Chapter 3
TRENT
Trent sat at a small table on the beachfront, coffee warming his hands as the morning light climbed the line where sea met sky.
The storm had washed the streets, left the palms bent and glossy, and then moved on as if it had never raged.
Nature reset quickly. People did not. He checked his watch, then let his gaze sweep the boardwalk and the windows that held faint reflections of the water.
A gull coasted low. Somewhere a blender whirred. The café smelled like espresso and sugar, with a trace of damp rope from the marina beyond.
“Why all the secrecy?”
The voice came from his right. He turned and felt his chest lift before he could stop it. Alisha stood with her purse strap angled across her coat, hair caught back from her face, eyes narrowed in a way that said she was taking in more than she let on.
“You know,” she added, moving closer, “I should have told your mother and let her meet you here.”
“Yes,” he said, and the smile that rose was not the careful one he gave most people. “But then you wouldn’t have found out why I left with Ian and what we discovered.”
A flicker crossed her face. Surprise. Annoyance that he had read her so easily. She pulled out a chair. He rose and nudged it in as she sat.
“I’ll get you a coffee,” he said, calling a server over.
The server arrived and smiled at Alisha, who ordered an almond latte. The server nodded and disappeared.
Alisha’s gaze moved through the room in a slow sweep. “Is this another one of your CIA cover shops?”
His brows rose. “No.” He paused. “Sort of.” He let the implication stand without explanation. “How angry is my mother ?”
“As angry as you’d expect. You did disappear with her key witness in the middle of a mess that landed in her lap while she tried to have a summer break with her granddaughter.
” Alisha lifted one shoulder. “Not to mention that you’ve been lying to her about who you work for.
” She waited a beat. “And then I’m sure she feels betrayed by her son. ”
He lifted both hands a little to stop her. “That bad, huh?”
“There are not enough flowers, chocolates, or even diamonds that are going to get you out of this one.” She sipped air and set her napkin on her knee. “I met your sister.”
Shock coursed through Trent, and he stilled. “Tessa is here.”
“No.” The corner of her mouth ticked. “But she will be when she’s ready with my father and Lori’s case.”
“With the property fraud.” His eyes met hers.
Alisha nodded. “Tessa asked me to send everything my father had on his property purchase, and I did.” Her eyes moved around the café.
Trent was about to say more when the bell above the café door chimed and a woman stepped in from the sunlight, her dark hair framing a sharp, intelligent face marked by midlife confidence.
She moved as if she knew the room. She sat without fuss at a two-top near the window and folded her hands.
Her attention was on the street. It did not need to be on them to be near them.
The server went over to her and handed her a menu that she used to covertly look their way.
Trent did not shift. He let the detail sit in his mind. “I know this sounds strange, but did you bring company?”
“No.” Alisha frowned. “You told me to come alone. So I came alone. I’m still not sure which side you are on, so this trust exercise is very brave on my part.”
He felt a smile before he could stop it. “I think you already made up your mind about which side I’m on or you wouldn’t be here. You don’t strike me as the type to partake in trust exercises. You either trust someone or you don’t.”
“How very observant of you.” Alisha smiled as the server returned with her latte.
Alisha thanked her, opened two packets of sweetener, and stirred the mixture.
The small clink of the spoon steadied the moment.
Alisha leaned in a little. “By the way you are looking at whoever just came in without looking, I take it you think they were followed. If so, who? Describe them.”
“A brunette woman near the window,” Trent said quietly. “When we walk out, she’ll be on the left of the door, and she seems to have a sweet tooth. She’s just gotten one of those large sugar cones with about three scoops of chocolate ice cream.”
To give her her due, Alisha did not turn to look like an amateur would’ve.
She only nodded and took a sip of her drink.
“I promise she’s not with me. I don’t know anyone who likes chocolate ice cream.
” She gave a small shudder. “Sorry, but that’s got to be the worst flavor of ice cream.
I mean I like chocolate but it’s like fruit.
You don’t mix fruit with pizza or chocolate.
You shouldn’t mix chocolate with ice cream. Ice cream was meant to be vanilla.”
Trent’s eyebrows shot up. “I don’t like chocolate ice cream either.” He smiled. “But your tail does. In fact, the color of the ice cream is about the same color as her hair. A chocolate brunette.”
“Trust me, she’s definitely not with me,” Alisha told him and frowned. “How can you be sure she followed me, though?”
