Brandy couldn’t shake the thought that someone was deliberately trying to scare her, and what bothered her the most was that she didn’t know just who among her employees she could trust. Most of them had worked for her ex-husband and still might feel some type of loyalty to him, even Perry Hall. Lorenzo had been the one to promote Mr. Hall to his present position and she couldn’t forget Lorenzo’s threat to her the last time she’d seen him. He’d sworn that she would be sorry for taking the hotel away from him.
Brandy stopped in front of the window and sighed deeply. There was no use freaking out since there was absolutely nothing she could do right now other than involve the police and she’d already tossed aside that idea. But the thought that someone had been inside her suite was unnerving.
She had checked around the apartment several times to make sure none of her personal things had been tampered with. It seemed whomever had come into her suite had not used forced entry and had dropped off the note and left without touching anything else.
Twice she had started to call her cousins to brainstorm with them for ideas on how she should handle things, but each time she reached over to pick up the phone, she had changed her mind. Rae’jean, Alexia, and Taye had come up with an idea to get her out of one mess, she didn’t want to depend on them to come up with another. This was going to be something that she would have to handle on her own. The hotel was hers and she refused to let anyone take it away or scare her away.
She jumped when she heard the telephone ring and for a moment almost didn’t answer it, but then changed her mind. It could be room service asking when she wanted her dinner delivered. She inhaled deeply, doubting very seriously that she would be able to eat anything tonight.
Walking over to the phone she picked it up on the fourth ring. “Yes?”
“It’s about time you answered.” Her cousin Taye’s voice came in loud and clear. “Rae’jean and Alexia are on the line, too. We thought we’d better call to let you know the latest. Cousin Sophie called a few minutes ago, hollering and screaming that your mom told Uncle Victor about his surprise birthday party just because since she didn’t get an invitation.”
“If you ask me, he knew about it anyway,” Rae’jean piped in, laughing at the dramatics involving her family back in Macon. Living in Boston kept Rae’jean pretty isolated and she depended on Taye to keep her updated.
“Yeah, but that’s what they get for not inviting Valerie,” Alexia added, grinning over the line. “They should know after all these years that your mama doesn’t get even, Brandy, she gets spiteful.”
After a few moments Taye, Rae’jean, and Alexia noticed that Brandy had yet to make any kind of comment.
“Brandy, you still there?” Alexia asked with concern in her voice.
“Yes, I’m still here,” Brandy said in a soft voice. Any chance of calming down had gone completely out the window the moment she’d heard her cousins’ voices.
“What’s wrong, Brandy? You don’t sound like yourself,” Rae’jean asked, matching Alexia’s concern.
Brandy took a deep breath. “I don’t feel like myself either,” she answered, close to tears. She had tried being brave, but she couldn’t any longer. The truth was that she had become a nervous wreck and was scared senseless.
“What is it, Brandy?” Taye asked in a direct, you’d-better-tell-me-what’s-going-on voice. “What’s happened?”
Brandy dropped down on the sofa and told them the only thing she could: “I’m being stalked.”
Book Two
She is more precious than rubies and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared to her.
Proverbs 3:15
Chapter 7
G rey Masters walked into the lobby of the St. Laurent Hotel and glanced around. He wasn’t a man who was easily dazzled; however, he was very impressed by what he saw. He had been a special agent for the FBI for over twelve years and had spent plenty of his time in hotels, and he had to admit this was one pretty classy place, from the splendor of the atrium that overflowed with flowering plants and an abundance of greenery, to the elegance of the lobby with its custom-designed area rugs, there was something about the hotel that conveyed the sentiment that your stay here would be better than home.
And to think the place was run by a woman who was not only the head honcho in charge, but also the owner. This hotel and everything in it belonged to Brandy Bennett. According to his sister-in-law, Alexia, Brandy had received the hotel as part of her divorce settlement over two years ago and had taken on the challenge of keeping the hotel running with the same degree of success that it had achieved in the past. But someone had thrown a monkey wrench into what had been the relatively smooth sailing of her daily operations.
Someone was stalking her.
As he walked toward the registration desk he could not forget the frantic call he had received from Alexia a few nights ago. Just hearing the panic in his sister-in-law’s voice had made his muscles tense and his body brace for action. Alexia had come apart at the thought that someone was stalking her cousin, and one thing he had discovered about his brother’s wife was that it took a lot to make Alexia Bennett Masters come unglued. Even his brother Quinn would attest to that, which meant whatever was going on with Brandy Bennett was real serious. Or at least Alexia thought so.
After calming her down he had discovered Quinn was out of town on a business trip to London, so Grey had had to deal with getting Alexia to see reason and to talk her out of hopping the next plane to Florida to get to the bottom of Brandy’s problem. And she had told him that her other cousins, Rae’jean and Taye, would join her there and that the three of them would turn the hotel inside out because nobody, and she meant nobody, messed with a Bennett.
He believed her.
