Adrienne Giordano Read online

  “No, but my lawyer will. After your sister’s escapades he’s been sucking up to them.”

  Kristen curled her lip. Leave it to Jess.

  “What is Jess up to?”

  How much should she tell him? Considering her screwball sister had been dumped on her three weeks ago after she’d completed her community service in L.A. “But it was only a little marijuana.” Everyone knew Jess had more than a few missing brain cells, but that one made headlines. “She’s okay. We’re trying to use her party girl status to draw celebrities. She’s good at schmoozing people so we put her to work in the VIP rooms. Last weekend they had her stand on the bar and lead a toast at midnight. I wasn’t there, but I heard the crowd loved it.”

  Her father sighed. She supposed most men didn’t want their daughters standing on bars.

  “Thank you for taking care of her, Krissy. She needs direction.”

  And, as usual, I’m the one who gets stuck with her. “I’ll do what I can, but you know how she is.”

  “I know.” Dad sounded as if the weight of his youngest daughter had crushed him, pressed every ounce of air from him. Damned Jess. Her antics had already given the man one heart attack.

  “Here’s an oddity for you. Apparently, Jess knows one of the Taylor Security guys.” And most likely spent an active night in his bed.

  Her father hesitated. “What’s his name?”

  “Billy Tripp. He’s the jewelry guy from last night. Which is what I was calling you about. Not twenty minutes ago, I had him in my office. If you can believe this, he’s been doing his own investigating on the car thefts. I mean, Dad, he’s the jewelry guy and he’s butting into a police investigation.”

  Silence. Had they lost the connection? “Dad?”

  “I’m here.”

  “What do you think?”

  “Honey, Billy was part of the team that got Jess out of Columbia.”

  In the words of her sister, O.M.G. Billy Tripp, Mr. Mindsnap, who couldn’t stop staring at her chest, had rescued Jess when she’d been kidnapped by a Columbian drug cartel. Only her sister would march into South America carrying Louis Vuitton luggage. She might as well have been wearing a sign: MY FATHER IS LOADED. KIDNAP ME.

  All kinds of surprises these days. “I’ve underestimated his skills. Shame on me.”

  “Vic only hires the best. Why he’d have him guarding jewelry is a puzzle, but he must have had a reason. Either way, let him help. As long as he doesn’t impede the police, I don’t have a problem with it.”

  But…but…but he kept staring at her chest, making her uncomfortable and she wanted him gone. This could not be happening. “I don’t know how I feel about him investigating on his own.”

  “Krissy, soon you’ll have the United States Senate Majority Leader there. We have to put a stop to these thefts.”

  She sighed. Apparently Billy Tripp would be staying a little while. She didn’t have to like it though.

  “Go to bed, Dad. I’ll call you when we have an update. You’ll be home for the senator’s party, right?”

  “I’ll be there. Can’t wait to see you.”

  “Bye, Dad.”

  Kristen glanced to the doorway and spotted Manny, the only man in her life. Of course, Manny was nine years old with huge, protruding teeth, but he was cute as could be and freakishly intelligent.

  “Hello, young man. How was school today?”

  Manny held his thumbs up. “Good.”

  “Excellent. Homework?”

  “Nope.”

  “You hit the jackpot. Did you say hello to your mom?”

  He nodded. His mother worked in housekeeping and, as a single mom raising multiple children, couldn’t afford post-school care five days a week.

  After finding Manny tucked into the employee lounge one afternoon, Kristen had taken a liking to him. The fact that he was reading Thoreau had shocked and amazed her, and she allowed him to hang out in her office a few days a week. After all, she’d spent the majority of her childhood trailing her father around construction sites, which she firmly believed had prepared her for running Dante.

  Manny was the classic at-risk child and with his brain, she didn’t want him winding up in a gang by the time he was fifteen like his older brother.

  Still in the doorway, he shifted from foot to foot. “It’s Friday.”

  Oh, she knew where this was going. “Yes, it is.”

  The little turd paddled his hands. “Can we go?”

