“I have a tracker on her phone.”
“What the hell, Reeves? That is creepy shit. Danni would castrate you if she knew.”
“She knows. After Jordan, Sophie, and Danni were kidnapped, they all agreed with the safety net. It was a compromise. Their father wanted Jordan and Sophie to have a tracking device planted intradermally. I thought it might come down to bloodshed. The sisters refused, and Danni backed them up. They’re fearsome when they unite against their father, one of the most powerful men on the planet. Dean finally gave up, admitting that his fear over the kidnapping had left him paranoid.”
“I had no idea. And Danni was part of this?”
“Danni was never considered for the intradermal implant. Just Jordan and Sophie because of their risk of being kidnapped for ransom as Richard Dean’s daughters. After the kidnapping, Danni was traumatized and agreed also to have her phone tracked. I think she didn’t object since she and I are such close friends.”
“Well, this makes my assignment to track her easier for tomorrow’s adventure.”
“Of course, I’ve made some cool changes to the function… But you don’t want to hear about it because you’re too busy to listen.”
“Everything okay, man?”
“I’m fine. But there is”—Reeves paused—“something else.”
“Go ahead.”
“The T-shirt and Sports Emporium is in Santee Alley.”
“Where all the Mexican drug cartels launder their money?” Lars’s fist tightened on his phone.
“You know?”
“When we’re stationed in CA, we get regular updates about the cartel’s activities.”
“I don’t know how there can be a connection between money laundering and a stalker, but it makes me nervous.”
“Can you check the financials of this company?” Lars didn’t think there could be a connection, but his work taught him always to be prepared.
“I’m already on it. I’ll let you know if I find anything…and then you can be the one to talk to Danni about not going.”
“Real funny, Reeves.”
Chapter Five
Too much champagne, too much sushi, too much of the mighty fine Lars Jenkins. OMG.
Danni woke cranky and hungover.
The stress of pretending to be involved with Alex as Sophie and Lars looked on had pushed her to gulp the bubbly all night long. Not being able to tell Sophie the truth, and then having Lars nearby, had made for one dandy night that she never wanted to relive.
She almost confessed to Sophie this morning. It was good that Sophie was in a rush to get back to Seattle for an event that her foundation was hosting, or Danni, in her weakened state, would have coughed up the truth.
Danni wasn’t used to holding back feelings from her girlfriends. Sisterhood got her through her cheating ex and the trauma after the kidnapping. But if she told Sophie, Sophie would tell Finn, and then Finn would alert all the Jenkinses. The alpha males would rush in, making it clear that she was in over her head. They all would be in her business, never giving her a chance to succeed.
And if Lars knew the truth, she didn’t want to think of the endless jokes and then the protective, condescending attitude he’d take with her, like his brothers. Or possibly he would push harder to get close, and she wasn’t sure how long she could keep resisting. As a woman who prided herself on self-discipline, she had no control when it came to Lars Jenkins.
He had a way of looking at her as if she were the X17 particle that would explain the mystery of dark matter. His singular focus drew her to him. No one ever looked at her with intense curiosity. Men only saw her as a leggy blonde with the body of a model. And nothing else.
As a researcher obsessed with solving the unsolvable, she was intensely drawn to being considered a mystery. But she knew in her heart that once Lars figured her out—saw that she wasn’t different than any other woman who wanted to be loved and cherished—he’d be on to the next woman. Right now, he was enjoying the chase.
Her phone pinged. Reeves had an uncanny ability to call her right when she needed her friend.
“What the hell, Reeves? You sent a Jenkins with Sophie?”
She pulled her ear away from her phone since Reeves was laughing so loud it hurt. “The Jenkins brothers are Sophie’s security. And I thought you’d be thanking me, not hassling me for the surprise trip from Sophie.”
What was up with Reeves? He almost sounded hurt.
“Okay. That was sweet. Thank you.” Danni didn’t add how stressful it was to withhold the truth from Sophie.
“So, you and Lars are good now?”
Danni didn’t know whether to laugh or scream. Now she had to lie to Reeves.
“Lars and I are copacetic.” She didn’t add that Lars never smiled or teased her when they were with Alex. Or how she missed his baiting and his infectious grin.
“Lars seems happy for me that I’m with a nice guy.” And I have a bridge for sale.
“Glad to hear it.”
What was with Reeves? He was always solicitous and protective of her.
“I tracked where the T-shirt was ordered. The T-Shirt and Sports Emporium is in a really rough area of LA. You should take Lars with you.”
“You’re kidding. There is no way in hell that I’m taking Lars. You didn’t tell him that I’m Alex’s bodyguard, did you?”
“You don’t know what Alex might be involved in. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
Shivers raced down Danni’s arms. Reeves knew her really well. He got her need to prove her independence after creating a whole life around a cheating, lying douchebag who didn’t have the integrity to face her at the church.
“What neighborhood?”
“It’s in the heart of Santee Alley.”
“Oh, my God. That’s great. I love shopping there. Now I wish Sophie hadn’t left. She and I can spend hours wandering the streets and shopping wholesale. How do you think I can afford designer label clothes?”
“You know it borders on a really rough section of LA.”
“Reeves, you’re starting to sound a bit paternalistic.”
“Dammit, Sophie. Santee Alley is
