AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Powers delivered him to the diner, gave him the money Bree promised, Jenna Black’s address, and a word of advice. “Order some food to go with the liquor. And make it simple because I’m only giving you a half hour to eat.”
After ordering coffee, he went to use the rest room. He made the mistake of leaving his keys on the counter, and when he came out less than three minutes later, both Mark and the rental car were gone.
****
The dinner hour was over; the lights set low. Members of the wait staff wove through the milling clusters of the elite. They carried trays of pastries and flutes of champagne. The ballroom of the Lakehouse Manor was an expanse of paneled cherry-wood topped with carved moldings and a coffered ceiling. Deep-hued paintings of hounds, and horses, and men on the hunt assumed sizeable space on the walls.
Ash turned Jenna in time with the music. “I can’t believe you’ve never been here. My family practically built this place with the Vanderbilts back when.”
Jenna mustered a weak smile. Listening to Ash wax on about his ancestors was making the night painfully long. His hand was easy at her waist but hers lay like a dead tree branch on his shoulder. She’d eaten very little of her dinner. Salmon with dill sat like a lump in her stomach.
“I’m hoping to keep up the tradition with Baldwin Ridge, build a retreat for New York’s society, give them somewhere they can go to escape the city.”
Over Ash’s shoulder Jenna rolled her eyes. From the tone of his voice he sounded like he believed he was performing some great and noble act. She couldn’t hold back her tired sigh. Building a country club wasn’t like constructing a homeless shelter.
As he moved to pull her closer, she shrugged out of his arms. “Excuse me. I need to step outside for some air.”
Ash followed and snapped his fingers for the attention of a waiter. “Bring a glass of champagne over here.”
Tired and edgy, Jenna made no attempt to disguise her frustration. “I wish you wouldn’t talk to people that way.”
Eyes that had been warm and disarming turned cool. “I asked for a drink. That’s what the staff here get paid for. I’m sorry if that offends you.”
Ash Baldwin picked the wrong moment to display his snobbishness. Jenna wheeled on him. “What offends me,Ash, is when someone born into fortunate circumstances lords his position over thoselessfortunate. People should be treated with respect whether they’re serving the champagne or drinking it.”
She gave him her back and swept away, leaving him alone on the terrace.
****
Eric handed a woman at a table in the foyer of the Lakehouse Manor a check, then strode into the ballroom and found Jenna, her pace hurried and her countenance one of exhausted frustration. Her lips were set in the same tired slash Alan Stark used to provoke. Not far behind, Baldwin hastened after her.
Taking a shallow breath, Eric tested the strength of his ribs. Broken or not, if the man had done anything to Jenna, he was getting his pompous ass kicked. Eric watched as she pushed her way into the ladies’ room. Hands in his pockets, he loped over.
Baldwin’s eyes snapped wide. “What in the hell areyoudoing here?” Both confusion and anger were written on his face, especially in the tightness of his boxy jaw.
“You look pissed off, Baldwin. Is it because I’m out of jail, or because I’m still alive?”
Ash answered with a low growl. “I don’t know how you gotmypolice chief to let you out, but you’re both going to regret it.”
“Don’t count on it.”
A few people lingering in the hallway were met with Ash’s dismissive glare. They obediently retreated to the banquet hall, whispering behind their hands as they went. He bullied his way close, stopping only when his chest made contact with Eric’s. “Looks like you haven’t learned your lesson.”
“You’re not man enough to teach me one. If you were, you wouldn’t have hired the Simpsons.”
Clearing his throat, Ash Baldwin looked, for a moment, off balance. He quickly regained his composure and leaned closer. “I’m not about to soil my hands on you.” Narrow eyed he grinned and spoke in a triumphant whisper. “I have other associates who will be more than willing to escort you to the town line.” He sniggered. “And don’t steal that cheap tuxedo; bring it back to the rental shop before you go.”
Eric laughed and shrugged wide shoulders beneath the expensive jacket he’d worn to The Golden Globes. “You must be mistaking me with someone who’s afraid of you, like your building inspector or Parks. I’m never taking fucking orders from you.”
“Classy,” Baldwin spat.
Embarking in a staring contest, neither man moved nor spoke. Ash ended the confrontational silence by poking a thick finger in the center of Eric’s chest. “I’ve had about enough of you. I want you out ofmytown. Whether or not you leave under your own power is up to you. I don’t really care.”
Eric answered with another lazy shrug.
A rhythmic tic pulsed beneath Baldwin’s left cheek and his blond brows loomed low over icy-gray eyes. “You’re messing with the wrong man, drifter. Interfering in my business was a stupid thing to do.” His eyes settled at Eric’s bruised jaw. “Thinking you can compete with someone like me for a woman like Jenna Black…insane.”
The amiable ease of Eric’s stance turned tight and sober. His careless grin became a cool slash. “Don’t sweat it, Baldwin. Your date is over. Jenna is mine.”
