She Does Know Jack (11 page)

 “Okay, you two.
Let’s call a truce and look at the feed.” Matthew twisted his chair around to
face the monitors.

Five minutes
later, he sighed and Brielle’s heart grew heavy.

“I told you not
to get your hopes up,” Jack said, resting his backside on the console. “These
cameras have yet to be of any help. Someone knows their way around this
equipment.”

“I see what you
mean.” She nodded, unhappy to find the feed had mysteriously turned snowy until
just before she’d walked onto the patio with Danni. “Do you plan to…I mean, are
there finger prints in this booth?”

Jack shook his
head. “No, whoever it is uses some kind of electronic device. They don’t
necessarily have to be in the control room. They can flip the switch from
anywhere within 300 feet of the camera. Besides, why bother calling Franco’s
men back? This has happened before and there are never any prints. He said the
perp most likely wears gloves.”

Her senses
screamed. Electronic device or not, this room
needed
to be processed.
And if he knew it’d happened in the past, then this room should’ve been
processed before they’d gone in. These were all things a security expert would
know. What was going on? Was Jack hiding something?

Matthew rose and
frowned at the screens. “This stinks. That snake couldn’t have just magically
appeared outside. One of those cameras would’ve shown him coming down the
stairs or being carried down.”

Something small
and thin glinted from under the chair he’d just vacated. Brielle clenched her
jaw. Should she draw attention to it? No. Jack was a suspect and his lack of
initiative in processing this room proved he was a person she couldn’t trust
with evidence.

“I’m sure one of
the cameras would have if they hadn’t been tampered with,” Jack replied,
glancing at the floor.

Her heart
stopped.

Don’t see it.
Don’t see
it,
she willed, holding her breath as she watched the Ranger’s gaze zero
in on the object.

“I wondered
where I dropped that.” He stooped to retrieve the evidence.

Shoot.
 

She forced her
clenched fingers to relax. Brielle didn’t want Jack to be involved, but
couldn’t ignore what had just happened. Evidence might’ve been lost, might’ve
been plucked out from under her nose, but just because the man was hot, just
because once-upon-a-time they’d had great dressing room sex didn’t mean she’d
blow the opportunity to question him.

“So, Jack, tell
me, when exactly did you lose that? Were you in here earlier?”

Matthew’s head
snapped in her direction so fast it was a wonder he didn’t get whiplash. “Brielle,
you don’t seriously suspect my brother?” 

She kept her
gaze glued to Jack’s stiffening form. “Correct me if I’m wrong, Jack, but
wouldn’t
anyone
associated with this show be a suspect?”

He didn’t
blink—didn’t move—but glared coldly at her. She refused to shiver or drop his
gaze. She was right to question him. It just sucked she’d had reason to.

“Well?”

“You’re right,
Ms. Bennett. Everyone is a suspect, but since I know I am not the one
threatening my brother, I chose not to waste time investigating myself.” A deep
scowl creased his brow as he held the object to her face. “This is the stylus from
the PDA on my phone, see?” He pulled out a smart phone from his shirt pocket
and slid the stick into a slot. “And yes, I was in here earlier, going through
footage to see if we could determine who’d ruined your clothes.”

“And did you?”
Unaffected by his hardened tone, she continued to hold his glare. He could also
have been tampering with the equipment.

“No. The cameras
had been snowy then, too.” His gaze dared her to pin that on him.

Her mind worked
feverishly. She could either take him at his word or suspect him. Given her
track record, she chose the latter. “How convenient.”

“Yes, isn’t it,
though?” He scoffed, jamming the phone back into his pocket.

“So, we’ve
established that you were in here earlier, picking your teeth or whatever with
your stylus.”

Matthew’s
laughter interrupted her. She spared him a glance before zeroing back in on
Jack.

“You found the
snowy footage from when my clothes were ruined, checked to make sure everything
was functioning again, then continued on your merry way?”

His jaw cracked.
“Something like that, yes.”

She had more
questions, a lot more, but could tell he was beginning to wonder why an average
dance instructor wouldn’t let it drop. Since it was out of her hands to
enlighten him, she reluctantly jumped back into character.

“I’m sorry,
Jack. I know you must think I’m crazy, but having my clothes turned into a
pizza topping and my swim invaded by a breathing weapon tend to do that to me.”
She forced her hand to tremble while pushing a strand of hair from her face.

