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“Nice try, Elise, but it won’t work. I know all about your plan to plant drugs in my luggage.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said, but he’d seen the surprise in her eyes.
“Stop with the lies. Your conversation was overheard and recorded. In addition, video cameras were installed in here to watch you execute those plans and hear your conversations. Those were also recorded.”
Thinking about all the evidence in his possession was probably what prompted her to say, “Don’t do this to me, Dylan. It was all Chrome’s idea. He forced me to do it.”
He hoped she could see the coldness in his gaze and know that her plea was falling on deaf ears. “Then I guess you’ll need to prove that to the authorities. We don’t have any proof of Chrome’s involvement, but we do have proof of yours.”
“Ms. Fairmont, there is the issue of the cocaine that was in your possession as well as those illegal tapes,” the FBI agent said. “We watched you bring the items into this villa, and you were watched planting them in Mr. Emanuel’s luggage.”
Dylan frowned. “What illegal tapes?”
The agent cleared his throat before saying, “Videos of child porn.”
“What!”
When the agent nodded, Dylan looked back at Elise and then back at the agent. “Please get them out of here.”
“So the two women were arrested?” Ola asked.
“Yes,” Charm said. “And Chrome will be questioned since Elise claimed they were working together to destroy Dylan’s reputation.”
“How awful.”
Charm had come back inside her villa after sitting on the balcony while eating lunch and watching people enjoy themselves around the pool. Now she was talking to Piper and Ola on the phone’s speaker. She had called to tell them the latest.
“I can’t blame Dylan for being furious about the entire thing,” Piper said.
“I can’t either,” Charm said. “Planting the drugs in his luggage was bad enough but she went too far with those child porn tapes. That would have caused a scandal Dylan would never have lived down, and it would have been hard to prove his innocence.”
By the time the agent had taken the women away, it had been close to six in the morning. Dylan and Seth had a lot to cover so Dylan had walked her back to her villa. That had been fine since she’d needed to put as much distance between her and Dylan as possible. Those kisses they’d shared had weakened her resolve. If she had spent any more time around him, she would weaken even more.
“So what’s next?” Ola asked.
Ola’s question reeled her thoughts back in. “I’m not sure, but I have a feeling what happened will make the news. Elise was kicking and screaming all the way out the door, making a scene and practically waking up the entire building.”
If people hadn’t known Dylan Emanuel was in residence before, they knew it now. Charm heard Seth tell Dylan he needed to call a press conference to control the narrative before Chrome had a chance to claim his innocence. Dylan’s PR person was flying in and there would be a joint press conference with Dylan and the FBI. She appreciated Dylan for making sure her name would not be connected, to protect her identity.
Charm’s heart pounded when she heard the knock on the door. She had a feeling it was Dylan, which meant he had finished handling the business with Elise. “There’s someone at the door and it’s probably Dylan. We’ll talk later,” she said. After ending the call, she moved toward the door. It was late afternoon and she hadn’t left her villa. Instead, she had ordered lunch on her balcony.
She tried pushing the thought of just how hot she’d been last night. Almost on the verge of begging. Those kisses had made her feel explosive but he had stayed in control. And when he’d faced down Elise, he had kept Charm by his side and held her hand the entire time. It had been as if he’d needed her there with him.
Charm opened the door and took in all of Dylan. Although he was impeccably dressed, she could tell by his eyes that he was tired. He’d had a lot to deal with and hadn’t gotten any sleep last night. At least she had slept for a few hours after returning to her villa.
“Would you like to come in?” she asked him.
“Yes, thanks.” He crossed the threshold and she closed the door behind him. He turned and looked her up and down. “You look nice,” he said, giving her a smile that made her stomach flutter.
She’d hung around her brothers long enough during their bachelor days to recognize the look in Dylan’s eyes. It was one of male appreciation. That made her glance down at her outfit. It was another sundress she’d purchased yesterday. “Thanks. So do you.” He wore a pair of chocolate slacks and a button-up shirt. He smelled good, too.
“Thanks. I’ll be giving a press conference at one of the television stations in town in an hour.” He studied her and then said, “After it’s over I’ve decided to come back here to pack and leave.”
She swallowed thickly. “You’re leaving here?” Why did the thought do something to her insides? Was it because she would miss him or because his leaving ruined her plans for revenge?
“Yes. The impact of what Elise tried to do has gotten to me. I want to get as far away from here as I can. I have a feeling that after the press conference the media will start camping outside the security gates. It will become a circus.”
She nodded, clearly understanding. Social media, reporters and the paparazzi could be brutal. It was on the tip of Charm’s tongue to say that at least this time he was telling her he was leaving in person instead of sending her a text while rushing off to the airport.
