The Tycoon's Temporary Bride: Book Four (41 page)

Jake grunted. “Okay, you’re good.” He pulled
his weapon from the man’s neck and holstered it.

“Is—is it bad news?” The man turned around,
his hands in the air.

“Depends on how you look at it. Put your
hands down.” He scratched his heavily bearded face. He’d been
itching a lot lately. He didn’t know if it was a psychological
premonition or just a physical irritation, perhaps a little of
both. “You friends with the sender?”

The man shrugged. “Not really, but when he
and his buddies say dig, I ask how deep.”

Jake leaned against the wall, chuckling.
“They do have a way with people. How did you find me?”

“They gave me a name and told me to find
you.”

Yeah, they would know how to find him
discreetly. Paul had shared a lot with them. Maybe too much.

“I staked out your apartment and began
following you yesterday.”

“I knew the second you began following me.
You’re not good.”

“Oh, I am,” the man said with a touch of
pride and dignity. “But they told me to be sloppy and not to
approach you, but to wait for you to go on the defense and only to
talk with you in private.”

They would make excellent FBI and CIA
spies.
“Do you know what’s in the note?” Jake narrowed his eye,
rubbing at his beard again.

“No. It was sealed when it was
delivered.”

“Good. I’m happy I don’t have to kill you.
Jake pulled a pen from his pocket, and turning his back, he ripped
off the blank bottom part from his note, scribbled something on it,
sealed it in the unaddressed return envelope, and turned to the
man. “Now, you deliver this. Make sure it gets out today.” He
wasn’t about to ask how it would happen because the less he knew,
the better off all involved were.

The man folded the envelope and pushed it
into his pocket, then just stood there and stared at Jake with
uncertainty in his eyes.

“What you waiting for?” Jake barked,
wondering which one of the men held the leash around this dog’s
neck. “Well, go on. Get out of here. I don’t know you. You don’t
know me. We never met.”

As the man scampered out, Jake ripped the
note into shreds, balled the pieces in his fist and held his hand
under the faucet. Once the pieces became a ball of pulp, he flushed
it down the nearest bowl and left the bathroom.

So the girl was safe and still off the radar,
he thought as he walked up to the bar and ordered a bagel and an
ice coffee to go. She was tough to have survived, and clever to
have found her ally all on her own. Jake couldn’t help but smile.
Paul would have been proud of her.

Taking Boris down and out was the only way to
ensure her continued safety, but the problem was that he had no
idea who Boris was. He was a shadow, a disguised voice, and a name,
that probably wasn’t even real. It was a difficult mission, but not
impossible. Sooner or later, Boris’ hatred for the girl would cause
him to make a mistake. Revenge was indeed a bitch. And she was
going to take a huge bite out of Boris Sokolov’s Russian ass.

***

Adam flipped through the photos on the
retractable projector screen suspended from the ceiling in his
office at A.I. The renovations for turning an old Japanese hotel
into a new Hotel Andreas were temporarily halted due to an
electrical fire that damaged the main and first floors, setting him
back a few months. He probably would have suffered a much greater
loss if it weren’t for the fact that the hotel was situated in the
vicinity of the Imperial Palace, which inadvertently sent the fire
department into a panic to control the flames. Luckily, the fire
happened at night when the workers had already left or he would
have been looking at a much bigger problem.

Shutting off the projector, he pushed to his
feet and crossed over to the bar. He poured himself a scotch and
walked to the wall overlooking Crystal Lake, the mountains, and
gray skies that fit his mood perfectly. A concerned CEO would have
been on the first jet to Tokyo after receiving the news, but for
the present, Adam was more of a concerned husband than a CEO. He’d
had to explain his reason for not leaving the country and Granite
Falls—for that matter—to his father.

Adam raised his glass to his lips. His father
had predictably gone into a long tirade about why he wasn’t
informed about, and present at his only son’s marriage ceremony.
Adam hadn’t held anything back, and as he’d expected, his father
had understood, and furthermore offered to travel to Tokyo to take
care of the situation. Knowing that his mother would be on his
doorstep the moment she heard the news of his marriage, Adam had
asked his father not to share it with her, yet. Her presence in
Granite Falls would just complicate the problem. He didn’t know who
these people were and didn’t want to make another Andreas
accessible for any ruthless plans they might be cooking up. The
only person he wanted to worry about keeping safe right now was
Tashi.

