Ana turned to Rebecca. “Well, I see you’re in good hands now.” She placed Rebecca’s hand in Valentina’s, stretching her neck to see over the heads of the people in front of us. “I see Lilly making eyes at me. Can I just go ahead and apologize for what’s about to happen?”
Valentina laughed. “Don’t apologize. I’m touched that you’re taking the time to play for us. Thank you so much.”
After Ana picked her way toward the front and sat at the piano, Mom gestured for everyone to be quiet. “Thank you, all, for being here tonight to help us celebrate my son Derek and his beautiful fiancée, Valentina.”
What did this display look like to Valentina? Over a hundred eyeballs and smiles that meant nothing to her were suddenly on us. She leaned closer to me, and I held her tight.
“I know we had a bit of a rough start.” Mom offered us a warm smile.
She and Valentina weren’t that different when it came to family. Maybe that was why Valentina had been so quick to forgive Mom for being brusque with her before.
“But I hope you know that I’m very happy for the both of you and I wish you the very best.” Mom’s eyes watered as she did a little bow toward Valentina. “As a treat, I talked Sweet Ana into playing something for Derek and Valentina. I hope you enjoy.”
Valentina glanced up at me and kissed me. For the first time since this whole ordeal started earlier this evening, I felt at peace. Later, I’d have to tell her about Alex, but for now she deserved a few minutes of sheer happiness.
“This is ‘Rêverie’ by Debussy,” Ana announced to the group at large with a shaky voice.
Of course, Mom wouldn’t miss an opportunity to show off Ana, who hated doing this kind of thing, if I remembered correctly. Though the minute her fingers touched the old ivory keys, her face changed. She was in charge and not nervous at all. I’d forgotten she could play the piano like this. Within a few strokes, she had the entire room hanging on her every note.
No matter how enthralling Ana’s playing was, Tyler still stood next to me, his body tense. When he saw Matt make his way toward the terrace, he went after him. This better have nothing to do with the missing guard.
I hugged Valentina and whispered in her ear. “I’ll be right back. Will you be okay if I leave for a few minutes?”
Of course, she mouthed, flashing me a smile that made me ache for her.
I kissed her, and she shoved me toward the exit, as if she’d known I was going after Tyler. I took her hand and kissed her cold fingers. “Are you sure? Your hands are freezing.”
“Go. I’m fine.” Her whisper barely registered over the notes of the piano.
I nodded and took off before Ana stopped playing and everyone came out of the spell she had them under. As soon as I entered the foyer, I ran into Tyler and Matt.
“You should’ve called him when Rebecca showed up in New Orleans.” Tyler’s face was redder than before.
I’d never seen him like that. Out of all of us, he was the only one who inherited Dad’s mellow disposition. What happened? “What the hell is going on? Exactly, who did Valentina invite to the party?”
“Where the fuck is Wesley?” Matt asked in response.
“Where do you think?” I pointed toward the drawing room. He was in there, hypnotized by Ana’s music like the rest of them.
“Let’s take this outside.” Tyler gestured for me to follow.
The garden was empty save for a few couples still trickling inside to hear Ana’s impromptu concert. The music spilled out into the dark night, with a soft melody that mismatched Tyler’s heavy stomping.
“Who’s Rebecca? Do I need to call security to get her out?” I asked.
“No.” Matt and Tyler said in unison. For all their anger, Matt and Tyler seemed to care about Rebecca’s safety.
“Start talking.”
“We met her in Venezuela, in a small town outside of Maracaibo,” Matt said through gritted teeth.
And then it hit me. Wesley, Matt, and Charlie had been deployed on a special task force mission to Venezuela last year. They all came back not quite the same. They, meaning Wesley and Matt. As the one in command, Charlie had stayed behind to handle whatever logistics needed handling at the end of their mission.
“Is this the official mission you couldn’t talk about?”
“Yes. Rebecca helped us.” Matt glanced over his shoulder. “Derek, I have to go back to New Orleans tonight. I’m sorry to have to cut it short, but something doesn’t feel right. I gotta go with my gut.”
