Read Millionaire's Last Stand Online

Authors: Elle Kennedy

Tags: #Contemporary, #Fiction, #Romance, #Suspense

Millionaire's Last Stand (6 page)

BOOK: Millionaire's Last Stand
10.35Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

His brown eyes flashed. “No, I don’t got no proof. But everyone knows he did it. He attacked her outside Sully’s, then followed her home to finish the job.”

Jamie put on an unaffected mask, all the while marveling over how facts could get so distorted in the small-town grapevine. Eyewitnesses had grudgingly admitted to seeing
Teresa
attack
Cole
. Now it was the other way around, apparently.

The distrust coursing through her blood made it difficult to keep a professional distance. Gideon was lying—either about his claim that he hadn’t seen Cole that night, or about something else entirely. Either way, the man wasn’t telling her the whole truth.

Don’t push him.

She heeded the advice, relying on the instincts she’d learned to trust after ten years in law enforcement. Gideon wasn’t budging on his story, not today, anyway, and forcing the subject right now would only cause him to clam up. So despite the reluctance seizing her body, she pasted a smile on her face and leaned forward to shut off the tape recorder.

“Okay, then. Thanks for your time, Mr. Gideon.” Rising from the sofa, she extended a hand, trying not to cringe when Gideon’s beefy hand gripped hers, his dirty fingernails digging into her palm.

“So you’re sending the bastard to jail, right?” Gideon muttered as he walked her to the front door.

“We’re still investigating,” she corrected. “And I may want to speak with you again, if that’s all right with you.”

His shoulders stiffened. “Why?”

“Just in case I need some more details, you know, about Mr. Donovan’s reputation around town, or to answer any other questions that arise.”

“I’d be happy to help,” Gideon said.

A satisfied gleam entered his eyes, and she knew she’d played her cards right. She had to make him think she needed his help to railroad Cole, which Gideon seemed intent on doing. But the defensive flicker of mistruth she’d glimpsed on his face during the interview refused to leave her mind. He’d lied to her about something.

And she was determined to find out what he was hiding.

Chapter 4

A
s Jamie drove away from Gideon’s property, she switched on the Bluetooth nestled in her ear and instructed it to call Finn. He came on the line a second later, with an eager “Well?”

She steered the car onto the road that led back to town and said, “He didn’t budge.”

Finn sounded oddly triumphant. “I told you he wouldn’t change his story. I guess Donovan made it all up then.”

Her lips tightened. “I said Gideon didn’t budge, not that he was telling the truth.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means he’s lying,” she said with a sigh. “I think he saw Cole that night, and he’s lying about it because he believes this will give him some misguided revenge. He really hates Cole.”

There was a long silence, and then Finn spoke again, annoyance in his voice. “Why are you so certain Donovan isn’t the killer? How can you ignore all the evidence against him?”

“What evidence?” she returned. “An alibi that I think is real. An argument with his ex-wife. An upcoming court case regarding a prenuptial agreement. It’s all circumstantial, Finn. Give me hard facts. Give me the murder weapon with his fingerprints on it. Give me premeditation.” She let out a breath. “You don’t have a solid case against him—any lawyer will get this thrown out of court.”

Finn’s heavy sigh echoed in her ear. “You’re right. It’s not enough.”

A familiar cluster of trees came into view. Jamie involuntarily eased up on the gas pedal, realizing that the turnoff onto Cole’s property was up ahead. Her gaze flitted to the upcoming fork, then back on the road. Maybe she ought to stop by Cole’s, just to tell him the bad news about Gideon sticking to his story.

Phones exist for a reason.

She ignored the snarky voice and found herself slowing down even more.

“Jamie, you there?”

“What? Sorry, I’m here,” she said. “What did you say?”

“I said that maybe we should reinterview some of the witnesses who were at Sully’s bar the night of the argument.”

“Sounds like a good idea,” she answered absently.

Fine, so maybe she could just call him, but wasn’t this the kind of news someone would want to hear in person? She was already in the area. Wouldn’t be a hassle to pop in and—

She yanked on the steering wheel at the last second, turning onto the dirt road that led to Cole’s house.

“Let me give you a call later and we can talk more about the case,” she chirped to Finn. “Gotta go. I’m getting another call.”

