The Ultimate Romance Box (6 Bestselling Romance Novels)

by Eckhart, Lorhainne

  “That failed obviously,” Dante stated.

  “We also checked Mr. Bairey’s status.” Jay glanced at Alexa and paused. “Dante, you’d better look at this.” He turned his laptop toward Dante and clicked on a file.

  Dante read silently and cursed. “Alexa, there’s no way to tell you this gently, so brace yourself.”

  “What now? I think I can cope with anything after all I’ve been through.” Her fingers grasped the arms of her chair as she leaned forward.

  “This tops it all,” Dante exhaled. “There is a joint account in the names of Mr. Steve Bairey and Mrs. Alexa Bairey, and a deposit of two million dollars to that account from Ms. Alexa Partson’s personal account. The deposit was made at 10 am in the morning, on the same day Bairey died.”

  “No way.” Alexa lurched out of her chair and circled the desk to look at the file. “How on earth could he have done this?”

  “When I explained to the bank manager there was an investigation going on because of the suspicious death of Bairey, he said Bairey had told him that he and Alexa were getting married tonight.”

  “What?” Alexa’s hand flew to her chest.

  “The manager showed me a copy of a check supposedly signed by you, Alexa. I asked for a copy. Apparently, a detective called Ladd had already talked to him and requested the original. Here is the copy,” Jay handed Dante a sheet of paper with the copy of a check.

  He studied it and handed it to Alexa. “It looks like your signature. But I could be wrong. Look at it carefully, Alexa. Is it yours?” Dante asked, hoping she’d notice something fishy and deny it.

  Her hand shook as she took the paper and stared at it. “I can’t believe it. I never signed anything like that. And yet, it’s my signature.” She threw the paper on the desk and dropped into her chair. Her forehead lowered in her open palms.

  “Maybe it’s forged,” Jay suggested. “Detective Ladd sent the original to a handwriting analysis expert. He’ll probably contact you soon.”

  “I’m sure, he will.” Alexa’s defeated tone broke Dante’s heart.

  ****

  After Jay and Juan left his office, Dante brought her coffee and sandwiches for lunch. “Alexa, we’ll get you out of this mess.” His warm palm engulfed her cold fingers.

  She nodded, more to reassure him than out of conviction. “Why is every clue pointing at me? Why?” Straightening, she squeezed Dante’s hand to get his full attention. “Think with me, Dante. How could Steve claim I was getting married to him that same evening? How? Was he going to kidnap me? Force me to marry him? And then what?”

  “I don’t think he could have forced you,” Dante exclaimed.

  “Maybe he thought he could, because for years, I was vulnerable, an easy target. Maybe he counted on me being unable to defend myself if he’d tried to abduct me.”

  “You may have given him that impression, but you certainly haven’t acted like a weak person.”

  Grabbing the cup of coffee, she gulped half of it, trying to clear her thoughts. “So, it wasn’t love, or even lust, on Steve’s part as I first believed. The bastard was after my money. But how was he planning to get away with all his machinations? Just by going to Atlanta as he claimed?” After setting her cup on the desk, she waved away the plate of sandwiches Dante offered. “Thanks. I’m not hungry.” She didn’t need Dante to dote on her now. She wanted the truth exposed, explained. “What is the truth?” With a tight fist, she banged on the arm of her chair.

  “Alexa, the first time Detective Ladd interrogated you about Steve, you reported that he came to your apartment to discuss the building assessment.”

  “Yes.” Shame warmed her face. “Why are you bringing up that horrible experience?”

  “Because you mentioned you woke up, half-naked, with Steve next to you—”

  “Stop. Don’t remind me of that awful night.” She covered her face with her hands, trying to erase the memory.

  Dante pulled her fingers away. “On the contrary, I want you to try to remember and tell me every detail that pops into your mind.”

  Stunned, she peered at him.

  His intense gaze didn’t flinch. “You told us you couldn’t remember much. Why? How many drinks did you have?”

  “Maybe two.”

  “We’ve had more than two drinks in the last few days. Yet you vividly remembered our lovemaking the next morning.”

