by Tara Thomas
“And let me tell you this,” he said, leaning close so his breath tickled her skin. “I know of three people in this car alone who would move heaven and earth to keep you safe. And I, for one, would go up against the devil himself to ensure you stay that way.”
She lifted her head for a kiss.
“Hey,” her brother said from the front seat. “This is a government car. Knock that out.”
Janie snorted. “You’re a fine one to talk.”
Brent winked at her.
Twenty minutes later, they walked into the penthouse Brent and Janie called home. Bea had been afraid it’d be too contemporary for her taste; she knew from helping Brent decorate his home in Charleston how much he liked traditional decor. But she was pleasantly surprised when they stepped into the sleek modern space how well the decorator had managed to blend the rich antiques in and make it all work.
“Thanks,” he said when she told him that. “I’d love to take credit for it, but it was all Janie.” He pulled her close and whispered something in her ear that had her blushing and pushing him away.
“You did a great job,” Knox said.
“Thanks.” Janie’s face had regained its normal color. “I enjoy decorating, but it’s just a hobby.”
“Well, if you ever decide to give up police work, I’d be willing to bet you could turn it into a second career. You’re really good,” Bea said in agreement with her husband.
“Come on,” Brent said. “Let me show you around the place.”
Knox and Bea followed Brent for a quick tour, while Janie disappeared into the kitchen. They ended the tour in the guest bedroom they would be staying in.
Brent had already placed their bags in the room earlier and after he showed them the bedroom, he got a knowing grin on his face.
“I didn’t tell you earlier,” Brent said. “But Janie and I have a dinner to go to tonight. It’s for work, so I really can’t get out of it. And I’d invite you to go, but it’ll be boring as hell and I don’t want to put you through that.”
“You’re not going to be here?” Bea asked. “Our first night in DC?”
“I’m afraid not,” Brent said. “I’ll leave the car in case you want to go out. However, I think you’re going to probably prefer to stay in. Am I right?”
He slid his hands into his pockets, and rocked back on his heels. It only took one look at him for her to see what he was doing. Sure, he probably had a work dinner, but she bet he could get out of it if he wanted to. No, what he was doing was giving her and Knox some time to be alone.
She looked to the side and caught Knox’s eye. He winked. Bea would be willing to bet he knew what was happening as well.
“Yes, I think we will stay in,” she said, receiving a confirmation nod from Knox.
“I believe Janie has put something together for you for dinner tonight. All you’ll have to do is reheat it.” He looked at his watch and then back at them. “I need to get ready, you two make yourself comfortable.”
He closed the door on his way out. When she heard his footsteps echo in the hall, she turned to Knox. “Did what I think just happen really happen?”
“You mean that your brother all but told us to have wild monkey sex since he and Janie would be out of the penthouse?”
“I wasn’t going with those exact words, but yes.” Although now that he’d used those words, the image of her and Knox hanging from a chandelier wouldn’t leave her mind.
The thing was, as much as she wanted to hop into bed with Knox, she was counting down the seconds until they could talk about Jade’s note and Tom.
They walked out to the hallway, and ran into Janie. She was all smiles as she pointed toward the kitchen. “I made lasagna, all you have to do is reheat. There’s some salad stuff in refrigerator and bread on the countertop. We will be back late. Probably after midnight.”
With that, Janie took off toward the bedroom and moments later, she left with Brent. Bea turned to Knox expectantly and he held out his hand.
“Tell me,” he said. “What have you figured out?”
She took his hand, pleading with her eyes for him to believe her. “Jade isn’t the enemy everyone thinks she is and I’m pretty sure Tom was lying in the office earlier.”
CHAPTER 9
Knox didn’t look as surprised as she thought he would. “What makes you think he was lying?”
“His body language. The way he stood and the way his eyes shifted. I see it all the time in court.”
“Why would Tom lie about that?”
She cringed. “That’s the part I’m trying to figure out. And when you add in that letter from Jade…”
“You believe Jade.”
He spoke it as fact and with no judgement in his voice. She nodded. She did believe Jade. She knew most people wouldn’t, but she did. She told herself she wasn’t being played by a sob story. She could always see through those. No, something in her gut told her that Jade was trustworthy.
She took Knox’s hand. “I do. I can’t fully explain why, but I do.”
He placed his other hand on top of hers. “Then I do, too.”
* * *
The next day, she was still basking in the fact that Knox sided with her about Jade. It felt so good to have that support.
“So tell me,” Janie asked while they were all eating lunch. “How you two met.”
They were in the penthouse’s dining room. Bea had been admiring the view from the huge floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the city. She looked up at Janie in surprise. “What?”
“Come on,” Janie said. “I love to hear how-we-met stories. I don’t know yours.”
Bea looked over to Brent, he just shrugged. “I don’t know how you met, either,” he said.
Bea gave Knox a smile. “I had a client who brought suit against Benedict Industries.”
Janie looked at her with wide eyes. Brent actually dropped his fork.
“What?” her brother asked.
