Walking away is not an option
It was one night. And it might have stayed that way for Elizabeth Downey if her steamy evening with Hudson Vale hadnt been the same night her estranged father was murdered. Now she and Hudsona cop who had arrested her fatherare the prime suspects.
Forced to work together to clear their names, Elizabeth and Hudson must deal with their wildly different approaches. Worse, the simmering attraction between them wont go away. As they race to untangle a web of deceit, the stakes get higher. Because not only do their lives depend on finding the truth, but so does this passion thats turning into so much more.
You have to leave.
The urgency had returned to Lizs voice. We cant be seen together.
Weve already been seen together, Hudson said. Your security man downstairs knows I came to see you. The valet at the wedding saw us leave together. You think cops wont figure that out?
Her face fell. She returned to the living room and more or less collapsed onto the sofa. Hudson sat in the chair opposite her.
Maybe you better tell me everything, he said. Why would you want to kill Franklin Mandalay?
Because hes my father. And were estranged. He is manipulative and controlling and a liar. And Im his sole heir. With that, her eyes filled with tears. I have no idea why I keep crying. He was not a very nice man.
Mandalay was her father? Hudsons head spun. I knew there was something off about that night, he murmured. Then, louder, he said, Tell me everything. All of it, Liz. If I get even a whiff of deception from you Im going straight to the police.
Dear Reader,
Any writer will tell you that coming up with the title of a book can be an excruciating process. For me, I usually begin writing with some lame title in place. Then, as I get to know my story and my characters, other titles will come to mind. By the time I send the manuscript to my editor, Ill probably have a title Im happy with.
Oh, but it doesnt end there. Editors have their own ideas about titles, and every title undergoes a great deal of scrutiny. Does it fit the story? Is it the right tone? Does it sound like a Harlequin Superromance title? Will it fit on the cover nicely? Although the title usually is something all parties can agree to, often it is not the authors original title.
One-Night Alibi is one of those titles that come up once in a blue moon. I had it before I even started the book. I love it because it tells you exactly what the book is about. Its sexy and its suspenseful-sounding. Happily, the editors agreed with me on this one! I hope it caught your attention, too!
All best,
Kara Lennox
One-Night Alibi
Kara Lennox
www.millsandboon.co.uk
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kara Lennox has earned her living at various times as an art director, typesetter, textbook editor and reporter. Shes worked in a boutique, a health club and an ad agency. Shes been an antiques dealer, an artist and even a blackjack dealer. But no work has ever made her happier than writing romance novels. To date, she has written more than sixty books. Kara is a recent transplant to Southern California. When not writing, she indulges in an ever-changing array of hobbies. Her latest passions are bird-watching, long-distance bicycling, vintage jewelry and, by necessity, do-it-yourself home renovation. She loves to hear from readers. You can find her at www.karalennox.com.
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For Sally Slocum
Everyone should have such a wonderful mother-in-law
Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Excerpt
PROLOGUE
HUDSON VALE LIKED to brag that he never got sick. All the vitamin C in the Mountain Dew he drank kept him healthy as a horse. But today, hed been made a liar. After sneezing his head off yesterday, hed cut his shift early and gone home. A handful of extra vitamin C hadnt done the trick; hed awakened with the mother of all colds. His head hurt. His chest hurt. His throat hurt. He couldnt breathe. And he had nothing resembling cold medicine in the house.
Like it or not, he had to drag himself out to his car, drive to the nearest convenience store and buy some Alka-Seltzer Plus.
Although it was October, Hudson didnt bother with a jacket. He shoved his badge in the pocket of a pair of disreputable jeans because he never went anywhere without it. Breaking his usual pattern, he didnt arm himself. In his current state of debilitation, hed be more danger to bystanders than to anything he aimed at.
It was a brilliant, clear day outside, one of those rare instances when the humidity was low, the air crisp and fresh. Football season was in full swing, and citizens of the greater Houston area were focused on fall barbecues and tailgate parties.
Hudson climbed into his Datsun 280Z and headed for the local convenience store.
At this hour of a Sunday morning, most people were still in bed, sleeping off a wild Saturday night, or in church repenting for the same. But in an hour or two, the store would be filled with fishermen stocking up on bait and beer and charcoal briquettes, intent on wringing every ounce of recreation from the outstanding weather.
Hudson wished he could get out on the water today. But after sneezing four times in a row on the way to the store, he couldnt think fondly of anything except his bed and a box of tissues.
As he got out of his car, he noticed a familiar-looking woman in a red miniskirt and white patent-leather boots talking on the pay phone outside. On seeing him, she turned to face the wall.
It wasnt until he was inside the store, paying for his purchases, that he recalled her name. Jazz was a prostitute hed arrested last year. Conroe had quite a few working girls, but most of them plied their trade near the strip clubs, liquor stores and pawn shops downtown or near the railroad tracks. They didnt normally trawl the Lake Conroe Stop n Shop parking lot on a Sunday morning.
He might have tried to chat her up, find out why she was so far from her usual stomping grounds, but he was off duty and sick, and for once he was just going to stifle his innate curiosity and go on about his business.
