Catnapped! (A Matchmaker Mystery Book 3)
Page 1
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
A note from JB:
ABOUT JB LYNN
LINKS TO OTHER BOOKS BY JB LYNN
Catnapped!
JB LYNN
Praise for JB Lynn’s Novels
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“Ms. Lynn writes stories that flow well, make you care about her characters, and make you want to read more. It’s a winning combination for a book.”
-Long and Short Reviews
“…Lynn similarly and masterfully joins the genres of suspense and romance with a tale that is sure to please fans of both. Readers will be anxiously awaiting the next book in this series.”
-LIBRARY JOURNAL
To my Friends and Family –
Those I know so well, and those who I invite into my heart through my books
Thank you for being there, reading, and spreading the love
Chapter 1
Alyssa Montgomery wanted to hit something.
Hard.
Instead, she stood outside The Pudding Place, pretending to read the menu of sweet treats taped to the inside of the window. Not that The Pudding Place’s food wasn’t good, she was particularly fond of their rice pudding, but what she really wanted to do was walk into the gym three doors down and take a good swing or two or ten dozen at a heavy bag.
She needed some sort of outlet for her frustration, and since she didn’t have a partner to have sex with, she’d settle for some form of physical aggression.
A week before she’d somehow allowed herself to become employed as the bodyguard of Mildred Michelman, an older, well-to-do woman, who someone wanted to harm. Watching over a little old lady who seemed incapable of keeping her opinion about anything to herself was not really part of Alyssa’s career plan. Then again, she no longer had a career and didn’t seem to have much of a plan.
She grimaced at her own lack of focus.
“That’s gonna cause wrinkles, chica,” a woman said behind her.
Turning, Alyssa took in the beautiful Latina who was watching her with mischief in her dark eyes.
“I’m Armani. I don’t know if you remember, but we met at Jane and Tom’s wedding.”
Alyssa remembered. She doubted anyone who’d met Armani Vasquez would forget her. Her physical deformities aside, a result of some sort of ice rink mishap, if one were to believe the rumor, the beauty had an oversized personality that left an impression.
Alyssa nodded her recognition. “You’re the matchmaker.” In general, Alyssa didn’t believe in things like matchmakers, but her friend Jane and Jane’s now-husband, Tom, seemed to.
Armani beamed. “Yes, I am.”
“What brings you here?” Alyssa asked.
“I was looking for you.”
Alyssa tensed. “Me?”
The matchmaker nodded.
“Why?” Alyssa didn’t bother to hide her suspicion.
“You need help.”
Alyssa shook her head. “No. I really don’t.”
A knowing smile lifted Armani’s lips. “Doors. With you it’s always coming down to choosing the right… or wrong door.”
Alyssa’s gut clenched and heartbeat sped up. She had chosen the wrong door. Literally. It was how she’d found herself without a career or plan. But the woman in front of her couldn’t possibly know that, unless she’d done some really deep searching.
“I didn’t mean to upset you,” Armani apologized softly, her expression frozen.
“Look, I don’t know what your game is,” Alyssa warned, “but I’m not going to fall for your psychic act or con or whatever it is you think you’re doing.”
Armani reared back, as though she’d been slapped. “Don’t shoot the messenger, chica.” Her tone made it clear she’d been insulted. “Jane said you might be a hard sell.”
“Jane said?”
Armani nodded. “She’s worried about you. Working too hard. Spending your nights alone.”
“My nights are just fine,” Alyssa snapped, unsure if she was more unhappy that her friend had been discussing her with this woman, or that her nights were spent alone.
“I’m just saying you’ll know the door that’s right,” Armani soothed, having recovered her equilibrium. She held out a business card. “Take it. It’s got my phone number for when you need me.”
Alyssa slowly took the card, not sure why she was doing so, other than she didn’t want to insult Jane’s friend even more. After all, Jane had been just about the only friend she’d made in this new life of hers.
Armani glanced up at The Pudding Place sign. “I’m thinking this one is not the door you should be going through. You’ll know the right ones, Alyssa.” With that, she turned and limped away.
Alyssa watched her go, wondering what doors she’d have to choose between, and whether she’d choose any better than she had in the past.
Three doors down, Pete Hanlon watched the exchange between the two women with more than idle curiosity.
“Who are you keeping such a close eye on?” Mauricio, the majority owner in the gym where they stood, asked.
“Tom’s crazy matchmaker and Jane’s friend.”
“The blonde?” Mauricio strolled over to the plate glass window Pete stood in front of.
“Alyssa,” Pete supplied.
“Yeah, I kept forgetting her name at the wedding.”
Pete shook his head, amazed that anyone could forget anything about Alyssa Montgomery. She was intelligent, beautiful, and, on the rare occasion when she forgot she was pissed off at the world, had a smile that could make a man’s heart sing.
