T is for Temptation (21 page)

“Tee doesn’t know any of what happened when I returned to
Florida
.” Jake’s fists unclenched, and he faced them. “Let’s get her up to scratch first. You begin. I need a cup of coffee.”

“Bring one for me. Tee, would you like one too?”

“Yes, please. Thank you for asking, Alex.” She smiled at him.

Jake glared at his friend. He left the room and returned a few minutes later carrying a tray bearing a carafe of coffee and three china cups in their saucers. Two teacups tilted, and the glass coffee jug listed when he dropped the tray an inch from the table.

“Temper, temper. Tee, sweetheart, why is he pouting?” Alex’s ocean blue orbs twinkled and his full lips twitched. He clearly enjoyed baiting his friend. He dropped three cubes of sugar into the cup, the spoon tinkled against the china as he stirred, and, his lawyer’s training evident, he gave them a concise summary of events.

“Thank you,” Tee murmured, accepting the teacup Jake proffered. She frowned and cocked her head to one side. “Marked bills? And why now? Months after his death? A while back, you said that the money in
Antigua
was Tony’s, why, if it was a business account?”

“Tony invested over four million in cash to the business. We divided the money between
Florida
and
Trinidad
. Technically, the entire four mil belonged to him, but two mil was the price of the partnership. We structured our agreement so future revenue belonged to the operation that generated it.”

“You mean you kept all the money from
Florida
and vice versa?” she asked.

“Precisely.”

“Not to interrupt, but I uncovered the source of the discrepancy in bank accounts. There were two with the same account number.”

“Hell and damnation. How is that possible?”

“This offshore bank had an interesting premise. Each bank account could be broken into two, one for interest bearing only, and one for transactional processing. Theory behind this is to maintain maximum revenue generation. Receive a large deposit, throw it into the interest bearing for as long as you can hold onto it, and then switch the cash to the transaction only when you need it.” Alex quirked an eyebrow. “Perfect setup if you want to hide things from a partner, wouldn’t you say?”

“That can’t be legal.”

“According to the fine print of the agreement the bank sent to me, it is, if all signers on the account are informed of that fact. The agreement I okayed, the one you e-mailed to me, didn’t have that clause in it. On the one you signed, the clause is there, and your initials are right next to it.”

“Blast,” Jake said and thumped the teacup in his hand onto the coffee table so hard liquid splashed all over.

“Tony planned this carefully.” Numbness set in, and she swept her eyes between the two men. “From the beginning. When did you two go into partnership?”

“Officially, a little over six weeks before you two married.”

“I’m not business oriented, but it seems to me, and I’m probably off base here, but Tony became your partner for the sole purpose of hiding his money-laundering activities, and maybe he was trafficking drugs on the side, and that got him killed by one of the colleagues he probably cheated.”

Both men stared at her as if she were a pink-striped rhinoceros. “What? It seems like common sense.”

“You catch on quickly. Sure you’re attached to this ugly mutt?” Alex inclined his head in Jake’s direction. “Beauty, brains, and Vegas showgirl legs, you have all the luck.”

He addressed Jake, but his sparkling eyes strolled up Tee’s bare legs revealed by the flounced gypsy skirt she’d hastily pulled on. Heat crawled along the skin his eyes traversed, and she cut Jake a sideways glance. His glowering features sent pygmy darts flying Alex’s way. Her lips twitched.

“Blow it out your ear, and get back to the point,” he growled. “Is Tee in trouble? Immigration detained her at Heathrow this morning. Any idea why?”

“One of my sources said that Tony’s file is still open, which means they have loose ends to tie up, maybe related to other investigations.”

“But, Tony’s dead, why would they bother with him?”

“Maybe they don’t believe he’s dead, or it could be—” Alex broke off and raised an eyebrow, glancing at Jake.

“Graziella?” At his friend’s surreptitious nod, he continued, “Go ahead, she knows some of it.”

“I know what?” The room seemed to have its own barometric pressure, and it constricted her breathing.

“I received new information on Tony and Graziella before I left. Tony and Graziella have known each other from childhood, and they may have been married.”

“I don’t understand.” Her head buzzed and the beginnings of a headache throbbed behind her left pupil. She pinched the bridge of her nose.

Jake draped an arm over her slouching shoulders and dragged her close. His lips brushed her temple, and he whispered, “Easy, easy. Breathe.”

She hadn’t realized she was holding her breath until then.

“Want a minute?” Worry bedeviled his onyx eyes, and he held her gaze searchingly.

She shook her head.

“Alex,” she said and turned to face him. “Tell me everything. I need to know.”

“We can’t find any record of Tony’s parentage. Let me first say, all of this is speculation based upon a birth certificate, a driver’s license he obtained at sixteen, and a marriage register in a village church, which shows them tying the knot around that time. The photo ID is positive, though, unless Tony had a twin.”

Jake twined his fingers with hers and gave a quick, reassuring squeeze.

“How? Where?”

“They both grew up in the same rural village in
Uruguay
. The priest in charge of the parish back then is dead, so technically no one can authenticate the marriage.”

