Galactic Nuptials 2
My Chameleon Loves
Jenilyn Montgomery took a job with Gracely Investments to find out what happened to her best friend. She knows they’re behind Linda’s disappearance, but she can’t prove it. When she finds evidence of their illegal activities, she uses her computer skills to hide their vast fortune and is arrested for embezzlement.
Zintssar and Kernztssar are visiting Earth on a diplomatic mission when they scent their fated mate. They can read her emotions and know she’s hiding something, but she’s not really a criminal. But that’s okay because they’re hiding a pretty big secret themselves. They’ll do anything to take her back to Kilara as their bride.
What will Jenilyn do when she’s offered the choice of a prison term or leaving Earth as mate to the handsome brothers?
Note: There is no sexual relationship or touching for titillation between or among siblings.
Genre: Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Science Fiction, Shape-shifter
Length: 41,883 words
MY CHAMELEON LOVES
Galactic Nuptials 2
Missy Martine
MENAGE AMOUR
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Amour
MY CHAMELEON LOVES
Copyright © 2012 by Missy Martine
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62241-654-7
First E-book Publication: October 2012
Cover design by Harris Channing
All cover art and logo copyright © 2012 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
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DEDICATION
A big thanks to the wonderful readers who continue to send me encouraging letters and e-mails. Your support and encouragement keep me going.
And a special “thank you” to everyone at Siren Publishing. Your willingness to take a chance on me three years ago was one of the best things to happen in my lifetime.
And, as always, my thanks and my love go to Nigel. His unconditional love and support help me to enjoy life to the fullest.
MY CHAMELEON LOVES
Galactic Nuptials 2
MISSY MARTINE
Copyright © 2012
Prologue
“You want me to do what?” District Attorney Elliot Reynolds raked his fingers through his short brown hair while small drops of sweat trickled down his flushed face.
Zintssar, the oldest brother of the Arridian clan, took a deep, calming breath. He’d been negotiating treaties between his home planet and other worlds for years. But this was personal, and he was quickly losing patience. “We want you to make arrangements for us to take Jenilyn Montgomery with us when we travel home.”
Elliot’s eyes widened, and his hand came up to lightly clasp his throat. “You’re talking about the young woman that was arraigned on embezzlement charges.”
Zintssar nodded. “Yes, the female with long brown hair and green eyes. We want to take her to Kilara.”
The district attorney paced back and forth in the small room. “I don’t understand.”
Zintssar sighed and glanced over at his brothers. Kernztssar, better known as Kernz, looked as if he could happily dismember the disagreeable human, while Xortztssar appeared bored. “We live on Kilara now. Perhaps you’ve heard of the Federation’s program to cultivate habitable planets for food. Our home world, Arridia, was awarded a spot on Kilara. My brothers and I are going to make it our home for the next year or so.”
Elliot frowned and gave a slight shake of his head. “No, I mean I don’t understand why you want Ms. Montgomery.”
“She’s our destined mate.”
Elliot took a couple of shuffling steps back, his mouth dropping open. “She’s your…I mean, how…When did you meet her?”
Zintssar struggled not to laugh at the struggling man. “We haven’t met her yet.”
“Then how do you know she’s your mate?”
“Because her scent draws me like none other ever has before.” The eldest son, and only the eldest, in an Arridian clan could recognize their mate from her scent. The brothers were destined to share the same mate, as their fathers before them. Zintssar took two steps and looked down on the human male. “Will you make the arrangements?”
Elliot’s lips trembled, his hands gripping the back of a chair so hard his knuckles turned white. “I can’t do that, Zintssar. She’s just been arraigned today. She’s got to stand trial for the charges that were brought against her.”
Kernz moved forward to stand next to Zintssar. “How long will that take?”
The district attorney crossed his arms over his chest and raised his chin a fraction of an inch. “It could be anywhere from a month to six months to even get a date for the trial. You know how long it took to bring Edward Davis to trial.”
Zintssar growled softly. He and his brothers were on Earth to testify at Edward’s trial. They had helped their good friends, Andon and Tarik, rescue their mate when Edward kidnapped her and her brother. “We have to wait until some farce of a trial to take our mate home?”
