Chapter Twenty-Five
Lola
As we exit my father’s office, I weave through the crowd. My heart pounds erratically in my ears. He bought every word I said.
Near the garden entrance only a few guests are milling around, so I go in that direction with Cade following a few feet behind me. It’s the least amount of people I’ve seen congregated in one space since I arrived. Here’s to hoping no one finds it peculiar that I’m chatting in the corner with my bodyguard. Not that I’d be the first woman to fall for the help.
Once we’re outside, I twirl to face him. “How did I do?”
He grabs the sunglasses off his face and holds them by the ear. “Perfection. If security doesn’t work out for you, you could always try the theater.”
I lick my lips. “Do you think he suspects anything?”
“I don’t think he could see past the dollar signs in his eyes once you said how much you could invest. What will you do if he calls your bluff?”
Who says I’m bluffing? Not about investing. I wouldn’t touch Randall’s investment company with a ten-foot pole, but in January, I’ll have more money than I’ll know what to do with.
“I think he’s involved in the burglaries.”
“Yeah.” I nod. “When he asked me to invest early, I got a tad nervous.”
“He needs the money to pay someone their profits.”
“Exactly.”
“You’ve got to be careful tonight. Stay close to me. I have a friend who’s also keeping an eye on you.”
“What? Where?” I glance around to see if I can notice anyone looking suspicious.
“Doll, he’s good.” He chuckles, and a shiver rolls down my spine. “You won’t know who he is unless he wants you to know.”
“Oh, okay.” Heat floods my face. I try to put on a big front, but I have no idea what I’m doing. I touch his forearm. “Thank you for coming. I know these people, but I don’t know what in the hell I’m doing.”
He caresses my cheek with his thumb. “There’s nowhere else I’d be if you need me.”
I meet his eyes. There’s not only heat but something else. My knees buckle. Love? Trust? Hope? Maybe it’s just in my eyes because I’m hopelessly in love with him. He drops his hand and steps back as the butterflies in my belly flutter like they’re taking off for a helicopter flight.
“Someone’s coming.” He slips on the sunglasses.
Seconds later, someone taps me on the shoulder. “Lola, I hope you don’t mind me interrupting, but I didn’t want to leave without saying hello.”
I spin and step into Trenton’s embrace. “I’m glad you did. How’s everything going?”
“Just dandy. My dad is still mad that I refuse to marry you.” He frowns and steps back, dropping his arms to his sides. “No offense.”
“None was taken.”
“Who’s the gangster?” Trenton motions toward Cade with his head.
I turn and study Cade. He’s back into his bodyguard stance–except his jaw and shoulders are tight. Is he jealous? Surely not. Nothing is going on between Trenton and me. Now or ever. “Trenton, this is Cade Hughes. We work together back in Kansas City. He’s doing some security work for me. Cade, this is Trenton Thompson, one of my long-time friends. You remember me telling you about him, don’t you?”
Cade nods and shakes Trenton’s outstretched hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Same here. I hope you don’t mind me interrupting, but I’ve got an early morning tomorrow, and I didn’t want to leave without speaking with Lola.”
“No problem. You two go ahead. I’ll stand here and look menacing.”
Trenton chuckles. “Good sense of humor. I like this guy.”
A wave of happiness rushes through me. I want all my friends to like Cade and approve of us being together. Trenton might look like a snob, but he isn’t, and I need all the support I can get–my family is going to hate us together. My hands shake. Are we together? Or am I staring down this rabbit hole by myself?
I blink. Early? What did he say? Trenton doesn’t do anything early. And on a Sunday. “What’s your rush? You don’t ever do anything in the morning.”
“Dad put me back on the board. I convinced him he didn’t have to worry about me running off with the help or marrying someone who’s only after money.”
I smack him on the hand. “Don’t. You’re starting to sound like our families.”
“They have a point.” Trenton slugs back half a glass of whiskey. “Until I met her, I would have never believed it.” Lacey. Her name is Lacey. He still won’t say her name. The big baby.
“You don’t know if that’s what happened.” I shift from one heel to the other. Fuck. My feet are killing me.
“No matter what, she took money to end a relationship with me. It’s kind of hard to say she wasn’t in it for money.”
“I met the girl. There isn’t a self-serving bone in her body. You should give her the chance to explain. Has she tried to contact you?”
“No, which kind of explains a lot, doesn’t it?” Trenton frowns and signals a waitress to bring him another glass.
“You might have gotten farther if you wouldn’t have called her a gold-digging whore.”
Trenton pouting is not a good thing. It’s time to cheer him up before he heads out, feeling sorry for himself–drinking and planning something stupid.
