Close To Danger (Westen #4)(7)
Gage laughed and she relaxed against him, glad the sad moment had flittered away.
“Is there some other reason you’re wondering about Wes’s past or is he just a puzzle you’re trying to solve?” he asked after a few minutes.
“You know me so well. I do love a good mystery. But yes, I have a more personal interest in Wes.”
“Really? Would it have to do with your sister, Chloe?”
Bobby leaned back in his arms once more to study her husband’s eyes. “You saw them at the reception, too?”
“Before that even. When we were trying to find Dylan and the suspicious florist assistant—”
“You mean your seriously psychotic ex-wife?” Bobby interrupted, not trying to hide her hatred of the woman.
“Yes. Wes hadn’t been able to keep his eyes off Chloe when she wasn’t looking. From the moment the four of us split up to search for whoever was behind the odd things interfering with our wedding—”
“Which was your ex-wife,” Bobby said.
“Yes, my crazy ex-wife,” Gage gave her a shake of his head. “At that point your sister was alone with Wes. I didn’t worry about her, because I knew he’d keep her out of trouble.”
“And here I thought I’d been so cool noticing them together at the wedding reception. I had no clue he’d been interested in her before that.” She slumped a little. “Guess I need to work on my observation skills.”
“There’s nothing wrong with your skills. You had a few things on your mind that week, between the wedding, the news about the baby,” he stopped to grin at her in that way he he’d been doing since he’d discovered he was going to be a dad, “and the craziness with my ex trying to stop it.”
“Well, now that the wedding is done, your ex is behind bars, and the baby is safely where it’s supposed to be,” she patted her lower stomach, “I’ll just have to occupy my time solving both puzzles.”
“Both?” Gage drew his brows down in puzzlement at her.
She wiggled off his lap and headed back to her desk. “Yep, both. Wes’s past is one.”
“And the other?”
Bobby nearly laughed at the dubious look on Gage’s face. “What exactly Harriett said to him to convince him to join the Sheriff’s Department.”
“Good luck with that. Harriett’s been an enigma since the day she came to town nearly forty years ago.”
Bobby grabbed her parka and the keys to her cruiser. “Then I’ll have to go to the source of information in this town.”
“I’ll take a hot ham and cheese sandwich,” Gage called out to his wife as she headed over to the Peaches ’N Cream café.
CHAPTER THREE
Could that meeting have been anymore tedious?
Chloe tapped her toe on the tiles as she rode the elevator up to her office on the fifth floor. She’d wanted to meet the corporate lawyers working the buyout of her client’s small gear-manufacturing firm at her offices, but they’d insisted it be at theirs. An intimidation tactic, pure and simple. Drag the female junior partner to the big-high-rise five-thousand dollar a day law firm and make her feel insignificant. Pressure her into giving in to their client’s demands. Bully her if necessary. Apparently, it had been necessary, since she and her client had been seated across the huge oak conference table from no less than ten lawyers.
Unfortunately for them, she’d woken up grumpy. Well, she’d been grumpy with a minimal amount of sleep and anger replacing the fear she’d had keeping her awake half the night. She’d walked in armed for bear. For every change they wanted to make in their super-corporation’s favor, she’d countered with one in her client’s behalf. She’d been on the other side of that table, knew the coercion tactics they’d tried. She also knew how to stonewall them.
They wanted Mr. Carson’s company and the patent rights to the gears he held? Fine. They were going to have to pay. And they’d pay through the nose after today’s meeting, if she had anything to say about it.
The bell rang for her floor and the doors swished open. Her firm took up the entire fifth floor. Taking a deep breath, she started through the reception area and headed toward her small office in the back of the suite.
“You have someone waiting in your office,” the receptionist, Kelly said as she passed her desk.
Chloe paused, cocking her head to the side. She pulled out her phone to check her calendar. “I don’t have anyone scheduled for today.”
“He didn’t have an appointment. Said he was a friend of the family.” Kelly leaned closer, a conspiratorial gleam to her dark eyes. “I’d love to have a family friend who looked like that.”
Chloe tried to hide her surprise and curiosity. “Did he leave a name?”
Kelly shook her head. “Sorry. A phone call came in for Mr. Berger I had to take, so I just showed him the way back to your office.”
“That’s okay.” Puzzled, Chloe continued her walk through the halls. Whoever it was she was pretty sure it wouldn’t be her stalker. Too many people milling about the office for him to risk a scene. He’d be stupid to attack her here. So, who was in the office?
Outside her door, she paused at her assistant’s desk. Sasha was still out on maternity leave, which was why Kelly at reception was fielding her calls and appointments—and apparently visitors. Pulling out her phone, she held it in her hand, in case, just in case, she was wrong about her stalker and needed to dial 9-1-1 immediately. Finally, she opened her door and stopped dead in her tracks.