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  “No. Absolutely not, and that’s final.”

  “All right,” Essence said sulkily, “if you say so. But I don’t see why you even sent me on this mission if you don’t think I’m up to doing a little reconnaissance.”

  Coop felt guilt creep in and snapped, “It’s not that at all, and you know it. There’s been no preparation for you to go to any other state but Sonora. Their operations in other states are off-limits for now until we can get more information and do a proper set-up. Besides, who says this Rafael kid even knows what he’s talking about? And even if he did, how on earth would you convince him to take you?”

  “Oh, you’re right,” she responded silkily, “I guess I should have thought of that myself. You’re so smart.”

  And that’s when Coop knew he’d been had. “Be glad you’re not here, Paragon, because if you were –”

  “Yes, well, you can’t always get what you want, can you?” she crowed. “Anyway, back to business. I know he’s not our target, but Alexander Brickman is due to arrive next week. He will apparently be bringing an entourage. If I have more to tell, you’ll find out on tomorrow night’s call. Toodles.”

  ***

  IDA Martinez glanced at Alexander Brickman, who was smiling happily. This made her avert her eyes. A genuine smile from him was unusual and threw her off center. She had no idea how to address it, so she said nothing. Brickman had been her lover for almost two years and never in all that time had she gotten a smile born of simple joy from him. Threatening ones, angry ones, vicious ones, those she was used to, and knew what to do.

  Her brain would not compute this for her, no matter how she tried and again, off-balanced, she eased into one of the plush chairs in his office. She knew why he was happy, of course. She’d just told him that she was pregnant. She’d expected him to throw money at her and demand that she find someone to perform an abortion. But that hadn’t been his response at all. He was thrilled, and even now was talking about plans for nurseries on all of his properties. She tuned him out.

  She supposed she should have realized that his enormous ego would allow him nothing less than happiness at the thought of bringing a child into the world. He’d see the child as the beginning of a dynasty. Any child he created would be his legacy, and he’d expect that child to follow directly in his footsteps.

  She had no idea what she was going to do. She did not want to raise a child with Alexander Brickman. As much as she loved the lifestyle he afforded her, she felt it would be wrong to bring a child into things as they were. She’d walked into her relationship with Brickman with her eyes wide open, so she’d known exactly what she was getting into. She’d even worked for him at one point, selling drugs in the office building where she’d once worked as an office manager.

  Ida frowned. At that time in her life, she’d been in love with Brian Keenan whom she’d once dated. The three of them -- Brian, Caroline and she -- had worked for an integrated marketing firm Brian and three of his friends had started. She’d been jealous of his new relationship with Caroline, and her grand scheme had been to use her relationship with Brickman to win Brian back. She’d known that Brickman had wanted Caroline, and she’d done everything she could to keep him from finding her because she’d wanted to protect Brian who she knew would play the hero and try to keep Caroline safe.

  Ida snorted. Brickman hadn’t gotten Caroline, but not because of anything she’d done. And now here she was almost two years later with a man who was still obsessed over a woman he couldn’t have. The only thing different was that instead of thwarting him, she now helped Brickman in his crazy schemes to get Caroline. She was resigned to the fact that she couldn’t have Brian and that her life was with Brickman, who at least was wealthy. She’d figured she’d take what she could get rather than have nothing at all. And as long as Brickman got what he wanted, she didn’t suffer too much.

  “So there you have it,” Ida muttered.

  “Are you listening to me, Ida?”

  Brickman’s voice was impatient and Ida quickly gave him her attention. “I’m sorry. I was just thinking about the baby and what a good dad you’ll be.”

  Brickman smiled cruelly and Ida almost sighed in relief. And…he’s back.

  “You were thinking no such thing, and we both know it. It’s more likely you were thinking about my money and what next big expensive thing you can buy with it. But that’s all right. I’ll let it go this once.”

  “Thank you, Alex.”

  “Have you begun gathering your things for our departure?”

  Ida nodded. “Yes. Mexico should be beautiful this time of year.”

