Secrets Collide (Bluegrass Brothers) (17 page)

She was sending texts when she suddenly felt as if she were not alone. A hand came down and suddenly covered her mouth before she could scream. A strong arm wrapped around her chest, pinning her to her chair. She felt the man press her body tight to his as he lowered his head to her ear.

Gemma tensed as she felt his warm breath on her neck. “You look so beautiful when you’re concentrating.” His hand left her mouth and Gemma whipped around and smacked Cy’s stomach.

“You scared me to death!” she hissed. “How did you get in here? My door is locked.”

“I came in through the window. You have a guard dog outside the door—about five feet, white curly hair, sensible shoes, and large knitting needles.” Cy leaned against the table and pulled her from her chair to stand between his legs. “It’s good to see you again.”

Gemma snuggled into him as he wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her closer. He smiled down at her and she couldn’t help but notice his eyes were darker tonight right before he brought his lips to hers. He kissed her softly but soon his hands were sliding downward as he deepened the kiss. His tongue swept into her mouth while his hands were busy pulling up the hemline of her jersey skirt.

They were combustible, Gemma decided. He made her feel as if she was the only woman in the world and he couldn’t breathe unless he had her right then and there. That feeling gave her such a rush.

The knock at the door had her jumping back. “Miss Lily,” she whispered as she looked around for a place to hide him.

“Gemma, dear? May I come in?” came the inquiry through the door. She turned back around and Cy was gone.

“Coming,” she called out. “Cy?”

“Over here.” Gemma looked and then saw the very edges of his fingers on the windowsill.

“Oh my God.” Gemma rushed over to where Cy was hanging from the window.

“Sweetheart, can you please get the door and put your guard dog to bed?” he asked calmly as he dangled two stories from the ground.

“Don’t fall in her azalea bush or she’ll kill you,” Gemma grinned before answering the door. “Yes?”

Miss Lily stepped into the room and looked around. “I was just going to bed. Is there anything I can get you before I retire?”

“No, thank you. You’ve done more than enough.” The woman had kept her fed and undisturbed as she worked. For that she was grateful. But now she really wanted to get the man hanging from her window into her bed.

“Okay then, dear. Good night.”

“Good night, Miss Lily.” Gemma closed the door and quietly locked it.

“Now we have all night together,” Cy whispered against her ear as he slid his hands under her shirt to gently cup her breasts.

“How . . .” but she was cut off from asking how he snuck back into her room when he whipped her around and kissed her again. She pushed him back to the desk and kissed him back.

Gemma ran her arms down his back, clinging to him as his hands slid up her legs and pushed her skirt up.
Dink, dink, dink
. Gemma pulled back. “Seriously? You couldn’t turn off your cell phone? Who’s begging to sleep with you now? Because it sure isn’t going to be me.” Gemma shoved down her skirt and crossed her arms over her chest. She was tired of all these women coming between them, and it was clear she shouldn’t even be thinking of a future with him when he couldn’t tell these women to back off.

“My phone is in my room,” Cy snapped back as he stood up. “That’s all you, sweetheart.” He turned and walked to the window to look out and Gemma felt horrible. She had just hurt him and now she didn’t know what to do to fix it.

“Cy, I’m so sorry. I guess I just don’t know what we’re doing. I’m not used to that. Usually there are dates, movies, and then comes the mind-blowing sex. And I’m certainly not used to competing for a man with America’s Sweetheart and women who get paid to be beautiful. Please say you understand.”

Cy turned around and she saw the frustration on his face. “But don’t you see? There is no competition.”
Dink, dink
.

“Are we okay?”

“Yes. And now we’ve had our first fight. Let’s get to the make-up sex,” Cy grinned. “
Dink, dink
. “But first why don’t you get that. Once I get started, I don’t want to stop.”

Gemma nodded breathlessly and picked up her phone. “I found something.” She scrolled through the text messages and quickly typed back. She felt Cy come and sit on the edge of the bed, waiting for her to finish typing. “See, I figured out why I couldn’t get to the bottom of my sister’s notes. I was trying too hard to be her. I needed to do what I’m good at.”

“That thing last night where you put your leg . . .”

