Twice the Temptation

She slid out of the booth and was halfway to the lobby when she stopped, turned back, and waved. “I’ll see you both at the Singles Mixer tonight.”

Brie stared at her until she disappeared. “Now my curiosity is really piqued.”

“Fantasies are private things. My sisters and I never told each other what we’d drawn out until after our fantasies had come true. I think it’s kind of like a wish. There’s always that fear that if you give voice to it, it might not come true.”

“Like when you blow out your birthday candles and you can’t tell anyone what you asked for.”

“Exactly.” Then Reese glanced down at the envelope lying in front of Brie. “Why don’t you open yours?”

“Mine? No. This one just fell out of the box when Molly took hers.”

“Hattie doesn’t make mistakes where her fantasy box is concerned. Take it from someone who knows. That one is definitely yours.”

Brie couldn’t seem to take her eyes off the yellowing envelope. The temptation to open it was fierce. But fantasies were dangerous. They made you want things. Then unable to prevent herself, she shifted her gaze to Cody.

The pull was instant and so intense that she nearly went to him. She’d never wanted anyone the way she wanted Cody Marsh. But it wasn’t the time or the place.

The woman who’d tried to kill them only a matter of hours ago had a partner. Someone who could be lurking right now somewhere in the resort, just waiting for the opportune moment.

A song drifted into her mind, one of the saddest songs she ever sang—“Somewhere” from West Side Story. The lovers in that play had only found a small window of opportunity to be together. She and Cody were in the same situation.

Perhaps this would be their only time together. If she didn’t grab it, she might lose it forever.

She lifted the envelope and pulled out the fantasy. You will push the past and the future aside to indulge in a onetime fling.

A band tightened around her heart as she reread the writing on the parchment paper.

“Don’t worry if it doesn’t seem to fit,” Reese said. “I thought Hattie had made a mistake with me, too.”

“No, it fits.” She raised her eyes, and the instant she did, her gaze locked with Cody’s. Even at this distance, she could feel the heat of those gray eyes. “Perfectly.”

It was the perfect fantasy. The only one she could ever have with Cody.

And she intended to indulge in it. Fully.

“WHAT DO YOU SAY?”

Cody dragged his eyes away from Brie’s. Every time he looked at her, he lost his train of thought. He had to put a stop to that. He was almost sure that it was Mac who’d spoken to him. “Sorry?”“I was just saying that if Nate really feels you should leave, I can help. If you can give me until tomorrow morning, I can have a private jet waiting for you in Portland. I’ll have my pilot arrange for a helicopter to transport you there.”

“Have you still got Brie’s phone?” Nate asked.

Cody fished it out of his pocket.

“I can arrange for it to go back to the mainland on the morning ferry.”

“A little misdirection,” Cody mused. “The thing is, I’m not sure it would work. If Radtke’s partner is still here, as we suspect, he or she might have spotted us already.” He paused for a second as something once more pushed at the edge of his mind.

“All the more reason to get you off the island,” Nate said.

“I just don’t trust that we won’t be tracked or followed.” Cody ran his hands through his hair. “So far they’ve been one step ahead of me all the way. Someone in the Federal Marshal’s office is on Ferrante’s payroll. That was why Maxine Norville called me in. And it’s someone high enough up that they would know how to contact and hire Marielle Radtke and her partner.”

“Go on,” Nate prompted.

“I figure this person has as much to lose as Ferrante at this point. If Brie testifies and sends Ferrante to death row, he’s going to make a deal and sing, pardon the cliché, like a canary. So it’s not just his brother and grandfather and other business associates who have a stake in silencing Brie.”

Mac held up a hand. “You’re saying someone in the marshal’s office is also out to kill her?”

“That’s the way I see it,” Cody said. “If I’m right, the moment I turn her over to testify on Monday, I’ve signed her death warrant.”

Silence fell for three beats. It was Nate who finally broke it. “So what do we do?”

