“You know?”
“When we’re stationed in CA, we get regular updates about the cartel’s activities.”
“I don’t know how there can be a connection between money laundering and a stalker, but it makes me nervous.”
“Can you check the financials of this company?” Lars didn’t think there could be a connection, but his work taught him always to be prepared.
“I’m already on it. I’ll let you know if I find anything…and then you can be the one to talk to Danni about not going.”
“Real funny, Reeves.”
Chapter Five
Too much champagne, too much sushi, too much of the mighty fine Lars Jenkins. OMG.
Danni woke cranky and hungover.
The stress of pretending to be involved with Alex as Sophie and Lars looked on had pushed her to gulp the bubbly all night long. Not being able to tell Sophie the truth, and then having Lars nearby, had made for one dandy night that she never wanted to relive.
She almost confessed to Sophie this morning. It was good that Sophie was in a rush to get back to Seattle for an event that her foundation was hosting, or Danni, in her weakened state, would have coughed up the truth.
Danni wasn’t used to holding back feelings from her girlfriends. Sisterhood got her through her cheating ex and the trauma after the kidnapping. But if she told Sophie, Sophie would tell Finn, and then Finn would alert all the Jenkinses. The alpha males would rush in, making it clear that she was in over her head. They all would be in her business, never giving her a chance to succeed.
And if Lars knew the truth, she didn’t want to think of the endless jokes and then the protective, condescending attitude he’d take with her, like his brothers. Or possibly he would push harder to get close, and she wasn’t sure how long she could keep resisting. As a woman who prided herself on self-discipline, she had no control when it came to Lars Jenkins.
He had a way of looking at her as if she were the X17 particle that would explain the mystery of dark matter. His singular focus drew her to him. No one ever looked at her with intense curiosity. Men only saw her as a leggy blonde with the body of a model. And nothing else.
As a researcher obsessed with solving the unsolvable, she was intensely drawn to being considered a mystery. But she knew in her heart that once Lars figured her out—saw that she wasn’t different than any other woman who wanted to be loved and cherished—he’d be on to the next woman. Right now, he was enjoying the chase.
Her phone pinged. Reeves had an uncanny ability to call her right when she needed her friend.
“What the hell, Reeves? You sent a Jenkins with Sophie?”
She pulled her ear away from her phone since Reeves was laughing so loud it hurt. “The Jenkins brothers are Sophie’s security. And I thought you’d be thanking me, not hassling me for the surprise trip from Sophie.”
What was up with Reeves? He almost sounded hurt.
“Okay. That was sweet. Thank you.” Danni didn’t add how stressful it was to withhold the truth from Sophie.
“So, you and Lars are good now?”
Danni didn’t know whether to laugh or scream. Now she had to lie to Reeves.
“Lars and I are copacetic.” She didn’t add that Lars never smiled or teased her when they were with Alex. Or how she missed his baiting and his infectious grin.
“Lars seems happy for me that I’m with a nice guy.” And I have a bridge for sale.
“Glad to hear it.”
What was with Reeves? He was always solicitous and protective of her.
“I tracked where the T-shirt was ordered. The T-Shirt and Sports Emporium is in a really rough area of LA. You should take Lars with you.”
“You’re kidding. There is no way in hell that I’m taking Lars. You didn’t tell him that I’m Alex’s bodyguard, did you?”
“You don’t know what Alex might be involved in. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
Shivers raced down Danni’s arms. Reeves knew her really well. He got her need to prove her independence after creating a whole life around a cheating, lying douchebag who didn’t have the integrity to face her at the church.
“What neighborhood?”
“It’s in the heart of Santee Alley.”
“Oh, my God. That’s great. I love shopping there. Now I wish Sophie hadn’t left. She and I can spend hours wandering the streets and shopping wholesale. How do you think I can afford designer label clothes?”
“You know it borders on a really rough section of LA.”
“Reeves, you’re starting to sound a bit paternalistic.”
“Dammit, Sophie. Santee Alley is where the drug cartels launder their money.”
“I know. I’ve read all about it. But I’m visiting a T-shirt store like the other thousands of shoppers. Nothing else. Nothing to do with the cartels.”
“You’re probably right, but I just don’t want you in danger. Promise me you’ll be careful even though you’ll have Alex and his security with you.”
Danni decided she would keep to herself that she planned to go alone. Alex would cause a scene once his fans recognized him. And he’d be accompanied by Frank, whom she didn’t trust after seeing him in Alex’s dressing room.
“You have anything on Frank yet?” It was always good to distract Reeves when he started to worry.
“Still trying to track his financials. I’ll let you know when I get something. Promise, Danni, that you’ll be careful.”
“I promise.” She was becoming adept at lies of omission. She didn’t want Reeves to worry about her, but she knew Santee Alley really well. She had spent endless hours there looking for bargains. Nothing could possibly happen.
Chapter Six
With his LA Lakers cap pulled down and his aviator sunglasses on, Lars waited behind a swiveling rack of sunglasses at the entrance to Santee Alley. If Danni and Alex didn’t arrive soon, he’d have to change his position since the owner was growing suspicious.
Lars stepped farther behind the kiosk to get a better angle on the street. By Danni’s GPS, they’d arrive in less than a minute.
A black Prius stopped at the corner. Lars glanced down at his phone. Her GPS had stopped. If he hadn’t recognized the long, slender legs that came out first, he wouldn’t have known it was Danni. She was in a black wig and a leather BSDM getup that delivered a sucker punch to his gut.
What the hell? She was dressed as the star of a bondage porn flick. Why was she alone? Where was Hardy and his security?
Reeves reported that she would be with Hardy. And Lars assumed Hardy would have at least Frank, the muscle, to handle this crowd. Lars’s instincts kicked into high gear. Danni was up to nothing good.
She bent over to talk to the driver, giving Lars a stellar view as her red plaid skirt rode up almost to her panties. All his blood flowed south. He couldn’t look away as fantasies bombarded his testosterone-overwhelmed brain.
She wobbled as she stepped over the curb in high-heeled boots that laced up past her knees. Was she still hungover after two-fisting the bubbly? She’d never wobbled all the times he had seen her in ridiculously sexy footgear. Danni in her knee-high boots fed some of his favorite fantasies.