  “Well, I suppose you would know since you’re from that part of the world.”

  Ida almost smirked. Sometimes Alex was so predictable it was laughable. He knew she was Puerto Rican and not Mexican, but he preferred to think of her as a poor immigrant who’d come to America for better opportunities so he’d have further proof that he was somehow superior. And he always needed to feel superior. In his warped mind, immigrant meant Mexican, so she was a Mexican. She’d never been to Mexico -- or Puerto Rico, for that matter. She’d been born on the south side of Chicago and until approximately two years ago hadn’t traveled anywhere except to Florida to visit her parents. Ida thought about all of this, but in the end only said, “I’m not, no, but I look forward to going.”

  “In any case, we’ll be stopping in Chicago first, which will be quite different from this tropical paradise.”

  Ida said nothing. She’d already tried to persuade him to forego a trip to Chicago before Mexico, but he was determined to try for Caroline again. He was convinced that he knew enough about her new circumstances to be successful this time. He knew about the thirty-four-hundred- square-foot, four-bedroom, Victorian home they’d bought in the federally designated historic Old Town Triangle District in the tony neighborhood of Old Town; the bodyguard they’d contracted from Jacques Winthrop’s agency and that bodyguard’s talents. He suspected the house had a security system, but didn’t yet know exactly how it was set up, or its capabilities.

  In his arrogance, Brickman believed that this was enough knowledge to give him a fighting chance. Ida thought it was a recipe for disaster, but she’d learned to keep her mouth shut. “I’ll be ready to go when it’s time,” she said after rising from the chair.

  She was at the door when he called, and she turned to look at him.

  “Because of my happiness over the child I didn’t punish you for your earlier lie, but don’t expect the same kind of leniency in the future.”

  Ida left him, thinking that if he knew the real truth -- that the child wasn’t his -- leniency wouldn’t even enter his mind as a possibility.

  Chapter Five

  “I’ll pick you up after the rehearsal,” Brian said to Caroline as she drove into the parking lot of a dance studio. “What time does it end again?”

  Caroline began to maneuver the car into a parking space, saying, “I thought you had a big meeting today. I don’t believe you’ll be finished in time to pick me up.” She turned to look at him after she’d parked.

  “I’ll make sure I’m finished,” he said.

  “Okay, now tell me again why you wanted to come with me this morning, instead of me driving myself in like usual?”

  Brian frowned. “I’ve got a feeling that something is going to happen soon, and I just feel better dropping you off and picking you up.”

  “All right,” she conceded with a nod. “I bow to your Spidey sense, oh great one.”

  Brian smiled and watched as she pulled at the hem of her white trench coat. It was a mini, and barely long enough to cover the extremely short go-go dress she wore beneath it. A pair of white knee-length vinyl go-go boots and white fishnet stockings completed the outfit. He personally didn’t like the outfit because of its length, but he knew that Caroline had no problem with it, and was fidgeting for an entirely different reason. He laughed. “Time to go shake what your mama gave you, sweetheart.”

&n
bsp; Caroline narrowed her eyes at him. “You wouldn’t be laughing if you were going through this torture.”

  He shrugged. “I can’t help it if work kept me from most of the rehearsals, regrettably resulting in my being kicked out of the group.”

  “Yes, work. How very convenient,” she muttered.

  Feeling absolutely no remorse whatsoever, Brian said, “Well, I do have to bring home the bacon.”

  Caroline snorted out a laugh. “That doesn’t even deserve a response.”

  “Then why’d you give me one?” he teased.

  “Oh, shut up,” she said, making him laugh again. “I just want this whole thing to be over.”

  “And it will be in two days.”

  “And the day after that, we’re off to Mackinac Island,” she said wistfully. Leaning across the gearshift, she kissed his cheek and turned for the door latch. “I’d better get in there.”

  Brian put a halting hand on her arm. “We have to wait for Jae, remember? He’ll be here in a few minutes. He had to go into Jack’s office to go over some paperwork.”

