by Jill Sanders
“We’re only visiting. Reagan and I are staying at the Four Seasons.” She dropped the hotel name like Reagan had mentioned she should. “We’ll be here for a few more weeks. Until I can cash out my stocks in my father’s company.”
Holly’s eyebrows shot up. “You’re selling those off? Why on earth would you?”
“Memories.” She glanced around allowing some of the truth to slip into her act. “Too many of them around here.”
Holly was silent. Then she surprised her by reaching across the table and taking Clara’s hand in hers. “I’m really sorry. I loved Gina like she was my little sister. I know you had nothing to do with her death.” Holly closed her eyes, but for a moment beforehand, Clara could see the hurt and emotions. “My dad… He wouldn’t let me contact you… after… Then by the time I found out you’d left…” She looked into her eyes again, and Clara could see the truth. It had killed Holly as much as Clara. “I tried to find you. God.” Holly reached up and swiped at a tear that had rolled down her face. “I really have missed you.” She squeezed her hand and for the first time in five years, Clara realized that she hadn’t lost everything from her past.
For the rest of the brunch, Clara’s act slipped a little. Still, she was able to get out the vital information she had agreed to drop. After all, Holly may have changed a little in the past five years, but under it all, she was still the same girl who loved to gossip. Most of their lunch was spent with her filling Clara in on what everyone had been up to.
When she left Holly in the parking lot, she met Reagan in the same spot he’d parked beforehand.
“How did it go?” he asked, leaning over and placing a soft kiss on her lips.
His black eye was even darker now, but his lip was almost back to its normal size. The cut on his forehead had started to bruise around it. Somehow all of the bruises and cuts made him look even sexier than before.
“It went.” She rested back in the seat.
“You have a few minutes before Emily gets here for drinks,” he added, looking at his watch.
She groaned. “Why did we set these all up for today?”
He took her face in his hands. “Because we need to flush out the killer quickly. I’m tired of waiting. I don’t think I can handle another attack like the one yesterday. Besides, you’ve waited over five years.”
She straightened and nodded. He was right. She could do this. She only had two more friends to see today. The first was Emily Stark, whose father, Roger, worked with Holly’s dad. She and Clara and Holly had hung out together, along with a fourth friend, Terry Knight. Emily had always been more friendly with Holly, but still, they had all hung out together, with Gina as a tagalong. She was meeting Terry for pre-dinner drinks.
Terry’s father had been working with Clara’s father for as long as Clara could remember. She’d become friends with her because every time their families got together; Terry was always brought along. It wasn’t as if Clara hadn’t liked her, but it was more of a friendship out of family obligation rather than what she had with Holly and Emily. Still, everywhere they went, Terry had been there.
Drinks with Emily were even more strained than her lunch with Holly, mainly because Clara knew that Emily had done a few interviews after she’d taken off. Her once friend had gone on camera and claimed that she’d seen Clara and Gina fighting one time over a boy. A boy who she couldn’t even name. The lie had not only been huge, but most of Clara’s other close friends had squashed the rumor and made Emily look very bad in the public’s eyes.
Emily acted much like Holly had at first—as if nothing had happened between them and only a few days had passed since they had last seen one another.
Clara dropped the same hints to Emily as she had with Holly, telling her that was selling her stocks and staying at the Four Seasons.
By the time she met Terry for pre-dinner drinks, she was exhausted. They’d gone back to the hotel so Clara could change into a little blue dress she hadn’t seen in five years.
When she entered the club, she scanned the room for Terry and was slightly surprised when she noticed Holly and Emily sitting in a private booth with Terry.
She thought about turning around and running, but then Holly spotted her and waved her across the room.
“This is a surprise,” she said, pasting on the same fake smile she’d worn all day.
“Terry texted us and told us you two were meeting for drinks and we thought we’d join in the fun,” Holly answered easily.
“Like old times,” Emily added, raising her glass and then sipping.
The waitress walked over and took Clara’s order. She wanted water but knew that she couldn’t get away with something healthy. Not around this group. So instead she sipped a vodka club soda and pretended to have the time of her life with what were now complete strangers.
Reagan watched Clara from across the room. Seeing her interact with her three friends, he could just imagine how she’d been before. The last five years had changed her. So much so that he could tell that she was having a hard time relaxing around the three women who used to make up her world.
He thought about getting closer to her so maybe he could overhear some of their conversation, but then he noticed the guy watching the group. All of his attention turned to the man as he stalked the women.
When the four of them moved to the dance floor, the man followed. Once they were back in the booth, settled with new drinks, he pulled out his phone and snapped a picture and shot it over to Clara.
-Do you know this guy?
He watched as she pulled out her phone and leaned away to look at the picture, making sure that it was angled so that no one else could see her screen.
He watched her face and noticed the moment she saw the photo. He knew instantly that she did know the man. She scanned the crowd until she found the man watching her before answering his text.
-His name is Corey Wells. He’s my ex-boyfriend.
