restroom to have his way with her.
He released a harsh exhale and shifted in his seat. Setting his drink on the secondhand oak table in front of the couch, he grabbed the leather binder he'd walked in with.
'Let's talk business,' he muttered, and unzipped the portfolio, revealing an all-in-one management system. He flipped to a tabbed section marked
Forgetting their fun, sexy exchange in favor of information on her cousin, Liz focused on Steve and what he'd discovered. 'And what did you find out?' she asked anxiously.
'Nothing on that, unfortunately.' He thumbed through a few pages and skimmed over more written information. 'I also managed to check the charges on her credit cards to see if she'd purchased a ticket from some other source, and again, no luck.'
Hope kicked up the beat of Liz's heart. 'So then, you think she's still here in Chicago?'
'No, not necessarily. Rob could have purchased an airline ticket for her,' he said pragmatically. 'As for your cousin, she made a bunch of other charges on her credit card, mainly clothing and lingerie purchases.'
That detail didn't surprise Liz. 'That's nothing unusual. Valerie has always been a clotheshorse.' And very frivolous in her spending habits.
'It was a big expense, nearly a grand in all, which seems excessive, especially since the purchases were made all in one day. I went to the place the charges were made, talked to a few salespeople, and showed them the picture of your cousin that you gave me, but didn't get more than a confirmation that she'd been there.'
His dark brows drew together in further speculation. 'And there was also a four-hundred-and-fifty-dollar charge to a luggage store, which seemed pretty steep for an overnight bag. So, I followed up on the charge and found out it was for a full set of luggage, including a garment bag.'
Liz's eyes widened. 'I had no idea.'
He studied her for a long moment. 'You and your cousin aren't that close, are you?'
'We were raised together,' she said, and heard the defensive note creep into her tone. 'We're as close as sisters are.'
'But you don't share a whole lot of stuff like sisters who live together would,' he said, making his point in a gentle but direct way.
'No.' The words felt thick in her throat. 'Despite being raised together, we both have very distinctly different personalities, and that has contributed to a lot of strain between us over the years.'
There was more, such as the old resentments her cousin harbored, and Valerie's craving for attention, that had shaped her into the impetuous, reckless woman she'd become. But Liz felt partially accountable for that drastic change in her cousin, because she'd come into Valerie's life unexpectedly, forcing her to adjust from being an only child, whom her parents absolutely doted upon, to having another girl-a rival in her eyes-steal away half of everything that was hers.
'I love Valerie,' she said quietly, 'and I'll obviously do anything for her, but no, I wouldn't call us best friends.'
The admission hurt, more than she realized. Ever since the day she'd moved in with her aunt and uncle at the tender young age of twelve, Liz had always yearned for Valerie's friendship, and yes, on some level, her approval. She'd always wanted a sister, and she'd done her best to create that special bond between her and Val until she realized that her cousin had no desire to share anything with her beyond what was necessary. Still, Liz had always held out the foolish hope that Valerie would come around and change her mind about their being friends.
Steve stared at her with those intelligent eyes of his that seemed to reach deep into her soul and tug on emotions she'd spent years keeping under wraps, just as he had last night when he'd coaxed her to talk about Travis.
She grew uncomfortable beneath his penetrating gaze and wondered if he could sense her internal guilt-her sense of obligation both to Valerie and to her aunt and uncle for everything they'd sacrificed for her by taking her in when her parents died.
She looked away and inhaled a deep, calming breath. 'What else did you find out?'
Much to her relief, he didn't pursue the emotional issue and smoothly veered back into their business discussion. 'According to some bank information I was able to trace, Valerie made a five-hundred-dollar cash withdrawal from her savings account on Friday.' He closed his portfolio and laid it back on the coffee table. 'All those purchases and that cash advance happened last week, which leads me to believe that she was preparing for a trip.'
His believable theory eased Liz's worry, but she wasn't willing to stake her cousin's life on an assumption, and she doubted Steve would, either. She needed to locate Valerie, hear her voice, and be reassured that she was safe and off somewhere of her own free will-before her Aunt Sally called again and put Liz into the position of lying to her or revealing the truth and admitting that Valerie had taken off with a man she knew nothing about, doing Lord knew what.
'What do we do from here?' she asked, trusting him to guide her through the next phase of his investigation.
He placed his palm on her jean-clad thigh and squeezed gently. 'We follow through on our original plan with The Ultimate Fantasy.'
She found his touch not only reassuring but sensual as well, since he didn't remove his hand after branding her with that warm and comforting gesture. The heat of his fingers seeped through her jeans, singeing her skin and senses. Her pulse fluttered in her throat as she vividly remembered the exquisite feel of those fingers stroking over her body, petting her. The way they'd slipped deep inside her sex and set her on fire.
'Nothing's changed if you want more in-depth information about your cousin's whereabouts,' he went on, oblivious to her aroused thoughts. 'Other than what I've told you, I'm at a dead end with Valerie, which means the rest of this case, and finding your cousin, hinges on the man she's supposedly with. And all we have to go on is The Ultimate Fantasy and getting invited to one of those parties so we can at least find out a last name for Rob, so I can investigate who he is and put a trace on him, which will, hopefully, lead to your cousin.'
She nodded, knowing he was right.
'Ohmigosh, is that you, Steve?' A light, feminine voice drifted toward them, her tone full of bubbly surprise. 'I'll be damned; it
The sudden appearance of a regular Daily Grind customer coming to a stop beside Steve jolted through Liz, making her excruciatingly aware of the intimacy of their position, and the familiarity evident in those possessive fingers of his curling around her thigh. She attempted to shift casually away, to give him the opportunity to remove his hand just as nonchalantly, but the pressure he exerted with his palm forced her to remain just where she was.
'Hello, Jill,' Steve said with an affable smile as he glanced up at the other woman. 'Fancy meeting you here.'
Since Jill was a frequent patron, Liz knew her first name, too, and had grown to like the other woman who was always so friendly when she came into the cafe. She wondered what Jill's connection to Steve was, since they appeared to know each other quite well.
'I should say the same for you.' Jill lifted an inquiring brow at Steve, her green eyes sparkling with amusement. 'I didn't think froufrou drinks were your style. What are you doing here?'
He took no offense to her teasing his manhood. 'I'm enjoying the drinks and the atmosphere,' he drawled, his words easily infused with double meaning, depending on how the recipient chose to analyze the situation.
Jill glanced from his drink on the table to Liz and grinned. 'Hmm, so I see,' she said, obviously drawing her own conclusions about what the atmosphere had to offer.
Steve's thumb absently stroked back and forth along Liz's thigh, but his gaze remained on Jill. 'And what are you doing here?'
Jill adjusted the thin strap of her designer purse over her shoulder. 'Eric and I went out for dinner to celebrate a big advertising account I finished that's kept me tied up for the past month, and we both thought coffee sounded good before we headed home.'
Liz took that as her cue to make a smooth getaway. 'I guess I should get those drinks for you.'