  “Please, Dante.” She waved her hand, unable to take more.

  “Alexa, don’t you see? You probably were drugged that night.”

  She’d often wondered why she couldn’t explain how she’d let Steve share her bed or why she hadn’t fought him. “I thought about that possibility. That’s why I dumped the drink he brought me on his last visit.”

  “Close your eyes, and focus.” Dante gently stroked her cheek.

  She took a deep breath, rested her head on the back of the chair, and remembered. “He knocked on the door. I kept it ajar to prevent him from entering. He said he had papers about the assessment. He wanted me to read them and sign them. It was urgent. The bank needed them and he was visiting all the owners in residence. I let him in. And I sat on the sofa to read them.” She glanced at Dante.

  “You’re doing well. Keep on. I’m taking notes.” He typed on his iPhone. “Did he have a drink?”

  “Yes. He poured us each an Amaretto from my bar.”

  “Ah, same liquor he drank the day he drowned. It’s a strong one, with a bitter taste that could mask the bitterness of a drug.”

  “He brought me a glass. I automatically drank while reading. Oh God. Now I remember this. Things were so fuzzy in my mind. He said, ‘Now you have to sign it’. I said I was tired and would finish reading tomorrow, sign it, and bring it to him. He insisted he needed the assessment paper right away, and said, ‘Sign it now’.”

  “Do you remember signing it?”

  “I think I did sign a paper. I can’t remember exactly what or where I signed.” Her breath lumped in her throat. “So that’s what I signed. A two-million dollar check. I think I’m going to be sick.”

  “No, you’re not. You’re a strong woman, Alexa. Focus again. Close your eyes and tell me what you see.”

  The images jumbled in her mind.

  Teased by eager fingertips, her nipples peaked and her body writhed, jolting Alexa out of a dreamless slumber while her brain struggled to remember her latest amorous encounter.

  Not for months. Or years. Since Greg had moved out, she hadn’t let a man touch her. Then why were her breasts…

  With considerable effort she lifted her eyelids, tried to focus, and glared as her eyes opened wide. “What the hell…” Jerking back, she pulled the sheet over her chest and threw a fist at the smirk adorning Steve Bairey’s relaxed face. “You bastard.”

  His smile faded to be replaced by an angry scowl. Steve patted his mouth. “Hey, is that your thank you for a night of incredible sex?”

  “You dirty scum. Get out of my bed. Get out of my apartment, or I’ll call the police.”

  Steve collected his clothes. “Call whoever you want to witness our glorious rampage.” His sarcastic tone poked through her fogged mind. “Thank you, sweetheart. I won’t bother you again. Don’t make a big deal out of it. We were both drunk and can’t remember how we ended up in bed.”

  Wrapping a robe around her, she dashed to lock the door behind him. Anger and disgust churned in her mind. Damn the scum bag. She checked the bed sheets and her clothes for any proof that he might have raped her, or even penetrated her during her slumber. None was evident. She wasn’t sore and was still wearing her undies, and she couldn’t remember sleeping in his arms. So what had exactly happened between them?

  Exhausted from the effort, Alexa rubbed her forehead. Silence enveloped them. Had she lost Dante after her confession?

  “I’m sorry, my darling. I’m so sorry you had to go through that.” Dante squatted in front of her chair, and brought her hands to his lips. “I’ll make you forget his dirty touch.”


  No blame or accusations. No condescending tone. She let out a sigh of relief. Losing Dante’s support now would be unbearable. “Thank you.” She leaned into him. Her forehead resting against his chin, she drew comfort and a boost of energy from his support. “Do you think whatever he made me sign, was a check?”

  “I’m sure he probably substituted the assessment paper with a blank check once he decided you were groggy enough not to notice the difference.”

  “But what had he drugged me with?”

  “Who knows? Maybe Valium from your prescription jar?”

  “Only three pills were missing. Not enough to drug me, and then adulterate the drinks on the day he died.”

  “You have a point here. But we’ll let Detective Ladd figure that out. At least, we know how he got the check with your signature and why he planned to go to Atlanta or who knows where.”

