Dangerous Love (13 page)

Faith rubbed her temple. A headache was now her constant companion. “I keep the rooms locked. In fact, I plan to meet with Jordan this afternoon. If I have my way, they’ll start fixing the window on Monday. I want to be back in business in one week.” Faith reached for the phone.

“Just a sec, sweetie,” Ashley said. “What I’m saying is Ron can send over some of his people to watch the store, until the repairs are done. His guards will wire your place so tight a fly won’t sneak in without an alarm going off.”

“Ash,” Faith protested. “I don’t want to be a burden.”

Ashley rolled her eyes. “You’re not. You’re family. Ron understands I come from a large family, which is now his, and with it comes obligations. He’ll want to help once he hears about this.” She walked away, leaving Faith feeling like a charity case and at the same time, grateful. Adding extra security never occurred to her until now. Ron’s family owned a company that manufactured surveillance and security systems. Their branch in L.A. also employed highly trained security guards.

 
Ashley was back in less than a minute. “He wants to know the best time to send his men. They’ll need a room to use as their base.”

“Five o’clock.”

Ashley spoke briefly on the phone and finished with, “Love you, hun. Miss you so much.”

The more Faith thought about her cousin’s suggestions, the more she liked the idea of having competent guards watching over her store. It would ease her mind while she was gone.

She hugged Ashley. “You’re the best.”

“I know.”

Faith rolled her eyes. Ashley was the youngest and the sassiest of all her cousins. When she started to remove the rest of the food from the plastic bags, Faith reached for her landline phone. “I’ll call Jordan and then eat. Promise.”

Lunch with her cousin kept Faith’s mind off her problems. Once Ashley left, the weight of her predicament pressed hard on her. She might complain about her family, but she couldn’t have accomplished so much so fast without them.

 
Later that afternoon, the meeting with Jordan went better than Faith had expected. He promised to have a team of workers at her store first thing Monday morning. Faith wasn’t too happy to trade the black and white curved jewelry showcase she’d personally hand-picked for plain white ones Jordan had in his inventory, but she had no choice. She wanted her business up and running in one week.

By the time her new security team arrived, Faith was ready to go home and crash. She gave them a master key and a free run of her store. They ended up choosing her office as their base, which was okay with her.

On her way home, Faith swung by the hospital to check on Molly, who was still in ICU and not allowed visitors except relatives. Mrs. Bolden had found lodging nearby and planned to stick around until she could take her daughter back home to Fresno. Not knowing whether the girl was guilty of betraying her wasn’t a priority anymore. Faith just wanted her to recover without permanent physical injuries.

Back at home, Faith picked at the leftovers from lunch while shifting through the mail, then headed to her bathroom to start a bath. Her muscles were knotted and her head still hurt, so she added a liberal amount of soap and bath salts to the water. Back in the kitchen, she poured Café Zinfandel into a large wine glass. The bottle of cognac Ken had opened last night still sat on the counter where he’d left it. She smiled, his handsome face flashing in her head. Hard liquor wasn’t her thing, but she always kept something stronger for the men in her life. She’d always associate the cognac with Ken.

Armed with a candle lighter, her drink, and cell phone, she headed back to the bathroom to finish running her bath. Soon, her spacious bathroom was transformed into a spa. Scents of lavender and chamomile permeated the air. She lit the candles lining the counter and around her tub then undressed. A blissful sigh escaped her as she sunk deep in the scented, frothy water.

When her cell phone vibrated, she debated whether to let the voicemail pick it up. She changed her mind when she recalled Ken had promised to call. But the name on the LCD display screen had her sighing in disappointment even though she’d been expecting a call from her. “Auntie Estelle.”

“Did you get the message I left on your voicemail?”

“I’m sorry. With everything going on, I haven’t checked my messages.”

“That’s okay. How are you holding up?”