Matt’s instincts never failed him. If he thought his girlfriend was in trouble, she probably was. “Yeah, man, thanks for staying for the party. If you need a ride, let me know.”
“I actually do. I sent my Goldstream back in case my guys needed it.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “And one more favor?”
“Shoot.” I’d do anything for these guys.
“Can Rebecca stay? I promise I’ll be back for her.”
Tyler snorted a laugh. “She’s not your responsibility, and you know that.”
“All I know right now, Tyler, is that I don’t have time to figure out who’s to blame for the shitshow in Venezuela. Rebecca can wait here safely. Ela can’t. I have to leave tonight. Are you saying you got this?”
Tyler gripped his hair with both hands. “Oh my God, Matt. You can’t keep doing this. Trying to save every lost kitten you find.”
Matt stuffed his hands in his slacks pockets and glared at him. “Ela is not a lost kitten. She’s more than that.”
“Right. She’s your...what? Girlfriend?”
“Tyler, that’s enough.” I stepped in again the way Dad used to do when we all got into an argument for stupid things like who’s turn it was to take out the trash. But this wasn’t about trash at all. A woman’s life was on the line. Correction—two women’s lives were on the line.
“I’m sorry. Go see Ela. Wesley and I will handle this.”
“Thanks.” Matt hugged Tyler and then me. “Now to tell Mom that I’m taking off.” He did his marine salute and strode back inside the house.
What kind of mess had my brothers gotten into while on their last mission? Was Rebecca the reason both Wesley and Matt had been honorably discharged from the corps? Of course, leave it to Valentina to be the one to find Rebecca and decide to bring her home. No way their meeting had been a coincidence. I had to find Valentina and let her know Rebecca wasn’t the family friend she’d claimed to be.
She had to be careful. Someone who lied so easily couldn’t be trusted. I turned to leave, then stopped. Wasn’t that what I’d been doing for the last twelve hours? I lied to Valentina about Alex and the real reason why I’d canceled Max’s trip to Atlanta. I lied to her about my plans to eventually move here. I lied to her about Bridget’s crazy visit in Tucson.
What the fuck was I doing? She was right. I couldn’t keep doing this to her—hiding the truth to keep her safe and happy—especially when the thing that pissed her off the most was when I lied to her by omission. She was a grown woman, more than capable of taking care of herself. In turn, I was a big idiot for not listening to her.
“Where are you going?” Tyler asked with real worry in his eyes. “Let me be the one to talk to Rebecca. She knows me better than she knows you. She’ll be less likely to run away again if I’m the one who offers her a place to stay.”
Who was guilty of trying to save every lost kitten they found? Matt and Tyler weren’t that different when it came to women in distress, though from where I stood, Rebecca was more than able to handle herself.
“Run away? What the hell, Tyler?”
He glanced over his shoulder. We were still alone, but what was the deal with all this acting so guilty?
“She went to visit Matt in New Orleans. She asked him for help, but apparently Matt was in the middle of something else with Ela, his new girlfriend. I only met her briefly, but she’s a magnet for trouble. You know, Matt’s type. Anyway, Rebecca took off before he could ask why she wasn’t where I
left her in New York.”
“Jesus Christ, you guys didn’t do anything illegal, did you?”
“I bent the rules a bit. As for Wesley and Matt, you’d have to ask them.” Tyler met my gaze.
If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he was ready to beg me on Rebecca’s behalf. “I was going to see Valentina. I’d been an asshole to her for the past few weeks.” Honestly, I didn’t know how she hadn’t left me yet. “I need to warn her about Alex. I should’ve told her I saw him at the pub the minute I came home.”
“Lying to a woman never ends well, man. I can tell you that.”
“I see that now.” I pinched my nose, not at all looking forward to my conversation with Valentina. With any luck, the conversation would end up in the woods again with my mouth on her pretty pussy. At least, we had that to look forward to.
“And Rebecca?”
