I’m not. I just happened to be the last one out
tonight.”
“You should really hav e an escort until Sterling and I get to
the bottom of this.”
Her face paled. “You really think I’m in that m uch danger?”
Guilt persuaded him to back off. “Just as a precaution.”
The arriv al of sizzling fajita m eat with fragrant green peppers
and onions gav e her a m om entary tim e-out. He gav e her tim e to
fill a tortilla with the com bination before he resum ed his attack.
“There’s a lot I don’t know about y ou.”
She speared a pepper with her fork. “There’s not m uch to
know.”
“Tell m e about Albert.”
She didn’t answer im m ediately , and he wondered if she would.
“Albert?”
He nodded. “Albert London, y our ex-husband.”
She lifted her chin. “Why ?”
He shrugged. “Curiosity .”
“There’s nothing to tell.”
Determ ined to break her cool reserv e, he went straight for the
jugular. “He was m urdered.”
Her fork fell from her grasp and banged the side of her plate.
Mission accom plished.
“You’v e done y our hom ework.” Holly laid the fork back on the
edge of her plate.
Brett leaned back in his chair and waited patiently for her to
elaborate. Instead, she fidgeted with her napkin.
“What happened?” he prom pted.
Her ey es flashed and he braced him self for her barbed tongue.
“Does it m atter?”
“Yes.”
“Why ?”
He hesitated, choosing his words v ery carefully . His gut told
him she had inform ation. May be about Albert, m ay be not. Seconds
ticked by and still she said nothing. Whatev er her secret, he
wouldn’t figure it out if he pushed her. He had a plan and he’d
stick to it.
“Your v andalism m ay be related to his death.”
“I don’t think any one was m urdered in m y pool.”
Brett swallowed another wav e of surprise. The wom an was too
observ ant for her own good.
“ Th e blood in y our pool wasn’t blood. Som eone dum ped paint
in the water.”
“That explains the lack of a body ,” she m urm ured.
“So, who m urdered Albert?”
“How are y ou so sure I didn’t?”
His response rolled off his tongue before he could stop it. “So
sure, I’d bet y ou a roll in the sack.”
The color left her face and he felt another pinch of guilt for
teasing her. “You’re sitting across the table from m e,” he
explained. “Most m urderers go to prison.”
“I could be cov ering it up.”
Surely she could do better than that. “You’re not.”
Holly m et his persistence with a determ ined glare. “No one’s
ev er been charged.”
“Do y ou think there’s any connection between Albert’s m urder
and y our secret adm irer?”
“Som e secret adm irer,” she m um bled. “No.”
“Why not? What m akes y ou think whoev er wanted him dead
doesn’t want the sam e for y ou?”
Her hands trem bled as she lifted them and pushed her hair off
her forehead. “Your technique sucks.”
Despite him self, he grinned. “I’m not alway s this charm ing.”
She lifted an ey ebrow. “I’d hate to see y ou on an off day .”
He ran a hand across his jaw. He was being an ass. And as
m uch as he hated to adm it it, sexual frustration had a chokehold
on him .
“Look, Holly , before I can help y ou, we’v e got to clear the air
between us.”
She sighed and folded her hands in front of her. “I wondered
when y ou’d get around to that.”
“What hav e I done to m ake y ou dislike m e so m uch?”
“I don’t dislike y ou, Brett.”
“Coulda fooled m e.”
“I don’t.”
Searching the depths of her ey es, he felt her honesty seep into
his soul. The m y sterious clear pools brim m ed with intelligence.
Her independence beckoned him and pleaded for friendship.
Despite her closed expression, he sensed her v ulnerability . You’re
just scared . He could fix that.
Brett slid a hand across the table. “Truce?”
Holly glanced from his hand into his face and a tim id sm ile
softened her
tonight.”
“You should really hav e an escort until Sterling and I get to
the bottom of this.”
Her face paled. “You really think I’m in that m uch danger?”
Guilt persuaded him to back off. “Just as a precaution.”
The arriv al of sizzling fajita m eat with fragrant green peppers
and onions gav e her a m om entary tim e-out. He gav e her tim e to
fill a tortilla with the com bination before he resum ed his attack.
“There’s a lot I don’t know about y ou.”
She speared a pepper with her fork. “There’s not m uch to
know.”
“Tell m e about Albert.”
She didn’t answer im m ediately , and he wondered if she would.
“Albert?”
He nodded. “Albert London, y our ex-husband.”
She lifted her chin. “Why ?”
He shrugged. “Curiosity .”
“There’s nothing to tell.”
Determ ined to break her cool reserv e, he went straight for the
jugular. “He was m urdered.”
Her fork fell from her grasp and banged the side of her plate.
Mission accom plished.
“You’v e done y our hom ework.” Holly laid the fork back on the
edge of her plate.
Brett leaned back in his chair and waited patiently for her to
elaborate. Instead, she fidgeted with her napkin.
“What happened?” he prom pted.
Her ey es flashed and he braced him self for her barbed tongue.
“Does it m atter?”
“Yes.”
“Why ?”
He hesitated, choosing his words v ery carefully . His gut told
him she had inform ation. May be about Albert, m ay be not. Seconds
ticked by and still she said nothing. Whatev er her secret, he
wouldn’t figure it out if he pushed her. He had a plan and he’d
stick to it.
“Your v andalism m ay be related to his death.”
“I don’t think any one was m urdered in m y pool.”
Brett swallowed another wav e of surprise. The wom an was too
observ ant for her own good.
“ Th e blood in y our pool wasn’t blood. Som eone dum ped paint
in the water.”
“That explains the lack of a body ,” she m urm ured.
“So, who m urdered Albert?”
“How are y ou so sure I didn’t?”
His response rolled off his tongue before he could stop it. “So
sure, I’d bet y ou a roll in the sack.”
The color left her face and he felt another pinch of guilt for
teasing her. “You’re sitting across the table from m e,” he
explained. “Most m urderers go to prison.”
“I could be cov ering it up.”
Surely she could do better than that. “You’re not.”
Holly m et his persistence with a determ ined glare. “No one’s
ev er been charged.”
“Do y ou think there’s any connection between Albert’s m urder
and y our secret adm irer?”
“Som e secret adm irer,” she m um bled. “No.”
“Why not? What m akes y ou think whoev er wanted him dead
doesn’t want the sam e for y ou?”
Her hands trem bled as she lifted them and pushed her hair off
her forehead. “Your technique sucks.”
Despite him self, he grinned. “I’m not alway s this charm ing.”
She lifted an ey ebrow. “I’d hate to see y ou on an off day .”
He ran a hand across his jaw. He was being an ass. And as
m uch as he hated to adm it it, sexual frustration had a chokehold
on him .
“Look, Holly , before I can help y ou, we’v e got to clear the air
between us.”
She sighed and folded her hands in front of her. “I wondered
when y ou’d get around to that.”
“What hav e I done to m ake y ou dislike m e so m uch?”
“I don’t dislike y ou, Brett.”
“Coulda fooled m e.”
“I don’t.”
Searching the depths of her ey es, he felt her honesty seep into
his soul. The m y sterious clear pools brim m ed with intelligence.
Her independence beckoned him and pleaded for friendship.
Despite her closed expression, he sensed her v ulnerability . You’re
just scared . He could fix that.
Brett slid a hand across the table. “Truce?”
Holly glanced from his hand into his face and a tim id sm ile
softened her
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