Blonde Demolition Read online

  "I heard."

  "I see you've met my personal assistant. She was kind enough to greet you while I finished some last minute business. Mrs. Vincenzo, may I get you a drink?"

  Is everyone trying to get me drunk? "I'm fine, thanks."

  Stanley nodded and settled on the arm of the chair that his personal assistant occupied. Yeah, she assisted him with lots of things. Lots of personal things, I bet.

  "I did some research on you two, I have to admit," Stanley said.

  "I would assume nothing less. We are very interested in your foundation, so we've done research also," Trey said.

  He rubbed a hand down her arm as if he did it every day. His touch reassured her. Calmness and a sense of her ability to get through this night pervaded her senses. He would be right beside her.

  She liked that idea more than she wanted to admit. They'd fallen back into their roles as partners.

  How did it happen so fast?

  The conversation remained light while she retreated to her thoughts. She shrugged them off, needing to pay attention.

  "I hope you like Italian food. I have a passion for most things Italian," Stanley said.

  You think?

  Trey squeezed her arm as if he knew her thoughts.

  "One should always have a passion in life," Trey said.

  "I agree. I'm not sure women understand a man's need for something that completely overtakes his life. What's yours, Mr. Vincenzo?"

  Mallory held her breath. This, they hadn't talked about.

  "I'm a simple man. I like to right the wrongs in the world. But of course, this woman has most of my passion."

  Mallory didn't gag. She gritted her teeth against it. She gazed at Trey as if he'd said the most romantic sentence in the world.

  "Oh, Paul. That's sweet."

  "It's true. She would have nothing to do with me. I had to ardently pursue her until I wore her down."

  Mallory nodded as if she too could capture that memory. They were going to get in deep if Trey embellished the story too much. "And then I had no more defenses, so I let him marry me."

  "How romantic," Vanessa said. The jealousy iced her words. "Do you have any children?"

  Mallory froze, but kept her words even. "No, we haven't been blessed with any."

  Trey picked up Mallory's hand and kissed it. "I'm not sure I could share her with anyone anyway."

  A giggle shook Vanessa as if she knew how absurd his words were. "Let me go check on dinner."

  CHAPTER 21

  Dinner was served moments later. It consisted of chicken Francese over pasta with petite peas that Trey managed to chase around his plate with only one or two escaping. His eyes met Mallory's and hers were full of merriment.

  She asked numerous questions, playing the dumb trophy wife as only a smart person could. He filled with pride at his prodigy.

  Over coffee, the talk got down to business.

  "So let me tell you about my foundation," Stanley said.

  Mallory's face held a soft smile. "Yes, do. That's why we're here."

  Trey thought she should smile like that more often. Her eyes crinkled along with her nose when she did that. She'd slug him if he said that to her.

  "Just a quick rundown. Vanessa, will you get that brochure I put together?"

  The woman nodded and then left them to sit on the balcony. The night had cooled a bit after a thunderstorm, but Trey knew their ride back to Stone's place would be hot. He wished he could have checked that Jo and Stone received the transmission.

  He glanced at the sky, hoping that Stone had been able to get on the roof. That had been the best way to get down to the balcony.

  Mafia Princess came back with some papers for Trey. When she left, Trey assumed she went to covertly observe them. He'd have to keep touching Mallory. What a hardship.

  Trey stood. "I'd really love to tour your offices."

  "That could be arranged."

  Trey offered his hand to Mallory as she stood. "For now, I think we'd like to read over your literature on our own."

  Kono appeared, as if he'd known they would leave soon. There must be cameras somewhere, though Trey had no idea where they were concealed.

  "My associate will see you out. I hope you have a safe trip home," Stanley said as he rose.

  In the elevator, Trey trapped Mallory in the corner. "Play along," he murmured into her ear.

  He took possession of her lips as the foundation's papers dropped to the floor. As if it had been too long, his hands went up and down her.

