Heart Raider (Heartthrob Series, Book 1) (18 page)

“Let’s plan a reunion over Christmas. I’ve missed you and Tash,” Veronique said. They always made it a point to meet at least once a year.

“Yes, let’s!” Teddy cried enthusiastically. “Anywhere you want to meet up. You know I avoid going home since
the amoeba
put a hex on my father,” she said in a droll voice. “The amoeba” was Lola, Teddy’s young bombshell stepmother, who’d swooped in and married Teddy’s father when he was grieving over his wife’s death. “We could go skiing and stay at Daddy’s Swiss chalet or go someplace warm like St. Bart’s.”

“Sounds like a plan. I’ll see what Natasha wants to do and get back to you,” Veronique said, even though she hoped she’d be spending Christmas with Nick. Maybe the girls could come to Starfish Island instead…

Stop being a dreamer
, she thought, mentally slapping herself. It was going to take a lot of perseverance and trust to get there, but she wouldn’t go down without trying.

“Sweet!” Teddy blew noisy kisses into the phone. “Talk to you soon, Ronnie. Can’t wait for our Heart Sister reunion.”

“Me too. Bye, Teddy,” Veronique said, grinning at Teddy’s smooches. With keen anticipation of their trip to Miami, she opened her suitcase and began to pack.

Nick’s hands formed white-knuckled fists as he stood stock-still before his desk. His head pounded and his gut roiled as he read the files containing evidence of Elizabeth’s fraudulent activities. As everything became clearer, his body shook with rage at his ex-wife and her lover’s treachery, but mostly he was livid with himself. He’d been a damn fool all these months, retreating from humanity to lick his wounds when he should have been at the forefront protecting his foundation from piranhas like Elizabeth and Zack. There was no doubt in his mind they were smugly syphoning the charity funds to Macau, and planning to laugh all the way to the bank when Zack got out of jail.

He should have done what Ronnie had done, investigated Elizabeth’s activities, going down to the schools and checking on them himself. He’d been too busy reeling from his own pain, feeling sorry for himself, to act on anything else.
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
He felt like kicking himself ten times over for being so blind and self-centered. If Ronnie hadn’t gone with her sixth sense and investigated Elizabeth, it might have been too late to save his foundation. He owed her big time. He would never call her a snoop again or tease her about being so inquisitive. Her inquisitiveness had saved his ass.

He poured himself a two finger shot of Scotch. Taking a satisfying pull of the amber liquid, he began to formulate a plan on what he needed to do. As soon as they got the crucial piece of evidence in Miami, he’d call his lawyer, Fred Golden, and give him instructions. He’d have Fred meet with each board member individually, present the evidence and suggest a motion to dismiss Elizabeth as CEO. If they balked, Fred would then threaten to go to the authorities, which could result in very damaging information and charges of fraud, money laundering and tax evasion. That would harm the foundation and scare the crap out of the trustees. In addition, they could potentially be charged with negligence of duties resulting in loss of resources to the foundation. By the time he finished with Elizabeth, she’d be dismissed as CEO and compelled to return every last dime to the foundation.

Then, he’d resume his rightful place as CEO.

Early the next morning, Nick stuffed the papers into their respective files and threw them in a briefcase along with several wads of cash and his passport. Adrenaline pumped through his veins with an overload of drive and pure grit for restitution.

After a quick breakfast, Veronique headed to her room while Nick packed his suitcase. She was running around the room, straightening it up and throwing things in her suitcase, when he came by later.

“Meet me upstairs when you’re finished. I’ll be in my office,” he said.

His office? That was huge validation and cause for celebration. When he left, Veronique hugged herself ecstatically. Nick had just invited her into his private man cave.
He trusted her.
She’d been worried sick when he never came to bed last night, wondering if he was upset with her.

The door was open when she approached Nick’s office. The room was a large rectangle, lined on three sides with floor-to-ceiling book shelves filled with an impressive collection of books. The fourth wall was all windows. A large, sleek mahogany desk and a coffee colored leather armchair stood front and center. The room smelled of leather and Scotch, masculine and virile just like Nick. She saw the open bottle of Scotch and the glass beside it on the sideboard. She glanced at the large leather recliner on the far side of the wall, next to one of the bookcases. He must have slept there last night.

