The Killing Game(12)

He flipped his towel over his shoulder. “Friendship’s your best bet. You don’t want us for enemies.” He winked at her as he strolled away.

Andi’s heart was climbing up her throat as she stared after him. With an effort, she jerked her eyes from his retreating figure and back to the newscast, but it was over. She glanced again at his retreating form as he sauntered nonchalantly away, probably whistling. Her knees quivered and she wanted to sit down, but just then Trini came rushing in, her short, tough, gymnast’s frame a hard bundle of muscle as she jumped onto the treadmill Carrera had just vacated.

“Sorry I’m late,” she said, pushing up the speed so in seconds she was running as fast as Brian Carrera had been. “Why aren’t you jogging?” she asked, her almond-shaped eyes giving Andi a sidelong look.

Andi wasn’t sure she was ready to explain to Trini what had just transpired. She wasn’t certain herself, but it sure as hell felt like he’d threatened her. “I just finished a workout.”

“Oh, come on. Just a few more minutes. I’ve got news!”

“Go ahead. I’ll hit the shower in a few.” She didn’t want to chance running into Carrera again anyway. Her heart was still galloping.

“How’re things going with the project?” Trini asked.

“What project?”

“The lodge, silly. The big project.”

To date Trini hadn’t shown the least bit of interest in anything the Wrens were involved in. She’d not only been against Andi’s marriage to Greg but she’d taken off on a long hike with friends through the Himalayas about the time of Andi’s wedding, missing the event entirely. And she’d never asked about anything to do with the company.

“You really want to talk about the lodge? That’s your news?”

She smiled. “Not really. I want to tell you about my new guy.”

“Fire away.”

“Well, he came to my Pilates class. Not my usual type. Much more buttoned-down . . . kinda like Greg. I can’t believe it myself. It’s crazy!”

Andi didn’t know what to say. Her head was full of her confrontation with Brian Carrera. Now that it was over, she was feeling shaky with reaction. She finally squeezed out, “Wow.”

“I know, right?”

Trini was a Pilates instructor. A gymnast in her youth, she’d majored in health and fitness and had always leaned toward physical fitness and sports. She also had a healthy sexual appetite but couldn’t seem to settle down with one guy for long. She went for bodies over minds, where Andi, a business major, had been attracted to men with smarts and senses of humor. Physical attractiveness definitely played a part, but it wasn’t the top attribute that drew her in. Greg had been smart and good-looking, maybe not with as refined a sense of humor as some, but she’d been attracted to him. Trini’s interest in Jarrett had been more true to form; Andi’s brother was a far cry from the buttoned-down type.

“I want you to meet him soon,” Trini said, unaware that Andi’s mind was elsewhere.

“Sure.”

“Not yet. Some things have got to work out first.” She laughed, a breathless catch in the back of her throat that was totally unlike her. “You know, one little thing where we’re total compadres? He doesn’t like shellfish of any kind. Not allergic, like me, just doesn’t like the stuff. So happy. Even Jarrett was always ordering shrimp, and I was always freaking out that he’d try to kiss me.”

Andi nodded. Trini had told that story a hundred times.

Trini woke up to Andi’s distraction. “Where’s your head, girl?”

“I’m just tired. Mind if I head out? I’ve got some things to do.”

“Whatever works. But I want you to meet him. Maybe this weekend?”

“Okay, but I’m moving.”

“Right, right, right. And I’ll help you. I told you I would. And anyway, you still have to eat, so maybe we’ll catch a meal together.”

“I’ll text you,” Andi said. Trini had a tendency to promise all kinds of things and then seldom ever came through.

“You’re really going to like him,” she called as Andi headed for the locker room, her eyes searching for any sign of Carrera. “I’m telling you, he’s more your type than mine.”

She seemed to be alone. At least she didn’t meet anyone as she slipped into the women’s room. There was no one about, so Andi went to her locker and pulled out her bag of clothes, then took a quick shower and redressed.

Her mind was a jumble of images, her emotions raw. She thought about the baby and the note and those tense few moments with Brian Carrera, and Ray Bolchoy and Lucas Denton . . . private investigator.

Determinedly, she set her jaw. She had to protect her baby and herself. And who better to protect her than the man who’d quit his job with the police in solidarity with his friend, who believed the Carreras had literally gotten away with murder?

At her SUV she reached for her cell and made a quick search of Lucas Denton’s Internet information. His office was in Laurelton, close by. She flexed her fingers over the steering wheel. She had some errands to run, and there was a good chance Denton would be at the hearing this morning. Putting the vehicle in gear, she backed out of her spot at SportClub Laurelton, feeling better for having a plan.