  It had been too long, but the cameras needed to see a couple in deep lust. Mallory responded as she had when they'd been lovers. Her hands traveled all over him. Her lips kept up with his.

  Then the elevator dinged for their floor. He released her and picked up the papers. She panted. Her gaze didn't leave his as if to tell him he shouldn't have stopped.

  Part of Trey thought she wasn't acting. Most of him didn't dare to hope.

  The valet had their car waiting at the front door. Trey drove to a deserted parking lot where Jo waited in a lone van. He stopped the car and both of them jumped out and into the van.

  "I'm not sure you got anything." Mallory's words came out breathy.

  "I planted a couple of bugs so we can listen," Trey said.

  "When did you do that?"

  "When you were busy chatting up Stanley."

  Her punch came out of nowhere. "Don't leave me out of the loop."

  "What?"

  "You should have told me about the bugs before you planted them."

  Jo rolled her eyes in the dim light of the van. "These men love to do that. I didn't know he was leaving bugs either."

  Mallory sat and listened, her arms crossed. Stone hadn't appeared yet. Jo didn't seem concerned. Mallory seethed with the idea that Trey had kept part of the mission from her. "I could have helped."

  "It was something we decided at the last minute," Trey said.

  "We? I thought you and I were partners."

  "I'm sorry."

  "You can bluster all you want." Then it struck her. "Did you apologize? Again?"

  He didn't flinch. "Yes."

  She had to digest that for a moment.

  "Why don't you guys go outside," Jo said.

  Trey took her hand and led her out the back of the van. They stood in the parking lot, inches from each other. "I'm sorry. I should have told you."

  She looked up at him, her head cocked. "Yeah, you said that."

  What was she supposed to do now that Trey wasn't fitting into his neat box? He wasn't doing what she expected. Not that he'd been boring and predictable, but she had always known at least within a range of behaviors what he would do. "Apology accepted. Don't do it again."

  "I won't."

  He really sounded as if he were sorry. This new Trey kept her off balance. Why?

  He ran a hand through his hair and tugged at the band that kept it tied back. His hair draped down the sides of his face. "I made a lot of mistakes before. I'm the reason you left. At least one of them. I guess when you were my pupil I never let you be an equal."

  His speech astounded her. "You've thought about this, haven't you? You've really thought about this?"

  He circled around behind her and slid his hands down her arms. "Every day since you left."

  Her heart did a dance, then resumed beating a little faster. "Oh?"

  He turned her around, not that she could see him in the darkness. "I think we need to have this conversation later. When we can be alone."

  "The way things have been going, we'll be shot at."

  Trey's chuckle came from deep within. "Just remember this."

  He leaned down to capture her lips in his. Warmth spread to every corner of her body. She'd missed this. Missed the way Trey could turn her on as if she had a switch. Her heart sped up and her pulse pounded in her head.

  He let her get a breath before he deepened the kiss. His hands went up and down her. Maybe memorizing...or remembering. She did the same
to him.

  His body hadn't changed much, except to harden even more.

  "Jeez, get a room."

  Mallory pushed away from Trey, while his hands remained on her, holding her close.

  "Stone. Nice of you to show," Trey said.

  "Do you guys often neck on assignments?"

  Mallory was thankful for the darkness. Her face was red for sure.

  "We did," Jo said from the back of the van.

  Stone hugged his wife and climbed into the van with her. "They don't need to know that."

  "We should probably see if your bugs netted anything," Mallory said.

  He put a hand under her chin. "We're not finished. Not by a long shot."

  A shiver went down her spine.

  After listening for an hour, Mallory let out a frustrated groan. "We've got nothing."

  "Let's keep recording," Trey said. "But we'll go home and listen there."

  Home? It was a distant memory. Mallory's bones ached. She wasn't sure she'd be able to move fast if she had to.

  "You're quiet," Trey said in her ear, his voice a vibration.