“It’s true,” Knox said, obviously enjoying the shocked faces. “She walked into the board room that day and I almost forgot my name.”
“You did not.” Bea rolled her eyes. “I remember you being almost a complete jerk.”
“That was a defense mechanism.”
“It was a good one. Almost too good.”
Knox made her laugh by winking at her. “I had it all under control.”
Brent chuckled. “You’re right,” he said to Janie. “Hearing how-we-met stories is kind of fun.”
“See?” Janie said. She took a bite of her salad and swallowed before talking again. “What happened next? Obviously, you guys somehow met up again.”
“Actually, it kind of was like fate,” Bea admitted. “The next couple weeks we kept running into each other. The first time it was at a coffee shop, I was walking in as he was walking out. That time, he just lifted his cup, saluted, and walked out the door.”
“Just for the record,” Knox added. “I had a meeting starting less than fifteen minutes that day. If I didn’t have anything planned, I would’ve stayed and talked.”
“Or so he says,” Janie said.
“Right?” Bea asked. “I didn’t believe that the first time he told me, either.”
“I mean, if he didn’t so much as say hello when he was sitting right next to you, why would you think he’d speak at a coffee shop?” Janie turned to Knox. “Where did you see each other next?”
“It was at that little art gallery,” he said and Bea finished with, “The one closest to Benedict House.”
“I know that one,” Janie said.
“And then—” Knox tried to take over, but Bea wasn’t going to let him skip over the art gallery.
“I was looking at a landscape and suddenly I looked to my side and Knox was there. He said something like, he felt that if he didn’t ask if he could get me a drink, the Fates would sigh, shake their heads, and give up. He said he couldn’t stand the thought of not seeing me, so he had to do it correctly this time.”
“No,” Bea said. “Because right at that moment, my date came up with a drink for me.”
Brent whistled. “Brutal, man.”
“Had he heard you?” Janie asked.
“Yes, he had,” Bea said, because she knew Knox wouldn’t offer that information. “And while he was none too pleased, I thought it was romantic, too.” She gave her husband a smile before continuing. “By that time I knew who he was. So while I couldn’t leave my date—”
“Yeah, you could have,” Knox said.
“But, the next afternoon, I went by his office, his brothers weren’t in. I made sure before I went inside. I told the admin I was an attorney and had to speak to him urgently. She sent me right to his office, no questions asked.”
“When I looked up and saw Bea standing there,” Knox said. “My first instinct was to fire that admin.”
Bea reached over and took his hand. “But he changed his mind when I asked him if I could buy him a drink.”
“And I told her, there was no way I was letting her buy the drinks.” He lifted her hand to his mouth and gave it a kiss. “Three weeks later, I asked her to marry me.”
“That fast?” Brent asked and then, not waiting for either of them to answer, asked Bea, “So, that day I stopped by your office and you two were inside with the door closed.…”
“Yes,” Bea confirmed. “Already married.”
“Damn,” Brent said.
“I didn’t see any reason not to propose,” Knox said. “I mean, you find what you want, you go for it, and when you get it, you don’t let go, right?”
“Makes sense to me.” Brent leaned back in his chair, all the while looking at his fiancée with knowing eyes. “Janie and I weren’t quite that quick, but we weren’t far behind you, either.”
“What was it about my brother that first caught your attention?” Bea asked. She knew they had met in a bar where Janie was working undercover, but not very many of the details.
Janie’s eyes danced with delight. “For sure it was the way he chased off the drunk who was hitting on me with just a few words and a lifted eyebrow.”
“Smooth,” Knox said.
“And we were pretty much together from that day on,” Brent said.
“He keeps saying he’s going to take me to Greece,” Janie said.
“As soon as you marry me.”
Janie twisted her ring. “We do need to set a date, don’t we?”
“We? Woman, I told you to tell me when and where and I’d show up.”
“Next May,” Janie said.
“Really?” Brent sat up.
“Really.” Janie looked to Bea. “Could I bother you to come back to DC to help me look for dresses in a month or two?”
“Of course. And you have to know it won’t be a bother at all.”
“The one thing I still don’t get, though,” Brent said, looking to Knox, “is why the secrecy? Why didn’t you tell anyone you were married?”
“That was me,” Bea confessed.
“Why?” Janie asked.
“It was my dad.” She closed her eyes briefly at the thought of her father and told herself she was not going to cry. “He absolutely hated that I became a lawyer. And when I told him I was going to run for Congress, he almost shut me out. I knew if I told him I married a Benedict, he’d ruin me.”
“He would do that?” Janie asked.
“And not think twice about it,” Brent added. “I’m sorry Bea. I wish I had known.”
Bea shrugged. “Like I said, it seems so petty now. Especially in light of everything that’s been happening.”
She knew Brent and Janie understood. It hadn’t been that long ago that they had been through their own personal hell. It was, however, comforting to see that they had come through it, not only safe, but also stronger. And, from all appearances, more in love than ever.
“Going through something like that,” Brent said, “like what you’re going through now, certainly does put things into perspective.”
