Crossing Double (A Heartbreaker Novel Book 3) Page 15

  She glanced over her shoulder for one more attempt at reason.

  Brent still tapped away on the secure laptop Mario had provided, so she said, “I don’t get it. You trust Mario enough to believe that the computer is secure, but not enough to let him help us?”

  Brent’s fingers continued to fly across the keys. “He’d probably be in jail if he didn’t have top-notch security on his computers. That’s what I trust.”

  She rolled her eyes. “He gave up the only woman he’d ever loved, my mom, to keep Dani safe until he could be released from his family’s hold. It took almost thirty years. Bad people don’t do selfless things like that.”

  “Yes, they do. Mobsters are super protective of their families. Until someone displeases them. Then they kill them. Haven’t you ever seen The Godfather?”

  “No. But we need help. I vote we let Mario do that.”

  Brent’s response was a loud grunt as he continued to type.

  “I get it. You’re the dictator, and I’m the dictor-ee, or whatever you call those poor people whose opinions are meaningless.” She glanced at Mittens, who stopped grooming her paws atop Mario’s silk couch. The cat could probably feel the tension in the air too.

  Brent smiled. “Once I get responses to some inquiries, we’ll talk about what we want to do next. We’re still a team, but someone needs to run the plays if we want to win. That’s why ships and sports teams have captains.”

  She gave him a snappy salute. “Aye, aye, Captain Dictator.”

  He ignored her sarcasm and continued working.

  While she studied Brent’s earnest, handsome face bent close to the screen, her heart warmed for him despite their disagreement. He was a good—but incredibly stubborn—man.

  Instead of working on the ups and downs of Wall Street, he chose the steady government paycheck and a guaranteed retirement plan because what he needed most was security in his life. Something he’d never had as a child. Something he gave others by being in law enforcement and helping keep the country safe.

  He’d finally admitted to Mario that three agents before Brent had made zero headway on the case that took him a few weeks to crack. How could she still feel hurt and betrayed by Brent? He’d been doing his job. And part of his job had been to lie to her to protect her.

  If only he’d trust Mario as she did. But that was probably like the cat guarding the mouse hole in Brent’s mind. She’d just have to be persistent and change his views.

  She turned back to the skyline and let out a long, frustrated, sigh. They were both prisoners, albeit in the most excellent jail cell in the world. She hated waiting for fate to do what it would with them. She wanted action. To do something to clear their names. What, she wasn’t sure, though.

  A big set of arms wrapped her up in a hug from behind before Brent whispered, “What’s wrong? That was a pretty dramatic sigh.”

  “I come from a dramatic family. It’s in my blood. You’ll see for yourself. My mom and sister will be here in a few minutes.”

  “I thought maybe you realized that your life is now exactly like Eloise’s. Stuck on the top floor of the hotel. Maybe you should change Mittens’ name to Snickerdee.”

  “You mean Skipperdee. And please don’t say that in front of my mom. She’s sensitive about having been away so often filming movies when Dani and I were growing up.”

  “Got it.” He hugged her tighter. “Anything else I should know before I meet your mom?”

  She laughed. “No. She’s a normal person like anyone else. She just has an extraordinary job.” And an extraordinary ability to see the future in dreams. But she couldn’t tell him that. “And she’s super stubborn, so the two of you should get along just fine.”

  “But is she a dictator like me?” He nibbled on her ear, sending a delightful shiver up her spine.

  “At times. But she’s a lovable one. You, the jury’s still out on.”

  “I’ll have to work on my closing argument, then.” His lips moved to her neck, making her pulse kick into overdrive. “I apologize for being a little star-struck. I used to watch your mom in movies and think she was the prettiest woman I’d ever seen. I read recently that men half her age still line up for dates.”

  Sara leaned her head back on his shoulder. “She is beautiful. Even without makeup, but you’ll never see her like that. She’s always camera ready.” Her mom had been voted the most beautiful woman in Hollywood and even in the world a few times. “What people don’t know is how hard she’s worked to maintain her looks. All the daily skin routines and fake smiling so her eyes don’t crease. I haven’t seen her eat anything with carbs in like fifteen years. Me? I’m happy to eat lasagna and cheesy bread now and then and be average looking.”