Grey shook his head smiling, thinking of the time when over a cold bottle of beer, Quinn had shared with him what had happened at Brandy Bennett’s wedding three years ago. At the time, Grey had needed a good laugh and after listening to his brother he had definitely gotten one. According to Quinn, up to the time of the wedding, there had been no love lost between Brandy and her three cousins. But once it had been discovered that Brandy’s fiancé had screwed around on her with the maid of honor, and then had the gall to put the encounter on videotape—a tape that Brandy had found a mere two days before her wedding—the four cousins had devised a plan that set in motion the guarantee that Brandy Bennett would be financially set for life.
According to Quinn, what had gone down was classic Bennett style and had pretty much buried whatever past differences the women had had. On the day of the wedding the four Bennett cousins had united for one cause—to make damn sure that the groom knew that payback was a bitch…or in this case, bitches.
“Good morning, sir, and welcome to the St. Laurent. Do you have a reservation?”
The perky hotel clerk’s question brought Grey out of his musings and he looked into her smiling face. “No, I’m here as a guest of Ms. Bennett.”
Although the clerk’s face didn’t lose that smile, he did note the spark of interest in her eyes. “Are you a relative, sir?”
Keeping his smile in place, he responded, “A relative?”
She nodded. “Yes. The reason I asked is because usually we have a special floor of suites that are exclusively reserved for Ms. Bennett’s relatives when they come to visit.”
Grey shook his head, understanding. “No, I’m not a relative. I’m a personal friend.” Again he saw the woman’s eyes take on a speculative look. Evidently Brandy Bennett did not make it a habit to have male friends checking into her hotel as guests. If this clerk was a talker then news that the boss had a male visitor would spread around the hotel in no time, which was fine with him. If whoever had taken it upon themselves to harass Brandy Bennett was someone who worked for the hotel, the sooner that person knew that Brandy had a male friend visiting, the better. One thing that Grey detested more than anything was someone who preyed on women, so this all fit into his plans perfectly.
On the flight from Atlanta he had decided the best way to handle things was not to let anyone know that he intended to be Ms. Bennett’s bodyguard. If word got out that someone was stalking her, business at the hotel would drop drastically. So he decided to take on the role of her lover while finding out who had sent her those messages.
Of course Alexia and the cousins had their own ideas. They figured it had to be the no-good ex-husband, Lorenzo Ballentine. According to Alexia, it was common knowledge that Lorenzo was still pissed that he’d lost the hotel to Brandy during the divorce, and that Brandy had recently asked him to stay away from the hotel. Although Grey would not discount Ballentine as a prime suspect, he wouldn’t overlook anything or anyone. For some reason he had a feeling the person sending the messages was someone Brandy least suspected.
Having left the Bureau nearly three years ago, not long after his wife Gloria’s car accident, he had started Masters Investigative Services in Atlanta. However, he kept his ties to the Bureau open with the many friends he’d left behind. In his employ as investigators were four very skilled former special agents, but Grey had been the one Alexia and her cousins had specifically wanted to handle this case. They had to know for certain that Brandy Bennett’s life was safe and secure. Luckily, he had just wrapped up a case and had given the Bennett cousins his word that he would fly to Orlando and stick to Brandy Bennett like glue if he had to, making sure that whatever threat was hanging over her head was dealt with in a timely and efficient manner.
“I’ve contacted Ms. Bennett to let her know you’re here and she indicated she would be right down.”
Grey nodded. “Thanks, and it appears that the airline misplaced my luggage. When it’s found please make sure it is delivered to Ms. Bennett’s personal suite.” The truth was that he had been given special clearance to transport all the high-powered surveillance equipment that he used as part of his job, equipment that had been easily detected with a security scanner at the airport. To save time as well as red tape, he had made arrangements for his luggage to be picked up by another special agent and delivered to the hotel later. Grey had contacted the local Bureau before arriving in Orlando and someone posing as an airline employee would be delivering his bags to him within the hour.
Again, a ray of interest shone in the hotel clerk’s eyes. “Yes, sir. I’ll make sure that’s taken care of.” The woman caught a movement out of corner of her eye and her smile widened. “Oh, here’s Ms. Bennett now.”
Grey turned slightly and met the gaze of the woman crossing the lobby. Although the two of them had never officially met, he remembered her well. He doubted that he would forget the beautiful dark eyes that had collided with his that day a few weeks ago at his nieces’ and nephews’ birthday party. That was one of the reasons he had hesitated when Alexia had asked him to handle things. Brandy Bennett had been the first woman who had piqued his interest, intrigued him, since Gloria’s death. Even now his stomach knotted at the recollection. Days after that encounter he’d been unable to shake her image. She had flitted across his mind like some beautiful, fragile butterfly.
As he continued to watch her, it was easy to see she was as intelligent as she was beautiful, and by all accounts Brandy Bennett appeared to be a woman with not a worry in the world, one filled with self-assurance and confidence. Only someone with a trained eye such as his, who was skilled in reading people, could detect, even from a distance, the cautiousness, wariness, and troubled glint in her gaze.
