Deadly In Stilettos (19 page)

             
As Enry turned around and saw her, he scowled at her. “What the fuck do you want? Just leave me alone! I hate women and all their games. Someone needs to put all of you in your place. I’m going to work on it as soon as I can, just wait and see. I should have never allowed you to walk all over me. Now everyone thinks I’m a joke. Well, do I look like a damn joke to you?”

             
Demi was confused. Enry was talking out of his head. Had she missed something? He looked spooked beyond words. Something more must have taken place without her knowledge and she didn’t care to find out. All she wanted to do was take care of Enry Williams and be on her merry way.

             
“Calm down,” Demi said. “Let me get you a drink. It will help calm your nerves. I’ll be right back.”

             
Enry was furious. Clearly he was not too happy about whatever had happened. Actually, his behavior was a little freakish, not sane at all. That worked in Demi’s favor. Hurrying into the house, she grabbed a glass of champagne from one of the several trays floating around. Before walking back out to give it to Enry, she stopped in a corner of the room. After looking around to make sure no one saw her, she poured the contents from the vial in her purse, into the glass. Dropping the empty vial back into her purse, Demi carried the glass carefully back to Enry, making sure not to spill a drop.

             
When she made it back to the patio, she was surprised to see Linda DeLacey standing there with Enry. They seemed to be deep in conversation, and much to her belief, Enry seemed more relaxed now. Demi cleared her throat, signaling her presence. She attempted to hand the glass to Enry, but Linda shocked her by grabbing it first and downing the entire drink.

             
“Thanks Doll,” she said to Demi. “Now please be a Dear as to go fetch me another one. We are discussing business that doesn’t concern you. Crop, crop,” Linda said waving her off like she was a servant. Now Demi was the furious one. How dare Linda disrespect her? Just as she was about to say something, though, she stopped. Linda had taken the drink instead of Enry.

             
“Sure thing,” Demi said backing up with a huge grin on her face. “I was leaving anyway. You two have a pleasant evening. And Enry glad to see you feeling better. Call me.” At least now she wouldn’t have to go to Boston. Linda DeLacey would be out of her way before the night was over.

             
Demi found out from one of her contacts that Linda was in Boston, visiting her son Carter, who was recovering from an automobile accident. Linda had crossed her for the last time, and the sweet taste of victory put a sway in Demi’s hips that none of the men in attendance missed. But it was the man in front of her who held her undivided attention. Greg held out his hand to her and she took it. Another name was silently crossed off her list. Her night was getting better and better by the minute, Demi thought. Now only two names remained, Enry Williams and Devin Masters. They would feel her wrath soon enough, but for now, Linda DeLacey was no longer a threat. All of the horrible and vindictive things she had done were now forgotten, just like she would soon be.

             
Greg witnessed the encounter between Demi, the other woman, and Enry. He wondered what it was about, but quickly dismissed it when Demi walked over to him, smiling. “I’m ready to leave,” she said. “Come with me to say goodnight to Laurel, and then we can be on our way.” Greg couldn’t argue with that. He was ready to go hours ago, but also ready to finally get Demi alone so he could show her how much he missed her during dinner.

They looked in the saloon, dining room, and foyer. Laurel was nowhere to
be found. They did not see Laurel’s mother or father either, so they decided to go upstairs in search of them to thank them for a lovely evening. She and Greg walked from room to room but found no one. They had reached the back of the upper level when they heard moans and groans coming from one of the rooms. They listened, giggling like teenagers. All of a sudden, they heard Laurel call out L’Oreal’s name. The sounds became louder, more intense, and then they heard a long moan of pleasure that seemed to go on forever. That was their sign to leave. Demi decided she would just call Laurel later to let her know how lovely the evening had been. For right now, she knew more than she wanted to know about Laurel and her relationship with L’Oreal. What would Enry say about that? Right now, Demi didn’t care. She wanted to get back to the hotel. The way the women were carrying on was raising her temperature, making her feel more than a little sexual. She was horny.
‘
Greg had better watch out
,
’ she thought.

             
As they walked back to the stairs, they heard more voices. Greg was alarmed by the anger and tension he heard, and signaled for Demi to remain quiet. Laurel’s mother, father and another man were having a heated conversation.

             
“We want you to take care of it now!” Laurel’s father was saying. “We’ve paid you the money, and now you have to finish the job. Things are getting way out of hand. She’s with some lesbian as we speak. We cannot afford to keep her quiet or alive any longer. She is our daughter and we love her, but she cannot tell anyone about our little problem. Finish it—!”

             
Before Laurel’s father finished his demand, someone walked up the stairs. Greg pushed Demi into one of the other rooms to keep whoever it was from seeing them.
‘
Things are certainly getting pretty interesting at the Cordwright hom
e
,’ he thought. When whoever had come upstairs was gone, they hurried down the stairs, out the front door, and to their car. The ride back to the city was quiet and eerie. Laurel’s parents wanted their daughter dead. Demi would not let that happen. She liked Laurel and she did not deserve such cruelty.

             
Greg made a few notes on a pad, and then held Demi in his arms. “I will not let anything happen to your friend, but we have to find out what it is that she knows. If her parents want her dead, Demi, it must be some seriously dangerous information. I’ll call Dallas and get the names of a few contacts here, and then I’ll extend my trip a few more days, just to see what we can find out. When do you have to be back to work in Las Vegas,” Greg wanted to know.