Nick stood in front of a panoramic window, his legs braced apart, shoulders squared and hands in his pockets. In deep contemplation, he gazed out at the large expanse of Turquoise Bay.

“Wow, that’s some view you have up here,” she said, coming up behind him. She put her arms around his waist and leaned her cheek on his broad back.

He turned and looped his arm around her waist nestling her against his side. “The gulf is as still as glass today. Shame we have to leave,” he murmured, staring out at the ocean.

Her eyes followed his gaze. Sun rays lit the calm sea, turning it shimmering shades of turquoise. The sky was a clear cerulean blue, with no clouds in sight. A flock of pelicans flew in sync in the horizon.

“It’s so beautiful here. I’d much rather spend the day on the beach again,” she said. “With you.”

He tilted her chin and gave her a toe-curling kiss. “When we get back, we’ll have time to linger at the beach.”

Her heart leapt with joy.
He was planning on bringing her back!

“Promise?” she whispered, her breath catching with excitement as a familiar, restless ache began to build inside her.

“Yeah.” He kissed the tip of her nose and pulled away. “If we don’t leave now, you’re going to end up on that desk,” he taunted with a sexy smile.

Seductive images of them making love on the smooth mahogany desk sent ripples of desire coursing through her. How would the smooth wood feel against her skin? Her legs nearly buckled as she watched Nick’s confident, long-limbed stride when he ambled to the door. Powerful and so damned sexy, even in the way he walked, Nick made her mouth water and her palms grow damp.

“Wait!” she called out. “Is this your mom?” She stopped next to his desk and lifted a silver frame with the picture of a slim young woman beside a little boy, holding an infant girl in her arms.

“Yeah. She was about your age in that picture,” he said, his blue eyes turning vulnerable.

“She’s so beautiful. You look like her, Nick, with your blue eyes and dark hair.” Veronique smiled warmly. “Except that you’re twice her size.”

“Do you have pictures of your sister?”

He took a framed picture from his bookshelf. “This is Angela, my little sis,” he said, showing her a picture of a young woman with the same coloring, startling blue eyes and long dark hair.

“She’s so pretty. How old is she?”

“Thirty-one. She’s a middle school teacher in New York.”

“My hat’s off to her. That’s a tough age to teach. Is she single?”

“Yes. No more questions now. We need to leave.” He ushered her out of the room and locked his office door.

“We’re all set with hotel reservations. I also have a flash drive of everything that’s in the files,” she said, descending the stairs with him.

He paused at the bottom of the stairs. “Good. Where are the originals? Not in your apartment, I hope.”

She put her hands on her hips and tilted her head, her eyebrows crinkling over narrowed eyes. “Of course not. They’re in a bank vault. I only brought the hard copies because I figured you might lose power and then I wouldn’t be able to show you anything.”

“Good thinking,” he said, punctuating it with a sound kiss. He held her shoulders and gazed deeply into her eyes. “I’m very proud of you. And impressed. You’re one hell of a reporter. Thanks for everything.”

“You’re more than welcome, darling,” she drawled, smiling at him. “Too bad we couldn’t have stayed in your office and finished what you suggested.”

“There’s always tonight,” he said, sliding his hands down her waist and cupping her buttocks.

The feel of his solid desire pressed against her sent ripples of desire coursing through her flushed body and her knees nearly buckled.

Nick gave her another slow, thorough kiss that made her tingle to her toes, and then he released her with a lusty slap on her bottom. “Okay, partner. Let’s go move mountains.”

Chapter Twenty

Veronique couldn’t believe how quickly and efficiently everything went the remainder of the afternoon. They arrived in Miami by noon and then sped over to Maya’s brother’s loft apartment in the downtown area near the American Airlines Arena. Nick stayed in the car while Veronique went upstairs to meet with Maya. As promised, she texted him the minute she left the apartment so he knew she was safe. She wasn’t used to working with a partner and it was hard accepting Nick’s insistence on her safety above all else. For now she’d go along with his precautions.

“How did it go?” Nick asked when she got in the car.

“It went well. Maya gave me the document signed by Elizabeth and she filled me in on what she was dealing with at the office. She’s very pretty and nice. Unfortunately, her boss sexually harassed her from the moment she started working there. When she complained, nobody took her seriously. No wonder she left.”

