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She loved her dad. She really did, but she’d watched her mom have to be the strong one all her life. Certainly, it wasn’t wrong to wish for something more…
Was Greg capable of loving and protecting her? She worried about that…
Staring at the woman in the mirror, Kinley acknowledged that she was his entrée into old-money society, a second chance for Greg Jansen. His first wife had been a model. Carrie Anthony had been beautiful and successful. As far as Kinley could tell, she’d become a star. Then mental illness had tragically cut her life short.
Two months after their marriage, she’d killed herself.
But Kinley wasn’t that girl. She was strong. She didn’t run away from her responsibilities. Once she said “I do,” she would be there forever.
Kinley turned back to the mirror and straightened her dress. It was almost time to start the rest of her life. Nothing could save her from it now.
* * * *
Through the hidden cameras they’d planted in the suite the night before, Dominic Anthony stared at the blonde in the wedding dress on the screen. After a few minutes of surveillance, he knew that the gorgeous bride had a pretty heart-shaped face and a juicy hourglass figure. Too bad she was a money-grubbing whore.
“There. I think I fixed the audio. Is the sound in the suite back on?” Riley asked, looking up from his computer, already dressed in the black and white uniform of room service staff.
“I think so. ” Dom nodded.
“Good. Shitty that it crapped out through that whole conversation with her sister,” Riley groused.
Dominic didn’t care. He’d doubted they’d missed much. Everything was in place now. Years of planning was finally coming together. So why did he have a deep pit in his stomach, a feeling of gnawing anxiety as he listened.
“Oh, the audio is definitely working again. She’s talking about how much she loves the creep. ” And Dominic couldn’t stand it. Somehow hearing her say she loved a hardened criminal made his skin crawl.
He almost wished Riley wasn’t so good at his job. To be honest, he’d enjoyed just watching the blonde. She was so freaking beautiful. Her seeming innocence made her look like a girl who would appreciate a man’s—or men’s—comfort and protection. But the second Riley had restored the sound, the words that had come out of the bride’s mouth proved the image was all false.
I don’t care about how good he is. He’s going to be my husband. Have you seen all the gifts he’s already given me?
And to think he’d mooned over her for even a second. He was a stupid ass. He’d seen Kinley Kohl’s picture and half fallen in love with her sweet face and banging body on the spot. Blonde curls and caramel brown eyes, and that husky voice that went straight to his cock.
But she couldn’t wait to jump into bed with Satan, so she was pretty much on the “no touch” list.
Still, he was going to do what he must in order to save her life. She wasn’t going to die like his baby sister had. Greg Jansen was going to pay for his crimes—and Kinley Kohl was the key.
Law Anders stepped up and looked at the screen. He was wearing the same starched uniform as his brother. It was almost go time. “Does that mean she’s stopped talking about how fat she is?”
“What?” Dominic scowled.
“Yeah, just before all that crap about loving Jansen. ” Law made gagging sounds. “I heard everything she said to both her sister and Annabelle. I don’t get it. She’s gorgeous. How can anyone think she’s fat? I swear, my hand is itching. ”
Law liked to spank women, especially pretty women who mouthed off about how unattractive they were. Kinley Kohl was practically his perfect woman. Fuck, she was practically all of their perfect woman, if only her heart was half as sweet as her looks. But no. She was willing to marry a violent killer because he bought her some luggage.
“Focus, man,” Dominic barked. “She’s talked a lot about how much shit Jansen’s bought her. ”
Law frowned, his eyes never leaving the screen. “I’m telling you, it’s an act. She’s scared. She needs us. ”
“You’re insane, Law. Delusional. ”
He stared at his friend. Law Anders was supposed to be the surly one. He mostly communicated in growls and snarls, but ever since Dominic had put him on the surveillance of Kinley Kohl, he’d been all complete sentences and smiles. Oh, his lips didn’t curl up much, and he looked a little like he was in pain, but for Law, that was a brilliant grin.
Riley stared at his older brother. “This isn’t like you, Law. You know who she is. ”
So they’d had conversations. Dominic had wondered about that. Riley and Law Anders were the closest thing he had to a family because he’d more or less grown up with the brothers.
He’d helped Riley get into Harvard and they’d attended the Ivy League institution together for a time. When patriotic duty had called, Dominic had gone off to the military. Law had joined up, too. Before it was all over, Law had taken an IED and lost function of his legs, so Dominic had left the service to come home and help the men he considered his brothers. Law was a tough son of a bitch. Even after the doctors had told him he would never walk again, he was up and running eighteen months later. Now Anthony Anders was one of the premier investigative firms in the country. They worked for law firms and police departments.
But this case was personal.
“She’s the target,” Dominic said in no uncertain terms. “She’s the woman who’s going to give us all the ammunition we need to finally prove what kind of a man Greg Jansen is. ”
The kind willing to kill a woman for money, Dominic thought in a rage. Even a woman as sweet as his sister.
The time had come to avenge Carrie by beating Jansen at his own game. And Kinley Kohl was his sledgehammer. He had everything he needed with the singular exception of a witness. After today, problem solved. He’d do whatever it took to make Kinley spill everything she knew until she practically sang. What he didn’t need was Law falling in lust with her.
Even though it would be a really easy thing to do.
“You guys haven’t been watching and talking to her the way I have. ” Law’s eyes never left the screen. “She has little tells. She smiles a little too brightly when she’s lying. ”
“She has different smiles?” Riley asked with a frown.
