Betrayal (12 page)

Rafe ran after her, his arms outstretched as if to catch her.

“Damn it, Noah!” she said. “I was depending on you to convince Penelope to stay, not to scare her into leaving.”

“Woman, would you please be careful?” Rafe roared.

She brushed him aside and confronted Noah, fists on her hips. “Did you have to tell her all the gory details? Couldn’t you have glossed over some stuff?”

“I
did
gloss over some stuff,” he said.

Brooke swung her back to him.

“That’s helpful, Noah.” Rafe put his hands on her shoulders.

Noah turned to Penelope. “I didn’t mention that my relatives eavesdrop without compunction or shame.”

She nodded. “You didn’t, but I see it’s true.”

She looked so different from the way she had the last time he’d seen her; she was now so confident, sophisticated—and distant.

Those brown eyes had once adored him. Her hands had once caressed him. He knew her scent, the weight of her breasts in his palms, and when she spoke, he recalled the husky sound of her voice in his ear as she cried out her pleasure.

She was his. No matter how much time passed, no matter how much distance had separated them… she was always and eternally meant for him.

And he couldn’t have her.

Yet, selfish bastard that he was, he didn’t want her to leave. As his time on earth ticked down, he wanted her near.

“You don’t have to go. We could avoid each other whenever possible,” Noah said.

“That might work,” Rafe said.

Noah raised his eyebrows at his brother. When had Rafe decided it would be better if Penelope stayed?

Rafe nodded toward Brooke, a brief, short movement that clearly told Noah he was a lot more concerned with keeping his wife happy than worried about Penelope’s security clearance.

“No. Because it doesn’t matter to me whether I see Noah. Our former relationship is of no importance here. That was then. This is now.”

Rafe smirked at Noah. “She put you in your place.”

Going to Brooke, Penelope said, “I’m sorry. I would really love to do this job. I love the house and I enjoyed talking with you, but I just… I don’t want to die for it.”

Brooke’s smile tried to be kind and understanding. “I’m sorry, too. We could really work well together.”

“I know.” Penelope sounded wistful.

She really did want the job. Noah could tell. “Let me drive you back to wherever you’re staying. Give me a chance to talk you out of leaving.” He tried a winsome smile.

“No.” She gathered up her purse from the corner of the entry. “I’ve got my car.”

So much for winsome. “Your leaving is not necessary.
You will never be drawn into our troubles. You’re not involved with us.”

She turned on him. “I don’t have to be involved with you. But I’ve already been scared by a cop showing up out of the blue and accusing you of breaking some guy’s fingers. Nobody seemed too worried about the violence. I’ve already seen every one of you pull a weapon with such expertise I would have sprinted out of here—but I was afraid to move.”

He grinned.

“It’s not funny!” she snapped.

He sobered. “No, of course not.”

“I’m already involved enough that you told me the whole”—she flung her arms around her head—“background story.”

She was upset. He didn’t blame her. “At least tell me where you’re staying.”

“At the Sweet Dreams Hotel.”

Soundlessly, he mouthed the words.
The Sweet Dreams Hotel.

She faced off with him. “Yeah? Did you have something to say?”

She thought he was a snob. She thought he was casting aspersions on her background. On where she was staying. “Nothing,” he said softly.

“Good.” She started to turn away.

He couldn’t stand it. “I could get you a room at Bella Terra resort.”

She swung back on him. “I can’t afford it.”

“I know the manager.” Winsome smile. “I could get you a good rate.”

“I can’t afford you, Noah,” she said flatly.

Damn it.
His winsomeness worked on every woman
in the world—except for the one woman who mattered. He supposed it was justice. But he didn’t have to like it.

After nine years, she was back in his territory, and he couldn’t have her. Didn’t dare even try. “If you moved into the resort, I’d stay far, far away from you.”

“I like where I am.”

The Sweet Dreams Hotel.
“Sure.”

“Anyway, I’m leaving tomorrow.” She put her fist to her mouth and bit her knuckles, once, hard, as if thinking. “Or maybe the next day. I’ve got that business with—”

“Joseph Bianchin. Yeah. I remember.” Noah did remember, and he wondered what she could want with the coldhearted old bastard. “Listen, I’ve got to get back, talk to some contractors, find out how quickly they can get out here. Penelope, promise me one thing.”

