Secrets and Lies (Crimson Romance)

by Lacy, Shay

  He spotted Danny immediately. “Big guy” had been an understatement. He was at least six-four with biceps as round as soccer balls.

  Danny spotted him, too, and strode toward him. “Who are you?” It wasn’t a casual question.

  “Chuck. They told me to help you unload.”

  Danny’s green eyes narrowed. “We’re not going to steal anything.”

  Charlie shrugged. “I go where I’m told to go.”

  Danny’s jaw muscles clenched. “Put that cart with the others. And for God’s sake, don’t run it into the columns.”

  Charlie bit back a smile. “Yes, sir.”

  Danny walked away cursing under his breath.

  As Charlie went back and forth to the truck, he studied the layout of the house and grounds. There was the four-leaf clover pool Juliana had described. The property stretched to the ocean, where a small yacht was moored at the dock. He didn’t know if that entrance to the estate was guarded like the front was, not that he planned to wait until nightfall to make an assault from the ocean. No, this wedding frenzy was the perfect cover to get in and out of the grounds. But he needed to get into the house. He was confident the sculpture wasn’t in the pool house.

  He watched for guards as he worked. He’d seen two more patrol the grounds. They could have been mistaken for businessmen in their lightweight suits, except for the slight bulges where they wore their guns and the cold look in their eyes. Charlie knew about guns. It had been part of his P.I. training. He knew how to fire one and practiced regularly with an actor friend, although he’d yet to purchase one of his own. He hadn’t run into a situation where he’d needed to use one.

  When the truck was emptied, Charlie wandered back to his car frustrated. He still hadn’t gotten into the house. Boss man Danny ran a tight ship, and the few times he hadn’t been close by, one of the guards had been patrolling. Charlie had listened to the Paradise Rentals workers, but hadn’t learned much about the wedding. He needed details.

  His shirt, the hair at his temples, and the back of his neck were damp with sweat. As he wiped his face and neck with a towel and gulped down water, another truck and a car full of Paradise Rental workers pulled in. Danny hadn’t said anything about more chairs. In fact, he’d said they had five hundred, which to Charlie meant that was all of them. And they’d unloaded tables, too. What more could be coming?

  He debated helping again as he stood under the relative shade of a palm tree, thankful for the ocean breeze, and sipped the remainder of his water. Other than the grounds layout, where the three sets of back doors were, and the guard patrols, he hadn’t learned anything important in the forty-five minutes he’d been here. Unloading trucks wasn’t his idea of a productive investigation.

  One of the men he’d seen patrol by stopped as the driver pushed up the rollaway door of the truck. “That the tent?”

  “Yep.” The man didn’t even stop to answer. The other men from the car stood waiting.

  The guard turned and walked directly to the house.

  Charlie straightened, all his senses on alert. Something was about to happen, and he needed to be in place when it did. He tossed the towel and empty bottle back in his car and sauntered to the truck. Again he gave them his story about being sent to help, and again they accepted him without question.

  As they unloaded the heavy white tent, two people approached from the house, followed by the patrolling guard. Charlie tried not to stumble as he recognized Dalton Montgomery and his daughter, Haley, from the newspaper articles.

  Dalton was a tall, well-groomed man with stylish brown hair. Haley was a slender twenty-two-year-old blonde who looked like she’d spent the night as Charlie had, and was irritated to be awakened at this hour. Her bee-stung lips told a story of recent use. Her red-and-white halter-top barely restrained her surgically enhanced breasts, and Charlie could see her erect nipples right through the fabric. Her skimpy red shorts should be illegal.

  But he couldn’t help comparing this ho look-alike to Juliana in ho drag. Juliana won in the sex appeal department hands down. Haley just looked like a spoiled brat.

  Speaking of Juliana, Charlie wished she were here now to tell him what she could about Montgomery’s involvement with the sculpture. He didn’t look like a man who’d sent someone to steal it. Then again, he didn’t look like someone entrenched in Miami’s criminal underworld.

