by Tara Thomas
“They aren’t black,” Kipling said.
“What?” Alyssa held the flower in question up. “It looks black to me.”
Kipling shook his head. “It’s a very deep crimson. I did a little bit of research when I found a similar one on my desk.”
“Interesting.” Alyssa twirled the rose. “It still looks black to me.”
“Just because they look that way, doesn’t mean they are.” Kipling took the rose from her. “Also, these are so rare, they’re almost extinct. And they are only grown in Turkey.”
Knox gave a low whistle and slipped his arm around Bea. “That’s a rather extravagant threat, wouldn’t you say? Why spend so much money?”
“Unless you really want to make a statement,” Alyssa said.
“Is there any way Tom could have afforded anything close to what I assume those cost?” Bea asked. “If not, it seems to lend credibility to our idea of there being someone who is not only the mastermind, but also has fairly deep pockets.”
“Which once more narrows the field of potential suspects for us,” Alyssa said.
“I can pull a list of nurseries in Turkey that export those roses,” Knox said to her. “I’ll have it to you in the morning.”
“Thank you. I’ll start making phone calls while my locks are being changed.” Alyssa glanced at her watch. “Speaking of, I need to head out so I can find a hotel room.”
“I’ll go with you and see that you get settled,” Kipling said. “Since you’re being stubborn and won’t stay here.”
“I’ll be fine on my own. I don’t need you to follow me.”
“I know that,” Kipling said in a low voice. “I want to go for me, so I can make sure you’re safe.”
She didn’t roll her eyes the way she wanted to, instead, she told herself that he was only looking out for her best interest, and if she argued, it wouldn’t do any good. He would come anyway. And, though she’d never admit it to him, it was sweet.
“Let’s go,” she said.
Kipling looked momentarily stunned that she didn’t argue, but he collected himself quickly, and followed her outside to get the cars. “You know where you’re staying?”
She named a middle-of-the-road hotel that wasn’t a roach motel, but that she suspected was nowhere near the opulence of anyplace he’d typically stay.
“Lead the way,” he said.
She waited for him to get in his car and then drove to the hotel she hoped to stay for the night. It wasn’t far from Benedict House and for that she was glad. If something else were to come up or happen, God forbid, he would be able to get to her easily.
He didn’t get out of his car after parking in the Check In Only spot next to her. He was talking on the phone to someone, and her stomach twisted, but she wasn’t sure why. She decided not to get out until he did.
Three minutes later, he waved for her. She couldn’t help but notice as he got out to meet her just beside the front door, that he was frowning. That wasn’t what bothered her the most, though. What set her on high alert was the too careful to be casual way he looked around the parking lot.
She did the same thing, trying to determine if anything looked out of the ordinary. “What?” she finally asked.
Based on his expression, he was upset, or angry. And she couldn’t say with great certainty, but it seemed possible that there was a hint of fear, or at least worry there as well.
“Knox called,” he said.
Her stomach twisted tighter because there was only one reason for Knox to call while they were on the way to the hotel instead of simply waiting for Kipling to make it back home.
“So soon?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“That was fast.”
He nodded. “As it turns out, there is only one business in the US that has imported those roses recently.”
“Who?” she asked, even though deep inside she knew what the answer would be.
“Finition Noire.”
She forced herself to breathe normally.
In. Out. In. Out.
“Are you okay?” he asked after about three more breaths.
She wasn’t ready to talk yet, so she kept breathing in and out. At the same time, trying to determine why it seemed like everything she did was somehow connected to the Benedicts.
“Alyssa,” he said, more forcefully the second time. “Are you okay?”
* * *
She peeked at him with one eye and he wondered why he kept asking her if she was okay when it was clearly obvious that she was not.
“No,” she said. “Let me take a few more deep breaths and then we’ll reassess.”
Kipling glanced around the parking lot again. He wasn’t sure why, but something felt off. Almost as if they were being watched, but he didn’t see how that was possible.
Unless …
He looked to his side where Alyssa was still taking deep breaths. He didn’t want to stress her out any more, but he didn’t want her out here in the open if there was a potential she could be harmed.
Her eyes opened and all traces of fear were gone. In its place was an unwavering resolve. “We need to go.”
“Why?”
Her eyes swept the parking lot. “I called the hotel earlier this afternoon, before I drove to Benedict House, just to tell them I might come by tonight and to make sure they weren’t booked. But I never said for certain. Something doesn’t feel right.”
Since he had the same feeling, he couldn’t agree more. He held out a hand. “Give me your keys. I’ll call and have Knox come and get your car.”
She stuck her hand in her pocket and handed him her keys. He collected Alyssa’s bag from her car, settled her into the front seat, and within seconds they were headed south.
She was silent, but not for long. They weren’t too far out of the city when a glance to his side showed him that her resolve was still in place. She amazed him with the way she handled everything.
“Where are we going?” she asked, catching the glance.
