Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
Julia carefully smoothed her fingers over the tiny ballerina atop the plain, brown antique jewelry box.
The ballerina’s pink tutu was now faded and she no longer twirled, but she’d survived being passed down from mom to daughter for three generations.
According to Julia’s mom, the Swan Lake Waltz had stopped playing long before Julia was born.
She still loved the little box, which sat on the dresser in her one-bedroom Tribeca condo. It held only three pieces of jewelry: her grandmother’s emerald ring, her great-grandmother’s sapphire pendant, and military ID tags.
She opened the box, lifted the chain, and held the two silver ID tags in her palm, then smoothed her thumb over Tucker Lucas’s name.
She’d been in college when her boyfriend died.
For years she’d worn Tucker’s tags around her neck religiously, terrified that if she took them off, she’d lose all the happy memories they’d once shared.
Tucker’s brother, Oliver, had been the one to remove the chain from around Julia’s neck five years ago, telling her it was time to let go. To let him go.
But now more than ever, Tucker’s memory hung heavy and thick around her. He was the reason why she and Michael focused on helping veterans pursue their dreams. Helped them transition from the service to civilian life, start businesses.
Tucker hadn’t opened up to her about his struggles, and if she could go back in time and . . .
Stop. You have to stop doing this to yourself, Oliver’s voice appeared in her head. It’s not your fault. It was an accident. You can’t possibly blame yourself.
“But I do blame myself,” Julia whispered the same response she always gave Oliver as she tucked the tags back inside the box and lifted her eyes to the mirror hanging above the dresser.
She was still wearing her floor-length silky black robe, and her thick mass of hair hung like a sheet of silk over her shoulders.
Her makeup for the workday had already been applied—winged black eyeliner, mascara, and light brown eyeshadow.
A touch of bronzer on her high cheekbones and bronzed-toned lipstick, all of it selected to match a nude-colored fitted knee-length dress.
Simple beige heels would complete the look.
Why she kept purposely wearing things she knew would garner a reaction from Finn was beyond her? He appeared to be a legs and ass man based on the times she’d caught him checking her out. And the dress she was about to put on would emphasize her assets.
Despite the fact she’d been horrible to him, there’d been desire in those intense looks he’d given her during the last two weeks.
An unexpected rush of warmth radiated through her body, followed by a strong urge to clench her thighs together at the thought of Finn picking her up, tossing her onto her bed, and swiping the millions of decorative pillows to the floor.
After which he’d make her pay for every asshole remark she’d slung at him by giving her orgasms and . . .
Damn it. Why did he have to be so sexy and sweet? Why couldn’t he be a jerk? It would make it a lot easier to be mean if he wasn’t such a good guy undeserving of her bad attitude.
When her phone began buzzing on the nightstand, she hurried over and snatched it. Sighing with relief at the sight of Mya’s name on the screen, Julia did a quick mental prayer that she was calling with news.
“Hey.” Julia sat on her bed and set one slightly trembling palm on her thigh. “It’s early.”
“It’s even earlier here,” Mya returned with a light chuckle. “I’m still in Vancouver wrapping up an assignment.”
Mya Vanzetti had been a beat reporter in the city but gave it up to become a freelance investigative journalist a few years back.
These days, her stories often led to the takedown of some pretty nefarious people around the world, and she regularly worked with Julia’s brother’s Marine friends to make it happen, which was how they’d first met. And they’d instantly bonded.
So, naturally, Julia would go to Mya for the particular kind of help she needed. But she’d made Mya promise not to breathe a word to any of Michael’s buddies. They’d run straight to her brother, and he’d flip out about what she was trying to do.
“But you have news?” Julia asked, eager to know why Mya had called. She was answered with the sound of a long, drawn-out yawn.
“Sorry, I haven’t gone to bed yet. But it looks like all your work sweet-talking the assistant online paid off.
I was able to access his boss’s schedule.
We have the plastic surgeon’s next location.
” Excitement replaced her sleepy voice. “I have to say, you should consider trying your hand at clandestine work. Maybe join us. You were pretty sneaky at mirroring his phone without him noticing.”