  “Average looking?” He stopped making her knees weak with his kisses and slowly turned her around. With a frown creasing his forehead, he said, “You don’t really believe that, do you?”

  She shrugged. “All my life, the press has pointed out that my nose is slightly crooked, and that my lips aren’t as full as my mother’s and sister’s. Oh, and a so-called beauty expert decided that my eyes are a tad too widely spaced.”

  “Yeah. I’d noticed that too but didn’t want to mention it.”

  She jabbed her finger into his gut and got a satisfying grunt.

  “I’m kidding. That person needs to get a life. Your eyes are perfectly spaced.”

  “Well, thanks, but as if that wasn’t rude enough, they’d say it’s a shame I didn’t get the Botelli curves. Like it’s a crime to have an average bra size these days.”

  Between kisses on her collarbone, he whispered, “Actually, you have a larger than—”

  “I’m going to pretend you’re just guessing you know what size my bra is, and that it’s not documented in an FBI file somewhere.” She pondered how embarrassing that’d be. “Is it?”

  He laid a quick kiss on her lips. “Can’t tell you or I’d have to kill you. Go on.”

  Brother. It probably was in his stupid file on her. “Then these so-called experts would wonder aloud why I didn’t get all my flaws fixed so that I could follow in my genetically perfect parents’ footsteps to the big screen. Like they were both born looking like they do? Please. I’m perfectly happy with the original version of me.”

  “I wouldn’t change a thing about you either, Sara.” He slid his hands along her cheeks and lifted her chin. “Don’t tell your mom, but she got bumped to second place for the prettiest woman I’d ever seen once I met you. More than that, I respect what you’re made of. Kindness, compassion, and courage. I’ve never met anyone I admire more.”

  Wow. That made her heart turn to a big puddle of goo. “Careful. Remember what you said earlier? That you’d never be the kind of guy who’d tell me I’m beautiful?”

  “Because it’s a given.” He laid his lips on hers and kissed her. When his tongue joined the party, it made her sigh again.

  Man, Brent could kiss. And make her feel like the most desired woman in the world.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressed her body against his solid one, and kissed him back. Hard. To show him how much she wanted him.

  He softly groaned as his hands slid to her rear end. Brent gave a quick squeeze right before a cleared throat from behind them put a stop to things before they got R-rated.

  Brent slowly ended their kiss, but the desire lingering in his eyes promised more where that’d come from. She looked forward to seeing just how much more.

  Her mom called out, “It’s my turn for a hug.”

  At the sight of her mom, Sara had to blink back the tears that threatened. There’d been moments in the past days she wondered if she’d ever see her mother again. Now she looked photo-shoot ready as always, even though she’d just stepped off an overseas flight. “I’ve never been happier to see you, Mom.”

  Annalisa swept Sara into her arms with all the dramatic flair she was known for in Hollywood. “Hi, sweetheart. I’m glad to see you in one piece too. And I love your new
hair!” After a long hug and a kiss to the forehead, her mom continued, “I haven’t slept, I was so worried about my beautiful, far-from-average-looking daughter.”

  How long had her mom been standing there? Had she seen Brent’s hands wander? Sara was twenty-six, but her mom had a way of making her feel like she was sixteen sometimes.

  Before Sara could answer, her mom turned to Brent. “Funny story about Sara’s nose, Brent. It’s exactly what mine looked like before my agent made me change it. I think it suits Sara better than it ever suited me.”

  “It looks perfect to me. And it’s an honor to meet her nose donor.” Brent smiled and held out a hand for a shake.

  Her mom ignored his outstretched hand and gathered him up in a bear hug that turned his cheeks an adorable shade of red. “Thank you for keeping Sara safe. If there’s ever anything I can do to return the favor, it’s yours. I’m even willing to forgive you for bumping me off my pedestal when you met my gorgeous daughter.”

  Her mother had been standing there for some time, apparently. Eavesdropping. “Brent did us a favor, Mom. Someone has to keep that huge ego of yours in check. Where’s Dani?”

