“Where’s Spencer?” Regan asked.
“Meetings,” he answered but didn’t embellish. “How are you feeling?” he asked Cordie.
“My arm’s a little sore, but I’m fine, thank you. You should go get Walker.”
“He’s busy.”
“Doing what?”
Her question made him smile. She’d sounded so suspicious. “He’s just busy.”
“He loves Tony’s pizza. You should take him a couple of slices.”
“Cordelia, he’s with someone, a female someone.”
She didn’t understand why, but the realization that Walker was entertaining a woman embarrassed her, probably because Aiden had to spell it out for her.
“Oh.”
Aiden laughed. “You’re blushing.”
“Cordie,” Sophie called. “Alec brought Kelly’s root beer. I know you love it.”
Kelly’s was a locally owned company, and their root beer was hugely popular. Jack opened a cold bottle for Cordie and handed it to her.
“My boss, Mr. Bitterman, is addicted to the stuff,” Sophie said.
Aiden followed Cordie to the table. “When is Liam calling?” he asked Alec.
“Ten o’clock. I’ll set up the computer so we can see him.”
“I don’t need to see him,” Aiden said, his irritation obvious in his voice. “I want to know what the hell he’s doing.”
Cordie understood Aiden’s frustration. “Maybe he’ll have made some progress.”
“Some progress? I want to hear that there’ve been arrests and confessions.”
“Aiden, you should be more patient,” Regan said.
“The hell with that. Has Jenkins said anything yet?” he asked Jack.
“Not yet, but he will.”
“How can you be so sure?” Cordie wondered.
Alec answered. “He’s being charged with attempted murder. We’re letting that fact settle in his mind, and when we next talk to him, we think he’ll want to make a deal.”
“You mean, he’ll give you Simone for a lesser charge?” Cordie asked.
“Something like that,” Alec said.
Aiden knew that Alec and Jack were excellent at what they did. They had the commendations to prove it, but he still wanted to take over and tell them what to do. None of his suggestions were legal, though, but in his mind, after seeing that bastard’s hands on Cordelia, he didn’t think that mattered.
“Cordie, where’s your sling? Shouldn’t you be wearing it?” Sophie asked.
“It was torn up when Jenkins . . . you know.”
“I’ll get you another one,” Aiden promised. He had his phone to his ear as he walked into the bedroom.
Dinner was relaxed. There was no more talk of Simone or Jenkins, and Cordie was thankful. She ate two slices of veggie pizza and listened to Alec as he enthusiastically explained how he was going to remodel the basement of his and Regan’s new home. It seemed the only thing he wasn’t putting in was a basketball court.
“Have you signed the papers yet?” Sophie asked Cordie. “Because if you haven’t and you still own the house, Jack and I would like to make an offer to buy it.”
The stunned look on Alec’s face made everyone laugh.
Sophie patted his arm. “I was just teasing.”
“We really ought to get things moving and transfer the money,” Regan said. “The papers should be ready tomorrow afternoon. If you could go with us to the bank . . .”
Alec shook his head. “We’ll bring the papers to you, Cordie.”
“When do you get the cast removed?” Regan asked her.
“A month.”
“Oh, that’s perfect. Since you have to stay to see your doctor, you might as well go with us to the Summerset Ball.”
“I’ve heard there are doctors in Boston,” Cordie said.
“You should stay,” Sophie urged. “You shouldn’t bounce around from doctor to doctor.”
“If I have to go to that ball, you should have to go,” Alec said.
“You look so handsome in a tux,” Regan told her husband. “And you love going. You . . .” She sighed then. “Okay, I can’t sell it.”
Alec laughed. “I go because it’s important to you, sweetheart. And that’s why Cordie will go.”
“We’ll see,” Cordie said in the hope her friends would be appeased.
She felt trapped, trapped in paradise, and she was beginning to feel sorry for Aiden. He would go nuts if she continued to stay in the suite after arrests were made and the threat was over. She didn’t want to think about that now. Her friends were here. She was having a wonderful time, but fatigue was beginning to take over and her arm was starting to throb. She excused herself and went into her bathroom to get a Tylenol. When she opened the door, Aiden was waiting in her bedroom with a new sling.
“Where did you get that?” she asked.
“It was just delivered,” he answered. “Stand still and let me fix this thing.”
Once the sling was in place, he moved her hair out of the way. His hands stayed on her shoulders as he stared at her. And then he said something that shocked her.
“You’re beautiful, Cordelia.”
She didn’t know how to respond. He kissed her then, but once wasn’t enough. His mouth covered hers again, and he pulled her into his arms. The kiss wasn’t at all gentle, but raw, carnal in its intensity, and she was so aroused that, when he pulled back, she desperately wanted to rip his clothes off and fall into bed with him.
Sophie’s laughter from the living room pulled her back to reality. Cordie realized her hand was on the zipper of Aiden’s jeans. She jerked back and took a deep breath. She wagged her finger at him, patted her hair as though that would straighten it, and all but ran into the living room. She tried to ignore him the rest of the evening.
A few minutes before ten, Alec looked at his watch. “It’s almost time to hear from Liam.” He went to get Aiden’s computer and set it on the coffee table so everyone could see.
Liam checked in at ten on the dot. He appeared on the computer screen wearing a T-shirt that said Bob’s Beer and Babes Bar on it. The background wasn’t in focus, but it appeared he was sitting on a deck or patio with waves lapping at the shore behind him. He asked who was there, and Alec identified everyone and quickly introduced him to Regan and Sophie, who stepped away from the computer screen and mouthed the word wow to each other. Liam’s good looks had obviously impressed them, because they gave Cordie the why-didn’t-you-mention-how-hot-he-was look. She shrugged in response.
Jack watched the silent exchange. Fascinated, he whispered to Sophie, “What are you doing?”
“Talking to my friends,” she answered.
Liam greeted the group. His demeanor was courteous and businesslike, and it irritated Aiden that he could be charming and polite to Sophie and Regan, but he’d been a lecherous flirt with Cordelia.
Alec had already talked to him about Jenkins’s attack on Cordelia, and Liam wanted to see for himself that she was all right.
She stood in front of the computer screen. “I’m okay,” she said, smiling.
“Do you have any more information for us?” Alec asked.
“Hold on,” Aiden interrupted. “What about the other man who was with Simone? The one who tried to drag her out of the hotel?”
“Charles Kendrick.” Alec supplied his name.
“Where is he?” Aiden asked.