Her forehead throbbed, and she knuckled the skin there. “You knew about this?”

“Not until I checked my e-mail last night when I arrived in
London
.” A corner of Jake’s mouth lifted, and he shrugged. “I didn’t think it was the right time to tell you.”

“I see,” she said and tried to hide her irritation. “When would have been the right time?”

“Daylight, much like now.”

“Does this mean he and I were never married?”

“Right now, there isn’t enough evidence to support that. Sorry.” Alex stood, dug balled fists into the small of his back, ambled over to the floor-to-ceiling windows, and tugged the blinds covering them open. “What a quagmire. The only positive I get out of this is, legally, no one has anything on either of you.”

She stared at the windowpane. A gray rainy day, it matched her mood. “What do I do now? They said they were coming back with a warrant for my arrest.” Tee stared at Jake. “Isn’t it strange? Homeland Security wants your passport, Interpol wants to talk to you, but the only one they want to arrest is me? It makes no sense.”

“Jesus, she’s right, Alex. It doesn’t add up. We’re missing something in all this, some fact that fits all these pieces together.”

“Like why did he marry Tee in the first place?”

“I can’t help you there, I’m afraid. I have no clue, and I was the one who said, ‘I do.’”

Raindrops struck the glass, setting up a low, steady drumroll. The teacup rattled in its saucer as Jake placed it on the table; his face wore a grim, foreboding expression. “Tee, consider your father may know about the news flash. Remember what the inspector said. A diplomatic request came to them from
Trinidad
. Maybe we should give Henry a call?”

“No,” she said. “I am handling this on my own. Alex, can you represent me if they do take me into custody?”

“Unfortunately, no. But I do have a couple of good friends here who can, and they’re top men. I’ll leave voice mails for them now.”

“Thank you.”

Alex flipped open his phone and presented his profile to them.

Jake brushed her lips with his, once, twice, his sable eyes boring a promise into hers.

Alex coughed, and she jumped, color flooding her face. Her stomach rumbled loudly. The sound resonated in the room.

“Let’s get you fed, little lady.” Alex grinned at her.

“Stop flirting with her,” Jake admonished.

“Room service?” Alex suggested, his crooked smile making her sigh and roll her shoulders. “We can brainstorm and eat at the same time. We need a plan of action. I suspect the Scotland Yard officers were bluffing, so I see no reason they’ll return, but there are simply too many coincidences for my liking.” Alex fingered the collar of his shirt, undid the top button, and tugged his tie loose. “Tony’s the catalyst in all of this. Why did he marry you? Why was Graziella in
Trinidad
? How are they connected to all these events?”

“Food first, then we can speculate.” Jake pressed the send button on his cellular. “Mr. Brown, can you provide us with a hot breakfast? Bacon, eggs, and some toast. There are three of us.” He paused when Tee held up her hand. “Hang on.” Jake covered the mouthpiece with his hand. “What?”

“Could you order a full English breakfast with kippers? They’re my—”

“Favorite.” He cut her off with a smirk and relayed her wishes to the concierge, and then dropped the phone onto the table. Scraping a thumb over the stubble on his chin, he mused. “Now that I think about everything, Tony’s convenient death seems suspicious.”

“He was on the way to
Venezuela
with another friend. Tony liked gambling on cockfights.” She shuddered.

The doorbell sounded.

Alex shrugged off his blue Ralph Lauren blazer.

When Tee got up to open the door, she heard his whispered words. “No wonder you visited
Trinidad
once a week. She’s lovely, Jake. Elegant, poised, almost regal. Not a hair out of place. I approve—she could hold her own in
Palm Beach
society.”

“I’m thrilled.” Jake’s tone dripped sarcasm. “She does trick riding, buddy. Let me tell you, she may look like the perfect simpering princess, but she’s fearless. She turned a somersault off a moving horse and landed as if it were the easiest feat in the world.”

Out of the corner of one eye, Tee caught Alex’s complexion blanching, and he murmured, “A moving horse. They’re nasty animals. I rode one once, a cruise day thing. The damned creature bit my ass. Why on earth would she want to get near such an animal?”

“I’ll tell you about it later. Shush.” Jake’s voice held a hint of pride.

Her entire body lit up. If she could’ve done a two-step without drawing their attention, she would have. Tee surrendered to the broad grin chasing her lips.

Two waiters wheeled in the room service cart. While they fussed about it, she went to wash her hands in the bathroom. Passing through the bedroom, she caught sight of the miniature pirate chest and grabbed it from the dresser. Her hands prickled, and a pins and needles sensation ran from her fingertips to her elbows. Balancing the chest on her palm, she returned to the living area, uneasy, but determined to follow
Douglas
’s instructions, and placed the heirloom on the breakfast table next to Jake’s plate.

“Here, this is what Douglas Graham sent for you. Careful, it’s quite heavy.”

Jake picked up the small trunk and turned it in his hands. “You’re right, it’s heavy.”

“I never knew your great-uncle, but Tricia did. Maybe she’s seen it before. I’ll ask her about it when I see her again.” She hesitated and then asked, “Does it make your hands tingle?”