Crazy About You (22 page)

When she smiled, he felt the undeniable pull at his gut. “I know it will. I trust them. And you.”

He grimaced, snaking both arms around her waist to pull her close for a hug. “That’s part of the problem, Emma. You’re too trusting. You plunge into things feet first, following your heart instead of your head.” His heart melted even more when she laid her cheek against his chest and swayed along to the beat of the music. The pounding of the bass line faded away, the music ending. In the beat of silence between songs, she stood on tiptoe to lick his ear and whisper, “Isn’t that how I ended up here, in your arms? Following my heart?”

His breath caught in his throat. The downbeat for the next song seared into his brain, Freddie Mercury crooning about some crazy little thing called love. It took all his self-control not to devour those lips on the spot and taste the Jaeger on her tongue, consequences be damned. But despite her current level of intoxication, he feared she’d get upset over such a public display, given the jealous threats from Tony. The mobster who might show up in town at any minute to “straighten things out.”

It dawned on him that maybe certain extenuating circumstances required shots of alcohol, confronting mobsters being right up there on the list. Emma’s life might be in danger because of her connection to both Tony and Eco Dawn. She must have felt his body shudder at the realization. Her eyebrows shot up, unasked questions in her eyes. He shook his head and released her from his embrace. “It’s nothing. Just a long day. Maybe we should call it a night?” Before his intern could raise a protest, Chase slid a wad of cash in his direction. “You did a great job out there alone today, Todd. I appreciate your efforts. Stay, enjoy the evening. I’ll make sure Emma gets home safely, and I’ll see you at the Center bright and early tomorrow.”

****

“I can’t believe you lied to Todd like that.” They were out on the sidewalk alone, the sounds of Queen fading the farther they got from the bar. Luckily, a break in the clouds meant the rain let up for a few minutes while they made their way to the parked car. “You have no intention of taking me home and you know it.”

Chase grinned, the words from the song still playing in his head.
Crazy little thing called love
. “I didn’t lie. You are coming home. With me. Can I help it if he misinterprets my words?”

“Can you even call it misinterpretation if he doesn’t have all the facts to begin with?” She snuggled closer as they walked, hugging her arms around his middle. “Hey, are you okay to drive back to the motel, or should we call a cab?”

He planted a kiss on the top of her head. “I’m not the one who was doing shots for the last hour.”

“Speaking of which, why were you gone so long? I was starting to worry.”

Hesitating, Chase tried to decide how much to tell her. The truth would come out sooner or later. Better she hear it from him. “I called to check in with my mother after I hung up with Christine.”

“The
ever-efficient
Christine,” Emma teased, then paused when the rest of the words sank in. “What did you chat with your mom about?”

“You. Us. Eco Dawn. The usual.” He shrugged, acting nonchalant.

They’d reached the car, but Emma stood frozen next to the passenger door, her face flushed. She zeroed in on one keyword. “Us? What could you possibly tell
Lennox Anderson
about
us
?”

He chuckled. “To me she’s just my mother, you know. And I told her I’d met someone really great whom I’d like her to meet. Now get in the car, please.” He waited until she’d shut the door and buckled the seat belt, wondering whether to tell her the rest.

That he’d asked his mother about whether she’d thought about investing in the new mayor’s pet project. Apparently, her lawyer steered her clear of writing any checks or getting involved with the company in any way. “According to Donald,” she’d said to Chase, “They’re under some sort of federal investigation.”

What kind of investigation or exactly which agency was making the inquiries, he had no idea. A call to the family lawyer in the morning would solve that mystery quickly. If Eco Dawn was shady, he didn’t want Emma anywhere near the project or her former coworkers. He wondered where the mayor stood in all of this, but that was a problem for another day. Right now his only concern was keeping Emma safe.

“Can we back up a sec to the part where you told your mom that I’m great? Did you really say that?” Her grin stretched ear to ear, but it was her hand squeezing his thigh that made him decide to wait until morning to tell her the rest of the conversation. She’d had enough bad news for one day.

And he knew just the thing to help relieve her stress.

