The Business of Strangers by Kylie Brant

Author:Kylie Brant
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Silhouette
Published: 2005-09-25T04:00:00+00:00

Ria’s own temper was simmering at a dangerous level by the time she entered Hoochees. The hostess she recognized from her previous visit seemed to remember her, or at least had been given her description. At her entrance the brunette sent her a bright smile and led her to a private corner in the dining area, next to the windows overlooking the river. It was hard to gaze at that view and not remember the same sight from Jake’s windows in the apartment above.

The memory just fired her temper hotter.

“Mr. Tarrance will be right with you,” the hostess promised. Even as she walked away, a waitress, one Ria didn’t recognize, hurried over with a bottle of Chivas Regal and two glasses. Setting one down in front of her, she began to pour, before Ria reached out to stop her with a hand to her arm.

“None for me, thanks. I won’t be staying long.”

The woman continued filling both glasses. “Mr. Tarrance’s request, ma’am.”

Ria’s lips twisted. The man was clearly used to issuing orders and having them obeyed. Problem was, she wasn’t used to following them. It had been on the tip of her tongue to tell him to go to hell, but the news about Stanton had taken her off guard. He’d hung up, assuming she’d come as he’d commanded, and it still burned that she’d done exactly that. But a call to Warden Udall had confirmed Jake’s news. Like it or not, Tarrance might be able to supply some details that the warden had been lacking.

It hadn’t escaped her notice that the rest of the tables in their section were empty. She was certain that, too, had been Jake’s directive. They would be alone here, lending an unwanted air of intimacy to the scene. She couldn’t fault him for the decision, however. Their conversation needed to be conducted in private.

There was a tingle of awareness at the base of her nape. She guessed the cause intuitively. Involuntarily, she turned to watch him cross the room toward her, all the while damning the slow heat flooding her system.

So she couldn’t control her body’s response to him. That didn’t mean she’d act on it again. She couldn’t afford to. She hadn’t been out of Fenton County five minutes before she’d realized she’d picked up a tail. It had alarmed her until she recognized the clumsiness of the driver’s skill. She’d assumed that if it was the person who wanted her dead, he’d have a little more finesse.

Figuring out that it was Ralston, however, had merely stoked her irritation higher. The man was going to be a nuisance, and she could ill afford any extra scrutiny right now. She’d managed to lose him with minimal effort, which didn’t cause him to rise in her estimation.

“Ria.” There was genuine pleasure in Jake’s voice.

Steeling herself against it, against him, she said, “I talked to Udall. He said the autopsy report wouldn’t be finished for a few days, but they believe Stanton’s noontime meal was poisoned.”

There was a subtle hardening of his expression before he smoothed it and sat down.

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