That plan worked fine, until after hed paid for his purchase and was heading out the door.
The first things he noticed were raised voices. Jazz was no longer alone; she was arguing with a middle-aged man in a baseball cap and sunglasses, his jacket collar pulled up to hide as much of his face as possible.
Classic john disguise.
Even so, Hudson was inclined to let it slide. He wasnt in Vice anymore. It was just an argument in a parking lot, no crime.
Still, he couldnt help wandering closer.
You better do what youre told, the man growled. He was shoving something into Jazzs hands.
What the hell are you doing? Not here. She glanced over, saw Hudson and went pale, though her hand did reflexively close over what Hudson could now see was a thick wad of folded bills.
Hey, look at me when Im talking to you. The man grabbed her chin and swiveled her head, forcing her to face him.
Hudson sighed. He set the bag with his cold medicine on the hood of his car and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. In a matter of seconds, he had summoned backup.
Acutely aware of the fact he was unarmed, he approached the confrontation. Excuse me, is there a problem here?
Mind your own business, the man barked. Then he saw the badge Hudson had casually slipped out of his pocket.
That was when Jazz cut and run. She let go of the money in her hand, and several twenties fluttered to the ground.
Hey! The man took a couple of steps in the direction Jazz was fleeing, sprinting faster than a girl in four-inch heels ought to be able to run, but Hudson snagged the mans arm.
Sir, Im going to have to ask you to put your hands on this wall, here.
What for? he asked haughtily.
Im arresting you for solicitation of a prostitute.
Are you out of your mind? Do you know who I am?
Great. Another entitled rich guy who thought he deserved a pass because he wore a suit and had a family.
Dont know, dont care. With that he pushed the uncooperative suspect against the wall. Now put your hands against the wall and spread em. Unless you want me to add resisting arrest to the charges. You have the right to remain silent...
As Hudson continued the Miranda warning, the man finally complied, but not silently. You are going to be very sorry. Ill have your badge.
No, you wont, Hudson said in a bored voice. Youll be too busy hiring a lawyer and trying to hide your little indiscretions from your wife and your boss and your golf buddies.
I was not paying that girl for sex!
Those twenty-dollar bills all over the ground say differently. Oh, and by the way, youre overpaying. In addition to being a dirtbag, youre a sap.
Hudson probably shouldnt have added that last part. Baiting a suspect who was not cuffed was on that list of things cops learned not to do. But Hudson was really sick and really annoyed that he was probably going to have to spend his morning filling out a report.
Without warning, the man swiveled around and took a swing at Hudson. It was a clumsy punch, but the man had some heft, and a strength born of outrage on his side. His fist landed in Hudsons solar plexus.
Then the idiot made a break for his car.
Hudson didnt thinkhe just reacted. He lit out after the man, tackling him in the parking lot before hed got ten steps. They both went down, hard.
A Montgomery County Sheriffs Department squad car pulled into the parking lot just then and came to a stop mere feet from Hudson and his suspect, who was still struggling. Deputy Allison Kramer got out, shook her head, then held out a pair of cuffs.
Need some of these?
Hudson took them without comment, flipped the man onto his stomach and cuffed him, then hauled him to his feet with Allisons help. The mans face was now scraped and bloody, his nose possibly broken. Hed lost his hat and sunglasses in the scuffle.
Holy crap, Allison said.
He bolted, Hudson said in his defense, thinking she was reacting to the suspects condition.
No, its not that. Do you know who this guy is?
Franklin Mandalay III, the suspect replied haughtily. Young lady, I want to file a formal charge of assault. I was minding my own business when this scruffy, disreputable individual attacked me. I was committing no crime. I had no weapon
Save it, Hudson said impatiently. Allison, Ill meet you at the station.
But despite his best attempt at indifference to the name Franklin Mandalay, Hudsons stomach felt queasy. If he had to get into a scuffle with a suspect, why did it have to be one of the most influential attorneys in Houston? Especially since his only witness had flown the coop.
CHAPTER ONE
HE ARRIVED LATE to the wedding reception, but that was par for the course for Hudson Vale. He would probably be late to his own wedding, in the unlikely event he ever got married.
A young valet with frizzy brown hair and big black glasses took the keys to his Z, whistling in appreciation. Awesome. You restore it yourself?
Every square inch.
Ordinarily, Hudson took pleasure when someone complimented his ride. But these days, it was hard to take pride in anything. Hed been officially stripped of the one thing he was really proud of. Without the gun and the badge, he was just another guy. No, not just another guy. Another suspect. Scum, in other words.
One week after his scuffle with Franklin Mandalay, Internal Affairs was still investigating.
Hudson headed for the massive front door of Daniel Logans River Oaks mansion, which looked like the manor house of an English village, not an oil billionaires home smack in the middle of Houston. He hadnt really wanted to come to the wedding. He barely knew the bride, Daniels former assistant Jillian, and had only met her groom, Conner, once. But his friends at Project Justice had wangled him an invitation. Theyd also made him promise to come, knowing he needed to get out of the house. Knowing he needed distraction.