you threatening me?” he asked softly. His pale brown gaze hardened.
Her mouth grew dry like Weiss Lake during last year’s drought. She didn’t want to imagine what he could do to her if he thought she was a threat to him. Marc had been in decent shape, but this man exuded a kind of strength and power that was unmistakable.
“No. I’m not threatening you. I’m just letting you know how important it is for me to get this necklace to Aunt Gert. So do we have a deal?” she asked, hoping she didn’t sound as desperate and afraid as she was. She leaned her arms on the large conference room table and linked her fingers together to keep them from shaking.
He glanced down at the picture of the necklace that he’d laid on the table in front of him. His long, black lashes concealed his gaze and should have made him look feminine, but there was nothing soft about Chris Foster. He slid the photo to the side. “I’ll help you find the necklace.”
“Great,” she said, nearly sighing in relief. “I figured we could start with Marc’s credit cards.”
“We?”
“Yes, we.”
“I thought the deal was for me to find the necklace.”
“I do want you to find it, but I’m not going to sit around doing nothing.”
“What do you know about recovering stolen jewelry?”
“Nothing, but I do know how to find information and how to find it quickly. This will be a joint effort. I expect you to include me and to use my skills as a research librarian. I won’t be left out of the loop on this.”
“I work better alone.”
“Working alone isn’t an option. It’s all or nothing.”
CHAPTER 2
Renee sat with her back straight and her hands resting in her lap. After years of Saturday morning etiquette and decorum classes, she was well aware of the calm and relaxed image she projected. She’d learned two important lessons from all those years of misery in classes where she just didn’t fit in with the other girls: straight and erect posture and what she called her “game” face. Social etiquette didn’t make sense to her. There were too many rules and too many exceptions to the rules. But learning to hide her emotions behind the game face had gotten her through the countless social events her parents forced her to attend. It had helped her hide her pain and saved her pride when her parents left her at school during the holidays. This time it wasn’t just her pride at stake. Chris Foster had to accept her offer. He was her last hope.
She kept her expression calm and serene. But her stomach felt as if she’d swallowed a box of rocks. She needed his help and she hated feeling so dependent on him. If she could have found a private detective willing to find the necklace without telling her aunt Gert, she would have done everything she could to avoid coming in direct contact with Chris Foster again. The man made her nervous. He was too suave, too sexy, too charming.
To be perfectly honest, it wasn’t his charm that made her nervous. It was the fact that Chris Foster was drop-dead gorgeous. Impossibly long, black eyelashes framed his golden-brown eyes. The combination was all the more disturbing now that she had his complete attention. It was as if he was searching for answers in her expression and he had all the time in the world to find them. She wanted to look away and break the connection his look had forged between them. But she couldn’t afford to back away—not if she wanted to find the necklace.
“All right,” he said, breaking the silence in the conference room. “We’ll work together, but under my terms.”
She silently sighed in relief then tilted her head to the side. The relief she felt warred with suspicion. “What terms?” She needed him, but she’d learned from her mistake with Marc to not totally trust the Foster men.
He rested his arms on the table and leaned forward.
Everything in her wanted to draw closer to him. Renee blinked. Startled by her reaction, she drew back and willed her heart rate to return somewhere close to normal. Years ago, she’d helped her friend, Karen Smithstone, gather research for her thesis on sexual chemistry. Until now, Renee had never experienced the strong sexual attraction described in Karen’s paper. This was just great. Why did he have to produce pheromones that made her body ache? She didn’t care how attracted she was to him. The only thing that mattered was getting the necklace back.
“First,” he said, his voice firm, “we’ll work together, but what I say goes. If I feel the situation is too dangerous for you, you’re out and you’re staying out.”
“If you think the situation is dangerous then I’ll let you handle it, but you can forget the other. This is a partnership, not a dictatorship.”
“Dictatorship,” he said and raised his brows. “Call
it whatever you want. You don’t know anything about finding stolen jewelry. Your inexperience could get us both in a tight situation or worse.”
He had a point. “Fine. Teach me what I need to know, but don’t expect me to blindly follow you. This necklace is too important for me to leave it entirely in someone else’s hands.”
“Even if the hands are more capable than yours?”
