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“It was Roberts. Seems the bastard thinks Ian should fire Jaci in return for the change in that zoning law Ian petitioned for on one of his properties. His wife seems to have some influence on one of the members of the zoning board. ”
Cam finished his beer before tossing it into the garbage can beside the kitchen island.
“What did Ian tell him?”
“Told him to get fucked,” Chase grunted. “But the bastard made the mistake of upsetting Courtney before Matthew could let Ian know he was there. Evidently, Courtney was cursing in Spanish when Ian made it to the foyer. ”
Cam grimaced. “This could get ugly. ”
“Sebastian was there during the meeting with Ian. Roberts ran a background check on him, and he’s made some very subtle threats, evidently where De Lorents is concerned. Did you know Spain has a mafia? Seems Sebastian thinks Roberts would fit right in with them. ”
“Every country has a mafia,” Cam said, as he pushed his fingers through his hair in frustration. “So, what’s Ian’s take on this?”
“The Robertses are scared,” Chase bit out. “They can’t use gossip to get rid of her, because evidently, no one gives a fuck about old trash talk this month. ”
Cam glanced back at the screened-off bedroom.
“Have the final reports come in on the Robertses yet?” he asked Chase.
Chase shook his head. “All but a few. We don’t have any proof of the rumors we’ve heard about some of their games. Their secretary isn’t talking, but she’s a little arrogant, for her position. The servants aren’t full-time at the mansion or their penthouse, so we haven’t been able to pull out any information there. ”
Cam scratched at his jaw, his eyes narrowing as he let the problem roll through his mind. Anyone driven by fear had a weakness, he knew that well. There was no way to keep everything quiet, unless you spilled blood. And even then there were risks involved.
“Go back further,” he finally said, quietly. “They’ve had overnight guests before; check their backgrounds further, see if they have any ghosts in their closets. If we can’t get dirt on the Robertses with the check we’ve done on them, then we’ll find it there. ”
Chase shook his head. “I’ve done that. A few house parties, a few close friends who have come out squeaky clean. The Robertses are so damned clean its making me sick. They even keep friends’ teenagers through the summer or on vacations, to allow them to apprentice with Richard. The whole ‘see what the congressman does’ routine. ”
Cam felt a chill run up his spine. He grew still, his head lowered, his eyes burning into the tile on the floor. That was it. That was where they were missing it.
“Moriah Brockheim stayed several weeks with them, didn’t she?” he mused, as he turned away from his brother, as though thinking.
“Yeah? Moriah’s clean, Cam. I ran her check myself. ”
He turned back to Chase, and his eyes narrowed on his brother. “Run it again. When I went looking for Jaci at the party she was sneaking into Brockheim’s private study, and Moriah wasn’t in the buffet or ballroom. ”
He rubbed the back of his neck and glanced back at the bedroom again. “They’re up to something. ”
This was what he was good at. Unfortunately his head had been so filled with hunger and memories and a redheaded, stubborn woman, that he’d let that slip.
“Moriah’s clean, Cam,” Chase argued again, his voice impatient. “Hell, she’s so damned stiff, she’ll barely nod at the two of us, because of our reputations. ”
“Then why was she meeting with Jaci secretly?” Cam asked him. “And why didn’t Moriah turn up as a contact to Jaci? Jaci spent a month in their cabin, supposedly alone, and had no other contact with the Brockheims. Yet, her familiarity with Moriah is close enough that the girl let her into her father’s private study? That doesn’t add up for me. ”
Chase’s lips pursed thoughtfully as his eyes narrowed, then he nodded slowly. “I’ll handle that myself,” he told him. “Until then, we need to come up with a way to counter Richard and Annalee. ”
Cam shook his head again. “They’re scared, and they got nowhere with Ian and Courtney. They’ll come after Jaci now. ”
The minute he said the words, other details shifted together, slid into place, and he felt himself tighten with nearly violent rage.
The accidents: a mugging in England, faulty brakes in Italy, an attempted break-in of a hotel room in New York City. Too many coincidences and supposed accidents.
“I need the reports on those accidents again,” he bit out, causing Chase to stare back at him with dawning comprehension. “Full reports, including eyewitness accounts. Talk to Sebastian and Courtney about the mugging. They were there. ”
“You think they’re trying to kill her?” Chase asked carefully. “Hell, they’d do a better job of it than this, Cam. They have the money and most likely the connections. ”
“There’s also knowledge that there’s bad blood between them,” Cam reminded him. “Jaci’s played it cool. Her reputation is one of pure, honest, and restrained elegance. There aren’t even rumors of a lover, until me. She’s bested them with her silence, and she knows something. I’m betting its something big. But something she has no proof of. They couldn’t destroy her reputation, so they’re trying to take her out instead. ”
“They would be using someone they know and trust,” Chase said. “Someone trying to be careful, to make certain they aren’t caught and that the Robertses aren’t implicated. ”
