“He’s already pissed me off,” Eric grumbled. “You know what? I think I’ll call Monica.”
“What?”
Eric’s eyes finally focused on her, and Tessa realized that her screech of horror might have been a little suspicious. “What’s wrong with calling Monica?”
“Um, aside from a couple of business dinners, all your dealings have been with Roland.”
“Yeah, but maybe it’s time to take a new tack. She’s been much more positive about it from the start.”
“He won’t like it,” she said in a rush. “You know how much he likes to be in charge.”
“Well, I’m sick of this shit. I just want to get this contract signed, so we can start phase two.”
“Phase two?”
“Full western distribution. We’ve talked about this.”
Tessa felt slightly light-headed at exactly what was at risk here. Eric had a plan and it was lying in her hands right now, already dying, and he had no idea. “Right. Phase two,” she murmured. “I just didn’t know you had a name for it.”
“I’m going to call Monica,” he said, already moving toward his office.
“Wait,” she squeaked. Then she yelled it louder and scrambled out from behind her desk. “Eric!” She caught up with him as he was sliding into his chair. “Luke came by the brewery last night to talk to you, not me. You should call him.”
His hand had been reaching for the phone, but it froze as if she’d hooked him up to a live wire. “What?” he snapped. “Are you insane? You want to get me arrested for threatening a cop?”
“He had news about the break-in.”
Eric sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Damn it, Tessa. I’d rather the brewery be robbed a hundred times than let you be involved with a man who’s going to hurt you. So no, I do not want to talk to Luke right now. Or ever. Got it?”
This time when her throat closed, it was with tears instead of anxiety. Everything Eric did, he did because he loved them. He might be difficult and humorless and controlling, but he did it for his brother and sister and he always had. “Okay,” she whispered before stepping back. She didn’t go to her office, though. Instead, she leaned against the wall and held her breath as Eric picked up the phone. She heard him push the buttons. She even heard the faint chirp of the phone ringing on the other end.
Tessa held her breath and told herself that Monica Kendall wasn’t going to tell Eric what had happened. The woman was a businessperson; she couldn’t possibly explain what had gone wrong and still maintain her dignity. Still, when Eric started leaving a message, Tessa nearly sobbed with relief.
She walked toward the front room to grab Jamie and shake him. Unfortunately, there were two men at the bar, waiting for Jamie to draw pints. Before he could turn and see that she was upset, Tessa backed up and retreated to her office once again.
Hadn’t she just been congratulating herself? Now her life was spiraling out of control again, and she couldn’t even lean on Jamie. He’d been convinced from the start that Eric should know the truth. Idiot. She should go to Monica Kendall. Tessa should’ve done that from the start.
Before anyone came looking for her again, Tessa grabbed her purse and her phone, and headed for the door. The High West offices were near the Denver airport, but she could take the toll road and avoid traffic. And with the new awkwardness between her and her brothers, they might not open her office door for hours.
She drove toward the airport as if she were fleeing something. Not her family, not even Luke, but the weight of the choices she was making. The burden of hoping she was doing the right thing. She wanted it to be right, so she drove fast and hard, playing music so she wouldn’t have to think. She rolled the windows down so she couldn’t hear the thoughts the music didn’t drown out.
The air changed from crisp and cool in the shadow of the mountains to heavy and warm on the plains north of Denver. She could tell a storm was coming long before she saw the black clouds rolling up from the south. She’d get a nice lightning show on the drive home.
Thinking about the weather got her the rest of the way to the High West office, and Tessa walked in without thinking what she would say. The desperation of this act told her everything she needed to know about her chances, but Tessa merely smiled and stopped before the receptionist.
“Hi, I’m Tessa Donovan of Donovan Brothers Brewery. Is Monica Kendall in?”
