She died last week, Quentin said in a matter-of-fact tone.
A sick feeling invaded Brodys stomach. Your baby died?
Francie died, said Rex.
Brody was relieved, but then he was immediately sorry for Francie, and he was appalled by Quentins apparently callous attitude toward the mother of his child. Not that he should have been surprised. Aside from the extravagant spending, what he knew so far was that Quentin Roo was cold, calculating and self-centered in just about every aspect of his life.
Brodys attention moved back to the jaw-dropping woman named Kate. He pondered her notice-me appearance. Her sister had died last week? And she was at a party, in a place like this, dressed like that?
Nice.
Im sorry for your loss, Brody offered to Quentin.
Quentin gave a shrug. She was fun, I suppose. But if she hadnt got knocked up, it would have been over a long time ago.
Just when Brody thought his opinion of Quentin couldnt sink any further, it did.
Did she live here? It seemed a long shot that Francie was involved in the Beast Blue Designs intellectual property theft. But information was information, and Brody was gathering all he could.
I let her use the gatehouse. Made it easier. I could sometimes see the kid when I had time.
Between drunken bashes? Brody bit back the sarcastic retort. Quentins personal life was none of his business.
Whats the sisters story? asked Rex, ogling Kate from the tips of her purple highlighted hair to the heels of her glittering sandals.
Brody found himself doing the same. He wasnt proud of the behavior, but he was mesmerized. Even in that gaudy getup, she was a knockout.
Dont know, said Quentin. Dont really care.
She showed up out of the blue? asked Rex.
Apparently she came down from Seattle.
Had you met her before? Although this Kate person had nothing to do with his investigation into Quentins gaming technology company, Brody found himself curious.
Never even knew she existed, said Quentin.
Suspicion grew thick in Rexs tone. So today was the first time you met her?
You want me to check her ID?
Being Francies sister doesnt entitle her to anything, Rex said. You cant hand out your money to every person who crosses your path.
Its a whole lot easier than fighting them.
Its stupid.
Path of least resistance. Besides, the money trains not about to derail.
Brody clenched his jaw then downed the remainder of his Shet Select single malt. The taste grounded him, reminding him of his home in the Scottish Highlands, of his parents, his brother and his purpose for being here. Quentins money train might still be going, but only because hed ripped off the Calder familys technology.
Brody was here to prove Quentin had stolen from his family. And he was determined to send that money train right off the nearest cliff.
You have better things to spend it on than opportunistic gold diggers, said Rex.
Really? Name one. Quentin then turned his attention back to Vera, Miss Ventura County. Think Ill get me a look at that baby owl.
Brody reminded himself to stay in character. He gave a salacious grin of approval to Quentin. Go get er.
Quentin smiled in anticipation, polished off his martini and rose to his feet.
Two steps later, Kate Dunhern moved into his path.
Hello, Quentin, she said.
Her tone was smooth, cultured, far different than Brody had expected. He thought he detected an underlying trace of nervousness. He wondered why she was nervous. Was she going to make a pitch for a payout right here and now?
Hello, Kate, Quentin responded in a level tone. Good to see you.
Thanks for inviting me.
He gestured expansively around the deck. Its a party.
I wondered if there was somewhere we could talk?
Quentins gaze flicked back to the sexy Vera. Depends on...
While Kate obviously waited for him to finish the sentence, Vera caught his attention and sent a friendly smile his way.
Maybe tomorrow, he said to Kate.
Though she tried to hide it, her disappointment was obvious. Uh, sure. Okay.
Catch you later. He moved past her.
Rex made to rise, but Brody was quicker. He didnt know what he hoped to gain from talking to the sister of a woman whod had nothing to do with Beast Blue Designs, but he didnt want Rex hitting on her. He didnt know why he felt that way. But it didnt really matter.
He stepped up in front of her.
Brody Herrington, he said, using the last name hed temporarily adopted from his grandmother.
She took a long moment to focus on him. Then she seemed to study him. While she did that, he detected an unexpected intelligence behind her eyes.
Kate Dunhern, she finally responded.
