Sex & the Single Girl by Joanne Rock Page B

any more than he trusted her. But he asked her so he could gauge her reactions. And maybe solicit help in talking to her mother. “Because if it’s an account Mel set up for himself in her name I can guarantee you he’ll be back for it.”
    He almost felt guilty when she paled.
    No, damn it. He did feel guilty when she paled.
    â€œI’m sure my mother would have had to sign paperwork to set up an account. Show her license or something. Can’t you investigate that kind of thing?” She didn’t bite her lip, but Aidan could tell she wanted to. She was worried about her mother and trying like hell not to let him know.
    â€œBankers are pretty tight with their records unlessyou push them to the wall. And there’s a chance if we do that, word will get back to Mel that we’re aware of the account. I’d rather talk to your mother about it first before we set off any warning signals like that. For all I know, I could be barking up the wrong tree.” But he wasn’t. He sensed it in his gut earlier today when he’d first struck pay dirt, and he sensed it even more strongly now as he picked up panicked vibes from Brianne.
    That account didn’t belong to Pauline Wolcott-Baxter-and etc. It belonged to Melvin Baxter and he’d be coming back for it.
    All Aidan had to do was sit back and wait.
    â€œYou think it will help to talk to my mom?” Brianne wasn’t even looking at him. The sea-scented breeze drifted by her, lifting strands of red hair to flutter around her neck. She stared down into her glass as she twirled the stem of the empty goblet in her hand— round and round in one direction. Round and round in the other.
    â€œI think we’ll find Melvin a hell of a lot faster if we do.” He waited and watched her as nightlife took over the beach behind the resort. Couples strolled the sand in the moonlight while at a neighboring hotel, a few partiers sat around a bonfire and sang too loudly. Waves rolled over the shore in the background, the soft lull nearly lost in the steady growl of traffic from Ocean Drive.
    He willed her to say yes. Needed her to agree.
    Her cooperation was important to his case, but it was suddenly even more important to him personally and he wasn’t quite sure why.
    â€œI want to go with you when you talk to her.” She quit twirling her glass and looked him in the eye.
    Brianne had cooperated, but she was already issuing demands. Surprise, surprise.
    Luckily, it just so happened he wanted her there with him anyway. Melvin’s ex-wife might be more forthcoming with him if her daughter was around.
    â€œFine. But I can’t afford to wait on this.” How many more nights could he sit at the club shoulder-to-shoulder with Brianne before he forgot all about being a minor setback in her life and used any seductive means necessary to coerce her into another desktop encounter?
    â€œIt’s a little late to show up on her doorstep tonight, don’t you think?” She checked her computer screen again, making Aidan realize they’d been talking longer than he’d planned.
    And making his agent instincts sit up and take notice again. Was she that committed to her job, or did Brianne have reason to watch her back?
    Aidan made a mental note to find out. If she was hiding something that had any bearing on his case, he had no choice but to unearth it. And if she watched her back so thoroughly because she was scared of something—or someone—he’d pull every string at his disposal to make it disappear. “Tomorrow is soon enough. How about I pick you up at noon?”
    Flipping shut the tiny door that covered her wristwatch computer gadget, Brianne nodded. “You’re on. Let’s head inside and I’ll write my address down for you.” She took a few steps and then stopped. Pivoted.Stared him down. “Then again, you probably already know where I live, don’t