“She’s at lunch at the moment—”
The door whooshed open behind Tessa, and she turned to see Monica Kendall walk in with another woman. They were laughing, seemingly carefree, and Tessa felt a sharp jolt of dislike for Monica. Her black hair bounced as she walked, her head was thrown back and her Hollywood-white teeth glowed as she laughed. How could she be so damned happy? Surely she knew the problems she and Jamie had caused.
Tessa was happy to see Monica’s smile falter when they finally locked eyes.
“Oh,” Monica said. She waved her friend on, and stopped before Tessa.
“Hi. Can we talk?”
Monica shrugged. “Why not?”
No, Tessa didn’t like her at all. She’d met her before, but it had been in an organized setting, and all Tessa had registered was Monica’s model-like thinness and sharp beauty. Now she saw that her beauty wasn’t the only thing sharp about her.
She strode down a hallway without another word, so Tessa followed, admiring Monica’s pale gray linen suit despite herself. A glance down at her own outfit made Tessa wince. Working in a bar, it was easiest to come across as the girl next door, but now she wished she was wearing heels and a dress. Another reason to resent Monica Kendall.
As they walked into a big office, Monica took a seat behind a huge mahogany desk. “What can I do for you?”
Tessa took an uninvited seat in one of the brown leather armchairs and decided there was no point beating around the bush. So to speak. “Your father is ready to walk away from this deal. We both know why.”
Monica leaned back in her chair. “And?”
“And? And I want you to help me get this train back on the tracks.”
Monica just stared at her.
“Don’t you want to work with our company?”
“Sure,” she answered, as if she didn’t give a damn.
Tessa gritted her teeth and tried to hold on to her temper. “Then perhaps you could speak to your father about this. After seeing Jamie leaving your house, your dad isn’t exactly eager to do business with us. But maybe you could talk him into it.”
Her laughter was back, but this time Monica sounded more bitter than amused. “Why would you think my father would listen to a word I say?”
“Because you’re the vice president of High West Air?”
“Oh, sure,” she sneered. “I’m vice president, but Daddy’s the president.”
“Exactly. He made you vice president, so he obviously respects your input—”
“You’re kidding, right?”
Tessa blinked. “Noo…”
“Look around, Tessa. Does this look like my office?”
“Um.” Tessa glanced around at the dark bookshelves and tall curtains. The artwork on the walls was a little generic and masculine, but…
“My dad designed this office, just like he designed the whole business. He chose the name, the logo, the mission statement, the routes, the planes, the executives, the long-and short-term goals—”
“Look,” Tessa interrupted, “I understand what that’s like. My brother Eric is the same way. He—”
“No,” Monica snapped. “It is not the same thing. I go to the meetings my dad tells me to. I deal with the clients he wants me to deal with. He ignores my suggestions and scoffs at my ideas. I make no decisions and I make no difference, and he can fire me at any time. Does that sound like your little family business?”
Tessa suddenly couldn’t help but be hyperaware of how tiny Monica looked sitting in her tall leather chair behind her giant mahogany desk. Her sharpness now looked less like pure meanness an
d more like defensiveness. “You and Jamie made a mistake. I get that. But I can’t be the only person trying to fix it. I need help. If you could just try…”
“I wouldn’t call it a mistake,” Monica said. “It was something I wanted to do, and I did it.”
That was a little impersonal, but Tessa held out her hands. “Please. Just tell your father that whatever happened between you and my brother will have no effect on the business relationship.”
“Sure. Fine. But it won’t help. My dad has very rigid beliefs, and he’s stubborn as all hell. He’s managed to build an empire by being unmovable. How that happened is a complete mystery to me, but there you have it.”
“But you’ll talk with him?”
“Sure,” she said with a smirk. “Whatever you want. But don’t get your hopes up.”
“Thank you.” Tessa stood, but hesitated before leaving. “Um, and if you could avoid telling Eric anything about this? That would be great.”
Monica finally offered a genuine smile. “Oh, that’s the way it is, huh? Sure. I won’t say a word.”