  Kristen laughed. “Ice cream it is. You and me, pal. Let’s do it.” Not that she’d eat any. Ice cream was one of the forbidden fruits. Along with most other things that were not a vegetable, but it was always fun to watch him and his mother never minded.

  The two of them strolled out to the pool area where the crowd grew with new weekend arrivals. Loud, playful voices sang along with the reggae duo entertaining the happy audience. This was why she loved the hotel business. Guests weren’t always happy, but when they were, it made the hard work worthwhile.

  She and Manny stepped to the snack bar and the sun broke through two palm trees, warming her while the ocean breeze gave a gentle reminder that she should have grabbed a hair clip.

  Manny ordered his usual double scoop of chocolate with rainbow sprinkles. Kristen searched for an open table. Nothing.

  “Kristen,” a man yelled and she turned to see Billy, Peter and a stunning brunette at one of the far tables. Not exactly who she wanted to see at the moment, but after the chat with her father, it would be a good time to confer with the Taylor Security people.

  “Manny, I’ll be at that table. Come over when you get your ice cream.”

  “Yes, Miss Kristen.”

  God, she loved this kid. So polite.

  On her way to the table, she stopped one of the waitresses. “Have the people at table six paid their bill yet?”

  Tina, the younger sister of a friend, grinned at her. “The hotties?”

  Kristen bit her lip. Hotties. Peter, although a little too muscular for her taste, had a killer smile and general confidence about him that drew one in. She didn’t quite get the do-rag look, but it somehow worked for him.

  Billy? He qualified as a hottie. Times two. And after that line he’d dropped on her about liking the way she looked, he represented something else entirely. Something that meant trouble. Plus, his irreverence reminded her a little too much of her sister.

  Kristen patted Tina’s arm. “Make sure to put the hotties’ check on my tab, okay?”

  “Absolutely.”

  As if he sensed the conversation about him, Billy kept his eyes on her and she fought the urge to hunch. He just never gave up. She’d play this cool. That’s what she’d do.

  Kristen approached the table and both men stood. “Hi, guys. Having lunch?”

  “Just me,” Billy said. “Monk and Izzy ate already.”

  She waved them back to their chairs and turned to the woman sitting with them. Women like this, their perfect cheekbones, full lips and sculpted bodies made her feel like a heifer. She pasted a smile on. “Hello. I’m Kristen Dante.”

  “This is Isabelle,” Peter said. “I’m trying to convince her to marry me.”

  Isabelle sighed. “Knock it off. I’m living with you. One step at a time.”

  Peter blew her a kiss and Kristen laughed at their easy banter. The comfort that came with acceptance. A gift really. What an interesting couple.

  Billy gestured to the empty chair beside him. “Join us for a few minutes.”

  “I have a friend with me. If you don’t mind.”

  “Sure.”

  “Miss Kristen,” Manny called.

  “Hi, bud. Come on over.” She ushered him and his monster ice cream cone into the chair. “Manny, this is Mr. Billy, Mr. Peter and Miss Isabelle.”

  “Hello. I have to lick. It’s melting so fast.”

  “Dude,” Billy said, “that is an awesome cone.”

  “I know.”

  Suddenly, Billy was out of his chair, consulting w
ith the couple at the next table and commandeering the lone empty chair for her. Okay, so maybe that was a nice gesture. Maybe. “Manny’s mother works at the hotel. He and I have a standing ice cream date on Fridays.”

  “She never gets any. Just me. And I never pay either.”

  Kristen burst out laughing. “Sssshhh, Manny. You’re telling my secrets.”

  “Incoming,” Billy said, alerting them to the waitress about to serve his food.

  His crystal blue eyes devoured the basket in front of him and Kristen knew on sight it contained Dante’s famous blue cheese burger.

  Salad, Kristen. Salad. Anything more than salads two out of three meals would make her even fatter and who needed that. No, she needed to maintain her self-discipline and not think about the hateful burger.

  “Been waiting all day for this,” he said.

  “That burger got five stars from Gourmet Magazine.”

  “I know. I saw the write up in the elevator this morning. Had to try it.”

  “Well, enjoy. I hear they’re fabulous.”