  “Do you think I...I let him...” She couldn’t complete her sentence. “Maybe all he wanted was the check. Maybe he secured it away, and then came back to lie next to me and distract me by staging a sex scenario.”

  “It’s very possible. You need to relax now. Discovering Greg’s hidden camera and a two-million dollar check’s existence in the same day is more than one person can digest. Let’s go to the beach.”

  “I’d rather go home and check my computer to see if there are recordings from the camera unit.” She grabbed the straps of her purse from the back of her chair while Dante collected the papers on his desk into a folder, and shoved them into a drawer.

  Dante’s cell rang. “It’s Detective Ladd.”

  “Cantari speaking...” He said in the phone. “Yes, she’s with me... Now?... Give us an hour to grab lunch.” He scowled and shut his phone. “Unfortunately, he absolutely needs to talk to us now. I have the feeling it’s about the check. And maybe about the recording too.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Sitting on the stone ledge separating the sidewalk from the sand at Las Olas by the Beach, Alexa enjoyed a delicious crab sandwich and a cold Coke. Dante had insisted they were entitled to a break and a lunch. Multicolored umbrellas dotted the four-mile beach. Children played in the shade, others ran or hopped along the burning expanse of sand to reach the ocean, while young mothers clad in bikinis lay on towels to soak the sun and gain a fashionable tan.

  Alexa wished she could join them. She’d missed the beach and hadn’t been strolling on the sand or swimming since the day she was attacked. Her foot swung impatiently, kicking the sand with nervous strikes. For how long would she have to give up her favorite hobbies because of a vicious predator?

  Jet Skis rumbled, drawing white lines in the azure of the ocean as they crisscrossed in front of them. Longing stirred in her heart. “Dante, have you ever driven a Jet Ski?”

  He smiled. “Never, but it shouldn’t be difficult, if all these teenagers can do it. We’ll rent one next weekend.”

  Next weekend? She counted on her fingers. “I’ve been in this mess for less than a week. And yet it seems like ages.”

  Dante squeezed her hand. “It’ll be over soon.”

  She snorted. “I don’t see how. Things are getting more complicated every day. Every hour, a new deception pops up.”

  “Have faith, as my nonna often tells me.”

  She smiled. It was so refreshing to see such a confident man quote his grandmother as the ultimate source of wisdom. “I wish I could meet her.”

  “You will. As soon as we have some free time. She and my sister have already asked me to bring you over.”

  Spinning her head toward him, she frowned. “Have you talked to them?”

  “No yet. But when I was in Palermo, I mentioned I met a lovely young woman. Nonna made me promise I’ll introduce you to her.”

  “Oh dear, you talked about me to your family when you were away? I thought you forgot me.” She had that urge to throw her arms around his neck and kiss him, regardless of the crowd bustling around them.

  “You see what I mean. You should have more faith in me.”

  “Hmm.” Joy bubbled in her chest. Yes, she’d trust him completely from now on, not only about solving her recent problems, but...

  Oh God, could he have special feelings for her?

  A Jet Ski roared not too far away. She closed her eyes, imagining herself sitting on the speeding toy, within Dante’s close embrace, waves splashing all over them. Yes, that would be lovely. A sigh escaped her and she melted at the sentimental vision lingering in her mind.

  “If you’re done with your lunch, let’s go meet the detective.” Dante urged her up, slamming her daydreaming. She marshaled her thoughts into order. So much for sentimentality.

  They strode back to his car and drove home. As they approached the Blue Waves building, the peaceful images of Las Olas evaporated, replaced by new worries.

  What would Ladd say about the check she’d signed? Would he believe her explanations?

  The detective marched toward them as soon as they entered the lobby. “Can we meet in Ms. Alexa’s apartment? I have a few things to check.”

  Already guessing which things he was talking about, she didn’t ask questions. During the ride in the elevator, Ladd studied her from under half-closed lids. Lifting her chin, she smoothed her hair in the mirror and ignored him.

  “Alexa, do you remember the security code?” Dante pressed his hand to the small of her back. “You have one minute,” he reminded her.

  “Yes.” She turned her key, opened the door, and immediately entered the numbers on the small box affixed on the wall to deactivate the alarm.