Tessa left, and with every step, she told herself she was doing the right thing. She was. She was sure of it.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
LUKE KEPT A CLOSE eye on Simone as he followed her to the car. Corpses always made him feel slightly sick no matter how many he saw, and with Simone in the state she was in… Surely her skin looked a little gray. But though he kept close in case she wobbled, Simone walked on without faltering once.
It probably helped that the death hadn’t been a homicide. They’d investigate further before making a final determination, but the drug paraphernalia surrounding the body indicated a more solitary tragedy.
“I got a message from the tech department,” he said as they neared the car.
“Please tell me it’s a hit on the video of the keg?”
“Bingo. A white car dropped it off, but apparently the license plate is out of frame.”
“Damn,” she huffed. “I already checked with the building next door. They’ve only got video surveillance inside. And the camera on the business across the street is pointed in the wrong direction.”
Luke cursed. “You know what we’re going to have to do.”
“I’m trying not to think about it,” Simone said, putting a hand to the small of her back with a grimace.
There were lots of businesses on the street that fed to the alley, and most of those places had cameras of some kind. Every one would have a different angle, and they knew from bitter experience that every feed would have a slightly different time stamp, too. Luke and Simone were going to spend a lot of hours collecting video feed, and unless they wanted to wait a year for tech to go through them all, they were going to spend time staring at monitors. His eyes hurt just thinking about it, and Simone was obviously prepping for back pain.
But it was a lead.
“We’d better start praying for a fingerprint on that keg.” Simone sighed. She was reaching for the car door, when someone caught her eye. “Can you wait a sec? Shelly wanted some advice about applying for detective next year. I forgot to call her back.”
“Sure.”
Simone walked over to one of the uniforms and Luke waited next to the car, staring down at the little creek that ran through a gully just past the parking lot.
He opened his phone, telling himself he wasn’t hoping for a message from Tessa. Even when he found no message, he smiled. She’d put him in a damn good mood. It didn’t hurt that he kept catching her scent. After using her shampoo, he smelled like kiwi and citrus, and he’d been sure everyone could tell. Simone had caught him smiling once and raised an eyebrow, but she hadn’t said anything about his fruity smell.
He should thank Tessa’s brother for the drop-in this morning. If Eric hadn’t put a damper on the situation, Luke would be strolling around whistling show tunes and slapping random strangers on the back.
The fact that he hadn’t lost any of his good mood after being called to a death scene was a testament to Tessa’s powers. Maybe he’d absorbed some of her happiness by sleeping next to her for eight hours. Or maybe having the best sex of his life was enough to cheer a guy up.
Hell, he didn’t even regret not waking her up this morning. He’d meant to. He’d even smoothed her hair back from her shoulder and kissed her spine just the way he’d planned the night before. But she’d sighed and curled up like a kitten, and Luke had found himself watching her sleep. In retrospect, that was either creepy or pitiful, or both. But Luke was in such a good mood, he didn’t care.
Just as he glanced up to see if Simone was ready, his phone rang and flashed Tessa’s name.
“Hey,” he said past a grin. “How’d it go with Eric?”
“Ugh. I don’t want to talk about it. We reached a truce, but you’d better avoid both my brothers for a little while.”
“Trust me, I’ll do my best.”
“Listen, I’m just about to leave. I figured you were off by now…?”
“We’re out on a late call. I’ve got to check in at the station and then I’m free. Can I take you out to dinner?” Too soon, the male ego inside him shouted. Too soon! He wouldn’t have taken his internal alarm too seriously except that Tessa hesitated over the invitation.
Luke glared at the water that rushed over piles of stones.
Finally, Tessa said, “Sure. I’ll meet you at the station.”
“Oh.” He blinked and glanced at Simone. But what the hell? Simone certainly wasn’t going to raz him. “Okay. No problem. You know where it is?”
“Sure, I’m in and out of jail all the time.”
“I had my suspicions. All right, I’ll meet you at my car in a half hour.”
