sighed with relief as she offered her white knight an appreciative smile.
Who is he?
she wondered. Could he possibly be a plainclothes police officer?
She studied him hurriedly, taking in his appearance. Hewas a devastatingly attractive man with wavy jet black hair and large dark brown eyes. Handsome, but not pretty. Suave yet rugged. He was dressed in an expensive navy blue suit. Tailor-made, unless she missed her guess, which meant he was rich. So he probably wasn’t a policeman. She doubted the base pay, even for a detective, was more than forty or fifty thousand a year. This man’s suit had probably cost several thousand.
He kept his arm around her waist, her body pressed against his side. Annabelle’s heart beat faster and her stomach fluttered. Sheer nerves, she told herself.
“Thank you so much, Mr.—”
“Cortez. Quinn Cortez.”
“I appreciate your coming to my rescue, Mr. Cortez.” Her gaze locked with his as they stared into each other’s eyes. He was looking at her as if he wanted to say something.
“These people can be real jerks,” he told her. “You’ve just lost your cousin—”
“How did you…Oh, you probably read about Lulu in the newspaper.”
A tall, dark-haired woman came through the crowd and walked straight up to Quinn. “I’m sure Ms. Vanderley will be fine now,” the woman said. “We have an appointment”— she tapped her gold wristwatch—“in five minutes. You don’t want to be late.”
He didn’t budge and made no move to release his protective hold on Annabelle.
“Please, don’t let me keep you from an important appointment,” Annabelle said. “I’ll be fine now. Surely they won’t follow me.”
His gaze caressed her, creating a fluttering sensation along her nerve endings. “Let me see you safely inside.”
Suddenly one of the newspaper reporters shouted out, “Ms. Vanderley, how well do you know Mr. Cortez? Obviously you don’t think he had anything to do with your cousin’s murder, right?”
What had the reporter said? Why would he think Mr. Cortez had any connection to Lulu’s murder?
Annabelle broke eye contact with Quinn and looked right at the reporter. “What are you talking about?”
“Did you and your cousin both have a romantic relationship with Mr. Cortez?” the same reporter asked.
When Annabelle glared at him, puzzled by his question, he added, “Seeing how chummy you are with Mr. Cortez and how he came rushing to your rescue, are we to assume that you two are close…friends?”
“I never—” Annabelle realized she wasn’t handling this media attack very well. Speechlessness and shock wouldn’t work in her favor.
“Ignore them,” Quinn whispered in her ear as he urged her into movement.
Escape was the best plan of action, so she allowed him to guide her toward the entrance.
“You didn’t kill Lulu, did you, Ms. Vanderley, when you found out she was sleeping with Quinn Cortez?” The blond reporter held out her microphone as she trailed behind Annabelle, Quinn and the dark-haired woman.
Annabelle turned and faced the reporter. “Go away. Leave me alone. I don’t know what you’re talking about and I don’t care.”
“You don’t care that your cousin was murdered or that Mr. Cortez might have been involved?” Someone in the crowd shouted the question.
“Let’s go inside and get away from them,” Quinn said. “Then I’ll explain what’s going on.”
“Explain now.” She jerked away from him.
“Don’t give them a chance to exploit you and me and Lulu,” Quinn warned.
She stood still as a statue and glared at him. “Were you and Lulu…were you—”
He spoke softly, saying the words for her ears only. “Lulu and I were lovers. We had a date last night. I’m the person who found her body.”
Chapter 4
Although stunned by Quinn Cortez’s confession, Annabelle managed to maintain her composure. Just barely. Odd how discovering her rescuer was one of Lulu’s numerous lovers actually bothered
Who is he?
she wondered. Could he possibly be a plainclothes police officer?
She studied him hurriedly, taking in his appearance. Hewas a devastatingly attractive man with wavy jet black hair and large dark brown eyes. Handsome, but not pretty. Suave yet rugged. He was dressed in an expensive navy blue suit. Tailor-made, unless she missed her guess, which meant he was rich. So he probably wasn’t a policeman. She doubted the base pay, even for a detective, was more than forty or fifty thousand a year. This man’s suit had probably cost several thousand.
He kept his arm around her waist, her body pressed against his side. Annabelle’s heart beat faster and her stomach fluttered. Sheer nerves, she told herself.
“Thank you so much, Mr.—”
“Cortez. Quinn Cortez.”
“I appreciate your coming to my rescue, Mr. Cortez.” Her gaze locked with his as they stared into each other’s eyes. He was looking at her as if he wanted to say something.
“These people can be real jerks,” he told her. “You’ve just lost your cousin—”
“How did you…Oh, you probably read about Lulu in the newspaper.”
A tall, dark-haired woman came through the crowd and walked straight up to Quinn. “I’m sure Ms. Vanderley will be fine now,” the woman said. “We have an appointment”— she tapped her gold wristwatch—“in five minutes. You don’t want to be late.”
He didn’t budge and made no move to release his protective hold on Annabelle.
“Please, don’t let me keep you from an important appointment,” Annabelle said. “I’ll be fine now. Surely they won’t follow me.”
His gaze caressed her, creating a fluttering sensation along her nerve endings. “Let me see you safely inside.”
Suddenly one of the newspaper reporters shouted out, “Ms. Vanderley, how well do you know Mr. Cortez? Obviously you don’t think he had anything to do with your cousin’s murder, right?”
What had the reporter said? Why would he think Mr. Cortez had any connection to Lulu’s murder?
Annabelle broke eye contact with Quinn and looked right at the reporter. “What are you talking about?”
“Did you and your cousin both have a romantic relationship with Mr. Cortez?” the same reporter asked.
When Annabelle glared at him, puzzled by his question, he added, “Seeing how chummy you are with Mr. Cortez and how he came rushing to your rescue, are we to assume that you two are close…friends?”
“I never—” Annabelle realized she wasn’t handling this media attack very well. Speechlessness and shock wouldn’t work in her favor.
“Ignore them,” Quinn whispered in her ear as he urged her into movement.
Escape was the best plan of action, so she allowed him to guide her toward the entrance.
“You didn’t kill Lulu, did you, Ms. Vanderley, when you found out she was sleeping with Quinn Cortez?” The blond reporter held out her microphone as she trailed behind Annabelle, Quinn and the dark-haired woman.
Annabelle turned and faced the reporter. “Go away. Leave me alone. I don’t know what you’re talking about and I don’t care.”
“You don’t care that your cousin was murdered or that Mr. Cortez might have been involved?” Someone in the crowd shouted the question.
“Let’s go inside and get away from them,” Quinn said. “Then I’ll explain what’s going on.”
“Explain now.” She jerked away from him.
“Don’t give them a chance to exploit you and me and Lulu,” Quinn warned.
She stood still as a statue and glared at him. “Were you and Lulu…were you—”
He spoke softly, saying the words for her ears only. “Lulu and I were lovers. We had a date last night. I’m the person who found her body.”
Chapter 4
Although stunned by Quinn Cortez’s confession, Annabelle managed to maintain her composure. Just barely. Odd how discovering her rescuer was one of Lulu’s numerous lovers actually bothered
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