She looked up warily.

“Promise me you’ll visit Nonna. If she found out you’d been here and she hadn’t seen you, she’d feel bad. I’m not pulling anything on you.” A little artfully applied guilt always worked wonders on women. “She really would wonder what she’d done to make you dislike her.”

Penelope pushed her hair off her forehead. He could see the shame twisting her insides until she had no possible answer except one. “All right. I’ll do it. But what you said before. You have to promise. I don’t want you there.”

“Great.” He’d won one battle. Maybe he’d win the next one, too. “I promise, if I see you coming, I’ll run away.”

She smiled faintly. “Good.”

“If you need me to send a car to fetch you to Nonna’s, let me know.” Knowing her fiercely independent nature, he knew she would reject him, so didn’t wait to hear her
answer, ducking out the door as soon as he finished speaking.

Penelope hurried to the door and called after him, “I can drive myself, thank you.”

And from inside the house, Rafe shouted, “Hey! Noah! You rode with me, remember?”

Chapter 17

R
afe caught up with Noah as he reached the sidewalk. “I’ll drive you back to the resort.”

“It’s not far. I gotta get a coffee. I can walk.”

Rafe grabbed his arm and swung him toward the car. “I want to talk.”

“Of course you do.” It was the price Noah paid for being the youngest; his brothers could not stop thinking of him as a dumb kid. So he figured he might as well get it over with.

Rafe was speaking even before they got in the car. “Noah, what are you doing? Talking to that woman, flirting with her—after she left Bella Terra, you made it clear you thought you had barely escaped marriage and bondage to a social climber.”

“Nice house.” Noah looked back to see whether he could catch another glimpse of Penelope. “You’ve got a lot of work ahead of you, but the infrastructure is good
and you paid a good price. You and Brooke will be very happy there.”

“You are the biggest pain in the ass. Okay, I get it; you’re not going to tell me what you know about the bottle of wine and the diamonds.”

“It’s for the best.”

It said a lot for Rafe’s restraint that he didn’t jump Noah about that. “Can’t you at least give me a clue about your former girlfriend?”

Noah chose his words carefully. “All those years ago, when I said she was a social climber, I might have overstated the situation.”

Rafe unlocked the car. “So now you claim she’s a nice girl and you’re a ruthless schmuck who dumped her so you could screw around with the rest of the world?”

Noah climbed into the passenger seat, and as soon as Rafe got in, Noah said, “If I had it all to do over again, she would have never left Bella Terra. I was a fool.” Rafe didn’t even understand how big a fool Noah had been. And if it were up to Noah, he wouldn’t find out until Noah had redeemed himself.

“I know that feeling. So many years wasted when Brooke and I could have been together…” Rafe always turned to mush when he started talking about Brooke.

Good time to change the subject. “Hey!” Noah said. “Everything turned out okay, and now you’re having a baby.”

Rafe gave Noah a crooked smile and put the car in gear. “Is that not the greatest news ever?”

Noah crowed with laughter. “I knew there was a reason you and Brooke didn’t move to Sweden. Congratulations, you old daddy.”

“Thanks.” Rafe got serious again. “But listen, that’s
why I’ve got a thing about who Penelope Alonso Caldwell really is and why she’s here.”

Noah rubbed the back of his neck. “Don’t you
ever
give up?”

“No. No, I don’t. We’ve got people—strangers, crazy people—hunting for Nonno’s bottle of wine because, right or wrong, everyone thinks the bottle holds a stash of priceless pink diamonds. You know something about somebody who’s after the diamonds, and you won’t tell us.”

“Don’t worry. I’m handling it.”

Rafe turned for one second and glared.

“Watch the road,” Noah said.

“And now, out of the clear blue sky, your old lover shows up for no good reason that she can give. Brooke says I’m paranoid. I say I’m smart.”

“Penelope is not an opportunist.”

Rafe slapped the steering wheel with the flat of his hand. “How do you know? Have you seen her in the last nine years?”

“No. But I know her.”

“Deep in your soul, you know her?”

“Something like that.”

“Did she tell you why she came to Bella Terra in the first place?”

