Reckless in Paradise by Trish Morey Page B

to take herself off and get married without your permission. This Miss Turner, or whatever she calls herself, is here to make the wedding look legit—nothing surer—so you’ll panic and offer more for Fletcher to clear off.’
    A growl rose in his throat. Yet she’d acted as if her brother’s affair with Moni was the romance story of the decade. But Jo’s discoveries had only confirmed what he’d first suspected as soon as she’d finally revealed who she was: she was in it for the money. Nothing more.
    Which made her a superlative actress. But then, con men—and con women—usually were.
    â€˜We’re talking to Monica tonight. Once I find out where they’re staying, I want you to get an offer to him.’
    Jo was well rehearsed in the drill, all except for the one variable. ‘How much?’
    Daniel had been mulling over the same thing himself. It wasn’t going to be cheap, so there was no point starting low and extending the process with bid and counterbid. ‘Let’s cut to the chase. Offer him a million. The usual deal: clear off and never get in touch with Monica again.’
    â€˜A million? Jeez, boss, offer me a million and I’ll never talk to Monica again myself.’
    â€˜Quit it, Jo!’ he said, not in the mood for jokes. Besides, it wasn’t as if he didn’t pay his security manager a better than decent salary. He massaged his forehead with his fingers. ‘This is serious.’
    â€˜I am serious,’ the man protested, although this time the laughter was noticeably absent from his voice. ‘You’d offer that bastard a million dollars when you know he’s only going to ask for more? You know he’s not worth it.’
    â€˜It’s worth whatever it takes to get him away from Moni! You understand that?’
    â€˜Yeah. Of course, boss,’ he said grudgingly. ‘I was there, remember?’
    Daniel remembered. Jo had been there through those years of high school to witness Fletcher’s futile efforts to prove himself Daniel’s equal over and over. The scholarship kid with a chip the size of a log on his shoulder versus the kid with money—not that his family had hung onto that long enough to enjoy it. But all those challenges, brawls and endless niggling irritations to prove he was as good as, if not better than, Daniel—Jo had been there. Jo had seen it all.
    Fletcher had been a poster boy for persistence, and the ironic thing was that by the time the final year was over, Daniel had almost developed a grudging admiration for him. He’d felt the kid with the deadbeat father might actually make something of himself.
    Or so he’d thought.
    Until he got the phone call that changed his life.
    The phone call telling him Emma was dead.
    He’d realised then that Fletcher hadn’t just wanted to be as good as Daniel Caruana. He’d wanted to be him, lock, stock and fiancée.
    It was Jo who had scraped Daniel off the floor and stood by him while they’d buried the girl he’d loved. Jo who had fed him beer after beer while he spilled his guts about all the ways he was going to kill Fletcher. Jo who had convinced him Fletcher wasn’t worth it and had stopped him when drunken bravado had convinced Daniel it was the only option he had.
    Yeah, Jo had been there, and his loyalty deserved better. ‘I know he’ll ask for more,’ Daniel continued, his tone less aggressive. ‘He knows more than anyone what Moni’s worth—but I bet Miss Turner will soon get him to agree, simply so she can get off the island and collect her cut.’
    There was another pause. ‘She’s still there, then?’
    â€˜The fastest way to prove she’s in on it is to force her to organise a wedding she knows isn’t going to happen. She won’t be able to keep up the pretence twenty-four hours a day.’
    â€˜You reckon she’ll stay put,