She flicked off the Bluetooth before he could object, ignoring the sliver of guilt that pierced into her skin. She shouldn’t have lied to Finn, but she hadn’t wanted to tell him she was going to see Cole. Finn’s feelings about the millionaire were no secret. He probably wouldn’t even think to update Cole about any developments—or lack of—in the case.

Right, because that’s why you’re here, to give him an update.

She reached the tall front gate and stopped the car, trying valiantly not to question her own actions. This was a courtesy call. She was being
courteous.

Coming here had nothing to do with the fact that her heart had done those funny little flips whenever Cole was around.

And fine, so maybe his deep voice sent shivers up her spine and his mouth fascinated her a little too much. Wasn’t like she would get involved with the man. He was still a person of interest in this case, which meant that she couldn’t—

A clap of thunder snapped her right out of her inner debate, making her jump. The loud boom was followed by the sound of rain slapping against the windshield.

Jamie stared out in shock. She’d been so wrapped up in thinking of reasons why she shouldn’t like Cole Donovan that she’d been completely oblivious to the fact that the sky had turned an ominous shade of gray. Thick black clouds rolled in from the distance, releasing sharp drops of rain that tapped against the roof of the car.

Looked like the storm Cole had predicted was making an appearance.

Biting her bottom lip, she sat in the car and glanced over at the rustic house beyond the steel gate. The shutters were rattling, and the wind chimes hanging from the porch roof swung in the breeze. Okay, she definitely needed to leave, before the storm got worse and driving became dangerous.

She was just reaching for the gearshift when another crash of thunder echoed from outside, a streak of white lit up the dark sky and the rain began to fall in earnest. It looked like a waterfall cascading over her car, and Jamie realized in growing dismay that there was no way she could outdrive this thing.

Cursing softly, she took a breath, rolled down the window, and pressed the intercom button on the electronic panel on the gate.

Cole’s voice crackled through a moment later. “Jamie?”

She was startled for a moment, then noticed the security camera mounted on the gate and realized he was probably in front of a screen looking right at her. She winced when a blast of wind blew rain through the open car window and soaked her face.

Before she could plead for him to let her in, the gate buzzed loudly, then parted.

As she drove through it, she saw a blur of motion from the corner of her eye as something dark and furry scurried through the open gate into Cole’s driveway. With the windshield wipers working furiously, it was hard to tell what it was, and then the animal darted behind a patch of trees, and she decided it was probably a squirrel. Shifting her gaze, she steered the car up the circular driveway in front of Cole’s house. As the wind rocked the car, she gritted her teeth, threw open the door, then ran toward the covered porch. While she waited by the door, she stared out at the incredible display of nature with wide eyes. She had never seen anything like it. Suddenly the entire sky was almost black, while the wind shrieked like police sirens.

The door swung open to reveal Cole, a look of concern on his handsome face. “What the hell are you doing here?” he yelled over the wind.

She decided to lie rather than admit the embarrassing truth. “I was coming back from Gideon’s and the storm just hit!”

She barely had a chance to finish her sentence before chaos broke out. The rain suddenly fell harder, accompanied by another crack of lightning. As the wind howled, the trees lining the driveway swayed wildly. Several branches crashed to the ground from the force of the wind, nearly falling onto her SUV.

Jamie turned around with a look of horror, and then she was being propelled backward into Cole by a forceful gust bringing with it rain that drenched them both. Cole caught her as she stumbled, planting his hand on her hip to steady her.

“Come inside,” he shouted over the din.

Another boom of thunder rolled through the sky, then a bolt of lightning that split one of the larger tree branches with a sickly crack. The heavy branch broke, crashing to the wet ground, directly behind Jamie’s car.

Cole curled his fingers over her waist and urged her toward the door. “Come on, we need to get inside.”

She quit gaping at the fallen tree branch and let him yank her into the hallway, where she dripped water all over the parquet floor. Her hair was stuck to her forehead and cheeks, making her look like a swamp monster. Just as she was about to comment on her wretched appearance, the lights began to flicker, then went out abruptly, shrouding the front hall in darkness.

“Well,” she started awkwardly. “I have some bad news.”

