Brenna couldnt help it. She laughed. You have a bodyguard?
Its my mothers idea. Ive told you shes a bit over-protective. After what happened to my father, can you blame her?
Brenna sobered at the reminder. So your mother doesnt know about Marvin being a con man?
I couldnt bring myself to tell her. All this time she thought I was chilling out at a spa. I didnt think shed worry. I mean, she never looks at her Visa bill. She has a financial manager who pays her bills.
Youll have to tell her now.
I suppose. Sonya looked up, her eyes filling with tears. Oh, Brenna, she was so happy. Planning this wedding was the high point of her life. Since I became engaged, shes talked of nothing but creating the perfect ceremony for the perfect princess bride. I couldnt take that away from her.
As flawed as Sonyas logic was, Brenna understood. After all, she hadnt told her own parents that her wealthy, suave art-agent fiancé was a big phony. It was a very tough thing, admitting not just that you were a fool, but a destitute one. But at least Brennas family hadnt gotten to the wedding-plan stage.
Im sorry to leave you like this, Sonya said. I think you should give up the hunt for now. Its not safe, and Marvin could be dangerous. Oryou could hook up with the FBI agent.
Brenna snorted. Yeah, right. He thinks Im protecting Marvin. Of all the stupid assumptions.
He had to make sure, Sonya said. He was probably going by the statistics. After all, it would be easy for a naive woman to convince herself thered been some mistake, that the love of her life hadnt really stolen from her, that the FBI was in error. Agent Packer has no way of knowing you arent one of those women.
I cant believe youre defending him. He sneaked into our room! He was probably looking through our underwear.
Sonyas face hardened. John-Michael is the one who broke in. Agent Packer was just trying to protect us.
Brenna supposed that was marginally true, at least if she could believe Packers story.
Promise me you wont try to catch Marvin on your own, Sonya said. I dont want to have to worry about you.
Under the circumstances, Brenna had no choice. I promise. Dont give me another thought. You just go home and take care of your mother.
Sonya zipped up her last suitcase. I feel so guilty, making her worry. She bit her lip. I probably caused her heart attack.
You didnt know she was ill. Dont do this to yourself, Sonya. Brenna went to Sonya and hugged her. Other than coming from wealthy families, the two women didnt have a lot in common. They never would have sought each other out as friends under ordinary circumstances. But over the past few weeks, theyd shared a lot.
With Cindy on her honeymoon and me going home, Sonya said, I guess The Blond Posse is officially disbanded.
I have a feeling well see each other again. Brenna helped Sonya carry her suitcases out. The bodyguard loaded them all in the trunk of his rental SUV as if they weighed nothing. Packer was nowhere to be seen, the traitor.
At the last minute Brenna took Sonya aside. How well do you know this guy?
Way better than I ever wanted to. We grew up together, though hes a few years older than me. But Mother hired him as my bodyguard when I was eighteen.
I could think of worse fates. The bodyguard wasnt hard to look at, but it was Heath Packer whod caused Brennas hormones to jump up and take notice.
Ugh. Please. Sonya gave a very un-Sonya-like sneer. Then she gave Brenna a quick parting hug, climbed into the bodyguards SUV and was whisked away.
Brenna felt a wave of loneliness. What was she going to do now? Sit back and let the FBI go after Marvin? Yeah, like theyd been so effective up until now. That jerk Packer was wasting his time suspecting her, instead of going after the real criminal.
She supposed she better pay her restaurant check before Willie-the-Cajun-Waiter-from-Hell came after her with his coffee pot.
She returned to her room, pulled a twenty from her stashat least neither of the room-breakers had found her moneyand headed back to the restaurant.
Hey, Willie, she called to their surly waiter. I got the cash. She waved her twenty at him. I told you I was good for it.
Now Willie was all smiles. Oh, not to worry, miss. Your bill was paid in full.
Oh. Had Sonyano, the SUV had driven down the street in the opposite direction. Then, somehow, without even seeing him, Brenna knew. She felt a tickle at the back of her neck and turned to see Heath Packer in a booth, eating a bowl of gumbo.
She marched over to the booth and slid in across from him. So, youre still here. I suppose you expect me to slobber in gratitude for paying our bill.
