“I’m not so sure,” Viva said once she’d considered her sister’s words for a while. “He came over this morning.”
“Well, well...” Playful intrigue sharpened Sophia’s features when she turned from the counter with mugs in hand. “You guys pick up from where you left off the night before?”
Viva tried to deny it but couldn’t, especially when she betrayed just the faintest flush beneath the light caramel tone of her skin.
Sophia laughed, no doubt noticing her sister’s color darken. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
“Not a full yes,” Viva argued.
“Now that sounds weird.” Sophia set down the mugs.
“He pulled away. I mean... I know one of us needed to and I—I certainly wasn’t trying—” Viva shook her head, having spied the delight in Sophia’s expression. “I told him we needed to talk and he—he said it wasn’t a good idea. It wasn’t a good idea for him.”
“Hmm...more weirdness. Maybe the timing was bad?”
Viva left the table where they’d recorded her statement that afternoon. “I don’t think that was it. It sounded more personal than the timing being bad because he was running late for an appointment.”
“Will you try talking to him again? Maybe once you guys are in Italy?” Sophia sipped her coffee and watched her sister consider the questions.
“This is something I should tell him before Italy, I think.”
“And it’s something you don’t expect him to take too well.”
“I know he won’t take it too well.”
“Just tell him, V.” Sophia came around to the side of the table where Viva stood. “Don’t worry about whether he thinks it’s a good idea or not. Don’t even act like you’re about to get into it. Just spill it and let the chips fall.”
“Yeah.” Viva worried her bottom lip between her thumb and forefinger. “That’s just what I had in mind, only what he said about talking not being a good idea for him—it unsettled me, Soap.”
Concern on her face, Sophia set her mug onto the table. “How?”
“How’s he been, Sophia?” Viva fixed her sister with a stern stare. “How’s he really been?”
“He’s been really busy and gotten really successful.”
Viva’s resulting laughter was genuine as it bubbled up. “That’s good.”
“L Sec’s been involved with all kinds of big-name clients from all over the world. Much of that happened when Rook added the training end for his clients who wanted their own in-house personnel trained. That got the attention of the sports and entertainment industries—athletes wanting to diversify their workouts, studio types seeing the same for the stunt teams they hired.”
“I’m glad for him, Sophia.” Viva walked away from the table, picked up her tea on the way past. “But how’s he been? Beyond all the success of the business, I mean?”
“Honey...” Sophia winced as though she were reluctant to share. “We’ve gone over this before... You—you know he hasn’t been a hermit. No man who looks the way he does would go for long without being noticed by at least fifty women, nor would he shun their advances for long. No matter how in love he is with one of Hollywood’s most lusted-after women.”
“Well, damn! Did you just compliment me?” Viva faked amazement.
Sophia gave a casual shrug, reached for her coffee. “It’s hard, but I’m trying to make an effort.”
“Understood.” Viva laughed. “But what I’m asking is if you think he’s changed. He was always the easygoing sort—laid-back, hard to rile.”
“You want to know if your leaving tapped into his temper.” Sophia gave an understanding nod. “V, I’d bet my badge that nothing you could tell him would ever break him down so far that he’d put his hands on you that way.”
“God, Sophia...” Viva moaned. “That’s one of the few things I’m certain of. It’s not me I’m worried about.”
Sophia’s expression then was one of renewed realization. “What you have to tell him involves Murray, doesn’t it?”
“Not totally.” Viva sighed, launched a more determined pace around the office. “But he brushes up against it. I don’t want whatever I say to have him lashing out in a way that could hurt him. He doesn’t need that—not because of Murray or anyone else I’m connected to. It’s not worth it.”
“This sounds serious, V.” Sophia’s face tightened with signs of rigid concern. “Sure it’s not something you’d care to share with your baby sis?”
“Hell, Soap, I barely want to think about it. Talking it over with my kid sister, my family at all, isn’t something I can do without feeling sick inside.”
“So why tell Rook?”
“Because my leaving wasn’t his fault.” Viva pivoted on the chic but sensible peach-colored pumps that accentuated the sharp cuff of the cream trousers she wore. “My leaving would’ve happened whether or not our relationship had been reduced to us behaving like passing ships. Fact is, things being strained between us made it all easier for me. I left and quickly discovered Rook was so right about the people I left with.”
“Listen, V, not to brag, but I do wield a certain amount of power.” Sophia set her long legs apart in an intentionally confrontational stance. “Say the word and I’ll move mountains to have them arrested.”
Viva laughed amid her distress, loving her little sister very much and appreciating her support. “It’s not necessary, hon, but thanks.”
“But you think Rook would want to kill someone over it?”
“I know he would.” Viva hurriedly closed the distance between her and Sophia, grasped Sophia’s hands and squeezed out of a sudden need for reassurance. “I know Rook would never hurt me, but he’ll damn well hate me once I tell him.”
* * *
Following the lunch with his friends, Rook decided to put in a quick call to Viva and see if she was free to talk. There was no time like the present, he’d decided, yet his fingers faltered over the screen when he scrolled through his contacts for her number.