  Annalisa kept an arm slung around Brent’s shoulders. “She’s waiting for you in the den. Run and see her while Brent and I have a chat.”

  Alarm bells clanged. Her mother was up to something. “I think I’d rather stay and protect Brent from the interrogation.”

  Her mom’s grin turned mischievous. “Brent will be fine. Your sister would like to talk to you about something important. Now, go!”

  Sara glanced at Brent. The expression on his face was somewhere between sheer panic and pure joy at the prospect of talking to one of his idols. “You’ll be okay?”

  He nodded. “I’ve had extensive interrogation training. I think I can handle your mom.”

  “Training in traditional methods, like waterboarding and sleep deprivation. She can be worse. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Sara shook her head as she made her way toward the private elevator that would take her to the den level. “Behave, Mother. I know Brent’s cute, but he’s mine!”

  Despite her mother’s reputation for dating younger men—one that the publicist falsely had spun to keep her real relationship with Mario private—her mom would never cross a line with Brent. But it was fun to make him squirm a bit.

  Sara poked the button to summon the elevator and then turned to gauge Brent’s reaction. With a mile-wide grin, he mouthed, Thank you.

  She wasn’t sure if his gratitude was for forgiving his dictator ways or declaring him off-limits. Maybe both.

  He was hers, all right.

  And she intended to keep him.

  Brent studied Annalisa as she poured them both a glass of wine. She’d been compared with the classical good looks of Sophia Loren. Modern-day beauties competed for that top spot, but the press always declared Sara’s mom the winner hands down. He had to agree.

  But never in his wildest dreams did he imagine he’d ever be in the same room as Annalisa Botelli, much less served a glass of wine by her. Her man-eating reputation and fame were almost intimidating, but her obvious love and concern for her daughter made her approachable and real.

  She held out a glass. “I imagine you have some questions for me?” Her eyes never left his as she sipped her wine. As if searching for something.

  She’d pored her drink from the same bottle, so one sip couldn’t hurt.

  “I do. Have questions.” He took a sip, and his mouth exploded with notes of aged wood and fruit. Must be what expensive wine tasted like. “Wow. That’s amazing. Thank you.”

  “My pleasure. Let’s sit.” She swept a hand out toward the couches that were so nice, he hadn’t wanted to sit on them while still wearing Scott’s ratty sweats. He grabbed his borrowed laptop to take notes.

  Brent sat on the very edge of the cushion while Annalisa arranged herself on the sofa across from him with all the grace of a princess. After she smoothed her skirt in a way he’d seen Sara do, Annalisa set her glass down and folded her hands. “You’d like to know how I’m involved in this, I imagine?” Mittens decided Annalisa’s shimmery dress would make an excellent place for a nap and jumped onto the actress’s lap.

  “Sorry. I’ll take her.” He started to rise, but Annalisa lifted a hand to stop him.

  “The cat is fine. Mario told me Sara had taken in another stray. Believe me, this is better than the mangy roadrunner she brought home when she was ten.”

  Cute, and so typically Sara. But could a person catch a roadrunner? He’d have to ask Sara about that later.

  He laid his glass down on a coaster made of something gold on the coffee table and then got back to finding out precisely what Annalisa knew about the money laundering. “Sara said something about motherly instincts made you warn her about Holden, but that can’t be the whole story.”

  Annalisa shook her head. “Sara’s father has had money issues since I’ve known him. I don’t talk about that with Sara often, because she loves him. But when a few weeks ago he asked if I’d like to invest in a “sure thing” he found, I listened and then asked him to send me more information. When he said I had to promise to keep the details to myself, that raised red flags.”

  Brent tapped notes into the laptop as he asked, “Has he asked to borrow money or to invest in his projects in the past?”

  “Yes. Often. And he never hesitated to use Sara’s well-being as the reason, preying on my desire to protect her.” She leaned closer. “Holden is charming, but he isn’t a good man, Brent. I think maybe now Sara will finally see that for herself.”

  Says the woman involved with a guy who used to be a mobster. “What happened next?”