“If you’re as good as I’ve heard, then there won’t be any reason for you to worry about me. Oh, and another thing, I don’t want Aunt Gert to know the necklace is missing. She’s an old lady and I don’t want Marc’s actions to cause her pain.”
He studied her and silence grew between them. Her stomach tightened with fear. She knew she was pushing her luck with him, but had she gone too far?
“If she gave Marc permission to take the necklace then I’ll need to talk to her.”
“Talk to her all you want, but just don’t let her know the necklace is gone.”
“I won’t say anything to her. For now.”
She felt a tinge of uneasiness. He’d qualified his statement, but she had a feeling that he would balk if she pushed him again. She’d take it because she really didn’t have a choice.
“Then we have a deal.” Renee held out her hand.
He grasped it. Heat seemed to smolder where their hands met. His grip was strong without being too overpowering. Unlike Marc’s hands, which were fairly smooth, his hands were firm and callused. Unwilling desire sparked inside of her. It was a feeling she hadn’t experienced in years. She raised her gaze to his and the heat spread quickly throughout her body. This was crazy, she thought and pulled her hand away. She didn’t know what it was about Chris that made her feel this way, but she couldn’t afford to think of him as anything but the man who was helping her find Aunt Gert’s necklace. As handsome as he was, he was the very last man she should trust.
“Deal,” he said.
It took everything within her not to sag in the chair like a Raggedy Ann doll. She’d been so afraid that he’d refuse to help her and then she’d be forced to admit to Aunt Gert that she’d brought a thief into her life.
“Great. I’ll get Terrell to draw up the contract so that we can get started.” For the first time in weeks, she felt as if she was finally going to get this situation straightened out.
“You don’t have to do that. I give you my word that I’ll look for the necklace.”
“No offense, but your brother has made me question everything people have told me. I’m taking no one’s word for anything. I insist on a contract between us.”
His expression went from relaxed to angry. She’d always considered brown eyes as warm, but icy fury filled his golden-brown eyes. “I’m not Marc, Mrs. Foster.” His voice was sharp and cold. “Send me the contract.” He rose to his feet.
There was no mistaking his anger. “Too bad you’re angry. You’ll have to get over it. This is very important to me and it’s urgent that the necklace is found quickly. I’m not taking any more chances and certainly not with you.”
He looked at her coldly and picked up the photo of the necklace. “I’ll get this back to you.”
“Keep it.” She bit the words off.
He slid the photo into an envelope and walked to the door. He turned toward her. “I’ll be in touch.” He opened the door and started to walk out.
“Not so fast.” She stood and walked around the table. He turned toward her and held open the door.
“I expect you to call me tomorrow.” She raised her chin at his frown and plowed on. “I also expect you to call me whenever you find something new. You’re going to have to work in Birmingham some of the time. I have an excellent computer network in my home. I want you to work there.”
He looked at her as if she’d turned into the Wicked Witch of the West. “I’ll call you. Soon.” His tone was cold, but his gaze even colder. He gave her a curt nod and walked out.
When the door closed, she finally let down her guard and her shoulders slumped under the weight and worry that had gripped her since learning the necklace was gone. She walked slowly to her chair and sat down. She’d gotten what she’d wanted in this meeting. She’d won the battle, but she wasn’t sure she’d win the war if Chris Foster was involved. She leaned back in the chair. Now that he was gone, she realized how tense she’d been. If he made her feel this way in an office, how was she going to feel when he came to her home? Renee tightened her lips. She’d deal with it. Like she’d dealt with every unpleasant thing she’d had to deal with since Marc’s death.
The door opened again and Terrell walked inside. “So do I need to draw up a contract?”
“Yes,” she said and sat up straight.
“Are you sure this is what you want to do?”
She looked at her friend and lawyer. “This is what I have to do. I don’t really have a choice if I want to find the necklace before Aunt Gert finds out it’s gone.”
“You should tell her about Marc. She’ll understand. This isn’t your fault.”
But it was. If she hadn’t married Marc, none of this would have happened. There was no way she was going to tell her what happened. Her great-aunt was the only family who cared for her and she wasn’t about to lose her. She couldn’t bear it if Aunt Gert treated her like her parents treated her. Renee wouldn’t take that chance.
