Vengeful in Love by Nadia Lee Page A

aspect changed instantly and completely, as though a movie had skipped a few frames. She glanced at his empty glass. “Would you like more wine?” Her voice was sweet, the very definition of hospitality.
    He shot her an unreadable look. “I don’t believe so, no.” He placed his glass on the counter and pried the sauce from Natalie’s grip. “If it’s all right, I want to steal Natalie away from you to get an introduction to Brian.”
    “Certainly,” Louise said, the picture of graciousness.
    Natalie hurried outside with Alex, her mind reeling. The afternoon sun had warmed the temperature in the backyard, but she felt cold inside.
Found?
She had been thrown away and
found
?
    Brian waved at her, gesturing at her to come to the grill. They walked toward him. His face was flushed from the heat of the grill and the beer. “Hi, honey. How’s my favorite girl?”
    Louise had been needlessly cruel, but Brian had always tried to make her feel at home. She couldn’t ruin his party, no matter how disoriented she felt. She mustered a smile. “Hi, Dad.”
    “Who’s your friend?”
    * * *
    Friend? Brian Hall was either stupid or diplomatic. Alex chose the latter.
    “This is Alex Damon,” Natalie said.
    Brian extended his hand. Alex put the barbeque sauce on a table next to the grill and shook it, carefully keeping his face pleasant. He resisted the urge to grind the older man’s knuckles together. That would be petty.
    “Welcome.” The politician’s face never wavered, although he had to know about Alex’s relationship with the Rodales. “I heard you might drop by. Thanks for coming.”
    “The pleasure’s mine.” Alex smiled, but he was sure it didn’t reach his eyes. “Nice party.”
    “Thank you. Beer?”
    Alex nodded and took an ice-cold green bottle from Brian. Not a bad guy, per se, but someone with something to hide. Wonder how he would react if he knew that Alex already had his men digging up facts. Evidence to stop him from meddling in something he had no business getting involved with in the first place.
    “I didn’t know you were politically active in Virginia,” Brian said. “You’re from San Francisco, aren’t you?”
    “Virginia’s on my radar at the moment, especially now that one of my companies here is poised for a big growth spurt. I think this year’s senatorial election could get very interesting, don’t you?”
    Brian considered, then nodded. “Possibly. It’s hard to tell.”
    “Incumbents always have the upper hand. But I also have a soft spot for underdogs. It’s hard to decide who should get my support.” Alex felt Natalie tense.
    Brian smiled with genial good humor and took a drink of his beer. “As an incumbent myself, of course, I think I know what my constituents want better than someone with no experience.” There was a general murmur of agreement from the other men present.
    “Of course. But a fresh perspective might be good for the state. Something a little more international. Although you were in China for a while, isn’t that right?”
    Alex was watching carefully, and so he caught the infinitesimal narrowing of Brian’s eyes. “Yes,” the senator said. “You’ve done your homework, I see. Not many people remember that these days.”
    “I try to understand people as best as I can. It helps when you need to ask a favor or get someone to see things your way.”
    “I imagine it does, young man.” Brian was looking at Alex very directly now, the intensity of his gaze beginning to disrupt the genial expression on the rest of his face. “Let’s hope that you don’t ask for too much.”
    Natalie began to tug discreetly at Alex’s sleeve. “There are some other guests I’d like to introduce you to. Let’s let these guys get back to their grilling, or we’ll never eat.”
    Alex smiled and allowed her to draw him off. He’d pushed enough for the time being and had no intention of causing a scene at this early stage of the game. Brian had turned back to