“Something about business.”

“So you don’t know.”

Actually, Noah did. She was here to speak to Joseph Bianchin about something. But telling Rafe that wasn’t going to help clear up any suspicions.

“
I’ll
ask her,” Rafe said.

“Good luck. When you’re acting like a tyrannical ass,
she’s not going to tell you anything.” Noah didn’t want Rafe picking on Penelope.

“That’s convenient. May I point out that when you’re acting like she’s your lost love, I’m not going to believe a damned word you say about her.”

“Yeah. Well.” She
was
his lost love. It made him laugh when he remembered that moment today when he’d realized he was selling himself to Penelope like a rock star on the make.

Rafe turned onto Main, still raging about Penelope and her effect on Noah. “I am running all her references.”

“Why bother? She’s leaving town.” It was better that way. Seeing her today had given Noah hope where there had been none, and hope was a commodity he didn’t dare cultivate. It was dangerous for him to think he could find the kind of love his brothers now enjoyed.

“She
says
she’s leaving town. But look at what happened with Olivia.”

Remembering Olivia was like a bucket of ice water dumped down Noah’s neck. He wanted Penelope to stay, but she was right: Death stalked this town. Death stalked him. And he feared for everyone who stood too close.

Rafe sighed. “I don’t believe anybody anymore.”

Noah snorted. “I didn’t know that you suffered from an overabundance of trust, anyway.”

“I failed to protect Nonna. I failed to protect Brooke. I’m not letting some female from
your
past wander into town and get hired by
my
wife—”

“Penelope’s not taking the job,” Noah repeated.

“—without making damned good and sure she is who she says she is.
Especially
since you talked her into visiting Nonna.”

“I agree. Investigate Penelope. Makes sense.” Investigate her, even though the sight of her calmed his mind, her scent lingered in his senses, and the desire for her burned as strongly as ever… not that he could do anything about that desire. Last time he’d been too weak to turn away from his feelings for her. This time he was older, wiser, no longer a boy half out of his mind with rage and hormones. This time, he was in control.

Although, when it came to Penelope, he didn’t care to be tested.

“If you would tell me what you know about the diamonds and the people who are after them…” Rafe slowed down for the light, glanced at Noah, and his plea was sincere and warm. “If you tell me what you know, I could help you. No matter what it is, I have the expertise either through my employees or myself to handle this.”

“Interestingly enough, there’s no one who can handle this except me. I know it goes against your grain, Rafe, but this time, you’re going to have to trust your baby brother.” Noah pointed to an empty space at the curb. “Drop me off there by the Black Bean.”

Rafe whipped his car into the tight spot with an expertise that clearly showed he’d learned at a rigorous technical driving school. “Noah,” he said sternly. “It’s not that we don’t trust you. It’s that this thing is too big for any one of us.”

Noah popped the door open without saying another word.

Rafe caught his arm. Again. “Noah, listen to me.”

Noah turned to him in exasperation. “Figure it out. I’m not telling you.”

“I know. I got that. But listen.” Rafe tried to smile, tried to sound light, but his blue eyes were earnest,
anxious… affectionate. “No matter what it is. No matter how much trouble you’re in. You’re my brother, and I love you. Just promise… promise that if I can do anything, you’ll call me. I’m on your side, man, no matter what.”

Noah stared at his bossy, annoying, pigheaded older sibling, and a warmth uncoiled in his gut. “I know. I love you, too.”

“Promise.” Rafe couldn’t stand to have Noah keep secrets from him.

But those secrets would kill them all… if Noah didn’t choose the right course.

If Noah did choose the right course… then only he would die.

That was the good news.

So Noah lied. “Sure. If I think you can help me, I will call. Now, Rafe—I gotta get my coffee and get back to work.”

“Okay. See you around.” Rafe lifted his hand in farewell.

Noah slammed the door, waved him off, and, when he was sure Rafe was really gone, he strolled through the open courtyard, past the cast-iron patio tables filled with people using the free Wi-Fi and sipping from massive paper cups, past a tall blond older woman who sat waiting for someone, and into the Black Bean’s open door. He walked up to the counter and smiled winsomely at Mandy. “I’ll take the usual. And… a spare. To go.”