Page 19 of Brazilian Surrender
The man rubbed his eyes. “Are you a cop?”
Jaeger shook his head. “Far from it. I have a score to settle with him.”
He gave them a half smile. “Who doesn’t, these days? Name’s Jeb,” he said, offering his hand. “But I still don’t know what you want from me.”
Jaeger handed him his business card. “Jeb, here’s my contact information. Next time you see Sean around, shoot me a text or give me a call. If I show up here and he’s in the building, I’ll give you a thousand bucks.”
…
“If anyone asks, I’m your plus one,” Jaeger told her as they drove through the Hamptons. “It’ll be easier, and I can keep an eye on you at all times.”
Camila chewed on her lower lip. Plus one meant adding—how ironic considering the past couple weeks she’d felt as if so much has been taken from her. Her peace of mind. Her sense of security.
A nutcase is on the loose.Her stomach contracted, apprehension rolling into her core. No wonder she hadn’t eaten much lately. Her temples throbbed every time she remembered the two thugs at his place, looking for something. If they wanted her, though, they could have taken her. So what else did they want?
Soon they’d see her family and she’d have different problems altogether to deal with. “Remember, don’t mention anything to my family, even if they drill you,” she said for the sake of saying, probably repeating herself for the tenth time. She’d wrestled with attending the wedding or not, but at this point she didn’t want to allow her stalker to disrupt her life even further. And Jaeger had said a change of surroundings may help them.
She shifted in her seat, fidgeting with the seat belt. “Trust me, bringing a boyfriend home is no piece of cake. Besides, if you act like you’re not into me at all, they’ll know something is up.” God, would they. Addie, Bruno’s wife and one of her best friends, could smell a lie miles away. If she saw them side by side, with Jaeger’s stern and aloof posture, she’d suspect their scheme and question Camila at the first opportunity.
“Is there anything wrong with some restraint?”
You know all about restraint, don’t you?A shiver rolled down her spine. “I guess not.” She shrugged it off. On the other hand, she bet he would be the kind of the guy who knew how to please a woman. The buffoons she dated pretended to care about her pleasure, but all they really wanted was to get off. She’d never really felt ravished, or cherished, in the bedroom.
For the rest of the drive, he didn’t say much. Camila played with her iPhone, checking email and text messages.
He parked the car on the gravel driveway of the stunning East Hampton house she’d visited once in the past. She peered at the entrance of the two-story property, contemplating the stone-floor porch as if for the first time.
“We’re here. Nice,” he said.
Nice? The place had a regal quality to it, and she felt the need to say more about its owner. Many times, the wealth of her family made Camila uneasy. Certainly, they all did what they could to leave a charitable imprint in the world, but a part of her was still that little girl walking home from school and wearing ratty shirts and old flip-flops. “Maybe you’ve heard of Erika Lancaster. Well, she’s about to become Mrs. Erika Duarte.”
“Silas Lancaster. I know who that is.”
She almost opened her mouth to ask if he knew because he’d vetted her family beforehand, or because he followed the news. Headlines about the case popped up when real estate developer giant Silas Lancaster had been arrested; he’d been responsible for the death of a Brazilian engineer who had tried to alert him about expired cement for a popular housing project. But Silas knowingly okayed the project, even though it resulted in deaths and homeless residents after a bad storm.
“Erika told us this was her summer home when she was a kid. Her mother loved the house, and her ashes were spread in the ocean. Erika thought this would be a good place to get married,” she said, wondering where she would get married if she ever met the right guy. She loved weddings.
“Is the wedding a big deal? Lots of guests? People coming in and out of the house?” he asked, taking off his seat belt and setting the tone. Jaeger wouldn’t care for her personal views on marriage and weddings.
“Nothing too extravagant. Most guests will be at a hotel, but the family will stay at the house,” she said.
He nodded, got out of the car, and rounded it, opening the door for her before she reached for the handle. “Are you ready?” He gave her his hand, and a sizzling sensation shot up her arm, bringing a delicious awareness to her whole being.
“Yep.” She plastered a smile on her face and lied through her teeth. The idea of Jaeger Bauer and her family under the same roof for three full days represented reality and fantasy colliding. No miraculous airbag in the world would save her from the imminent train wreck.
…
Jaeger ran his hand through his hair as they walked through the foyer. A friendly maid welcomed them, and while she offered to help with the bags, he readily picked up both their suitcases—his small and functional, and hers a lot heavier—and politely declined.
The maid led them to an impossibly large living area that blended with the kitchen and an open library. A floor-to-ceiling glass wall showcased the ocean not far from them, but what caught his eye was the exquisite cathedral ceiling matching the dramatic, yet classy, surroundings. He couldn’t shake the feeling Lee was involved, which was why he’d asked Tony to hack his cell phone bills to check if he had contacted Sean O’Brien.
“There you are. We should have done lunch in the city a couple of days ago when we returned, but everything was so rushed,” Erika said, walking up to them. He recognized the statuesque brunette from a picture.
Camila kissed her on both cheeks then gave her a hug. “It’s totally okay; it’s been insane for me, too. This is Jaeger. Jaeger, this is Erika.”
“Nice to meet you.” Jaeger stretched out his hand, giving hers a firm shake.
Erika exchanged a quick glance with Camila, then returned her attention to him. “It’s wonderful to meet you, Jaeger. I’m glad you could join us. And thank you for the generous donation.”
