horrible move. “You said you hardly knew
him. Just met him a couple of times.”
“Ah, but it was obvious he liked me.” The way she said it left no doubt that the
reason Herr Gottfried “liked” her was that he wanted to lay her.
“ No. ”
She ignored him, unbuttoned the top button of her silk blouse and removed the clip
that had held up her glossy dark waves today.
“I’m telling you, Bella. This is not wise.”
She shook out her hair so it tumbled down her back and smiled at him, her back to
her quarry. “Not to worry. I will be safe, darling.”
Raul noted that last word with the arch of a dark brow.
That word, however, made Lane even more determined to keep her from the
German. “No, Bella.”
“While you two argue about our Kraut, I want you to know one small fact.”
“What?” Lane shot at him. “Sorry.”
“Hey. I get what goes on here between you two. No problem. But Maddie has
written something here. You need to take a look, Lane. Do you know what this means?”
Lane had to read it twice. The text message said, “I may be nuts here…or it’s just
my false labor which doesn’t seem to be getting any lighter. But. I know this guy in this picture. I swear I do. Give me a few minutes to get Jessie on this over in Face Recog. But I could swear I have seen this man before. Couldn’t tell you his name. But bear with
me.” He passed the phone over to Bella.
She shrugged. “All right, but I can’t stand around waiting when an opportunity has
presented itself. He might walk away any minute.” Then she curved her lips in a smile
79
Desiree Holt & Cerise DeLand
and brushed a light kiss on his cheek, playing to the audience in the lobby. “ Ciao , Lane,”
and she sped off toward Gottfried.
He tried to look unaffected by her departure, knowing the German would want to
investigate precisely who Bella was and who she was with.
“Talk to me, Lane.” Raul had a shit-eating grin on his face.
“You can be replaced, you know,” Lane warned the man.
“No I can’t, Lane, old man. And obviously she certainly can’t.”
Got that right. He kept his back to the lobby. “How’s she doing with Mr.
Wonderful?”
“Great. Who wouldn’t want a woman like that to approach you with those
gorgeous sultry eyes flashing?”
Lane ground his teeth. “Sure. Sure.”
Raul’s phone pinged. He clicked on. “Oh, wow. Read this from Maddie.”
Looking over his shoulder briefly to cast a jaundiced eye on Bella, he reluctantly
read the new text.
Maddie wrote, “Oh, hell. I do know this man. He’s the one I saw over a year ago when Dan and I were staking out Rick Carstairs’ ranch. It’s clear to me now that if he
was there then he was one of the men meeting and planning a coup of the U.S.
government with the man who was then the Speaker of the House of Representatives
here. Be very careful there. This man is dangerous.”
He texted back and asked which of the two brothers in the picture she referred to.
“The one on the left,” she messaged back.
“You’re certain? They look a lot alike.”
“They do. Sure. But I’m certain. The one on the left.”
Jesus.
“Do you know who he is?” she texted again.
“I do,” he replied.
80
Until Twilight
“Who is it?” she responded.
“Italy’s vice minister of finance.” Lane whirled, staring at the place where Bella
should have been standing conversing with Wilhelm Gottfried. Instead, there was no
one.
“She went into the bar with him,” Raul said in a low voice.
“We’re—”
Raul grabbed his coat sleeve. “No, we’re not going in there. She is a big girl and if
she’s been hired by us, she can take care of herself. Cool to a simmer there, fella. The lady is delicious, but she also has brains.”
“You’re right. You’re right.”
Forty-five tense minutes later, Bella emerged from the bar. Her German took
himself and two of his bodyguards straight up in the elevators.
“Well?” Lane asked
him. Just met him a couple of times.”
“Ah, but it was obvious he liked me.” The way she said it left no doubt that the
reason Herr Gottfried “liked” her was that he wanted to lay her.
“ No. ”
She ignored him, unbuttoned the top button of her silk blouse and removed the clip
that had held up her glossy dark waves today.
“I’m telling you, Bella. This is not wise.”
She shook out her hair so it tumbled down her back and smiled at him, her back to
her quarry. “Not to worry. I will be safe, darling.”
Raul noted that last word with the arch of a dark brow.
That word, however, made Lane even more determined to keep her from the
German. “No, Bella.”
“While you two argue about our Kraut, I want you to know one small fact.”
“What?” Lane shot at him. “Sorry.”
“Hey. I get what goes on here between you two. No problem. But Maddie has
written something here. You need to take a look, Lane. Do you know what this means?”
Lane had to read it twice. The text message said, “I may be nuts here…or it’s just
my false labor which doesn’t seem to be getting any lighter. But. I know this guy in this picture. I swear I do. Give me a few minutes to get Jessie on this over in Face Recog. But I could swear I have seen this man before. Couldn’t tell you his name. But bear with
me.” He passed the phone over to Bella.
She shrugged. “All right, but I can’t stand around waiting when an opportunity has
presented itself. He might walk away any minute.” Then she curved her lips in a smile
79
Desiree Holt & Cerise DeLand
and brushed a light kiss on his cheek, playing to the audience in the lobby. “ Ciao , Lane,”
and she sped off toward Gottfried.
He tried to look unaffected by her departure, knowing the German would want to
investigate precisely who Bella was and who she was with.
“Talk to me, Lane.” Raul had a shit-eating grin on his face.
“You can be replaced, you know,” Lane warned the man.
“No I can’t, Lane, old man. And obviously she certainly can’t.”
Got that right. He kept his back to the lobby. “How’s she doing with Mr.
Wonderful?”
“Great. Who wouldn’t want a woman like that to approach you with those
gorgeous sultry eyes flashing?”
Lane ground his teeth. “Sure. Sure.”
Raul’s phone pinged. He clicked on. “Oh, wow. Read this from Maddie.”
Looking over his shoulder briefly to cast a jaundiced eye on Bella, he reluctantly
read the new text.
Maddie wrote, “Oh, hell. I do know this man. He’s the one I saw over a year ago when Dan and I were staking out Rick Carstairs’ ranch. It’s clear to me now that if he
was there then he was one of the men meeting and planning a coup of the U.S.
government with the man who was then the Speaker of the House of Representatives
here. Be very careful there. This man is dangerous.”
He texted back and asked which of the two brothers in the picture she referred to.
“The one on the left,” she messaged back.
“You’re certain? They look a lot alike.”
“They do. Sure. But I’m certain. The one on the left.”
Jesus.
“Do you know who he is?” she texted again.
“I do,” he replied.
80
Until Twilight
“Who is it?” she responded.
“Italy’s vice minister of finance.” Lane whirled, staring at the place where Bella
should have been standing conversing with Wilhelm Gottfried. Instead, there was no
one.
“She went into the bar with him,” Raul said in a low voice.
“We’re—”
Raul grabbed his coat sleeve. “No, we’re not going in there. She is a big girl and if
she’s been hired by us, she can take care of herself. Cool to a simmer there, fella. The lady is delicious, but she also has brains.”
“You’re right. You’re right.”
Forty-five tense minutes later, Bella emerged from the bar. Her German took
himself and two of his bodyguards straight up in the elevators.
“Well?” Lane asked
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