“I’m taking it one step at a time.” She learned long time ago to never to lie to her aunt. “Lex’s people will start working on the window and interior on Monday. Ron beefed up security at the store too.”

“I’ll stop by to make sure no one is slacking on the job. When Ashley told me Eddie was investigating the burglary, I was more than relieved. If anyone can catch the thugs, it’s our Eddie. He and I spoke a few hours ago. He already has a few leads.”

“That’s great.” Faith perked up, but worry quickly set in. Just how much had Eddie told their aunt? Estelle was pretty calm about Sean stealing Falasha designs, but that was because Ken allowed her and her friends to get involved. If she learned Sean was behind the burglary too, Faith wasn’t sure what her aunt would do. “What did he say? I’ve been so busy we haven’t spoken.”

“A witness saw two men enter Molly’s home. They drove a brown Chevrolet, which fits the description of the one the burglars smashed through your store window. He said a team of cops are scouring chop shops for a brown Chevrolet with a fender bender. Like I said, Eddie will catch those thugs if it’s the last thing he does. When is your flight tomorrow?”

Faith was still savoring the relief that Eddie had not told their aunt about Sean’s involvement. “Eight in the morning.”

“Do you need a ride?”

“No, I’ll drive myself.”

The questions continued—what time was she arriving in New York, where was she staying, how was she getting to the hotel. Lectures on how she must be careful, call as soon as her plane landed, and give her hotel the taxi’s number just in case the driver had dastardly plans. Faith listened to the instructions with a smile. The last time Aunt Estelle fired orders like that Faith was going to New York for the first time. She had rolled her eyes and reassured her aunt that she’d be okay. How naïve and full of herself she’d been. Six months later, she’d met Sean. So much for being okay.

“Okay, sweetheart, I’ll let you go. Pass my warmest regards to Marc.”

Marcella Radcliffe, “Marc” to Estelle and her friends, was the head of Elegance Modeling Agency and the woman Faith would be doing business with in New York. Faith’s romance with fashion might have started with her mother’s glitzy showgirl years in Vegas, but the connection between Marcella and her aunt had opened the doors to that world.

After she hung up, Faith took a long sip of her wine and let her head rest on the bath pillow. The wine and the hot water worked magic on her, tension slowly ebbing from her taut muscles. She was soon lost in daydreams about the future of her business and Ken. Part of her was happy he was back into her life. The other didn’t like the way it came about.

If Sean hadn’t stolen from her, she and Ken would not have gotten back together. She liked having him in her life, but she had to be careful not to get too dependent on him. People had a tendency to leave or disappoint her when she let her guard down. Her grandmother and mother died young before they could guide her into adulthood. Her father remarried too soon after her mother’s death, leaving her feeling betrayed. Even pin-head Sean had hurt her. The only way to survive was to safeguard her heart from being trampled on again.

***

Ken excused himself from a group of his parents’ friends and headed toward the exit. He grinned when his gaze connected with his sister’s and she shook her head, warning him not to leave. Ken skirted around couples dancing under crown-shaped chandeliers and the paneled concave ceiling.

Misa had gone all the way to give their parents a memorable anniversary at the Del on Coronado. They’d already renewed their vows under a decorated arch on the beach, listened to classical music by a string quartet, and watched a video of testimonials from friends and acquaintances. But the cherry on top was the priest who’d blessed their union whom Misa had flown in from Hawaii, all expenses paid. Standing beside his father as he renewed his vow to love and cherish his mother for the reminder of their lives had filled Ken with pride and purpose. He wanted what his parents had.

He cleared the double doors leading to the patio and the beach. Rose petals from the ceremony still dotted the white sands. He stopped and inhaled the salty air. A soft breeze carried sounds from other private parties in the historic hotel. Across the bay, lights from San Diego danced on the surface of the water.

He punched in Faith’s number. After the conversation he had with Eddie, he knew she had a lot more to deal with now. He wanted to make her problems go away, but he couldn’t do it from San Diego. He needed to head home, which was why he’d be taking an earlier flight.

