not, I am able to convince myself you are not her.”
His smile nearly undid her resolve to keep a grip on her emotions. You can’t trust this man. Every piece of intelligence points to him being the mastermind of one of the most repulsive operations we’ve seen in a long time. That was what she had told herself as she read his file and studied his drop-dead-sexy photographs. Face-to-face, it didn’t help. One look from those dark eyes and her insides melted.
“Delaney!” A booming voice interrupted her thoughts and made Cameron roll his eyes. “Who let you into my place while my back was turned?”
“You are about to meet Dino. He delights in living up to his reputation for being larger than life. My advice is to roll with it.”
The man who approached their table was of average build, but his personality filled the room. His sharp eyes skimmed Laurie’s face before coming to rest on Cameron’s countenance. She got the impression some sort of silent communication took place between them, as though Dino was reassuring himself his friend was okay, before he spoke again.
“Aren’t you going to introduce me?”
“Dino, this is Laurie Carter. She’s here on vacation, and yes, she looks like Carla.”
Dino made a pretense of mopping his brow. “I’m glad you mentioned that. Otherwise I’d have spent the whole night wondering if you’d noticed.” He winked at Laurie. “You do know every single person in this place is talking about you, don’t you?”
She groaned. “Is it that bad?”
“It would have happened anyway because you look so much like her.” She decided she liked Dino, liked his bluntness and his warm smile. “Put you together with our esteemed mayor here and you’ve given our little community the best bit of gossip it’s had since—” he scratched his head “—well, I can’t remember anything this exciting. Maybe the last time was when Sarah Milligan’s daughter took off with that no-good, out-of-town boyfriend of hers. Remember that? We talked about it for weeks.”
“You talked about it for weeks,” Cameron corrected him. “I had other things on my mind.”
“That’s right. It was only about six weeks after Carla died, wasn’t it?” Unabashed, Dino nodded agreement with his own question. “So, what are you guys eating?”
“We haven’t decided. Some moron interrupted us before we had a chance to look at the menu.”
Ignoring Cameron’s deliberate rudeness, Dino grinned at Laurie. “I recommend the steak. And maybe a different companion.” With a wave of his hand, he was gone, pausing to talk to various diners as he made his way back to the kitchen.
“I like him.” Laurie smiled as she opened her menu.
“So do I, but don’t tell him. His ego is big enough already.”
She studied the food choices while taking in her surroundings. Stillwater was the county seat. The most densely peopled town in a sparsely inhabited county in the least-populated state in America was still going to be classed as a small town by anyone’s standards. Her internet searches had shown her a picturesque place, cradled by mountains, largely untouched by time, reveling in its own Western charm. A website had gone on to expand on how this town was home to cowboy history, an immense outdoor playground, with fine Western dining and friendly faces. It looked like Dino had tried to capture all of that in his restaurant. It worked. The place had a homey, easy feel, and judging by the number of diners, the food must be good, as well.
They ordered steaks, and once the waiter had brought beer for Cameron and soda for Laurie, she decided to kick things up a notch. “Tell me, how do you find time to be mayor and also run a business?”
“I don’t sleep.” His face remained expressionless for a few seconds, then he grinned. “Seriously? I founded the company with the money my father left me. I’m the person who built it up from nothing, put the hours in to make it a success. I’m still the CEO. But these days my role is strategic, not hands-on. I pay other people, namely my two brothers, to do the day-to-day stuff. Politics is pretty full on.” He waved a hand, encompassing the restaurant. “You see quaint, laid-back and charming? You wouldn’t believe what goes on beneath the surface.”
“So your brothers actually run the company?” This was an interesting piece of information. One that hadn’t been obvious from the file. This was why it was so important to get someone in here on the ground. But don’t clutch at straws. What he’s telling you doesn’t let him off the hook. He’s still the one in overall charge.
“Bryce, who you met briefly, takes care of operations. My older brother, Vincente, is the money man—”
“Did I hear my name being taken in vain?”
Two men had approached the table without them being aware of it. The one who spoke was dark, but that was the only resemblance between the two brothers. Vincente Delaney was tall with a strong, sinewy build, his looks reflecting his Italian mother’s heritage. In any other company, his proud features, neatly trimmed beard and olive skin would have been considered handsome. In comparison with Cameron, Laurie decided he didn’t quite match up.
“Is the whole town in here tonight?” There was a trace of a groan in Cameron’s voice.
“Is this Dino’s and is it Saturday? If so, you’ve answered your own question by coming here.” Laurie’s attention was drawn to Vincente’s companion, a man whose voice rumbled out his reply. She had heard the expression “a bear of a man” without having seen anyone who embodied what it meant until now. This man was huge, blond and imposing.
“Laurie, I guess more introductions are required. As you may have gathered, this is my brother Vincente. And this is Grant Becker.”
Laurie studied Grant with interest, and found her gaze being returned by a pair of intense blue eyes. There was curiosity and something deeper in that light gaze. He didn’t seem the type to be strongly influenced by her resemblance to Carla, but there was no doubt it had affected him. Then he roused himself and smiled. It was a boyish, charming expression.
The pictures she had seen didn’t do him justice. In the flesh the sheriff of West County was younger and better-looking than his online image, although she could hardly tell him so. Moreton had informed her that the local police, both the city police department and the county sheriff’s office, remained unaware of the federal presence in Stillwater. It had struck Laurie as a strange move not to involve the local police in the undercover operation. Moreton had explained there were two reasons for the decision. The first was what Moreton described as the “sensitive and unidentified operational radius,” by which she assumed he meant there was no way of knowing how widespread the trafficking might be, or how many people might be involved. Secondly, and perhaps more important, Cameron Delaney and Grant Becker had been friends since first grade.
“When Bryce told me you looked like Carla, I thought he was exaggerating.” Vincente was speaking, and Laurie turned her attention back to him. “I see now he wasn’t.”
Laurie wasn’t sure she liked the way Vincente’s eyes assessed her. Maybe he was being protective of his brother. Cameron had been badly hurt when Carla died, after all. Possibly his judgment of a woman who looked so much like her might be impaired. Also, Cameron was a very wealthy man. For all Vincente knew, Laurie could be a gold digger out to manipulate his brother and take him for all she could get. Even so, those eyes bothered her. They seemed to look right through her.
Grant
