A Lover's Vow (21 page)

Ben smiled. ‘I'm an ex-cop and an ex-detective, remember? Picking up on most things comes second nature to me. But I couldn't help noticing you weren't using your wand as much as you normally do. And a couple of times, I caught you staring at me as if you could see me.”

“At times I can see you.” She blushed when she added, “Mostly when we make love and...I lose myself.”

“What do you see then?”

“You above me. Loving me. You started out being a bright flash of light, and then one night, there was more. I saw you. I saw your features clearly. It was in a flash but I saw them, Ben.”

“When?”

“While we were in New York.”

He nodded. “Why didn't you tell me?”

Mona smiled. “I know you, Ben. You would have made a big deal out of it, and I didn't want that, especially if I'm hoping for too much.”

“Have you told your doctor yet?”

“Yes. I made an appointment to see him as soon as we got back.”

“And?”

“And he thought what happened was good. But he still warned me not to get my hopes up yet. He thinks we'll know something more definite in another month or so.”

Ben pulled her back into his arms and held her tightly. “I told you my feelings on the matter. Even if you never regain your eyesight, Mona, I love you just the way you are.”

Mona started to reply, but the look on her face said,
How can I reply to that?

“You can't,” he said, letting her know he'd read her mind.

She leaned up and kissed his cheek. “I am a lucky woman.”

“And I'm a very lucky man.”

* * *

“Sheppard Granger didn't take our advice, and his sons have hired a private investigator. She's snooping around.”

The person on the other end of the telephone paused a moment then said, “That's unfortunate. We've gotten rid of one private investigator who tried to prove Granger's innocence, and we can definitely get rid of another. Continue to keep me posted.”

Twenty-Eight

B
ruce glanced around at the people gathered in Dalton's living room, waiting to hear what he had to say. “It was just as Percy said. Software was installed on that computer that was set to wipe everything out from a remote location.” He paused a minute. “It's my guess that whoever is behind this doesn't know we're on to them—otherwise, the computer would have been wiped clean by now.”

Marcel nodded. “In a way, that's a good thing. Hopefully, we can put a trace on it.”

“Good luck with that,” Bruce said, shaking his head. “The culprit is high-tech, way beyond us. You had better believe he or she has covered any tracks very well.”

Jace leaned in closer, his jaw tight and his body stiff. “Are you saying there's no way we can find out who's behind this?”

“No, I'm not saying that, but I don't want any of you to think it's going to be easy or quick. Whoever is on the outside is using someone on the inside, and identifying that person may be our only key.”

“We've done that already,” Caden said. “At least we know who uses that particular computer. But what do we know about her?”

Dalton spoke up. “She's a young woman by the name of Ramona Oakley. She's single, pretty and is friends with a lot of people in the company.”

Everyone stared at Dalton. Caden rolled his eyes. “Why doesn't it surprise me that you would know all that?”

Dalton smiled at his brother. “Yes, why doesn't it?”

“Is there a reason we should find all that important, Dalton?” Jace asked wryly.

“Yes, when you add in the fact she's dating an older man.”

“Like Brandy,” Shana said, smiling, following Dalton and making the connection. “Are you thinking that whomever Brandy was involved with may be the same guy Ramona is seeing? Given that both computers were tampered with in the same way?”

“Yes, that's what I'm thinking,” Dalton said, grinning.

“That
could
be a link,” Shana said.

“I agree,” Bruce said, nodding. “It's worth checking out. We might not be able to put a trace on the person who tampered with the computer, but we can speak with the woman in question.”

“Let's not be so quick to put all our apples in one basket,” Marcel warned. “I wouldn't just check on what we can find out about Ms. Oakley, but on every single person in that department.”

Shana nodded. “Consider it done.”

* * *

Jules glanced up from the document she'd been reading and smiled up at Manning. “Ivan Greene's alibi isn't as tight as he thinks it is. According to this, he might have been in court that day, but the judge granted a long recess. And it was during that block of time that Sylvia Granger was murdered.”

She paused a moment and then asked, “Did we ever hear anything back from that cruise line on whether Michael and Yolanda Greene were actually on the ship the entire week in question? I know Sheppard Granger's attorney at the time supposedly checked it out, but I can't guarantee he did a good job, or that he checked it out at all. We're not taking anyone's word for anything.”

“We haven't heard anything yet. The woman I spoke with indicated records that far back were in storage and they would need time to retrieve them.”