“It we can draw out Radtke’s partner and capture him, we may get him/her to flip on who’s picking up the tab for their services.”

“How could we do that without putting Brie in danger?” Mac asked.

“We couldn’t,” Cody said. “The trick will be to minimize the danger.” His gaze was drawn to the piano.

Mac turned to Avery. “These MacFarland brothers—they’re supposed to be good. Can’t they create another identity for Brie and get her out of this death trap?”

Cody glanced at Mac. “They could. But that means Ferrante walks and so does his bosom buddy in the Federal Marshal’s office. Plus, Brie wants to sing again. And she might just be good enough to make a name for herself. If she does, someone’s going to be able to trace her.”

“But how do we draw out Radtke’s partner without getting Brie killed?” Nate asked.

There were a few beats of silence. Cody found his gaze shifting to the piano again. Something shimmered in the mirror. And then he saw Hattie, just as Brie had described her. She was sitting on the piano, legs crossed and leaning back on her hands. She winked at him before she faded.

At that instant, the thing that had been nagging at him all day clicked into focus.

“The timing,” he murmured.

The other three men fixed their attention on him.

“Something’s been bothering me ever since Brie and I left the accident scene. I don’t doubt that the GPS tracking device in Brie’s phone was how Radtke tracked us. But she needed time to cut the guardrail cables. And I think I know how she got it.”

“We’re all ears,” Nate said.

“There was a stalled car in the intersection on Main Street right in front of the coffee shop. The only person who got past it was Radtke on her bike. Brie and I, as well as several other people, were stuck there for nearly half an hour. I think the driver had to be Radtke’s partner. His job was to keep us there until she could get the cables cut. The guy was none too happy when I insisted that he get out of his car and help us push it off to a side street.”

“You got a good look at him, I presume,” Nate said.

“Gray hair, thick glasses.”

“He could have been wearing a disguise,” Nate added.

“I agree. But he can’t disguise his height or build. He was very tall and skinny, like Ichabod Crane from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”

Nate pulled out his phone. “I’ll call my deputy Tim and have him put the word out.”

“I’ll alert the staff,” Avery said.

When he’d finished on his phone, Nate narrowed his eyes on Cody. “You’re thinking of setting a trap.”

“The way I see it, I’ve already led Brie into one. I just want to spring it on a different person.”

“We could lose her,” Nate said.

Cody met his eyes. “I stand to lose her anyway come Monday.”

Nate sighed. “What’s the plan?”

Cody glanced at the piano again. Hattie wasn’t there this time, but she’d succeeded in planting the idea. He was going to believe she would back them up. “Brie’s going to sing here tonight.”

“It’s too dangerous,” Nate said.

“It’s the best chance we’ve got of drawing the guy out. There are four of us,” Cody said. “We can cover both exits. If she’s sitting on that piano, the guy won’t be able to get a clear shot from either the lobby or the gardens. He’ll have to come into the bar. We know what he looks like and we have the advantage of picking the time and the place.” He turned to Avery, “What time does the Singles Mixer start?”

“Nine o’clock.”

“Then a good time for Brie to sing would be around ten or ten-thirty.”

“Perfect. And we’ll have more than four men, actually,” Avery said. “Colonel Jenkins is registered.” He turned to Mac. “You haven’t met him yet, but he’s a retired military man and related to Hattie Haworth’s lover. I’m sure he’d agree to help. He’s going to be at the mixer tonight, anyway. And then there’s Hattie.”

When they all turned to stare at him, Avery simply shrugged. “Hey, the lady’s three for three in the catching the bad guys and protecting the good guys department. And she seems to like Brie. No one’s ever seen her on that piano before. Or heard her sing.”

“I need to talk to Brie before we finalize everything,” Cody said.

“I’ve got the perfect spot,” Avery said. “Until this matter is resolved, you’re going to the tower room. Hattie will take care of you there.”

8

Late Friday afternoon—Singles Weekend, Day 1