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He grabbed his cell and contacted Grange, who answered on the first ring. He told Grange about the break-in.
“Suspicious?” Grange asked.
“I don’t know. It looked like a regular break-in. Some jewelry stolen. Police reported an increase in burglaries in the area over the past few weeks, so I don’t think it has anything to do with someone targeting Elena, but I’m sticking close to her. I have a camera set up in her store and in her apartment, too. Also, I’m escorting her to a business dinner tonight.”
“Good enough. Glue yourself to her if you have to, but don’t let her out of your sight.”
“You got it, boss. Anything on Carla yet?”
“No. Tracking her cell phone. It’s still on, and shows her in the Daytona area, right on the pier. I went to that location but she’s not there, and phone shows no movement. I didn’t find her phone, either. Her credit card has shown no activity in the past month, so there’s nothing to track. And since she’s always on the go with no permanent address, it’s hard to narrow down her last location. It’s a lot of footwork, but I’m going to hit up an old friend in the area for some help. I’ll keep you posted.”
“I’ll do the same.”
He clicked off and grabbed some clothes to get dressed. A business dinner meant no blue jeans. Instead he chose black slacks and a white long-sleeved shirt, then took along a sport coat just in case he needed to be a little more dressed up.
He was outside waiting when Elena pulled up in her car, surprising the hell out of him.
He expected her to drive an economy car. Something with four cylinders, or maybe even a hybrid. Not a smoking hot black ’66 Chevelle SS. Just the sound of the engine purring made him want to climb into the driver’s seat and see what she could do.
Instead, he had to get into the passenger seat.
“Are you kidding me?”
She looked over at him. “What?”
“This car.”
Her lips curved. “I like muscle cars. It’s my only nod to my mother’s crazy lifestyle. She used to date a guy who was into restoring old cars
. I fell madly in love with Chevys, and the love affair has continued throughout my life.”
He arched a brow. “Now that I want to hear about.”
“Maybe I’ll tell you, but we don’t want to be late for dinner.” The engine rocketed them forward when she pressed on the gas and drove off. Jed leaned back and watched her as she maneuvered the beast through the heavy traffic.
The steering wheel was oversized, the car a monster. But Elena manhandled it like she knew what she was doing, didn’t abuse the Chevelle’s awesome power.
Oh, man, he really wanted to drive this car.
“You ever take it out and really run it down the highway?”
She flicked her gaze to his. “Sometimes, when I need to let off steam.”
He laid his arm over the back of the smooth vinyl seat, watching her as she concentrated on her driving. She wore a short-sleeved black dress, snug at the top, loose at the bottom. It hit just above her knee. Conservative enough for a business dinner, but she still looked sexy as hell wearing it.
She pulled into a hotel and parked. He came around to her side of the car and opened the door for her. When she stepped out, he got a good look at her outfit. She grabbed a short-sleeved jacket that she pulled on over the dress.
“Thanks.”
“You look nice tonight.”
She stepped closer to him, laying her hand on his upper arm. “So do you. The other women of the association will want to drag you away from me.”
He grinned. “Not a chance. I’m all yours tonight.”
SIX
Elena had been right. As soon as she and Jed had walked into the conference room where the business association was meeting, every set of female eyes had zeroed in on Jed.