Gemma blushed. “No, I mean gossip. I’m good at finding out gossip,” Gemma laughed as she answered her now ringing phone.

Cy leaned back and watched Gemma man the phone. She talked, texted, and emailed all at the same time as she worked to find the identity of some of the main players.

“I’ll get you into the Pink Rose as a VIP as soon as I get back to L.A. if you can get this for me. Thanks.” Gemma hung up and immediately took another call. “That’s perfect. I’ll get you Lakers tickets when I’m back.”

Cy felt a knot in his stomach. It was crazy, but the idea of her going back to California didn’t sit well with him. He was done with that life. The other night had meant more to him that he’d even admit to himself. Since then, he’d been thinking of starting a family here in Keeneston with her. But as she talked about getting home to L.A., he decided he must've read too much into it.

Gemma continued to work with her back toward him and he could tell she was in her element. He wasn’t going to distract her now. He quietly unlocked the door and made his way back to his room, hoping he could figure her out. How could he be a spy, a professional at reading people, and yet Gemma was a mystery to him?

*     *     *

The irate boss slammed his fist on the Brazilian wood table and cursed. His most trusted advisors were around him giving him an update on his enterprises. Sure, they were all going well and he was making money hand over fist on the black market, but his one mistake was still haunting him.

“I’ve had to kill two of my men and organize a riot in a prison to fix this Keeneston matter. I don’t care about anything else. I want this fixed.” With a satisfying crash, he threw his coffee mug into the wall and watched it shatter.

Sergei cleared his throat. “Sir, I think we should take him down before he digs any further.”

“Oh? You think?” he spat. Luckily, that prison warden had contacted Sergei or he’d never have found Cy Davies’s identity. He turned to his right-hand man, the only one he’d been able to depend on for all these years. “Get your ass to Keeneston and get a base set up. I’ll be there by the end of the week.”

*     *     *

“Come in,” Gemma yelled as she hung up the phone. Cy walked through the door and into her room. “Hey. Where did you go last night?”

“I know how important this is to you and you were on such a roll I didn’t want to interrupt. How is it going this morning?”

“Excellent. I have something big, but now I don’t know what to do with it.” Gemma jumped up and started pacing the room. “I tracked down the man with the goatee that Senator Bruce told us about. Then I had a buddy from the IRS pull his records. Guess what I found?” Gemma knew she was waving her hands around like a mad woman, but she was just too excited.

“What?”

“He has a huge house in the suburbs of D.C., but he also has a very nice condo downtown. I have a gut feeling his wife may not know about this second house because the taxes were filed separately, almost like he was hiding it from her. Do you know why I think that?”

“Why?”

“Because he writes it off as rental property he’s owned for two years. Funny thing about it, though—he’s never collected rent.”

“A perfect place to hide a girlfriend,” Cy stated with less excitement than she had hoped. “We just have to find a way to turn her. Shouldn’t be hard. She probably doesn’t know he’s married.”

“I might have already done that.” That got his attention. Gemma almost laughed as Cy’s head snapped up. “I kinda called and pretended to be his insurance adjuster and said someone filed a claim against him for hit and run. I told her he needed to come into the police station immediately as they were looking into criminal charges.” Gemma paused and took a deep breath. They finally had a lead and she did it her way. She couldn’t stop smiling.

“And?” Cy coaxed.

“And she told me he left for Kentucky this morning and gave me his cell phone number so I could call him.”

Cy stood up and hurried to her desk. “Where’s the number?” he asked.

“Here.” Gemma handed him her notes with the number circled. “What are you going to do?”

“Track it. I guess they’ve found us out. Let’s take the offensive and see what they’re up to.” Cy opened her laptop and started typing. Screens popped up and Gemma was lost as to what he was doing. Then all of a sudden a map appeared on the screen with a little dot on it. “Bingo.”

“Where’d you learn to do that?”

“Spy school. I’m full of neat tricks.” Gemma remembered some of those neat tricks and suddenly felt hot. “It looks like he’s right outside of Keeneston. Let’s see what he’s been up to.”

Cy’s fingers flew over the keyboard as he typed away. “What are you doing now?” Gemma asked.