“She can stay. But, Tyler, tell me this Venezuela mission didn’t follow you home. Our family is here. Whatever or whoever Rebecca is running from, you can’t dump this on our heads.”
“I can honestly say the Venezuela mission didn’t follow me home.” He stretched out his arms as though he’d given up trying to understand this thing between Rebecca, Wesley, and Matt.
“Fuck. Keep an eye on her. I’m going to go find Valentina before anyone else shows up and I end up on the proverbial couch for a month or the rest of my life.” I rubbed my face, suddenly feeling drained. This night couldn’t end soon enough.
“You got it. That’s what I’m here for. To bail out these assholes’ asses every time they get into trouble.” He tittered at his own joke, and that made me laugh.
“I’m glad you made it home.” I hugged him again. “Are you hanging out for bit?”
“Yeah. I’m glad I finally met the woman brave enough to yank that stick out of your ass. I honestly thought she’d have angel wings and shit.”
I laughed. “Don’t be an asshole. She makes me happy.”
“I can see that. Don’t mess that up, man.”
“Don’t start with me. I already got an earful from Dr. Phil.”
He chortled, slapping me on the back. “You best listen to Zack just so you don’t jinx yourself. Maybe I should go in for a consult?” He bit his lip with a slight dip of his right brow.
“Yeah, you better. I’m fine with Rebecca staying, but you know Mom will have an opinion on that. And I honestly have no clue which way she’ll sway. Get Zack in on that.”
“I will.” Tyler’s eyes lost their blue under the dimmed lights.
Ana stopped playing. The night fell silent, almost sad without the melody of her piano. A minute later, guests meandered out to enjoy the nice weather in the gardens. Time for me to face the other music. I sauntered back to the house. Not two steps in, I was stopped by the head of security.
“Mr. Cole. A word?”
Now what?
17
He's Not Here
Valentina
As soon as Anabelle started playing, the room settled into some kind of trance. She was right. This was exactly the distraction I needed to break into Derek’s safe and steal five thousand dollars. Derek held me tight during Anabelle’s first piece, but the minute Tyler left, he went after him. Thank God, because I was about to ask Rebecca to keep Derek busy for me.
I winked at Anabelle across the room, and she winked back. In the same beat, she switched gears into a more dramatic piece that literally sucked everyone in closer to her. Even Wesley, who generally pretended she didn’t exist, stepped toward her, mesmerized by her skill. Shit. What was I doing wasting time? This recital wasn’t for me. It was because of me.
Shuffling my feet backward, I left the drawing room and headed straight for the library. This was my favorite room in the house. The cherrywood paneling, vaulted ceiling, dark bookshelves piled with old books, and oversized leather chairs made the room look as if it came straight out of some fairy tale. I made my way toward the back and swung open one of the paintings. My pulse raced as I glared at the small metal box. I entered the combination Derek had given me, and it opened with a soft click.
“What are you doing?” Rebecca shut the door behind her.
Clearly, I wasn’t made for this if I’d forgotten something so elementary as flipping the lock. “Just getting ready for more shopping. Tomorrow. Not right now.”
She smiled, and I relaxed. “Okay. Need help?”
“No, I’m good.” I glanced behind me to the stacks of bills in the safe.
“I could keep watch for you. Tyler and Derek just went by.” She raised an eyebrow.
God, I was bad at this. “Okay, thank you.” I turned my attention back to the cash and then realized I didn’t have a purse to put it in. The bustier of my dress was way-too tight to fit anything else. “Hey.” I called for Rebecca.
“Yes, you can use my purse.” She stalked over to me in that surreal thing she had going on for her. The red dress looked incredible on her. “I can tell you’ve never done this before. You need to relax.”
“Okay.” I counted the stacks as I stuffed them in her purse. Dammit. I was a thousand dollars short. “Hey.”
“How much?” She peered through the small gap in the door. “Take what you need.”
I’d seen the stacks of money she carried in her purse when we met shopping. Who would have thought I’d be asking her for cash tonight? I hated that I had to do this, but Max needed me.
