One Secret Night (9 page)

“You’re investigating Kai Whittaker?” Ralston asked. “What for?”

“We can’t discuss the details of the investigation. We’d like to ask you some questions.”

Ralston eyed them both for several long seconds. Then he turned to the reception desk. “I need these two badged. Now.”

Raith and Autumn checked in with the security officer and were given visitor badges. Then Ralston led them through the door. They rode an elevator to the second level and walked down a long hallway that opened to cubicles surrounded by offices that took up all of the window space.

Ralston’s corner office was enormous and had a view of the city. There was a glass desk and black leather chairs both behind it and in front of it. The room contained a conference table that could seat fourteen, while a black leather sofa with a coffee table and two more chairs offered seating for less formal gatherings. A white bookshelf against the nearby wall was the only homey touch. Nash took them there. Autumn sat beside Raith on the sofa and Nash took a chair across from them.

“How well do you know Mr. Whittaker?” Raith asked.

“I’ve known him for years through business.”

“Would you consider it a friendly relationship?”

“He runs NV Advanced’s number one competitor. We get along.”

The way he spoke, especially the sarcasm in his tone, hinted of a tolerant relationship at best. His demeanor in the lobby, however, indicated the relationship was more complicated than he let on.

“What did he come here to talk to you about today?” Raith asked.

Ralston took a moment while he ascertained what they had seen. “Does he know you were following him?”

“No.”

Still, he hesitated. “He came here on a business-related matter.”

Ralston was clearly not willing to give a direct response. “What matter was that?”

“It’s classified.”

Raith didn’t believe that. “You didn’t seem very happy when he left.”

“I’m never glad to see Kai. He can be bullheaded about having his way.” Ralston glanced at Autumn. “Do you always let your partner do all the talking?”

“I’m a new agent,” Autumn said, crossing one of her sexy legs.

Ralston’s attention was drawn there. Then he looked at Raith with a lopsided grin. “Hard to believe she’s a federal agent. She belongs on the arm of a wealthy man.”

Ralston obviously preferred trophies over satisfying relationships. Raith caught Autumn’s narrow gaze as he talked as though she weren’t there.

“You’re married?” Raith asked.

“For eighteen years.” He said it as though it was a burden.

Raith waited for Ralston to catch on to why he had asked. It was a subtle barb. Ralston had insulted Autumn and he didn’t like it. Ralston sent a quick, unconcerned glance at Autumn and then turned to Raith.

“Why is it significant that Kai came to see me?”

“What kind of business deal are you working on with Kai?” Raith asked.

“I’m not working on any deal with him. We have no contracts in place between the companies. He asked about a specific project of ours.”

“What project?”

Ralston raised his brow in mock reproach. “Like I told you, it’s classified.”

“But you discussed it with Kai? How did he know about it?”

“He’s working on a similar project at his company.”

“How did he know about yours?” Raith asked.

“Kai has his ways, I suppose.”

What ways did Ralston think he had? Raith didn’t believe anything Nash said except that Kai had come asking about a specific project.
That,
he’d buy.

“Is there anything you can tell me about Kai?” he asked. “What do you know about him? As a business associate, you must be acquainted somewhat.”

Nash leaned back in his chair and put his forefinger alongside his mouth as he studied Raith. “He’s a ruthless son of a bitch.”

Raith found it interesting that Ralston had chosen that as his first observation. “In getting government contracts?”

“In everything. He’ll do anything to stay ahead of the competition.”

“Would he kill anyone?”

His brow raised again. “Do you suspect him of murder?”

Raith couldn’t tell if Ralston would like to hear that Kai had committed some heinous crime for which he was about to pay the ultimate price. He was, however, sure that Kai had brought the subject up during his visit.

“What about you, Mr. Ralston? What would you do to stay ahead of the competition?” Raith had asked to see what kind of reaction he’d get.

Ralston breathed a derisive laugh. “Not kill anyone. Kai, on the other hand? I wouldn’t put it past him.”

