Chapter 14

T he three women in Amber’s office stood in a circle, their hands joined and their heads bowed in prayer.

The sistah-circle.

They had always encouraged and uplifted each other, been supportive of one another, and in times like these they had also been there to pray together.

Today was a day to celebrate Amber’s success, the second anniversary of Amber’s Books and Gifts. It was also a day for the three of them to focus on their current trials and tribulations and to thank God for their friendship and faith, and to ask Him for the strength to endure whatever lay ahead and to keep their spirits high. They also asked for protection, guidance, and Divine intervention. They knew the power of prayer. It worked wonders and a person’s prayers did get answered. Brandy, Carla and Amber admitted to being living witnesses of that fact.

When the praying was finished they hugged and cried while reaffirming their love for each other, their friendship and bond, and most importantly their faith and belief that no matter what, their Father would never forsake them.

Grey stood leaning against a bookcase with a steady eye on the closed office door. As soon as he and Brandy had arrived, Brandy and her two girlfriends had gone inside and closed the door behind them. That had been over twenty minutes ago and he was beginning to wonder just what was taking so long. There couldn’t be that much talking in the world. He then remembered just how much yakking went on whenever the females in the Masters family got together and reclaimed that thought.

He glanced around the room. More people had arrived and most had headed straight for the tables that were loaded down with food and punch. He checked his watch again. Once Brandy came out he intended to stick to her like glue. That last note had him edgy, pissed off and in the ripe old mood to hit somebody just for the hell of it.

The call he’d gotten earlier from the Bureau in D.C. hadn’t helped matters. The lead, which had looked promising yesterday, was now a dead end and he wasn’t too thrilled about that. He sighed deeply. There had to be something that he was overlooking. Something was staring him straight in the face that was so damn obvious and simple he just couldn’t see it for shuffling through the more complicated stuff.

He had questioned Brandy’s secretary, subtly of course, to find out how she’d come in possession of that letter. The forever cheerful Donna Fields had told him that Perry Hall, the security manager, had given it to her to pass on to Ms. Bennett. Quickly following that lead he had then spoken directly with Hall, who seemed just a little bit annoyed that he was asking him anything. Grey had lied, saying that Brandy wanted to know where the letter had come from in order to thank the person who’d sent it, but unfortunately there was no return address. Hall had simply shrugged and said that someone had placed the letter in his mail slot by mistake, which was the reason he had given it to Donna Fields to pass on to Brandy.

For some reason, there had been something about the entire scenario that didn’t sit well with Grey. Another thing he found rather interesting was that the man he’d hired to keep a close watch on Thomas Reynolds had reported that on occasion Reynolds would drive out of his way to the hotel after closing his restaurant. He would circle the parking lot just to see if Brandy’s car was parked in its usual spot. That information didn’t sit too well with Grey, either.

Before his thoughts could darken any further, the office door opened and the three women walked out. Each one could be considered gorgeous. They were women who could take a man’s breath away just by entering a room, women who looked like they meant what they said and said what they meant and dared you to think differently, women who enjoyed good times but knew how to deal with the bad. To his way of thinking, there was only one word to describe the kind of women they were.

Savvy.

His gaze locked on one in particular. Brandy Bennett could make his blood heat without even trying. He swallowed deeply. Now was not the time for his thoughts to turn sexual. He needed to stay focused and keep his mind on getting the case solved and not think on how to get between Brandy’s legs. But damn if the thought didn’t constantly cross his mind.

A lump formed in his throat and he swallowed hard again when she glanced over in his direction. She was staring at him like there was a possibility she would need to be kissed senseless again. Soon. Maybe even right now.

He could handle that.

Grey wondered, if he breathed in deeply enough would he be able to smell her scent? As he watched, Brandy excused herself from her friends to walk over to him. The woman had a pair of legs that made him want to weep. And her skin was awfully soft too, he thought, as a flare of heat shimmered through him.

He wondered if he could convince her that tonight they needed to move beyond the kissing stage. In fact, he was game to go back to the hotel and strip naked right now if she was. He shook his head, wondering if he had suddenly lost it. He needed to concentrate on keeping her safe and not getting her in bed. Hell, getting her, period.

“Hi, Grey.”

“Brandy,” he acknowledged, trying to keep his gaze on her eyes and not let it drift lower to her lips. “For a moment I was beginning to wonder if I would have to come in there after you,” he said, reaching out and tucking a wayward braid behind her ear. “Must have been some discussion.”

“We weren’t talking.”

He lifted a brow. “You weren’t?”

“No.”

“You mean the three of you were locked up in that office all that time and weren’t doing any talking?”

“Yes.”

“Then what on earth were you doing?”

“Praying.”

He couldn’t hide his surprise. Everyone had some kind of beliefs but he hadn’t expected her to be the pray-every-day-wherever-you-are kind, and found that rather interesting. He cleared his throat and asked, “Think it will help?”

She smiled at him, the kind of smile that made him appreciate being a man and doubly appreciate her being a woman, and said, “Of course. Prayer always helps. I’m a living witness of that.”

He started to tell her that he was, too. As an agent he had come close to death numerous times and had had to pray himself out of several sticky situations.

Moments later Brandy said, “When I first arrived, I was really worried about Carla, especially after what I read in this morning’s paper. But now I know in my heart that she’ll be fine and things will somehow work out for her.”

Grey nodded. He decided not to tell her that he didn’t share her optimism. He had also read the article in the newspaper that morning and it didn’t look good. Whether Brandy wanted to accept it or not, Carla Osborne was about to lose her company.

“This place is getting crowded. Amber has to be pleased with this turnout.”

Grey nodded again, wondering how soon he could let her know that he would be pleased if they were to head back over to the hotel.

“Ready to mingle, Grey?”

He sighed deeply. Evidently her thoughts weren’t riding the same range as his. In fact they weren’t even close. “I’m ready when you are.”

Together they moved into the crowd and with every step Brandy took, Grey was right by her side.

Amber’s heart began pounding and her pulse began racing when the crowd shifted and she spotted Cord Jeffries.

He had come.

And he was staring right at her. A shudder swept through her under his gaze and she wondered if he felt it. She tilted her head back to continue to make eye contact. His eyes were dark, totally electrifying, and oh so sexy. He was standing next to the table with a cup of punch in one hand and a cookie in the other. It was one of the cookies that she had baked herself, carefully following the recipe her sister had given her the week before. It was a long-standing joke in her family that she couldn’t cook and that anyone eating her food would be at risk, but she had been proud of how the peanut butter cookies had turned out and Cord seemed to be really enjoying his.

She thought it was a total turn-on to watch him nibble the cookie and wondered if he would nibble on her flesh the same way if given the chance. Ever since that first day he had walked into her shop she’d been trying to convince herself that she wasn’t interested in a relationship, and even if she were, she lacked the confidence to handle a man like Cord Jeffries. He had the ability to make heat flare all through her with just a smile and a glance. She didn’t even want to think what his touch would do.

As she continued to watch him, deciding at some point she needed to start mingling with her guests, she saw him wipe his brow several times like he was getting extremely hot. Then he slowly loosened his tie.

Her eyes widened with concern when the empty punch cup dropped to the floor and he suddenly seemed unsteady on his feet, almost to the point of staggering backward.

She made a move to cross the room to him but found she hadn’t been quick enough. He tried to grab hold of something to keep from falling but instead got thin air. Horrified, Amber watched as Cord Jeffries gave up trying to stand and crumpled lifelessly to the floor.