***
Cade
As Lola and Trenton continue their verbal sparring, I listen with one ear and keep my eyes constantly moving. With the sunglasses on, no one can tell where I’m looking. Ripley and Sloane are dancing under the twinkle lights on the terrace. Even though they appear oblivious to everything that is going on, they’re on high alert.
The other jewels were stolen when the perpetrators followed the victims into isolated places and robbed them of their merchandise. How in the hell does he do it without anyone noticing? None of the security cameras have caught anything, and the victims were no help. They were alone. The lights were out. And the jewels were taken.
Were those individuals involved with Maitland? That would explain how the gems that were forcefully taken were pilfered in plain sight. Other cases were homes broken into when the victims were at charity events. The security cameras picked up nothing in those instances either. If he has the security schematics for those homes, he could have gotten past surveillance mechanisms.
My gaze darts back to Lola. She’s a spitfire. When she told Maitland she planned to invest over six figures, I’d almost passed out. What is she going to do if he presses her for the money? Her father refuses to give her a dime until she returns home and marries this Trenton character.
What am I doing? Her father will never approve of me–of us. Her eyes dance as she teases Trenton to cheer him up. Damn it. She’s everything good in life, and I can’t walk away. She’s going to have to throw me out on my ass to get rid of me.
Out of the corner of my eye, I catch movement. My back tenses and the tightness of my skin puckers my scars. Senator Harris is on a mission. The one man I’d hoped to avoid is hellbent on joining our group. He sweeps past without giving me a second glance.
“Lola, where have you been hiding?” His booming voice draws the attention of several of the other guests. “Your father assured me you were here, but I couldn’t seem to find you. You weren’t hiding from me, were you?”
She quickly embraces the man. “Not at all. You know I wouldn’t leave without seeing you. It’s been too long.”
Trenton excuses himself to locate his family as the other guests return to their previous conversations.
“Can I offer to get you a drink? Or something to eat?”
Like she can’t get her own food. My teeth grind together. What’s wrong with me? I inhale and concentrate on relaxing my muscles. Ripley sticks up his thumb and forefinger, fake shooting me and winking. Asshole.
“Thanks, Andrew. I appreciate the offer, but I’ve reached my quota for the evening. I won’t fit in this dress if I indulge too much.”
His eyes skate over her as he rubs her upper arms. “You look amazing. I doubt you have to worry about counting calories.”
She steps back, playfully smacking the man’s hand. “Oh, you. Stop. You’re too much.”
I watch in admiration as she handles the unwanted advances of the Senator. She’s every inch of the pampered princess I’d initially thought her to be, but it’s a charade she’s played thousands of times. No one, including her family, has any idea the woman can bring a guy to his knees in seconds and break into his house. No wonder Truman was salivating over the opportunity she presented.
“You’re as lovely as your mother.” He shakes his head. “She was about your age when your father stole her away from me.”
So that’s it. He was in love with Lola’s mother and is now turning his attention to the daughter. Perfect.
She pats him on the arm. “Now, Andrew. I don’t think that’s the story. If I remember correctly, you two never dated.”
“Yes, but I saw her first. Finders keepers and all that.” His eyes rake over her again and settle on her chest. Dude, stop looking at my woman’s tits.
Out of the corner of my eye, Ripley chuckles and throws his arms around Sloane’s shoulders like he’s settling in to enjoy the show.
I step forward. The man might be a dignitary on Capitol Hill, but he’s about to seriously overstep his boundaries. No one touches my woman.
“Aren’t those the rubies your mother was wearing in the portrait? Those are the ones someone tried to steal, aren’t they?”
You’ve got to get in control. Wanting to kick the ass of a man who’s old enough to be your father is embarrassing. My breath catches. I’m in love with her. I close my eyes and inhale while waiting for my head to stop spinning. I count to twenty, re-open my eyes and swallow. Yep, there’s no getting around it. I love everything about her. Now, what in the hell do I do about it?
She nods. “Yes, these are the jewels that someone attempted to steal. That’s why I have a security guard with me tonight. I would hate to have another incident.”
As she motions toward me, Senator Harris turns. Fuck. Now I have his full attention. I planned to tell her about my injury tonight but doing so in front of an audience is not what I envisioned. Surely, he won’t recognize me. I don’t resemble a down-on-his-luck homeless man anymore–the wheelchair and gaunt features are a thing of the past.
“I wondered why a man was watching you like a hawk and lurking over your shoulder. I thought it might be someone to throw in your father’s face, but you’re a little old for a teenage rebellion.”
“Funny. No, this is Cade Hughes. He works for Truman Security. He was hired to guard the jewels. Not my body.”
Shit. I should have used a made-up name–way to go.Senator Harris frowns. “Cade Hughes? That name sounds familiar. Don’t I know you?”
“No, Sir. I don’t think so.” I glance around the room, hoping he’ll lose interest. Of course, I would run into the one man who has full access to my military records.