Ralston thought Kai was capable of killing someone. Was he only saying that because Kai was an adversary or was there some merit to it?

“I read about the shooting at Kai’s home,” Ralston said. “The news said it appeared random. Was it?”

“Someone put a contract on his head. What do you suppose he’s done to earn that?” Raith watched Nash closely.

“Someone contracted to have Kai killed?” He laughed genuinely, lowering his hand. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised.”

Or as glad as he seemed.

“Why do you say that?” Autumn asked.

Ralston moved his gaze to her, roaming it over her as though anything she said was a prop to her physical appearance. “As I’ve said, Kai is a ruthless son of a bitch. I can understand why someone would want him dead. He’s not much of a likable guy.”

“Do you want him dead?” Raith asked.

“Let’s just say that if I heard in the news he’d been killed, I wouldn’t attend the funeral. If you’re asking me if I’m capable of murder, the answer is no.”

“You could hire someone to do it for you,” Autumn said. She must have picked up on Nash’s condescension, because her tone was sharp.

“I’d still have to be capable of murder,” Ralston said.

“Who would want Kai dead?” Raith asked.

Ralston met Raith’s eyes for several seconds. “Any number of people. Employees or ex-employees. Have you spoken with anyone else in the industry?”

“No.”

“Then I suggest you start there.”

“He bullies other CEOs of weapons manufacturers?” Autumn asked.

This time when Ralston looked at her, it wasn’t to appreciate her female assets. “I wouldn’t know.”

Autumn cocked her head shrewdly. “There can’t be that many others like NV Advanced and DT, not for night-vision equipment.”

“Then I’m sorry I’ve been of no help to your investigation.” He shifted his attention to Raith. “But I do wish you luck.”

He’d love to see Kai go down in a fiery ball of destruction, but he couldn’t—or wouldn’t—reveal the true purpose of his and Kai’s meeting. It may have included questions about Kai’s shooting, but there had been more discussed.

Raith decided to switch tactics. “Garvin Reeves is a good friend of yours, isn’t he?”

Ralston sat straighter in his chair. It was obvious he hadn’t expected him to bring up Garvin. “I wouldn’t say good. We’re acquainted. Why?”

They were finished here. Without answering Ralston’s question, Raith stood and reached for Autumn’s hand. She gave it to him and he helped her to her feet. She always looked as if she needed it in the heels she wore.

“Thank you for your time.” Raith started for the door, keeping Autumn’s hand in his.

Ralston followed them. “Why are you asking me about Garvin?”

“You use his shooting range.” Raith answered. If Ralston was guilty, he knew Leaman was Garvin’s close friend. And now he’d understand that Raith was on to him.

“What does that have to do with why Kai came to see me today?”

“Well, Mr. Ralston, that’s what you haven’t told me.”

A long stare passed between them. Clearly, Ralston was nervous about the connection to Garvin.

“You’ll need an escort to the front,” Ralston said.

Raith stopped with Autumn and looked back at Ralston.

“Paisley,” he said to his assistant in an annoyed tone. “Take these two to the front and make sure they turn in their visitor badges.”

The slender woman with long blond hair jumped to attention. Standing and moving with quick, jerky steps to move out from behind her desk outside her boss’s office, Raith got the distinct impression that she was terrified of her boss.

“Right away, sir.”

Raith put his hand on Autumn’s lower back so she’d precede him. Apparently, Kai wasn’t the only ruthless son of a bitch in this business. Was he ruthless enough to hire a killer to eliminate his competition? Why the sneakiness?

Chapter 9

T
hat Friday, Autumn walked next to Raith as they left the airport and headed for passenger pickup. Her mother had a car waiting for them. Raith had been relaxed all the way there, but underneath that remained his discomfort in attending a Hollywood cocktail party.

After meeting with Nash Ralston, whom she disliked on sight, she’d listened to Raith call the ex-CIA operative Mayo and ask him to get a background check on Nash Ralston. It would take Mayo a day or two. The timing was perfect for a trip to California to keep her mother happy.