  “My daughter will show you where she wants the tent,” Montgomery said to the group.

  “Yes sir, Mr. Montgomery,” the driver replied.

  The group of men took hold of the heavy tent and toted it past the pool onto a wide green lawn. The dew had dried under the hot Miami sun, which explained why the tent delivery had arrived later than the chairs.

  “I want it here.” Haley pointed to the ground at her feet.

  The guard stepped forward and handed the driver a sheet of paper. “Here’s the sprinkler layout so you can avoid puncturing the lines.”

  The driver nodded. “We’ve done this lots of times and no one’s had a problem.”

  Charlie managed to get a spot close to Montgomery and his daughter as the Paradise workers began the arduous task of erecting the tent.

  “The orchestra arrived last night,” Montgomery told his daughter. “They’re settled into the Hilton on the floor below the other guests.”

  Charlie noted the name of the hotel.

  She huffed. “I hope they’re not going to disturb the guests.”

  “I’m sure they won’t.”

  Haley looked longingly toward the house. “I don’t know why you had to get musicians from overseas.”

  “Only the best for you, Haley. It shows other people that we understand quality.” Montgomery dropped his voice so Charlie had to strain to hear as he held onto the tent’s rope, waiting his turn for the rope to be staked to the ground.

  “And that outfit screams tramp. You’re about to be married. I want you to look like a decent young woman.”

  She turned her angry face to him. “There’s nothing wrong with what I’m wearing, Daddy. You’re out of touch with fashion.”

  “I’m not out of touch. I want you to portray a little more chasteness as your wedding approaches. And to that end, I want you to move into a bedroom on the other side of the house . . . alone.”

  “Daddy, that’s ridiculous.”

  “It’s not. It’s only for one night. I don’t want you looking like this on your wedding day.”

  Haley placed her hands on her hips. The pose thrust out her breasts and compromised the halter-top. Her lower lip jutted mulishly. “Like what?”

  “Like you’ve just had sex.”

  Charlie turned away to bite back his laughter. He’d been right. He bet he’d looked like that when he arrived this morning. He wondered how Juliana looked. To his astonishment he began to grow erect picturing her the last time they’d made love . . . less than a handful of hours ago. Her lips, nipples, and the flesh between her legs had been flushed from overuse. But the satisfied look on her face had said she’d loved every minute of his handling. He’d hated leaving her.

  “Careful, man,” the Paradise worker next to him warned in a low voice. “You’re gonna get fired if you keep thinking about that girl like that. She’s the big boss’s daughter, and this tent is for her wedding.”

  The man moved away before Charlie could correct him. But the reminder to keep his mind on business was an effective one. He was in the enemy camp, here to reconnoiter, not to reminisce.

  A slender woman in a stylish linen pantsuit appeared from the direction of the house carrying a clipboard in her hands. She smiled when she saw the tent.

  The workers staked down Charlie’s line and he stepped back, giving him a clear view of the woman, Montgomery, and his daughter.

  “I’ve double-checked where everything’s to be placed, Mr. Montgomery. This wedding is going to go off without a hitch. The tent looks beautiful with the ocean backdrop.”

  “I chose the spot,” the sulky Haley said
.

  “You chose well. The roses arrived safely. The florist is holding them in the cooler until tomorrow morning. Then they’ll transport them here with the rest of the flowers and store them in the spare refrigerator in the main house. The cake was made yesterday. It’s being flown out as we speak and will be stored in the caterer’s cooler until a few hours before the wedding. Then it will be delivered here and stored in the pantry. The caterers will set it up during the wedding.”

  “I don’t want deliveries getting in the way of guests arriving,” Montgomery said. “Make them earlier if you have to.”

  “I know, Mr. Montgomery. They won’t interfere. The out-of-town guests are settling into the Hilton. The hotel reports the Castletons cancelled due to an emergency.”