At the knock on his door, Adam walked back to
his desk and set down his scotch. He glanced through the one-way
mirror at his assistant. She’d just left him half an hour ago. He’d
already signed away his life for the day. Why was she back? He hit
a button on his desk. “Yes, Ms. Jenkins,” he said, as she stepped
inside.

“A messenger just delivered this, Mr.
Andreas.” She held out a large brown envelope.

Adam took it, his heart rocking in his chest
when he noticed that it wasn’t addressed. He was about to rip it
open and stopped, staring at the curious expression on his
assistant’s face.

“Is it anything I need to be aware of, Mr.
Andreas?”

“No. It’s personal. Thank you, Ms. Jenkins.
That’ll be all.”

“I’ll be leaving in a few minutes, sir. You
know how to reach me if you need me.” She gave him a professional
smile and a nod and left him alone.

Adam dropped his weight into the chair behind
his desk. He closed his eyes and took some deep steady breaths to
slow his racing heart. When he thought he was prepared to take
whatever the news was, he opened the envelope, and then the smaller
one inside that he’d included in his outgoing message.
Keep
secured
.
Trust no one. Won’t be long
.
Cease
contact.

Adam dropped the note into the shredder
beside his desk and, leaning back against his chair, he gazed off
into space. He still had no idea if Paul was dead or alive. Didn’t
Jake, the partner Paul had told them to contact if he ever fell off
the grid, understand his question about the buzzing flies? Last
year when Massimo had been trying to reach Paul, he hadn’t bothered
to contact Jake because his situation wasn’t that dire, and he’d
already decided to marry Shaina anyway. Perhaps they should have
been a lot more worried about their friend.

Adam pushed to his feet and began pacing. In
two days, Pastor Kelly would have to officially file his and
Tashi’s marriage certificate, making it a public record that anyone
with good or ill intent could access. Adam bunched his mane in his
hands and tugged on the strands. He’d never felt more helpless in
his life. He couldn’t fight since he didn’t know what or whom he
was fighting. His actions were limited to maintaining a semblance
of serenity and balance in his and Tashi’s lives while they waited
for the roof to cave. The fact that Jake was on the case didn’t
ease his anxieties, but it was nice to know he wasn’t alone.

To help him with his mission to keep his and
Tashi’s marriage from the public, Bryce had suggested moving his
parents’ anniversary party from Hotel Andreas to Mountainview Café.
Trusted members from each of their household staff would manage the
serving of the five-course meal that would be catered in from
Ristorante Andreas. Galen, who had some experience as a DJ, would
take charge of the music and entertainment, and instead of nannies,
the grandparents, and older kids would help look after the little
ones.

Bryce had also suggested that since
Mountainview Café was where Adam and Tashi had met, it would be the
perfect venue for their first formal evening out together. Adam had
agreed. Tonight, they would all be able to share each other’s
happiness in splendor and elegance without worrying about the local
press and prying strangers snapping pictures of Tashi. He and his
friends had vowed to make this a night their wives would never
forget.

There was no reason not to start the fun
early, Adam thought on a smile. He pulled his jacket from the
closet and walked to his private elevator.

***

Tashi stepped through the door of
Mountainview Café as one of the guards on duty opened it for
her.

“There you are!” Kaya said, switching Elyse
from one hip to the other. “Girl, look at you. Told you you’d be
stunning in that dress.”

“Wow. You guys look lovely, too.” Tashi
grinned at the three women hovering in the small foyer. Like her,
they were dressed to kill in Zac Posen floor-sweeping evening gowns
of silk and chiffon that were studded with precious gems: Michelle
in a low-cut, spaghetti strap, thigh-high split warm gold, Kaya in
a sleeveless V-neck champagne, Shaina in a red hot, short sleeved
scoop neck, and Tashi in a strapless, backless, diamond-studded
V-neckline emerald chiffon that Adam said enhanced the color of her
eyes. Except for Michelle, who wore a sleek short haircut, they all
wore updo hairstyles with curly tendrils brushing the sides of
their faces and down their necks. Sparkling diamonds and pearl
earrings, necklaces, and bracelets, along with high stiletto heels
topped off their attire.