“I’m sorry. I’m not trying to
make you angry, but you may never get the chance to take her home. It has to be her decision to accept your claim, and she might be found guilty of the charges brought against her.”
Zintssar shook his head. “No! She’s innocent.”
Elliot pursed his lips, tilting his head to the side. “How do you know that?”
“You wouldn’t understand.” Zintssar shifted his gaze to Kernz and then back to Elliot. “It’s a trait my people have, similar to your telepathy but different. We feel other’s emotions, and there’s a noticeable difference in someone who’s being false. Jenilyn Montgomery is not guilty of the charges against her.”
Sighing, Elliot dropped into a chair. “I’m sorry to say it might not matter, Zintssar. Our people base their opinion on the facts presented in the case. If the facts are compelling enough, the jury will find her guilty.”
Kernz’s nostrils flared, and he moved to stand over the district attorney. “What happens to her if they find her guilty?”
Elliott swallowed hard. “She’ll be sent to a state penitentiary for a set amount of time. The usual sentence is anywhere from ten to twenty years, depending on the circumstances.”
Zintssar felt his canines drop as he suppressed a growl. “Not acceptable.”
Elliot stood and moved toward the door. “You may not have a choice. I’m sorry, but it’s not in my power to just give her to you.”
Zintssar moved forward until he was crowding Elliott against the wall. He felt his lip turn up in a half smile as he watched the nervous tic in the man’s jaw. “Then let me make myself perfectly clear, Mr. Reynolds. We want our mate. Your government has shown great interest in the clean energy sources from our home world, Arridia.” He moved even closer and let his grin widen when his brothers moved in on each side, effectively boxing in the nervous man. “Your world leaders have already begun talks of trade with our father.” He leaned down until his breath stirred the short hairs on Elliot’s head. “I can promise you those talks will stop until we have our mate safely in our home on Kilara.”
Chapter 1
Six months later
Jeffrey Landers pulled off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He raised his gaze and studied his client, Jenilyn Montgomery. “I had a visit from Phillip Masters.”
Jeni frowned and crossed her arms across her stomach. The cold air of the holding cell seemed to seep into her bones. “He’s the attorney for Gracely Investments.”
Jeff nodded. “Yes, that’s right.”
“What the hell did he want?”
He put his glasses back on and opened his briefcase, spreading some papers across the cold, metal table. “Believe it or not, he wanted to make a deal.”
Jeni narrowed her eyes. “What kind of a deal?”
“They’re willing to drop the charges if you, and I quote, ‘fix the computer problems you caused when you left.’” He studied Jeni for a moment and then sighed. “I don’t suppose you know what he’s talking about?”
Jeni snorted, and lowered her gaze. She knew exactly what he was talking about. She worked her lip between her teeth for a moment and then looked up. “You can’t repeat anything I tell you, can you?”
Jeff leaned back in his chair. “No, not unless you confess you’re about to commit a murder.”
She barked out a laugh. “No, nothing that drastic.”
“Come on, Jeni. Talk to me. I’ve been representing you for almost six months, and it’s time you told me the truth. It’s the only way I can help you.”
She sighed and let her head fall back as she gazed at the uneven ceiling tiles. There were two hundred of them. She’d counted them several times. “I went to work for Gracely about a year ago.”
“Yes, I already knew that.”
Jeni raised her head and gazed into his eyes. “What you don’t know is why.”
Jeff frowned. “What do you mean?”
“My best friend is, or rather was, Linda Phelps. We grew up together. We went to the same college and even dated some of the same men.”
“What does that have to do with any of this?”
“She was Carl Dempsey’s administrative assistant for a little over three years.” Carl, along with Robert Ellison, owned Gracely Investments.
“Where is she now?”
Jeni shrugged and wiped a tear from her cheek. “I wish I knew. She disappeared about two years ago.”
Jeff frowned and leaned forward. “Disappeared?”
“Yes! She disappeared off the face of the Earth, and nobody seems to care. She and I had dinner together several nights every week to save money. When she didn’t show up for our regular Monday-night pizza fest, I called her apartment and left a message.”
“She never called you back?”
Jeni clasped her hands on the cold tabletop. “No, she didn’t. When I called her at work on Tuesday, Mr. Dempsey told me she’d up and quit the day before. He said she was acting a little strange and that she’d said she had just broken up with some guy and she wanted some time alone to lick her wounds.” She raised her gaze to his. “His words, not mine.”