Outside, she walked with Raith and spotted the sleek black sedan parked along the curb and the driver waiting. Seeing her approach, he opened the back door.

Just then, a flurry of activity erupted. A camera went off in front of them. Paparazzi. Somehow they’d learned of their arrival. Who had informed them? Someone her mother told?

“Who’s the new man, Autumn?”

“How long will this one last?”

“Where have you been hiding out lately?”

Autumn pushed away the camera that was closest to her face.

Raith grabbed the camera clicking pictures of him and yanked it out of the man’s hands, throwing it to the ground.

“Hey, you’re going to pay for that!”

There were three of them. One had a video camera. Autumn hooked her arm with Raith’s before he could go after them all. He got inside the sedan first. She closed the door and stared through the black-tinted windows. The men continued to film and snap photos as the driver drove away.

She turned to Raith, who looked through the back window at the paparazzi. When he faced forward, he leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

“I’m sorry.” She didn’t know what else to say.

He opened his eyes and lifted his head, looking at her. “How did they find out we’d be here?”

“I don’t know. My mother must have let it slip to someone she invited to the party.”

“This is exactly what I was afraid would happen. This is exactly why you and I shouldn’t be together.”

He sounded so angry.

“We aren’t together.”

“I knew this was a bad idea.”

She felt like telling him she hadn’t forced him to come along, but kept quiet. The
This is exactly why you and I shouldn’t be together
comment revealed plenty about his intentions regarding them.

The window separating the driver from them slid open. “I’ve alerted security at the mansion,” the driver said.

“Thank you,” Autumn replied.

The driver closed the privacy window.

“There should have been security here at the airport.”

He was upset. She was, too. By tomorrow morning there’d be a fresh wave of press covering her latest man.

When they arrived at her parents’ mega-house, she saw that a throng of paparazzi had gathered at the gate. Security had forced them back and allowed the driver to easily pass through. Raith looked back to watch the gate slide shut.

“They know we’re here,” he said.

“It’s not me they’re interested in,” Autumn said. “Not entirely. There are some movie stars who will be at the party tonight.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that?” Raith asked, sounding frustrated.

She began to lose patience with the way he was talking to her. “Hey, it’s not my responsibility to keep the press off you. I have enough trouble keeping them off myself! And it’s not my fault you chose a secret career.”

The car stopped and she got out, heels clicking on the stone walkway leading to a private entrance to the gigantic house, an Italian villa with intricate stone trim.

At the door, he caught up to her and swung her around. Not rough but firm enough.

“We have to get out of here.”

She pulled her arm free and went inside. “You can go ahead and leave. I’m staying.”

“There will be press all over this place tonight.”

“No, there won’t. They’ll only be allowed outside the gate.”

He swore. “I can’t believe this.”

Autumn stopped and faced him, feeling hurt as well as angry. All he cared about was exposure. Protecting his identity, his job. She was never going to tell him about the baby. Not only would he never be able to be seen in public with her, his selfishness stung. If he truly cared, he’d find a way around the press.

She began to feel suffocated. Now that the media had found out about him, they’d paint their own version of their relationship. She’d be someone she wasn’t again. It tainted the way she saw him. If only she could get away. Away from him. Because without him, the press would have nothing to prattle about and she could go on living her life.

“I’ll stay here until you find whoever hired Leaman,” she informed him. “You can call me to let me know. There’s enough security here. I don’t need you. The driver will take you back to the airport.” With that, she turned and headed for the stairs that would take her to the room she always used when she stayed here.

Raith didn’t follow, but she saw his surprised look.

“That’s it?”

She stopped and looked back at Raith.

“You’ve decided right now that we go our separate ways?”

“Your work has nothing to do with me. It was an accident that we met. You’ll be able to find the person who hired Leaman Marshall a lot easier without me.”

“You sound as though you’re trying to convince me.”