He tilted his
head and regarded her through narrowed eyes. When he made no effort to speak,
she continued with the kiss up, her stomach souring at the task. Kissing up
sucked.

“It doesn’t
excuse my behavior, accusing you of wanting to harm your brother.” She paused
when his eyes flashed. Did she hit the truth or was she way out in left field?
“It’s just when I saw you pick up that stylus, it put you in here with the
tampered cameras and…” Bile rose in her throat and prevented anything else from
getting out. She swallowed, hating to have to make nice to a suspect—even if
she was attraction to the damn man.

“No apology
necessary.” His words were a surprise. “You’re absolutely right. Establishing
someone’s presence in here—in this case, my presence—is cause for alarm and no
reason to apologize.”

She cocked her
head. Did he just forgive her or admit something?

“Now that that’s
settled, Brielle, I want you to know how sorry
I
am that you’ve had such
a rough day.” Matthew grabbed her hand and her attention when he kissed her
knuckles.

Jack muttered an
oath. She smiled, unwilling to dissect why that made her happy.

“You two want to
be alone? Don’t let me stop you. I’m out of here, anyway. I need to have Franco
run some prints I lifted from Carla’s room.”

“Did you find anything
else?” Matthew asked before she had the chance.

“No, not a fiber
out of place, and I’m sure these prints are Carla’s or one of the other girls.
But I’ll have them checked anyway.” He stopped at the door and turned. “Look,
Brielle, if you didn’t do this—”

“I didn’t.”

“Then you might
want to reconsider staying.” A brilliant blue gaze bore into hers. “That’s two
threats against you now. If there is another, it might not be as harmless.”

Freeing her hand
from Matthew, she crossed her arms over her chest. “Thanks for your concern,
but I’ll be fine.”

“I’m concerned
for all the contestants.” He grabbed the doorknob before turning back to face
her. “I don’t know what it is yet, but something’s not right about you, Ms.
Bennett. Your reactions to these threats aren’t normal.”

Alarm swam
through her veins. Shoot. He’d picked up on her lack of fear. She needed to
throw him off the scent. But she would not play the fear card. No way.

“Why? Because I
didn’t cry and carry on?”

His lips
twitched. “Yes.”

“Then you’re
right. I guess I’m not normal. I’m sorry if you think that’s the only type of
woman in the world, Jack.” Her chin rose. “When someone pushes me, I push
back.”

He eyed her for
a long minute, then nodded and left the room.

“I think he
likes you. I’ve never seen a woman puzzle him like you do.” Matthew chuckled
and sat down.

“Well, bully for
me, but I’m not here to confuse your brother.” Although that did hold
incredible appeal. She shook her head and walked to the door. “I’m here to
solve this case.”

Jack remained
uppermost in Brielle’s mind, and not entirely because of her suspicions or the
job. Her mind and body argued over the man as she shut the door, and smacked
right into Danni.

“I’m sorry. I
didn’t see you.” She steadied the girl.

“It’s okay. I
was just coming to see if you found anything on the tapes.”

Brielle’s gaze
narrowed. Had Danni been listening to them? She released the brunette and
stepped back. No. Jack would’ve seen her and no doubt still been around.

“I was also
coming to tell you the studio finally delivered your clothes. They’re taking
them to your room now.” 

“Lovely,” she
said with equal parts dread and terror. “I can hardly wait.”

“Yeah, and I’d
like root canal,” Danni mocked, and together they laughed on the way to
Brielle's room.

T
hat woman was one tough cookie.
And a beautiful one
at that
, a dark-clad figure observed from the shadows.
I had fun with
her today, but it’s time to change
my focus.

Jack approached
from the kitchen, his steps deliberate. “Matthew,” the former Ranger called,
looking at his watch.

I thought he’d
left?
Backing against the wall, the figure sank deeper into the shadows as Matthew exited
the security room. The Anderson brother’s were an interesting pair.

“Jack? You’re
still here?”

“Yes,” the older
one said, coming to a stop. “The studio delivered Brielle’s clothes. I wanted
to make sure everything was okay.”

The dark figure
smiled.
For now…

“It’s about
time. I felt bad for Brielle, stuck in that robe all day.” Matthew shook his
head but his expression wasn’t all that contrite.

Well, he should
feel bad. It was the artist’s fault the newcomer’s wardrobe had gotten wrecked.
If it hadn’t been for Matthew and this show—

“Other than an
inconvenience, it didn’t seem to faze her.” Admiration seeped into Jack’s
voice, claiming the figure’s attention.