  “I told Holden I’d think about it, and then forwarded the emails to Mario for him to look into.” She reached into a purse at her feet and pulled out a cell phone. After she unlocked it and found what she searched for, she handed the phone to him. “You’re welcome to read the emails if you wish. Make copies if you’d like.”

  Brent accepted the phone, scrolled through the emails, then forwarded them to the new laptop and Zach. After he handed the phone back, he said, “That still doesn’t explain how you knew about me.”

  Annalisa put the cat down then stood and walked to the windows. With her arms crossed and staring out the windows at the bright lights of the strip, mirroring Sara’s stance a few moments before, Annalisa said, “That’s where things get a little tricky. Things that could hurt Sara if she finds out. I hate to risk it. Can we skip that part for now?”

  “Sara can handle it. But I doubt you’d fare as well in jail.” Annalisa was like his mother, pampered and spoiled. A jail cell would be Annalisa’s worst nightmare. His best bet to get her to spill.

  “Is that a threat, Agent Keiser?”

  Agent Keiser? His stomach clenched.

  How could she possibly know his real last name? The media had all reported his last name as Jackson. And he’d been with Sara the whole time. She hadn’t told Mario or her mother what his real name was.

  It made trusting no one but Zach his only option going forward. He hoped Rick hadn’t been involved too, but wouldn’t risk finding out. He’d cut off contact with his best friend also. “No threat. A fact. Miller and his men know you know something. A jail cell might be best for your protection.”

  “And yet Miller’s men, who’ve been guarding my house and my plane night and day, have no idea I slipped out right underneath their noses.” Annalisa turned and raised a brow. “After Dani’s kidnapping as a child, I made sure my family and I could disappear at a moment’s notice, never to be found. You, on the other hand, can be arrested with one phone call. You might want to reconsider your tone, Brent.”

  Time to change tactics. He’d underestimated Annalisa’s fortitude. Maybe that was where Sara got hers from.

  “I apologize.” He went back into the archives in his mind to Negotiation 101 class. “Why don’t we start over? Please know that my chief concern right now is clearing S
ara’s name and keeping her safe. Help me do that. In return, you’ll have my word I’ll do my best to shield Sara from any testimony that could be hurtful to her if I possibly can.”

  Annalisa turned her back on him and peered out the windows again. “Let’s skip the part about how I know you’re an agent and focus on why I told her to trust you.”

  It’d be disturbing if Mario was her source when it came to Brent’s identity, but for now, he’d take what he could get. “Fine. I’m all ears.”

  “You’re all hands from what I saw earlier with Sara, but we’ll get to that part in a bit.” She turned around and returned to her place on the couch. “Many years ago, Holden informed me that he could no longer afford to keep Zoila and Justin employed. The two people who Sara loved like family during the parade of women Holden dated and married. So I gave them both a raise and told them they reported to me going forward and I expected regular updates about my daughter. Sara was never to know.”

  “Like spies? Who reported Sara’s actions to you?” No wonder Annalisa didn’t want Sara to know about that. Sara loved them both. It’d be a massive betrayal to her. Although Sara had said earlier she’d guessed Zoila was on her mom’s payroll.

  “You don’t understand. Sara moved to LA as a restless teenager, claiming she wanted to be a bigger part of her father’s life. The daughter of two famous parents, no less.” Annalisa lifted her hands in clear frustration. “She gives people the benefit of the doubt. Always. Until they prove themselves to be untrustworthy, she trusts. She’s been hurt badly because of that. Worse, Holden wasn’t supervising her, and she got into some trouble. Zoila and Justin have always had her best interests at heart. They’re the ones who both told me you seemed trustworthy. I simply repeated their sentiments to Sara in case there was trouble.”

  “How did you know to warn her that she was going to be in danger at the wedding? Did Holden warn you? Or perhaps Mario knew?” He watched her for a reaction. Some sign of where the information had originated.

  She shook her head. “Neither of them told me. I just had a bad feeling. I’d asked Sara to come home a little early for Christmas so I’d know she’d be safe and away from whatever her father was up to.”