Synergy: New Adult Romantic Suspense (U-District, #1) (27 page)

“Mmmm,” she moaned when she parted her lips for him.

“Hey you two.” Jim dumped his water bottle over their heads.

Jade screamed and jumped out of his lap. The water ran down her lime-green tank top, highlighting her breasts rather nicely.

“What was that for?” Bryce laughed.

“To cool you two off. Do you think you can keep your hands off one another long enough to join us at Pete’s Pub after the game?”

“I can’t promise I’ll keep my hands off her, but we’d love to join you, right, Jade?”

To his disappointment, she pulled her wet shirt away from her skin. “Do you mind if my friend Steve comes? I kind of already invited him to go out to dinner with us.”

Jim shot him a look.

“Sure.” Bryce’s tone was flat. “Want to introduce us to your new friend?”

“Steve and I have known each other since we were old enough to walk. I haven’t seen him in oh, I don’t know, maybe five years. I’ll introduce you after the game.”

“Let’s go buddy,” Jim said, holding a hand out to Bryce. “I’m not leaving you here with her when we have a game to win.”

Bryce let Jim pull him up. He gave Jade another quick kiss before being tugged away.

“I don’t know about you,” Jim said, as they walked onto the field, “but Steve wasn’t looking at her like they were friends.”

“Yeah, I know.” Bryce frowned. “But try telling her that.”

MURDER DIDN’T WAIT
because it was a Saturday night. Neal pulled his ringing phone from his back pocket, grateful for the distraction from a murder-suicide involving domestic abuse. Apparently, the husband had shot the wife right here on their front lawn and then took his own life. This was the third time the police had been called to this residence. And the system had let the woman down. It was infuriating.

“Hey, Silly.” Neal tried to lighten his voice for Selena. He tapped the medical examiner on the shoulder and pointed to his phone and then to the sidewalk. After a quick nod, he stepped out of the crime scene.

“I did it!”

“Did… what exactly?”

“Oh, don’t take that brotherly tone with me, and get your mind out of the gutter. I finally published my book of poems.”

“That’s fantastic. What’d you call it?”

“
FOG
.”

“Fitting.” Given that she lived in San Francisco.

“I know, right? On so many levels.”

“So now what?”

“I wait to see if anyone likes it.”

“They’ll love it.”

“Yeah, well, not many people read poems.”

“I do.”

“Puh-lease, you’re so full of it.”

“Just a little.” Hearing her laughter lightened the pressure in his chest.

“I miss you.” Selena sighed. “When are you going to visit? You promised you’d come this summer.”

“I know. I will. I’m caught up in a case right now.”

“When are you
not
caught up in a case? What’s your excuse this time?”

The heaviness in his chest returned. “Do you remember the woman who helped us out after dad died?”

“Mrs. Buchanan?”

“Yeah, she died recently, and her granddaughter needs my help. Someone attacked her.”

There was a momentary silence. “Okay, I’ll let it slide this time. But promise you’ll come visit.”

His phone beeped, and Neal pulled it away from his ear to check the caller ID. “I gotta take this call, Silly. It’s police business.”

“Promise me and you can go.”

He raised his eyes to the sky. His sister knew he never broke his promises. She also knew she had him wrapped around her little finger. “I promise.”

“’Kay, bye.” Selena hung up.

Neal picked up the other call. “Detective Hawkins.”

“Detective, this is Joshua Greenberg. Sorry I haven’t called you back. I’ve been overseas for the last two weeks.”

“Where?”

“China. I’ve been negotiating a deal to open a manufacturing plant for our printed circuit boards.”

Neal had already heard that from Greenberg’s secretary, but without interviewing him in person, he couldn’t read his body language. The best he could do was see if he could trip Greenberg up and catch him in a lie.

“What did you need to talk to me about? I have to say, I was a bit surprised you called.”

“It’s about Jade Buchanan.” Neal paused, letting the silence make Greenberg uncomfortable.

“What about Jade?”

“It’s my understanding you’ve been stalking her.”

“What? That’s ridiculous.”

Neal remained silent.

“I mean, I did track her down at her college to make her an offer—”

“The day after her grandmother died. Don’t you think that’s a bit insensitive?”

“I assumed she knew, and I was trying to ease her burden.”

“How’s that?”

“She’s very young and had just inherited the company. I figured paying her millions for the company would allow her to pursue her own goals.”

“How is it you found out about her inheritance before she did?”

“I called her mother. She didn’t come right out and say it, but I inferred it.”

A crowd was forming around the ambulance. Two police officers were talking to each other. “One second,” Neal said to Greenberg. “Hey officer… control the crowd.” He swept his hand from the lawn to the ambulance.

“Sorry, sir, I’ll get on it.”

“I’m back,” Neal said into the phone.

“Are you, uh, at work right now?”

“If you’re asking if I’m at a crime scene, yes.”

“If this is a bad time—”

“I’ve waited two weeks for you to call me back, Mr. Greenberg. This is a fine time. Homicide happens twenty-four-seven three-sixty-five. I don’t keep office hours. I’m always on call.”

“So, is there anything else you need from me?”

“Yeah. How is it you knew where Jade’s classes were?”

“I, uh, kind of led the nice lady in Admissions to believe I was Jade’s lawyer and had to speak to her urgently about her grandmother’s will.”

“Not quite the most honest of men, are you?” He didn’t wait for a response. “And what about the twelve phone calls you’ve made to Jade?”