Can I get you a drink?
She appeared to be gathering her bearings, even sizing him up. Then her mouth suddenly curved into a bright smile. In a flash, her assessing intellect was replaced by overexuberance and friendliness.
Love one, she said. Champagne?
He couldnt help but puzzle at the cause of her transformation. Had she recognized his designer jeans? Had she noted his expensive watch and shoes and decided he was worth chatting up? Whatever it was, now she was behaving the way hed expected when he first saw her purple-streaked hair and her crystal-studded sandals.
He offered his arm. This way.
She took it, her bright pink manicured nails shimmering against his skin.
He did a double take at the distinctly sensual image and felt a spike of lust shoot through him. It was a normal reaction, he told himself. She was a gorgeous woman in an outfit designed to display it. She was likely disappointed at losing Quentins attention, but she had the attention of every other red-blooded man here. If it was money she was after, there was plenty of it unattached and at the party.
Youre a friend of Quentins? she asked in a bright, friendly tone.
An acquaintance, said Brody. He shouldnt, nor did he have any desire to lay claim to more.
Are you in the video gaming business?
The entertainment industry. Im a concert promoter from Europe.
Scotland? she guessed.
Hed wished he could keep it more generic, but his accent gave him away. He could only hope the fake profession and fake name would keep Quentin from making a connection to his father or, more significantly, to his familys ownership of Quentins competitor Shetland Tech Corporation.
You got me, he answered.
Im guessing its not classical music youre promoting. Her gaze seemed to take in the party which was growing more raucous by the hour.
Brody knew it was only a matter of time until a fight broke out or someone got tossed into the pool. Breakage was a given. Quentin seemed to have a cleanup crew on perpetual standby to deal with whatever carnage was wrought at the late-night parties.
Rock n roll, he answered.
Anyone I might recognize?
Confidential, Im afraid.
It was his pat answer whenever anyone pressed for details. Luckily, so far nobody had probed further. He had enough money to buy credibility, and he doubted anybody really cared beyond that. He suspected most of the people in Quentins circle lied about their background or profession in some way or another.
Are you in LA for a concert? she asked.
Im on vacation.
Amusement parks and surfing?
Something like that. What about you?
A cloud crossed her eyes. You may have heard my sister was killed.
I did. He wondered if he might have misjudged her. In this moment, her remorse struck him as genuine. Im sorry.
But then she seemed to shake off the melancholy. We were estranged. I hadnt seen her in seven years.
They made it to the bar, and he placed their orderchampagne for her and another Shet Select for him.
Bad blood? he asked, finding himself curious.
Different goals and objectives in life. She accepted the flute of champagne.
How so?
She seemed to hesitate. Hard to put my finger on it now. Then she grinned, the happy-go-lucky expression coming back into her eyes. Interesting that she was with Quentin. The new tone was searching.
Interesting, Brody agreed, thinking Quentin was probably right. Kate was here to trade on her sisters relationship with an enormously wealthy man.
Quentin said you were down from Seattle, he continued.
I live there.
That wouldnt have been my first guess.
Her eyebrow arched. Why not?
It doesnt seem like a very exciting town. His rock n roll alter ego jumped in. And you seem like an exciting girl.
Seattle might surprise you. She flashed a secretive smile, clinked her glass to his and turned to walk from the bar.
He could have let the conversation end there. It would have been the smart move. Kate was a distraction, and he didnt need any distractions right now. He was here to schmooze Quentin and the Beast Blue Designs team, get inside information on who was who and then pump them for details so he could prove theyd stolen intellectual property from Shetland Tech.
So far, his conversations with Scotland Yard and the LAPD had gotten him nowhere. Both police forces were focused on murders, kidnappings and drug crimes and had little time for possible corporate espionage. Not that he blamed them. They had to prioritize.
His second plan had been to hire a private investigator. But the guy theyd put undercover at Beast Blue Designs had been caught snooping, and the company was a veritable fortress of security and secrecy. He hadnt found out a single thing.