  Caroline relaxed back against the seat and looked at him. “I won’t argue, though a few minutes without you or Jae around probably won’t matter all that much, especially since there will be lots of other people inside.”

  “Good, then we won’t argue, even though we both know that a lot of things can happen in a few minutes.”

  “Yes, they can,” Caroline said as she leaned back against him and put her head on his shoulder. “Like for instance, me disabling someone with a kick to the knee or an elbow to the nose,” she murmured and entwined her fingers with his.

  Brian grinned and kissed the top of her head, his hand automatically going to her knee. “That you could, warrior princess that you are.”

  “And don’t you forget it,” she warned. “All those self-defense, judo and shooting lessons were not just for show, you know.”

  “Unlike these dance lessons, which are,” Brian teased. “I can’t wait to see you. It’s going to be sexy as hell.”

  Caroline snorted. “With my barely-there rhythm? Hardly. You seriously need to manage your expectations.”

  “Oh, it will be sexy all right,” Brian murmured as he thought about her wriggling her behind in that short, short dress, “trust me.”

  Caroline shrugged. “At any rate, Mom and Dad will love it. We’re doing some of their favorite songs from the sixties.”

  “Tell me the names of some of the songs again.”

  ““This Old Heart of Mine”, “Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher”, “Buttercup”, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, etcetera. Lee picked the songs -- all songs where he’s the lead singer and Tracy, K.K. , Cat and I are the back-ups doing both singing and dancing.”

  “Your brother’s a smart man.”

  “I prefer to think of it as just plain sneaky.”

  “You would never have sung lead anyway because that would have put you too much in the forefront. You’re worried about the dancing.”

  “Of course I am. I mean, I have to do dances with names like the Watusi, the Hully Gully, and the Swim. God, with names like those you know right off the bat that you’re going to look ridiculous doing them.”

  Brian snickered loudly as he continued to absentmindedly stroke her knee with his thumb. “While you’re up on stage, just keep thinking Mackinac, Mackinac,” he suggested, saying the vacation spot’s name in a hypnotic tone.

  Caroline cocked her head back on his shoulder to look up at him. “You’re a nut,” she said with a smile.

  He smiled back at her. “That may be, but I happen to know that you have a particular fondness for the Keenan nut.”

  She chuckled. “Pretty cocky for a guy who will neither sing nor dance,” she challenged, looking at him from beneath her lashes.

  “‘Course I am,” he murmured, staring at her mouth. “Because you love me.” He bent his head and met her halfway when she pursed her lips and stretched towards him.

  The kiss was a brief one, and she settled back against him with a sigh. “Did Jae say when he’d be here? I have to go in soon. I’m sure the others are already here.”

  Brian looked at his watch. “He’ll be here soon, I think.” He flattened his hand on her stomach. “How are you and the little wonder doing?” he asked gently.

  She began caressing his hand softly with her fingers. “Oh, we’re fine. We had saltines and warm ginger ale for breakfast, but we’re planning on a pretty big lunch of soup and tea, because though we are no longer nauseous, we must be ever vigilant.”

  “Poor babies,” Brian said, feeling genuine sympathy.

  They both sat quietly, content to enjoy the intimate silence. Brian noticed Jae approaching, and stirred. “Jae’s here. What time should I come back?”

  “We’ll be finished in a couple of hours.”

  “All right. See you then.”

  ***

  BRIAN had been in his office at Inclusion Integrated for about ten minutes when a knock sounded at his door. “Enter.”

  “Hi, Bri.” Linda Thompson, a junior graphic artist, poked her head around his door.

  “Hey, kid. What’s up?”

  Linda came into his office and sat. “I know I should be talking to your underling about this, but I can’t find Larissa, so I’ve come to the big Kahuna. My computer’s acting up. Will you take a look at it when you have a chance?”

  Brian stood. She was right, as Chief Technology Officer and founder, he didn’t have to do what some might consider the grunt work, but he did occasionally like to keep his hand in things. “Let’s go.”

