Brenda Jackson Read online

  “Even after ten years?”

  “Yes. According to the report taken from one of the women, a class reunion party was also going on at the club that night, which means there was probably a lot of picture-taking. Chev is going to track down some of the partygoers to see if he can gather photos. I’ll let you know what we find out.”

  Duan ended the call and flipped off the phone as he reentered the hotel room. He glanced over at Kim. She returned his gaze with troubled eyes. It was obvious something was wrong.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  She shrugged her shoulders. “Yes, I guess. I just finished talking to Mom and she sounded so happy and excited.” She laughed bitterly and a fiery look appeared in her eyes. “It pisses me off that the man that has brought so much joy to her life could end up being a damn murderer.”

  Duan knew how she felt, but he also knew they needed to play the game well with Villarosas, which meant perfecting their acting abilities. “Forget the personal now, Kim. Put a lid on the anger. We need to concentrate on nailing this guy if he’s guilty, and the only way we can do that is to find out everything there is to know. We’ve come this far and the last thing we need is to have my cover blown. Villarosas has to believe he has us snowed, especially you. You can’t in any way let him know you suspect something. The questions you ask him should be the same ones you would ask any man about to marry your mother. And you want to make him feel comfortable in telling you anything you want to know.”

  He reached out and traced the line of her jaw with his fingertips. “Can you do that, Kim? If you can’t, I’ll understand. No questions asked. No explanation required. But a lot is at stake and—”

  “I can do it, Duan,” she said with clear certainty and unwavering confidence. “And I will do it. If he isn’t what Mom thinks he is, then I need to help expose him. We’re not doing this just for my mother. I have to remember the families of those other two women who don’t know if they’re alive somewhere or really dead. I have to do it for them, too.”

  He smiled and cupped her jaw before lowering his mouth down to hers. The moment their lips touched, a fiery heat exploded within his gut and he slid his tongue inside her mouth, tangled with hers, and laved the insides from corner to corner. And when she wrapped her arms around his neck he dropped his hand from her jaw and slid it around her waist.

  Her body melted into his and he could only continue to kiss this woman who affected him like no other. The woman responsible for making him want things he never wanted before. The woman who made it possible for him to consider all the possibilities, but only with her.

  She was one and done. If he could not have her, then he would not have anyone, because he was convinced she was his other half, the one that made him whole. He was letting his emotions come into play and get the best of him, but he couldn’t do anything to stop it.

  Reluctantly, he pulled his mouth away and pressed his forehead against hers. There was so much passion between them. How could that be possible?

  He took a step back. “I was just talking to Landon and he indicated that Chevis is in Orlando following up a possible lead. The report you read indicated that the night before Mandy Villarosas, wife number one, disappeared there was a party at the club—a high-school reunion.”

  Kim nodded. “Yes, I recall reading that in the report.”

  “As with most reunions, there’re always people taking a lot of pictures at random. We’re contacting a few of the attendees to see if someone got a shot of this man—the person Mandy supposedly flirted with that night. The women she went out of town with that weekend think he’s the same man that she was to meet the day she disappeared.”

  Kim frowned. “But if that’s true and there is a possibility there was another man involved, then…”

  She stopped talking, hoping Duan was following her train of thoughts. He was.

  “That means if there was another man involved, then that man could very well be the person behind her disappearance,” Duan replied. “Remember, we’ve never said Villarosas is guilty of any crime, but he is under suspicion.”

  “With the scenario you just presented, I don’t know how he can be a suspect, Duan. What if the man at the club is the same man she went to meet? He would be the main suspect, wouldn’t he?”

  Duan nodded. “Yes and no. There’re still a lot of gray areas. That’s why we’re looking into all the possibilities. Just remember, it wasn’t the first case that roused Landon’s suspicions because he never worked that one. It was the second case and now we have access to both. And we’re going to proceed as if Edward is innocent until proven guilty, or at least until we can establish a motive.”

