eyes were hard.
“Damn,” Reed muttered. He glanced to the dance floor where Elizabeth was in the arms of another lucky partner who wasn’t Reed. “Tell me, when does this party get fun?”
“Want me to come with you?”
Reed shook his head, placing his empty glass on a nearby tray. “I want you to keep an eye on Elizabeth. Run interference if you need to.”
“You got it,” said Collin, moving off as Reed headed for Selina.
“What’s going on?” he asked her, putting a hand on the small of her back and moving her to one side.
“It’s Hammond and Pysanski.” She sounded almost breathless.
“What about them?”
“There’s evidence-dates, purchases and profits-that this isn’t the first time one of Kendrick’s committee decisions has netted them a windfall.”
Reed glanced back into the ballroom, realizing for the first time that Kendrick and his wife hadn’t shown up for the party. Had Reed underestimated the significance of this problem to Kendrick? Was it possible the senator was actually guilty?
Reed moved closer to Selina, lowering his voice. “Go on.”
“Hammond put fifty thousand dollars into a company called End Tech in 2004. Two months later, the company won a federal contract for wireless R &D. Both Hammond and Pysanski bought into Norman Aviation right before a big helicopter award in ’06. And, last year, Hammond went big on Saville Oil Sands just in time for the stock split.”
Reed swore.
“Yeah,” Selina agreed. “Add that to Ellias, and you’ve got yourself one hell of a pattern to put in front of the jury.”
“And Kendrick can be connected in each case?”
“His committee made the pivotal decision every time.”
“I’m screwed,” said Reed, gripping the back of his neck.
“You’re innocent,” Selina pointed out.
“Tell that to a jury of my peers, after the prosecution shows them pictures of my real estate holdings and my airplanes.”
She glanced away. “Okay. It’s a challenge all right.”
It was the first time Reed had seen even a hint of anxiety in the woman’s eyes.
He leaned in, wondering just how much of a problem this new evidence would be. “Selina?”
Her teeth came down on her lower lip, and she gazed at him with a frankness that said more clearly than words they were in big trouble.
Whirling in the arms of her neighbor, Trent Tanford, Elizabeth caught yet another glimpse of Reed in the foyer. He was in deep conversation with a woman she couldn’t place. The woman wasn’t dressed for the party, but wore a pair of jeans and a blazer. Elizabeth could only see the woman’s back, but Reed’s expression was intense.
He touched the small of the woman’s back and moved her off to one side, out of Elizabeth’s sight. The song ended, and Elizabeth quickly thanked Trent, crossing behind a marble pillar for a better look.
Several friends stopped her to chat, and she was briefly distracted by a glimpse of Amanda Crawford. The normally vivacious and bubbly woman looked upset. She was cloistered in a corner with a very pregnant Julia Rolland, and the two looked to be having an intense discussion.
But then Reed came back into view. He was still talking with the mystery woman. Elizabeth took a few more steps. Then, suddenly, the woman turned.
Elizabeth’s stomach plummeted to the floor. For a second, her limbs were paralyzed and a roaring in her ears nearly drowned out the music.
It was the coconut woman.
Reed had stepped out of his own anniversary party to have an intimate conversation with the woman he’d lied about at work and brought into their home. What was going on?
What had he done?
“Elizabeth?”
She blinked a man into focus in front of her. Gage.
“Care to dance?” he asked, holding out a hand.
No. Elizabeth did not want to dance. She wanted to rant and rail, and scream at fate, scream at Reed, demand an explanation for what looked absolutely damning.
“Sure,” she said instead, and let Gage’s strong arms pull her into the rhythm of the music.
She tried to ignore Reed, but that was impossible. The conversation was still going on. Reed looked angry. Coconut woman looked upset. Then Collin joined the two of them. Collin, the traitor. Had he been routinely covering for Reed’s trysts?
How long had this been going on? Had Biarritz been some kind of a trick?
“Uh, Gage, that woman in the foyer with Reed. Do you know her name?” Elizabeth was proud of how even she managed to keep her voice. “We met at Reed’s office a few weeks back, but I’m embarrassed that her name’s slipped my mind.”
Gage hesitated long enough to make Elizabeth want to sock him. Was he in on it, too? Was there a conspiracy of silence among rich, powerful men? Did they all keep a mistress? Had she been hopelessly naive all these years?
“I think it’s Selina.”
Elizabeth waited, taking in the discomfort on Gage’s face.
“She’s connected to law enforcement somehow,” he said.
Right. First Selina was a job applicant, then a client, now in law enforcement? Elizabeth wasn’t stupid. This was a conspiracy, and she couldn’t trust anyone.
“That sounds right,” she said with a bright smile. She blinked, searching the room for something else to concentrate on while the song finished.
She spotted Amanda again. The woman still looked upset, but this time she was talking to Alex Harper. While Elizabeth watched, Alex touched Amanda on the shoulder. The woman’s lips compressed. She turned away, and Alex’s smile turned to a frown. It looked like he called her name, but she kept walking.
Then finally the dance ended. Elizabeth gave her husband one last fleeting glance then slipped out a side door.
“I didn’t expect you this early.” Hanna hopped up from the sofa as Elizabeth entered the penthouse.
“I missed Lucas,” Elizabeth lied, hoping she’d successfully hid evidence of her crying jag while she was in the back of the limo. In case her eyes were still red, she busied herself hanging up her coat and putting her purse away.
“He was a doll,” said Hanna. “And Joe really does change diapers.”
“Pediatric protection detail,” Joe put in, levering up out of his chair.
“But you were right,” said Hanna in a breezy voice. “He’s not allowed to make out while he’s on duty.”
Elizabeth sputtered out a laugh. “You propositioned my bodyguard?”
“I’m your driver,” Joe corrected.
“He’s a stickler for the rules,” said Hanna with a saucy shimmy.
“Would you mind driving Hanna home?” Elizabeth asked Joe. The faster they left her alone, the faster she could fall apart.
“Not at all,” he drawled. “There’s a…little matter we need to finish.”
“I…”
Elizabeth smiled, amazed that she could be happy for her friend when her own life was crashing down around her.
“Good night, Elizabeth,” Joe offered as he propelled Hanna toward the door.
“I’ll call you.” Hanna waved.
“Lock up,” he advised as he let the door swing shut.
Elizabeth turned the dead bolt and took two steps back. Then, she stopped, bracing a hand on the entry table and closing her eyes as the world spun around her. She felt genuinely dizzy.
