Broken Trust (19 page)

Cole filled two cups. He might be annoying but having him with her
did help
quell her panic. Mark handed Sylvia a cup and Nora watched him giggle, thankful she didn’t have to hear it.

Cole returned with the coffee. It tasted better than Mark’s Mr. Green Beans but still reminded her of acid. “Thanks.”

“So what do you know about Daniel Cubrero?” Cole asked.

“Aside from being handsome and rich?”

Cole rolled his eyes.

“His big concern is fighting oil mining in the Amazon
B
asin so I’m not sure why he’s on the Trust board. He’s from Ecuador and his family has money.” She didn’t have to tell Cole she’d had a nice dinner with Daniel recently and found him interesting.

Cole considered her. “Against mining in the Amazon
B
asin? His family made their fortune in oil. A substantial fortune, by the way.”

“And you know this how?”

He shook his head. “Do you think I research everyone you come in contact with?”

“Sounds paranoid when you say it.”

He laughed. “Did you forget I spent the bulk of my career in mining? I know who the biggest players are. And
the
Cubreros are the biggest of the big.”

The cops moved from Daniel and the minister to the knot of staffers.

Daniel spotted Nora and started across the lobby to her. When he arrived, he clasped Nora’s hand and brushed it with his lips. “Did you feel ill during the service? Not quite over the food poisoning?”

Self-conscious at the hand
-
kissing silliness, Nora sounded more brusque than she intended. “I’m fine. Just needed some air.”

Cole frowned at Daniel and didn’t say anything.

Abigail butted next to Cole, dragging Petal with her. “There you are, dear,” she said to Nora, all the while eying Daniel as if
he
might be there to eat Nora.

Before Nora could introduce Daniel to her mother, Sylvia slinked next to him. “Well, hello.” Her voice dropped low. “How nice of you to come to Darla’s service when we know how important and busy you are.”

Puke. Food poisoning might be better than listening
to
Sylvia’s gushing. “Well, I’d better get back to the office. Ready to go?” Nora said to Abigail and Petal.

Mark appeared, hovering behind Sylvia like a broken satellite.

“Oh, Petal,” Sylvia said, her voice losing the pseudo-sexy lilt. “I need you to run out to the tower this afternoon. I checked the angle measurements you submitted and they’re accurate. We just need to make sure the tower is functioning.”

Petal lowered her eyes and nodded.

Sylvia beamed at Daniel. “You can report to the board that we’re working. We’ll be sending an ELF wave to gather the latest data associated with this cold front.”

Petal shivered noticeably.

Abigail slid an arm around her. “Where is this tower? Is it far?”

Sylvia puffed up. “It’s on M
ount
Evans.”

Abigail saw Sylvia’s ego-puff and raised her a regal head-tilt. “You shouldn’t go up there alone when they’re predicting snow
, Petal dear
. Nora will go with you.”

Wait. What?

Nora didn’t want to go to M
ount
Evans this afternoon. But there didn’t seem to be a gracious way out.
Thank you, Abigail.
Nora ignored Sylvia’s glare. “Sure. Yeah. I’ve got some stuff to do first and we can go.”

Cole’s tone didn’t invite argument. “I’m going
too.
”

Abigail smiled
at him
with satisfaction. “Thank you.”

Nora focused over Sylvia’s shoulder at Mark. “If you’re going to be around I’d like to talk to you about something when I get to the Trust.”

He barely made eye contact. His attention shifted between Sylvia and Daniel. “What do you want to talk about?”

Just
four hundred
grand that’s gone missing that I think has something to do with a murder
. “I have a couple of questions, that’s all.”

Obviously irritated, he grabbed
Nora’s
arm and pulled her to a corner of the narthex. “What is it?”

She caught Cole zeroed in on her. He scowled. “I’m not sure if it’s anything or not, but I found
four hundred thousand dollars
missing from Sylvia’s restricted account.”

He threw back his head and let out a shrill cackle. “That’s crazy. There’s a mistake, obviously. We’ll check into it, of course. Of course.”
Snort
.

“Okay. Can we get together later today?”