  “And if Mom insists on marrying him before then?”

  “Then we’ll level with her and tell her our suspicions.

  But as I told you, chances are she might not want to believe that he’s capable of harming anyone. And you need to apprise me of everyone your mother might be inviting to the breakfast this morning so there won’t be any surprises. I don’t want to be caught off guard about anything. You can school me on the drive over.”

  “Okay.”

  “And remember, no matter what, we’re a team.”

  She smiled. “I’ll remember.”

  Duan glanced at the clock on the wall. “Ready to take a shower?” he asked, heading in the direction of the bathroom.

  “You go ahead, I need to call the hospital and check on someone who came through E.R. Thursday, a little boy who’d gotten bitten by a poisonous snake. They were flying in the anti-venom and I want to see how he’s doing.”

  “Okay.” He turned to enter the bathroom and then stopped to look back at her. As if he needed to taste her again, he walked over and pulled her into his arms, covering her mouth with his.

  Unlike the one earlier, this kiss was unexpected, spontaneous, and sensations immediately flooded Kim’s body. The breath she’d been about to take was reduced to a shudder. His tongue was making a quick but thorough study of her mouth and the tip of his finger was making erotic circles on her back. She needed this. She wanted this. And he was giving it to her in perfect measure, using his tongue to stroke her into tranquility, to give her the peace and calm she needed at that moment.

  Reluctantly, he pulled back and released her. He held her gaze for a moment, and then without saying a single word he crossed the room to the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

  11

  “SO, HOW DID YOU AND Kim meet?”

  Duan smiled down at Aunt Gert, who appeared to be in her early sixties. Kim had warned him that her aunt would ask a lot of questions. And she was right.

  Breakfast had become a Saturday-morning brunch outside on the terrace. Wynona and Aunt Gert had done most of the cooking, and Duan had to agree the women were great cooks. He couldn’t help noticing that Edward had avoided him most of the morning, but was in Kim’s face every chance he got.

  “Kim and I met when her best friend Sherri, whom I’m sure you know, became engaged to my brother Terrence,” he answered truthfully.

  “So, was it love at first sight?” Aunt Gert asked with a hopeful look on her face.

  He was inclined to agree with her on that. “Let’s just say there were a lot of things about Kim that drew me to her. Things I definitely liked and admired.” He took a sip of iced tea. Kim had said her Aunt Gert was a die-hard romantic and she was right. The woman was really taking this all in.

  He glanced across the room at Kim. She was talk ing to a man she had introduced earlier as her mother’s neighbor, Benjamin Sanders, whom she fondly called Mr. Bennie.

  Duan suddenly realized just how true the statement was that he’d made to Aunt Gert. There had been a number of things he’d liked about Kim right off the bat. Her looks headed the list, of course. But it didn’t take long to discover that she was a very intelligent woman who had a profound sense of caring for others, and he hadn’t been surprised to learn she was a nurse. Another thing he liked about her was her spunk.r />
  “Well, I’m just glad she finally got serious about a man. For a while, I was concerned about her.”

  “Concerned?” he asked.

  “Yes, concerned.”

  Duan chuckled at the elderly woman’s words. “You were concerned that she hadn’t gotten serious about a man?”

  “Yes, after all, she’s twenty-seven.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “In today’s society, if a woman her age doesn’t have a man, people start to think things,” Aunt Gert said.

  “Is that why you sent her résumé to that television show—because you were concerned whether she even liked men?” he asked incredulously, having caught on to what Aunt Gert was insinuating.

  She met his gaze. “Yes.”

  At that moment he would have thought unkindly of the woman if he hadn’t seen all the love she felt for Kim radiating in her face. “Trust me, no one has to wonder about Kim. She’s all the woman any man would ever want or need.” And he knew all the way to the base of his groin that statement was true.

  The woman’s face lit up in a smile. “I’m glad to hear it. And I like that ring you’ve put on her finger. It looks just like it belongs there.”

