Page 19 of Deadly Designs

She gave him directions and the code to lift thegate. Christian checked for any tails as he made his way around thecrowded streets of the beach town. After a stop at an overnightdelivery company to send Aja Blue’s phone to Tyler, he took anindirect route to the house away from the coast. There were rumorsabout BeBe’s abilities, and he totally believed him. She found outearlier today that he would be in the area and had already locateda place to use. Some agents speculated that COBRA Securities ownedsafe houses around the country. He wouldn’t be surprised.

The gate required a code, which he punched in.Christian checked the rear-view mirror as the iron bars opened, andhe motored through.

“Whose house is this?”

“My company rented it for us to use. It’s gotstate-of-the-art security, so we’ll be safe here.”

The home was a two-story limestone and brickstructure with a nicely manicured lawn and tons of curb appeal. Thegarage door was already open, so he swung around and backedinside.

Christian stepped out and opened the back to grabtheir luggage. He realized how hungry he was when his stomachrumbled loudly.

“Yeah, we haven’t had a chance to eat, have we?” AjaBlue commented.

“No. The house should have the basic supplies, buthow does a pizza sound?”

“Delicious.”

They carried their bags inside. The interior wasspotlessly clean and tastefully decorated in beige, cream, and graytones. Soaring ceilings added height, and overstuffed furnitureprovided coziness.

“This is nice,” Aja Blue said.

“It is.”

A curving staircase led to the second floor, whereChristian assumed the bedrooms would be located. He discovered twomain suites, so Aja Blue claimed one, and he put his bags in theroom across the hallway.

“Let me call for a delivery, and then we can revieweverything that’s happened.”

Chapter Five

Aja Blue walked around the house,admiring the décor and luxurious upgrades, including aclimate-controlled wine room. Christian had told her to helpherself to anything in the house, so she selected a bottle of PinotNoir and carried it to the kitchen.

He was on the phone with his back to her. She stoppedto admire the view. The man was a physical specimen. He wasbeautifully built, with broad, muscular shoulders, solid arms, atrim waist, and perfectly shaped buns. His legs looked powerfulbeneath the tactical pants he wore. She had the insane urge tostrip him naked and taste every inch of his flesh.

The old saying about feeling someone staring must betrue because he slowly turned around. As it had when they’d comeface to face earlier, time seemed to stand still. A clock tickedsomewhere close-by . . . or was it the beat of her heart poundingin her ears? She’d been around handsome males her entire life. Whydid this one affect her so intensely?

The peel of his phone snapped them out of theirmutual trances. Aja Blue shook her head and rummaged around untilshe found an electric corkscrew that popped the stopper out in notime. A search of the cabinets produced two goblets. She filledthem with the ruby-colored liquid and took a sip from one. Theflavor exploded on her tongue, rich and velvety. She took anotherdrink. There was a difference between the less expensive wine sheusually purchased and the good stuff. This was exquisite.

Christian slid his phone into a pocket. She picked upthe other glass and handed it to him. He was probably a beer man,but he sniffed it and then took a sip.

“Not bad.” He tilted his head toward the breakfastnook with built-in benches. “Why don’t we talk while we wait forthe delivery person?”

Aja Blue grabbed the bottle and carried it with heras she sat. She recalled everything from seeing the same manoutside her apartment and at the resort in Sedona, to spotting himacross from her office earlier. Gosh, had that been this morning?It seemed so long ago now.

“Why were you in Sedona?”

Aja Blue felt silly telling him she’d raced there ona whim. She’d had no proof it had been Polly on the other end ofthe phone call, yet it hadn’t stopped her from dropping everythingto search for her friend.

Christian had flown all the way to the East Coast tohelp her. The least she owed him was that truth. She filled him inon Polly’s troubled life and her association with the pornproducer, Dirk Haines.

“Did you see her while you were there?”

Aja Blue winced. “No. I’ve been trying to get heraway from Dirk for a few years. Since his business was shut downand he’s been under federal investigation, he’s been on the run. Igot a call from the resort where I ran into you in Sedona. Theperson didn’t talk, but I had a gut feeling it was Polly. Takingoff without confirming she was there was probably foolish, but Idid it anyway. A mutual friend thought she saw her in Scottsdale,so I went there. I flashed her picture, and someone thought theyremembered her. They overheard her say she was going to Tucson. Itried there next and spent days looking for her, but I never foundher. I left her messages, but she didn’t return them.”

“Does this Haines guy resent you for trying to gether away from him?”

Aja Blue chuffed out a laugh. “Oh yeah, big time.He’s threatened to sue me several times and had his shyster lawyersend me harassing letters.”

“Could he have hired someone to follow you?”

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