Best not to rouse any preconceived notions on her part with a phone call. Best to bite this particular nail right through its rusted head. Rook was tossing the phone to the passenger seat and slipping behind the wheel of the Suburban when the screen lit up with an incoming call. He toyed with not answering, until he glimpsed Burt Larkin’s name. He took the call before it transitioned to voice mail.
“Interrupting anything?” Burt queried once the connection was made.
“No, I’m headed back to the office.”
“Have you seen Viva today?”
“This morning and, word to the wise, she’s gonna start ducking you if you ask for any more autographs.”
“Yeah.” Burt tried for lightness with the response, but the effort fell flat. “This isn’t about that, Rook.”
“Tell me.” Rook’s suspicion niggled its way through fast and deep.
“Has she mentioned a Reynolds Henry?”
“No. Why?”
“He was a client of Murray Dean’s and he’s dead.”
Chapter 7
The talk with Sophia had helped. Viva hadn’t realized how much she’d needed to vent about the situation with Rook. It was a situation that, until her return home, had resided very amicably in the recesses of her mind where other events of the past went to languish.
Still, the fact that she very much wanted to have the discussion with Rook was an issue that not even a hearty chat with her sister could extinguish. Yet, Sophia’s question had replayed in her head on a loop since she’d left city hall to return to Sophia’s condo.
So why tell Rook?
Yes, he deserved to know that she’d gone off half-cocked and made a mistake that solidified the doom of their relationship. Couldn’t she just tell him that and leave out all the ugly details? If only...
Viva rushed into the lobby and sent a quick smile to the desk guards on her way past. Quickly, she doffed the elements of her disguise and was shoving shades and a scarf into her tote. The elevator doors opened and before she could take a step forward, she was escorted none too gently inside.
“Hey—” She caught herself, realizing it was Rook who held her. “Didn’t think I’d see you again today.”
“Plans have changed.” He kept hold of her arm even after the door slid closed with a soothing bump. “Are you packed?”
Viva turned as much as his hold would allow. There was no need to study his face, it was an unreadable mask. “I, um, sure. I haven’t been in town long enough to fully unpack so... Rook? What’s going on?”
“We leave for Italy in the morning.”
She tried to face him more fully then. “Why? What’s changed?”
There was no answer from her escort and Viva allowed that scene to play out until they were inside her sister’s condo.
“Look, don’t get me wrong. I actually find the stony silence sexy.” She tossed the tote bag to the sofa and watched him prowl the living room on a security check. “You’re still gonna have to come up with some info if you expect me to fly halfway around the world with you tomorrow.”
She spread her hands in a silent question that went unanswered when he moved on through the condo, completing his check. “My guess is I won’t have time to see my family again before we leave.” She folded her arms over the silky peach cargo blouse and tried to match his stony look with her own when he returned to the living room.
His response was not what she’d expected.
“Do you know a Reynolds Henry?”
“Reynolds?” She shed some of her stony veneer. “Well, yeah, I, um, he’s an actor. He hasn’t worked in a while.” She cast a sidelong glance to the flat screen across the room. “If the news I heard this morning is true, he won’t have the chance to change that. They say he’s dead.”
“They were right.” Rook’s closed expression adopted a grim quality that lent a fiercer element to his caramel-doused features. “Did you know he was a client of Murray’s?”
Viva opened her mouth, but no response emerged. Shaky then on her pumps, she settled on to the arm of the nearest chair. “He was... I’d forgotten.” The ebony flecks danced in her eyes when she suddenly looked to Rook. “The news reported it was a suicide.”
Rook’s smile did nothing to diminish his grim expression. “You’ve been in the business long enough to know how often stories are spun.”
“Yeah.” Viva studied the carpet without really seeing it. Those words were especially true when the story involved political and entertainment figures. She fixed Rook with a hopeful look. “Do you know what really happened?”
“News said he overdosed on prescription meds, which is true, but word from the lead investigators is that every pill he had was laced with four times the prescribed amount. He would’ve been dead whether or not he’d taken his meds as instructed.”
“But how could you know that already?” Viva pushed off the chair arm. “Even I know it takes longer than a day to get back a tox report.” Rook’s bland look had her stiffening.
There was a reason his security firm was one of the most sought-after entities worldwide, she reminded herself. Obtaining preliminary details on matters such as these was perhaps among the more unremarkable feats his organization was capable of.
“What are you thinking?” she asked.
“I think you know.”
“I don’t believe I do.” Yet, she stiffened anew when he merely stared. “You can’t be thinking Murray would...” She couldn’t finish the notion. “Why?” she asked instead.
“What was it he said during your conversation about putting things to bed?”
“By killing his clients? What sense would that make?”
“Oh, I don’t know, V. In case they’d seen things that could be hard for him or his more elusive associates to explain away? Who knows?” He stalked the living room, his amber stare seeming more radiant in the wake of agitation. “These clients might take a chance on going to the cops and sharing things that have them concerned, especially if one of them’s got a sister on the force.”