“Boobs,” Julia blurted as she stood from the bed, thankful they finally found the man she’d been looking for. “They can be distracting.”
Julia’s brother still had an office at their location in New York, and she knew exactly where he kept all of his “toys,” such as a mobile phone capable of cloning another one.
Luckily, he had several and hadn’t noticed one was missing.
Not yet, at least. Probably distracted by all the shenanigans involved in moving his family to North Carolina.
Last night on her date, she’d merely had to butt her phone right up against Lorenzo’s for thirty seconds while he droned on about himself.
The man loved to show off from what she’d gathered by basically stalking him online for three weeks to learn everything about him—from his favorite food to the type of woman he was attracted to.
She’d gone as far as changing her hair color to that of the women who were always in photos with him, too.
Julia had convinced Lorenzo to stop over in New York for an evening on his way back from Toronto. Thank God he’d shown up. She was short on time.
And now she had a replica of his phone. She’d uploaded all of its data just as Mya had instructed and sent it to her electronically last night after Finn dropped her off.
“Unfortunately, I’m lacking in the boob department.
I have to rely on my ass for distracting guys,” Mya said lightheartedly.
“But anyway, before I tell you where his boss is heading next, you should know all my resources are tied up. I’ve got no one to send there.
That said, I know you’re going to want to go on your own, but I strongly advise against it.
I think it’s time we tell your brother. Or at least Mason or Connor. ”
“You know I can’t do that.” Julia paced the room, trying to come up with a plan. A way to ditch Finn so she could dash to the airport as soon as possible.
Connor Matthews and his brother, Mason, were two of her brother’s best friends. They both worked in private security, and they treated her like a sister, which meant there wasn’t a chance in hell they’d let Julia follow this lead if they knew what she was really up to.
“Just tell me where his boss is going,” Julia pleaded. “Please. Where will Giorgio be?”
A long sigh filled the line. “Aswan,” Mya reluctantly replied. “Giorgio Ferrari is staying at some fancy hotel by the Nile for a few nights.”
“He must be meeting with a new client. This is my chance to talk to him. I have to go.”
Another pause . . . and Julia knew what Mya was about to suggest.
“This isn’t just any doctor you’re trying to chat with. You need to take someone with you. How about Dalton? Tell him it’s a work thing. You can be vague. I’d feel a lot better knowing you had a former SEAL watching your back.”
“A SEAL is always a SEAL, right? Nothing former about that man.” Did I just say that?
“Ah, so you still like him.”
She may have mentioned her attraction to Dalton once, okay maybe ten times, when she was taking his self-defense classes. She now regretted opening her big mouth.
Julia resisted the old urge to bite her thumbnail.
Chewing on one’s fingernails wasn’t exactly millionaire mogul behavior.
Then again, she wasn’t the typical millionaire.
Her bank account and millionaire status were originally due to her brother.
After the Marines, Michael had invented intelligence software that subsequently sold for over three hundred million dollars, and he was the pay-it-forward kind of guy, so they worked together to help finance and launch businesses for veterans.
“And how is the friends-with-benefits thing with Mason holding up? Catch feelings yet?” Yeah, two could play at this game.
“He’s dating someone new. So, there are noooo benefits. Plus, we rarely see each other anymore. Most of our work together is virtual.” Mya didn’t sound bummed, so that was good. She wasn’t the type of woman to catch feelings anyway. “There is something I have to confess.”
And now Julia felt the need to sit back down. She was short on time. Finn would be there soon, and she needed to book a flight to Egypt without him knowing.
“Julia . . .” Oh, that slow start from Mya had Julia’s stomach turning.
“Um, I’m the reason there’s someone assigned to follow your every move.
Not specifically Mister Hottie, but I figured your brother would go all alpha caveman and hire protection for you since his buddies are tied up and he was in the process of moving to Charlotte with Kate and the kids. ”
Setting the phone on her lap, Julia put Mya on speakerphone, then reached up and began massaging her forehead. “You aren’t serious. You wrote the death threats sent to my office?”
“You refused to tell your brother that you’d taken matters into your own hands even though he promised he’d handle it. And yes, you’re not doing it alone, I’m helping you, but I can’t have you getting killed because of my help, now can I?”