“I hate that you’re going through this,” Janie said. “I remember all too well what it was like and I don’t wish that on my worst enemy.”
Brent grew serious. “It goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway. If there’s anything at all we can do. Anything at all. Let us know.”
She didn’t miss the way he looked at Janie. Bea remembered the fear he had when she’d been kidnapped. He had been beyond devastated, not sure he would ever see her again. And even then, had said he wasn’t sure how he could live without her.
She hated that her and Knox’s current circumstances brought back those scary feelings back to the couple. She also knew, they were happy to provide support for them. It was a situation that not many people could understand, not having lived through it themselves.
“That’s enough about that,” Janie said. “Tell me about your wedding. Where did you get married and all that fun stuff.”
This, she could talk about. She smiled, remembering that weekend. Looking over to Knox, and seeing his smile, she could tell he remembered it well, too. Though she mostly remembered tangled sheets and long kisses filled with passion, those weren’t the memories she was going to share.
“You’re going to laugh,” she said.
Janie smiled. “Excellent, we all need to laugh.”
“Knox flew me to Vegas.”
Janie put her wineglass down. “Shut up.”
“I did,” Knox said. “In the honeymoon suite and everything.”
“It was fun,” Bea said. “One of the wildest and craziest things I’ve ever done.”
“It’s good for you to do wild and crazy things,” Brent said. “You haven’t done enough of those.”
It was true. In her life, first being sheltered so much by her parents and then as she got older, being so dedicated to school and then law school, she had no time for wild and crazy. Then a smooth-talking, good-looking man from a family with a reputation for being a bunch of playboys swept her off her feet. She could honestly say life had not been boring for a second after that.
She looked at Knox in gratitude. “Falling in love with Knox was definitely the coolest thing I’d ever done.”
CHAPTER 10
The Gentleman was getting restless. He got up from the bed, pulled on his pants and shirt and looked at the stupid bitch who was still in his bed. He shoved her. “Get out.”
That’s what he got for bringing them into his room. If he’d just gone to her room like he normally did, he could just leave and not have to deal with the aftermath. But when the urge hit him, he didn’t feel like going to her place, so he’d had Louis fetch her and bring her to him.
Louis, that was a loyal employee. Nothing like that worthless Jade. Of course, it helped that he paid for Louis’s daughter’s very expensive medical bills. Power. That’s what it was. He had power over Louis, therefore the man would do whatever he asked.
That had been his mistake with Jade. He’d treated her like a daughter. He’d given her everything and she’d repaid him by leaving. He’d been soft when it came to Jade. He’d never make that mistake again.
He picked the phone by the bed up and punched two numbers.
“Hello, sir,” Louis said. “How can I assist you?”
“I need my bed cleared and sheets changed.”
“Yes, sir. Shall I take the woman back to her place?”
“Yes, and she’s refusing to get out of bed. Why don’t you and your friends have fun with her once you drop her off.”
The naked woman scampered out of bed so fast, she tripped and fell to the ground with a sob.
“Thank you, sir.”
The Gentleman hung up. “Too late. You should have listened the first time. I’m not even sure I want you after Louis and his friends have had you. I’ll probably let them keep you.”
She just looked at him with those wet, red eyes. She couldn’t tal
k because he’d gagged her, but she was making noises behind the cloth in her mouth. He reached down and grabbed her hair.
“That is assuming they still want you when they finish. If they don’t, I have a few gator friends who love worthless whores. If you don’t want to meet them, I suggest you show Louis and his friends a good time.”
He chuckled and shoved her down. Louis could be a mean SOB, he’d seen him in action. The piece of trash at his feet likely wouldn’t live past tonight. That was okay, The Gentleman was bored of her. He needed someone with more spunk, more fight, more passion.
He knew just who he wanted.
He left the bedroom and went into his office to boot up his computer. The camera he’d installed at her place hadn’t been triggered in weeks. She thought she was safe since she took up with the Benedicts. The truth was, she’d only made the game more interesting.
He picked up his phone and called Tom.
“Hello, sir,” he said, answering on the first ring.
“Status,” The Gentleman replied.
“The happy couple has left DC, sir, on a private jet. Flight plan has it arriving in Charleston within the hour.”
“They’re back earlier than I’d been told they would.” That pissed him off. Tom had told him they were going to be in DC through the weekend. He’d planned to have Tom drop off a special gift to be waiting upon their return. Now he couldn’t have it in place.
“It was a last-minute decision, sir,” Tom sounded stressed. Good. “They only decided this morning.”
He looked at his watch. “And why am I only finding out about it now? When I call you?” He felt his blood pound through his veins. He was so tired of incompetence. “Do I need to make an example out of you?”
He’d already roughed Tom up for Jade’s last mistake before she took off and he’d had to make sure the others knew that type of behavior would not be accepted.
“No, sir,” Tom said. “You don’t have to do that.”
“And why not?” It might be good to hear the man beg.
“I didn’t call you because I was following up on an important tip.”
