Kidnapped Hearts by Cait Jarrod

chair
next to his. “Nice dress.”
    She watched his
lips move. Her mind quickly flashed on their kiss earlier, followed by her
words—we can’t do this again. Butterflies came to life in her stomach.
    He must have
detected her apprehension, since he patted the seat beside him. She accepted
the chair, drank her wine, gulped was more like it, then refilled her glass,
and waited for some clue as to why Jake was sitting with two of her best
friends.
    Two sets of
eyes stared at her. Not Jake’s; he observed the street, probably waiting for
another motorcycle. Had he told her friends about last night, she pondered, as
she tasted some wine, drinking only a sip this time. Tired of their scrutiny,
she set her glass on the table a little harder than necessary. Wine splashed
over the sides. “What?”
    Paul leaned
forward. His eyes shone brighter than usual.
    Given Paul’s
light attitude, he must not have mentioned what happened last night, so what
made him appear so happy? Pamela nibbled on her bottom lip. Had he finally
gotten lucky? She kept waiting for him to confess that he had a fling while he
was at one of his extreme sport competitions.
    She was about
to ask him, when he said, “Now that I have Celine and you here, do you remember
when I told you about my brother, the one that I haven’t seen for some time?”
    Pamela nodded.
“Yeah, you said he was a scumbag.”
    Jake chuckled.
    Paul tilted his
head toward Jake. “Meet scumbag.”
    Pamela’s eyes
grew wide.
    “You’re Paul’s
foster brother?” Celine asked.
    Jake nodded.
“Since I turned thirteen.”
    “His mom and
mine were best friends.”
    “Were?” Pamela
asked, “Your mom’s not with us anymore?” She knew that was a nosy question.
Unfortunately, she spoke before thinking.
    Jake shook his
head.
    Pamela’s hand
reached out. “What happened?”
    His eyes
focused on her hand covering his. “Cancer.”
    “I’m sorry.”
    “Me too,”
Celine added.
    Jake slid his
hand away from her warmth and waved, dismissing the sympathy. “Don’t be. It was
a long time ago.”
    Celine tapped
her sculpted fingernail on the stem of her wine glass and looked from Pamela to
Jake. “Do you two already know each other?”
    Pamela picked
up her glass and downed the contents. Paul immediately filled it from the
decanter Sue had set on the table earlier.
    Not knowing how
to reply to Celine, Pamela looked in Paul’s direction. “I thought you were
going to tell me some juicy gossip concerning a certain competitor.”
    Jake sent Paul
a sidelong look.
    Paul groaned.
“There’s nothing to tell.” He swallowed some beer. “Niki and I are just friends.
Now, Pamela, let’s have it. I can think of only one reason that you could know
Jake.” Paul paused as if something just occurred to him. When he continued, his
voice was deep, gravely, and very angry. “Considering how mysteriously Jake
arrived in town.” He shot Jake a glare. “It won’t be good.”
    Pamela sucked
in a deep breath, trying to figure out a way to tell her friends. Paul gulped
some liquid, and Pamela knew he was trying to ward off his anger. “Oh geez.”
    “Just tell us,
Pamela.” Celine demanded.
    “Someone thinks
I have bearer bonds that I don’t have.”
    With a mouthful
of beer, Paul choked.
    Celine patted
Paul on the back, and said, “What are you talking about? Who thinks you have
them, and what does Jake have to do with it?”
    All eyes turned
to Jake.
    “I thought you
retired,” Paul said, setting his beer glass on the table and dragging the back
of his hand across his chin. “Is she the freelance case?”
    Jake held up a
hand. “I can’t tell you much, and Pamela you need to keep the information to
yourself as best as possible. We don’t want anything to jeopardize the case.”
    “The case?”
Paul asked.
    Jake clasped
his hands together on the table. “I can only confirm what Ms. Young said.
Someone believes she is in possession of bearer bonds. She’s not aware of