Teasing Trent (The Alexanders) (9 page)

You don’t have to like this guy. You’re just using him for his air conditioning.

Jackson held up his hands in surrender. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply you don’t work hard. I’ve seen a few of your billboards lately. You’re becoming a household name.”

Ridley nodded, her hostility meter going down a few notches. “Thanks. It’s what I’ve been working toward for years.”

Even though they hadn’t been as close lately, nothing could stop her pride at her sister’s success. She’d been there in the early years when Raina had done ads for toothpaste and painkillers. She’d been disappointed along with her when she’d been turned down for casting call after casting call because she wasn’t the “All-American” girl they were looking for. Code for “not blonde enough.”

Women of color had always had a hard time in the modeling industry and Raina had been no exception. However, instead of accepting it, she’d done something unprecedented. While living in Washington, D.C. she’d started a style blog called “Legs” and modeled clothing for small fashion designers for free. Every week she’d featured an outfit by a different designer and then shown photos of herself wearing it on the streets and to trendy restaurants. Before long her blog had a cult following, and everyone wanted to know what she was wearing.
 

The modeling industry hadn’t wanted her initially so she’d gone out and created her own industry. People looked at Raina as just another model but the truth was that she was an entrepreneur. An incredibly savvy one at that.

He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. “So, you canceled your latest shoot?”

“Yeah, I was in a car accident. I needed a break, anyway.” It was as good an explanation as any. Her shoulders slumped. She could hardly tell people she was in town hiding out. “People staring and taking pictures can get old, you know?”

“Really?”
 

When she raised her eyebrows he backed up a step. “Sorry, I just can’t imagine having that kind of opportunity and turning it down. I wish someone would just offer me money for being pretty. I wouldn’t have bothered with college!”

“So, I guess I shouldn’t have gone to college either, huh? I guess all that time learning was wasted.” She glared at him.

“No, of course not. I just meant—” He stopped and ran a hand through his hair. “Wow, can we start over? I’ve done nothing but put my foot in it today. Let’s pretend we’re just meeting. Hi, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Jackson; my friends call me Jack or J. Or jackass, depending on who you ask.” He smiled slowly, the type of grin that probably had women throwing their panties at him usually.

Ridley just sighed. “Nice to meet you, Jackson.”

He gestured toward her. “And you are?”

“Seriously?”

“Come on, play along.”

Ridley crossed her arms. “Okay. Hi, I’m Raina. You can call me Raina.”

His lips twitched at the corners. “Okay, then. You know what? The locksmith is probably not going to call back for a while so we might as well just hang out. We’ve been neighbors for months now but we’ve never had a chance to just sit and talk like this. I don't have much to snack on but I'm sure we can find something suitably unhealthy to eat while you tell me your story. The
real
one, not the tabloid version.”

Ridley raised her chin. “Who says I have a story?”

“Everyone has a story. I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours,” he teased.

“I don’t think I need to know yours.”
 

 
“Okay, suit yourself. I’m going to go get some work done, then. But if you change your mind, I’m ordering takeout around six.” He turned and walked away.
 

Just before he turned the corner she called out. “Fine. I’ll eat your takeout. After all, that’s what vultures do, right?”

As he turned and stared at her wide-eyed, she grinned and walked back to the guestroom.
 

The laundry could wait.

Chapter Three

AN HOUR LATER, Jackson had made a sizable dent in his to-do list for the party the next day. The Alexander family had always held a party on Memorial Day weekend but it used to be held at his parent’s farm. It wasn’t until after his wife died that his mother made the request to have it at Jackson’s place.
 

It was her way of keeping him from withdrawing from the world, something he’d been all too happy to do after Cynthia died. However, it took an iron will to resist his mother when she wanted something so he’d been hosting for the past three years. This would be the first year in his new house.
 

It was also the first year he was actually looking forward to it.

An image of Raina sitting in her backyard, looking so lost and alone entered his mind. If he ever got locked out he’d have plenty of people to call. His parents, his brothers and a whole slew of cousins. He couldn’t imagine not having anyone to help him out. Having a big family wasn’t something he’d ever given much thought to but after today… well, he was suddenly really aware of how much easier his life was because of his family.
 

He groaned thinking of all the ways he’d put his foot in his mouth around her. Not only had she heard Nick call her a vulture but then he’d implied that beautiful women didn’t need to be smart.
 

It was no wonder she’d walked off.

He was so distracted that the shrill ring of his cell phone on the desk next to him set his teeth on edge. He grabbed the phone, cursing as the pile of invoices it was sitting on scattered across the floor.

“Jackson Alexander”.

“You are gonna love me for this one. I’m a genius. Tell me I’m a genius!”
 

“You’re a genius, Mac. Now why the hell are you calling me? Aren’t you supposed to be finding a group for the song we’re working on?”
 

He stooped to pick up the papers off the floor, sure that his assistant was off task as usual. Some people thought he was crazy for keeping him around after the debacle with Alana. But Jackson believed in loyalty. They
’
d been friends for years and Mac claimed nothing had happened between him and Alana. Jackson believed him.
 

The fact that he
’
d witnessed his friend pushing her away before they knew he was there helped considerably.

“That’s why I’m calling. I found a group that’s perfect. They’re all gorgeous, well most of them and even better, they’re local.” Leave it to Mac to be more interested in the length of their legs than the quality of their voices.
 

“Can they at least sing? The last time I heard a group you found, only one member could even carry a tune.”
 

Jackson winced at the memory of the pitiful group trying to sing
a capella
. They had all looked like cover models, which was reason enough for Mac to be interested. Jackson couldn’t hold it against him, though. Except for his obsession with beautiful women, Michael MacCrane was the hardest working assistant Jackson had ever had and a good friend.
 