“Just a little way outside of the city where no one would expect us to be.”
“You keep saying ‘we’ … aren’t you going back home?”
She’d asked the question with no emotion or any way at all for him to guess what she’d like his answer to be. He decided to answer with the same type of tone. “Not anymore.”
“I should give you my credit card number.” She bent down and reached for her purse, but he put a hand on her thigh to stop her.
“No,” he said. “This is on me. Remember? My contribution to the case.”
“That was supposed to be things other than travel.”
“I don’t remember that stipulation.”
“I just added it.”
The fact that she was in a mood to argue with him was a good thing he decided. He smiled. “It doesn’t work that way.”
“I’ll let it slide this time.”
“That’s awful magnanimous of you.”
“Don’t get used to it.”
“Right. I’ll make a note of that.” He couldn’t hide the grin that the brief exchange left on his face.
Her phone rang and she reached for it. “It’s the lab.”
“It’s almost seven. Why would anyone be calling this late?”
“I sent an e-mail earlier to see if it was possible to expedite Jade’s hair.” She answered the phone. “Hello?”
There was nothing but silence for a minute. Whatever she was told, it couldn’t have been good news. Not with the look of pure rage that grew with every second.
“What do you mean you have no record of the sample? I had a confirmation email that you received it.” There was a pause as whoever was on the other end spoke. “I suggest you look again because if you can’t find it, I’ll come to the lab myself and find it.” Another pause. “I don’t want to hear that it may have been anything. Call me back when you have something concrete.” She ended the conversation with a curse.
“They lost Jade’s hair?” Kipling
asked.
“They don’t know what the hell they’ve done to her hair. It’s not in the system, but the woman I talked to said she remembers it and thought they’d finished testing.”
He was floored by the incompetence her words suggested. “Is that normal for them? To lose something like that?”
“No. It’s completely out of character. Which makes it even more maddening. Why that sample?”
“I want to say it’s purely coincidental, but I don’t think either of us believes that.” The bigger question was, what were they going to do about it? Kipling got the feeling that something or someone more powerful than they realized was at play. And that worried him. “We need to be very cautious about what we say to whom.”
Alyssa nodded offhandedly. “I’m trying to think of who I trust the most that has contacts in the lab.” She appeared to be scrolling through her phone contacts and muttered under her breath, “I just don’t know. I’m at the point where I don’t feel like I can trust anyone.”
“Don’t look at it like that. There are plenty of people you can trust. Right now you’re having to be overly cautious about what you say and to whom. It won’t be like this forever.”
“It just seems like it,” she mumbled.
They drove the rest of the way in silence. Alyssa scrolled through her phone, looking for someone to contact about the situation at the lab. He wasn’t going far out of the city, so it didn’t take long to make it to the hotel he had in mind.
Several minutes later, he pulled into the driveway of the hotel and retrieved Alyssa’s bag. Of course, he didn’t have much other than the clothes he had on, but he’d deal with that later.
They walked together to the front desk and approached a woman who was much too perky for the time of day and in light of everything that had happened the last few hours.
“Yes, sir,” she said before they’d even made it to the desk. “How can I help you?”
Kipling waited until he stood in front of her before answering. “We need two interconnecting suites and at least one them needs to have a large table. Put us down for a week, but I might end up extending.”
Five minutes later, Kipling decided he didn’t mind perky if it came with results like the front desk had arranged. The two suites were prefect. One had a conference table and the other a small kitchen.
But a glance at Alyssa showed her frowning.
“What?” Kipling asked.
“A week, maybe longer?” The frown deepened. “Why?”
“Everything we turn up points to whatever happened to your sister somehow being connected to whatever or whoever is threatening my family now. When I look at what happened to Tilly and Bea, I can picture something just as dangerous, if not more, happening to you.”
She didn’t let him finish. “You’re forgetting that Knox and Bea were married and Keaton and Tilly were not only dating, but also had an entire history of childhood memories together.”
“I’m not forgetting anything, Alyssa. Whether you like it or not, you and I have been paired together.”
“Because we danced at your brother’s wedding?”
He walked across the room to stand in front of her, purposely getting inside her personal space, but not touching her. She was a tall woman, but he was taller and standing like he was, she had no choice but to look up at him. “Tell me you don’t feel the connection between us. Tell me your heart isn’t racing right this very second.” He ran a finger down her cheek. “Tell me you aren’t affected in any way by my touch. That your body doesn’t long for more. Tell me that, Alyssa, and I’ll walk out of here and never bother you again.”
She kept her eyes on him. “You know I can’t do that.”
He had no intention of gloating over her acquiescence. But he did want to kiss her, and badly. Standing like he was in front of her, he could feel her breathing in and out. He could smell her, and he wanted nothing more than to taste her.
But he wasn’t going to. At least not at that moment. So with a heavy sigh, he forced himself to take a step backward and put some distance between them. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you and my family safe. And if that means keeping a few hotel rooms for a week or so, that’s what I’ll do. Are you tired?”