“I brought Marc into her life. I’ve got to make this right.”
“You aren’t responsible for Marc’s actions. He’s responsible.”
She shook her head. “Let’s agree to disagree.”
Terrell raised one side of his mouth. “In other words, shut up and leave you alone.”
Renee shrugged her shoulders and smiled. Terrell understood her. She considered him and his sister, Karen, to be her only friends. But even with them, she never really completely let down her guard to be herself. People never wanted to see the real Renee. They only wanted to see the preconceived image, and that image couldn’t be hurt.
“Hey,” Terrell said. “Dad’s cooking out in two weeks and Mom said to tell you to come over around six and bring Miss Gert.”
“Okay, but I’ll have to check with Aunt Gert. She’s usually busy on the weekends.”
He shook his head. “I thought people slowed down when they got older.”
“Try explaining that to Aunt Gert.”
* * *
Renee called Alex when she arrived home. She’d been so busy contacting the jewelry stores in Birmingham trying to locate the necklace that she hadn’t thought to ask Alex or Danielle if they had it.
Alex was the youngest of the three women Marc had married. Because of her wealth and past party-girl lifestyle, she hadn’t taken Alex seriously when they’d first met. That had changed. She’d learned over the last few weeks that Alex had a generous heart and a fine business mind.
Alex and Chris’s friend, Hunter Smith, had worked together to recover the millions Marc had embezzled from Alex’s family business.
“Renee, I’m so glad you called. I was going to call you and Danielle tonight,” Alex said.
“Well, you can tell us now. Hang on. I’m going to add Danielle.” Danielle owned half of a large shipping company that her brother and his best friend, Tristan Adams, started before her brother’s death in Iraq. She’d been married to Marc the longest and was a former model.
“Hello, everyone,” Danielle said.
“I’m so excited. I’ve got good news,” Alex said.
“Well, tell us,” Renee said, needing some good news today.
“Hunter and I are getting married.”
“That’s wonderful,” Danielle said.
“Congratulations. I’m so glad everything worked out,” Renee said.
She and Danielle could see that Hunter had deep feelings for Alex when they were all on the yacht. They’d encouraged Alex to take a chance and to not let what happened with Marc stop her from finding love with Hunter.
“Oh, thank you. Little Sweetie and I are so happy and I wan
t both of you to come to my wedding,” Alex said.
Renee smiled. Little Sweetie was Alex’s pampered Chihuahua whom she’d brought with her to Marc’s funeral.
“When are you getting married?” Danielle asked.
“We’re having a small ceremony on the yacht in two weeks,” Alex said.
“Two weeks?” Renee asked, surprised.
“I know it’s short notice but there’s no reason to wait,” Alex said.
“I’ll be there,” Danielle said.
“So will I, Alex,” Renee added.
“Oh, good. Having the two of you there will mean a lot to me,” Alex said. “Oh, but, Renee, you called me. What did you want to talk to us about?”
“I wanted to know if Marc gave you diamond jewelry other than your wedding ring,” Renee asked and waited anxiously for their response.
“No,” Danielle said.
“Me, either. Why?” Alex asked.
“I’m trying to find a piece of jewelry and I wondered if Marc had given it to you, but I guess he didn’t,” Renee replied. It had been worth a try.
“I’m sorry,” Alex said. Renee could hear the sadness in her voice.
“Don’t worry about it, Alex. You’ve got a wedding to plan. What do you wear to a wedding on a yacht?” Renee asked. She didn’t want bad news to spoil Alex’s announcement. She would tell them about Aunt Gert’s necklace after the wedding.
They yielded to Danielle, who’d been a fashion model and agreed to wear a nice dress before they ended the call.
Later that evening she’d placed two chocolate cakes on wire racks to cool when her cell phone rang. She wiped her hands on the vintage apron and removed the phone from the pocket of her skirt. She looked at the number on the screen and steadied herself.
“Hi, Aunt Gert. How was your day?” Aunt Gert and five of her friends had hired a van and a driver to take them to the casinos in Mississippi. She’d told her great-aunt that Marc had a younger brother and she was meeting with him about Marc’s estate. It was mostly the truth and would explain the time she’d have to spend with Chris Foster.