Since Clara had locked eyes with him, the guy had taken it as a hint to walk over to the group.
Reagan watched their interaction from across the room. When the man leaned in and placed a kiss on Clara’s cheek, he was up from the barstool and halfway across the room before he could think his actions through.
He trusted Clara, but the guy had been stalking her all night.
“Hey,” Reagan said as he approached and sat next to Clara before Corey could take the spot. “I got out of the meeting sooner than I thought.” He smiled at her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Are these your friends you were telling me about?”
He’d felt Clara tense, but when his arm went around her, she relaxed.
“Yes, Reagan, this is Holly, Emily, Terry, and Corey.” She motioned to each. “This is Reagan Grayton.”
“Oh.” Holly clapped her many-ringed fingers. “This is your guy.” She held out her hands for him to take. “What happened to you?” She motioned to his face.
“Car accident,” he said with a shrug. “I hate California drivers.” He chuckled.
“I hope you weren’t hurt too bad,” Terry added in.
“Any accident I walk away from is a good one.” He watched Corey sit across from Clara. He could tell the guy wanted to talk to her alone, but as long as he was there, it wasn’t going to happen.
“Clara was just filling us in on the past five years,” Holly started after she waved for another round and the waitress took his and Corey’s orders. “But she left out how long you two have known each other.”
“What’s it been now?” He turned to Clara, letting her fill them in and tell them whatever she wanted. It didn’t matter to him. As far as he was concerned, every moment of his life had been a prequel to meeting her, building up to the moment he’d seen her at Rico’s place.
“Just over a year,” she said easily and took his free hand. “We met where I’m living in Florida.”
“Oh? Miami?” Corey jumped in.
“No,” Clara started to answer but he jumped in.
“The Panhandle,” he answered, wanting to keep it vague. “What do you do, Corey?” He changed the subject.
“I’m in marketing.”
“Corey works for your father now,” Terry added, motioning to Clara. “He started shortly after you left.”
Clara’s eyes turned to him before smiling over at Corey. “Congrats on the job. I hope you like working at Sunset Dreams.”
“I do.” He nodded. “I had hoped to tell you… myself.” Corey shifted in his seat.
Holly waved him off. “There are loads of people working for Sunset Dreams now. I mean, it is one of the biggest realty firms in California.” She dismissed the conversation and turned to him. “What is it you do, Reagan?”
“Please don’t tell me you’re in real estate like your family,” Emily groaned.
“No,” he agreed. “I’m in the private sector now.” He knew that didn’t tell them anything, but he hadn’t thought through this part of approaching the group.
“As in, you used to work for the military?” Corey asked.
“You certainly look the military type,” Emily said, running her eyes over him. He’d had enough women look at him like that over the years.
“Reagan runs a personal security firm,” Clara jumped in, squeezing his hand. He instantly liked the sound of it. After all, he was acting as her personal security.
Chapter 16
Clara could tell Reagan was struggling with coming up with how to explain what he did without giving too much away.
“How exciting,” Holly added before the next round of drinks were delivered.
The conversation turned away from work and towards the past five years. She again was asked why they were in town, this time by Corey. She made sure to mention they were there to sell her stocks in her father’s business. Corey shocked her by adding that he’d buy them from her.
“I don’t think you understand,” Holly chuckled. “For her eighteenth birthday, her dad gave her a tenth of the business.”
“A…” Corey’s chin dropped. “Holy hell, that means…” He whistled. “That’s too rich for my blood.” He sighed and leaned back. “I guess I should have proposed when I had the chance.”
Terry elbowed him in the ribs and then leaned forward. “You know, my dad mentioned something about wanting to get his hands on more stocks. I bet he’d buy them from you.”
This time it was Reagan that leaned forward. “Maybe you can pass it along to him? What do you think, baby?” He turned to her. “Do you want him to meet us at the hotel to discuss it?”
“Sure,” she answered, seeing the eagerness in his eyes.
Not that they were really going to sell her shares, since her father technically still had a hold on them, but if they really did have something to do with her sister’s death, they were the bait.
“I’ll let him know.” Terry waved the conversation off. “Now, how about a toast…”
The rest of the night ground on like a bad dream. In the past five years, she’d never once thought about hanging out with this group of people again. She’d burned that bridge. No, more accurately, they had. This part of her life was gone. It had died with Gina.
Almost an hour later, her phone pinged with a message and she pulled it out.
-Want to leave?
It was from Reagan. She hadn’t even seen him pull out his phone.
-God yes!
She replied quickly. Glancing down at his watch, he read her reply on its face, and smiled. Then, without missing a beat, he stood.
“Ready?” He held out his hand. “It was nice meeting everyone.” He helped her stand. “We’d like to stay, but we’ve got dinner arrangements,” he told the group smoothly.
“How long did you say you’d be back in town?” Terry asked.
“We’re not sure. Hopefully, just until I can unload my stocks,” she answered as Reagan wrapped his arm around her waist.
“Call us, we’ll get together again before you go,” Emily added easily.