Running out of time, Brody had taken matters into his own hands. He was trying to gain Quentins trust on a personal level to find a route into the company.
He told his feet to walk away from Kate. But they didnt.
What do you do in Seattle? he asked instead.
This and that, she answered vaguely.
The answer likely meant she was unemployed, or perhaps embarrassed by her profession. Maybe she was a criminal, or a con artist, or simply a shameless opportunist.
Whatever she was, she was sexy as hell. He should be sprinting away from her and focusing on business. Instead, he eased closer, gazing into her blue eyes, touching his glass to hers a second time.
To this and that, he said.
Two
The party was confirming Kates worst fears. It was a rambunctious crowd, fuelled by throbbing techno music and excessive drinking. She was no expert, but she thought she detected the scent of marijuana wafting up from the gardens. And she feared there could be other recreational drugs being passed around Quentins mansion.
She couldnt imagine what her sister had been thinking to bring a baby into an environment like this. On second thought, she supposed she knew exactly what Francie had been thinking: nothing, at least nothing beyond enjoying the next ten minutes of her life. Shed inherited that trait from Chloe.
As recently as this morning, Kate had convinced herself Annabelle would be fine. Chloe had sworn that Annabelle was the luckiest little girl in the world. Chloe had read all about Quentin Roo and was more than impressed with his money and his success.
He was in mourning now, she had said, and not ready to introduce Annabelle to anyone from the family. Impatient to get away from her childhood memories and back home again, Kate had been willing to buy into Chloes optimism.
Shed made it as far as the airport, her bags checked, and arrangements made with Nadia to pick her up in Seattle. But while she waited for her flight to board shed done an internet search and found some news items featuring Quentin. One showed him outside a downtown nightclub a few weeks back. He was clearly intoxicated, a sexy woman on his arm, confronting a police officer over the right to drive his fancy sports car.
Disturbed by the images, Kate had searched further. His social media presence painted a picture of a party animal. She also found clips of his belligerent behavior and descriptions of wild times held at his mansion. He might be rich, but he definitely wasnt responsible.
Protective instincts had welled up inside her. Shed cancelled her flight and left the airport, determined to confront him, determined to demand access to Annabelle and the right to ensure the baby was safe. But halfway to his mansion, shed stopped herself, realizing the confrontational approach was almost guaranteed to fail.
She knew she needed a better plan, something more subtle in order to get close to Annabelle without spooking Quentin. The best way she could think of to do that was appear amicable and nonthreatening, to fit seamlessly into his world. Shed decided the best option was to get to Quentin and pretend she was just like Francie.
One crazy makeover later, she did look like Francie. And now she was inside the party. And shed met Quentin. Even if it was only momentarily, it was still a start.
The man named Brody kept pace with her along the pool deck. Whoops of delight echoed around them. Groups of people talked and laughed, drinks in hands, eyes alight with enthusiasm and exhilaration. The staccato of the bassline pummeled through to her bones.
She kept an eye on Quentin, waiting for the right moment to approach him again. He was engrossed in conversation with a tall blonde woman. She was model-thin, taller than Quentin, with impossibly long limbs and a gorgeous face that would do justice to any magazine cover.
Ive never been up north myself, Brody stated conversationally.
His deep, rolling accent purred over her. Ordinarily, she would have enjoyed that. But chatting up anyone but Quentin wasnt in her plans tonight, even if the man was distractingly attractive.
And Brody was definitely that. He had a strong chin with just enough beard stubble to be rakish. His eyes were slate gray, his brow quizzical, and he had a sexy dark shock of hair swooping across his forehead. His mouth was firm, slightly stern, some might even say judgmental. Although exactly what someone living in the thick of the rock-and-roll lifestyle would have to be judgmental about was a mystery to her.
No rock concerts to promote in Washington State? she asked, telling herself to keep it light and stay in character. Everybody with anything to do with Quentin needed to believe she was just like Francie, a girl looking to enjoy life without worrying too much about the details.
North America is a secondary market. Here we mostly stick to New York City. I have been to Boston and Chicago, and once to Florida, but that was a vacation.