Nick shook his head. “Can’t blame her. Was her brother there?”

“No, she was alone. When she contacted me about the document, I told her not to tell
anyone
about it.”

“Good. I hope she listened to you.”

“She told me nobody knows besides us, not even her brother or her fiancé. She was pretty relieved to hand over the document.”

“I’ll bet.”

Veronique sighed. “I told her about Slinky’s death and she was horrified. She said she wouldn’t be surprised if Elizabeth was behind it and called her ruthless.”

“She is, but she’ll be stopped soon enough,” Nick said and stepped on the pedal. He squeezed Veronique’s hand. “Good job, partner.”

“Thanks,” Veronique said, relishing the solid feel of his hand engulfing hers.

They coasted down Biscayne Bay and onto the MacArthur Causeway, enjoying the sites of enormous, luxury cruise ships lined up on the water. When they got to Miami Beach, Ocean Drive was a pastel prism of art deco design. They rolled down the windows and watched a crowd of tourists, students and hipsters milling down the sidewalk, eating in the cafes and dancing in the nightclubs. The party spilled onto the sidewalk as the ethnically diverse crowd pulsed to a tropical beat that was inviting and infectious.

Before going to the hotel, they went to Shake Shack for take-out cheeseburgers and fries and ate them in the car. By the time Nick pulled into the circular entrance of The Riviera Hotel, it was getting dark and a smattering of stars began to appear in the sky. They stepped out of the car and waited for the valet to unload their suitcases. The night air was warm and sultry, fragrant with flowering jasmine and the Atlantic Ocean breeze.

“Wait till you see this hotel in the daylight,” Veronique said. “It’s gorgeous and majestic without being excessive. I was surprised when Teddy told me they’re starting a massive renovation.”

“Why were you surprised?” Nick asked.

“Because the hotel isn’t that old. It must be her stepmother who’s pushing it. Teddy can’t stand her.”

He slanted a meaningful look at her. “Evil stepmother?”

“Yeah, definitely.”

“Will Teddy be here?”

“No, I wish. She and Tash would adore seeing you again.”

“It’d be nice to see them too. What are they doing these days?”

“Natasha is in previews for a new musical on Broadway, and Teddy’s living the life in Paris. She’s The Riviera’s social ambassador,” Veronique said, grinning.

Nick gave a dry chuckle. “That doesn’t surprise me.”

The hotel suite was sumptuous and more than Veronique had expected when she’d asked Teddy for a room. It was so like generous Teddy to make sure they got a fabulous one. Nick tipped the bellman and strolled out to the balcony while Veronique freshened up in the bathroom.

Glancing at the imported bath gels and body lotion on the sleek white marble counter, she couldn’t wait to take a hot bath. She splashed her face with cool water, brushed her teeth and ran her fingers through her hair. The layers had curled up due to the humidity, but she didn’t care. After the power outage from Hurricane Abby, she’d enjoyed the liberty of letting her curls go free and untamed. She smiled and hugged herself happily remembering how Nick had buried his face in her hair and told her he loved her sexy curls.

She exited the bathroom and toured the spacious adjoining areas. The living room/dining room was decorated in cool, muted tones of taupe and pale gray, from the designer furniture to the walls and drapes. A large basket filled with a pineapple, clementine tangerines, green grapes, strawberries and bananas awaited them next to a white bakery box filled with The Riviera’s famous oversized assorted cookies. She opened the box and had a hard time deciding on which cookie to eat. They’d skipped dessert after dinner and she was in the mood for something sweet.

Veronique bit into a crisp chocolate chunk cookie studded with meaty walnuts and swooned. “Yum! These cookies are delicious. Want one?” she asked Nick.

“No, thanks. Come join me outside,” he said.

“In a minute. I want to check out the badroom. Ha, I meant bedroom,” she said with a giggle.

Nick gave a short bark of laughter. “Badroom sounds good to me.”

“Me too.” She was still smiling when she entered the bedroom. The king-size bed was decked out in luxurious bed linens and already turned down with chocolate truffles on a tiny silver tray on each pillow. She would have to thank Teddy and Sylvia first thing tomorrow morning for providing one of their finest suites, fit for a honeymoon.