             
That was the last thing on Demi’s mind at the moment. Her boss did not have her on a schedule because of her flawless track record and extraordinary work ethic, so she was free to do whatever. She did have to go to Memphis, though, and soon. Demi didn’t want to get into that with Greg. She remained silent after telling him she wasn’t due back to her job for another few days. Demi closed her eyes replaying the night’s events. The one thing that stood out was the way Linda complimented her shoes when she walked away from her and Enry. “By the way, love the shoes, Darling,” she’d said in a sarcastic tone.

             
Although Demi would have appreciated the compliment from anyone else, she knew that Linda was a shoe lover, so maybe she’d been trying to get a rise out of Demi. Looking down at her shoes, she smiled. The gold stilettos looked beautiful. She had almost forgotten about them. They would go in a very special spot in her closet, because they would forever be known as the “Linda DeLacey Demise” stilettos.

             
As the car pulled up in front of the Plaza, Demi was brought back to reality by a slight touch on her face. Dazed and confused, she looked at Greg as if he were a complete stranger. She must have dozed off, and when he’d woken her, she wasn’t sure where she was or who she was with. Suddenly Demi remembered, but she wasn’t so sure of her relationship with Greg now. For the first time, Demi wondered if he too had an agenda. Was he trying to bring her down by finding out her secrets? Allowing herself to focus, she gently rubbed her tired eyes. The long drive back to the city had been tiring. And with all that transpired at the Cordwrights, she just wanted to relax and be by her lonesome.

             
Greg saw the look of confusion on Demi’s face and kissed her concerns away. He knew what she was thinking before she knew herself. No, he did not have a hidden agenda, nor did he want anything from her other than her love. Why was he always left heartbroken when it came to love? He gave his all each time, and for what? Maybe his and Demi’s relationship was too much too soon. Maybe they needed to slow down a bit. Besides, they did not even live in the same city, and he still had to focus on finding his cousin’s killer. Whoever killed Troy would have hell to pay, Greg thought.

Maybe he and Demi met too soon. But deep down Greg knew he was only kidding himself into thinking she wasn’t meant for him, but the fact that they lived entirely too far from one another, was clouding his mind. Moreover, his last
relationship turned into something so scary, he still had nightmares and constantly looked over his shoulders. Anya Bankston had almost ruined his life. Greg would never forget that. Maybe a few other relationships from his past still haunted him too. The one time he had been unfaithful in a relationship, he lost someone really special to him. He promised he would never cheat again, and when he met Anya, he was sure he found his soul mate.

At first, they had the perfect relationship. They met at a party. No
t seeking a relationship or companionship at the time, Greg almost told Anya he wasn’t interested in her many advances, but he found them flattering. It had been a long time since his last relationship, and he was lonely. They talked all night at the party, finally exchanging numbers. When she called him the next day to invite him to lunch, Greg accepted. That was the start of their short-lived romance.

             
Until he learned her true personality, Greg thought Anya Bankston was someone very special woman, whom he cared for deeply. She shattered any chance of becoming his forever love by the lies she told and secrets she neglected to share with him. One day he was working out of town on an important case. It had been months since the department gained a lead in a double murder, and his main focus was finally putting an end to the families’ lingering questions about their loved ones. Greg didn’t want his mind on anything other than the case while he was away conducting the investigation from the multiple leads that suddenly crossed his desk. Therefore, he was outraged when Anya showed up at his hotel. She claimed she missed him and wanted to surprise him, but Greg thought otherwise because of her sudden strange behavior. She was fidgety, nervous, and not at all like the woman he knew and cared so much about. After that incident, his feelings for her were put on hold. Greg slowed things down between them, which Anya didn’t find too approving of.

             
Greg did not want to mislead her, so he continued seeing her and accepting her calls. He just made sure he was careful and straight up with her about his intentions. Several other strange things happened—Anya showing up wherever he was, Anya knowing where he was at all times—so he ran a background check on her, something he should have done in the beginning, not dismissing the notion. Not liking the information he found, Greg tried ending their relationship, only to have Anya become hysterical and threaten him. She was insane. He tried getting her help; she became a hysterical wreck all over again, flipping out on him.

             
Anya turned out to be the opposite of what Greg wanted in his life. He thought it was a punishment for all the hurt and pain he caused Bethany, the only person he had given his total heart to. He regretted cheating on her every given day. Now it was too late to do anything about it. Bethany was now happily married, with beautiful twin daughters. Greg let those hurtful memories go, returning his full attention to the woman sitting next to him. When he held Demi’s hand in his, he knew deep in his heart that nothing would keep them from being together. If he had to relocate, then that was what he planned to do. He wondered if she would do the same for him, and suddenly he heard her say yes. They were truly in sync with each other. It was scary how they were able to read each other’s mind.

             
Greg had only been in love twice, one of the women being his mother, but never like this. The intensity of being with Demi scared him. The way she looked at him or always seemed to know what he was thinking was mind blowing. He hoped the feelings he had for her were not due to his unexpected memories of Bethany. They had a great relationship at first too. In the beginning, he felt with Bethany what he felt now with Demi. He would be careful this time because he didn’t want to ever lose it.

Greg wanted to walk Demi up to her suite, but he had information to get. The more time left floating around, the harder it would be to find out why Lau
rel Cordwright was in deep trouble. If Greg did not do anything to help her, she might die. Plus, he knew how much she meant to Demi. He would do anything for her and if helping protect her friend, so be it. Too bad Greg didn’t know that the women had just recently met. He could have saved himself a lot of time, effort and trouble.

             
Demi understood, happy to get some alone time, although she wanted Greg to spend the night with her. Just lying in his arms would have been enough, but deep down both of them knew that would not be all that transpired between them. The kiss they shared touched the depths of Demi’s souls, truly making her realize she would never be alone again. She was in love with someone who loved her back without any hidden agendas or motives. It felt refreshing.