Playing For Keeps by Deborah Fletcher Mello

Author:Deborah Fletcher Mello [Fletcher Mello, Deborah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2015-09-15T04:00:00+00:00

Cilla didn’t recognize the woman standing in the center of the nightclub with Romeo. She did however know the man who stood in conversation with them. Special Agent Randolph Taylor was still tall, dark and handsome, not looking as if he’d aged at all since they’d ended their two-year relationship five years ago. She didn’t miss the lift to his eyes when he spied her coming through the door ahead of Malcolm. Neither did Malcolm as he took note of the stranger’s presence. Cilla could feel him tense as they all turned to stare, their chatter coming to an abrupt halt.

“Hey, what’s up,” Malcolm said as the two of them moved to join the others. He shook Romeo’s hand then leaned to hug the woman at Romeo’s elbow.

When Cilla walked into the other man’s outstretched arms, hugging him warmly, the jealous expression across Malcolm’s face was noticed by them all. Malcolm extended his hand in introduction.

“Malcolm Cobb, and you are?”

“I’m Special Agent Randolph Taylor,” he answered, shaking the man’s hand.

“Special Agent?”

Cilla nodded. “Randolph and I are old friends. I called and asked him to meet us here.”

Malcolm’s gaze narrowed. His jaw tightened as he clenched his teeth tightly together.

“Hi, you must be Cilla. I’m Aleta Bowen,” the other woman said, introducing herself. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Good things I hope,” Cilla smiled.

“Very good things.”

“Aleta is my godmother and a really good friend to us all,” Romeo explained.

“So what’s going on here?” Malcolm questioned, looking from one to the other.

Romeo dropped a heavy hand against his friend’s shoulder. “Cilla called and told me what was going on. I called Aunt Aleta to come watch the club for us while we’re in Baltimore.”

“Priscilla called me as well,” the special agent interjected. “I actually came to advise you against going to Baltimore.”

Malcolm shot the man a hostile look. “What’s it to you?”

“I work the sex crimes unit out of the FBI’s Raleigh field office.”

A flash of anger washed over Malcolm’s expression. He cut a narrowed gaze toward Cilla, heat flushing his dark cheeks. Hearing a stranger verbalize what had happened to his baby girl as a sex crime was suddenly debilitating, every ounce of his internal fortitude feeling as if it had been shattered. He broke stance, striding abruptly to the bar. They all watched as he pulled a bottle of vodka from the shelf, dropping it and a shot glass onto the counter. He stood staring at the drink, every muscle shaking with indecision.

“Why don’t you all sit down,” Aleta said softly. She moved to the back of the bar where Malcolm stood, dropping her palm against the back of his hand. She shook her head as Malcolm met the look she was giving him.

Romeo had moved to the bar as well, standing on the other side. “You don’t want to do that,” he said, his comment directed at Malcolm. “You’re going to be no good to us if you take that drink.”

Cilla called his name from across the room.

“Please, don’t,” she said.

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