  "I'm thinking about whether the fair is making money or not."

  "You really care about those people."

  There was no jealousy in his voice.

  "Yes, I do. The closest thing I've ever had to family. They accepted me right away. I had to prove myself a bit, being a woman, but when they learned I could pull my own weight, I was okay."

  He stopped at a red light. "Family, huh?"

  "Yes. Family."

  He drove on. "Wow, I wouldn't have thought you needed that."

  She thought about that for a moment. "I may not have wanted it, but I think I needed the stability. It's nice waking up in the same place every day. I knew that if I needed something, there was someone who could help me or they had a cousin or a brother who could."

  He took her hand. "So you don't miss this life?"

  "I guess I miss the adrenaline, but you can get that on a fire scene. I could say I miss feeling as if I'm making a big difference, but to someone whose house I've saved, I have made a big difference."

  "To them you're the world," he said.

  She nodded. "True. I'm torn. I have a gift, but I'm not using it. But will using it destroy me?"

  "You're stronger than that."

  "I don't feel that confident. I was scared tonight. When I was younger, I didn't know enough to be scared. I didn't have as much to lose."

  "And now you do?"

  He kissed her hand. She didn't resist. She felt his warmth and his emotion to her core.

  "Yes, or at least, I see the potential in what I could do. How I could make a difference. Does that make sense?"

  "You didn't have ambition when we first met."

  "No, I didn't. Dreams were a luxury in foster homes."

  "Sad. Not that dreams were encouraged in my house. But at least I slept in the same place for eighteen years."

  "That helps."

  "It does. I'm not sure I looked at it that way until I met you. And now your ambition is focused?"

  "Something like that. At least I have ambition. I have a goal, even if it only affects a limited number of people."

  "So after this is done, you'll go back to that life?"

  "Some form of it."

  "And Jesse?"

  She didn't have an answer for that.

  She heard him let out a noisy breath; otherwise, he remained silent the rest of the trip.

  When they reached their home, Jo and Stone disappeared after saying goodnight.

  Mallory knew she wouldn't sleep, so she took the dog out on the deck with her. A glass of wine would be nice right now.

  The door slid open and Trey paused for a moment. Without asking, he settled on the chaise lounge next to her and handed her a glass of wine. "Thought you might want this."

  "Thanks."

  Anticipating her needs. That's a new facet to him. She sipped. A chilled chardonnay. Her favorite.

  "We need to talk. Or maybe I need to talk."

  "Okay."

  She couldn't see him in the moonlight. He reached across and took her hand. "I'm a simple man."

  A laugh bubbled out of her. "You're anything but simple."

  "Hear me out. I am simple. I just appear complex because I don't wear my emotions on my sleeve. I've never been that way, even as a child. Used to drive my mother crazy."

  "I think that's the first time you ever mentioned her."

  "Mm. Probably. She died when I was twelve. I was always mad at her. I pretended that I didn't care and then I didn't care for real. Or so I thought."

  This was more of his heart than she'd ever seen. He'd kept most of his emotions inside. Including how he felt about her.

  "You leaving just…I don't know...brought it all back to the front of my mind. I'd never let anyone close enough to hurt me by leaving. And you did."

  "I had to go."

  "Just let me talk and then you can talk or not. I know it will have to be on your terms. And besides, you're stubborn."

  Even in the darkness, she could feel his gaze. "Who? Me?"

  He chuckled. "Yes, but we're talking about me." He exhaled loudly. "I missed you, Mallory. Far more than I want to admit. I don't know what that means for the future. I don't know about my own future let alone involving someone else in something so uncertain. I just need you to know that I was hurt by your leaving."

  She mulled over his words, unable to decide what she should do with them. He had a right to know. She wasn't sure if she should spring it on him before the case was over. Would he get distracted? She wanted him at his best to get Paul Stanley.

  Instead of waiting for an answer, Trey joined her on her chaise lounge. "Let's not talk anymore tonight. We both need some sleep."