Interesting.
Could the good captain actually have a pulse?

“That’s true,”
Matthew said. “I’m almost grateful her clothes were trashed.”

Jack’s gaze
snapped to Matthew’s. “Why?”

“Because she was
forced to wear Carla’s extra bathing suit.”

A thoughtful
smile spread across the captain’s face as he scratched his chin. “Yeah, that
was some suit. Brielle looked—” He stopped and shook his head. “I’d better get
to work on that print.”

The figure
snickered again. He wouldn't find anything new there.

“I hope you’ll
catch a break.”

“Me, too.” Jack
nodded. “I came to see if you and Brielle were through. I thought you might
want a ride back.”

His brother grinned.
“Oh, I don’t know if Brielle and I are through, but I do need that ride. Bill
wants me to pick a name out of a hat so I can take that contestant out on a
date tomorrow night.”

Jack grimaced.
“Lucky you.”

Matthew slapped
a hand on his brother’s shoulder and smiled until dimples grooved his cheeks.
“No, lucky you, bro. You get to hang out with the other three and watch a movie
of your choice.”

“Ah hell. Is
there no end to this madness?” The scowling captain scrubbed a hand over his
face. “I still think you’re nuts to stay on this show.”

“I know. But
it’s my choice, although I do appreciate your concern.” Matthew slapped his
brother’s shoulder a second time as they strode down the hall. “You know, Jack,
you worry too much. I promise you, I know what I’m doing.”

The figure
snickered again. That man had no idea what he’s in for.

T
he next afternoon, Brielle sat in the
living room, pretending to read when Mandy rushed in carrying a big, black box.
Where in the world had that come from? The doorbell never rang. And she’d been
sitting there for an hour now, observing the girls’ comings and goings between
the patio, kitchen and living room, while pretending to have her nose in a
book.

“It’s here! The
box is here!”

Danni and Carla
appeared out of nowhere, sweeping through like a sudden gust of wind, to help
the blonde carry the parcel. Her queue to get back in character.

“What’s with the
box?” Brielle asked, rising to her feet.

The trio
stilled, their jaws dropping in unison. It took every ounce of willpower not to
laugh or crack a smile.

“It contains the
name of Matthew’s date tonight,” Danni replied, still blinking at her.

“And the
location,” Carla added.

Brielle knew,
but played dumb. “Oh, I thought maybe Jack was inside, you know—ready to pop
out.”

 “Good one,
Brielle.” Danni tossed her head back and laughed.

The blonde frowned.
“I don’t get it. Why would Jack be in the box when it's Matthew we’re
interested in?”

Danni sighed and
shook her head. “Haven’t you ever heard of a
Jack
-in-the-box?”

A beat passed
before the hand model’s face lit up with thought. “Oh…now I get it. Brielle
made a joke.”

Swallowing a
sigh, Brielle nodded, ready for a nap. These women were trying. She had no idea
watching them would be so tiring.

“Yeah, yeah,
very funny.” Carla scowled. “Let’s just open the damn thing and see who gets
Matthew to themselves.”

A sudden thought
shot through Brielle, skyrocketing her pulse. What if it was another threat?

She stepped
closer, but before she could voice her concern, Carla ripped off the lid, and
Mandy snatched the card from inside. Brielle’s hand shot to her chest as she
willed her heart beats to slow down.
Thank God, it was only a card and not a
snake or another yellow threatening note
.

“Dear Danni...”
the blonde paused, a full pout claiming her lips. “Darn it. I was hoping it was
me.”

The teacher
screamed, snatched the card from Mandy’s slackened hand and continued to read
out loud. “
Dear Danni, pick a team shirt and hat and be ready to cheer when
we watch the baseball game from our private box seats in San Diego. See you
soon. Love, Matthew
.”

Carla dropped
the lid onto the coffee table and twirled her finger like it was no big deal.
Brielle knew it was just a tough act. All three of these women were interested
in Matthew. She’d observed their posture and body language when the artist was
around. No. They all wanted Matthew. Question was, how badly? And what would
they do to get him?

“Yes!” Danni
grinned from ear-to-ear. “I get the first one-on-one with Matthew!” She stilled
and glanced at her watch. “Oh my gosh. The limo will be here soon. I’d better
get ready.”

Brielle watched
the other two contestants as Danni ran up the stairs, clutching a white Padres
shirt and hat from the box while singing a famous ballgame song.