Twenty minutes later, he pulled into the parking lot and spotted Tessa right away. The sight of her in her ponytail and brewery shirt made him smile, but when he realized what he was doing he snapped his mouth straight. It was no use. The smile was back as he walked toward her and saw the way she brightened up when she saw him.
Still, instead of greeting him, she held her hand out to Simone.
“Hi!” she said brightly. “I’m Tessa Donovan.”
Luke cleared his throat. “Simone, you remember Tessa from the brewery.”
Simone said hello, and when Tessa reached to touch his arm, Simone looked at him with raised eyebrows.
“So,” he said, but then he couldn’t think of anything more to say.
Simone’s eyes twinkled even as her mouth went suspiciously flat. “I’ll go wrap up the paperwork. It’s my turn.”
“If you’re sure…?”
“Oh, it’s no problem.” Yeah, she was definitely trying not to laugh as she reached for the door. “Nice to see you again, Ms. Donovan.”
The whole scene was decidedly odd, and Luke was still trying to figure it out when Tessa stepped back and clasped her hands in front of her. “It’s such a nice night,” she said. “I thought maybe we could go for a walk.”
“Really?” The storm had blown through just an hour before, and the air was still heavy with moisture. It was an odd night—and place—for a walk.
His spidey senses tingled, and Luke realized he’d been slow on the uptake. Great sex had clouded his normal pessimism, but now he could see this whole setup was off. Her hesitation when he’d asked her to dinner, her request to meet him here, even the way she’d reached for his arm a few seconds ago.
Luke tilted his head toward the paved trail across the street. “Sure,” he said evenly. “We can walk.”
“Great!” Tessa’s voice was cheerful. Suspiciously cheerful for anyone else, but her good moods were too frequent to gauge.
By the time they reached the path, Luke was scowling at the blacktop. Tessa didn’t say a word; she simply strolled next to him, her eyes touching on everything but him. Only some of the aspens were thick with leaves, but it still felt secluded as they walked farther along the trail, which snaked through a business park.
When Tessa finally spoke, she s
aid nothing. “It’s a nice night.”
Luke spared her a look of disbelief, but Tessa kept her eyes straight ahead. “You know I’m a cop, right?”
She laughed too loudly. “Of course.”
“So it’s not hard for me to tell when a woman has something on her mind.”
“Oh.”
Luke stopped and crossed his arms. “How about we get this over with?”
Her ponytail bobbed when she stopped, the ends of her hair brushing her neck. He felt a sharp stab of regret that he hadn’t spent nearly enough time exploring her body, because he had a sneaking suspicion he’d missed his only chance.
Tessa turned and crossed her arms to match his pose. Then she cleared her throat and shifted her weight to the other leg. “Um… About your divorce…”
“That bastard,” he muttered. “Christ. I take it you talked to Jamie.”
“Is it true?”
“Is what true?”
Her eyes slid away. “What he told me about your divorce.”
“I am divorced, yes.”
“Luke.” She sighed.
But Luke wasn’t in a mood to concede anything. He was furious, though he couldn’t quite identify the source of his fury. The fact that her brother had been the one to tell her about the divorce. That Jamie had fed her a lie. Or that she might believe it.
Luke narrowed his eyes and clenched his teeth until his jaw jumped.
Tessa finally gave in and spoke. “He said you left your wife.”
He waited.
She raised her chin. “When she had cancer.”
“I didn’t.”
“Good!” Her face went bright again. “That’s what I told him!”
“But you didn’t really believe that.”
“I did. I told him you’d never do that.”
“Thanks. I wouldn’t. But if you didn’t believe him, why are you asking me if it’s true?”
“Well…because I think you’re a good guy obviously, or I wouldn’t have slept with you. But I haven’t known you as long as Jamie, so…”
“Ah. Well, Jamie and I weren’t quite as intimate.”
“You know what I mean. You’ve known him for years.”
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