  "I don't think you have sleep in mind."

  Just his mere presence on top of her made ideas pop into her head. Trey touching her. Trey licking her. Trey inside of her. She fanned herself.

  "Problem?"

  "Nope."

  "Good."

  He kissed her. Then he stood and pulled her to her feet. "Let's get you a sleeping pill."

  CHAPTER 22

  Booth pressed the button for the executive level in the fancy hotel. "This will be my life."

  He'd left all of his weapons at home. He could defend himself without them.

  The doors opened into a hallway, where a large Hawaiian stood. Reminded Booth of that show in the seventies.

  "Booth?"

  "That's me."

  "Mr. Stanley is expecting you."

  The wide man led him down the hallway to a suite and then told him to sit down. He left.

  Booth perused the obvious trappings of wealth. Out the window, he could see the lights of Woodbridge and the traffic that moved on Route 1. Rush hour was long over, but the people still had places to go.

  A door opened and Paul Stanley walked through.

  "Drink?"

  "I prefer to be sober for this meeting."

  Stanley nodded and poured himself some amber liquid. "You like the view?"

  "It's okay. I prefer tropical climates to New Jersey."

  "I see."

  Booth had no response.

  "You sure I can't offer you a drink?"

  "You could, but I wouldn't take it."

  "Oh."

  Stanley settled into a chair opposite Booth. In a voice that was almost a whisper, he asked, "So what brings the world-famous assassin to my doorstep?"

  The next morning, Mallory rolled over and wondered where Trey had gone. Had he slept in his own bed the last hours of the night? She took in his scent and the scent of their lovemaking.

  Her body warmed at the thought.

  "Hey, sleepyhead."

  Trey stood in the doorway, shorts on, no shirt. He'd never been shy about his body. It didn't surprise her that he'd been walking around Jo and Stone's house like that. He held coffee in his hand.

  She stretched, not remembering the last ti
me she felt this good. "That for me?"

  "Depends."

  He took a slow sip.

  "On what?" Her voice came out scratchy and sleepy. She cleared her throat.

  "What have you got for me?"

  With a deliberateness borne of bomb defusing, she slid the sheet off her breasts. She cocked her head.

  Trey smiled and strode across the room. She sat up and took the coffee. "Mm. This was for me. You don't sweeten it for you."

  "Yep, but you didn't know that."

  He settled on the bed next to her. "We have a big day."

  "What time is it?" she said.

  "After nine."

  "I haven't slept that late in ages."

  He nodded. "You needed it."

  "Are Jo and Stone still around?"

  "Yeah, we have tapes from last night to listen to."

  "You think there's anything on them?"

  "We think he had a visitor."

  She scooted closer to him. "Oh? How do you know?"

  "Plant in the hotel called Stone's cell. Said someone went up there, not long after we left."

  "Any ideas?" She sipped the coffee. If she hadn't already been warm to the core, the brew would have helped.

  "Greg, possibly."

  The voices on the tape remained quiet as if they knew they were being recorded.

  "That makes sense. Greg's had to regroup since he couldn't get us. Wonder what he's been up to?"

  "Nothing good. There's some breakfast upstairs."

  Her stomach rumbled. "Yep, I could use it. Let me shower and I'll be up in a flash."

  Trey kissed her and then left.

  She wanted to lie in the bed and soak in the wonderful loving feeling that engulfed her. Instead, she rose and broke land speed records in the shower.

  Trey found Stone on his computer, cueing up the surveillance tapes from the night before.

  "Mal's awake," Trey said.

  "Tire her out?"

  Stone's sardonic grin said Trey could answer or not.

  Trey put his hands out to his sides. "What can I say? I still have it."

  "Did you doubt it?"

  "Only briefly."

  "What are you boys talking about?" Jo stood with her hands on her hips in the doorway to the basement office. "You will not talk trash in this house."