Mandy dropped
onto a couch and hugged a pillow. “How come she gets to be the first one? And
in a private box, too. I wonder how private?”

“Honestly,
Mandy.” Carla sighed as she sat down across from her in a chair. “It’ll be
private enough. But don’t worry, Matthew’s going to give us all a trial run.
Well, almost all of us.”

The blonde’s
eyes grew round. “Do you really think he’ll want to have sex with each of us?”

Holy hell
. Brielle
clenched her teeth and tried to remain in the room. This was
not
a
conversation she wanted to be a part of, but given her mission, she had no
choice. She had to evaluate the girls.

“Of course,”
Carla scoffed. “He’ll want to sketch the subject before he paints.”

Unable to hold
her tongue anymore, Brielle chimed in. “Geez, Carla. You sound like an expert.
Have you been on a show like this before?”

“Not exactly.”
The brunette leaned back and studied her with a narrowed gaze. “But I do know
men, and since Matthew qualifies, I say he’ll behave like a taker and sample as
many of us as will let him. And I will.”

Wow. Carla sure
was bitter toward men. Why? Brielle made a mental note to ask her uncle about
the woman’s past.

“I will, too.”
Mandy straightened her spine. “As soon as I get a one-on-one date, that is.”
She dropped the pillow and reached into the box to pull out the leftover T-shirt.

“
If
you
get one,” Carla corrected with a smile. “Don’t forget, Matthew’s only giving
out two more before next week’s elimination, and all the other dates in between
will be group ones.”

Mandy’s expression
dropped, along with the Los Angeles team shirt she’d been holding. “I’ve got to
get one of those dates.” She transferred her blue gaze to Brielle. “You’ll
probably get the next one because you’re the new girl and the one his mama
chose.”

She shook her
head, feigning confusion. “I thought he was choosing a name out of a hat?”

“That was just
for this first date. Jack gets to pick Matthew’s next one, and may the best
candidate win.” Carla grabbed the discarded shirt from the floor and winked.

“Yeah, that’s
why he’s spending the evening with us tonight. He’s bringing pizza and a movie
he chose,
and
is supposed to determine which of us three is best-suited
to date his brother,” Mandy informed, retrieving her dropped pillow.

Breath clogged
Brielle’s suddenly dry throat. Jack was coming here? Tonight? As in a few
minutes from now? That would teach her to go off investigating and miss the
producer’s daily visit. She glanced at her watch. Did she have enough time to
change out of her shorts and tank top before he arrived?

“Forget it,”
Carla said, as if reading her mind. “You don’t have time to get all dolled up.
They’re due any minute now. He’s going to judge us as we are.”

Dolled up? She
didn’t want to get dolled up. She just wanted to be more presentable. Yeah.
Cover up. Jack had already accused her of being an exhibitionist. What would he
think of her barely-there white shorts and tight top graciously provided by the
show?

A myriad of
musical chimes echoed through the house and quickened her pulse. Damn.
He’s
here.

With no time to
lose, she ripped the shirt from Carla’s hand and yanked it on as Mandy raced
for the door. At least the baseball shirt covered more. She glanced down, and
her heart stopped at the sight of the logo on her chest.

Dodgers.

“Hi, Matthew. Hi
Jack. Danni should be down any minute.” The blonde’s voice carried tunefully
across the hall.

“I’m here,” the
teacher called, practically skipping down the stairs a second later.

Danni stepped
off the bottom step in her Padres T-shirt, jeans and ball cap, carrying a jean
jacket. She looked cute. And very excited, if the sparkle in her brown eyes,
and flush to her face were anything to go by.

“Hello,
Matthew.”

“Hello, Danni.”
He wore an identical T-shirt and hat, and grinned from ear to ear. “You look
wonderful, and I see you made the right choice.”

Brielle forced
her apparel from her mind and concentrated on the couple. Was this the girl
Matthew had told her about? She watched them closely. Friendly warmth danced in
his brown eyes as he stepped close to drape Danni’s jacket over one arm and
offered her the other.

“Our limo
awaits, my dear.”

“Have fun,” Jack
said, balancing three boxes of pizza, a four-pack of wine coolers, six-pack of
beer, and a DVD.

“You, too.”
Matthew winked before closing the door.

Brielle, Mandy,
and Carla, all stared at Jack. Damn, the man was hot. Black hair, not quite long
enough to touch his ears, grey T-shirt looking comfortable and soft over a
chest she knew to be well-defined and hard. Blue jeans with creases worn out in
just the right places hung low on lean hips. Okay, forget the pizza,
he
looked good enough to eat.

