Chapter 14
CHAPTER
Jordyn
Present
AS MUCH AS Jordyn genuinely enjoyed the momentary stress-relief of greeting Kaitlin’s fluffy dog, she could have kicked herself for getting so distracted that she lost track of where Gina had gone.
The book club members walked toward Congress Park, some paired up in conversation and some strolling with their families.
Sophie’s oldest strode beside her while the younger daughter, Amelia, seemed to be wheedling extra spending cash from her stepfather.
Fatima’s husband was nowhere in sight, but Jordyn recognized her daughter Sareena from that day in the Right Track coffee shop.
Sareena ambled along between Charlotte and her mother, her attention fixed on her phone screen until Fatima palmed the device and stuffed it into the teen’s jacket pocket.
“Did you see where Gina went?” Jordyn asked Brad who brought up the back of the group.
His silvery white mullet wig had a scattering of glittery hairs, while the high neck of his white puffy shirt made him look like an alien pirate.
“She said something about finding another one of those green drinks.” He pointed with his thumb in the direction they’d just come from. “Back that way.”
“Maybe I’ll get something too.” Jordyn pivoted on her heel, eyes already scanning the streets for signs of Gina. “Would you like me to pick up anything for you?”
“If I take one more sip of any of those weird cocktails, I’ll go into a sugar coma.” He patted her arm. “Thanks though.”
“Sure thing. I’ll catch up with you.” She walked swiftly toward the clock, wondering if Gina had slipped into one of the buildings.
Most of the restaurants were open and a few of the shops, all doing a brisk business from the evening crowds. Jordyn peered into a bookstore and a bar. Then, at the next intersection, she glanced up and down the side streets.
Just in time to see a feminine figure slip into a side entrance a few hundred feet off the main road.
Could it be her?
Jordyn wouldn’t be fast enough to identify the woman with any certainty. But once she reached the door for herself, she turned on her phone flashlight and spied the business’s name on a call button mounted to one side of the entrance.
“Sideris Enterprises.” She read the name aloud, hoping she wouldn’t get caught on a security camera.
But her cover story was that she thought she saw Gina go inside here. Backing into the shadows further down the street, she told herself to wait a few minutes to see if the person exited again.
“Come on. Come on. Come on,” she urged the figure inside, occasionally visible as the glow of a flashlight spinning across one of the windows. “What are you doing in there?”
The fact that the space must be the office for Luke’s business probably increased the likelihood that it was Gina inside.
After all, the two of them knew one another through Sophie.
And Natalie had made a point of stressing that Luke was the greater source of Sophie’s money.
Maybe Gina wanted proof of the man’s net worth to hand to her legal team while they sued Sophie.
Moments later, the door swung open again, and Gina Vallot stepped outside.
Jordyn tucked deeper into the shadows, dragging in deep breaths of cool night air.
Gina locked the door from the outside with a key before rearming the alarm system on the digital touchpad near the entrance.
Then, after glancing in either direction up and down the street, she pulled out her phone and spent a couple of minutes reading whatever was on her screen.
Messages from her friends? A lover? Was she looking at photos taken while she’d been inside the building?
That she had a key to the office and knew the code was interesting.
What if Luke had evidence of Gina’s involvement in Tara’s death, and she’d tried to steal it back?
She was reaching at straws maybe, but she’d been reeling ever since she’d learned that Gina had a hidden identity.
If the police had been more interested in solving the mystery of the hit-and-run in the first place, Jordyn would have been inclined to contact them now with her suspicions.
But Natalie had raised a good point. What if the police simply confronted Gina with what Jordyn had already learned?
There was no way to ensure the cops would protect Jordyn’s privacy, and the whole truth about her connection to Tara could come tumbling out.
Any edge Jordyn possessed by befriending the book club group would be lost, and they would close ranks.
That being said, she couldn’t deny that she was starting to feel the full import of how dangerous her mission had become. Someone in Tara’s book club or, at the very least, someone close to her, was responsible for her death. If anyone found out about Jordyn’s past, would she be next on their list?
Surprised that Gina still hadn’t made any move to rejoin the book club, Jordyn began to fidget in her hiding spot between two buildings.
It was quiet down this side street, even though they were only a half a block from the festivities on Broadway.
Jordyn didn’t think there was an outlet behind her, the narrow alleyway completely dark.
So she couldn’t move without Gina seeing her, since her place of concealment was almost directly across the street from where the other woman stood.
A moment later, Jordyn heard quick footsteps heading their way. She held her breath, hoping the newcomer wouldn’t notice her. As the footsteps drew closer, Gina pocketed her phone and stepped into the middle of the sidewalk as if to intercept them.
“You sure took your time,” Gina greeted someone that Jordyn still couldn’t see.
From the sultry tone of her voice, Jordyn suspected the person was a romantic interest.
She didn’t have long to wonder. Because a moment later, Luke Sideris stepped into view, wrapping Gina in his arms and greeting her with a kiss that practically devoured her. By the time they were done, he had her backed up against the building, and he murmured words too muffled for Jordyn to hear.
But a minute later, Luke had the code deactivated again, and he opened the door with his own set of keys. He tugged Gina into the darkened interior with him, his low growl giving way to her delighted laughter for a moment before the door slammed closed behind them.
Jordyn had no idea what to make of what she’d just witnessed, but at least she had one more piece of the puzzle that kept eluding her. Luke Sideris was an adulterer. And Gina—who had surely hated Tara as much as she must hate Sophie—seemed only too happy to lead him astray.
But what reason did Gina have for spying on Luke too? Was she using him to find dirt on Sophie to leverage for revenge? Could she be cultivating Luke as an accomplice in whatever scheme she had cooked up?
Now that the street was quiet once again, Jordyn stepped out of her hiding place and hurried to rejoin the others.
Even though she had unearthed a juicy new clue about Gina, she wasn’t done with her work tonight.
She wanted to use this event to get closer to the book club members.
Strike up conversations. Ferret out secrets.
Next up on her list? The grande dame herself. Tara’s closest friend in Saratoga. The woman whose husband was busily undressing someone else.
Sophie Durand.