  The three of them moved away toward the house, but Charlie had gotten what he needed. He was called to help on the other side of the tent, but all he had to do was keep the rope taut while men drove stakes into the ground. His mind spun out scenarios. He could search the house if he came with the florist or the caterer. If he still couldn’t find the sculpture, he could pretend to be this Castleton person.

  Charlie didn’t see a way into the house today. He might be able to sneak in tonight, but why risk it when there would be so many opportunities tomorrow?

  When the tent was finished and the Palisades employees packed up, Charlie followed them out in his car. No sense lingering and drawing attention to himself. Despite not retrieving the sculpture, it had been a good day so far. He’d learned valuable information that could help him achieve his aim. He wondered how much better he could make it if he called Juliana.

  CHAPTER 7

  “That relic is going to be auctioned off tomorrow,” Detective Montoya told Juliana. “Some guy named Dalton Montgomery is holding the sale.”

  Juliana held the phone between her cheek and shoulder as she straightened the typed pages of transcription. “If it’s worth a drug route, why doesn’t he keep it himself?”

  “Montgomery’s an up-and-coming player, but he has no rep with drugs that we can find. He may be doing it for the money. Drug dealers will pay plenty for that relic.”

  “Montgomery,” Juliana mused. “I’ve heard that name recently.”

  “Probably because his only daughter’s getting married tomorrow. It’s been in all the society pages.”

  She frowned. “Didn’t you say the auction is tomorrow?”

  “Yeah. He must be using the wedding as a cover.”

  “That’s cold.” Juliana wondered again about the criminal mind.

  “Yeah, but it gives us a chance to slip you in as a guest so you can find the relic.”

  “But I don’t even know what it is.”

  “We’re working on getting the information. But we need you at that wedding.”

  “I’m sure they’ll ask for my invitation.” She turned off her printer.

  “Tell them you lost it.”

  Juliana snorted and paced her dining room along the sliding glass door. Idly she noted the plants on her deck needed watered. “At a society wedding nobody’s going to believe that.” Although if she was Charlie, she’d have no trouble lying her way inside.

  “I’ll see what kind of favor we can get from the press, maybe a press pass.”

  Juliana didn’t want to know about that transaction. “What time is the wedding?”

  “Two o’clock.”

  “I’ll make sure I’m available in case you get what I need.”

  “Right.” Montoya imbued that one word with a world of frustration before he hung up.

  Juliana watered the poor plants. The dark pink Jacobinia, yellow coreopsis, orange milkweed, and pink periwinkles perked up instantly in their colorful homemade clay pots.

  What did a spy wear to a society wedding? And how big was the house where she’d have to locate this relic? She did a web search and found stories about the wedding in all the Miami newspapers. There was plenty of information about Dalton Montgomery. And there was a photo of his mansion. Juliana let out her breath and leaned back in her chair.

  She knew that house.

  Her mind turned like tumblers clicking into place to open a safe. Charlie had gone to find a way into Montgomery’s house to retrieve his client’s sculpture, the relic worth a drug distribution pipeline.

  Oh my God!

  Charlie had no idea what he was getting into. He could be in danger right now. Her heart thumped against her rib cage. Her first instinct was to call him, but if he was sneaking around on Montgomery’s property, she didn’t want his phone to ring and jeopardize his safety.

  She could call his brother, Rick. But tell him what? That his brother was trying to break into the house of a mobster wannabe to steal back a sculpture drug dealers would kill for? What would Rick do, stake out Montgomery’s mansion? Haul his younger brother home by the scruff of the neck? Charlie was an adult, capable of playing any character and lying through his teeth. Maybe he wouldn’t even get on the grounds. Surely Montgomery had the best security money could buy, including paid thugs to guard him.

  Still, her heart continued to thunder.

  Fine, she’d stop Charlie herself. She Mapquested the route to Montgomery’s house, which said she could be there in thirty-five minutes. But what would she do when she got there? She knew Charlie had a dark gray rental car, but so did thousands of other Miamians. What if she couldn’t find his car, or found it but not him? She wouldn’t trespass on the grounds. What use was it for her to go there? He’d been gone for hours already. Anything could have happened during that time.