He’d just learned not to trust his instincts when it came to young female singers.

“I’m telling you Jack, these girls have voices like angels. But hey, you don’t have to take my word for it. Girls, sing a few bars for the boss.” There was a ruffling sound as if Mac had put the phone down before he heard someone clear a throat.

It was just a simple rendition of the jazz tune “Cry Me a River” but when they were done, Jackson pumped his fist in the air.
 

This was the break he had been waiting for.

*
 
*
 
*
 
*
 
*

 
RIDLEY ROLLED OVER and yawned. Napping had seemed like a good idea at the time, but she was too anxious to sleep for more than a few minutes here and there, so now she was tired
and
groggy. She reached over to the nightstand where she’d left her cell phone charging.

Still no messages.
 

“Come on, Raina. I really need you to call back.” She blew her hair out of her face and sighed. It was time to consider the possibility that Raina wasn’t going to call her back. They’d never been mad at each other this long before.

Their relationship had been strained ever since she’d decided to look for their father. Their mother had been only too glad to tell them as girls what a good-for-nothing their father was, and how getting herself saddled with two kids was the worst mistake of her life. She
’
d loved their mother but she hadn
’
t been the easiest person to love, even when you were trying. She could understand why Raina didn’t want to meet their other parent when the one they’d grown up with had made them so miserable.
 

But Ridley couldn’t help hoping that maybe their father was different. Maybe he
did
want them. Maybe she’d finally find the family she’d been wishing for her whole life. Not that all her wishing had done her any good.
 

If she had to be locked, out this was a pretty nice place to be, but she still wanted to get to her sister’s house. Imposing on family was one thing, imposing on a perfect stranger was an entirely different matter altogether. Especially when the guy in question was sort of a jerk.

Now that he knew she’d overheard him and that his chances of getting her in bed were nonexistent, he was probably more than ready for her to leave. Having her here was sure to cramp his style when one of his girlfriends came over. Although if his brother was to be believed, he must not have many girlfriends, otherwise he wouldn’t need to hit on the first girl to land in his backyard.

“There has to be something I can do.” The waiting was going to drive her insane. She hated feeling helpless. She sat up and picked up her phone. A few taps later, the contact information for Agent Ian Graham was displayed on her screen. Her thumb hesitated over the number for a moment before she tapped it to initiate the call. It rang three times before she heard his gravelly voice.

“Agent Graham? It’s Ridley Wells.”

“Good to hear from you, Miss Wells. I’ve been trying to get in touch with you. Are you out of town?”

“Just for the weekend. Why?”

“I’m finishing up the accident report.” He cleared his throat. “We’ve been trying to get a clearer picture of what your friend was doing in the days leading up to his death. You said he was a private investigator, right?”

“Yes. I hired him to do a search for my father.”

“How much did he charge?”

Ridley frowned. “He charged by the hour. Usually about a hundred unless it required surveillance. So far, he hadn’t needed to do that. He was mainly looking through paperwork, I think. I know he pulled my mom’s credit history. He was trying to figure out exactly where my mother was living and who she had contact with around the time of my conception.”

“Did he seem to be having money problems?”

“I didn’t think so, but I’m not really sure. Why are you asking all these questions? What does this have to do with his car accident?”

“We’re not sure. We noticed some unusual activity in the past month and thought you might be able to help us put the pieces together.”

“I wouldn’t know anything about his financial situation.”

“You didn’t wire him fifty thousand last week?”

“Fifty thousand? Uh, no. I don’t have that kind of money,” Ridley stated.

“Miss Wells, I don’t want to alarm you but I’m sure you’ve figured out by now that the FBI isn’t usually involved in cases like these.”

“Please tell me what’s going on.”

“Mr. Finemore was spotted with a person of interest in one of my cases. Alberto Moreno. The FBI has been monitoring Mr. Moreno for years. He’s suspected of arms dealing, racketeering, drug trafficking, you name it.”

“Moreno? As in the Moreno crime family?” Ridley squeaked.

“Yes. I’m something of an expert on the Morenos, which is why I was asked to assist with Mr. Finemore’s case. Mr. Finemore was spotted by one of our surveillance teams meeting Moreno the day before his death. Do you have any idea why?”

“Maybe he was doing investigative work for them?”

Agent Graham grunted. “If he was doing work for the Morenos it definitely wasn’t legal. Miss Wells, I know Mr. Finemore was a friend of yours but whatever he got himself into got him killed. You were the last person to see him alive. Somehow, you were also the first person at the scene of the accident.
”

He stopped speaking abruptly. Ridley had the distinct feeling that he hadn
’
t meant to say that last part.

“
What exactly are you implying, Agent Graham? You don
’
t think I had anything to do with this, do you?
”

“
I didn
’
t mean that. Miss Wells, we just want to figure out what
’
s going on before anyone else gets hurt. When will you be back in town?”

“I don’t know. I’ll call you back.” Ridley hung up and immediately turned her phone off.

She dragged in a ragged breath, her heart beating so hard she couldn’t hear anything else over the sound. It was tempting to pretend she’d never called Agent Graham. To go on ignoring the signs that had been there since the beginning.
 

Hadn’t she thought it odd that an FBI Agent would be involved in something as simple as a car accident? Now she could no longer ignore the obvious—she was in way over her head. Maybe she should have told Agent Graham that David had come to see her right before the accident. Not that she could see how that would make any difference.

Especially since he already suspected her of killing her friend.

If David had found evidence that Moreno was her father, he would have tried to verify it. But it was doubtful that he would have told Moreno directly of his suspicions. So if she could stay off the grid for a while, there was a good chance that Moreno’s people would never know what he really suspected. If she was lucky, they would never know that he might have a daughter.
Daughters
, she corrected. After all, this wasn’t just about her.