Images of the paparazzi snapping pictures of her, a woman they knew nothing about, thickened a protective layer around her heart. Even his green eyes, full of certainty and confidence, even his big, tall body that so appealed to her senses were not enough to penetrate the icy wall. The media would not stop now that they knew of him, and his mystery would only intrigue them more.

“Goodbye, Raith.” As his head cocked to one side as though challenging her, she made her way upstairs.

On her way down a long hallway, she ran into her mother. Blue-eyed and hair swept up from its usual blond bob, she wore a long, cream-colored beaded evening gown.

“You’re here, finally.” Her mother leaned in for a hug and then leaned back. “Are you all right?”

“Yes.”

“You look upset.”

“The party starts in an hour.” They had cut it close traveling here. “I’ll go get ready and then we can talk.”

“I was beginning to wonder if you were going to make it. Thank goodness the driver called.”

“Oh, Mother. I’m not a kid anymore.”

“Where’s the man you were with?” her mother asked rather than acknowledge her comment.

“Leaving.”

“Leaving?”

“Paparazzi were waiting for us at the airport.”

Her mother made a disgruntled sound. “I’m sorry. I should have planned for that.”

“It’s not your fault. It’s not my fault, either.” Even though Raith may see it differently. Or did he? The way he’d looked at her before she’d climbed the stairs made her wonder. Maybe what he needed was that confrontation with the media. Maybe it would make him take a look at where his life was going.

“He actually left?”

She nodded. What else would he do? Stay for a celebrity cocktail party? Even if the encounter with the media had done any good, she couldn’t imagine he’d want to put himself through that.

Feeling a sting begin to drill through the wall of ice, she said to her mother, “I have to hurry.”

She sensed her mother watching her walk down the hall a few seconds before Autumn heard the swish of her gown as she made her way to the stairs.

In her room, she found her luggage that the servants had taken up already and began to get dressed for the party. She chose a formfitting spaghetti-strap mini with shimmering clear sequins covering the low bodice and trailing into the all-black skirt. She curled her hair and put it up in a sleek updo. Wearing makeup and a sexy ensemble, she should feel better than she did. Raith was probably well on his way to Houston by now.

She walked down the curving staircase in the east wing of the fifty-five-thousand-square-foot mansion. The entire length of the lower east side was a ballroom. She was an hour late and heard music and voices as she approached. People milled around the seating area outside the ballroom. She entered through one of the open panels.

Big, beautiful chandeliers hung from high ceilings with elaborate trim. Jazz music played. Women in stunning gowns and men in tuxedos held flutes of champagne and stood in groups or sat at the white linen–covered round tables, each decorated with huge arrangements of fresh flowers.

Everyone in her family was here except for Macon, who, ever since going through rehab, preferred to avoid these types of parties. She searched for a familiar face and found two standing near the dance area. Her sister Riana wore a silky, long, low-cut black dress, along with dangling diamond earrings and matching necklace and bracelet. Brandie wore a white gown with flaring, knee-length skirt and eye-catching sapphire-and-diamond jewelry. They were about the same height and had slender frames. Brandie’s light red hair and green eyes resembled Autumn’s, but Riana’s hair was short and thick and dark red. She had the Ivy green eyes, though.

Next, she spotted her brother Jonas with a woman, a sophisticated one. She looked nothing like his past mistakes. Maybe he was coming around after all of his divorces. His body wasn’t so grotesquely muscular, either. He was leaner but still strong looking. He stood close to the woman, completely absorbed in her.

“Fashionably late?”

Autumn turned to see Savanna and a man with dark hair and brown eyes. He had his arm around Savanna’s waist. What she noticed most was the sparkle in her sister’s blue eyes. She really had fallen for this guy.

“Hi, Savanna.”

Her sister moved away from the man to hug her. Then she turned a beaming smile to him. “This is Emmitt McPhail.”

McPhail?
Autumn took in more of Savanna’s beaming smile and then Emmitt’s less revealing one. That’s when a feeling swept Autumn. Something about him didn’t fit.