Chapter Twenty-Five

The first rays of sunlight sifted through the mini-blinds, waking Chase before his alarm had the opportunity. He savored the quiet moment, listening to Emma sigh in her sleep, the soft skin of her naked back snuggled against his chest, his arm draped over her waist. His boxers barely provided enough of a barrier to his desire. It felt so right, so normal to wake up next to her, it was hard to believe they only met Monday.

Something had definitely shifted last night. This was about more than sex, although that was in and of itself enough of a reason.
No, this is definitely more than scorching sex
. But he wasn’t sure what that “more” could be.

That L word hovered precariously on the tip of his tongue as Freddie Mercury crooned in his memory.
I must be crazy
. He planted a tender kiss in her silken hair.
Who really believes in falling in love this fast?

She sighed again, squirming under his arm, rubbing against him in a way that sent even more need spearing to his groin. He bit back a groan, deciding she needed more sleep rather than more sex, especially after the rollercoaster of a day she had yesterday. Ever so slowly, he withdrew from the temptations of her body, lifting his hand away from the curve of her hip and inching backward to the edge of the bed. She didn’t stir when he sat up and scrubbed a hand through his hair, staring down at the rigid tent pole in his boxers
. Damn
. Doing the right thing proved downright painful.

One cold shower later, Chase felt ready to face the day. He threw on a polo shirt and long pants, and left a note on the bathroom counter telling her he’d be at the Center.
Call me when you wake up
. He didn’t want her wandering around Provincetown alone, especially not with Tony on his way back to town, and not with a killer out there somewhere. But he had things to do, calls to make, packages being delivered that needed signatures. For the moment she was safer here, especially since no one—especially not Tony—knew where she was.

Slipping quietly out of the air-conditioned motel room, the humid August air wrapped itself around Chase like a wet blanket of worry. He told himself she wouldn’t be alone for long. He’d call his mother’s lawyer, meet the delivery van, and return to the motel with coffee. Maybe he’d do some work on the project first. Or at least give direction to Todd.

He closed his eyes tight and took a deep breath. This having a life thing took some getting used to.
How do people fit more than work into their everyday
lives?
He made a deal with himself. If she didn’t call by noon, he’d come back to wake his Sleeping Beauty with more than a mere kiss. He smiled at the thought.

On the drive to CCS, he phoned Donald, who’d worked for his mother longer than Chase could remember. As expected, the curmudgeonly lawyer was already at his office desk, and sounded genuinely happy to hear from him. “Chase! It’s been too long since I’ve seen you. Are you calling from out at sea or are you on dry land somewhere exotic?”

He chuckled. “Neither. I’m calling from Cape Cod, dry docked for the moment.”

“The Cape can be exotic if you know the right places to go.” Chase heard papers shuffling in the background. “Now then, are you actually calling for my expert travel recommendations, or was there something else on your mind?”

“My mother mentioned you steered her away from Eco Dawn,” Chase said, wondering how much to tell him about Emma’s involvement with the company. “Can you share whatever information you have that caused you to make that recommendation?” The silence stretched long enough to make Chase wonder if his cell phone had dropped the call. He checked the screen before asking, “Donald? Are you still there?”

“Sorry, Charles, I had to shut the door to my office.”

The use of his given name sent a chill down Chase’s back despite the August heat. “Is everything okay?”

“This is strictly between the two of us, not to be repeated to, or discussed with, your mother.”

“Understood.”

“Stay far away from that company and anyone associated with it.”

Chase waited for more, something to justify the cryptic words, but Donald remained silent. He felt deflated, the simple warning being much less informative than expected. “That’s it—stay away?”

“That would be…most expeditious. Don’t you trust my judgment?”

“Of course I do, but…” Chase felt like he was a kid again, seeking advice.

Donald had always been there for him during his years at boarding school, attending his award ceremonies and graduations when his father couldn’t be bothered. He’d always made the time to talk, to discuss any problem no matter how small, whenever Chase needed a sounding board.