“I believe she’s not with you.” He let out a breath. “And I know because she’s not as good as she thinks she is at tailing someone. I noticed her when you walked past the café to get to the door.”
“Ah.” Alisha nodded.
Trent leaned forward, making their space seem more intimate. “We may need to look like a couple having a romantic coffee together.”
“Mmm,” she said, looking intrigued. “Engaged or just dating?”
Trent couldn’t help the smile that deepened on his lips.
She was delightful. “I’ll leave that to you.
” He tipped his head toward the door. “Let’s find out if she’s really following you.
We’ll get a to-go cup for your latte and then go for a walk.
I want your help with something about a block from here anyway. ”
Alisha nodded. “Sure.”
Trent called over the server, who was there in an instant. “Can we have the bill and a to-go cup for the latte?”
“Of course,” the server nodded and left.
“Did you plan this to get me on a date?” Alisha asked him suspiciously.
“No.”
Her eyes held his for a beat. “Then why am I here?”
“I told you, I need your help,” Trent answered.
The server came over with a to-go cup and the bill. Trent paid. When he pulled out her chair, she stood, close enough that he caught the soft note of her perfume.
“Don’t panic,” Trent said, very lightly. “Just act natural.” He moved a hair over her ear as he stood close to her.
“I’ve had to play this game before,” Alisha murmured. Her fingers touched his jaw as if they belonged there. Then she lifted on her toes and pressed a soft kiss to his mouth. It was quick. It was warm. It set his balance off by a shade.
They left the café with a low laugh between them, the kind people share when they do not want to be overheard. Outside, the air was warm, and the clouds were already pale again. Traffic moved like it had always moved, and it was almost like the storm hadn’t even happened.
“The woman looks familiar,” Alisha said quietly as they walked. “For the life of me, I can’t place her, though.”
Trent nodded and kept his eyes forward. His hand found hers as if it had always known the way.
Electricity ran along his palm where their fingers met.
He let go when they reached the corner. He turned and pulled her closer.
Over her shoulder, he saw the woman who turned and looked like she was checking out a store window.
“Your brunette on a sugar cone is still shadowing you,” Trent said softly, breathing in the scent of her and having to stop himself from leaning in and kissing her properly.
“Oh, great,” Alisha hissed. “Another tail. At least this time I don’t have the kids with me.” She grinned at him. “I have a big protective CIA agent.”
Trent gave a soft laugh, took her hand, and led her into a store, still not taking the bait about the CIA that Alisha was trying to hook him on. “This way.” He moved her through the store and into a back room that had Staff Only plastered above the door. Then into an alley and into another street.
“Where are we going?” Alisha asked. “You’re making me dizzy with all these turns.”
“We’re trying to shake your tail so we can get to where we need to be,” Trent told her, finally stopping in front of an expensive beachfront apartment building.
“What are we doing here?” Alisha looked at the place.
“We’re going to do some investigation,” Trent told her, ringing the bell and flashing his badge to the doorman. Who nodded and let them in. “Agent Ryder. I’m here for Mr. Stanstead.”
“Right,” the doorman nodded. “Second floor.”
“Thank you,” Trent told him and walked Alisha to the lift.
“Why are we at Dick Stanstead’s apartment?” Alisha hissed.
“Because we’re going to look for clues,” Trent told her. “According to Katy’s diary, which I found in Detective Lawrence’s house, she spent a lot of time here.”
“What if Dick is home?” Alisha asked.
“He’s not,” Trent assured her. “Dick disappeared about the same time as Katy’s body was found.”
They got out of the elevator on the second floor, and Trent walked them to Dick’s flat. Without hesitation, he pulled out his tools and opened the lock.
“You’re breaking in?” Alisha said in disbelief.
“Yeah.” Trent nodded, pushing the door open and stepping in. “How else would we get in?”
“I don’t know,” Alisha said, standing outside. “With an official key and search warrant?”
Trent sighed. There was no use lying to her.
“Look, I don’t have either of those. Truthfully, I’m not even meant to be here.
But Trevor thought a law enforcement agency was watching him, and I know he was right.
You see. Lori, Trevor’s wife, my mother's best friend, who was also my sister’s godmother, called me up about six months before Trevor passed away…
” He stopped. “Come inside.” He poked his head out and looked down the hall. “We don’t want to draw attention.”