For just a second, he sensed rather than saw her put her guard down. For that brief moment it was as if he connected with the real Alyssa. Just a glimpse, but it was enough. Enough for him to know that he would do anything to see more of that side of her. “Not in any way, shape, or form.”
“Me, either.” He nodded to the suite with the kitchen. “I’m going to go take what few things I have into the other room. Why don’t you do the same in here and we’ll meet at your table in thirty minutes?”
“What’s the plan?”
“I’m going to call Knox and fill him in on what we’re doing and make sure he’s uploaded everything he has on Finition Noire to a secure and private server I have access to.”
She cocked an eyebrow up. “Because you just happen to take your laptop wherever you go?”
He knew she had hers, but then again, she’d been planning to spend the night away. “No,” he admitted. “But I never go anywhere without my tablet.”
“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you planned this.”
“I would never do anything to intentionally scare you.”
“I know that,” she replied softly.
He simply smiled and said, “Back here in thirty?”
CHAPTER 6
Alyssa groaned and pushed away from the table with a glance at her watch. “Ugh. We’ve been sitting here going through these records for three hours. I need a break.”
She’d taken a quick shower earlier before they’d reconvened at the table. Kipling had somehow managed to change clothes. She wasn’t sure if he just happened to keep extra in his car, along with his tablet, or if he’d called someone and had them sent over. She knew he’d had food delivered, because for the last few hours, they’d been snacking on delicious cheese cubes and crackers that tasted far too good to have come from a hotel vending machine.
She also needed a stretch, she decided, and stood, lifting her hands high in the air and then marching in place. She looked Kipling’s way, expecting him to be watching her ass or something, but no, he was standing and stretching as well. He mimicked her moves and she couldn’t help but appreciate the way his muscles moved under his shirt when he lifted his arms in the air.
Their gazes locked together and, for a second, something deliciously sinful passed between them. Very slowly, he brought his arms back to his side. She remembered how his arms had felt wrapped around her at the wedding. How safe they were. And strong.
“There’s a bottle of wine in the other room, if you’d like a glass,” he said, breaking the spell. “I know I could go for one.”
“That sounds wonderful.”
They walked silently into the living area of his suite, and she sat down on the couch while Kipling gathered the glasses, the bottle, and a corkscrew.
“It’s a red,” he said. “I hope that’s alright.”
“It’s wine. There’s no way it could be wrong.” Besides, she gave the label a quick look as he uncorked the bottle. She wasn’t a wine expert by any stretch, but doubted it was a vintage normally stocked by the hotel.
He gave a little laugh as he poured two glasses. “Don’t be so sure, I’ve had plenty of awful wine in my time.”
“I had wine out of a box a few years ago.” She scooted over, giving him room to sit down beside her. “It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.”
He grimaced. “Why would you drink wine from a box?”
“Someone at the office gave it to Mac.” She peeked at him to see if there was any judgment in his expression and found nothing. “The wine was way before…” She trailed off, not wanting to finish her sentence. “I’m sorry, I always feel like I shouldn’t talk about him.”
“How long were you two together?” he asked.
“Three years.
” She closed her eyes. Like she always did when Mac crossed her mind, she wondered how she could have been so blind.
Kipling gave a low whistle. “That’s not an insignificant period of time.”
“I know. I should have seen he was off long before I did.”
“Why would you?”
She didn’t understand his question. Or more to the point, she didn’t see the reason for the question. She opened her eyes and shot him a just what are you talking about look.
“Hear me out,” he said, and he sounded so genuine, she found herself agreeing.
“He basically led a double life that you knew nothing about or had no reason to suspect. I also think it’s safe to assume he went to great lengths to keep it that way.”
She had no trouble agreeing to that much.
“So what, in your opinion, was the clue you should have seen?” he asked.
She’d asked herself that too many times to count. Had played back in her mind every interaction he had with Janie after she’d started receiving the threats. There was nothing that stood out as off or out of place.
“I don’t know,” she finally admitted. “But surely there was something. I knew he had gambling debt, but a lot of people do and they don’t kidnap or kill. I must have missed something.”
“Why?”
“Because he was so evil, he had no business being around people. That kind of evil should be easy to spot.”
“Should be. That doesn’t mean it is,” he spoke softly, keeping his eyes on her as if he could somehow look into her soul and speak right to it. “Besides, isn’t that what makes evil even more horrific? Its ability to masquerade as normal?”
She took a deep breath. “Somewhere deep inside, I know you’re right. But that knowledge doesn’t alleviate my guilt.”
“The guilt you feel is personal, no one else holds you accountable for what he did. But you have to forgive yourself and move on. You’re too good of a person to be alone forever because someone you had no control over did something horrible.”
Neither of them spoke for a long moment, until she broke the silence again. “You’re a tantalizing catch … why hasn’t someone taken you off the market?”