“Me?” Viva plastered both hands to her chest. “Seriously, Rook? You honestly think he’d come after me that way?” She sounded incredulous, but couldn’t ignore the dip her heart took to her stomach.
“Even with all you know and have seen, you still can’t bring yourself to believe the worst about the man.” Rook shook his head, frustration fixed indelibly on his face.
“That’s not it.”
“Then what is it?”
“Rook, I—Murray, he—he’s got a lot of questionable... He’s not... He—”
“Save it.” Rook glanced around the living room once more and then sized Viva up with one heated sweep of his stare. “I’ll be back in the morning. Use the time to finish packing. I’ll make sure you have time to see your folks before the flight. Don’t try calling Murray again.”
“And if he calls me?” She watched him bow his head and grin a grin that was more malicious than humor filled.
“I know it’s hard for you to take my advice seriously when it comes to Murray,” he began, “but maybe you could try giving it just a shred of consideration in this case.”
He left her then and Viva remained where she stood long after he’d gone.
Belluno, Italy
Rook and Viva arrived in Northern Italy close to 2:00 in the morning. The town of Belluno was a province in the Veneto region. Rook had fallen in love with the neighboring Cortina d’Ampezzo and had decided to own a home there regardless of how his business played out.
As his primary business would be handled in Belluno, the plan was to spend the night at a hotel in town. Rook had arranged to meet with his associates a little earlier than planned, given the change in the arrival date to Italy. Afterward, he and Viva were scheduled to leave for Cortina.
The departure from Philadelphia had been a prompt, teary one filled with goodbyes and light on details. Sophia had, at least, received more insight on the reasons for the change. Viva had sat nearby while Rook shared his findings on Reynolds Henry’s passing and how he factored Murray Dean into it all. Viva wasn’t surprised that her sister all but carried her to the airport and buckled her into the seat. Rook received the chief of Ds’ full blessings to head out of the States with quickness.
Viva didn’t mind. Italy was a dreamland in spite of its frigid temps and the generally rainy, snowy and windy climate of the area during that time of year. The environment wasn’t such a jolt given the already dipping temps back in the States. Viva found it to be heavenly.
Or...it could’ve been were it not for Rook’s mood, which was proving to rival the region’s atmosphere for chilliness. What had triggered his attitude was no surprise nor was it a reaction she could argue. He had every right to be pissed, especially when the topic of their current unrest was the very last thing they’d argued over and what had signaled the demise of their relationship. Viva knew and understood Rook’s feelings toward Murray. What she couldn’t understand was how he could so easily believe the agent could be capable of murder.
She inhaled the crisp air that swept in from the Schiara mountain range of the Dolomites. Reluctantly, she risked a quick scan of the tarmac in search of Rook. She found him among a circle of suited men, enjoying what appeared to be a rather jovial conversation. With clear, cold air filtering her mind, her voice of reason began to elevate and echo.
If Murray was capable of involving himself in the kinds of things she’d shared with the police less than twenty-four hours earlier, why wouldn’t he be capable of murder? Reminding herself that she wasn’t dead yet was a weak and hardly reassuring fact.
Could he really be that paranoid? S
he wondered and found herself replaying the conversation with his assistant. Artesia Relis had believed her boss to be “riled up” enough to contact her. The woman had surely held her job for long enough to handle the infrequent uprisings of a Hollywood agent. Even still, Arty was more than a little agitated over the pressures of her job. She’d sounded downright worried.
Then there was her own conversation with Murray and his assurances that all would be well once he’d put certain things to bed. If she was among them, would he have been so bold as to tell her? Perhaps Reynolds was involved in those aspects of Murray’s allegedly illegal dealings. Viva was sure Sophia was at work investigating that very angle.
She shook her head then, realizing she was filling it with too much angst. Much more of that and both her sister and her ex would be agreeing on putting her in an asylum instead of the wonderland beauty of Northern Italy.
With that thought in mind, not to mention the fact that she was lending too much time to worry and not enough to opportunity, Viva got herself in check. After all, Rook’s new home was also the place where shopping dreams were made.
Cortina was home to the most drooled-over names in haute couture—Gucci, Bulgari, Benetton. Oh yes, it was a shopper’s paradise and she intended to take thorough advantage.
When she felt warm hands on her arms Viva’s thoughts pivoted back to Rook. Even through the bulky fabric of her wool peacoat, she recognized his touch. She savored the feel of him as his hands moved up and down her arms.
“You’re going to catch your death out here.”
Smiling, Viva enjoyed the breadth of his magnificent chest when he pulled her back against it.
“I opt for catching it out here,” she sighed. “I like that better than the other places currently vying for the title.”
Rook’s hands stilled until he was turning Viva to face him. A fierce glint lurked in his dazzling stare then. “Don’t you think that,” he commanded while giving her a slight shake in the process.
It was hard for Viva to obey. “Why shouldn’t I? You believe my own agent might try to kill me.”
Provocative Attraction Page 8
