Page 33 of Fatal Betrayal

"Naomi. And there she is now." He waved to a very thin and attractive Asian woman wearing a clingy short dress.

Naomi gave him a curious look as she came over. "Hello."

"Babe," TJ said, waving his hand toward Cooper. "I want you to meet an old friend of mine, Cooper Bradford. He grew up a few blocks from me. My girlfriend Naomi Chu."

"Nice to meet you, Naomi."

"We've actually met before, Dr. Bradford," she said with a gleam in her brown eyes.

"We have?" he asked with surprise.

Before she could reply, Andi returned to the table with a pitcher of beer and four glasses.

TJ introduced Andi to Naomi and then started filling their glasses. As he did so, he said, "I had no idea you knew Coop, Naomi."

"Wait, you two know each other?" Andi asked.

"Naomi said we met somewhere," he replied.

"But he doesn't remember me," Naomi said with a smile. "And I'm not surprised. We were at Covington Studios where I work. I was at your pitch meeting with Neil and Larry last year."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I don't remember meeting you."

"We didn't actually speak. I'm a lowly assistant. I was getting coffee for the group, but I was in and out of the room," Naomi said. "I keep telling myself that being in the room is just the first step, but I've been on that step a little too long. Anyway, I thought your project sounded interesting. I was surprised when Larry pulled it. I thought our VP was very interested."

He frowned. That wasn't what Neil had told him had happened with Covington Studios. He was wondering if he knew the real story. After Elisa came home, he needed to find out what had actually gone down with their pitch.

"You're going to be running that room one of these days, babe," TJ told Naomi. "You're the smartest woman I've ever met and the hottest," he said, giving her another kiss. "Sorry, guys, I can't help myself."

"It's nice to see you happy," he said.

"The happiest I've ever been," TJ said. "Ever since I met this woman, I can't stop smiling."

"Oh, please," Naomi said. "You had plenty of other women wanting to make you smile. I had to get in line."

"None like you."

Andi cleared her throat, and he sensed she was getting a little uncomfortable and impatient with the love talk and the PDA going on at the table. "Do you know Neil and Larry well?" she asked Naomi.

"I actually worked for Neil when he was running his company with his ex-wife Shana. That was six or seven years ago. I thought he was very good at picking the right material to produce. But there was a lot of tension between him and his wife, and they didn't have enough job potential for me, so I left." She paused, her smile fading. "I heard a rumor on my way over here that something happened to Neil's daughter, that she was kidnapped."

"Whoa," TJ said. "Seriously?" His gaze swung to Cooper's. "Did you know that?"

"Yes."

"Have you spoken to Neil?" Naomi asked.

"I have. He's very upset and worried."

TJ shook his head in bewilderment. "That's terrible. I hope his kid comes home, but we know that doesn't always happen…" His voice trailed away, and his gaze sharpened as it moved from him to Andi. "Wait a second. Aren't you in the FBI, Andi? Is that why you're here? Are you trying to find Neil's kid? Are you and Cooper solving another mystery together?"

"My team is working on the case," Andi said. "Cooper and I ran into each other at Neil's house, and we decided to catch up."

"But you hate each other," TJ said in bemusement.

"Not anymore," Andi said. "How's your family?"

"My dad passed away a couple of years ago. Will is a real estate agent now. He was working with my dad, but now he's running the company and very full of himself. I don't see much of him, which is fine with both of us."

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