Even little Elyse in a cute pink dress made
from satin and French netting looked sophisticated. Anyone seeing
them would think they’d walked off a Paris runway and were en route
to some ball of the century. And they smelled amazing. When they’d
been shopping together yesterday at Joanne’s Boutique, Tashi had
learned that sometimes these ladies took pride in dressing up, just
for their husbands’ pleasures, and their families’ admiration. This
was one of those times, and they’d all decided to wear Zac Posen
dresses. Joanne was grinning from ear to ear when they’d left her
boutique.

“Why are you so late?” Michelle asked,
leaning in to hug Tashi when Kaya stepped back.

“Do you really have to ask?” Shaina, who was
holding baby Aria in her arms, brought up the rear. “They’re
newlyweds. Did you forget what it was like in your first few days
of marriage?” She tossed Tashi a knowing wink, making her
blush.

“Girl, try after a few years,” Michelle said
with a chuckle, patting her flat belly they all knew would be
rising into a little baby bump soon. “Where’s Adam?” She stared out
into the empty parking lot which would have been overflowing if the
café hadn’t been closed in order to prepare for tonight.

“He had to take a call from his father.”
Tashi had an uncanny feeling that the call Adam had received just
before he dropped her off wasn’t from his father. He’d looked
worried, almost terrified as he’d listened to the speaker on the
other end.

“Well, with Uncle Alessandro, he might be a
while,” Shaina said.

“Yeah.” Tashi tried to shake off her
misgivings with a smile. She tucked her clutch under her arm and
kissed Aria on the cheek. “She’s such a gorgeous baby, Shaina,” she
said of the curly black-haired, brown-eyed baby girl, wearing a
pink satin ruffled dress with a matching band around her head. “I
think she looks like you,” she told Shaina.

“Me, too. But don’t let Massimo hear you say
that. He swears she looks like him.”

“Well, she can’t lose either way.” Michelle
ruffled the baby’s hair, which caused her to whimper and clutch the
front of her mother’s dress.

“She’s a little cranky tonight,” Shaina
explained, soothing her baby. “Had her shots today.”

“Hmm. I remember those days. Only mine were
double the trouble and sleepless nights.”

“Aaahah!” Elyse exclaimed, flashing her black
button eyes and a four-tooth grin as if agreeing with her mother.
As they all laughed, she reached out her little arms for Tashi.

“Aha, indeed,” Tashi said, hugging her
tightly and smoothing her straight dark hair. She was starting to
love the feel of babies in her arms. They were so helpless and
trusting, and impish, she thought as Elyse made a grab for her
hair. No wonder all the little ones loved Adam. He let them pull
his hair like a kitten pulls its mother’s tail.

Come to think of it, he allowed her to pull
his hair when she was caught up in the throes of passion. When he’d
complained that his head hurt, she’d told him that he should think
about cutting his hair, to which he’d responded that she sounded
like his father.

“Come, let’s introduce you to everyone else
while we wait for Adam.” Kaya placed her arm around Tashi, her
voice and touch bringing her back to the present.

“Who’s everyone?” Trying to control the blush
creeping up her neck to her face, Tashi followed the women into the
front dining area of the café.

“Well there’s my brother, Robert,” Michelle
began…

Tashi’s heart jolted as she passed the place
where she’d bumped into Adam almost a month ago, and where the
spark had started between them—a spark that had blazed into a
fiery, inextinguishable furnace.

She and Adam were late for Bryce’s parents’
anniversary party because they’d been making love all afternoon. It
had begun in her studio when Adam walked in, still wearing the suit
he’d worn to the office, and without saying a word, picked her up
from her chair and began kissing her passionately.

He’d taken her the first time against the
wall of the studio while they were still fully clothed. He’d just
hiked up her skirt, pulled her thong aside, unzipped his trousers
and shoved himself deeply and firmly into her. Tashi shivered as
she remembered the hot ache in her throat and belly at that initial
conquering thrust.