“Just like that?”
“I could’ve said the same to you when you invited me to your home.” She raised an eyebrow.
“Thank you.”
“No. Thank you. Will you be safe out there?”
“Yeah. I’ll be all right. He just wants money. I’ll be back before the party’s over.”
“Right behind you.” She opened the door and gestured for me to go ahead.
I slowed my gait as I crossed the foyer. Anabelle’s performance was truly beautiful. I cleared my mind and focused on what I had to do. Get Max. I scurried upstairs, clutching Rebecca’s purse to my chest.
When I reached my bedroom, Rebecca called for me in a strained whisper. “Wait for me.”
I let her in the room, locked the door, and rushed to the bed. “I need a bag.”
She nodded, taking her purse from me. “Are you sure you’re up for this? You seem really nervous.”
“Why does everyone keep asking me this? Anabelle didn’t want me to go either.” I puffed out air. “He has my son. I don’t think Derek realizes how dangerous Alex can be.”
The smile faded from her face. “I understand. What do you need?”
“Anabelle has everyone enthralled with her music. Can you make sure no one sees me leave the house?”
“Done. Get a satchel.” She quickly collected the stacks of bills off the bed and arranged them neatly into five different piles. Had she done this before? She handled money as if she worked at a Las Vegas casino.
I bolted to my closet and returned with the biggest purse I had. Rebecca stacked the cash inside and draped the straps over my shoulder. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to wear the dress out. People will get suspicious if you change.”
“I know. I did change my shoes to ballet flats.” I shrugged.
“Don’t think. Just focus on the task at hand and get it done. There’s no room for emotion. Get it done.”
I nodded furiously. She gripped my shoulders and met my gaze. “Say it. Get it done.”
“Get it done.”
“You’re ready. Come on.”
“You’ve done this before?” I asked as we walked down the corridor toward the grand staircase. I needed to keep my head clear and not think about what I was about to do. How dangerous it was. How lonely and scared Max might be.
“I’ll answer all your questions when you return. Shit. Hold on.” She pulled me back against the wall.
Her hands on my shoulders were as clammy as mine. Anabelle had stopped playing, and people spilled out of the drawing room. No one would question
if I went out the front door, but Wesley and Zack might get suspicious.
“They’re twins? Shit.”
“Yeah, they are. Were you introduced?”
“Not really. But you need to go. Go.” She shoved me toward the landing.
“Thanks.” I waited until they headed back to the wine cellar in the basement, and then I made a run for it down the stairs and out the front door.
My chest hurt from my heart beating so fast all this time. But I would have met Alex at the end of the world to get Max to safety. Luckily, I only had to go three miles. Just as Anabelle had promised, her driver waited for me out on the driveway. I climbed into the back seat of the Escalade, and he took off.
“Mrs. Cole. How is your evening so far?”
“Good. Thank you for driving me.”
“Sure thing.”
I nodded. A part of me wished that Alex’s note was someone’s idea of a bad joke. But who would do such a thing? Even Bridget wouldn’t waste her time with something so petty. Unfortunately, Alex’s greed would have him wasting his time with me, flying all the way to Atlanta for five thousand dollars. What had he done with the money Derek gave him two months ago? Why had he not asked for more? Maybe he knew I didn’t have access to a larger amount of money. This was an easy payday for him.
“This is it.” The driver pulled into a parking lot.
I relaxed into my seat. The intersection Alex had chosen wasn’t secluded, as I thought it’d be. There were restaurants and shops all around us, even a public parking lot. “Thank you. I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll wait for you. Take your time.”
Spying every face and corner in the place, I walked toward the Tex-Mex restaurant on the corner. When I didn’t see Alex, I crossed the street to check the ice cream parlor on the other side. No Alex. Maybe this whole endeavor had been a bad joke after all. I fished my phone from my purse and called the house in Tucson again. Still no luck.
Unravel You: A Hot Billionaire Romance (Cole Brothers Series Book 1) Page 16