“Did you report her as missing?”
“Of course I did. But first, I went to her apartment.”
“What did you find?”
“Nothing suspicious. Everything was neat and tidy, which actually should have been suspicious. Linda was always such a slob.” She reached for the glass of water sitting on the edge of the table and took a long drink. “Her suitcase was missing, and the closet and dresser drawers looked picked through and half-empty. The police told me it looked like she’d just taken off on a trip and there was nothing they could do about it.”
Jeff leaned back and threaded his fingers together on his stomach. “You said this was two years ago. What did they do when she didn’t turn up?”
“They didn’t do anything because Mr. Dempsey produced a letter he said came from Linda. It said she’d made up with her lover and she was going to travel with him for a while. She was resigning her position.”
“But you didn’t believe it.”
“No, I didn’t. The apartment manager received a similar letter with instructions to give her personal possessions to charity.”
Jeff leaned his head to the side. “But you still weren’t convinced.”
Jeni snorted. “No! I didn’t see how she would just up and leave everything without a word.”
“What did the police say?”
“They wouldn’t do anything after my letter arrived.”
He reached over and covered her hand with his own warm palm. “What did your letter say?”
“Pretty much the same. Plus she added that she’d always treasure my friendship but this was something she had to do.”
Jeff picked up a pen and made some notes on a legal pad. “Were the letters handwritten?”
“Only the one I received. The others were typed.”
“Did you recognize the handwriting?”
Jeni bit her lip. “That’s the weird part. I could have sworn it was her writing except she didn’t use my nickname.”
Jeff paused in his writing. “What nickname?”
She felt her cheeks getting warmer. “Never mind. It was private. That’s the whole point. She didn’t use it, and if it was her, she would have.”
“What did you do then?”
Jeni shrugged. “I went and applied for a job at Gracely Investments. They’d never seen me, and I didn’t use my real name.” She choked back a sob. “It was stupid. I should have known better after getting the letter.”
“Where did you get fake identification?”
“I didn’t. They had me fill out forms for social security. I just made up the information. I knew from experience it would be a few months before it would be kicked back as inaccurate. One of the firms I worked for once had this guy who’d inverted two numbers accidentally on his social security number. It took over ninety days for the error to show up in the system.”
“What happened then?”
“They hired me the same day I applied.”
Jeff’s eyes widened. “The same day?”
“Yeah. I dressed up like a tart for my interview. Linda had told me that Carl Dempsey was a slug. He was always hitting on anything in skirts. I figured if he liked what he saw, I’d be in.”
Jeff frowned and shook his head. “Obviously he liked what he saw since they hired you. What was your job?”
She laughed. “A glorified receptionist. I played dumb, and the old fool didn’t know I was computer literate. They had me fetching coffee and donuts and answering the phone to take messages. They’d leave me alone when they’d go on their long lunches, and I took the time to search their files.”
Jeff made a few more notes and then looked up. “What did you find?”
“Enough to convince me they’re a couple of loan sharks. I admit their operation is bigger than Big Ed down on State Street. But a shark’s a shark no matter what he calls himself.”
“Mr. Dempsey and Mr. Ellison call themselves investment counselors.”
Jeni rubbed her forehead with two fingers. “Well, your average investment counselor doesn’t have Angelo and Mario watching their backs.”
“Angelo Salloto and Mario Zinetti. Aren’t they drivers for the company?”
“Drivers, right! That’s a good one. They’re hired muscle and both of them carry.”
Jeff tapped his pen against his cheek. “Jeni, I’m confused. None of this tells me what they want you to fix for them to drop these charges.”
“I was searching their offices to try and find out what happened to Linda. I found her rings tucked away in the back of a desk drawer. She used to take them off when she had to type because they were a little big and rolled around on her finger. Whoever took her out of that office didn’t know that. There’s no way Linda would have left those rings behind. She wouldn’t even have gone home at the end of the work day without putting them back on. One of them was her mother’s engagement ring. When I realized what they were, and that they must have done something to Linda, I put their money where they couldn’t find it.”
My Chameleon Loves [Galactic Nuptials 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 1