“Looks like she’s not taking Armani’s advice too well,” Mauricio noted.
“I’m not sure she takes anything well,” Pete murmured, remembering the icy glare she’d directed at him when he’d tried to pay her a compliment at the wedding.
“Jane must see something in her the rest of us don’t.” Shrugging, Mauricio walked away from the window as Armani limped away from Alyssa. “Besides, I heard she’s helping Brady out with something.”
“I thought Brady was chasing his lady love across the ocean.”
Mauricio raised an eyebrow.
“That’s what Jackson told me.”
Mauricio shook his head. “Somehow, I think that sounded way better coming out of his mouth than yours.”
“So what is Alyssa helping Brady out with if he’s not even in t
he country?”
“Not sure. I know he was in a spot with his boss and asked Tom for help and he suggested…” Mauricio’s eyes widened a little as the door to the gym swung open. “Her.”
The object of their discussion, and more than one of Pete’s dreams, stalked through the door. Blonde hair, killer cheekbones and a two-ton attitude in a size-eight body entered the space, her blue eyes sweeping over the surroundings, taking inventory.
“Alyssa, right?” Mauricio smiled. “It’s good to see you.”
Pete shook his head in amazement. A minute before his friend couldn’t remember her name, now he was welcoming her like she were an old friend.
“Hello, Mauricio.” Her demeanor might be chilly, but her voice, deep and sultry, set parts of Pete’s anatomy on fire.
“Welcome. I own this place,” Mauricio told her with an unmistakable note of pride.
Alyssa gave the place a cursory glance, seemingly unimpressed by his ownership.
“Was there something I can help you with?” Mauricio asked.
“I’d like to try it out.”
“Try it out?”
She narrowed her eyes at Mauricio as if trying to determine whether he was mocking her or just dim. “Give the place a test run before I invest in a membership.”
“Today?”
“Now.”
He nodded. “Okay. Let me just get a waiver for you to sign.” He walked away toward his office.
“How much?” she called after him.
He waved his hand dismissively, not even looking back at her. “Nada. You get the friends and family discount.”
Pete, watching her scowl at Mauricio’s back, said quietly, “You’ll insult him if you push it further.”
Blinking, she turned, seeming surprised he was there.
He bit back a groan as his ego absorbed that body slam.
She tilted her chin defiantly. “I’m not a friend or family member.”
“But you’re a friend of a friend. That’s enough for us.”
“Us?”
“Mauricio is the majority owner, but a few of his friends have an investment in this place.” Extending his hand, Pete moved toward her. “I’m Pete. We met at Tom and Jane’s wedding.”
Her gaze flicked from his outstretched hand to his face. “I remember.”
He didn’t move, waiting patiently for her to shake his hand.
Grudgingly, she slid her fingers against his.
Her handshake was like her, efficient and strong, but he was surprised to find it to be warm too. “It’s good to see you again,” Pete murmured holding onto her hand for half a beat too long, taking the handshake from a business transaction to a moment of personal intimacy.
He saw a flash of surprise in her blue eyes before she snatched her hand back.
He let her go, his smile widening with triumph. So there was a living, breathing woman beneath that icy armor she wore with pride. “So I hear you’re helping Tom out...”
Her gazed narrowed suspiciously. “How do you know that?”
“The friends-and-family grapevine. Tell one of us, and it’s only a matter of time until we all know it.”
“So you all gossip about each other like teenage girls?” Her demeanor was haughty and her tone accusatory.
He shrugged. “More like we look out for one another, help out if or when we can.”
“But I’m not friend or family.”
“You’re a friend of a friend, that’s good enough for us.” Smirking, he looked past her. “Right, Mauricio?”
“Don’t get me in the middle of thing between the two of you.”
“There is no ‘two of us,’” Alyssa corrected sharply.
Wordlessly, Mauricio held out the waiver and a pen.
She snatched it away and scrawled her signature on the bottom line without bothering to read it.
“The ladies locker room is there.” Mauricio jutted his chin in the direction of a door as she handed the paper and pen back to him.
Nodding curtly, she spun on her heel and stalked out of the gym.
“I don’t understand what Jane sees in that woman.” Mauricio headed back toward his office.
“I do,” Pete murmured to himself.
Chapter 2
Alyssa slammed her trunk closed as hard as she could, but the resounding thunk didn’t leave her feeling satisfied.
“Right door,” she muttered. What the hell had she been thinking, listening to that crazy woman, Armani?
Putting her gym bag on top of her trunk, she took a slow, steadying breath. She needed a minute to get her thoughts in order, unsure if it was Armani’s uncanny discussion about doors, or the revelation that Tom Hanlon’s friends knew her business that had left her feeling so unsettled.