  Duan couldn’t help but smile himself. “Yes, I think so, as well. So rest assured, Aunt Gert. My woman is doing just fine.”

  He took a slow sip of his lemonade. My woman. His thoughts floated back to that morning. She had indeed been his woman. He hadn’t expected her to join him in the shower, but once she’d found out the little boy was recovering from the snake bite, she had. Together they had given the word steam a whole new meaning. One that made sensations stir from his chest to his groin just thinking about it.

  His gaze sought Kim out across the room. Someone had placed a baby in her arms, one of her cousins’ babies, he assumed. She looked like a natural holding it, and then he recalled that she’d told him she wanted children one day, but didn’t intend to marry. He continued to look at her and doubted if his own mother had ever had such a look on her face while holding him, Terrence or Olivia.

  “Well, I’ve consumed enough of your time, Duan. Wynona is hoping that everyone will hang around for dinner because she’s fixing a feast. I’ll go see if she needs help with anything in the kitchen.”

  When she walked off, he felt someone looking at him and met Edward Villarosas’s gaze. He was standing with a group of men but his attention was on Duan. Deciding the man had avoided him long enough that day, Duan crossed the room when the men Edward had been talking to walked off.

  “So, Edward, how are things going?” Duan asked.

  Edward smoothed his hand over his bald head. “Fine.

  I see that you’re fitting in rather nicely.”

  Duan chuckled. “I’m trying to. Tell me,” he said, meeting Edward’s gaze, “was it easy for you?”

  “To do what?”

  “Fit in.”

  “Oh, sure. Wynona has nice relatives.” Edward hesitated a moment then said, “So, you were a cop in Atlanta. I lived in Atlanta for a while. For ten years.”

  Duan widened his eyes as if he were surprised by the statement. “That’s a long time. Why did you leave?”

  Edward shrugged. “After my divorces there was nothing there for me anymore. I wanted a fresh start so I moved here.” After taking a sip of his lemonade he asked, “How long were you a cop?”

  “Seven years,” Duan said.

  “Were you always on the beat?” Edward asked.

  Duan shook his head. “No, I made detective after my second year. After doing detective work for a number of years, I decided to get my own private investigative firm. I’m proud to say I’m doing well with it.”

  “That’s good to hear.”

  “What about you? What did you do for a living while in Atlanta?”

  “I was a mechanic for a long time and had my own shop, mostly working on antique cars.”

  “Really?” Duan said, as if he hadn’t known that fact. “What was the name of it?”

  “Villarosas Auto Shop. It was located in College Park.”

  The man glanced around the room. “Excuse me, Duan, but I need to go see Wynona for a second.” Duan watched him head outside to the patio.

  “How are things going?”

  He glanced up and saw that Kim had approached. “Okay. What about with you?”

  “Edward is asking a lot of questions.”

  “About what?”

  “You. And I hope I gave him all the right answers.”

  Duan frowned. “What sort of questions?”

  “Questions I’d assume a father would ask when his daughter brought a guy to the house for their first date. How long were you a cop? Are you a detective, and if so, how long? Where did you live in Atlanta and for how long? Those sorts of questions.”

  Duan nodded. “And what did you tell him?”

  “What we agreed that I would.”

  “Good. I might add you to my P.I. firm yet,” he teased, leaning toward her and placing a kiss on her lips. Anyone looking at them would assume they were sharing a loving moment.

  She chuckled. “No, thank you. I’ll stick to the medical field. Anyway, I think I surprised him when I finally told him that considering he was going to marry my mom, the two of you should get to know each other. And that if he wanted to know anything else about you, he needed to ask you himself.”

  Duan smiled. “He did, but I’m sure more questions are coming later.”

  He placed his arm around her shoulder and tried to downplay the tingle he felt in his gut from touching her. No matter where she’d been in the room all morning, he’d been aware of her.

  “How did things go with you and Aunt Gert?” she asked.