He inhaled deeply as he struggled with all the things he was feeling. The attraction for her was still there, but he knew to get involved with any woman right now would be wrong. He was still trying to come to terms with what Gloria had done, what she had planned which had ultimately resulted in her death. He had shared it with no one, not even Quinn, the brother he was closer to than any of his other siblings. He wondered what the Masters family’s reaction would be to know that at the time of her death, his wife had betrayed him. In fact, she had been on her way to meet her lover, the man she had planned to divorce Grey for. She had spelled out everything in the letter she had left for him to find when he returned home from his assignment. He had returned less than a day after she had written it when he’d received word she had lost her life after losing control of her automobile during a thunderstorm.
His thoughts shifted back to Brandy as he continued to watch her cross the lobby toward him. At that moment he wanted more than anything to do whatever he could to bring back calmness to her world, to get rid of whatever anxiety besieged her. He fought down that urge when he remembered that one woman, the one he’d thought he could trust above all others, had betrayed him, and the last thing he wanted was to get involved with another woman any time soon. Protecting Brandy Bennett would be a job and nothing more.
He wondered if Alexia had contacted her and scoped her on the role the two of them would be playing. She had been told that he was coming, but he wasn’t sure if she knew he was going to pretend to be an ex-boyfriend. He shrugged; if she didn’t, she would soon enough. It would be important to establish what their relationship was up front and in plain view.
When she finally reached him and was about to open her mouth and address him formally, he decided to work fast. “Hi, there, sweetheart,” he murmured in a rough, low tone just seconds before he pulled her into his arms and kissed her.
He captured her startled surprise in his kiss, going beyond what was reasonably necessary by sweeping his tongue inside her mouth for a quick taste. Damn but she tasted good, he thought, releasing her mouth. He inwardly groaned in relief that she caught on quickly and had the good sense to play along. He took a step back and gazed down at her. Her lips were still parted in surprise and looked warm, inviting. Now that he knew her taste, it took everything he had not to pull her back in his arms and capture her lips with his mouth again.
Remember, Masters, this is nothing more than a job.
He sighed deeply, wondering why, if that was the case, the effects of the kiss were sending hot vibrations along his nerve endings. And he could tell, even though the kiss had been rather short in his estimation, that Brandy Bennett had been affected by the contact as well. He also knew she was trying to downplay that fact.
“Grey, it’s good seeing you again, too. How was your trip?” she asked in a somewhat shaky voice.
“It was fine, but somehow they lost my luggage. I’ve requested for it to be brought up to your suite when the airline delivers it here.” If she was stunned and confused at his insinuation that he would be sharing her suite, she didn’t show it. But he had a feeling she would have a lot to say when they were alone.
“All right, come up and let me get you settled.”
He immediately fell in step beside her as they walked across the lobby to the elevators. “This is a private elevator,” she said of the third one in the group of six. “It will take you to the administrative offices as well as to the fourteenth floor where my suite is located. However, to get to my floor you need to know the special code.”
He nodded and as soon as the elevator door opened, they both stepped inside. Once the door closed behind them she quickly turned on him, no doubt to give him hell if the frown that had suddenly marred her brow was any indication. But he quickly placed a hand to her lips and mouthed the words, “This elevator may be bugged.”
That got her attention. He watched as her shoulders tensed and she looked intently at him to make sure that she had deciphered his silent message correctly. He nodded. She then took a deep breath and turned to insert her passkey into the panel box. The two of them remained silent the entire time the elevator made its way to the fourteenth floor.
Once they arrived on her floor, Grey noted that Brandy took her cue from him and remained silent as they walked down the hall to her suite. Even when they entered her suite she stood back as he looked around before gathering her hand in his and saying rather loudly, “I need a shower, baby. Come take one with me.”
She didn’t hesit
ate when he motioned for her to lead him toward the bathroom. Once inside she watched as he closed the door behind them and quickly walked over to the shower and turned it on full blast.
He then turned back to her. “All right, we can talk now but we still need to keep our voices lowered. The water will drown out our voices. If your suite is bugged, no one will be able to make out what we’re about to discuss.”
Brandy lifted a brow. “Honestly, Mr. Masters, do you really think someone would go so far as to bug my suite?” she whispered. “We’re talking about a stalker and not a spy from another hotel wanting trade secrets. I’ve already told my cousins who is behind this. My ex-husband, Lorenzo Ballentine, is trying to scare me away from here.”
Grey lifted his own brow. “Is that what you think?”
Brandy’s forehead bunched. “Yes, although I don’t believe he did it himself. I wouldn’t put it past him to have someone here at the hotel, someone who used to work for him when he was in charge and who still feels loyal to him, do his dirty work.”
“Are you certain of that?”
He watched her breathe in deeply. She then answered him honestly. “At the moment I’m not certain of anything.”
Grey smiled, knowing it was probably hard for her to admit that. “And that’s why I’m here as a favor to Alexia. I promised her I would get to the bottom of this and I will. However, until I do we can’t assume anything. As soon as my luggage arrives, I’ll be able to check out your apartment from top to bottom and make sure there aren’t any surveillance devices in here anywhere. Whoever came inside your apartment had plenty of opportunity to leave something behind. Once I feel sure that no one is listening to anything we say then we can talk freely and you can tell me everything.”
“But why would anyone be listening? Even if it’s not Lorenzo, why would a stalker want to listen in on my conversations?”
The Savvy Sistahs Page 8