“Yep,” Law replied. “And she’s using her fake smile now. Watch the difference between the one she uses on our little Benedict Arnold and her sister. ”
“Hey, she’s trying to help Kinley. ” Dominic wasn’t going to let Law throw Annabelle Wright under the bus. She was a hell of a woman, choosing to do something brave and save her friend’s life. “If Annabelle hadn’t agreed to intervene, do you really think Kinley would have come back from her honeymoon alive?”
“I’m not saying we should let her marry the fucker,” Law replied. “I just wish you would let me talk to her instead of carrying through with this crazy plan. She’s a smart woman. She’ll listen. ”
Dominic seriously doubted that. “Like she’s been listening to Annabelle all this time? She’s a socialite who takes lunches and goes to charity balls. How fucking intellectual can she be?”
“She’s raised millions of dollars for the homeless. And those lunches she takes are usually about her charity. ”
He hated to burst Law’s bubble because the guy so rarely had a positive outlook on anything, but he had to do it. “Her charity is on the brink of ruin. ”
“Because of her father. ” Law could also be a little like a pit bull with a nice hunk of meat when he decided something. He never fucking let go.
But Dominic needed Law on his side. “Her gambling father who’s run the whole family into the ground. Yeah, and she just keeps feeding him money. She’s giving him funds earmarked for warm coats and shoes for poor children. She’s probably hoarding some herself for shopping sprees. ”
“You’ve got her all wrong. ” Law’s jaw squared, and Dominic
just knew he wasn’t going to like what his best friend was about to say. “I think she’s the one for us. ”
“Fuck. ” Riley put a hand to his head, shaking it as though he couldn’t believe what his brother had just said.
Dominic felt his blood pressure tick up. “Are you fucking crazy?”
Law held out his hands in defense. “Just listen to me. She’s not what you think she is. I don’t know why she’s marrying him. ”
“For his money,” Dominic shot back.
Law ran a frustrated hand on top of the dark stubble of his buzz cut. “Yeah, but the money isn’t for her. I think she’s trying to save her family. You should know something about that. ”
“I never spread my legs to save my sister. ” What he didn’t say was that he would have. He would have done anything to save Carrie. “This isn’t the same thing at all. She’s marrying for money because her father gambled everything away. You are willfully misjudging her because you want to fuck her. Do I need to take you off this case? You’re either with me or against me, brother. ”
He wasn’t sure what he would do without Law. Riley was the computer genius, but Law was really smart muscle. He’d come to rely on the man’s instincts, his training, his sheer tenacity. His friendship.
But he owed it to Carrie to succeed. He couldn’t allow Law’s obvious attraction to Kinley Kohl to stand in the way of justice.
He could still hear his sister’s whispers on his voice mail.
Dom, I need to talk to you as soon as possible. Please call me back. It’s all going wrong. I’m leaving Greg. I think he’s…I have to go. He’s here. Call me.
He’d been off with Riley and Law, screwing some brunette he’d met at a bar while his sister was being murdered.
Law’s face cleared, becoming a polite blank. “Of course not. I know how much this means to you. I’ll do whatever it takes. ”
He turned away from the monitors, all excitement gone. Law was a predator again, cold and unfeeling. Exactly what Dominic needed. So why did he feel like he’d just taken something precious from his friend?
Riley leaned in. “He’s fine, man. We’re both here for you. She’s just his type, that’s all. ”
Pretty, blonde, and stacked was just about every man’s type, but he’d never seen Law react so fiercely to a woman. What had he learned about her that Dominic hadn’t?
It didn’t matter. Getting her isolated and making her talk did.
“We’ve got movement. Annabelle just rang for room service. That’s our cue. She’ll make sure Kinley is alone in that suite for the next fifteen minutes. ” Riley turned back to him. “Who’s ready to roofie a blonde? This guy. Come on, Law, you can stare at her boobs up close. ”
Law sent his brother his happy middle finger. “Let’s get this done. ”
Dominic put a hand on Law’s shoulder. “We’re not going to hurt her. We’re saving her. ” She might not thank him for it, but… “You know that. ”
Law nodded, but Dominic wasn’t convinced. “Sure. We need to go. See you at the extraction point. ”
Sometimes Law sounded like he was still in the military. He and Riley walked out.
Dominic turned back to the screen. Kinley was a gorgeous woman, and he had a wistful, fleeting thought that it would have been nice if she had been the one woman who could love all three of them. The woman who could become the center of their world.
She turned, her face so sad, so beautiful that he nearly reached out and touched the screen.
He growled a little as he turned away and started wiping the room clean. He didn’t have time for bullshit. He had a killer to catch.
And a hostage to nab.
Chapter Two
“I deserve to find happiness. ” Kinley forced herself to take a deep breath as she paced the floor in her white, four-inch Manolo Blahniks. “Greg will be my happiness and my joy. ”
The room responded with an echo of utter silence. Yeah, no one believed that, not even the walls.
Was this how she would spend the rest of her life? Would she wake every morning and try to convince herself that she was happy and fulfilled? Since she was a kid, she and Annabelle had a ritual before big events like Christmas, birthdays, and big dates. They would get together and hold hands and wish out loud for their dreams to come true.
Tears threatened as she remembered the last time they had done it. It had been at her mother’s bedside. Annabelle had flown home from Chicago. She’d beaten Becks to the hospital, despite the fact that her sister lived only a few miles away at the time. It was a silly ritual, a daydream between young girls. It hadn’t saved her mother’s life, and it wasn’t going to work today. But when Annabelle had taken her hand, she’d wanted so desperately to believe that magic could work.