  Billy held both hands out as if she’d committed some grievous crime against humanity. “Oh, come on! You’ve never tried one? In your own hotel?”

  “Billy,” Peter said. “Shut it.”

  Isabelle eyeballed them both. “Don’t start, guys.”

  What was this tension? Before she could think too hard on it, to her immense horror, Billy shoved the burger at her. “Take a bite. You have to.”

  She backed away. “No. Thank you.”

  Still holding the burger, he inched it closer. “Just try it.”

  Oh, how she wanted to. Just a little nibble. What harm could it do?

  A lot.

  She held up a hand as the rush of a seven-year-old memory reminded her just how much damage that blue cheese burger could do. She’d been home from grad school on break and heard voices on the lanai. Venturing to the screened doors, she’d spied Jess and her boyfriend talking and was about to say hello to the newest addition to Jess’s fan club.

  “How long is the fat Amazon home for?” the louse of a boyfriend had asked.

  Kristen’s body had seized at the insult and she’d hunched back, spinning away from the door to not be seen. Standing there, hiding behind the curtain, she’d waited for Jess to defend her. Surely her baby sister, the one she’d gotten out of messes time and time again, wouldn’t let this jerk talk about her that way.

  “Two weeks,” Jess had said.

  At the sound of those two little words Kristen’s love for her younger sister had fallen apart. For the first time, she’d allowed herself to see Jess as the spoiled brat everyone else saw. A sharp, knifing pain had torn into her, but she’d remained still, her shoulders slumped with the agony of her sister’s betrayal. And then there was nothing. No tears, no anger, just emptiness in her core that told her she’d never be the same.

  The next day, the vicious cycle of not eating began. She starved herself, got frustrated with her body’s cravings for sugar and then binged until she had to force herself to throw up. On and on it went until she could barely look at herself in the mirror. Until her eyes became shadowed, hollow holes in her skull. And yet, her weight still fluctuated.

  A year later, after being hospitalized for dehydration, her secret came out and she was forced into therapy. As a result, she no longer starved herself, binged or jammed her fingers down her throat. But food of any kind was still an evil temptation. Waiting. Calling. Hoping she’d give in.

  Fat Amazon.

  And now, Billy Tripp sat in front of her, dangling a wicked, juicy, orgasm inducing blue cheese burger in front of her mouth.

  Salad, Kristen. Salad. Gently, using just the tips of her fingers, she pushed his arm away. “No. Thank you.”

  “I haven’t bit into it yet. No germs. You have to try it.”

  “Leave. Her. Alone,” Peter said, clearly warning Billy he’d stepped over professional boundaries.

  But, God, that burger was right there. The sinful smell teased and goaded her into wanting a sample.

  Billy waved the burger by her mouth again. “You sure? One little bite?”

  If only he knew. “No. Thank you, though.”

  He shrugged, took a bite of that fantastic looking sandwich, chewed twice, rolled his eyes and melted into his chair. “Unbelievable. So fudging good.”

  Kristen gave in and laughed at his antics. She couldn’t help herself. Or maybe it was just her way of not focusing on the burger and the loss of control it represented. “You know, for someone who couldn’t say more than ‘wow’ yesterday, you’ve managed to string quite a few sentences together today.”

  “Oh, Kristen,” Peter said. “I like you.”

  Billy wiped his hands, slapped a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “I know. Isn’t she great?”

  After the run in with Jess earlier, Kristen needed every compliment she could get and would gladly take the teasing. “You two make me laugh.”

  “Kristen,” Peter said. “I don’t want to get in your business here, but after last night, you may want to review your security.”

  She swung to Billy who swallowed another huge bite of burger. The man ate like a dinosaur. And yet, he was in phenomenal shape. To be so lucky. “Did you tell him to say that?”

  “Not me, babe. But he’s right. You may need more cameras in the parking areas. You also need a better lock on the valet box out front. For the record, I saw this before you yelled at me.”

  Isabelle smiled. “You yelled at him? Good for you.”

  “Hey!”

  She waved him off. “You know I love you, but you get overanxious.”

  “My grandmother could pick that lockbox,” Peter said.