“Pulling up all his financials and all the information I can on that address. It’s a private residence on a horse farm right outside town. It was for sale, but a cash offer was made today, probably by our guy. Oh, and look at this. He just purchased a ticket to the Mayor’s Annual Charity Ball in Lexington tonight.”

“Why would he do that? Fly into town, buy a house, and attend a ball?” Gemma wondered.

“He’s laying the groundwork. His boss is very powerful and he may have connections here . . . or he will shortly.”

“So, what are we going to do?”

“Dance. You need a gown, sweetheart.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Gemma stepped into the beautiful royal-blue silk dress and prayed it fit. Kenna gave her the nod and Gemma sucked in as the zipper made its way up.

“Oh, thank goodness.” Gemma let out her breath. The dress fit. She had three hours to get ready for a formal ball. Cy had called Paige, who had called Kenna, who had called Dani, who had called Katelyn. Soon her room was filled with women, dresses, shoes, hair products, and things she couldn't identify.

“They give you cleavage, although in this dress I don’t think you’re going to need them,” Katelyn said as she put away the boob enhancers that strangely resembled chicken cutlets.

“This dress is perfect for you.” Kenna clapped as she took a step back and checked out the fit. “I wore this to a ball at Mo’s, so it should be perfect for the charity event.”

“I've got just the shoes for you, too,” Katelyn dug around in her bag and pulled out a pair of silver heels. “I got these at a fashion show in Milan, but they’re a size too small. I think they should fit you perfectly.”

Gemma slid on the expensive designer shoes and got a tingly feeling. She’d never tell Cy, but these shoes were almost as hot as he was. Almost. “This is amazing. Thank you so much. I wouldn’t have been able to do this without you.”

“Wait, we’re not done yet.” Dani dug around in her purse and pulled out a velvet bag. “Sometimes less is more. Especially when less is a huge diamond.”

Gemma gasped at the large diamond pendant. “I couldn’t possibly wear that.”

“Sure you can. It will make a statement and statements without words are the best way to get information. People will be clamoring to find out who you are and will gladly answer your questions.”

Paige stepped over to fasten the necklace. “You look perfect. Remember, just smile.”

“Oh no, it’s time! Okay, purse, shoes, dress, hair, makeup, jewelry,” Kenna checked off. “You’re good to go. We can’t wait to hear how it goes.”

The ladies grabbed their things and headed downstairs with Gemma. Gemma was so caught up in talking that she was halfway down before she saw Cy standing by the door in his black tuxedo with a crisp white shirt and perfectly tied black bowtie. The tuxedo emphasized his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and hugged his muscled legs.

“I think I’m going to cry,” Kenna whispered to Dani as she sniffled.

Crying wasn't what Gemma was thinking about. Roaring emotions flooded her as she felt happiness, fear, and guilt. Cy was fun to be with and she felt a closeness to him that she couldn’t even describe. She just knew that no matter what, through the highs or the lows in life, he’d be there for her with a cocky smile and a gentle touch. But thinking of a future she badly wanted was scary, too. What if he didn’t feel the same way? What if he really was the player that he seemed to be in California? And then there was the guilt. The loss of her sister was overwhelming at times and she felt horrible that Gia would never have these feelings. It was that feeling that was winning out. She shouldn’t be engaging in an affair while her sister’s killer was free.

Cy had been waiting for what seemed like forever when he finally heard the group of women emerge from Gemma’s room. He was lucky he already owned a tux and was ready and waiting for Gemma as soon as he ironed the wrinkles out. One look at her, though, and the wait had been worth it. She looked breathtaking as she came down the stairs. It was going to be hard to remember tonight was a job.

“You’re beautiful,” Cy said as he took her hands in his and placed a soft kiss on her cheek.

“She is, isn’t she?” Kenna blew her nose into a tissue and batted her teary eyes.

“What is the matter with you?” Dani whispered as she nudged her.

“It just reminds me of Will and me and this house and . . .” Cy didn’t know what to do as Kenna wiped the tears from her eyes. She was all red in the face and teary-eyed and he felt a slight moment of panic.

“Oh, bless your heart,” Miss Lily cried as she too grabbed a tissue and raced across the entranceway to embrace Kenna.

“What?” His sister seemed as confused as he was.