“I hear you’re from a big law firm in Denver,” she said, testing him.

A look of arrogant pride slid his mouth up at the corners. “Causting, Stoker and McPhail.”

“Seriously?” Autumn laughed, unable to hold it back.

His grin grew a little more humble. “One could argue that it’s good advertising.”

No wonder Savanna had been hooked in. He was a real charmer. But that brief glimpse of superiority didn’t impress Autumn.

He slid his arm around Savanna again, looking at her with a similar glow as the one she saw on her sister’s face. As long as Savanna was happy...

“There she is.”

Autumn turned to see Arizona approach, shoulder-length blond hair shining under the chandelier light and wearing a silky red dress that flattered her shape. Her husband, Braden, was beside her.

Autumn hugged her.

“Getting into trouble?”

“Trouble got me this time.”

Arizona laughed softly.

“Hello, Braden,” Autumn said as Arizona’s handsome dark-haired husband leaned in for a brief hug.

“What’s this I hear about a new man in your life?” Arizona asked when Braden stepped back.

“There is no man.”

Arizona looked at her strangely and then she and Savanna shared a look. What was that all about?

She didn’t get a chance to ask. Lincoln and his wife, Sabrina, joined the group. After more hugs, they formed a circle, Emmitt and Savanna to Autumn’s right, Arizona and Braden across from her, and Sabrina and Lincoln to her left.

“How’s the adventure business doing?” Autumn asked Arizona.

“Busy. We hired a new manager,” she answered.

“Not that busy. There’s another reason we hired someone.” Braden grinned down at his wife.

“Not now, Braden,” Arizona protested.

“Too late,” Sabrina said. “Now you have to tell.”

There was no stopping Braden. “Arizona is pregnant,” he said proudly.

While Arizona, Sabrina and Savanna oohed and aahed, Autumn stood rigid with a wave of shock, reminded of her own predicament.

Seeing Arizona and Savanna take notice, Autumn quickly said, “Of all the girls in this family, you’re the last one I’d have expected to have a baby.”

“She’s come a long way,” Lincoln commented. “Congratulations.”

Everyone followed suit and congratulated the expecting couple.

“As long as we’re sharing,” Lincoln said, putting his arm around Sabrina. “Sabrina and I are trying.”

They were trying to have a baby. Autumn wished she could be anywhere but here right now. All of these kids would be close in age.

“Mother’s going to be thrilled,” Savanna said.

“You have a big family,” her lawyerly boyfriend commented. Was he bored?

Bigger than they knew. Autumn averted her gaze, wishing the topic would change. She watched her parents talking to a director and a female movie star as though it was the most natural thing in the world. Then she spotted Deangelo Calabrese talking to a beautiful blonde with a huge boob job. His hair was slicked back and he’d worn leather instead of a tuxedo, still looking good.

“Mother invited
him?
” She grunted her offense.

“He’s in Dad’s new film,” Savanna said. “Mom didn’t think you’d care since you’ve gone through two other men since him.”

“She hasn’t gone through both of them.” Lincoln gestured with his finger to a point behind Autumn.

She turned and at first saw nothing in the crowd. But then a woman moved out of the way and she found herself looking right at Raith. He stood near the wall, no drink in his hand, eyes directed straight at her.

“You got involved with him, anyway,” Lincoln said.

She faced him. “Not by choice.” Although it had been a choice to sleep with him.

“I couldn’t believe it when Mom told me,” he said.

“He’s hot,” Sabrina commented. When Lincoln sent her an unappreciative glance, she smiled at him, teasing.

“Definitely drool-worthy,” Savanna added.

“Exactly her type,” Arizona finished.

“Would you all just stop?” Autumn needed to get away from them. “Nothing’s going on with us. I thought he left.”

“Mom caught him in the foyer talking to a servant,” Arizona said. “She was going to show him to a room where he could get ready for the party but discovered he was asking the servant to show him. He never planned to leave.”