“Well, stay on top of them. We don't have a lot of time.”

“Will do.” Manning stood there for a minute and stared at Jules.

She frowned. “Is something wrong?”

“You tell me.”

“Tell you what?”

“Is anything wrong?”

Jules leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. “What makes you think something is wrong?”

“For starters, for the past three nights, you've practically slept here. Like you're afraid to go home or something.”

“Why would I be afraid to go home?”

“You tell me.”

“Emanuel.” Whenever she called him by his full name, she let him know she meant business. “There is nothing to tell you. I had a lot of reading to do and I decided to stay here and do it. Last night, I fell asleep while reading, which is why you came in early and found me asleep on the couch over there.”

“You've never done that before.”

“I've never had a case like this one before. Usually, on criminal cases, I'm called in to either keep people out of jail or to help put them there. I've never handled an investigation in which someone is already in jail and I'm trying to prove he's innocent. And what's so sad is that if Sheppard Granger is indeed innocent, fifteen years were taken from his life.”

Manning didn't say anything as he continued to stare at her. “Are you sure that's all it is?”

She broke eye contact with Manning and gathered the papers on her desk into a neat stack. “Yes, I'm sure that's all it is. Now, if you don't mind, I need to get some more work done. I lost time when I left to go home to shower and change clothes.”

“Hey, you're the boss. You can do whatever you want to do.”

She glanced back up at him. “Including firing you.”

He chuckled. “Now, that's something you can't do. But I'll leave you alone so you won't be tempted to try.”

When Jules heard the door close behind Manning, she released a long, deep sigh. Manning had hit too close to home to suit her. It wasn't that she was afraid to go home—she just didn't want to risk Dalton showing up unannounced again. It had been over a week since she'd seen or talked to him, and at first she'd been fine. But now she was feeling pressure, and of what she wasn't sure. All she knew was that if he were to show up, she wouldn't ask him to leave. And the thought of her being that weak had her frustrated as hell, deeply annoyed with herself.

She'd never let any man get under her skin, but he had somehow done just that. It just didn't make sense. If it was only about sex, then she would have gotten enough to last awhile. She definitely shouldn't be itching for more. Had it really been
that
good?

Yes, she concluded. It had been
that
good. Just thinking about how good had her pulse racing and every single cell in her body craving more of the kind of ecstasy only Dalton Granger could deliver.

She stood and walked over to her window. Cold showers weren't working for her, and there was no way she could go back to her toys after experiencing a man like Dalton. Even Shana had asked her yesterday if she was all right. Her sister still didn't know that she was working on Sheppard Granger's case. Maybe it was time to tell her. Jace and Caden, as well. Especially since Ivan Greene's alibi wasn't wrapped up too tightly.

She glanced away from the window when her cell phone rang. Recognizing her sister's ringtone, she crossed the room to click on her phone. “Shana?”

“Yes, it's me. I was just checking on you.”

Jules slid into her chair. “And I was just thinking about you. There's something I need to talk to you about. And I want Jace and Caden included in this conversation, as well.”

“What about Dalton?”

To say Dalton was already aware of what she had to say would mean explaining some things she would rather not broach with her sister. So instead, she said, “Yes, include Dalton if he's available.”

“He's available. We all are. Right now. We met at Dalton's place to cover some business we preferred to handle away from the office. Bruce and Marcel left a few minutes ago, but we're still here. Can you drop by now, or do you prefer we come to you?”

“I can drop by,” Jules said. She glanced at her watch. “It shouldn't take me long to get there. Let's say in about twenty minutes.”

“We'll be here waiting.”

Jules clicked off the phone, knowing she had to prepare herself both mentally and physically to see Dalton again.

* * *

Jace stopped pacing long enough to ask, “Did Jules say why she wanted to meet with us?”

Shana smiled up at her husband. “No, she didn't.”

“And she didn't have a problem with his being here?” Caden asked, nodding toward Dalton.

Shana shook her head. “No, she didn't have a problem with Dalton being here.”

“Excuse me, but this is
my
house. I'm sure if she had a problem with it, she would have suggested the three of you meet with her someplace else,” Dalton said.

“No need to get touchy. I was just asking since the two of you don't get along,” Caden responded, stretching his legs out in front of him.

At that moment, an image of how well he and Jules got along entered Dalton's mind...right along with an image of how she'd looked when he'd last seen her. She'd been naked in her bed. Her skin had felt warm beneath his fingertips, and her parted lips had just whispered his name.