  “I think she likes me.”

  “HOW WAS THE REST of your day with Edward?” Duan asked. “I couldn’t help noticing a few times he had you stuck in a corner all to himself.” It was later that evening and they were heading back toward the hotel, momentarily stuck in traffic as a train passed.

  Kim glanced over and gave him a faint smile. Everyone had hung around for dinner and afterward several people played a game of cards. Duan was right. Edward had participated in one or two games, but most of the time he’d cornered her. She wasn’t surprised Duan had noticed. In fact, she had picked up on him watching her a lot that day. And knowing his gaze was on her had given her sensuous shivers. The thought that he had that effect on her no longer came as a surprise.

  “Yes, I did everything you’d suggested and kept him talking. He didn’t say a lot about his marriages, but he did tell me he didn’t have any kids and that was his one regret in life. So, he’s looking forward to becoming my stepfather.” She sighed. “That’s basically it. And he did talk about how happy he plans on making Mom. So, what did you find out?”

  “Not a whole lot. He likes playing golf and going fishing. He suggested we do both while I’m here. Of course I didn’t turn down the opportunity to spend more time with him. I also got him to talk about his past life in Atlanta. But other than telling me about the auto mechanic shop he used to own in College Park, he was rather tight-lipped.”

  “That doesn’t tell us a lot, does it?” Kim asked.

  “No. However, as days go on—”

  “But that’s just it, Duan. Instead of spending time getting to know the man my mother is marrying for the right reasons, I’m questioning him for all the wrong ones, only because—”

  “I know what you’re about to say, Kim, and I understand. But—”

  “Does there have to be a but, Duan?”

  “In this case, yes. Now tell me about your mom’s neighbor.”

  She glanced over at him in surprise. “Who? Mr. Bennie?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why would you want to know anything about him?”

  “He seems to like your mom.”

  Kim rolled her eyes. “Of course he likes Mom. They’ve lived next door to each other for years and have known each other even longer. They attended sc
hool together. The house Mom is living in now used to be my grandparents’ house and the house Mr. Bennie lives in used to be his parents’ house, so he and Mom were neighbors growing up. He’s a few years older than she is.”

  She shifted a little in her seat to look at Duan. “When his mother died, Mr. Bennie and his wife and only daughter moved back to Shreveport to take care of his father. But his dad only lived a year after that. And around eight years ago, Mr. Bennie’s wife, Ms. Diana, died of breast cancer.”

  Duan nodded, thinking the house Mr. Bennie was living in had experienced a lot of sadness. “Where’s his daughter?”

  “Valerie, who is a year older than I am, left for college in New Jersey and met a guy there. Now they’re married with a little girl. I get to see them when I come home for Christmas. She usually comes and spends the holidays with Mr. Bennie like I do with Mom every year.”

  “He’s never remarried?”

  “No, he never remarried. I like Mr. Bennie. He’s a really nice man who helps Mom out a lot with the yard and by doing odds and ends around the house.”

  Kim didn’t say anything for a moment, then asked, “Why do you think he likes Mom that way?”

  Duan smiled. “There are little things I notice, things I can now recognize as signs. Trust me when I say they went past me with my own father. And they went past Terrence, as well. Olivia pointed them out to us and made us aware that Cathy, our dad’s secretary, had been in love with him for years. We thought Libby was crazy until she told us to pay more attention, so we did. At first we didn’t pick up on anything, but then we noticed the looks Cathy would give Dad when he wasn’t looking and how she would do anything for him.”

  “And you saw Mr. Bennie looking at Mom when he thought she wasn’t looking?”

  “Yes. And then there’s the way his face lights up whenever she walks into a room. Trust me. I’d say he’s definitely smitten. And sometimes people have a tendency not to notice someone who’s always there, even if that person’s the best thing for them.”

  At that moment, Duan’s cell phone went off. Luckily they were still stalled in traffic, so he lifted his hip to pull the phone from his belt clip.