“I realize I’m
not my brother, but I could use a little help here.”

Brielle inhaled,
but didn’t trust her voice not to betray her thoughts at the moment, so she
remained silent while she got a grip. It was going to be a long night. Maybe
she could claim a headache and go upstairs.

“I’ll get the
plates and things,” Carla said, disappearing into the kitchen.

“That’s not
exactly what I meant, but thanks, Carla.” Jack shook his head, the movement
causing the movie to slide across the boxes.

Mandy grabbed
the teetering DVD. “I’ve got it.”

“Thanks, Mandy.
That helped a great deal.” He smiled politely.

Brielle finally
emerged from her stupor to grab the six-pack and coolers and fell into step.
“So, how did you get babysitting duty?”

“The studio
assigned it.” He glanced sideways, eyes widening when he noticed her shirt. A
curious blue gaze snapped to hers. “You like the Dodgers?”

Only one—and
without the “s” at the end.
She swallowed and blamed the warm June evening for
the heat suddenly invading her body. “They’re okay. I prefer the Mets.”

He winced. “Oh,
say it isn’t so, Brielle. I thought there was hope for you.”

“Poor, Jack.
Forced to babysit two models and a Mets fan,” she scolded playfully, setting
the bottles on the coffee table next to the pizza.

“Yeah, the
things I don’t do for my brother.”

She grinned and
opened a lime wine cooler. A beer would’ve gone better with the pizza, but they
tended to hit her quicker than wine. Mandy grabbed a cooler too and sat on the
couch.

“I don’t like
boxing, Jack. Do we have to watch this movie?” The blonde held up the DVD and
wrinkled her nose.

“Boxing?” He
chuckled. “It doesn’t involve boxing, Mandy. It’s more of an action/adventure
with a bunch of characters on a quest to throw a ring into a volcano.”

The rare sound
rumbling from his throat sent a shiver over Brielle’s skin.

“Oh.” The blonde
took another look at the DVD and her eyes grew round. “Ring as in jewelry. Why
didn’t you say so? I love jewelry.”

“Yeah, Mandy
loves rings,” Carla said, entering the room with her arms full of dishes, and
napkins.

“You’re just
jealous because they look great on my fingers, and I’ve gotten more layouts
than you.” The hand model tipped her chin as she strolled to the player and
slid the DVD inside.

“Yeah, but at
least my layouts show my whole body.” A derisive smiled curled Carla’s lips
while she placed her parcels on the coffee table between the food and drinks.

“Okay, ladies.”
Jack snapped his fingers, then motioned for the girls to sit down. “We’re not
going to play ‘who has the better spread.’”

The room grew
quiet. Very quiet.

Laughter bubbled
in Brielle’s throat. “I can’t believe you just said that.”

“Neither can I.”
He grimaced.

The girls
exchanged a look, then burst out laughing.

“Oh, Jack. You
should see your face. It’s priceless,” Mandy said between gulps of air.

“I’m sure it
is.” He cocked his head and grabbed a slice of pizza. “Now, can we please watch
the movie and eat in peace?”

Two hours and
twenty minutes later, when Jack got up to remove the DVD, Brielle swallowed
down a sigh—of protest or joy, she couldn’t be sure.
There'll be no
devouring the bachelor’s delicious brother tonight, my precious
, she warned
her libido while unfolding herself from the cushions.

Mandy’s snoring
and Carla's deep rhythmic breaths became more audible when Jack shut off the
television. His glance bounced from the girls to Brielle.

“Wow, I put two
out of three to sleep,” he whispered, quietly stacking the pizza boxes. “Almost
a clean sweep.” He winked at her, then disappeared into the kitchen.

She’d never been
so happy to see her favorite movie end. Her body couldn’t take another minute
of sitting so close to Jack. Mandy had pulled him down to sit between them
while Carla had plopped into the chaise. Short of looking ignorant, Brielle
couldn’t get up and move so she’d suffered a tantalizing torture all evening
and did her best to become one with the armrest.

She had to.
Every time Jack had reached for a drink or pizza, his arm brushed her thigh,
sending shivers across her skin. The action had killed her appetite for food,
but increased her craving for the yummy former Ranger.

Damn craving
still ran deep.

Realizing he was
alone in the other room, she grabbed the dishes and cups and followed, telling
herself it was just to check up on him.