  Juliana didn’t want anything to happen to Charlie. If she ever had a chance to see him again she wanted him fully functional. She liked the way their two bodies combined seamlessly; four limbs entwined, four hands caressing, gripping, grasping, fondling, pressing.

  Had her air conditioning failed? Juliana fanned herself. Her panties were damp. Again. She lifted the skirt of her little red sundress and fanned her crotch.

  How could she get so hot so fast for a man she’d reconnected with only two days ago? No man had ever made her pant like a bitch in heat. She wanted him, and she wanted him now.

  The doorbell rang, making her heart leap in her chest. Charlie. She ran to the door and checked the peephole—it was him! She hauled him inside her apartment with the intention of checking his functionality.

  • • •

  Charlie had a second to admire the short, sexy halter sundress Juliana wore before she plastered her lips to his. He was so pleased at her welcome he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her flush against him. As fast as her soft body touched his he had a hard-on. It was as though the past two nights with her had only whet his appetite.

  She tugged at his jeans. He fumbled at the knot that secured the halter, and the material parted. He reached between them to palm her tight globes. Already her nipples were tight peaks.

  “Fill me, Charlie,” she begged, leaning into his caress. She had his jeans open and stroked his cock.

  “I just got here,” he complained half-heartedly. He wanted exactly what she wanted.

  “I need you inside me.” She found the condom in his pocket and sheathed him. Juliana tugged him into the living room where she wrestled with him, got her foot behind his leg and tumbled him backward onto the couch.

  Then Juliana was all over him. She shoved her body down on his cock, her pussy gloving him tightly. Charlie arched with pleasure. She groaned, adjusting her body. And then she began to ride him, the little red skirt covering where they were joined. Her breasts bobbed as she moved, begging him. He pulled her down to suck the erect nipples. Juliana made little moans in the back of her throat. But soon she broke free to thrust almost desperately with him.

  Charlie covered her breasts with his hands and thumbed the nipples. He loved her breasts. She let out a little shriek, and her internal contractions milked him. He gritted his teeth and held back his own orgasm, even though his hips bowed off the couch with his own thrusts.
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  Juliana was mad to mate, her face flushed with the passion she felt for him. He let her take him with near violence, slamming her body down on his cock until he swore he could go no deeper inside her.

  Her living room echoed with the sound of flesh slapping against flesh, tortured breaths, and groans of near pain. But it couldn’t go on. He was fighting for control, fighting to make love for as long as they could. But it was too hot, too primal.

  He reached between them to stroke his fingers across her clit. Juliana shrieked and arched, her body squeezing his. Charlie rocketed over the edge into free fall. His heels pressed into the couch so that his butt didn’t even touch the fabric.

  Juliana collapsed onto him, kissing his neck. He wrapped his arms around her and relaxed his body against the couch.

  After catching his breath, he said, “That was some welcome.”

  “You could have been killed!”

  “If that was your intention, you nearly succeeded.”

  Juliana lifted her head from his chest. “I meant going to Dalton Montgomery’s house. Did you get the sculpture?”

  “Not yet, but I’m going to try again tomorrow.”

  She gripped his arms. “He won’t let that sculpture go without a fight. He’s auctioning it tomorrow to a bunch of drug dealers. It’s worth billions in illegal drugs.”

  “I know.”

  CHAPTER 8

  “You knew the sculpture was worth billions and yet you went there anyway?” Juliana exclaimed, her brown eyes wide with shock.

  “My client has very personal and compelling reasons for wanting that sculpture back,” Charlie explained.

  “Well, he can’t have it. Miami narcotics detectives have to get it off the street. Allowing more drugs into the city is unthinkable.”

  Charlie narrowed his eyes. “But it’s not their sculpture. It belongs to my client, and that’s where I’m going to return it.”