“Hey.”

Her voice, sweet and mellow, wrapped around his senses. “Hey, baby. Is this a good time to call?”

“Yeah. I just settled in.”

He frowned. She sounded tired. “How are things over there?”

“Crazy. How was your flight?”

In other words, she didn’t want to talk about herself. “Interesting. A child across the aisle screamed nonstop throughout the flight.”

Faith chuckled. “That must have been fun. So what are you doing now? I mean, why did you have to go home?”

 
“It’s my parent’s fortieth anniversary and my sister planned a big celebration.”

“Wow. It’s rare to find people who’ve been married that long these days. So what did you get them? Or maybe that was rude to ask.”

Ken grinned. “I don’t mind answering. I’m sending them on a cruise.”

“Oh, that’s nice.”

“That’s exactly what I thought, but my sister Misa didn’t think so.” He faked longsuffering tone. “I had to find my dad a tux to make her happy. Had to sneak into his closet and get his measurements, run all over town to buy a tux and get the adjustments made all in less than five hours.”

“Sounds like hard work.”

“Very. And all Misa had to do was arrange everything with the hotel, come up with the guest list, and fly down the priest who officiated their wedding ceremony decades ago so they could renew their vows. Took about five months, but we’re about even.” Faith chuckled. Happy that he’d made her laugh, he smiled.

“She sounds like a gem.”

“Yeah, a real pain.”

Faith laughed outright this time. “You know I didn’t say that.”

“She’s awesome. I wish you were here. You would have enjoyed the festivities.”

“That’s sweet they renewed their vows,” she said, ignoring the last part.

Ken didn’t want to discuss his parents’ party. “Have you seen your assistant yet? Eddie mentioned she was hospitalized.”

“She’s still in the ICU. They beat her up pretty bad, even broke a few ribs. The surgeons had to relieve pressure from her head because she was hemorrhaging. I think part of the reason they did this to her is because she refused to give them her copy of the key. Remove her off your list of suspects list, Ken. Anyone who took that kind of beating on my behalf can’t be working with Sean.”

Unless the beating was to silence her because she’d stolen for Sean. “Sure.”

“So? When did you speak with Eddie?”

Something in her voice set off warning bells in his head. “Last night before he called you. Why?”

“Did he mention the call I received from Sean?”

 
Ken tensed. “No. What did pin-head want?”

“To brag about sending those thugs to destroy my store because of what happened between you two. He didn’t take kindly to being thrown out. Claimed I enjoyed watching him land on his ass, which I did, and I needed to be taught a lesson, which is bull.”

Despite her flippant tone of voice, her words hit him like a sucker punch. He’d fucked up and she was paying for it.

“Ken, are you still there?”

“If I’d known he’d stoop to hurting you this way, I would have rearranged his face.”

Faith laughed again.

That she found humor at such a time was endearing. A sound came from behind and he turned to see his father striding toward him. He didn’t look happy. “Listen, baby. I’ve got to go. Thanks for telling me what’s going on. I’ll call you tomorrow. Okay?”

“Sure. Goodnight.”

He barely slid his cell phone in the holder when his father stopped beside him. The old man was nearly as tall as Ken, but age had added more meat in his mid-section and gray in his black hair.

Instead of speaking, Trent Lambert stared toward the bay, hands locked behind his back. His disapproval was obvious, but instead of coming out right and ripping him a new one, he made Ken wait and sweat. One of these days he would challenge this deplorable mind-game. Not tonight though. Tonight he would be a model son.

Just when Ken thought he couldn’t stand it anymore, his father asked, “A business call?”

“Yes, sir. I’m collaborating with the L.A.P.D. on a case and….”

His father raised his hand, intelligent green eyes keen and sharp behind the horn-rimmed glasses. “Did it ever occur to you to wait until later to make that call? We have guests.”