He looked up from his gumbo. A simple thanks would do.
She slapped her twenty on the table. Here. I refuse to be beholden to you.
Now theres no need
How dare you think Im so stupid that I would protect a guy who totally humiliated me and wiped me out, not to mention the damage hes done to my reputation? If I dont show up at that IJC show with my jewelry, my career is over!
I have to go with the information I have, Heath said in an infuriatingly reasonable tone. Agent Delacroix told me what happened in Faring, Louisiana. Your warning allowed Marvin Carter to escape.
That was an accident. He wasnt supposed to see Cindy peeking in his window. Oh, why am I trying to explain anything to you? Brenna stole a package of saltines from Heath and opened it.
Didnt you just have lunch? he asked.
I have a fast metabolism.
Heath focused on his gumbo for a few minutes. He ate his way around the okra, she noticed. Obviously not a Southern boy.
So what brought you to New Orleans? he finally asked after a long, awkward silence.
Internet sleuthing. Brennas pride over how clever she and Sonya had been warred with her desire not to talk to Packer. Pride won out. Sonyas first contact with Marvin was in a chat room, so we figured he might use that MO again. Sure enough, we spotted him in a singles chat room. Different name, but using the same tired lines. He was flirting with a woman called FrenchQuarterChic. Before we could learn more, they both dropped off. I discovered hed downloaded maps of New Orleans from my computer.
Packer gave Brenna a nod. Good work.
Shes here, all right. And so is he.
Its a pretty big city.
I know. But I figure he might try to fence some of the stolen jewelry here. There are a ton of estate jewelers on Royal Street. I looked in the Yellow Pages.
HEATH HAD TO HAND IT to Brenna. She had a sharp mind. That was a pretty good story shed cooked upimprobable, but barely believable. She also had quite an appetite. She polished off the last saltine from the cellophane packet, then started eyeing his cornbread muffin.
He pulled a paper napkin from the dispenser and set the muffin on it, pushing it toward her. Jeez. Id hate to see you if you missed a meal.
She dug into the muffin without so much as a thanks.
So what are your plans? Heath asked casually.
I dont have any. I promised Sonya I wouldnt track down Marvin Carter on my own. She thinks it might be dangerous, and she doesnt want to worry about me.
And Im sure you wouldnt want to worry your old sorority sister.
Brenna surprised him by laughing. That was pretty funny. Me, in a sorority. I wonder if Mr. Beefcake Bodyguard bought it?
You thought he was good-looking?
She gave him a sideways look. Oh, yeah.
And just what the hell had prompted him to ask a stupid question like that? Heath reminded himself to stick to business. Whom Ms. Brenna Thompson found attractive or unattractive was not his concern.
Why does Sonya need a bodyguard? he asked.
She doesnt. But her moms overprotective because Sonyas father was murdered when she was ten. Sonyas all her mother has left.
A nasty thought occurred to Heath. Had Brenna befriended Sonya to get close to the wealthy Mrs. Patterson? Looking at her now, nibbling at his muffin, he found it hard to suspect her. But that was his job, after all.
Tell you what, he said. Why dont the two of us work together? This was the plan he and Grif had hastily come up with, now that she was on to their surveillance. Heath would pretend to be her teammate. Since she didnt know Grif existed, he would continue to observe from a discreet distance to see if Brenna made contact with anyone when she thought no one was looking. Even now, Grif was seated at the opposite end of the restaurant, nursing a cup of coffee and reading a newspaper.
Heath hoped Brenna would make her move soon. Fleming Ketcher was pushing him to make the arrest, and was only marginally convinced that Heaths plan to give her some line was a better idea.
I dont want to work with you, Brenna said. I dont like you. Youre sneaky, and you think Im a liar, or stupid, or both.
I dont think youre any of those things. It was partly the truth. He didnt think she was stupid. Im prepared to believe you really dont know where Marvin is, and that youre not protecting him.
Well, gee, thanks.
He needed to convince her they were on the same side. Listen, Brenna. Even if you dont like me, I have resources you dont. I have access to databases and a crime lab. And I can offer you some measure of protection.
But why do you need me? she asked, not unreasonably.
You can identify both the stolen jewelry and Marvin. All I have are the rough drawings you provided, and a couple of blurry photographs of the perp.