She wanted to blame how she was feeling on those two things, but deep down she knew what had really thrown her off-kilter was Pete Hanlon. The way he looked at her, like he didn’t even see the hard-assed persona she worked hard to project. The way it had felt when he’d held her hand, like the briefest physical contact could send her up in flames.
Even now her skin felt singed, like he’d somehow branded her.
It had been a long time since anyone had looked at her like that.
She wasn’t sure if anyone had ever touched her like that.
And all he’d done was shake her hand.
An aching heat settled in her core as she imagined him doing more than taking her hand.
Dropping her chin to her chest, she exhaled slowly, needing to regain control of her mind and body.
He wasn’t even her type, despite his lean, muscular frame. His mussed hair, ragged, sweat-stained T-shirt, and gym shorts were a turnoff. At least that’s what she tried to tell herself.
Part of her wanted to jump in the car and drive away, but she knew she couldn’t do that. They were expecting her to return. What would they think if she disappeared? What would they tell their friends?
“Friends and family,” she grumbled aloud.
The very idea seemed like a slap in the face. There’d been a time when she’d thought the police force were her friends and family, but then she’d made a mistake, and ended up an unemployed outcast.
Which is how she’d ended up working a protection detail for the cat-obsessed Mildred Michelman. Not that Alyssa had anything against cats; in fact, she admired their self-sufficiency, but Mrs. M. thought the sun rose and set on her feline, Mr. Burberry.
The thought of Mrs. M. ratcheted up the tension she’d been experiencing before her encounter with Armani. She needed to blow off some steam. She needed this workout.
Grabbing her bag, she marched back toward the gym, determined to ignore Pete Hanlon.
She didn’t see him or Mauricio when she re-entered, so she made her way straight to the locker room. Glancing around, she could understand why Mauricio was proud of his establishment. Everything was new, top-of-the-line, and as clean as could be.
The locker room even smelled clean, the faint odor of a lemon-scented cleaner hanging in the air.
She changed out of her usual “uniform” of black pants, white top, and black blazer into black workout pants and an oversized black T-shirt over her sports bra. In the midst of lacing up her sneakers, she heard someone enter the room, so she looked up.
A short, older woman, who looked like she’d be more comfortable in a mumu than on a treadmill, walked in. Despite her age, she had a spring in her step, a twinkle in her eye, and a welcoming smile. “Hello.”
“Hi.” Alyssa finished tying her shoe and stood.
“I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Juana.”
“Alyssa.”
The woman glanced down at Alyssa’s hands. “Single?”
She nodded.
“I should introduce you to my son.”
Alyssa shook her head. “I’m really not—””
“He owns this place,” Juana interrupted with fierce pride.
“Mauricio?”
“You know him?”
“Would you like me to set up a date between the two of you? He’s a good catch, a good husband, but he does not have the luck in love.”
Alyssa might have been annoyed by how pushy the woman was, but she sensed a desperate sadness in the older woman’s tone. “I’m sure he is,” she said gently. “But he’s not for me.”
Juana sighed, shoulders slumping. “Well if you change your mind, you know where to find me.”
Alyssa walked past her and into the gym.
Pete was now running on one of the treadmills, his stride even and fluid. Wearing ear buds, he seemed to be zoning out with his music, unaware of her presence.
She hopped on the nearest stationary bike and began to pedal. She’d barely raised her heartbeat when Mauricio appeared beside her.
“I’m sorry,” he said sincerely.
“For what?”
“I’m guessing my mother tried to get you to go on a date with me.”
“It’s okay.”
“I should have warned you that she’d do that. You’re a beautiful woman. She hates seeing me alone…” He trailed off, shaking his head sadly.
Alyssa seemed to remember Jane telling her something about Mauricio being a widower. That might explain why his mother was so desperate to set him up. “It’s no big deal.”
“You’re not mad?”
“If I was, I would’ve given her Armani’s number,” she teased lightly.
Mauricio stared at her for a moment as though processing the fact she’d made a joke. Then he roared with laughter. “Now I get it.”
“Get what?”
“What everyone sees in you.”
Before she could ask him who everyone was, he moved away to help a customer adjust a weight stack.
She kept pedaling, getting into a groove, and feeling her tension lessen as her legs pumped against the resistance. But the flow of endorphins wasn’t enough. She still wanted to hit something.
Climbing off the bike, she windmilled her arms, loosening her shoulders, stretching her back as her heartbeat slowed and her breathing eased. She moved farther back into the gym, noting Pete still pounding away on the treadmill. She admired his form… and his butt… as she moved past him, into the weight area and through to where a section where both a speed bag and heavy bag hung.