  “Wow, that was easy,” Linda said as she hurriedly stood. “It can wait, you know. I mean, I can still work on the computer; I just wanted someone to be aware that there are difficulties. Can’t we chat for a minute?”

  Brian sat again. “Sure. How are your parents?” Brian had known Linda since before she’d hit puberty, and thought of her as a little sister. Her father had been his captain when he was just a wet behind the ears beat cop. Captain Thompson had taken him under his wing and Brian had spent many an evening at the Thompson home stuffing his face with Gloria Thompson’s delicious cooking.

  “They’re fine. They were wondering when you and Caroline might come for dinner again.”

  Brian frowned. “That’s a difficult one. We’re going away next week, and when we come back, she’ll be all wrapped up in her work in preparation for her fall show at the Rutledge Gallery.” He paused and thought for a few moments. “Tell you what, I’ll call your dad tonight, and we’ll figure out some way to make our schedules work together.”

  “Good. He won’t talk about it with me, but he’s really intent on finding out where that Brickman character is hiding. He and Mom are worried about both you and Caroline.”

  “I appreciate their concern, and your dad was really helpful the last time the little bastard showed up.”

  Linda leaned forward eagerly, her deep dimples flashing against her dark skin. “He was? What’d he do?”

  Brian smiled and shook his head. He’d never tell her how her dad had helped get some of his cop buddies out of the jam they’d gotten themselves into when they’d allowed Brian to ride with them to try to capture Brickman and had even allowed him to carry a gun. Captain Thompson had used his pull to keep Brian’s friends’ records clean. “No way, no how am I telling you a darn thing.”

  Making a sound of disgust, Linda sat back in her chair. “I don’t know why I even bother. You enjoy tormenting me,” she accused, sounding like a typical younger sibling.

  And like a typical older one, Brian only offered her a shit-eating grin in response.

  Linda laughed, and sounding much younger than her twenty-four years, said, “God, you’re such a loser, and just I hate you sometimes!”

  Another knock sounded at his door, and Brian bade the person to enter. The door opened and his best friend, Jacques Winthrop stepped inside.

  “Hey, Jack. Come on in. You remember Lin
da, right? Captain Thompson’s younger daughter?” Jacques had also been under the captain’s command.

  Jack smiled at Linda, who had risen from her seat. Brian smirked when she looked like she was suddenly having difficulty breathing. His friend often had that affect on women. “Of course I remember Linda,” Jack said. “Our most recent meeting was at your and Caroline’s wedding.” He held out a hand. “How are you, Linda?”

  Linda’s smile was huge and almost cartoon-like. “I’m fine, thanks. Well, I’d better go,” she said and releasing Jack’s hand, fled the office, shutting the door behind her.

  Jack looked embarrassed and Brian scoffed, “Did it again, didn’t you, pretty boy?” In truth when they were on the CPD together, he and Jack had often been asked if they were brothers. Brian knew that it was only because they were of the same height and builds and had black hair. The similarities ended there. Jack with his violet-blue eyes and double rows of lashes and perfectly asymmetrical features was often stared at, and many young women became flustered around him because of what some described as his classic beauty.

  Brian gestured towards a chair. “To what do I owe this unexpected visit? And make it quick, please. I’ve got a staff meeting in about half an hour.”

  “This won’t take long. I have some news, and I was in the neighborhood so it was easy just to stop by. It’s about Brickman.”

  Brian sat forward. “What about him?”

  “They’ve found him. He --”

  “Where?”

  Jack held up a hand. “Wait. Let me finish. They found him in Italy. A man and his wife on a small island near Naples called Procida were reported missing. The wife’s mother told the local police that her daughter had been spending a lot of time at one of the larger villas, which was being leased by a bunch of Americans, including two brothers, and one of the brothers was with a woman. When the police went to the villa, they found it empty of people. What they did find, however, was freshly turned earth in the back of the house. They dug and found the bodies of the couple, Brunetta and Victor Ricci. She’d been dropped from a great distance and he’d been beaten to death.”