His attention slid to Sylvia. “Yes. I’ll be at the Trust soon.”

Nora nodded and walked away, unsettled by
Mark’s
overwhelming strangeness.

Nora, Abigail, and Petal donned
their
coats and wraps and braced themselves before opening the church doors. Cold air blasted them as they stepped from the church and hurried toward the parking garage.

Abigail bent her head to Petal. “Do you think the killer was there?”

Petal kept her head down.

Abigail continued. “If he was, he wouldn’t dare do anything suspicious with those cops
around
. But he’ll make a move sometime, don’t you think?”

Nora caught Abigail’s eye and whipped her finger across her throat to tell Abigail to drop it.

Abigail tilted her head. “I’m glad Cole is going with you this afternoon.”

Maybe they could go back to talking about murder.

Petal peeked out from her dreds. “He’s really hot. And his aura is orange. That means he’s detailed and scientific and has a good soul.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” The fact is, being with Cole did feel good.

“You can’t keep saying you don’t want to talk about it whenever someone brings up a touchy topic. What color is my aura?” Abigail asked.

Petal smiled shyly. “Yours is pink. It means you’re creative and sensitive. You’re loving and tender.”

Abigail beamed.

They stepped from the curb to cross to the parking lot. A gust of icy wind, bringing a smattering of dry snow, hit Nora full in the face. The three of them drew together, lowering their heads against the onslaught.

Abigail’s voice floated out from her tightly
wrapped pashmina. “Cole is more than a good soul, Nora. He’s got integrity and is a commanding presence.”

The overcast sky blended with the gray of the street. Nora kept her head down to avoid the wind. “He’s not rich, you know that, right?”

Abigail huffed. “I’m not that shallow. You’re perfectly capable of earning your own living.”

Damn right. Maybe Abigail was evolving.

“Besides, his family owns one of the largest ranches in Wyoming. There’s money there.”

And then again, maybe not. They crossed the street, huddled together as the pedestrian light blinked a warning.

The roar of an engine cut through the icy air. Startled, Nora instinctively reached for Petal.

The
shiny black wi
n
d
shield
of a sports car careened toward them in the far right lane. The crazy driver must not see them. He accelerated.

Petal froze in the sights of the deadly bullet.

Good thing Abigail and Nora had her by either arm. They weren’t willing to be smashed on the pavement by some careless driver. Both of them lurched for the curb, dragging Petal with them.

At the last minute the car veered from them and screeched around the corner. Nora’s hair blew back from her face in the rush of wind from the retreating car.

Her heart thundered in her ears.

Abigail caught her eye over the wild tangle of Petal’s dreds. “Was that
…
?”

“Sylvia.” Nora finished the sentence for her.

Petal’s red-rimmed eyes traveled from Abigail to Nora. “She doesn’t like me.”

twenty-seven

Sylvia hummed as she
lay back and savored the beauty of her bedroom. She’d had Petal set the beam to send into the ionosphere in a few hours. The fruits of years of study and sacrifice would culminate in this monumental success. Eduardo would get what he wanted and he’d know her genius. Then the money would flow.

What a perfect way to wrap up a morning. The snowy Egyptian cotton sheets with a weave so tight it felt like silk made her skin glow
,
and the color contrasted nicely with her dark hair. She resembled Cleopatra in all her royal splendor.

Her broad-shouldered Latin lover lay next to her, ca
t
ching his breath from his final passion. She’d provided the kind of lovemaking he could only dream about with younger, less experienced women.

True, t
he day hadn’t started out well. She’d had a fight with Mar
k
. He wanted her to wait for any money until the heat died down from the board. She’d had to attend that
tacky
funeral, nothing more than a waste of time. Then there was that nasty episode with Nora trying to hone in on Daniel.

Sylvia teased Daniel’s nipple. “It’s pathetic the way Nora Abbott throws herself at you. I suppose it’s to be expected. You are a Cubrero.”

Sylvia had succumbed to that silly moment of jealousy. The pressure of her genius sometimes needed to blow
off steam
. She wouldn’t have
actually
plowed into Petal and Nora and her pretentious mother. But it made Sylvia chuckle to think of them scrambling to the curb.