Rothwell Anderson, on the other hand, hadn’t had the slightest idea what to do with a genius son who had no interest in numbers or money. A son whose career choices disappointed him at every turn, and whose interest in science and the environment frankly left him baffled. After all, where was the profit in saving the environment?

“But?”

Chase blew out the breath he’d been holding. “But it’s too late to simply stay away. So if you have more info to share, let’s hear it.”

“This wouldn’t have anything to do with that young woman you mentioned to your mother, now, would it?” The lawyer chuckled, and Chase’s mouth fell open, as much at the laughter as at the statement.

“How did you hear about Emma?” He’d mentioned her in passing on the phone the night before. His mother sounded pleased, almost excited, to hear that he was dating. Would she have thought it noteworthy enough to phone her lawyer to draw up a pre-nup so quickly?

“We were at La Vie when she took your call. I had paperwork for her to go over, so we had a dinner meeting.”

Chase pulled into the small parking lot adjacent to the Center for Coastal Studies, suddenly wondering how often the two of them got together with “paperwork.” La Vie was an intimate candlelit restaurant, not the kind of place you went for a business dinner. Not that he blamed his mother. Any life with a driven workaholic like Rothwell Anderson was sure to be a lonely one. He was glad she had someone she could talk to, rely on, like Donald. Before Chase could contemplate this new development too deeply, the next question drew him back to the more pressing topic at hand. “How deeply is this girl involved with the company and its founders?”

“She did public relations and fundraising work at the company for a little over a year, and now spearheads the initiative from within the mayor’s office.”

“Is she part of the family?”

“Family?”

“The
family
,” Donald repeated. “What’s the girl’s last name, Charles?”

The underlying meaning hit him like a punch to the gut. He’d suspected mob ties yesterday when he saw the picture at Emma’s house and they’d discussed Eco Dawn. But to hear his suspicions justified was another matter entirely. “She’s not tied to the Lenzinis. She’s originally from the Cape.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. Although she’s friends with one of them, a guy who’s been helping her convince people to pull out their checkbooks at fundraisers.” Chase frowned, remembering that Tony promised to return to Provincetown sometime today. His need to keep Emma safe felt more urgent than ever, now that Donald confirmed his fears.

Mobsters controlled Eco Dawn. Suddenly Vito’s murder and yesterday’s arson took on even darker overtones. Emma could be in serious danger.

“As your family lawyer, Charles, it’s my duty to advise you to avoid contact with anyone associated with that particular company you mentioned earlier. It sounds like your young woman falls into that category. How well do you actually know her after only a week?”

He clenched his jaw, his fingers tightening around the phone. “Not going to happen, Donald.”

“There’s a federal investigation currently underway. The girl’s activities are being closely monitored and—”

“How do you know?”

“I made some discreet inquiries last night. I was about to add that your father will not be pleased if your name becomes associated with criminal activities.”

“You mean, if
his
name gets associated. We both know he doesn’t give a rat’s ass about me.” It didn’t even hurt to say. Facts were facts.

“There’s a difference between not understanding the choices our children make, and not caring about them.”

Chase swore under his breath. “I’m not walking away from Emma to spare my father from potential embarrassment. She’s not a criminal. Is there a second option? Is there some way we could help with the investigation?”

He heard more papers shuffling. “I’m not even sure what direction to look.”

“Follow the money.” His jaw tightened, thinking about mobsters taking advantage of the city’s desire to do the right thing for the planet. “I realized last night that the trash haulers will make out like bandits with this project. What about the project site—who owns that property? Who’s going to get the contract to build it? Who maintains it once it’s up and running? There’s money to be made from green technology. Whose pockets will it line?”

“Let me hunt a few things down and get back to you. Unless you’re headed out to sea today?”

“Like I said, dry docked for now. In the lab this morning, but I’ll keep my cell phone handy.”

“Be careful. These aren’t feathers you should ruffle.”

Chase disconnected the call and sat staring at the cell phone in his hand. Emma was in a lot more trouble than she even knew, but he remained convinced she had nothing to do with anything criminal. Someone had taken advantage of her trusting nature, using her as a pawn to gather money for their scheme.