  Kristen cleared her throat. Her father had encouraged her to use these guys while they were here. “Can you change the lock for me?”

  Billy grinned. “You bet. The valet said they get slammed on the weekends so I’m gonna hang out there tonight and observe. I want to see this system in action.”

  She sighed. “I see my yelling at you worked splendidly.”

  With the last bit of sandwich gone, he drummed his hands on his stomach. “I only promised I wouldn’t talk to the employees.”

  Peter eased out a breath and Isabelle patted his arm. To Kristen, the relationship between these men was a fascinating and clearly complicated thing. “Fine,” she said. “I’ll give you some latitude as long as you stay out of the police investigation.”

  “Sounds cool,” Manny said. “Can I help?”

  Billy glanced at Kristen and she shrugged. “Sure, kid. We’ll come up with something for you. Let me think on it.”

  “Cool!”

  This, combined with her newly acquired knowledge of Jess’s rescue, made the man’s rating soar. A flat-out skyward launch that meant big trouble for a woman whose only love interest in eighteen months had been a hotel. What that said about her, she didn’t want to dwell on. Some would call her driven. Ambitious. Others would say lonely. Her? She didn’t know. Focus on work. “Do you think that’s where my problem is? The valets?”

  “Don’t know yet. I’m guessing not. That’s the first place the P.D. would look. I’m thinking about the keys though and how they’re handled. Are they vulnerable at any time? Can they be copied and returned before anyone discovers they’re missing? That sort of thing.”

  Kristen’s salad from lunch churned in her stomach. Good thing she didn’t have the burger. “We could have some kind of conspiracy happening here? Seriously?”

  Billy popped the last of his fries into his mouth. “Never hurts to check it out.”

  Chapter Four

  Suffering with boredom that occurred when not playing with guns for several days, Billy opted for an evening run on the beach. Anything to get rid of his stifled energy and the chaos in his brain. When darkness fell, he headed back to Dante and slowed to a cooldown jog when he saw the two jutting towers and the blazing gold letters atop the building. Kristen Dante ran a hell of a ship. Pro
ps to her.

  His sneaker clad feet dug into the soft sand until he reached the hotel, where he eased his muscles through a series of stretches. He considered a plunge in the ocean, but the night air had dipped into the sixties and he wasn’t up for that. He could tough it out with the baddest of the bad, but freezing his nuts off for the fun of it didn’t appeal.

  Maybe the pool, though. That sucker stayed at eighty-two degrees. He detoured around a few beach chairs that hadn’t been collected by the staff and entered the pool area. Towering palm trees lined the sides and, during the day, offered shade to the anti-sun people. A closed bar sat to his left and Billy cruised by it to ensure all the liquor had been cleared.

  Affirmative.

  Three multi-colored lights illuminated the calm pool water. Not a ripple to be found. Too late for the families, too early for the drunks. The sound of low tide whooshing against the shore filled the air. Yeah, he’d have to do one of the things he excelled at and disturb the serenity. Grabbing a fresh towel from the hut, he threw it on one of the chairs and stripped his stinking, sweat ridden shirt off.

  The St. Christopher’s medal he wore around his neck—a gift from his mother twelve years earlier—thunked against his chest and he lifted it to his lips before letting it fall. His life had been spared multiple times and he had just enough faith to believe St. Christopher had offered assistance. For that reason, he never took the necklace off.

  A clink from one of the distant tables caught his attention. Someone here. In the dark. A primal buzz nipped him. Maybe he’d check it out. He was part of hotel security. In a twisted way.

  From the same area, a cell phone rang, one of those old-time bling-bling-bling ringers, and Billy shifted toward it.

  “This is Kristen.”

  Kristen Dante’s no-nonsense voice carried from the hidden area and Billy cocked his head. Kristen. In the dark. Alone.

  Or maybe not alone.

  He stood, frozen in his spot, his mind spinning and spinning and spinning because he had a major boner for this girl and one thing he didn’t need was to walk in on her having a private—uh, chat—with her boyfriend. Can we say awkward? More than that, it would just plain piss him off.