  Detective Ladd studied the security box and nodded. “Good, good.”

  They settled in the living room. “What’s new?” Dante crossed his arms, and she waited for the detective to lay out his new findings.

  “Do you recognize this, Ms. Alexa?” He showed her a copy of the infamous check and activated his recorder.

  “I saw it this morning for the first time.”

  He scowled. Dante narrated their visit to his office, the discovery of the check, and some of the facts Alexa remembered from her encounter with Steve.

  Detective Ladd asked her to repeat them for him. Omitting the obscene details, she summarized her reminiscences.

  “I hope this clears Alexa completely,” Dante concluded on her behalf.

  The detective scratched his head, his gaze flicking from Dante to her. “How long have you two been dating?”

  “I took her out for dinner twice before I left for Sicily.”

  “And since you returned you haven’t left her side?” Ladd arched a sarcastic brow.

  “Exactly. I lent her my support to stand against a killer who’s still on the loose. And I offered her comfort when you insisted on treating her like a criminal rather than a victim.”

  “I never...” Ladd stopped short, and turned to Alexa. “I’m sorry if that’s the impression I gave you. I’m just doing my job. Ms. Alexa, I know you think you already answered this question, but one more time for the record. Has Steve ever asked you to lend him or give him money?”

  “Never.”

  “He just asked you to marry him.”

  “Yes.”

  “Did Dante Cantari ask you to marry him?”

  “Oh God.” She flinched, air stuck in her throat like a lead ball. “No,” she whispered.

  “You don’t have the right to ask such a personal question,” Dante retorted, his temper flaring.

  Unperturbed the detective pinned him with a caustic look. “Would you kill for her, Mr. Cantari?”

  Dante spun his head toward Alexa and captured her beautiful eyes, so green, so limpid. Yes, he could kill the bastard who had hurt her so much. “I’m her lawyer and friend. I can help her without killing anyone, and I hope we can both count on the police to guard our backs and arrest the perpetrators.”

  “I see,” Ladd said, as if he’d reached his own conclusion.

  “There are others who may have more reasons to kill.” Dante had h
ad it with the detective’s wrong assumptions.

  “That’s what I plan to find out.”

  “How about Greg and his morbid jealousy?”

  “Can we call him here?”

  While Alexa reached for her phone, Ladd walked to the bar and lifted his gaze to the lamp hiding the secret camera.

  “He’ll be here right away,” she said as she walked to open her door.

  A moment later, Greg walked in. “Good afternoon, everyone.” In long pants and printed button down shirt, he looked the part of an executive on vacation. “Can I help anyone with a drink?” His back straight, his chin tilted arrogantly, he acted the lord of the house and went to the bar to pour himself a Scotch.

  “Thank you, sir. I just have some questions,” Ladd answered patiently.

  Greg lowered his tall frame into the white leather chair he always favored. “Shoot.” He sipped his drink as if he had all the time of the world.

  “Do you still love your ex-wife?”

  Greg sputtered and bellowed, “What kind of a question is that? Of course, I love her dearly, and I promised her father I’d take care of her.”

  Both Dante and Alexa exhaled at the same time. They’d heard it almost a hundred times.

  “You hated Steve because he wanted to date and marry your ex-wife. Would—”

  “He harassed her.”

  “Did you kill him?”

  “Nonsense. I just warned him that I would report him to the police for harassment. I had to protect her,” he repeated with more strength.

  “Is that why you installed a camera in her living room?

  Greg shrugged. “Oh you found it? I’ve almost forgotten about it.”

  “You jerk. You spied on me. When did you have it installed?” Arms crossed, Alexa bit her lips, her narrowed eyes never wavering from her ex-husband.

  “Long time ago, sweetheart. When you asked me for a divorce, I remembered your mother’s affair and the ensuing problems.”

  Alexa lurched forward, her finger pointing at him. “Leave my mother out of this.”

  “I had to know if there was a bastard in the background trying to manipulate you and steal your inheritance. When I realized I had no reasons to doubt you, I agreed to the divorce. I only wanted your happiness. Even if that meant crushing my own heart.”