“Don’t go disappearing again on us,” Holly added with a sad look. “I mean it.”
“I won’t,” she promised her. “Night,” she said and followed Reagan out of the crowded building.
“So?” he asked once they were in the rental car.
“Seeing them all together was a shock.” She rested her head back. “I hadn’t planned for it.”
“It was kind of a good thing, though. We did get a little information from the ordeal, thanks to your ex.”
“Oh?” She turned her head towards Reagan.
“We got further confirmation that Henry Knight was looking to pick up some extra stocks in your father’s business,” he added as he pulled out of the parking garage.
“It’s a smart move.” She sighed and watched the city lights pass outside her window. “My father’s company is the largest in California.”
“Was,” he added. “In the past few years, things have taken a dive,” he responded, shocking her.
“What?” She sat up a little.
“Don’t get me wrong. It’s still worth millions. But the stocks have taken a steady slide ever since Gina’s death. Some claim it’s because your father has stepped aside while others blame Henry Knight’s reckless hold on the company while your father is handling family issues.”
“That would be me, the murdering daughter.” She tensed and closed her eyes to block out all of the hurtful things her father had said earlier. “My father’s family issue.”
“No.” He reached over and took her hand, then raised it to his lips. “They only mention the death of Gina.”
She nodded and relaxed again. “What now?” she asked again. Thanks to the four drinks, her head was swimming.
Even though they had spent the majority of yesterday in bed, she had gotten little sleep.
“Now, we wait. We’ll set up a meeting with Henry Knight and see where that leads us.”
“He might know that I don’t really have my hands on my shares or that I co-own them with my father,” she mentioned.
“Something tells me that it won’t matter,” he said as they pulled into the parking garage for the hotel.
“No,” she agreed. If her sister had been killed because of the shares, which she hadn’t even had in her possession yet, then whoever had hired the man who had attacked Reagan in Florida wouldn’t stop until they got control of hers.
Reagan spent a few minutes on the phone while Clara showered the next morning. He made a few calls to his father, who had talked with the family lawyer about Clara’s next steps legally with her family.
She’d mentioned over and over that she didn’t want any of her father’s money. However, he’d suggested that if she didn’t get it there was a possibility that the killer would get it all.
“You think it’s Rebecca?” she asked, sounding shocked.
“She’s on my list of suspects,” he said smoothly.
Her hands went to her hips. “Maybe we should go over that list.”
He held up his hand, fingers out as he ticked them off.
“Your father, your stepmother, Henry Knight, and after last night, Corey Wells.”
“Okay.”
He could tell that she was offended that her father and stepmother were on his list, but she promised him that she would think about everything from an outsider’s perspective.
After getting off the phone with his father, he sent a text message to his sister. When they left California, he was planning on making a stop in Arizona since he’d missed her during her visit home.
“Is everything okay?” Clara asked from the bathroom doorway.
“Yeah, just telling my little sister we might stop by when we leave here.” He walked over and wrapped her in his arms. She’d wrapped a towel around her body, and her hair was still dripping wet. She looked even better than when she’d worn the sexy blue number the night before.
“I could get used to this.” She sighed as she leaned into him. “Just you and me. No interruptions.�
� She rested her head against his chest. Just then, her cell phone rang.
He chuckled. “You cursed it.”
She stepped away and glanced down at her phone.
“It’s Terry’s father,” she said, looking down at her screen. “He’s coming back into town this morning and wants to meet at his office.” She glanced up at him. “He must not know about the joint shares.”
“We’ll find out when we get there,” Reagan supplied. “What time?”
She glanced back down at her phone. “In an hour. You’re going with me?”
“I’m not letting you walk into that building alone.” He moved closer to her again before kissing her.
Just under an hour later, they walked into the Sunset Dreams building. It wasn’t the tallest or biggest building downtown, but it was still very impressive.
During his visit the other day, he’d found out that they did everything from selling and purchasing to investments and more. He found it all quite interesting. After all he had family in real estate. His uncle Luke now owned his family’s business, Crystal Resorts, which had more than a dozen buildings along the Panhandle. Not to mention, his uncles still ran Paradise Construction.
“Knight’s office is on the top floor,” he said, remembering Rebecca Cruz’s visit. “Does your stepmother do any work down here?” he asked once they were alone in the elevator.
“No.” She shook her head. “Rebecca never liked coming down here. This is all…too far beneath her. I’ve always liked her, but looking back now, I realize just how shallow she is.”
They stepped out of the elevators into a reception area.
“Clara Cruz and Reagan Grayton to see Mr. Knight,” he told the woman. Upon hearing Clara’s name, the woman jumped up.
“Yes, of course, Miss Cruz.” The fact that the woman ignored him completely told him that she knew exactly who was visiting her boss.
She showed them down a hallway filled with small offices. When they reached the large corner one, she knocked on the door and opened it slightly. “Miss Cruz to see you.”
“Send her in,” he heard a deep voice bellow out.