“Nora is not an ordinary woman and she isn’t throwing herself at me.” He sounded bored. As he should be with someone as common as Nora.

Sylvia needed to be subtle. “She doesn’t like me much. I think she senses you and I are
…
close and she’s jealous. You know, I think she’s the one who set me up with the police.”

He studied her. “You were set up?”

“Of course I was, darling. Someone told the police about my gun and stole my credit card number to make plane reservations. I’m positive Nora did it.”

“It is your gun, then? So, if it is your gun, did you kill Darla?”

Sylvia laughed. “I couldn’t kill anyone.” She didn’t kill Darla any more than she’d run down Nora. It was all just blowing off steam.

He didn’t say anything as he enjoyed the feel of her hands on his chest.

She scooted close to Daniel and traced his mouth with the tip of her tongue. He jerked his head away and she laughed. “Did I tickle you?”

He stared at the ceiling, ignoring her.

She knew what he wanted and it wasn’t conversation. She’d give it to him, slow and excruciatingly delicious. She swirled her tongue along the skin of his belly, tantalizing him as she worked her way lower. A young man like him wouldn’t be done with one blast. She’d make him explode with desire for her. Then he’d protect her from Eduardo, if needed. To keep her in his life, in his bed, he’d do anything.

He definitely rose to her bait. Her mouth closed around him, teasing him with her tongue.

Her phone blared. Daniel pushed her head away.

She smiled at him. “I’ll call them back.” She leaned over him again.

“Answer it. I’ve got to get back to the Trust anyway.” The sheets bunched around the bottom of the bed and the duvet spilled to the side, splashing scarlet orchids on the white carpet.

The Trust and Nora.

Stupid ignorant people always calling, always needing something from her. They wouldn’t leave her alone for a minute.

She reached for the phone. Every great leader dealt with idiots. “Yes,” she said, sounding powerful and competent.

“Sylvia, it’s Adrianne.”

She couldn’t place the name or voice.

“Your attorney?”

“Yes. What is it?”

“We need to go over your
deposition
as soon as possible. Can you meet me at my office in two hours?”

Sylvia laid a perfectly manicured hand on Daniel’s chest. Taking the phone from her face she whispered, “Stay. This won’t take a second.”

He sat up and her hand fell away. He didn’t say anything as he stood and reached for his pants.

Adrianne ruined everything.

“Your office is in Denver. With the traffic, I’d have to leave now. That won’t work for me.”

Daniel pulled on
a cobalt blue shirt and worked at the buttons. He didn’t pay any attention to Sylvia. Damn Adrianne for destroying her perfect afternoon.

“You realize you’re being indicted for murder? This isn’t a picnic, Sylvia. It’s your top priority.”

Sylvia employed Adrianne, not the other way around
, and she needed to realize that
. “I can’t drop everything and run up there. Just because some idiot police want to accuse me of killing someone doesn’t make my work any less important. We’ll have to schedule something later and it must be in Boulder.”

Daniel sat at the edge of the bed to pull on his shoes and socks. Sylvia ran her nails lightly down his back. He arched away from her, stood
,
and tucked his shirt in.

“Maybe you don’t understand the serious nature of the charges,” Adrianne said.

Daniel zipped his jeans and buckled his belt. He walked out the bedroom door
way
.

“I understand that I have important work to do. This is your job and you’re being paid a fortune.” Sylvia punched the call off and wound up her arm, ready to fling the phone at the wall to watch it splinter. She lowered her arm.

Dignity. Control
. P
oise.

Then she threw the phone anyway.

She climbed out of bed and considered her
naked body
in the full wall of mirrors attached to the closet doors. Daniel must have important business to leave this.

Sylvia pulled a silk kimono from the closet.

A shower would restore her composure
,
and
then
she’d scurry back to the Trust to make sure all was ready for tonight’s launch of the ELF beam.

She hummed as she turned on the shower sauna to let it warm. She’d be more energetic and productive after relaxing for a bit. Maybe a glass of wine would help her unwind as she let the heat soak into her skin.