“I didn’t—”

“I have your phone records, Mr. Greenberg. Twelve phone calls after she asked you to stop calling her seems like stalking behavior to me.”

There was a short pause. “Why would you look at my phone records? What’s this about?”

“Someone attacked Jade.”

“And you think it’s me?”

Neal didn’t respond.

“Look, my company wants to acquire her company. Its good business, and I know I can be a bit tenacious, but I didn’t hurt Jade.”

“But you
were
in Seattle the day she was attacked.”

“I—how do you know that? I mean, when did it happen?”

Neal gave him the date.

“Yes, I met with a company in Portland and then another in Seattle.”

“I want the names of the companies you met with, anyone you spoke to, receipts for your hotel, food, gas, airline tickets. If you took a piss, I want to know when and where. Got it?”

“Got it.” Greenberg’s voice had lost its swagger.

“Good. And stay away from Jade, or I’ll haul your ass in and put you behind bars.” Neal hung up and got back to the murder.

JADE DROVE
KENZIE TO PETE’S PUB
in downtown Kirkland, while Bryce went home for a quick shower. Her mind conjured up an image of Bryce standing naked under hot water with soap running down his muscular body. What would it feel like to run her hands down those bulging biceps and rippling abs? She’d been hot for him before today. Now she was burning up.

Jade followed Kenzie into the back of the sports bar. “We usually grab those tables in the corner over there. I’ll order nachos and a pitcher of beer to get us started.”

Booths and tables lined the perimeter of the pub, while a bar created an island in the middle, flanked by pool tables on either side. Flat-panel televisions displayed various sports, including baseball, soccer, and golf.
Who watches golf?
Jade turned from that screen and focused on the Mariners’ pitcher who’d just struck out a Yankee. It had been a while since she’d been to a game at the stadium. Gran had had third-row seats behind first base.

“Perfect timing.” Bryce’s teammate Richard walked in with a petite blonde as the pitcher of beer was delivered to the table. The two of them sat next to Kenzie. “Amber, this is Jade, Bryce’s new girl.”

“For real?” Amber tipped her head to the side. “I was starting to think Bryce was gay. Not that gay is a bad thing.”

“I heard that.” Bryce walked up behind her while everyone laughed.

“Well, you don’t go out with any of the women interested in you.”

“That’s because I hadn’t found anyone interesting until now.” Bryce leaned in to kiss Jade on the cheek and sat next to her. She inhaled the heady scent of fresh soap and turned her lips to his.

Jim arrived as the others were digging into the nachos. “Hey, save some for me.” He put a hand on Bryce’s shoulder. “Pour me a brew.”

Bryce pulled away from her lips and grinned. His eyes sparkled with amusement.

“I hope these clowns haven’t scared you away from Bryce yet.” Jim sat next to Jade. “I wouldn’t let his out-of-control womanizing bother you a bit.”

“If Jade wasn’t sitting between us right now, I’d have you in a headlock.” Bryce slid the beer to Jim.

“Bring it on.”

Jade chuckled. “So Bryce is a gay womanizer. Is there anything else I need to know about him?”

Jim looked around as everyone laughed. “What did I miss?”

“So how do you guys know each other?” Jade bit into a nacho chip.

Jim grabbed a plate. “Bryce moved next door when I was six. He practically lived at my house when his parents were going through a divorce. We’ve been best buds ever since.”

“And Bryce and I used to work together in marketing.” Richard licked salsa from his finger. “For about four years before he went to work for your company.”

“It’s my company now too,” Bryce reminded him.

“Yeah, right, I keep forgetting you’re some big hotshot now.”

Jade leaned in to Bryce and was about to give him another kiss when she spotted Steve by the front door and waved him over.

STEVE’S GAZE STOPPED
on Jade and he gave her a wide grin. Bryce wanted to smack the smile right off his mug.

“Why don’t you sit here?” Jim scooted over and pulled out a chair between him and Jade.

Bryce gave Jim a what-the-hell-are-you-doing look, but his buddy just winked and took a swig of his beer. “So, Steve,” Bryce said, putting his arm around Jade to stake his claim on her, “now that you’ve graduated from Berkley, what do you plan to do?”

“I have an interview with a local law firm in Seattle on Monday.”

Shit.
Deep in his gut, Bryce knew this guy was going to be trouble.

Jade placed a hand on Steve’s arm. “That’s so exciting. I’m sure you’ll get the job.”

“Thanks.” Steve flashed his pearly whites at her. “Anyone up for a game of pool?”

“I am. It sounds like fun.” Jade turned to Bryce.

He wanted to say no just because Steve asked. But Jade was smiling and having fun, something she didn’t do often enough. “Sure. Kenzie, you want to play to even it out?”

“Since Steve doesn’t know anyone,” Jade said, “why don’t I partner with him and you can partner with Kenzie?”

Just great.

“What’s wrong?” Jade asked him as they headed over to the pool table.

He stopped and placed his hands on her waist. “I was hoping to be your partner.”

Jade rose on her toes and slid her arms around his neck. “You can have plenty of me later.” She kissed him softly on the lips, which made him want to whisk her out of there right this second so he could hold her to it.

Bryce held Jade until she pulled away, then he spoke to his nemesis. “You want to break?”

“Sure.” Steve did a decent break for a James Bond wannabe and shot a ball in the pocket. “It looks like we’re solids, Jade. Two in the corner.” Steve missed, and Bryce barely resisted gloating.

Bryce shot two stripes in the corner pocket before it was Jade’s turn.

“You didn’t leave me any easy ones.” Jade scanned the table.