He could see she was mulling over his words. On second thought, she was mulling over his gumbo. Do you want something else to eat?
She waved at Willie the waiter. Can I have a bowl of that gumbo, please? Large.
Chapter Two
If this was what FBI agents did all day, Brenna thought, she wondered why she hadnt applied to the Bureau. She and Heath had spent all afternoon hitting every jewelry store in the French Quarter, checking out the inventory for any sign of Brennas stolen pieces, then showing Marvins photo to the proprietors asking if anyone had seen him.
No one had.
Still, Brenna was in her element. She lingered over some of the gaudy estate pieces, trying on rings that cost more than she made in a year, imagining how she might reinterpret the designs in her own style.
She also enjoyed watching Heath in his macho FBI role. The suit, the badge, the subtle bulge of his gun in its shoulder holster had seemed a bit out of place in Cottonwood, Texas. But here in New Orleans, the costume afforded him respect. People took him seriously. They listened when he spoke. Some were decidedly afraid of him. And the women, especially, responded to him in an obviously sexual way, even the senior citizens.
She sighed. Respect was one thing shed never really gotten in her life. As the youngest of six kids, she was the one always craning her neck, looking up to her big brothers and sisters.
Marvin had sensed that lack in her life. Hed known exactly what to say, how to look at her, how to listen to her, to make her believe he valued her as a person and recognized her intelligence and talent.
Intelligence. Right. Shed been a real smart one, letting a weasel into the chicken house.
Brenna, lets go, Heath said impatiently. We have a lot more shops to check in the French Quarter alone.
Brenna realized shed been lost in thought as she gazed at an aquamarine brooch in the shape of a dragonfly. She could do dragonflies, she realized, sleek, modern critters that would look as if theyd lit for an instant on a scarf or jacket lapel, shimmering with pavé diamonds.
She shook her head to clear it. Sorry. Can we stop and get something to eat?
Two lunches werent enough?
Its almost four oclock. Teatime. Come on, Ill treat, she said as they cut through the colorfully named Pirates Alley to Jackson Square, where the living mosaic of sidewalk artists, musicians and mimes took Brennas breath away.
Heath seemed not to notice any of it. Not even a child doing an energetic soft-shoe dance while another little boy played the banjo could coax a smile out of the stoic agent.
Brenna tossed a few coins into the kids banjo case. Then she spotted the Café du Monde, which shed just read about in a brochure at the Magnolia Guest House.
This way. She could already smell the rich coffee and chicory, not to mention the beignets.
How are you going to treat? Heath asked. I thought you were broke.
I have a little bit of money, she hedged. She didnt want to tell him about the twelve thousand dollars in the lining of her suitcase. With Cindy eloping to Italy for her honeymoon, she would never be able to prove where shed gotten so much cash.
They lucked out and found a table near the edge of the café, where people-watching was at its best. Brenna dug into her order of beignets, which were light-as-a-cloud, doughnutlike pastries drowning in powdered sugar. They melted in her mouthshed never tasted anything so exquisite. She polished hers off in no time, washing them down with the rich coffee, then noticed Heath had only taken a couple of bites of his.
Dont you like the beignets?
He made a face. Too sweet.
Theres no such thing as too sweet. She batted her eyelashes at him, which had the desired effect. He pushed his plate toward her.
Go for it.
Thanks. As she savored the last few bites of pure fat and carbs, she pondered her new partner. She was grateful hed joined forces with her. The prospect of abandoning her pursuit of Marvin had depressed her. But Heath Packer wasnt nearly as much fun as Sonya and Cindy had been. At least with Sonya she could dish about men and clothes and makeup. And Cindy had been just plain fun, with her baby and her puppy and her straightforward way of talking and looking at things.
Heath hardly said a word. He was always at attention, those blue eyes of his darting around on constant alert, as if bad guys were going to accost them at any second.
They would have a lot more fun if he would loosen up a little.
So where are you from? she asked. I know youre not from Texas because of the way you talk, but I cant quite place the accent.
Most recently from Baltimore.
What brought you to Dallas? Thats where you work out of, right? Dallas?
I was transferred there.
Why? Was it something you requested, or does the FBI move people around arbitrarily?