 

Cole handed Jamie a towel and tried nobly not to stare at her beaded nipples outlined by the thin cotton of the T-shirt he’d given her. They’d both been soaking wet when they’d come inside, and since he hadn’t been able to fix the generator, he couldn’t throw her clothes in the dryer. He’d given her a shirt and drawstring sweatpants to wear, and suddenly he regretted not covering her up in a parka or something.

The tight peaks of her nipples made his mouth go bone dry. He’d been trying to convince himself since yesterday that he wasn’t attracted to Jamie Crawford, that he’d simply enjoyed having someone so open-minded listen to his story, but at this moment, he couldn’t deny what he felt. With her damp hair falling down her back and curling at the ends, and those perky breasts beneath his shirt, she was undeniably beautiful.

And he was undeniably turned on.

He watched as she bent forward to towel-dry her hair, then cleared his throat. “I just made a pot of coffee before the power went out. Would you like a cup?”

“Yes,” she said gratefully.

“Sit down. I’ll bring it in here.”

He quickly left the room, breathing deeply as he headed to the kitchen. He moved through the shadows, grabbing mugs and pouring coffee. When he brought the steaming cups into the living room a minute later, he found Jamie sitting on one of the leather couches, her skin glowing in the candlelight.

“Guess you were smart to buy those supplies,” she remarked, glancing at the shining wicks of the various candles he’d placed around the room.

He joined her on the sofa, making sure to keep a respectful distance. “So Gideon is sticking to his story?” he asked, unable to stop the bitterness from entering his voice.

Her mouth dipped in a frown. “For now.”

“For now?” he echoed. “Does that mean you think I’m telling the truth?”

“It means he’s lying about something,” she replied. “I’ll probably go back in a day or two and give him another push.”

“You think it will help?”

“It won’t hurt,” she pointed out. “Besides, I can’t just leave it alone, not when I’m certain Gideon is hiding something. Trust me, Cole, if he saw you that night, I’ll get him to admit it.”

The moment his name left her lips, a peculiar little shiver moved up his spine. Christ. Why was he so drawn to this woman? After his disastrous marriage to Teresa, he hadn’t felt any inkling to get involved with anyone again. If anything, his ex-wife’s betrayal had him thinking that he was done with women for good.

And then Jamie Crawford showed up on his doorstep, and each time he looked at her, he experienced a pull of attraction. An irrational need to find out if her skin felt as soft and smooth as it looked.

“Thank you,” he said. “It’s nice to know that someone is actually interested in finding the truth.” He scowled. “If only the sheriff were more inclined to do so.”

Jamie gave a wry smile. “He really doesn’t like you, you know.”

“Oh, trust me. I know.”

She shrugged. “I think the changes you made to this town unnerve him.”

“I built a hotel,” Cole said, a defensive edge creeping into his tone. “Which benefited this town, I might add.”

Those violet eyes searched his face. “What made you get into real estate?”

He blinked. He still wasn’t used to it, the way she changed subjects so smoothly. She was obviously quite skilled at it. Ruefully, he realized she’d probably be pretty damn good in a business negotiation.

As she waited for an answer, Cole thought about her question, then chuckled. “When an interviewer asks me that, I say it’s because I like beautiful buildings and creating homes for people.”

She raised one auburn eyebrow. “And the real reason?”

He grinned. “I wanted to spite my father.”

“Interesting.” She leaned forward to put down her mug. “I want to know more.”

“My father made his living buying up companies and tearing them down.” Cole set his jaw. “So I decided I’d make my living doing the opposite.”

“Is it true you gave away all of his money when he died?”

“Every last penny.”

And now he was even richer than his father had been, ironic as that was. When he’d closed his first nine-figure deal, he’d been tempted to look up at the sky—or perhaps down at the ground—and say to his father,
What do you think of that, old man?
Edward Donovan had spent his life chipping away at his son’s confidence, constantly taunting Cole that he would never amount to anything.

Proving the old bastard wrong was the greatest triumph of Cole’s life.

“Yet you managed to build something better from scratch,” Jamie said, sounding impressed. “You should be proud.”

BOOK: Millionaire's Last Stand
10.35Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

Other books

Deadeye by William C. Dietz
Lord of Secrets by Everett, Alyssa
Drink Deep by Neill, Chloe
The Saint-Florentin Murders by Jean-FranCois Parot
My Lady Faye by Sarah Hegger
The Sleepwalkers by Arthur Koestler