He stood and began pacing, almost bumping into Jace a couple of times. “Will one of you sit down?” Caden demanded, frowning. “You're making me dizzy.”

Dalton glared at his brother. “It's
my
floor. I have the right to wear out the carpet if I want to.”

Jace lifted a brow. “And why are you wearing out the carpet?”

“Yes, Dalton, why are you?” Caden asked, too. “You seem kind of nervous about something. Is the fact Jules is coming over making you twitchy for some reason?”

That got Shana's attention. Although she didn't say anything, she stared at him in a way that made a prickling sensation spread over his skin. “I am not nervous. I just have a lot on my mind.”

“Don't we all,” Jace said, giving up the floor to slide onto the sofa next to his wife. “I keep thinking about everything Bruce said earlier. And Marcel brought up some good points. We can't target just one person. Everyone is a suspect. Right now the only people we can really trust at Granger are each other.”

When the doorbell sounded, anxiousness suddenly filled Dalton's body. It had been over a week since he'd last seen Jules, but he had thought about her every single day, dreamed about her every effing night. Already, blood was pumping through his veins, and his body was on fire, craving something he was trying to prove to himself that he could do without. And damn it, he was failing miserably, especially when he could already pick up her scent. Not Amarige specifically. This time, it was the feminine scent of a woman. A woman his body remembered mating with. A woman his tongue remembered tasting. A woman his—

“Are you going to get that, Dalton? After all, it is
your
house.”

He blinked and glared at Caden. Instead of giving his brother the satisfaction of a response, he headed for the door and opened it. And there she stood. Dressed in a maxi dress, jacket and boots, looking sexier than should be allowed during daylight hours. Why was he so glad to see her? Why were his mind and body telling him he had missed her? That he had been miserable for the past week? That he had wanted her, even though he'd tried convincing himself he hadn't?

“Jules.”

“Dalton,” she said, parting lush crimson lips into a semblance of a smile. “How are you?”

“Okay, what about you?”

“Fine.”

“Damn it, Dalton, aren't you going to let her in?” Jace called out.

Dalton stepped aside. “Come on in. The natives are getting restless.”

* * *

All eyes were on Jules as she stood in the middle of Dalton's living room about to disclose why she had asked for this meeting. She could handle all pairs of eyes...except one. Curiosity was not lining the dark depths of Dalton's pupils. What she saw nearly took her breath away, had goose bumps forming on her arms and had the area between her thighs tingling with a sensation she recognized very well.

“Jules, you wanted to meet with us,” Shana prompted.

Jules smiled at her sister. “Yes.” She paused a moment and then said, “I know that no one asked or hired me to do so, but I decided to prove that Sheppard Granger did not kill Sylvia.”

“What?”

“Why?”

“How?”

All three questions were thrown to her at once. The only one who hadn't asked anything was Dalton, because, of course, he knew what was going on. But that didn't stop him from keeping his intense stare on her as if he had x-ray vision, making her feel naked even while fully clothed.

“I think I can sum up all your questions in one response. Because I am a private investigator. That's what I do for a living, and I'm good at what I do. Besides that, my sister is now a Granger. If your lives are in danger, then so is hers. The thought of that doesn't sit too well with me. And although I've never met your father, my dad has, and he feels that Sheppard is serving time for a crime he didn't commit.”

“So you've taken it upon yourself to prove his innocence?” Caden asked, arching a brow.

“Yes. Already, I've started my investigation and—”

“Started an investigation?” Shana asked with panic in her voice.

“Yes.”

“You do know what Dad thinks happened to the last private investigator, right?” Jace asked, taking Shana's hand in his.

“Yes, I know. And I've looked into that situation, as well.”

Shana leaned forward in her seat. “Sounds like you've been quite a busy little beaver, Jules. I think you need to fill us in on a few things.”

Jules heard the censure in Shana's tone and knew her sister didn't like the thought of her taking on the investigation. “Okay, then. I had Manning do the legwork for a few things during that week I was in Miami.” Bringing up Miami made her force away erotic images that had suddenly sprung forth to the front of her mind.

“Who's Manning?” Caden wanted to know.

“Her administrative assistant,” Shana answered.

Jules continued. “When I got back, I read the reports, and the first thing I found odd was that Marshall Imerson's accident report had been sealed.”

“Sealed?” Jace asked, frowning.